Quality of life and family functioning in caregivers of relatives with mood disorders.

This study examines the quality of life of caregivers of hospitalized relatives with mood disorders. Caregivers reported poor social, physical and emotional functioning. Family functioning was poor in the areas of roles, communication and affective involvement. It is significant that problem-solving, affective responsiveness and behavior control are within the normal range, indicating that these families do have strengths. Subjective burden but not objective burden was correlated with a poorer quality of life. Less than 30% of caregivers received help from other relatives and less than 5% sought help from outside organizations like NAMI, MDDA or VNA.