Caring for the carer: Are we doing enough?

In Asian societies, the family carer has a pivotal role in ensuring the wellbeing of a person with mental health needs. In the absence of adequate mental health professionals and services, they take on the responsibility of identifying any changes in emotions and behaviour, convincing the person to seek medical help, accompanying the person on the visits to the doctor, and ensuring treatment compliance, follow up and rehabilitation. They have to buffer the stigma, find the financial resources and even manage the risks. In such situations, the burden on the carer is manifold. The physical and emotional strain can be enormous. Therefore, the treating physicians have to go out of their way to support the carer and ensure that they are adequately educated, supported and comforted on their journey of caregiving. Without their partnership, the care of the patient is destined to fail.