Literature Review Families must be supported, educated, and encouraged to embrac
Literature Review Families must be supported, educated, and encouraged to embrace and seek help for mental health issues. Family relations, stress experienced by family members, and the economic cost of caring for the mentally ill person affect the psychological well-being of the family. This literature review also looks at various areas of research in order to establish what is already known and what is unknown about the impact of mental illness on families and society. It is shown that family-related factors are essential in the context of mental health. Family conflicts and lack of good communication between family members make mental health issues worse. According to Dardis and Smith (2021), high levels of family stress can cause conflicts in the family hence, influencing the relational aspect and escalating the psychiatric condition of the affected people. Psychiatric disorders are known to affect one or several members of the family, which puts pressure on the family as a whole, causes the isolation of the affected people, and adds more psychological problems to the list. Neff and Johnson (2019) build on this by examining the roles of communication and conflict resolution in mental health. They opine that poor conflict solving and stress in family-related environments can aggravate mental health issues. On the other hand, those families that encourage information sharing and perceived relational closeness would be in a better position to handle mental health challenges. While these papers offer a good foundation for understanding the short-term consequences of family issues on mental health, more evidence-based research is recommended, especially on the latent effects of unresolved family stress. It is common knowledge that families face a lot of stress and pressure when attending to a family member with a mental disorder. According to Davidson and Stewart (2022), the major caregivers are the family members, who experience a state of powerlessness, fear, and eventually burnout. These feelings can lead to emotional exhaustion, most especially when the caregiving roles are demanded of certain people. A large number of family caregivers suffer from mental health problems as they are always overwhelmed by the task of handling a relative’s symptoms. Lee and Morris (2019) further explore the psychological demands on family caregivers. Some of them opine that due to caregiving roles, stress, and anxiety levels are high, and they do not get appropriate social support. They stressed the importance of family caregivers who are likely to develop emotional exhaustion or increased stress levels, thus recommending mental health interventions for them. Although these studies point to the effects of caregiving on the emotional well-being of the carers, there is little evidence that shows the impact of the progressive burden of emotional pressure on the family caregivers. The cost aspect of mental disorders also has far-reaching impacts on families, particularly from an economic point of view. Thompson and Green (2023) establish that mental illness has ripple effects on the financial abilities of clients since it results in productivity in the workplace, dismissal from work, and fluctuating income. These financial difficulties increase the caregiving stress because the families are under pressure to manage both the emotional and financial demands that are placed on them. According to Patel and Roberts (2022), there are indirect costs of mental health disorders that are typically incurred in addition to the cost of treatment. Unemployment or low income is a major challenge that families encounter in the long run, thus causing instabilities in their financial positions. According to their research, the existing policies fail to address these economic costs, calling for changes in the policies that focus on financial and counseling assistance for families of people with mental disorders. Despite the given findings pointing at the short-term financial consequences, there is a lack of knowledge about long-term consequences and how they affect family well-being. Despite the existing literature, there are several limitations on the associations between mental health, family characteristics, emotional stress, and financial costs. There is a great scarcity of research that looks into the mental illness impact on families in the long run, while most studies are oriented toward the short-term results. It will be valuable for future research to focus on the long-term effects of such families’ psychological and economic status, as well as further effects of the emotional and economic burden they bear. Moreover, existing literature has focused on the individual member’s perspective of the family most of the time, with little regard to how different types of families (for example, single-parent families) cope with mental health issues. Knowledge of such differences could help develop better strategies for intervention. Culture also has an influence on how families manage mental health conditions, and this has rarely been researched. More attention should be paid to cultural aspects as it would enhance the knowledge of how families from different cultural backgrounds can experience or deal with mental illnesses. It is important for people and society in general to embrace mental health to enhance the well-being of persons and families struggling with mental health disorders. The reviewed literature also underlines the need for the implementation of interventions that target the families’ deteriorated communication patterns, caregivers’ emotional needs, and the financial pressures on the families. Although much progress has been made in establishing these relationships, there are shortcomings in the long-term studies and the creation of specific interventions. These areas can be explored through other studies and policies that may improve support to families with mental health issues and guarantee they get the proper care and assistance to face mental illness issues. References Davidson, A. M., & Stewart, C. A. (2022). The emotional impact of a loved one’s mental illness on family members. Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 44(1), 78–92. https://doi.org/10.17744/mehc.44.1.07 Dardis, L. G., & Smith, K. D. (2021). The influence of family dynamics on psychological health: A review of existing research. Journal of Family Psychology, 35(2), 115–130. https://doi.org/10.1037/fam0000695 Lee, S. R., & Morris, J. H. (2019). Family caregiving and mental health: The psychological effects of caring for a relative with mental illness. Psychological Health, 32(3), 204–219. https://doi.org/10.1080/08870446.2020.17567483 Neff, R. J., & Johnson, M. L. (2019). Family stress and mental health: The role of communication and conflict resolution. Family Relations, 68(4), 450–462. https://doi.org/10.1111/fare.123562 Patel, K. L., & Roberts, M. J. (2022). Financial burden of mental health disorders on families: Implications for policy and support services. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 36(4), 45–62. https://doi.org/10.1257/jep.36.4.45 Thompson, H. J., & Green, L. R. (2023). Economic impact of mental illness on families: An analysis of financial stress and employment outcomes. Economics and Mental Health, 17(2), 99–115. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econmh.2023.100091