Families, key players in mental health recovery

This Tuesday, Parc Sanitari Sant Joan de Déu hosted the Mental health and families: support in the care process conference, a venue for meeting and discussion which has placed the role of families in mental health care at the forefront.

The conference addressed how to bring families into the healthcare system, what venues are available to them, and how to prevent emotional and logistical overload. There was agreement on the need for a community response that engages all stakeholders in the region and fosters a genuine, sustainable and equitable support network.

Participants noted that care must be shared: "we can't leave the family on their own." Plus when everyone is well-informed, decisions are better. This entails ensuring that information is accessible, clear and shared. Families are essential partners in the recovery of those receiving care and also have the right to be cared for.

The importance of a rights-based approach that respects the views of the person receiving care and those around them was emphasised. The need for advance care planning, including advance directives, and giving professionals the time, training and tools required to ensure a quality relationship with the individual and the people around them was also raised.

The main conclusions include the need for:
• Real recognition of the role of families and their effective inclusion.
• Building a network that offers real and sustainable support.
• Territorial cohesion and equity in access to resources.
• Preventing family overload and ensuring a viable and respectful care model.
• The need for a coordinated community response.
• The drive towards a model based on shared responsibility and striking a balance between rights and duties.

In the afternoon, the experiential workshop on Co-creative Research in Mental Health and Motherhood was held: the Co-Elna “Motherhood and serious mental disorders: needs, goals and new challenges" project, a joint initiative by women and mothers with personal experience in mental health, researchers and healthcare and social services professionals. The aim is to raise awareness of the issues faced by women diagnosed with mental health conditions and to improve mental health and maternity care.

The conference was a starting point for bringing about real change in mental health care anchored in a collective, committed and transformational approach.

This was the second event hosted by Parc Sanitari Sant Joan de Déu as part of Mental Health Week 2025 from 6 to 10 October.