Care coordination for people living with serious mental illness: understanding the caregiver's perspective

Bibliographic Details
Title: Care coordination for people living with serious mental illness: understanding the caregiver's perspective
Authors: Pamela Obegu, Kayla Nicholls, Mary Alberti
Source: Frontiers in Health Services, Vol 4 (2025)
Publisher Information: Frontiers Media S.A., 2025.
Publication Year: 2025
Collection: LCC:Medicine
Subject Terms: family caregivers, caregivers' support, serious mental illness, care coordination, system navigation, collaborative care, Medicine
More Details: IntroductionFamily caregivers of people living with serious mental illness such as bipolar disorder, psychosis and schizophrenia, are continuously burdened with caregiving, following the complexities of navigating the mental health system for their loved ones. The aim of the study was to understand the perspectives of caregivers about care coordination for people living with serious mental illness, highlighting the current landscape and new directions across Canada.MethodsIn this co-designed participatory qualitative research, caregivers of people living with serious mental illness, and service providers were engaged and purposively sampled across Canada.ResultsThe main findings of the study revealed care coordination as a key strategy to alleviate the burden of caregivers and enhance sustainable support for them. In complement with collaborative mental health care, care coordination can improve service delivery and strengthen the mental health system.ConclusionGiven the severity of bipolar disorder, psychosis and schizophrenia, it is important that we prioritize care for people living with these illnesses while providing support for their caregivers who bear the brunt of the otherwise fractured mental health system. Ultimately, collaboration between people and systems is how the mental health system can be much improved, and care coordinators serve as resourceful go-betweens in this ‘collaborativerse’.
Document Type: article
File Description: electronic resource
Language: English
ISSN: 2813-0146
Relation: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frhs.2024.1473235/full; https://doaj.org/toc/2813-0146
DOI: 10.3389/frhs.2024.1473235
Access URL: https://doaj.org/article/49ae193025564e528c395c3ab3dc5949
Accession Number: edsdoj.49ae193025564e528c395c3ab3dc5949
Database: Directory of Open Access Journals
More Details
ISSN:28130146
DOI:10.3389/frhs.2024.1473235
Published in:Frontiers in Health Services
Language:English