One third of care-givers of schizophrenics abusive

Russel Crowe from the film about a schizophrenic

Carol Forsloff - Given the complications of schizophrenia, and the lack of information and education on the subject, it is not surprising that one would find issues of abuse in families.  In fact research several years ago found  one third of caregivers of people with dementia report abusing the person for whom they are caring. 

The abusive behavior tends to increase over time.  Researchers found  the longer individuals had to care for individuals with dementia the worse the abuse became.

Over a period of a year a group of caregivers were studied and at least one-third  reported having depression and anxiety and being involved in incidents of abuse toward the individuals for whom they were caring. 

As a result of this, clinicians now suggest trials of psychological intervention to help caregivers deal with their feelings and to help reduce the anxiety and depression that often accompanies caregiving, especially when providing support for individuals who have dementia.

They also suggest that similar trials of psychological support be rendered to those who care for the elderly where statistically there are also significant cases of abuse  and to assess how these services can be delivered in a cost-effective manner.

This study was done in Great Britain and reported in the British Journal of Psychiatry.  Information in the United States has also found care-givers of those with mental disorders have higher levels of anxiety and depression than others, so it is likely those same recommendations made for care-givers in Great Britain would be reasonable for individuals who care for the seriously ill no matter where they live.

The problems of living with, around or in any way involved in the care of a schizophrenic means understanding the guidelines of care.  With Internet access, these are available. But given the issues in both diagnosis and treatment, many families lack the information to understand a family member may be suffering from a serious mental illness.  Furthermore the cost of care, diagnosis, care, hospitalization and group living situations can be costly.  In addition, there are fewer and fewer psychiatrists available to work with these patients or to work families.  Therefore many psychiatric patients fall between the cracks, according to those psychiatrists working with the population. Add to that the fact many families are not involved in any of the counseling or management, due to doctor's presuming to treat the patient and not seeing the need to involve the family, relying only on their observations and cognizant of patient privacy issues as well.

These complications can lead to abuse, as they already have.

Media attention to the worst acting-out behaviors also makes it difficult for people to understand and cope with schizophrenia.  There are many who languish in jails or on the streets because of rounds of ignorance abuse.

It is also likely why that abuse from caregivers can multiply in the minds of the seriously ill, so that on occasion the acting out turns to violence.

Experts say the more education on mental health and access to diagnosis and treatment, the better.  That is because of the family patterns of the disease, the fact that the illness can run in families.  It will aid in curbing abuse, while helping families at the same time understand and support their members with complicated problems.