Families as partners in care: Perspectives from AMEND

This article is an illustration of Indian families As caregivers who are di rect sufferers due to family members affected by mental illness such as sch izophrenia, and other psychiatric disorders. Organised into a self-help gro up called AMEND, the article is based on the presentation made at the World Association for Psychosocial Rehabilitation Conference, held at Germany in May 1998. The practical aspects involved in the caregiving role of Indian families make them inevitable partners in care besides projecting a unique model to the other family support groups across the world. The discussion o n barriers and gateways to the partnership role of family provides an insig ht into the cultural dynamics of care in a country like India.