Example of Self-Management of a Mental Illness

The principle that adults can learn to self-manage a physical health condition such as diabetes is well established. This chapter describes how the principle of self-management of an illness has been extended to mental illnesses. A case example is provided of a parent who has a mental illness where a relapse is likely to impact on a child. The chapter provides a framework that can be used to assess the ability of a parent to use a self-management approach to manage their illness.