OBJECTIVE: This article aimed to provide an overview regarding the burden of relatives of mentally ill patients and their expectations towards psychiatric institutions. METHODS: The literature was selected from Medline covering the years 1996 - 2002. 342 articles were reviewed, 145 of which were described in this review. RESULTS: The burden of relatives are manifold and can be classified into the following categories: time spent on caring, financial difficulties, occupational restrictions, detrimental effects on relatives own physical and psychological well-being, reduction in leisure activities, negative effects on social relationships, experiences of discrimination and refusal, deficiencies in information about illness, feelings of not being taken seriously, insufficient service support, long distance to mental health service, emotional burdens of caregivers and difficulties with the patients behaviour. The expectations of the relatives mainly refer to the categories "relationship between staff and relatives", "information about illness" and "establishing of institutions required". CONCLUSION: The various burdens of relatives and their expectations towards psychiatric services point to necessary improvements of mental health services in the sense of a consumer-oriented psychiatric care.
OBJECTIVE: This article aimed to provide an overview regarding the burden of relatives of mentally illpatients and their expectations towards psychiatric institutions. METHODS: The literature was selected from Medline covering the years 1996 - 2002. 342 articles were reviewed, 145 of which were described in this review. RESULTS: The burden of relatives are manifold and can be classified into the following categories: time spent on caring, financial difficulties, occupational restrictions, detrimental effects on relatives own physical and psychological well-being, reduction in leisure activities, negative effects on social relationships, experiences of discrimination and refusal, deficiencies in information about illness, feelings of not being taken seriously, insufficient service support, long distance to mental health service, emotional burdens of caregivers and difficulties with the patients behaviour. The expectations of the relatives mainly refer to the categories "relationship between staff and relatives", "information about illness" and "establishing of institutions required". CONCLUSION: The various burdens of relatives and their expectations towards psychiatric services point to necessary improvements of mental health services in the sense of a consumer-oriented psychiatric care.