Abstract:
The aim of the study was to investigate the challenges faced by families living with
mentally ill relatives in Thulamela municipality in the Vhembe district, Limpopo province.
The objectives of the study were to investigate the impact that caring for a mentally ill
person had on the family members; to explore the strategies adopted by families to
enable them to cope better with the challenges they faced when caring for their mentally
ill relatives; and to understand the support services that were provided to families by
health care professionals to enable them to cope with such challenges. A Nonprobability
sampling, in particular its subtype convenience samplings was used to select
five families who participated in the study. A semi-structured interview schedule was
used to collect data from the main care givers and a focus group discussion took place
to gather more in-depth information from at least three members of each family. Those
selected to participate in the study were all family members who were involved in the
care giving responsibility. All participants were caring for mentally ill relatives diagnosed
with schizophrenia, substance induced psychosis or bipolar affective. The care recipient
had to be admitted at Hayani psychiatry hospital. Data extracted from the participants
was analysed thematically following the six stages of thematic data analysis.The
research findings obtained from family caregivers from Thulamela municipality found in
the Vhembe district within the Limpopo province, highlighted that taking care of a family
members with mental illness comes with a number of challenges. The impact was
experienced by all members of the family irrespective of the age, social or financial
status. The impact was experienced emotionally, physically, socially and financially. All
participants also reported to be experiencing burnout. They prefer their loved ones to
remain living in mental institution as it gives them a chance to live normal lives.
