Families' Perceptions of the Mental Health System.

Abstract

This study was carried out with the assistance of Supporting Families in Mental Illness (SF) Nelson/Marlborough, to provide insight into families' perceptions of their current involvement in the mental health system when a family member was being treated for mental illness. The survey collected information about gender, age, relationship to client, mental health diagnosis and the participants' rating of their satisfaction with the services provided by the mental health system when their family member was receiving treatment for a mental illness. Participants were asked to describe what they wanted from the mental health system for their family member. The majority considered their family member had a severe mental illness and were more dissatisfied by the system than those whose relative had a less severe illness. The findings are discussed and suggestions made for the improvement of support to families provided by mental health services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of New Zealand Journal of Counselling is the property of New Zealand Association of Counsellors and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)