Vol. 2, Issue 11, Part D (2016)

Aim: The aim of the current study is to document the extend of perceived burden of care on the caregiver of a mentally ill person.

Materials and Method: The study sample consisted of 50 caregivers of inpatients and outpatients of psychiatric unit of general hospital attached to medical college, diagnosed as per the guidelines given in ICD-C10. This was a cross-sectional type of analytical, hospital-based study. Caregivers were subjected to the BAS questionnaire which was applied as a self-administered questionnaire in English to those who could understand it, and to the rest of the participants it was administered by interview technique in which the interviewer translated the questionnaire into the vernacular language in which both the patient and the interviewer were well versed.

Results and Conclusion: The study highlighted the need for addressing the burden of care among the different sociodemographic groups of caregivers of the patients with mental illness.