Citation

Schmid R, Cording C, Spießl H. PsychoNeuro 2007; 33(1-2): 34-42.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2007)

DOI

10.1055/s-2007-973739

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

A good knowledge of the manifold burdens of relatives due to the psychiatric illness of their family member is an integrant of any effective psychiatric and psychotherapeutic cooperation with relatives. Beside of temporal and financial restrictions relatives are especially burdened with negative emotions, they often have nobody to speak to. These emotional burdens can be distinguished in anxiety and sorrows due to the lack of information about the illness and treatment, unsureness ("mad or bad"?) and overload with the symptoms of the illness, sorrows due to the (medical) treatment of the patient, helplessness and palsy, loneliness and sole responsibility, feelings of being excluded of the treatment of the patient, anxiety about the future, feelings of restrictions of the own autonomy and distance problems, hope and disappointment, grief and feelings of loss, fear of relapse and suicide, sense of shame and stigmatization, discouragement, feelings of guilt, anger and disappointment, changes in family roles and role-conflictions, problems in the sexuality of the partnership and anxiety about the illness of once own or heredity to the own children. Overcharging the capacity of the relatives has to be prevented by giving specific information about the illness and the treatment, by supporting the relatives in their handling the illness and the contact with the patient and by supporting them in their problems due to the illness of their family member. To the so far primarily patient-oriented information by the professionals to the relatives (how can the relatives help to forward and ensure a successful treatment of the ill family member) the relative-oriented perspective has to be added (how can the relatives be emotionally disburdened in their personal situation).

Language: de

Keywords

human; psychotherapy; anxiety; medical education; suicide attempt; emotional disorder; review; caregiver burden; Psychiatric disorder; mental disease; sexuality; clinical practice; clinical feature; fear; health practitioner; medical information; sorrow; evolutionary adaptation; Emotional burden; Relatives