A Qualitative Study on the Induced Needs of Primary Caregivers with Bipolar Disorder

[[abstract]]Background: Bipolar Disorder is second most common illness for psychosis. Patients with bipolar disorder sometimes are on stable condition, rather than patients with schizophrenia most of time have poor outcome, which result in heavy burden for caregivers. The purpose of this research is to explore the induced needs of health care and social care for chief caregiver with bipolar disorder. Methods: Face to face interviews are carried out for twelve chief caregivers with bipolar disorders after adopting the Institution Review Board (IRB) recommendations. The study subjects recruit from the Psychiatric Hospital and Mental Rehabilitation Association in Taipei city. The interviews were recorded and transcribed, and the data analysis based on grounded theory. Results: The study results found that chief caregivers with bipolar disorder induced healthcare needs from the process of taking care of patients, which include the information for psychiatric diseases, twentyfour hours psychia-tric emergency services, consultation for patient care by telephone, psychiatric acute wards, intensive care unit for psychiatry, a helper at admission, home care, day care services, rehabilitation services and psychiatric chron-ic wards. The induced social care needs for chief caregivers include house-keeping, respite care, institutional respite care, subsidize, job arrangement, living replacement, family group and case management. Most caregivers are not aware of mental healthcare system and unsure how to seek for ser-vices. Conclusions: This study suggests offering the compressive and continuity services for patient and caregivers with bipolar. Further, to provide more information about bipolar disorder for the publics and vi caregivers with bipolar disorder. In future research, this study advances to elucidate induced needs for caregivers with bipolar disorder amongst different area and demographic characteristics of patients