Extent and determinants of burden of care in Indian families: A comparison between obsessive compulsive disorder and schizophrenia

Background: Limited data is available for family burden in anxiety disorders such as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), particularly from the developing world where families are the primary source of support for patients. Aim: To compare family burden in patients with OCD and schizophrenia in an Indian setting and to examine the infl uence of caregivers ’ demographics, patients’ illness severity and disability on family burden. Method: This comparative cross-sectional study assessed family burden in key relatives of patients with OCD (n = 50) and schizophrenia (n = 30) respectively. Results: Indian families experience signifi cant degrees of burden in the care of their relatives with OCD and schizophrenia. Key relatives ’ demographic characteristics did not infl uence burden severity. Illness severity and patients ’ disability had a direct positive relationship with perceived family burden. Conclusion: Indian families of patients with OCD experience burden comparable to that of families of patients with schizophrenia. There is a need to develop local needs-based support programmes for families of patients with psychiatric disorders in India. Key words: burden, schizophrenia, obsessive-compulsive disorde