The family as partner in the treatment of mental illness.

Believing that families are a valuable yet virtually untapped resource in treating and rehabilitating the mentally ill, the author surveyed 89 people to find out how they coped with their relative's long-term illness. Through trial and error, such families have developed a wealth of information about how to live with and manage chronic patients. The author also investiaged the types of service and supports families need. She urges professionals to begin dealing with relatives as allies instead of adversaries and to devise new modalities that make them collaborators in the treatment process.