Caring for someone with depression: attitudes and clinical practices of Australian mental health clinicians

Background: Family members and carers who support a person with depression are faced with specific challenges and are often significantly burdened as a result of the role. Those caring for someone with depression report being dissatisfied with the level of inclusivity and support provided by clinicians. However, little is known about what influences the support provided to Australian carers of people in depression. Method: To investigate this, 119 Australian mental health clinicians were surveyed with a self-report questionnaire to gather information on their attitudes towards, and current clinical practices when, working with family members and carers of a person with depression. Participants comprised mental health clinicians who identified their primary client group as mental health consumers or family members and carers. Recruitment occurred via invitation to clinicians who had attended a Partners in Depression facilitator training course and recruitment of clinicians who had not attended this training. Results: Results indicated that the attitudes of clinicians towards family members and carers were generally positive, while inclusive clinical practices varied. Providing family members and carers with an orientation to services and information on how to respond in crisis situations were two of the most frequently reported interventions. There were a number of barriers to inclusive practice identified, which were predominantly organisational in nature. In addition, those who perceived more barriers reported providing more clinical interventions to family members and carers of people with depression. In contrast, there was no relationship between reported attitudes and perceived barriers. Additionally, attitudes and barriers did not predict the inclusive clinical practice of those working directly with carers, while there was a significant relationship between perceived barriers and the inclusive clinical practice for those working directly with family members and carers. Conclusions: It appears that in order for inclusive practice to occur more consistently there is a need for major organisational and systematic reform. Further research is necessary to explore the reasons why family members and carers are not routinely included in the care and treatment process for people with depression.