Mental Health Profile Disorders in Care Providers of Patients with Schizophrenia

Background: It is known that individuals that provide care and services to persons that suffer from chronicle diseases like dementia, schizophrenia, mental retardation, people with major motor disorders, are in added risk to make mental health disorders. Aims: Evaluating the frequency of some psychiatric disorders in persons that provide services and care to patients with schizophrenia. Method: 112 persons that participated in the study were living in the same house, for at least five years, with patients diagnosed with schizophrenia All patients had a medical file at Mental Health Community Center No.1 in Tirana and they had taken services at least from one care giver and one mental health professional of the M.H.C.C No 1. The caregivers were assessing with an individual, detailed, clinical interview from the local psychiatrists. Their diagnosis was made based on DSM-IV R criteria. Results and Discussion: Out of the total of 112 care providers, the majority were patient's mother (70%), then fathers (20%) and even brothers/sisters (10%). The care givers were found to fulfil DSM-IV-R criteria for generalized anxiety disorder (11%); depressive disorder (10%) and conversion disorder (13.3%). Conclusion: The data from this study indicate that mental health of care providers it is likely to affect the outcome of their relatives suffering from schizophrenia. It is crucial to offer support and assistance to this target group by mental health community centers.