Challenges faced by the family members of bipolar patients: a case study

Support systems can change lives. However, their own lives are filled with burdens and responsibilities. When people go through normal mood swings, it not only affects them but also the ones surrounding them. To help those who are living with someone who is already living with bipolar disorder, it is important to conduct an in-depth analysis of the lives and suffering of family members. Family members or caregivers face numerous uncertainties that could be explored through a qualitative study and how family members deal with such challenges. Family members of four patients were thoroughly interviewed, and their challenges were analyzed under six dimensions—financial burden of the caregivers, disruption of routine family activities, disruption of family leisure, disruption of family interaction, physical health of the caregivers and mental health of the caregivers—by considering the Family Burden Interview Scale developed by Pai and Kapur in 1981. Instances of disruption in family leisure, activities, and interactions were greater than the physical health and financial burdens. Financial burden was more evident in nuclear families living in rural areas. While considering the mental health of the caregivers, most of them mentioned stress due to increased responsibilities.