Exploring Romantic Need As Part of Mental Health Social Care Practice

Romantic love has been the subject of literature since the time of the
ancient Sumerians, in 4500BC and remains a topic of interest for sociologists,
linguists and anthropologists. Contemporary framings of romantic love can be
understood to be socially constructed, in that cultural norms shape the way
in which groups in society may think about, construct and respond to love.
Whilst romantic relationships are commonly discussed within contemporary
society, few studies have explored the experiences of people with mental
health problems in forming or maintaining romantic relationships. Our study
addressed this gap through conducting focus groups with ten people with
mental health problems, six carers and six professionals. People with mental
health problems viewed romantic relationships as important but felt that
they were difficult to develop and maintain due mental health symptoms and
the side effects of medications, self-stigma, social stigma or romantic hopes
being previously dashed. They also identified a lack of support from services
to develop romantic relationships, due to romantic relationships being viewed
as a private matter, or depleted social networks. Carers identified both risks
and benefits to romantic relationships but highlighted service users’ emotional
vulnerability and the potential for romantic relationships to act as emotional
stressors. They also identified the need for professional support. Professionals
indicated that they rarely supported people with mental health problems to
develop or maintain romantic relationships. They tended to wait for the ‘need
to arise’, highlighted the emotional risks of romantic relationships to service
users and were uneasy about discussing sexual intimacy