The BMAS demonstrated acceptable reliability, especially for such a brief measure. It also demonstrated concurrent and convergent validity with a much longer commonly used clinical outcome scale. The BMAS is a useful assessment tool for patients with any clinical condition for which it is desirable to track how the patient is experiencing his or her life situation at a given point in time and when there is a desire to monitor change over time. Notably, BMAS includes health relationships as a measure of good clinical outcome.
A daughter’s documentary about her father
One media workshop slated for the APA meeting will be offered by three members of the Association of Family Psychiatrists: Dr. Michael S. Ascher, Dr. Ira Glick, and Dr. Igor Galynker. They will present a film, "Unlisted: A Story of Schizophrenia." This is a soul-searching examination of responsibility – of parents and children, physicians and patients, and of society and citizens – toward those afflicted with severe mental illness. The film was made by Dr. Delaney Ruston, a Seattle general physician who documents the rebuilding of her relationship with her father. "Unlisted" examines the challenging family dynamics that are present when schizophrenia occurs. Dr. Ruston works hard to overcome the obstacles in accessing appropriate treatment for her father, and her documentary exposes the many failings of the American mental health system as experienced by the families. Dr. Ruston traces the progression of her father’s illness. She studies his medical files and narrates from his autobiographical surrealist novel. In beautifully portrayed scenes, "Unlisted" enters the inner life of Richard Ruston with a clarity and affection missing from many films about people with mental illness.
In summary, family-oriented patient care can be delivered in many ways, from focusing on relational improvement in individual work, to being aware of how to assess and measure relational functioning briefly at each visit, to being able to listen to the accounts of family members and invite them into the treatment room.
Dr. Heru is with the department of psychiatry at the University of Colorado at Denver, Aurora. She is editor of the recently published book, "Working With Families in Medical Settings: A Multidisciplinary Guide for Psychiatrists and Other Health Professions" (New York: Routledge, March 2013), and has been a member of the Association of Family Psychiatrists since 2002.