[A programme to assist close relatives and lifelong partners in caring for persons suffering from depressions or schizophrenic disorders].

OBJECTIVE Lifelong partners or close relatives of persons suffering from mental disorders will naturally step in to help by assuming a great variety of tasks. By witnessing their relative's illness on a daily basis, they are exposed to many burdens with a negative impact on their own well-being. Hence, supporting the relatives of persons with mental disorders appears imperative. While there are various approaches to working with relatives, there are hardly any specific programmes for working with certain groups of relatives such as spouses, children or siblings. METHODS Basing on a discussion of the various approaches to looking after relatives, development of a programme is described aimed at specifically supporting spouses of persons suffering from depression or schizophrenia. RESULTS The concept of our programme is presented and results of its evaluation by participants are reported. CONCLUSION The initial experiences with the support programme are quite promising. An evaluation of its effects, based on a case-control-design, is currently under way.

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