Wahida Anjum, Haroon Rashid Chaudhry, Muhammad Irfan.
Burden of care in caregivers of patients with schizophrenia and epilepsy.
J Pak Psych Soc Jan ;7(2):79-83.

Objectives: To find out the burden of care and associated mental health problems in caregivers of patients with schizophrenia and epilepsy. Design: Cross sectional study. Place and duration of study: This study was conducted at the Department of Psychiatry, Sir Ganga Raam Hospital, Lahore, from January to September 2010. Subjects and Methods: A total of 100 caregivers (50 each) of patients suffering from schizophrenia and epilepsy presented to the outdoor patient department were included in the study. Burden Assessment Scale, General Health Questionnaire-28 and a semi structured proforma for recording their demographic details were used in the study. Results: Forty nine percent caregivers of patients of schizophrenia and epilepsy showed high burden of care on Burden Assessment Scale. Overall, 55% of caregivers had higher scores on General Health Questionnaire showing poor psychological well being and problems with their mental health. There were highly significant positive relationship (p < .001) between BAS, GHQ and all their subscales i.e., objective burden, subjective burden, somatic symptoms, anxiety and insomnia, social dysfunction and severe depression. Conclusion: Almost half of the caregivers showed high burden of care and the majority had problems with their mental health.

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