According to National Health Mission estimates, 6%-7% of India’s population suffers from mental disorders — i.e., one in four families is likely to have at least one member with a behavioural or mental health disorder. The situation worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic as long periods of isolation, the fear of losing loved ones, financial difficulty, and uncertainty about the future increased stress levels across social segments. Most of these cases remain untreated due to ignorance and social stigma. In the absence of visible proof of illness, deviations in behaviour are generally attributed to attitudinal issues, marital troubles, financial problems or job stress, while love affairs and examination stress are cited as the usual culprits in the case of teenage behavioural issues. Without proper diagnosis, the patient and their families keep suffering as mental health responses remain mired in myths, stigmas, and taboos.
Causes for caregiver stress
Over 90% of psychiatric patients in India live with their families. The caregiver is under considerable stress because of the physical and emotional caregiving along with the social isolation, financial difficulties and troublesome behaviour of the patient. A patient’s non-adherence to treatment, prevalent in such cases, further exacerbates caregiver stress. In larger families, the primary caregiver burden is shared among family members, but with reducing family sizes, the role falls on the spouse. Chronic mental illness in a nuclear household disrupts daily life and drains family resources. Moreover, women caregivers face challenges in balancing caregiving, career, child rearing, and household chores, and are less likely to receive informal support for psychiatric treatment.
