Mental Health Literacy among Rural Tribal Caregivers of Severe Mental Disorders: A Comparative Study

Background: Caregivers play a crucial role in Indian families; their mental health literacy (MHL) needs to be considered for better mental health outcomes in persons with mental illness. Most persons with mental illness live with their families; family and caregivers play a significant role in persons with mental illness among Indian families. Materials and Methods: The present study aims to assess superstitious beliefs, stigma toward mental health treatment, caregiver burden, and MHL among rural tribal and nontribal caregivers of persons with severe mental disorders (SMDs) in a tertiary psychiatric hospital in India. The study followed a comparative cross-sectional research design. Purposive sampling was used to collect 60 tribal and nontribal caregivers of persons with SMDs at a tertiary psychiatric center outpatient department. Results: Significant differences were found between tribal and nontribal caregivers on MHL, caregiver burden, mental health treatment stigma, superstitious beliefs, and negative beliefs toward mental illness. A significant negative correlation was also found between the duration of treatment and poor social and interpersonal skills. Poor knowledge of mental illness, stigma, poverty, negative attitude toward mental illness, lack of formal education, and living in a rural community are the reasons for delayed treatment, which are closely associated with poor MHL. Conclusions: MHL is poor among tribal and nontribal caregivers; conducting promotional mental health activities in the rural community and training the various stakeholders will help educate the caregivers and fight against unethical practices toward persons with mental illness.