Mental Patients' Expectations of Care and Support from their Family

What do mental patients want in care and support from their family? This research question stimulated this qualitative research. It has used investigator and data triangulation to collect data. First the data was collected from outpatient department of a governmental mental hospital in Lalitpur. After a year, the data were collected from psychiatry department of a private hospital in Kathmandu by another researcher. Both researchers used in-depth interview method. First phase of data collection used 13 participants by non-random convenience sampling. Second phase of data collection used 10 participants similarly. Both phases of data collection terminated after (theoretical) saturation. The lived experiences of mostly neurotic patients come from various districts of Nepal were collected and data were analysed thematically in phenomenological approach. Both phases of research can be summed up in several themes under two categories- present state of care and expected support from family. Mental patients got care in form of motivation, company and help with daily activities. They got negative behaviours like low or no interaction, negative facial expression, violence, relationship threat and lack of trust. Mental patients expect enough interaction, help with treatment, motivation, company, happy familial environment, warm face, need fulfilment, economic support and understanding. They also want their family to give some time alone without suspicion.