“What if you listened to and involved the caregivers?” ‒ Experiences and needs amongst caregivers involved with mentally disordered offenders and mental health services

Background and objectives

Over the past 20 years, the number of mentally disordered offenders (MDOs) has increased intensively in Denmark. Consequently, the number of caregivers, families and network involved with MDOs has also increased. Despite a heightened political focus on the involvement of caregivers as an important part of the patient pathway and recovery processes, knowledge of caregivers’ experiences is very limited. The aim of this study is to illuminate experiences and needs amongst caregivers taking care of MDOs in Denmark.

Methods

The study is based on semi-structured interviews with caregivers. The content of the interviews is analysed using content and textual analysis focusing on identifying patterns and themes.

Results

Caregivers involved with MDOs perform various roles and tasks from practical support to acting as case managers. These tasks tend to put a remarkable pressure and challenges on caregivers. Furthermore, caregivers experience emotional stress such as loneliness, shame, sorrow and feelings of inadequacy. Caregivers spend a lot of time establishing sustainable narratives about mental illness and offences, in order to reduce stigma and come to terms with chaotic and extraordinary incidents, and they play an important role as carriers of hope on behalf of the patients to support processes of personal recovery.

Conclusion

The majority of caregivers in this study share a fundamental experience of neither having achieved sufficient support in the trajectories leading up to the forensic debut nor being involved or receiving enough and dedicated information while the often long-term sentences to treatment or placement are ongoing.