Background: Limited data is available for family burden in anxiety disorders such as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), particularly from the developing world where families are the primary source of support for patients.
Aim: To compare family burden in patients with OCD and schizophrenia in an Indian setting and to examine the influence of caregivers' demographics, patients' illness severity and disability on family burden.
Method: This comparative cross-sectional study assessed family burden in key relatives of patients with OCD (n = 50) and schizophrenia (n = 30) respectively.
Results: Indian families experience significant degrees of burden in the care of their relatives with OCD and schizophrenia. Key relatives' demographic characteristics did not influence burden severity. Illness severity and patients' disability had a direct positive relationship with perceived family burden.
Conclusion: Indian families of patients with OCD experience burden comparable to that of families of patients with schizophrenia. There is a need to develop local needs-based support programmes for families of patients with psychiatric disorders in India.
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