What do You Need When Your Loved One is Hospitalized with Mental Health Challenges?

When a loved one is hospitalized for a psychiatric crisis, the entire family is impacted. The experience can be overwhelming—filled with uncertainty, fear, and a desperate search for answers. Families often ask:

🔹 How can I best support my loved one?
🔹 Who can I turn to for guidance? 🔹 What happens next? 🔹 Why can’t I get any information?

Unfortunately, many caregivers feel lost in the process, left out of critical conversations about their loved one’s care. While hospitals focus on stabilizing the patient, family members—who will play a key role in their recovery—are often left struggling with a lack of communication, unclear expectations, and limited support.

An Experience That Inspired This Research

As mental health professionals, we have seen firsthand the emotional toll that a psychiatric hospitalization takes on families. Many caregivers share similar stories—waiting anxiously for updates, feeling like outsiders in the treatment process, and leaving the hospital with more questions than answers.

One mother we spoke with recalled the exhaustion and helplessness she felt when her young adult child was hospitalized due to a manic episode. She spent days calling the hospital, desperate for information, but was met with vague responses and privacy restrictions that left her feeling shut out. The hospital couldn’t acknowledge her loved one was there! When her loved one was discharged, she was given a list of medications but no guidance on what to expect or how to help them transition home successfully. "I had no idea what to do next," she told us. "I felt like I was failing my loved one."

Her experience isn’t unique. Families want to be part of the solution—but they need support, education, and a clear path forward.

Our Research: What Caregivers Really Need

To better understand what families truly need during a psychiatric hospitalization, a former colleague Lillian Shields and I conducted research that was published in the Journal of Maine Medical Center. Our study focused on identifying specific, practical needs of family caregivers and how inpatient psychiatric teams can better support them.

Some key findings included:

✅ Families need clear communication. Updates on their loved one’s condition, treatment plan, and next steps help reduce anxiety and improve post-hospitalization outcomes.
✅ Education is critical. Many caregivers feel unprepared to manage medications, warning signs, or relapse prevention. They need practical guidance on what to expect after discharge.
✅ Support and validation matter. Families feel isolated in the experience and benefit from being included as part of the care team. Acknowledging their role can make a world of difference.

Why This Matters

Mental health treatment doesn’t happen in isolation. Family involvement is essential to a patient’s long-term stability, yet caregivers are often left out of the conversation. Our research highlights the gaps in current inpatient psychiatric care and offers recommendations for a more family-centered approach—one where caregivers feel heard, supported, and better equipped to help their loved one through recovery.

You’re Not Alone—We’re Here to Help

At ClearPath Family Solutions, we understand the emotional, logistical, and systemic challenges families face when a loved one is hospitalized. Whether you’re preparing for a transition home, looking for family support, or just trying to make sense of it all, we’re here to provide the guidance, education, and resources you need.

If this topic resonates with you, we invite you to read our full research article here: Journal of Maine Medical Center.

And if you’re looking for support in navigating your loved one’s mental health journey, reach out today. You don’t have to do this alone.

Citation: Oakleaf, Elizabeth M. and Shields, Lillian J. (2022) "Family  Caregivers  Identify  Their Needs from the Inpatient Team  during a Loved One’s Inpatient Psychiatric Hospitalization," Journal of Maine Medical Center: Vol. 4 : Iss. 2 , Article 4.
Available at: https://doi.org/10.46804/2641-2225.1128