Reflections on Family Members with Mental Health Issues

This article shares some reflections worth keeping in mind about family members who may be experiencing mental health issues. To begin with, it's important to remember that biological influences on mental health are helping us to shift our conventional thinking about waiting to observe or hear from family members to report on the signs and symptoms of their mental health issues.

Neuroscience and genetics are evolving quickly to support explanations about the biological roots of mental health issues. These newer neurobiological and neurodevelopmental models are focusing efforts on preventing illness or detecting it before it progresses into a chronic condition. In addition, these new perspectives embrace mental health as being connected to developmental and brain related issues. Genetics are understood as being influenced by the environment (epigenetics) so that inheritance or predisposition is no longer set in stone, but dynamically changing based on environmental factors that turn on or off genes and their protein building blocks.

Family influences continue to be recognized as important as ever because of how many mental health issues begin to develop in childhood and adolescence. Traumatic and adverse childhood events are strongly associated with chronic stress and dysfunction later in life. Along with rehabilitation counselling and talk therapies, pharmacological treatments continue to be significant, according to empirical studies in the scientific literature. These are not miracle cures however, and they come with numerous negative side effects.

So, biological determinants are as important as dysfunctional family patterns in the transmission of psychological issues and impairments. A small percentage of people will experience chronic and recurring episodes of mental health issues throughout their lifetime. Epidemiological data shows that there is wide variation in the duration and intensity of psychological injuries and illnesses, which may appear hidden or non-visible, despite being debilitating and painful for both individuals and their families.

Many peoples’ experiences and struggles with mental health issues do not fit neatly into the context of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders diagnostic criteria. So, it’s important for all of us, including counsellors and therapists, to recognize and not overlook the context and benefit of a holistic, integrative approach. An attitude of openness and flexibility are key for counsellors, clients, and family members who are seeking to understand a mental health diagnosis, while also emphasizing strengths-based approaches that support healing and psychosocial recovery within families.

Sources

Buser, S., MD, & Cruz, L., MD. (2015). DSM-5 Insanely Simplified: Unlocking the Spectrums

within DSM-5 and ICD-10. Chiron Publications.

Herman, J. L. (2015). Trauma and Recovery: The Aftermath of Violence--From Domestic

Abuse to Political Terror. Basic Books.

Rogoff, B. (2003). The Cultural Nature of Human Development. Oxford University Press.