Challenges of Families with Relatives Living with Mental Illness: A case of Thulamela Municipality, Vhembe District in Limpopo Province

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.