Carers’ experiences of caring for a loved one with an eating disorder
Amanda Lindsey Smillie Staff nurse, School of Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, England
Anne Felton Lecturer, School of Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, England
Background Carers of people with an eating disorder describe feelings of stress, anxiety, isolation and hopelessness.
Aim To explore the needs of carers who support a loved one with an eating disorder.
Methods Semi-structured interviews were conducted with five participants who were recruited from eating disorders charities that provide help to carers and people with the condition.
Findings Thematic analysis was conducted to draw out the main findings: carers’ health and wellbeing, social health, the role of the carer and service development. Themes also identified that carers’ needs were secondary to those of their loved ones and that love acted as a motivation for them to continue in this caring role.
Conclusion Family-centred care approaches commonly seen in children and adolescent services could be adopted in mental health services so that carers can be involved in the care of their loved ones.
Mental Health Practice.
21, 3, 35-38.
doi: 10.7748/mhp.2017.e1193
Correspondence
amanda.smillie@nottshc.nhs.uk
Peer review
This article has been subject to double-blind review and has been checked for plagiarism using automated software
Conflict of interest
None declared
Write for usFor information about writing for RCNi journals, contact writeforus@rcni.com
For author guidelines, go to rcni.com/writeforus
Received: 08 June 2016
Accepted: 22 June 2017
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