Overcoming Mental Health Challenges as a Caregiver: Comprehensive Guide for Caregivers in India

In most countries, family members play an important role in providing care for mentally ill people. Caregivers bear tremendous responsibilities as a result of chronic mental illness, including physical, emotional, and economic costs. This may exhaust their adaptive coping skills, resulting in inadequate coping.

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Caring for patients with significant mental disorders is crucial for their treatment and rehabilitation. When a family member has a mental condition, it causes upheaval. The World Health Organisation characterises caregiver load as "the emotional, physical, financial demands, and responsibilities of an individual's illness that are placed on the family members, friends, or other individuals involved with the individual outside the health‑care system."

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The burden of care can be categorised as subjective or objective. The term "objective burden" refers to daily duties such as domestic chores and other normal tasks. Subjective load describes the emotional and psychological cost of mental illness on family members, particularly caregivers.

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Caregiver Stress and Burnout

Caregiver stress and burnout are prevalent mental health issues experienced by persons who offer long-term care for loved ones. These diseases can cause emotional, mental, and physical weariness, limiting the caregiver's capacity to offer appropriate care.

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Being resilient in the face of caregiving-related stress helps to prevent burnout. Overwhelming obligations and stress can cause burnout, regardless of coping technique. Burnout occurs when you are emotionally and/or physically exhausted and unable to continue providing the best possible care to the individual. It signifies it's time to check in and make some modifications.

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Impact of Burnout and Burden on the Caregiver

In 2006, Lipski et al. conducted a series of interviews of the family caregivers and following impacts were seen because of the mental illness:

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Financial Impact - Caregivers receive financial aid from the government or NGOs, but find it insufficient to cover daily expenses for their mentally ill family members. There were a few family caregivers who utilised the financial support to purchase food, medicine, and other basic requirements, such as clothes and nappies for the mentally ill, as well as to pay their utility bills. Others reported using some of the financial aid they got to support their sick parents and to pay for their children's schooling.

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Social Impact - Visits from family members, neighbours, or relatives disappointed the carers with their attitude; it seems as if they are stigmatised by their own family. It is at times impossible for the caregivers to go to anyplace, such as to weddings and funerals, because there is no one to help them care for the mentally ill member of the family.

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Psychological Impact - Caregivers are concerned about the future of their mentally ill family members. Family caregivers are also concerned that no one will care for them after they die, that they will be unsafe; they are experiencing feelings of depression and fear; and they are angry and frustrated with the attitude of the mentally ill member who refuses to take the prescribed medication. They also suffer from a lack of sleep, as well as feelings of guilt and low self-esteem caused by humiliation.

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Physical Impact - Caregivers experience tiredness and lack of sleep. They continue to ignore their own health because they have been spending too much attention to their mentally sick family. They have high blood pressure, heart problems, get unwell, and lose their appetite.

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Mental Health Challenges in Caregivers

Caregivers may think negatively about the challenging circumstances they face. These are totally natural. 

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Anxiety: Uncertainty about the future might make one uneasy. This might occur when a person is concerned about a negative outcome. For example, one may feel concerned because they do not have enough assistance to cope with their current position, which can lead to the belief that things will not improve and may rather worsen.

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Fear: Fear occurs when a person perceives a threat. The obligations of caregiving, or what that entails, may intimidate them.

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Guilt: Certain situations can make you feel guilty. For example, caregivers may feel guilty if they believe they are not doing enough, lack energy, fail to keep promises, or have their own life outside of the home.

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Frustration, Anger, and Resentment: These emotions frequently occur simultaneously. They may become dissatisfied because they are unable to find enough time for themselves, which can lead to rage and hatred.

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Hurt: There may be days when they believe that no one appreciates what they do. It may be difficult for them not to feel hurt or alone during these moments.

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Isolation: Because of their caregiving obligations, they may not have as much time to do things they enjoy as they formerly did, leaving them feeling lonely.

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Grief and Sadness: Grieving is the process of coping with a loss. Grief can cause the caregiver to experience a wide range of feelings that are difficult to grasp. A caregiver may feel sad, angry, lonely, nervous, and frustrated all at once, but they may also feel each of these emotions independently at different points during the caregiving process.

