Caring for Family Caregivers of the Mentally Ill: A Social Work Perspective

Abstract

Family caregivers play important role in providing care to the persons with mental illness. The gravity of mental illness on lives of family caregivers is very significant. Family caregivers are not the professionals but they take up the major task of caring for mentally ill persons in their family as the primary caregivers. Most of the times caregiver’s health is neglected in the process of care giving to persons with mental illness. Therefore, it becomes important to understand their situations, challenges as well and care for their needs as a holistic approach. But we hardly find any institutions or services addressing their specific issues unless they turn up as patients themselves. The objectives of the study are to understand mental illness and the role of family caregivers. It also tries to understand their challenges and impact of mental illness on their lives. It aims to draw the necessary attention towards their problems so that required measures can be initiated. This article tried to review literatures to reflect the existing data and findings on mental illness, its severity, impact and the important role played by family caregivers. With this article, the researcher tries to emphasize the important role played by family caregivers, throw light on the caregiver’s issue which are often overshadowed by the problems of patients. The purpose is to draw required attention and action as a holistic health care approach for both the patients and their caregivers simultaneously. Method: This article tried to review literature across places and times to have an overview of mental illness, its challenges. Most importantly it tries to highlight the roles played by the family caregivers and challenges that they face in the care giving process.