Comparison of burden among family members of patients diagnosed with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and substance use disorder

Objective: It was aimed to compare the family burden of patients who were diagnosed with Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder (BD) and Substance Use Disorder (SUD). Method: The study included 50 patients diagnosed with SUD, 50 patients diagnosed with schizophrenia, 50 patients diagnosed with BD, according to DSM- 5 diagnostic criteria, and a total of 150 caregivers of the patients for at least 1 year. All participants filled the semi-structured Sociodemographic Data Form developed by the researchers in the form of face-to-face questions and answers. Also, Addiction Profile Index (API) for patients diagnosed with SUD, Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) for patients with schizophrenia, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D) and Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) for patients diagnosed with BD were applied. Zarit Caregiver Burden Scale (ZCAS) and Family Assessment Scale (FAD) were also administered to caregivers. Data of study were analyzed with IBM SPSS (Statistics Package Program for Social Sciences) Version 24.0 (IBM Corporation, Armonk, NY, USA). Results: In our study, the burden score of caregiver of the group with SUD was significantly higher than the BD and schizophrenia group. There was no significant difference between groups of BD and schizophrenia. According to the subscales of the FAD, averages which was considered as unhealthy were found in the "roles, showing the necessary attention, behavioral control and general functions" subscales for the group with SUD, in the "problem solving, roles and showing the required attention" subscales for the BD group, in the "roles, paying attention, and behavior control" subscales for schizophrenia group. Discussion: SUD, schizophrenia and BD are diseases with high family burden. More comprehensive studies are needed to determine the causes of family burden and to make interventions in this regard. Keywords: Substance Use Disorder, Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder, Family Burden