Support Interventions for Family Members of Adults with Mental Illness: A Narrative Literature Review

Abstract

The aim of this review was to describe research related to support interventions for adult family members of people with mental illness and the significance that support may have. The results indicate the importance of flexible and individualized forms of support from both professionals and people with personal experience as a family member of someone with mental illness. In many cases, the intervention studies revealed that family members’ burden decreased, their knowledge of the disease and treatment increased, and their ability to cope with the situation was improved. The results highlight the importance of support both from professionals and peers.

Acknowledgements

The authors thank the librarians Göran Bostam at Ersta Sköndal Bräcke University College and Martin Borg at the University of Borås, Sweden, for their help in conducting the literature searches.

Author contributions

M.E. and E.H. were responsible for the conception of the study. M.E. performed the data collection and the data analysis in continuous discussions with E.H. M.E. drafted the manuscript and E.H. made critical revisions to the manuscript.

Declaration statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article.