Clinical and socio-demographic determinants of psychological health and burden in family caregivers of patients with unipolar depression.

INTRODUCTION Depression affects nearly 350 million people worldwide and is currently among the most disabling diagnosis in the world. Caregiver burden can be immense in unipolar depression. The present study seeks to fill the knowledge gap by evaluating sociodemographic factors affecting psychological health and burden in caregivers of patients with unipolar depression. METHOD Eighty outpatients with unipolar depression and their primary caregivers were included in the study. The patients were evaluated using clinical interview, DSM-IV TR criteria for Major Depressive Episode, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS), Global Assessment of Functioning Scale (GAF) and Multidimensional Scale for Perceived Social Support (MSPSS). The caregivers were evaluated using HDRS and Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI). RESULTS Caregiver burden was significantly higher in female spouse, employed caregivers and spouse caregivers married within the last one year as compared to caregivers other than wife, those unemployed and those married for more than one year. Caregiver burden in moderate as well as severe depressive episode did not show significant difference, although the more prolonged and non-responsive episodes placed a higher degree of burden on the caregivers. CONCLUSION Early psychosocial intervention especially in the vulnerable family caregivers of depressed patients is an unmet need of mental health services which should be addressed by the clinician early to improve outcome and reduce caregiver burden in unipolar depression.