Depression in in the Primary Caregivers of Patients with Schizophrenia

Introduction: Although it is crucial for caregivers to provide care for an adult relative with schizophrenia, they require additional resources in order to do so effectively. By regularly assessing the depression status of caregivers and improving the management of this condition, the findings of my study may aid in early detection and subsequent early interventions, reducing morbidity and improving patient care. Study design: Descriptive, cross-sectional study. Settings: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences DHQ/Allied Hospitals, FMU Faisalabad. Study duration: 20th February 2024 to 19th August 2024. Materials & Methods: Total 100 subjects between the ages of 18 and 60 years who were providing care to the patient for a period of at least 03 consecutive months were included, regardless of gender. History of any past psychiatric illness in caregivers, caregivers having a history of any recent major life event, caregivers suffering from chronic medical diseases were excluded. The researcher conducted interviews with respondents and DSM-5 criteria for depressive disorder was applied to the caregivers. Results: The study's participants ranged in age from 18 to 60, with a mean age of 36.31 ± 7.42 years. The majority of the 65 individuals (65.0%) were in the 18–40 age range. With a male to female ratio of 1.4:1, 58 (58.0%) of the 100 individuals were male and 42 (42.0%) were female. Twenty-seven (27.0%) of the participants in our study had frequent depression among those who care for patients with schizophrenia. Conclusion: Depression is very common among those who care for patients with serious mental conditions. Depression was substantially correlated with being female, illiterate, unmarried, providing care for longer than six months, and having little social support.