Marriage in persons with severe mental illness: A narrative review-based framework for a supported relationship

Abstract

Background: Studies in the past have shown the effect of mental illness on marriage in persons with severe mental illnesses (SMIs). Primary care and family physicians have a major role in addressing marriage-associated dilemmas in their life. Methods: The literature search was conducted from databases such as PubMed, ProQuest, EBSCO, Scopus, and Google Scholar for understanding the context and the problem in-depth for bringing out the narrative-review based framework for addressing the dilemmas. Results: Marriage rates in persons with SMI are high in Eastern countries. Marriage in persons with SMI enhances social support and prevents the stigma of being unmarried. Disability, unemployment, stigma, and disclosure-related issues are barriers to getting desirable alliances. Evidence based interventions are available to reduce the associated distress to an extent. Conclusion: Published peer-reviewed literature has pointed out that marriage plays a significant role in the life of persons with SMI and their families, especially in Asian countries where marriage is an important social institution. It can have a positive impact or can lead to relapse, marital conflicts, and divorce based on contextual and clinical factors. Hence, there is a need to come up with tailor-made interventions to address marriage-related expectations in persons with SMI.