Rizwan Taj, Shamaila Hameed, Mazhar Mufti, Asma Khan, Ghazala Rehman.
Depression among primary caregivers of Schizophrenic patients.
Ann Pak Inst Med Sci Jan ;1(2):101-4.

Background: Supporting someone with schizophrenia is a difficult, life-long effort that can be very stressful. The presence of someone with schizophrenia in the home can result in financial burden, affect the work and social life of family members or the caregivers. Objective: To find out the frequency and effect of duration of schizophrenia on depression in caregivers of schizophrenic patients. Study Design: A prospective, descriptive study. Place and Duration of Study: Department of psychiatry. PIMS, Islamabad over a period of 3 months. Subjects and Methods: The study was conducted on forty schizophrenics` caregivers (both men and women equal in number). To know the frequency and different reasons of depression in caregivers of schizophrenic patients, Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) was used. Results: The results showed significant difference in the level of depression in both groups. The commonest reasons of depression were the effect of sex, socio-economic status, marital status, family size, education and relationship with the patient. Conclusion: The frequency of depression is high among caregivers of schizophrenic patients. Better liaison is required between psychological/medical professionals and caregivers to see whether they are psychologically helping their patients or not. It can help caregivers of schizophrenic patients to know about their severity of depression and to treat it.

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