According to the World Health Organization s World Health Report 2001, one family in four worldwide has at least one member currently suffering from a mental disorder. This disorder often remains undiagnosed and untreated, but the behaviour of the ill person usually has a significant impact on the quality of life of the family and on the mental health of the other members of the family, and generates feelings of shame, guilt, helplessness and despair. This book provides a comprehensive picture of currently available evidence about the specific characteristics of the burden on the families of people with the various mental disorders, the coping strategies which increase or decrease this burden, the family interventions of proven efficacy, and what should be said and what should not be said to the relatives of people with the various conditions.

According to the World Health Organization's World HealthReport 2001, one family in four worldwide has at least one membercurrently suffering from a mental disorder. This disorder oftenremains undiagnosed and untreated, but the behaviour of the illperson usually has a significant impact on the quality of life ofthe family and on the mental health of the other members of thefamily, and generates feelings of shame, guilt, helplessness anddespair.This book provides a comprehensive picture of currentlyavailable evidence about the specific characteristics of the burdenon the families of people with the various mental disorders, thecoping strategies which increase or decrease this burden, thefamily interventions of proven efficacy, and what should be saidand what should not be said to the relatives of people with thevarious conditions.

List of Contributors.Preface.The Family of the Patient with Schizophrenia (Barrowclough).The Family of the Patient with Dementia (Brodaty).The Family of the Patient with Major Depression (Leff).The Family of the Patient with Bipolar Disorder (Keitner etal).The Family of the Patient with a Severe Anxiety Disorder(Steketee and Fogler).The Family of the Patient with an Eating Disorder (Monteleone etal).The Family of the Child with Mental Disorder (Gowers andBryan).The Family of the Patient with Drug Abuse (Ghodse andGalea).The Role of Family Organizations in Mental Health Care(Leggatt).Research on Burden and Coping Strategies in Families of Peoplewith Mental Disorders: Problems and Perspectives (Kuipers andBebbington).Research on Family Interventions in Mental Disorders: Problemsand Perspectives (Falloon).From Burden to Empowerment: The Journey of Family Caregivers inIndia (Shankar and Rao).Index.