What family caregivers of schizophrenic and non-psychotic in-patients in Bahrain believe about mental illness

Abstract EN

Objectives: In the Arab world, there is paucity of reports on the opinion of family caregivers about the nature and causes of mental disorders.

The objective of the study was to compare the opinion of family caregivers of schizophrenic in-patients and non-psychotic in-patients on the nature of mental disorders and beliefs about the causes of these disorders.

The socio-demographic factors associated with their responses were assessed.

Method: First-degree relatives of 50 schizophrenics and 50 non-psychotic inpatients were interviewed at the Psychiatric Hospital in Bahrain.

Results: only 20% of caregivers believed that the patients were suffering from specific mental disorders, while 8% of caregivers of psychotic patients believed that the patients had psychosis.

Majority (62%) believed that psychosocial stresses were of major etiological importance, while only 5% believed in supernatural causation.

There were no significant differences in responses between the relatives of psychotic and non-psychotic patients.

59% of patients had consulted alternative healers, such as, religious and traditional healers.

Conclusion: The knowledge base of these caregivers on mental disorders is poor.

Hence, mental health professional in Bahrain need to develop modalities for mental health literacy among families of psychiatric patients, in order to empower them for effective roles in community mental health care