Mentally ill patients are often discharged from psychiatric hospitals to their families who are expected to care for these patients without receiving adequate training and support for this task. The purpose of the study is to explore the role and responsibilities of twenty-five official caregivers in caring for mentally ill patients in Fort Beaufort magisterial district in the Eastern Cape and to assesses the usefulness of in-depth interviewing in obtaining data on the official caregiver's role.

Following a literature overview of the role of the official caregiver in caring for the mentally ill and the identification of relevant theoretical themes, the research design and techniques used in obtaining data are discussed. The next section explores and presents findings on the following themes: the demographic profile of the caregivers; the role and responsibilities of caregivers and other family members; problem behaviour on the part of the mentally ill which caregivers have to cope with; the exploitation and victimization of caregivers by the mentally ill, by other people as well as by the situation itself and, a range of other problems experienced by caregivers. The latter include social isolation, financial burdens, the experience of embarrassing situations, the need for caregivers to develop strategies to cope with the role of caregiver and exploitation and victimization of the mentally ill by other people.

Based on the research undertaken, the study not only assesses the usefulness of in-depth interviewing in obtaining qualitative data on the role of the official caregiver, but also uses a semi-structured questionnaire and a caregiver burden scale as guidelines or gateways for the interviews to measure the objective burdens experienced by caregivers of the mentally ill. The study makes recommendations on possible ways to empower caregivers in coping with their role, problems and attitudes in caregiving. These include the development of family intervention strategies, improvement of their socio-economic status and the development of programmes and policies that will capacitate the community with skills of caregiving for the mentally ill.

Back to top