For a long period of time, mental disorders remain to be a serious social problem that causes disabilities among the Americans and Canadians (Rogers, 2015). The governments of these two countries pay much attention to this issue and try to develop a number of effective and efficient ways on how to help people and choose the best care practices. Rogers (2015) identifies several principles in the Recovery Model. Peer support, interactions with others, and respect are some of them. These principles can be more effective if family members are incorporated into patient-centered care. Family care of the mental health patient is characterized by certain benefits and challenges that will be discussed in the current paper.
Incorporating family into patient care is a practice chosen by many hospitals and institutions around the whole globe. Professional nurses and psychiatrists admit that if a family is provided with the required verbal and written guidelines on how to help a patient and explained of the possible interventions, this kind of involvement can be rather beneficial (Mental Health Care, 2014). Among the pluses of this practice, the possibility to recognize risk factors for suicide or inappropriate behavior is the evident one. Family members, as no one else, are able to provide the required portion of information about the patient’s ordinary style of life, preferences, interests, etc. Sometimes, even the most experienced nurses and doctors cannot understand the hidden reasons for the patient’s behavior or talks. Family members can not only recognize the danger (Buila & Swanke, 2010) but also inform about the frequency of such disorders and the ways on how to cope with them. A family may also become a source of inspiration for a mentally sick person. The desire to be present at daughter’s wedding, a chance to meet grandchildren, or a possibility to talk to a mother can make people understand the importance of treatment, at least for a moment.
However, there may be certain barriers in incorporating families into caregiving. The reasons can vary. For example, some family members take on the role of caregiver just because of a sense of responsibility (Rogers, 2015). It may happen that such caregiving becomes a passionless “dry” duty with time with no positive outcomes. Sometimes, patients may refuse the idea of their family’s participation in treatment because they do not want other members know about the mental problems, or some other reasons may take place. Finally, the relationships in a family are not always perfect, and family caregiving may lead to the development of bigger problems and disorders. Sometimes, it is better for a family to be far away of a patient during a treating process and communicate with direct caregiver distantly. Anyway, nurses and doctors have to analyze different cases when family members want or have to become direct caregivers of mental health patients and decide if the incorporation is a good idea or, vice versa, should be avoided.
In general, mental health patients require much attention, understand, and patience. The participation of family members in caregiving may become the best or the worst solution. Much depends on a patient and the relations developed within a family. Doctors and nurses are welcome to recognize patient conditions, study better patient-family relations, understand if the benefits prevail over the barriers, and identify the role of family in a particular patient care.
References
Buila, S.M.D. & Swanke, J.R. (2010). Patient-centered mental health care: Encouraging caregiver participation. Care Management Journals, 11(3), 146-150.
Rogers, L. (2015). Family mental health nursing. In J.R. Kaakinen, D.P. Coehlo, R. Steele, A. Tabacco, & S.M. H. Hanson (Eds.), Family health care nursing: Theory, practice, and research (pp.521-553 ). Philadelphia, PA: F.A. Davis Company.
Treatment and care: Family Involvement. (2014). Mental Health Care. Web.