Family carers hit hard by mental illness relapses

A ground-breaking international survey has shown that Australian carers for people with mental illnesses such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder themselves suffered lifestyle problems when an ill family member had a relapse.

The research demonstrated that 96% of Australian carers whose family member had relapsed – generally after they had discontinued their medication – had their own lives substantially affected. This compared with 61% in the global sample which covered other carers from Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Britain, and the United States.

Ms Margaret Springgay, executive director, Mental Illness Fellowship of Australia, said the survey Keeping Care Complete “confirms that appropriate use of medication underpins recovery from these illnesses and emphasises the short and long-term quality of life gains, not only for the consumer but also the carer, from finding and staying on the right one”.

In the survey the discontinuation of medication was recognised by carers as a key factor in patient relapse, with 94% of Australians stating that a relapse occurred when their family member stopped taking their medication. In Australia the relapse resulted in 86% of cases requiring hospitalisation compared to 69% of international cases.

By contrast Australian carers reported multiple benefits for family members who stayed on medication that was effective. These benefits included managing or improving symptoms (88%), improving quality of life (78%), increasing social contact (69%), sleeping better (67%), and improving memory and concentration
(58%).

As well as medication the survey found that 97% of Australian carers believed that family support was crucial in keeping family member patients well. Community resources were also rated highly by carers, with physical health programs in particular being mentioned as being valuable by 92% of carers.