Navigating the Storm of Mental Illness: Phases in the Family’s Journey

Abstract

About 1.25 million American families live with persistently mentally ill members. Costs, personal and public, are substantial. Research providing holistic understanding of the processes these families experience is needed. This qualitative study’s objectives were to (a) examine the process holistically and (b) search for patterns in families’ experiences. The author used a framework of symbolic interaction and dramaturgical interviewing. Twenty-six respondents participated in a semistructured interview. Results indicated that families typically experienced six phases: development of awareness, crisis, instability and recurrent crises, movement toward stability, continuum of stability, and growth and advocacy. Needs characteristic of each phase were evident. Additional research is needed to determine if phases are consistent in other groups and to develop interventions appropriate for each phase.