Challenges of caring for children with mental disorders. Experiences and views of caregivers attending the outpatient clinic at Muhimbili national hospital

Abstract

Background It is estimated that world-wide up to 20% of children suffer from debilitating mental illness. Mental disorder that pose a significant concern include learning disorders, hyperkinetic disorders "{ ADHD} , depression, psychosis, pervasive development disorder, attachment disorders, anxiety disorders, conduct disorder/anti-social personality, substance abuse and eating disorder. Living with such children can be very stressful for care givers in the family. Caregivers, parents and guardian play an important role in helping children grow to their full potential. Therefore, determination of challenges of living with these children is important in the process of finding ways of helping or supporting care givers to provide proper care for their children Hospital.

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Results

The study revealed psychological, social, and economic challenges care givers endure while living with mentally ill children. Psychological and emotional challenges included being stressed by caring tasks, having worries about the present and future life of their children. They had feelings of sadness, and inner pain or bitterness due to the disturbing behaviour of the children. They also experienced communication problems with their child due to the child's inability to talk. Social challenges were inadequate social services for their children, stigma, burden of caring task, lack of public awareness of mental illness, lack of social support, and problems with social life. The economic challenges were poverty, child care interfering with various income generating activities in the family, and extra expenses associated with the child's illness.

Conclusion and recommendations

Caregivers of mentally ill children expenence vanous psychological, social, and economic challenges. Professional assistance, public awareness of mental illnesses in children, social support by the government, private sector and NGOs are important in addressing these challenges. This can be done through hospital and community programs so that care givers receive the support they need in caring for mentally ill children.

More research is needed in order to understand the issues of sharing the burden of care in families of mentally ill children. Also exploring challenges caregivers experience in relation to health care services for their children is important due to concerns they raised about the care they received.