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DiscussionReflections

Family Physician Support for a Family With a Mentally Ill Member

J. LeBron McBride
The Annals of Family Medicine September 2016, 14 (5) 460-462; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1370/afm.1969
J. LeBron McBride
Floyd Medical Center Family Medicine Residency, Rome, Georgia
PhD, MPH
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  • For correspondence: lmcbride@floyd.org
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  • Author response Re:A call for need and passion
    J. LeBron McBride
    Published on: 23 September 2016
  • Re:A call for need and passion
    Karen H. Tovey
    Published on: 22 September 2016
  • Author expresses appreciation for resources
    J. LeBron McBride
    Published on: 20 September 2016
  • Resources for families living with mental illness
    Michelle D Sherman, Ph.D LP
    Published on: 19 September 2016
  • Author repsonse: Family Physician Support for a Family with a Mentally Ill Member
    J. LeBron McBride
    Published on: 19 September 2016
  • A call for need and passion
    G. E. Alan Dever MD.PhD
    Published on: 16 September 2016
  • Published on: (23 September 2016)
    Page navigation anchor for Author response Re:A call for need and passion
    Author response Re:A call for need and passion
    • J. LeBron McBride, Director of Behavioral Med.

    Ms. Tovey,
    Thank you very much for your comments. Your work at a Mental Health Court is another vital component toward fair and just care of persons with mental illness and their families. So many persons with mental illness have been locked away with no treatment and no resources and forgotten (and the impact upon their families forgotten as well); our society should do much better! Mental Health Courts while st...

    Show More

    Ms. Tovey,
    Thank you very much for your comments. Your work at a Mental Health Court is another vital component toward fair and just care of persons with mental illness and their families. So many persons with mental illness have been locked away with no treatment and no resources and forgotten (and the impact upon their families forgotten as well); our society should do much better! Mental Health Courts while still evolving and having limited funds can be a step toward doing better; their collaborative approach among professionals is the way to go. I know that dealing with mental health issues can be messy and when persons with mental illness get entangled in the criminal system it gets exponentially messier still. It is not easy, but we must do what we can to bring assistance and comfort to those who are suffering and who are often not given a voice of their own. Keep up the good work as well as your courage and fortitude. You are a pioneer through the jungle.
    Best regards, LeBron McBride

    Competing interests: None declared

    Show Less
    Competing Interests: None declared.
  • Published on: (22 September 2016)
    Page navigation anchor for Re:A call for need and passion
    Re:A call for need and passion
    • Karen H. Tovey, Court Coordinator
    Dr. McBride's article is a comprehensive "grand slam" addressing a wide array of issues faced by those affected by mental illness. It has been a reminder to me of the important role a family physician can play in the identification and treatment of mental illness. Fantastic read!

    Competing interests: None declared

    Competing Interests: None declared.
  • Published on: (20 September 2016)
    Page navigation anchor for Author expresses appreciation for resources
    Author expresses appreciation for resources
    • J. LeBron McBride, Director of Beh. Med.

    Dr. Sherman, thank you very much for your comments and the excellent additional resources you have listed! These greatly enhance what I emphasized in the article.

    Competing interests: None declared

    Competing Interests: None declared.
  • Published on: (19 September 2016)
    Page navigation anchor for Resources for families living with mental illness
    Resources for families living with mental illness
    • Michelle D Sherman, Ph.D LP, Professor and Director, Behavioral Health

    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 g...

    Show More

    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

    Show Less
    Competing Interests: None declared.
  • Published on: (19 September 2016)
    Page navigation anchor for Author repsonse: Family Physician Support for a Family with a Mentally Ill Member
    Author repsonse: Family Physician Support for a Family with a Mentally Ill Member
    • J. LeBron McBride, Director of Behavioal Medicine

    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...

    Show More

    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

    Show Less
    Competing Interests: None declared.
  • Published on: (16 September 2016)
    Page navigation anchor for A call for need and passion
    A call for need and passion
    • G. E. Alan Dever MD.PhD, physician

    McBride has stated in a very articulate and supportive manner that primary care physicians need to be tuned to the mental health needs of their patients. There is a passion in his message that is based on first hand encounters with difficult situations that require the interaction of primary care physicinas and therapists. McBride has a penchant to secure such a bonding between these disciplines to succeed in providing these...

    Show More

    McBride has stated in a very articulate and supportive manner that primary care physicians need to be tuned to the mental health needs of their patients. There is a passion in his message that is based on first hand encounters with difficult situations that require the interaction of primary care physicinas and therapists. McBride has a penchant to secure such a bonding between these disciplines to succeed in providing these often missed and sometimes forgotten aspects of the delivery of primary care.

    Some may think that the thesis of this paper is redundant or well known, however, the contrary is true. The paper relates to family medicine providers in that the thinking about this issue must be moved to the action of doing for this mental health group. As usual McBride penetrates issues that must be on the front page of health care and certainly be an intergrated part of the patient-centered home in a family practice setting. I believe this small briefing would be good fodder for a noon conference or a grand rounds discussion. Hopefully this approach will see more eyes.

    Competing interests: None declared

    Show Less
    Competing Interests: None declared.
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The Annals of Family Medicine: 14 (5)
The Annals of Family Medicine: 14 (5)
Vol. 14, Issue 5
September/October 2016
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Family Physician Support for a Family With a Mentally Ill Member
J. LeBron McBride
The Annals of Family Medicine Sep 2016, 14 (5) 460-462; DOI: 10.1370/afm.1969

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J. LeBron McBride
The Annals of Family Medicine Sep 2016, 14 (5) 460-462; DOI: 10.1370/afm.1969
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More in this TOC Section

  • When the Death of a Colleague Meets Academic Publishing: A Call for Compassion
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  • Not Like They Used To: The Decline of Procedural Competency in Medical Training
Show more Reflections

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Subjects

  • Domains of illness & health:
    • Mental health
  • Person groups:
    • Family
  • Core values of primary care:
    • Coordination / integration of care
    • Relationship
  • Other topics:
    • Social / cultural context

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  • behavioral medicine
  • mental health
  • psychosocial issues in healthcare and primary care
  • patient-centered medical care
  • medical family therapy

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