Burden, reward, and coping of adult offspring of patients with depression and bipolar disorder.

Background: In previous years, research has focused on the situation of psychiatric patients' minor children. The aims of this qualitative study were to describe the experience of adult children of depressed and bipolar patients, including positive and negative factors as well as coping mechanisms, and to investigate possible predictors of burden in order to identify children in need of professional support.

Methods: A total of 30 adult children were interviewed using a semi-structured interview.

[High utilisers with affective and schizophrenic disorders in the psychiatric health care system: a comparison between Eastern and Western Germany].

Objective: High utilisers of psychiatric services are defined as a group of patients showing a great amount of service use, especially inpatient care, consequently causing immense costs. There is a lack of studies investigating differences between East and West Germany.

Methods: Service use and psychopathology were examined in 350 high utilisers receiving inpatient treatment in one East German and three West German psychiatric hospitals.

[A needs-oriented discharge planning intervention for high utilisers of psychiatric services: quality of the implementation and opportunities for improvement].

Objective: Process evaluation of a needs-oriented discharge planning and monitoring (NODPAM) intervention for patients with severe mental illness with high utilisation of inpatient psychiatric care (within a RCT showing lack of evidence of superiority over treatment as usual).

Methods: Analysis of intervention drop-outs vs. intervention group patients participating in the intervention; analysis of the impact of intervention characteristics on unmet needs over time.

"Mad or bad?": burden on caregivers of patients with personality disorders.

The burden on caregivers of patients with personality disorders is often greatly underestimated or completely disregarded. Possibilities for caregiver support have rarely been assessed. Thirty interviews were conducted with caregivers of such patients to assess illness-related burden.

Rewards of caregiving and coping strategies of caregivers of patients with mental illness.

Objective: The study sought to broaden the focus of research on caregivers' burden by examining caregiving rewards and their relation to coping skills.

Methods: Data from semistructured interviews with 60 family caregivers of patients with mental illness in Germany were examined by content analysis. Information was gathered with the Freiburg Questionnaire on Coping With Illness.

Burden, rewards, and coping--the ups and downs of caregivers of people with mental illness.

Besides burden, we need to examine potential rewards of caregiving and coping strategies to determine effective means of supporting caregivers of people with mental illness. Therefore, we conducted semistructured interviews with 60 caregivers of patients with mental illness and analyzed the transcripts with a summarizing content analysis. The interviews focused on negative and positive aspects of providing care and on coping strategies; the latter was also evaluated with the Freiburg Questionnaire on Coping with Illness.

Cyber-support: an analysis of online self-help forums (online self-help forums in bipolar disorder).

Background: The Internet is becoming increasingly important in psychiatry and psychotherapy.

Aims: The objective of this study was to evaluate if and how online self-help forums are used by patients with bipolar disorders, their relatives and treating professionals.

Methods: A total of 2400 postings in two online forums were analysed qualitatively and quantitatively.

Burden of caregivers of patients with bipolar affective disorders.

Thirty-two problem-oriented interviews with caregivers of patients with bipolar affective disorders were analyzed using content analysis. The 722 statements of caregivers about their experiences of subjective burden because of the illness of their family members were summarized in 49 global statements and correlated by factor analysis to 10 types of burden. In particular, patients' noncompliance as well as the helplessness of the caregivers in interaction with the (changing) depressive and manic symptoms of the ill family members emerged as serious burdens on the caregivers.

[The "ideal" doctor from the view of psychiatric patients].

Objective: The study aimed to investigate the expectations of patients in a general psychiatric hospital regarding an "ideal" doctor.

Methods: 60 problem centred interviews with psychiatric in-patients were analysed by using a summarizing content analysis.

Results: Analysis of interview data showed three fundamental areas, which are important for patients: doctors' personality, physician-patient-interaction and treatment as well as doctors' treatment environment.