Saeed-ur Rehman, Rubina Aslam.
Frequency of depression among primary caregivers of schizophrenic patients.
J Sharif Med Dent Coll Jan ;1(2):72-8.

Objective: To determine the frequency of depression among primary caregivers of schizophrenic patients. Methodology: This was a descriptive study (cross-sectional survey) including 150 primary caregivers of both sexes, of patients of schizophrenia. The place of this study was the outdoor clinic of Psychiatry Department, Jinnah Hospital Lahore. The study lasted for a duration of six months, from 5th August 2011 to 5th February 2012. Sampling technique was convenience sampling. The caregivers were evaluated for the presence of depressive symptoms using the Centre for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). The main outcome variable was the frequency of elevated depressive symptoms (score of 16) among primary caregivers which was described as frequency distribution tables. Results: Out of 150 caregivers of schizophrenic patients, 45.6% were assessed to be depressed. Conclusion: There are large numbers (45.6%) of caregivers who are depressed, and they need to be supported in their caregiving duties. Keywords: Schizophrenia. Depression. Primary caregiver:

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