‘We can't walk away’: interview with a carer

Shirley Swain (a carer herself) talks to ‘Sarah’, who lives at home with her partner and four children. Sarah works in a school full‐time and, with her parents, has cared for her brother, ‘Dan’, throughout his illness. Sarah has two sisters, but they play little part in providing care for Dan because they find it difficult to get involved. In 2004 her brother made an unprovoked attack on their father, which placed him in hospital, yet Sarah, her parents and sisters have maintained support and continue to include him in family life as much as possible. Dan now lives independently. Here, Sarah describes what it is like to care for a person with a dual diagnosis.