Abstract :
WHO defines health as ‘a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely an
absence of disease or infirmity.’ Common mental disorders comprise depression, anxiety, post-traumatic
stress, panic attack and obsessive-compulsive disorders.
The study was a hospital-based cross-sectional study. The units of the study were informal primary caregivers
coming along with the patients (treatment naïve) for the first time to the psychiatry OPD of Guru Teg
Bahadur Hospital, New Delhi. Sample size of the study was 226.
Those caregivers who were themselves suffering from physical or mental illness and those patients who
were suffering from mental retardation, schizophrenia, substance abuse and alcohol dependence were
not involved. Study tools used were sociodemographic profile of the patient and caregiver and DASS
(depression, anxiety and stress scale).
Around 2/3rd of the caregivers were suffering from some levels of depression, with 1/5th in extremely
severe depression level. 2/3rd of the caregivers were suffering from some levels of anxiety, with 1/3rd in
extremely severe anxiety levels. Less than half of the caregivers were having some levels of stress, with
16% in extremely severe stress levels.
Keyword :
Depression, Anxiety, Stress, Caregiver