Mental Health Sociology

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Feature Carer burden in schizophrenia: considerations for nursing practice Neil Small and colleagues describe a study that shows how differently the families of people with mental health problems and healthcare professionals perceive the role of carers summary In the UK, half a million people care for people with severe mental illnesses (Princess Royal Trust for Carers 2002). This article reviews the findings of a study of the views of 13 carers of people self-identified as having schizophrenia on the nature and extent of their role, and its effect on their lives and identities. According to these findings, carers experience stress and illness, and think that the support they receive from professionals is inadequate. As a result, they…show more content…
All of them said that they had experienced anxiety, some said they felt depressed and others that they felt constantly sad. Most of them also felt angry, although a few had become resigned to their situations. Most paticipants also reported physical problems such as headaches, stomach pains or constant tiredness, often caused by insomnia. One participant’s comment that she felt ‘tired, drained and worn out’ was typical. One carer said that his relative’s behaviour caused major disruption in the home, adding: ‘She used to sleep about two hours a night. She would go to bed at 11pm and get up at 1am. She would sit up all night drinking tea and smoking. She would have her breakfast at half past four in the afternoon. I had to stay in, stay up and watch her. I could do nothing.’ some participants said that the people they cared for had changed so much because of their illness that they had become unrecognisable, and that these changes added to the burden of caring. One participant said of her son: ‘He is not my son any more. He is just some creature, some monster. I told the social worker, “I am tired, I cannot have my son living with me much longer”. I have forgotten what it means to have a normal life. I have taken to locking my bedroom door when my husband is away. I am afraid of my son.’ The realisation among participants that the hopes they had once invested in the people they care for would not now be fulfilled was a further cause of distress. As one participant said of her daughter: ‘I had great hopes for her. I worried about her. Now, I feel sad when I look at her, and the state she is in. I am disappointed, you know?’ Another said of his son: ‘He wanted to be an architect or engineer. He was 17 when he became ill. His behaviour changed. He was doing his O levels and he failed them because of his illness. Now he does not do anything.’ some participants experience self-blame and

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