1. PERSONAL IMPACT LOG
An example of a personal impact log:
Physical Health
• Chest pain has returned – too worries about my son
• No time to go to my own doctor anymore
• No longer exercising
• Always tired
• Can’t sleep without talking sleeping medication (never used to need anything to sleep)
• Joint stiffness and neck pain
• Eat high-sugar foods‚ don’t care about my diet anymore
Emotional Health
• Constant worrying about my son
• Worrying about everything now
• Bad anxiety and sadness
• I’m always angry or frustrated or depressed these days
• I snap at my other children and then feel guilty
• I’m angry with my husband – he gets to leave for work all day and leaves me to deal with all of our problems
Social Life
• Never go out with husband or close friends anymore
• Never have guests over for dinner
• Can’t concentrate on reading
• Spend all of our time in emergency rooms or visiting our son on psychiatric wards
Spiritual Life
• Don’t know what this is anymore!
• Don’t go to church
• No time for my daily meditation readings
• Don’t feel like doing my yoga sessions anymore
• Bitter and resentful about my son’s illness – why my family?
2. The Preoccupation and Impact Scale
How strongly do you agree or disagree with these statements?
Strongly Agree‚ Agree‚ Disagree‚ Strongly Disagree‚ Don’t Know
· I can’t stop worrying about my family member’s illness.
· I am able to maintain a healthy balance in my life.
· I have trouble thinking about anything other than my family member’s mental illness and substance use problems.
· I feel that I’m completely preoccupied with my family member’s mental illness and substance use problems.
· My daily routine completely centres on my family member’s illness.
· I find myself a lot more anxious these days.
· I make sure I find time to do things for myself and to have fun.
· I never feel that I am doing enough for my ill family member.
· Sometimes I feel that I am drowning in my family member’s illness.
· I focus so my on my ill relative’s problems that I have difficulty finding time to spend on other members of my family.
· I have very little time and energy to socialise with my friends.
· My physical health (eg. nutrition‚ sleep and rest) has been negatively affected since I’ve been dealing with my family member’s mental health and substance use problems.
· I have had a hard time gaining a sense of emotional well-being since my family member developed mental illness and substance use problems.
· I am able to cope with my loved one’s mental illness and substance use problems.
· I think it is OK for family members to feel angry with‚ or resentful of‚ their ill loved one.
3. The Family Concurrent Disorders Index of Concerns Quiz
Not Concerned 0__________________ 10 Very Concerned
How concerned am I about…
· The immediate overall health and wellbeing of my ill family member?
· The immediate overall health and wellbeing of the other members of my family?
· My own immediate overall health and wellbeing?
· The long term overall health and wellbeing of my ill family member?
· The long term overall health and wellbeing of other members of my family?
· My own long term overall health and wellbeing?
· How much my ill family member is suffering?
· How much the other members of my family are suffering?
· How much I am suffering?
· My ill family member’s ability to get through this?
· The ability of my other family members to get through this?
· My own ability to get through this?
· The emotional health of my ill family member?
· The emotional health of other members of my family?
· My own emotional health?
· Whether my ill family member is getting enough social support?
· Whether the other members of my family are getting enough social support?
· Whether I am getting enough social support?
· My ill family member’s physical health?
· The physical health of the other members of my family?
· My own physical health?
· The spiritual health of my ill family member?
· The spiritual health of the other members of my family?
· My own spiritual health?
· My ill family member’s financial situation?
· The financial situation of the other members of my family?
· My own financial situation?
· My ill family member’s journey of recovery?
· The recovery journey of the other members of my family?
· My own journey of recovery?
The family concurrent disorders: Readiness to change ruler
Completing this tool may help you to think about how ready you are to change certain beliefs and actions associated with having a loved one with concurrent disorders.
Using the ruler shown below‚ indicate how ready you are to make a change in each of the following areas. If you are not at all ready to make a change‚ you would circle the 1. If you are already trying hard to make a change‚ you would circle the 11. If you are unsure whether you want to make a change‚ your would circle 3‚ 4 or 5. If a particular item does not apply to you‚ circle “Does Not Apply” in the box to the right.
How ready am I to … ?
. . . admit that my family member has both a mental health and a substance use problem?
. . . accept that my family member has both a mental health and a substance use problem?
. . . accept that I am not to blame for my family member’s concurrent disorders?
. . . think about ways I can best help my family member?
. . . seek help for my family member from mental health and/or addiction professionals?
. . . seek help for myself from mental health and/or addiction professionals?
. . . seek help for my family member from a self-help group (e.g.‚ AA‚ Dual Recovery)?
. . . seek help for myself from a family peer support group (e.g. Al-Anon‚ Mood Disorders Association of Ontario)?
. . . seek help for my family member or for myself in spite of the stigma associated with concurrent disorders?
. . . work on overcoming any other barriers preventing me from attending a professional or self-help family intervention?
. . . commit to taking care of myself as a top priority?
. . . admit to and accept my own personal strengths and limitations?
. . . accept that relapses are common in recovery from concurrent disorders?
This instrument can be found at: http://nceta.flinders.edu.au/files/6513/0948/1146/EDAS_Family%20Focus%20Toolkit.pdf& A Family Guide to Concurrent Disorders
O’Grady‚ C.P. & Skinner‚ W.J.‚ (2007)‚ A Family Guide to Concurrent Disorders‚ Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
Kashner‚ T.M.‚ Rader‚ L.E.‚ Rodell‚ D.E.‚ et al‚ (1991). Family characteristics‚ substance abuse‚ and hospitalization patterns of patients with schizophrenia‚ Hospital and Community Psychiatry 42‚195-196.