Releasing information to families of persons with severe mental illness: Asurvey of NAMI members

Objective: Guidelines for the treatment of severe mental illness recommend that providers share information with families and involve them in treatmen t. However, research indicates that consumer-provider-family collaboration is not part of routine clinical practice. This study examined the process o f releasing information to families and the types of information they recei ve. Methods: Self-administered surveys were completed by family and consume r members of the National Alliance for the Mentally, Ill. The surveys gathe red information about their experiences with providers' releasing informati on. Consumers' attitudes toward collaboration and family members' satisfact ion with providers were also measured. Regression analyses examined the rel ationship between consumers' attitudes toward family involvement and whethe r providers discussed family involvement or the release of information with consumers. Further analyses examined the relationship between family satis faction and release of information. Results: The majority of family respond ents (72 percent) reported that they received some specific information abo ut their relative's: mental illness. Most families received information abo ut diagnosis and medications, but few received information about the treatm ent plan. Few consumers reported that their permission was requested to rel ease information to their families. Consumers' attitudes toward their famil y and ton:ard family involvement were significantly associated with whether they were encouraged by their provider to involve a family member in their treatment. No significant relationship was found between consumers' attitu des and whether their provider discussed the release of information. Family members' satisfaction was positively related to whether they received info rmation from providers. Conclusions: The findings suggest that although som e information is shared with families, collaboration is not currently part of routine clinical practice.