Interpersonal Relationships and their effect on mental health

  Interpersonal relationships refer to reciprocal social and emotional interactions between the patient and other persons in the environment. Almost every mental disorder is accompanied by problems in this respect. Frequently a basic cause of conflict with other people is the presence of some psychiatric disorder. Major areas in which these conflicts may occur include the following relations: Family Social Work Religious Family Relationships Family relationships include those both with the spouse and with other relatives. Inquiry into these relationships usually begins with investigation of the marital relationship. Marital conflicts are often quite subtle. Patients frequently fail to see a connection between their presenting symptomatology and their marital disharmony, particularly when the presenting problem is a psycho-physiologic one such as asthma or peptic ulcer. At times the patient is unconsciously resisting seeing such a connection out of fear that exploration of the confl...