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Resilience in Caregivers

Resilience refers to a person's capacity to overcome adversity and adapt to changing circumstances, going through life's highs and lows.

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Caregivers should be resilient. Caregivers, like everyone else, cannot perform at their peak every day. When presented with a challenge, resiliency helps you overcome it. The person you care for will look to you for resilience at times; now is an excellent opportunity to demonstrate how by providing a good example for them. As a caregiver, you can focus on four key areas of resiliency:

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Relationships – They should be supportive, positive, caring, helpful, and fun.

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Emotional skills – It includes self-soothing and controlling anger and frustration, reminding yourself that negative emotions will pass, avoiding making decisions while feeling unhappy.

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Competence (thinking ability) – It is understanding problems before fixing them, finding solutions to aid with care giving, controlling what you can and accepting what you can't.

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Being Hopeful – It is finding hope during difficult situations, identifying strategies to help one, and maximising small benefits, including a positive and supporting individual in your network.

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Treating Mental Health Challenges in Caregivers

Identifying the type of assistance you require is critical. Explain your condition to family, friends, coworkers, and community members so that they can understand and help you.

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You may need assistance in taking some time for yourself, perhaps even a brief trip. Consider what you can and cannot accomplish on a regular basis. Then consider how frequently you require assistance. Is it daily, once a week, or in the evening? Make a list of persons who have offered to assist you when you need a break.

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Family, friends and neighbours –

The people closest to you and your situation may be able to provide non-monetary assistance. Be explicit when asking for help. When a large number of individuals are helping, each person may only need to provide a modest amount of time. Meetings and discussions with family and friends can be beneficial, but it is important to respect everyone's perspectives and boundaries. Consider the abilities and strengths of those around you and ask them to assist you with tasks they are familiar with or confident in. At times, you may need to teach someone how to best assist them.

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Support groups –

People facing comparable caring issues may benefit from joining a support group. Support groups provide a secure and accepting space for members to express their emotions and discuss their struggles. You can learn about community services, get care giving advice, and simply feel better about your situation by being with people who understand what you're going through.

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Caregivers can join both general support groups and those that focus on a specific illness or condition. Reach out to your community, especially religious, spiritual, and cultural organisations. They could offer a support group you can join. A trained counsellor can also help you deal with conflict, stress, sadness, rage, and other emotions.

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Medical Care –

Regardless of what you do, you may still feel worried or depressed. If you continue to have these symptoms, contact your healthcare professional right away. Remember to prioritise self-care.

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Self-Care –

Finding time for yourself when you are caring for someone else can be tough. Carers often underestimate the impact on their physical and mental health when providing care. Emotional and physical overload is a constant concern. Taking care of yourself and being attentive of your self-care is an excellent strategy to avoid burnout.

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Planning for self-care requires effective time management. Taking time each day to do something for yourself, or even think on your own needs, will help you be better equipped to care for others. Understand how you feel physically and mentally, as well as your boundaries. Being self-aware will help you stay healthy and recognise when you're doing too much.

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Conclusion

Caregiving is a noble and fulfilling role, but it also presents unique obstacles that might have an influence on your mental health. You may maintain your well-being and continue to offer the greatest care for your loved one by recognising and resolving these problems, obtaining expert help, and using resources such as Rocket Health India. Remember that self-care is vital for good care giving.

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Rocket Health India specialises in giving personalised online therapy sessions to caregivers. Our professional therapists understand the unique issues that caregivers experience in India and provide tailored ways to manage stress, anxiety, and burnout. Rocket Health prioritises comprehensive care and diversity, ensuring that every caregiver receives the assistance they require.

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To support these families, it's important to remember three critical things - 

1. Everyone should recognise the important role caregivers perform, which can alleviate stress for caregivers. 
2. Improving the inter-professional approach, members of the professional health team should provide additional possibilities for training in adequate care, societal support resources, and proper communication skills not just for caregivers but also for members of the community. 
3. Administrators and policy makers can take into account the problems and obstacles that these caregivers face and, by enacting suitable legislation, assist the way to resolving the issues.

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If you're a caregiver dealing with mental health issues, don't be afraid to get help. Visit Rocket Health India to learn about our online treatment alternatives and get the assistance you need to prosper in your caregiving journey.