Family caregivers and the mental health care system: reality and dreams.

Services directed toward supporting the family caregivers of persons with serious and persistent mental illnesses (SPMIs) are virtually nonexistent despite the fact that such interventions may have the potential to improve outcomes for both the caregivers and the clients. This qualitative study expands our understanding of the caregivers' perspective of nonsupportive and supportive aspects of the current mental health care system as well as desired services. The written narrative responses of 76 family caregivers from National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) chapters across the United States were analyzed using content analysis. The caregivers focused on relationship issues, service issues, and broader social system issues.