Factors of Importance for the Subjective and Objective Burden of Informal Caregivers to Patients With Functional Psychoses - a Descriptive and Comparative Study

The objective is to find determinants for the subjective and objective burden of informal caregivers to patients who are requiring continued antipsychotic treatment for functional psychoses among factors related to the patient, the health care and support provision system and the informal caregiver him/her-self.

The study also comprises a descriptive part with the aim:

• To describe clinical characteristics, symptoms, and functioning in the patient group.
• To describe patient resource use in terms of support from the health care and social care sector.
• To describe the socio-economic situation, the general and psychological health, and the coping ability of the informal caregivers.

Psychiatric patients and informal caregivers. Selected from outpatient wards

• Functional Psychoses
• Informal Caregivers

• 1
  Patients having the following diagnoses are eligible for inclusion into the study: schizophrenia, schizophreniform disorder, schizoaffective disorder, brief psychotic disorder, delusional disorder, affective psychosis with mood incongruent delusions, psychotic disorder not otherwise specified or patients being actively psychotic.
• 2
  Closest relative(s) /informal caregiver(s)

Inclusion Criteria:

• Provision of informed consent
• Patients, male or female, aged 18 years or more, suffering or having suffered from a psychotic episode and being in need of continuous antipsychotic medication.
• The respective patient must have at least one informal caregiver.
• Subjects (patients and informal caregivers) must be able to read and write.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Diagnosis of dementia and such cognitive impairment which makes self assessments even with assistance unreliable (patients and informal caregivers).
• Involvement in the planning and conduct of the study (patients and informal caregivers).
• Other concurrent medical condition interfering with ability to complete study (patients and informal caregivers).