The experiences amongst caregivers of mental health users with schizophrenia in the Nankudu District Namibia

Abstract

In Namibia, mental health is considered as a low priority health concern hence resources are instead diverted to life threatening illnesses. Furthermore, it is estimated that about 15% of the Namibian population suffers from mental health, with schizophrenia being the most common mental disorder. Despite the limited resources, The Ministry of Health and Social Services seeks to promote the extension of health for the care of people living with mental disorders to the family and community at large; however, such services are not yet in existence. Consequently, the responsibility of caring for the mental health users is shifted to the family caregivers who tend to be negatively affected. Additionally, only a few mental health users receive adequate mental health services and this places even more burden on the caregivers (MoHSS, 2005:5; MoHSS, 2010:13). It is against this background that the present study was conducted. The goal of the study was to explore the experiences among the caregivers of mental health users with schizophrenia in the Nankudu District, Namibia. The study was explorative in nature hence the qualitative research approach was used. Furthermore, the study adopted the case study design to explore the lives of caregivers in a modern restricted system through interviews to gain in-depth data and to understand of their lives. One on one, semi structured interviews were used to collect data from ten caregivers of mental health users with schizophrenia in Nankudu district. The purposive sampling method was used to select the participants for the study. The findings revealed that the caregivers experience physical, psychological, emotional, social and financial burden as a result of their caregiving roles and responsibilities towards the mental health users. The psychotic episodes for instance were negative experiences for all the caregivers. The caregivers adopted various roles and responsibilities towards the care of persons with schizophrenia such as overall involvement in their treatment plan, seeking for alternative traditional medicine and daily functional support of the mental health users. Moreover, they also experienced stigma from the community members and it constituted to more social and psychological effects. The study further revealed the lack of community based mental health care services and social work services for the mental health users and caregivers. Subsequently, the caregivers rely on other family members, friends and neighbours and interestingly, police officers for support. The study also highlighted some positive experiences encountered by caregivers such as acceptance of their caregiving role, good support system and the mental health user’s adherence to medication and recovery. Due to the highlighted findings, it is recommended that the Ministry of Health and Social Services should establish and implement family psychoeducational programmes for the caregivers and mental health users with schizophrenia to ensure their active involvement in the treatment plan, improve the quality of care and their well-being. Moreover, the Ministry of Health and Social Services should expedite the implementation of community based mental health services to offer support to the mental health users and caregivers as highlighted in the National Mental Health policy. Lastly, health professionals such as Social Workers should provide continuous psychosocial support to the caregivers in order to help them to address their negative experiences.