A Survey Of Attitudes And Beliefs Of Care givers Towards Patients Suffering From Schizophrenia

Abstract

Objective: To explore the ideas and attitudes of care givers towards patients suffering from
schizophrenia with the help of survey form formulated after group discussion with a focus group of
families, which was later used to gather information from a larger sample.
Material & Methods: This study was conducted at Neuro Clinic, Johar Town, Lahore, over a
period of six months from March 2009 to August 2009. Rural as well as urban population is equally
represented in sample. Afocus group, comprising of ten patients and their care givers, who were
attending for the last two years for follow-up participated in a group discussion and a survey form
was formulated on the basis of this to explore the beliefs and attitudes of care givers of patients
suffering from schizophrenia. In the next stage this form was used during the study period on all
those care givers who consented to participate in the survey.
Results: Majority of care givers were females (82.6%) and had no formal education. Majority
(almost 50%) of them believed in supernatural causes. Others believed in psychological factors
(14%), physical as well as psychological (11%), physical reasons alone (8.5%), physical and
supernatural (7%), malingering (7%) and inheritance (2.8%). Nearly 93% respondents believed
that treatment is possible in this illness; however there were variations in people's beliefs about
treatment modality.
Conclusion: Nearly half of the study participants believed in non scientific and supernatural
causes of schizophrenia. There is a need to establish community based mental health services
that can impart psycho-eductional interventions at the level of community and families