Little support for relatives of mentally ill people

According to a new study by "Stand by You Switzerland" in collaboration with the research institute "Sotomo", one in four people had a mentally ill person in their family during childhood and adolescence - a total of 1.9 million people. More than half of them reported that they did not receive the support they needed during this time.

Relatives experienced particularly great hardship when the mother was mentally ill. Even if the father was affected, young relatives reported a lack of support. Relatives of single parents were affected much more frequently - these parents are under greater pressure and are at a higher risk of becoming mentally ill.

Young relatives of mentally ill family members reported attempts to maintain a happy façade to the outside world. The study also revealed that female relatives were more likely to take on tasks that were not age-appropriate.

Being able to talk openly about problems

A culture of open discussion also appears to have an effect on the perceived level of support: Eighty percent of respondents who were able to talk openly about their own problems and needs within the family stated in retrospect that they had received sufficient support. If this is not the case, almost ninety percent of young relatives feel "not sufficiently supported".

Former young relatives experience more challenges as adults than the rest of the population. Christian Pfister, Co-President of "Stand by You Switzerland", therefore called for both the protection and support of children and adolescents with mental illness to be enshrined in law - "at both cantonal and national level".

The data was collected in September 2025 - 1944 people were surveyed online.