Defining effective community support for long-term psychiatric patients according to behavioural principles

Objective: The purpose of this article is to define the characteristics of effective support in community mental health settings for patients with ser ious and persistent mental illness. Method: A broad literature providing empirical evidence on competent caregi ver behaviours and styles is selectively reviewed. Relevant findings from f amily caregiver research and studies of social environments that enhance sk ill development in people with intellectual disabilities are incorporated, within a cognitive-behavioural framework. Results: Six important domains are identified which represent positive care giver styles: acceptance, creating a positive atmosphere, expectations of c hange, responsiveness, normalisation and educativeness. Conclusion: The characteristics hypothesised to be critical for caregivers and support workers are defined in a general way that can allow for individ ualisation according to the goals of the programs and the cultural prioriti es of staff and patients. Further empirical validation of these characteris tics would enable community mental health services to provide more speciali sed clinical treatments.