Pharmacotherapy in the Context of Family for Chronic Mental Illness

There are multiple forms of mental illness that may affect a family at any given time. When a psychiatric illness, such as bipolar disorder or schizophrenia, strikes a member of the family, typically the diagnosed individual is relatively young, whereas older family members tend to be the ones diagnosed with dementias. The involvement of family in the care of these individuals may be extremely variable depending on the level of autonomy the affected person can and chooses to maintain, as well as on the effectiveness of the therapies provided and used, including pharmacotherapy, the use of medication for treatment. In the case of Alzheimer's dementia, more than 65% of persons who have been diagnosed are still living with family, and the vast majority of their ...