Psychiatric Rehabilitation Practitioner, Department of Psychiatry, Father Muller Medical College, Mangalore, Karnataka.
Indian J Psychiatry. 2005 Jul;47(3):153-6. doi: 10.4103/0019-5545.55939.
In India, there is a paucity of trained professionals to execute psychosocial interventions. Families are thus assigned the role of primary caretakers of individuals with chronic mental illness.
To assess the perceived benefits and difficulties of group meetings among caregivers of persons with schizophrenia and bipolar mood disorders, and to evaluate the utilization pattern of general hospital psychiatric unit (GHPU) services by caregivers who regularly attend such group meetings.
Persons with schizophrenia and those with bipolar mood disorders with associated psychosocial problems and on maintenance medication were identified at the Psychiatric Rehabilitation Unit of the Department of Psychiatry, Father Muller Medical College. Significant caregivers of the identified patients were informed about the group meeting. Group meetings were conducted for about 45 minutes once a month for caregivers of patients with schizophrenia and bipolar mood disorders. Data regarding the psychosocial aspects of caregivers were collected before entry to the meeting and after 17 months of their participation. Participants who attended the meetings irregularly were excluded from the study.
The group meetings led to effective monitoring of the functioning of individuals, a reduction in the subjective family burden and family distress, a better support system with adequate coping skills and good compliance with treatment programmes.
Conducting regular group meetings for a homogeneous population at a GHPU is feasible and beneficial.
在印度，缺乏受过专业训练的人员来执行心理社会干预措施。因此，家庭被赋予了照顾慢性精神疾病患者的主要责任。
评估精神分裂症和双相情感障碍患者照顾者群体会议的感知益处和困难，并评估经常参加此类群体会议的照顾者对综合医院精神科病房（GHPU）服务的利用模式。
在 Father Muller 医学院精神病学系的精神康复病房中，确定了患有精神分裂症和双相情感障碍的患者，以及伴有心理社会问题和维持药物治疗的患者。向已确定患者的重要照顾者告知了团体会议的情况。每月为精神分裂症和双相情感障碍患者的照顾者举行一次大约 45 分钟的团体会议。在进入会议之前和参加会议 17 个月后，收集有关照顾者心理社会方面的数据。不参加会议的参与者被排除在研究之外。
团体会议有助于有效地监测个人的功能，减轻主观家庭负担和家庭困扰，建立更好的支持系统，提供足够的应对技巧，并提高治疗方案的依从性。
在 GHPU 为同质人群定期举办团体会议是可行且有益的。
