Involve the perception of sounds without auditory stimulus e.g. hearing voices.
How to respond to the person when they are hearing voices:

• Be brief and clear in your speech, while maintaining eye contact
• Keep what you say simple
• Only talk about one topic at a time

Hallucinations can also be about what the person sees, tastes, feels or smells. It is not necessary to become involved in someone’s hallucinations if they do not find it upsetting.

How to respond to the person when they are experiencing other hallucinations:

•  Ask the person if they saw, heard or experienced something, and if they did, ask what it is: “Did you hear (see, feel, etc) something?
• Get just enough information to find out how the person is feeling: “Are you OK?” “Do you feel alright?”
• Ask what will make the person feel more safe or in control: “Do you want to go inside
• (upstairs, close the door or window, etc)”
• If the person asks you, you can say you know the experience is real for them, but it is not real for you.

Strange beliefs that remain despite obvious evidence to the contrary (e.g. believing that one’s thoughts are being broadcast over the radio or television)

How to respond to delusional thinking:

• Recognise that the delusional thinking may continue, despite anti-psychotic medication
• Do not make fun of or tease the person about their delusions
• Do not get into arguments about his or her mistaken beliefs
• Receive delusional talk in a neutral way, neither encouraging it or condemning it
• Do not question or discuss the details of delusional statement
• Do not tell a person that what they are saying is crazy, delusional or untrue; rather acknowledge that they are experiencing a different reality to yours

Inappropriate behaviour can be anything from anger and aggressive communication to unwanted attention and acts of physical violence.

How to respond to inappropriate behaviour:

• Attention given to inappropriate behaviour can be rewarding increasing the likelihood the behaviour is repeated. Ignore the problem behaviour or remove yourself from the situation to avoid giving attention to unreasonable behaviour
• Set limits and boundaries on unacceptable behaviour
• When calm, discuss the unacceptable behaviour and try to come to an agreement with the person

It may be appropriate to make a contract about loss of privileges for both of you if limits and boundaries are maintained

• Encourage the person to express their feelings in a respectful manner

Abusive behaviour can include the following;

• Coercion, threats and intimidation
• Isolation – controlling what someone does, who they see or speak to
• Minimising, denying and blaming
• Using children – to relay messages, using visitation rights to harass, or threatening to take children away
• Males acting like they are ‘master of the castle’ and defining women’s roles
• Stopping a person from pursuing a job, or giving an allowance etc

How to manage and respond to abusive behaviour:

• Do not respond in a hostile, disciplinary or rejecting manner
• Tell the person you understand that they angry, but that you are not accepting their abusive behaviour
• When calm talk about the feelings that resulted in the angry outburst
• Encourage the person to discuss their angry feelings so that stressors can be identified. This may help the person stop angry feelings building up.

A reluctance to participate in “normal” interpersonal contacts of day to day life and retreat into one’s own comfort zone

How to deal with social withdrawal:

• In general leave them alone. Withdrawal is a way of coping with the internal chaos in the person’s brain
• If you are not comfortable to leave them alone and there is a function, ensure that they have a safe place that they can go to, to be alone.
• This in not a personal rejection and should not be considered a permanent situation
• Encourage them towards more social activities when they indicate that they are ready

Grief is an essential and normal response to loss in one’s life. Having a relative or friend diagnosed with a mental illness is often associated with a number of losses and subsequent grief. Some of these losses include;

• Loss of normal life expectancies e.g. inability to work full time.

• Change in family roles e.g. having to "parent" adult child again
• Change in lifestyle e.g. participating in less social activities due to stigma
• Loss of self esteem e.g. due to inability to protect child
• Loss of identity e.g. because of major changes in loved one
• The grief response varies from person to person but generally includes some common stages;
• Shock – “this can’t be happening”
•         Denial – “the doctors don’t know what they are talking about”
•         Anger – at oneself, ill relative or the treating team
•         Bargaining – to gain time to push back the inevitable
•         Depression – tired, withdrawn and apathetic
•         Acceptance – learning to live with it

Ways of coping with grief and loss:

• Reach out for support e.g. friends, support groups, professional counsellors.
• Be patient – it takes time to adjust to significant changes
• Be good to yourself, reward yourself
• Don't let others burden you with their expectations e.g. "you should be more lenient with
• him. He is sick after all"
• Try journal writing to help release pent up feelings and gain perspective
• Get informed about mental illness and services
• Maintain a healthy, balanced lifestyle