The burden of caring for someone with schizophrenia: A cross country report from Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Russia

INTRODUCTION

People with schizophrenia often need long-term support in their everyday life. Thus, caregivers are vital factors to support their recovery and long-term functioning. In turn, however, the caregiver role is highly burdensome and may lead to severe distress and burnout, imposing further hardness on patients and their family. The aim of this paper was to map the caregivers' situation and their possible needs in Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Russia.

METHODS

225 caregivers of schizophrenic patients completed a questionnaire in Bulgaria (n=50), the Czech Republic (n=50), Hungary (n=50) and Russia (n=75) about their sociodemographic status, financial, emotional and subjective challenges that arise from the caregiver duty.

RESULTS

Caregivers are mainly married (56%), women (72%) entering their 50's, working full time (48%). The average time they spend taking care of someone with schizophrenia is 26 hours weekly. This duty often limits their indepen - dence (59%), recreational activities (56%), financial security (47%) and social life (47%). Thirty-nine percentage reported health-related issues, while sadness and anxiety were also commonly experienced. Caregivers felt left alone with their struggles (56%), longing for both disease-related information and self-help support. As a result, 21% felt fully or mostly dissatisfied with their life.

CONCLUSION

Taking care of someone with schizophrenia represents a high burden, affecting one's social and economic status, as well as mental and physical health. Caregivers often feel alone with their struggles and would welcome tailored support to help them cope with the multidimensional burden they carry.