Original Research Article
Year: 2019 | Month: August | Volume: 6 | Issue: 8 | Pages: 35-40
Depression and Its Associated Factors among Primary Caretakers of Patients Suffering From Bipolar Affective Disorder
Rameshwar S Manhas1, Gaurav S Manhas2, Angli Manhas3, Jagdish R Thappa4, Mohammad M Dar5, Rukhsana Akhter6
1Senior Resident, Department of Psychiatry, Government Medical College, Jammu, J&K, India.
2Resident Scholar, Department of Radiodiagnosis, Government Medical College Jammu, J&K, India.
3Senior Resident, Department of Ophthalmology, Government Medical College Jammu, J&K, India.
4Prof & HOD, Department of Psychiatry, Government Medical College, Jammu, J&K, India.
5Prof & HOD, Department of Psychiatry, Government Medical College, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India,
6MA in Psychology, Intern, Department of Psychiatry, Government Medical College, Jammu, J&K, India.
Corresponding Author: Gaurav S Manhas
ABSTRACT
Background: Bipolar affective disorder (BPAD) is characterized by episodes of mania, hypomania, depression and in some cases mixed episodes with recovery occurring during the interepisodic period. Caring of patients with BPAD is an enduring stressor and is associated with significant distress and caretaking burden.
Aims: To study depression and its associated factors among primary caretakers of patients suffering from bipolar affective disorder.
Materials & Methods: The present observational study was conducted in the Government Medical College, Jammu, Jammu and Kashmir, on the caretakers of patients suffering from bipolar affective disorder attending the outpatient department of Psychiatry. After taking informed consent from all the caretakers of bipolar patients, a total number of 130 caretakers of bipolar patients were selected and were assessed by using HAMD scale.
Results: The mean HAMD score of caretakers above 40 years (18.95±7.10) was significant higher than that of caretakers below 40 years (16.06±8.22) with a difference of 2.89 which was highly significant (p-value=0.001). The difference between the mean HAMD score of male and female caretakers (0.61) was also highly significant (p-value=0.001). Similarly the difference between the mean HAMD score of the educated and uneducated caretakers was 2.73 which was highly significant (p-value=0.001). Caretakers who were unemployed had a high mean HAMD score of 17.90 (±9.25) than employed caretakers who had a mean HAMD of 14.75(±7.88) with a difference of 3.15 which was statistically highly significant (p-value=0.001). Moreover the difference in the mean HAMD of caretakers who were parents of their patient and other caretakers was 3.74 which was also highly significant (p-value=0.001). There was a highly significant positive correlation between depression and caretakers who were parents by relation to the patient (p-value=0.001). However there was no correlation of depression with age, gender, educational and occupation of the caretakers.
Conclusion: From present study we conclude that depression was higher among the caretakers who were above 40 years of age, females, unemployed, educated and parents of their patients. There was significant positive correlation of depression with the caretakers who were parents by relation to their patients. So it is suggested that in order to decrease the incidence and prevalence of the depression in the society, the government, mental health professionals and various health organizations should conduct various mental health check up camps so that adequate treatment and proper screening of these caretakers could be done.
Key words: Age, Caretaker, Correlation, Education, Female.
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