On the basis of interactions with various stakeholders and personal experience in caregiving, the proponents have zeroed in on the following commonalities in the concerns of the affected persons (persons with mental illness & their caregivers) across the spectrum of illnesses:

• Caregivers are stressed and get burnt-out in the process of care-giving. They themselves need support and help.

• Caregivers and families of persons with mental illnesses have limited or even dysfunctional social life after a while.

• The most overwhelming concern of families of persons with prolonged illness is ‘What after us?’

• Due to the vulnerability of their dependents, families of persons with mental illness have trust issues, but find it is easier to trust persons/ families with similar concerns.