Toplum Ruh Sağlığı Merkezlerinde hasta aileleriyle çalışmak: Neden çalışmalı? Nasıl çalışmalı?

The family has an important role in struggling with chronic mental disorders as well as patient and treatment methods. Unlike western societies, family’s inevitable partnership with the patient continues in our culture. This situation provides great advantages in treatment of chronic mental disorders compared to western world. The family can have a positive effect on treatment and vice versa. Family members’ grief and burden caused by deterioration of patient’s functioning to be evaluated and the family must be guided for appropriate solutions in order to involve family for treatment. If family’s sociocultural and economical status is understood, a greater positive treatment outcome may probably be obtained. For community mental health centers which aim treatment in society, the family is an important first step for struggling stigmatization, improving socialization and functioning. There is much evidence supporting family interventions’ positive effects on management of disease. Family psychoeducation and interactive family groups should be created and families must involve in patients’ social skill training programs in order to get effective results.