Healthcare Interventions to Support Informal Caregivers of People With Severe Mental Illnesses: A Scoping Review

Abstract

In recent years, care for people with severe mental illnesses (SMI) has shifted from institutional to recovery-based treatment in which informal caregivers often have an important role. However, their increased involvement has elevated issues such as role strain or burden of care, which indicates that they need greater support. Adding to existing reviews, this study is intended to provide an overview of interventions that support informal caregivers who are tending to people with severe depression, anxiety or personality disorders other than borderline personality disorder (BPD). A scoping review, following the JBI guidelines, was performed. Pubmed, PsycInfo, CINAHL, Embase and Cochrane Library were searched using the keywords ‘caregiver’, ‘SMI’, ‘support’, ‘interventions’ and related terms, which led to 21 720 references. After removing duplicates (n = 9043) and screening titles, abstracts (n = 12 677) as well as full-text (n = 108) for inappropriate results, 13 articles met the inclusion criteria and are included in this review. The included articles describe 11 different interventions. Interventions are built on diverse concepts or mechanisms, clustered in: ‘changing thoughts and behaviour’, ‘understanding the illness’ and ‘feeling supported’. Interventions described in this review are similar to those outlined in previous reviews that focus on, for example, psychotic disorders, and could decrease informal caregiver's burden and strain. Considering that only 13 relevant articles were identified from our search, we emphasise the need for further scientific attention to explore interventions that support the informal caregivers of people with depression, anxiety or personality disorders. Future researchers should explore how various intervention components and contextual factors affect outcomes, meet caregiver's diverse needs, and support practical implementation.