Depressive disorders in spouses of mentally ill patients

Abstract

Psychiatric patients' partners are at a high risk of developing a depressive disorder. It appears necessary to develop special interventions for spouses reducing stress and the risk of getting depressed.

Burnout of Caregivers: A Comparison Between Partners of Psychiatric Patients and Nurses

“…First, the response rates are rather low. However, comparable studies often report similarly low rates; the composition of the groups investigated corresponds approximately to other studies in terms of respondents' age and sex (e.g., Hannigan et al, 2000;Wittmund, Wilms, Mory, & Angermeyer, 2002). Unfortunately, no sociodemographic data on caregivers not participating in the study were available.…”

Mental health status and perceived burden in caregiving spouses of persons with psychotic illness (A study from India)

“…Higher burden was experienced in lack of external support, disruption of caregivers' routine and their relationships with others (Vasudeva, Sekhar, & Rao, 2013). On the other hand, a study of partners of people suffering from anxiety disorders, depression or schizophrenia did not find any support for a relationship between strength of burden and type of diagnosis or the duration of the illness (Wittmund, Wilms, Mory, & Angermeyer, 2002).…”

Factors Affecting the Sense of Burden Felt by Family Members Caring for Patients With Mental Illness

“…Factors that have been reported to potentially affect the sense of burden felt by family members caring for persons with mental illness at home are (a) the demographic characteristics of the families (e.g., whether the caregiver is a female or a spouse; Ostman, Wallsten, & Kjellin, 2005;Wittmund, Wilms, Mory, & Angermeyer, 2002), (b) the severity of the psychiatric symptoms and the patients' ability for social adaptation (including problematic behaviors; Kohn-Wood, & Wilson, 2005), (c) psychosocial factors (including the family's ability to cope with the needs of the patient, the time spent providing care, the duration of care, and economic problems; Schmid, Spiessl, Vukovich, & Cording, 2003;Stengård, 2002;Wilms et al, 2004;Wittmund, Nause, & Angermeyer, 2005), and (d) awareness of family members about psychiatric illnesses (Schmid, Spiessl, & Cording, 2005). As regards the relationship between the sense of burden and the sense that "life is worth living," that is, finding life worth living, on the part of family caregivers, Kramer (1997) pointed out that the sense that "life is worth living" felt by caregivers has many conceptual similarities with the positive views of the caregivers about caring for family members with illness.…”