Family Physician Support for a Family With a Mentally Ill Member

Kudos to Dr. McBride for describing the ripple effects of mental illness on families and for highlighting the role of family physicians in their care. As a psychologist who has dedicated my career to supporting these families and is new to family medicine, I was delighted to read this article and fully agree with Dr. McBride's sentiments.

The literature on the impact of parental mental illness on youth is also growing, revealing considerable and potentially long-term adverse effects on children. Some novel early intervention programs have promising results, and more research is needed. When family physicians treat adults living with serious mental illness, I empower them to ask how the children are doing - and to explore what resources may be available for the entire family.

Family physicians may be the only contact these families have with the healthcare system, and the opportunity / responsibility is great. I challenge providers to not only ASK about mental illness (in the patient and family), but also familiarize themselves with resources.

As noted by Dr. McBride, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) has FREE, peer-led educational programs for adults who care about someone living with mental illness called Family to Family. Classes are offered in most large cities across the country: http://www.nami.org/Find-Support/Family-Members-and-Caregivers

Many resources are available online, including a free family education program I created in the VA system called the Support And Family Education (SAFE) Program. Family physicians may find some of the handouts and resources useful on topics such as "What can I do when my family member is depressed" and "How can I take care of myself as a caregiver?" The entire curriculum is available free online: www.ouhsc.edu/SAFEProgram

Finally, I encourage family physicians to familiarize themselves with supports and resources for youth, such as self-help books (e.g., "Wishing wellness: A workbook for children of parents with mental illness" by Lisa Clark and "I'm not alone: A teen's guide to living with a parent with mental illness" - www.SeedsofHopeBooks.com)

Helping these oftentimes isolated families realize they're not alone and empowering them with resources can be invaluable actions by family physicians.

Competing interests: I've written books for teens whose parent has a mental illness

Thank you Dr. Dever for your thoughtful response. While somewhat beyond the scope of this article and discussion, my orientation to family medicine has incorporated this wider context of care that, as I understand it, was a basis for the origins of family medicine. My desire is that this broader holistic approach not be crowded out from the scope of family medicine due to the pressures and demands of the current healthcare environment. It is a great challenge, it seems to me, to the soul of family medicine. Thank you, again.

Competing interests: None declared