How family and friends can help?
When a relative or friend develops a mental illness, it can be distressing, worrying and isolating for everyone involved. Despite the different types and symptoms of mental illness, many family and friends share similar experiences, and there is much you can do to help the person you care for and look after yourself too.

Get help early. Don't ignore the warning signs. The sooner someone receives treatment, the better the outcome is likely to be. Encourage the person to see a GP or other doctor for an assessment. If the person cannot understand they are ill and refuses to see a doctor, make an appointment yourself to discuss your concerns and what can be done. The pamphlet 'Something Is Not Quite Right', available from SANE Australia, can help at this stage.

Learn as much as you can
Find out as much as you can about mental illness, treatments and what services are available in your local area. Encourage the person who has experienced the illness to be involved in this process as much as possible. It's especially important to understand that neither the person affected nor the family are to blame for the illnesses such as depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Find out if there are education and training courses for carers you can attend. This can be particularly helpful if the person you care for is severely affected by their illness.

Develop a plan
Work out a plan for coping day-by-day and for when a crisis occurs. Involve the person with the illness and the treating health professionals in the process. Discuss strategies for when symptoms begin to recur or when the person talks about committing suicide, for example. Suicidal thoughts should always be taken seriously and discussed with the treating professionals. Mental illness often creates a feeling of powerlessness - developing a plan helps everyone regain a sense of control over the situation. The 'SANE Guide for Carers' and 'SANE Guide to Planning Ahead' can help with this process.

Contact a support group
Contact a support group for carers or relatives and friends of people with a mental illness. Contact SANE Australia for details of groups in your local area.

Avoid getting stressed Look out for signs of getting stressed. Experiencing stress occasionally is quite normal. When you feel stressed intensively or for a long time, however, it can start to affect your physical and mental health. Stress can be particularly harmful for people who are already vulnerable to feelings of depression or anxiety, making these feelings worse. Manage your stress level by looking after yourself; staying in touch with family and friends; keeping in contact with health professionals who can support you; ensuring you get plenty of sleep and regular exercise, and being firm about not taking on too much responsibility for others.

For more information
It is important that you ask a doctor about any concerns you have. SANE Australia also produces a range of easy-to-read publications and multimedia resources to help famly and friends of people with a mental illness.

For more information about this topic see:
'The SANE Guide for Carers'
'The SANE Guide to Planning Ahead'
'The SANE Guide for Brothers and Sisters'
'Joe’s Diary: A SANE Guide for Young People' (suitable for teenagers)
'You’re not alone: A SANE Guide for Children' (suitable for 6-12 year olds). Use the Order Form which came with this Factsheet or visit the SANE Bookshop at www.sane.org

Please download this factsheet for the full text.

SANE Australia . . . Family and Friends

©SANE Factsheet 11
This Factsheet may be freely downloaded, copied and distributed on condition no change is made to the contents. SANE Australia is not responsible for any actions taken as a result of information or opinions contained in the Factsheet. SANE Australia is a business name of Schizophrenia Australia Foundation.
[Version English, 2004]