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Accessible summary Society undergoes long-term changes that in many ways are hard to visualize, explore, and grasp. Many previous obstacles, problems and risks of the everyday life have been solved, but new ones have emerged. Characteristics of these new risks are that they might appear anywhere, are hard to protect against, and are created by human actions. An assumption might be that they strike harder against already vulnerable groups than others. This goes for other societal changes as well, like the demand for ever-raising technical skills, where electronic communication sometimes replaces face-to-face contacts., In order to learn more about what these changes really means for persons with mental disabilities, a study was made together with members of a user-governed centre in Eastern Norway. The group met three times in a focus group interview, the results were presented and discussed in an open meeting, and reported in a research report. This article contains a deepened analysis of how it is to live in this partly new society (the risk society) for persons who experience mental disability., The results show that the characteristics of the risk society are identified of and well known among the members. Fast changes create feelings of alienation, uncertainty, and stress. Societal institutions are sometimes hard to reach, abstract, impersonal, and formalistic. The technological development increases the demands, but opens at the same time new possibilities. The Centre offers a new way of building companionship, trust in others, and a new meaningful everyday life., Abstract The contemporary society is to some extent characterized by longitudinal changes, towards individualization, uncertainty, and risk. Numerous risks and dangers in modern society have been mastered, while others have emerged, often created by human actions. The individual's freedom of choice has increased, but also the responsibility for the choices made. In this society, the risk society, there is a greater need for formative and situation-related knowledge to manage risks. The aims of this paper are to discuss the concept of risk society in the light of everyday experiences made by people with mental disabilities, how challenges can be mastered and positive possibilities can be utilized. Data collection was made through a multistage focus group, and the data were analysed by qualitative content analysis. The results show that characteristics of the risk society are identified by people with mental disabilities. Change and uncertainty, obstacles created by societal institutions, lack of trust, and the need of adapted working conditions are frequently experienced, impersonal relations and feelings of loneliness as well. However, these conditions can be partly counteracted by belonging to an alternative fellowship, which might lead to quality of life-related personal improvements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Accessible summary • Relatives want the health workers to regard the patient not only as sick but also regard him/her as a person. Parents want to get involved at an early stage and find it important that their opinions and experiences are heard. The staff also express that relatives possess knowledge that should be important for them to receive. • The relatives underline the importance of an opening for hope to be present at all time, else you do not have the strength to cope with the situation. No matter how pessimistic the staff are, hope must be expressed. • The relatives want to know what happens after discharge. They do not always know what questions to ask before discharge as challenges are discovered gradually. They want to know how to behave and what to say to their family member with a psychiatric illness. When parents can impart their concerns and receive adjusted counselling their level of stress is reduced. • It is important to consider relatives as resource persons. The staff consider themselves as experts on psychosis and the parents as experts on their own children. A considerable amount of research on the treatment of young people suffering from serious mental illnesses states that good collaboration with relatives is essential for reducing relapse, improving recovery and enhancing quality of life for patients and relatives. The aim of this study was to explore and describe what facilitates active involvement for relatives in the treatment and rehabilitation of their family member. The present study is a part of a larger cooperative inquiry project carried out in a mental hospital in southern Norway focusing on improving practices for collaboration with relatives. This sub-study presents results from eight focus group interviews with relatives and staff members. Data were analysed by means of qualitative content analysis. The results showed that the relatives had mostly positive experiences from their encounters with the staff, although some negative experiences were articulated. Both relatives and staff underlined the importance of developing a good encounter characterized by sharing information, giving guidance and support according to the relatives' needs as well as addressing existential issues. This was perceived as a necessary basis for the relatives to become active participants in the treatment and rehabilitation process. To activate this basis, the relatives are dependent on the staff members' ability to convey and nurture hope related to the patient's recovery and quality of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]