Family members’ restricted visitations in psychiatric hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic: implications for social workers in mental health systems

Restricted visitations of family members of persons with mental illness in psychiatric hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic can limit their ability to fulfill the caregiving role. A qualitative study utilizing a self-administered questionnaire with open-ended questions was implemented in Israel with 75 family members to examine the difficulties they experienced as a result of the restrictions. The findings indicate that they had limited opportunities communicating with mental health professionals, being involved in the therapeutic process, communicating with the hospitalized person, and receiving support for themselves. Therefore, social workers in psychiatric hospitals should adopt more family-centric procedures to circumvent such restrictions.