The affective disorder-related burden imposed on the family environment – an overview

The family burden (FB) has been defined as a multidimensional impact imposed by an illness on caregivers. FB can be divided into objective (i.e. related to measurable problems) and subjective one (i.e. related to caregivers’ emotions arising in response to objective difficulties). FB is known to be related to disturbances in the functioning of the family system, higher level of stress, and the presence of financial problems. Some gender-dependent differences in the characteristics of FB have been found. Since family member’s illness can be not only a ballast, but also a potential source of satisfaction, it has been found that the level of caregiving-related satisfaction is a significant predictor of FB severity. FB dynamics does not seem to be parallel to the course of illness. Problem-focused and task-focused coping strategies are known to be related to lower values of FB.There is evidence suggesting that in families of patients with BD depressive episodes trigger substantially higher severity of FB, as compared to manic episodes. Data on FB related to major depressive disorder (MDD) are scarce.Assertive community treatment strategies are the main option of reducing FB in the context of affective disorders, yet data on their effectiveness are inconclusive.