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• Impact of relative mental illness on caregivers

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 August 2021

O. Kazakova ,
F. Thomas  and
V. Zrazikova
O. Kazakova*
Affiliation:
Public Health, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden
F. Thomas
Affiliation:
Who Collaborating Centre On Culture And Health, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom
V. Zrazikova
Affiliation:
Mathematical And Methodological Support, Institute of Sociology, National Academy of Science, Minsk, Belarus
*
*Corresponding author.

Abstract

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Introduction

Belarus is undergoing legislative shifts towards community-based mental health care. Responding effectively to support this process requires an understanding of the experiences and challenges facing families caring for a relative affected by mental illness.

Objectives

To identify how caring for a person with severe mental illness impacts on family carers, and what carers identify as their support needs.

Methods

Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with 17 caregivers of people affected by severe mental illness (diagnosis of F06.8, F20, F25, F7, and/or F 84) in Belarus between March - June 2019.

Results

Care-giving for a family member was usually undertaken on a full time basis with no option for respite. Whilst caring did, in cases, strengthen family solidarity, it also resulted in intensive stress and burnout, financial pressures, and high levels of family tension, exacerbated when the person living with mental illness was perceived as a potential safety risk. High levels of societal stigma meant that care-givers commonly felt unable to discuss their circumstances, travel in public spaces, or participate in community activities. Stigma also deterred carers from seeking professional support. Priorities for support amongst carers included better information, public awareness raising and sensitization, advocacy to support patient integration into social and economic life, peer support and respite for family carers, and an increase in mental health specialists.

Conclusions

Caregiving affected family carers on multiple levels with predominantly negative consequences. Priorities identified by carers need to be considered and acted upon if community-based care is to become an effective option.

Keywords

Stigmafamily careBelarusEastern Europe
Type
Abstract
Information
European Psychiatry , Volume 64 , Special Issue S1: Abstracts of the 29th European Congress of Psychiatry , April 2021 , pp. S369 - S370
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the European Psychiatric Association
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