According to a new study from the Institute of Psychiatry, schizophrenia affects the mental and physical well being of caregivers from its earliest stages. The findings, published in the December issue of the British Journal of Psychiatry, are being used by the researchers to develop new strategies to support carers to prevent them developing further mental illnesses.
Schizophrenia is a severe and often enduring mental illness.
Since the Community Care Act in 1990, many people with schizophrenia are no longer in institutions but are cared for at home by their families. Previous research shows, however, that the stress of caring for someone with a severe mental illness can cause mental health problems in the carers themselves. The current study investigated how the first stages of psychosis, usually the earliest symptom of schizophrenia, affected carers. Many also had difficulties getting the help they needed from mental health services. At this early stage of their relative's illness, researchers found that carers were no more likely than the general population to suffer from mental illness.