The following is therefore NSF(S)' interpretation of that material, with some quotations from the booklet.
It is hoped that members will find these notes helpful when they are discussing with the psychiatric team the care of the individual with schizophrenia knowing that they stem from the Scottish Office and the NHS.
"The NHS and Community Care Act places patients and carers first". To members of the psychiatric team, the patient's needs are paramount, even although the carers have inevitably been involved when the patient starts to become ill.
What therefore are the advantages of further involving carers?
"Early involvement of the family is often very helpful in developing good therapeutic relationships".
Carers know the patient's history. Sometimes it is only the carer who realises just how ill the individual is.
When patients have leave from hospital, for a few hours or a weekend, they mostly spend that time with their carers and, when discharged in a stable condition, they either go back home to live or visit frequently. Much of their time is therefore spent with informal carers.
Thus carers can help the adjustment back into the community. They can help restore the patient's self-respect and help in compliance with drug therapy, in monitoring of the illness and in maintenance of the drug therapy.
The onset of the illness will have left carers confused, angry, hurt, demoralised and frightened of the future. They don't know why this has happened and wonder if they are somehow to blame.
"There are many emotional, financial and social burdens on the carers and on occasions, they may become concerned by threats or acts of aggression".
If they are to give the best possible support to the sufferer, they need information, on an ongoing basis because they cannot possibly take in everything at once. Even some family members who can only give minimal support, may want to understand and help.
Carers want information, on
Carers may want specialist genetic counselling at some stage as they and other family members may be confused about this.
Carers have a need for support in coming to terms with the diagnosis and what it may mean. Contact with other carers can be very helpful. They should be given information on how to get this help e.g. from NSF (Scotland).
Carers can be helped to realise that their role is just as important as the other 'expert' i.e. the professionals involved in the care and treatment of the sufferer. Carers are also experts in their own fields.
If carers are helped in these ways they may get back their self-confidence and cope more calmly and surely with the patient.