Psychiatrists may need to include family members in patient care for clinical purposes such as collecting family history, obtaining collateral information, and observing family dynamics. Additionally, psychiatrists should be able to recognize problems related to family systems and determine when a referral for family therapy is appropriate.
Healthy family relationships can have a positive impact on mental health, while dysfunctional ones can worsen or even trigger mental illness. By fostering supportive and nurturing family dynamics, individuals can experience improved emotional and behavioral well-being, leading to better outcomes.
Involving the Family
Psychiatrists need training in identifying and assessing family systems issues that may require family therapy. Psychiatrists should also be aware of community-based resources, such as polyclinics that have family therapists on staff, that can be accessed by patients and their families when a referral is appropriate.
During the initial assessment, a discussion about whether or not the patient desires to involve their family in treatment should occur. The psychiatrist should explain the benefits of including family members in treatment and obtain the patient’s consent. This conversation should identify any potential barriers to family involvement, such as mental health stigma or interpersonal conflict, and elicit insights from the psychiatrist regarding how to proceed with future engagement.
Providing psychoeducation for family members about the nature of the mental illness has been shown to reduce relapse and rehospitalization rates and to decrease the burden and stress level of carers. Even well-functioning families can benefit from information about the illness and validation of their coping strategies.
Involving the Patient
Modern healthcare requires multidisciplinary teams to manage patient care. Effective teamwork among these teams is essential to providing quality family psychiatric services and improving patient outcomes. Additionally, working together as a team helps reduce the number of medical errors during patient treatment.
It’s essential to involve the patient and their family members in treatment. It will help them feel more comfortable and confident in their care and allow them to participate more actively in their treatment.
It includes providing them with all the information they need about their condition and treatment plan. It also means ensuring they can communicate with all healthcare team members. It will ensure they’re always on the same page about their care. It will also ensure that they receive the best possible care. Currently, most community mental health survey respondents said that they were ‘definitely’ or ‘to some extent’ involved as much as they wanted to be in agreeing on what care and treatment they would receive.
Involving Other Stakeholders
The importance of teamwork in treatment extends beyond the patients in the clinic. Strong teams allow the involvement of other stakeholders, such as families, who can provide support and encouragement throughout recovery. In addition, including patients in decision-making allows them to become active participants in their care.
Healthcare teamwork research has been influenced by models from other fields, such as aviation and military missions, often involving clearly defined tasks and stable team compositions. However, most healthcare work involves a wide range of activities that require effective coordination between people and may not meet formal definitions of teamwork.
Existing teamwork studies often rely on simplified concepts of work that assume that healthcare teams operate in linear ways that can be specified in policies and procedures. Moreover, they tend to use evaluation tools suitable for studying the dynamic aspects of teamwork as it evolves in practice.
Providing Support
Many family members who have a loved one with a mental health disorder experience a stigma that can discourage them from seeking help. Creating an open and accepting atmosphere within the family can help promote treatment engagement and break the cycle of stigma.
Family psychiatrists can provide support and encouragement to families by educating them about the benefits of treatment and providing them with strategies to address issues such as codependency and enabling behaviors. They can also help families find support groups that can offer advice and assistance in dealing with mental health issues.
Effective teamwork is critical to providing high-quality patient care. They can also provide a more holistic approach to patient’s needs, a massive benefit in psychiatry. Teamwork can be encouraged by focusing on personal values, improving communication systems, and developing conflict management skills. Improving patient outcomes and fostering a positive team culture can be achieved through this approach.
