Families of Mentally Ill Clinical Trial
Official title:
Family Involvement in The Treatment Of a Mentally Ill Relative
- Research demonstrates that the families of the seriously mentally ill are burdened by
this caregiving role and by their responsibilities
- Research also demonstrates that family interventions are effective and that they have a
potential to reduce family burden, as well as to improve the condition of the mentally
ill patients.
- We assume that the sibling group intervention would be effective in reducing the family
burden of the siblings, and that this reduction would be reflected in their replies to
the "Experience of Caregiving Inventory".
- The group for siblings is an intervention which is carried out in the outpatient clinic
of Lev HaSharon Mental Health Center in cycles which last eight weeks;
- Every group cycle will include between 10-14 participants, all siblings of persons with
mental illness. The patients themselves (ill siblings) are either hospitalized in Lev
HaSharon Mental Health Center, or are outpatients in the Lev HaSharon Mental Health
Outpatient Unit, or in the community at large.
- The group is an ongoing group: short term intensive group intervention in a dynamic
orientation. Veteran participants of each cycle are welcome to re-join at following
cycles, and at the same time new participants can join at the beginning of each cycle.
- Participants will be asked to fill the "Experience of Caregiving Inventory" twice:
first time before the first meeting of a particular cycle of sibling group and second
time: after the last (eighth) meeting of this group cycle.
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Allocation: Non-Randomized, Endpoint Classification: Efficacy Study, Intervention Model: Single Group Assignment, Masking: Open Label