'Nobody can help me...i am living through it alone': experiences of caring for people diagnosed with mental illness in ethno-cultural and linguistic minority communities.

Caregivers of people diagnosed with mental illness in ethno-cultural and linguistic minority communities (ECLMCs) face considerable demands and difficulties in their day-to-day caring role. Data from interviews with 20 caregivers from Polish, Croatian, Bosnian, and Chinese communities, undertaken in Perth, Western Australia, explore the roles caregivers play in the lives of their relatives and illustrate their use and non-use of support services. A diverse array of challenges confronts caregivers across the different ECLMCs. Although not an unequivocally negative experience, caring for a relative diagnosed with mental illness was found to frequently disrupt family relationships and to lead to physical and mental exhaustion as well as social isolation. The stigma associated with mental illness in ECLMCs is a significant factor dissuading people from seeking assistance from external agencies. Many mainstream services are seen as inappropriate, which appears to be a factor in their under-utilization. If mental health policies and community services are to seriously address the issue of appropriate support for caregivers from ECLMCs, it is important that they are aware of the nature of the considerable demands placed on such caregivers as they endeavor to support their dependent relatives.