The extent to which caregivers believe most people devalue consumers and their families

Objective: The extent to which 461 caregivers of persons with serious menta l disorders believed that most people devalue consumers and their families was assessed, and the magnitude of the relationships between these beliefs and the diagnostic status of consumers was estimated. Methods: Caregivers o f 180 consumers with schizophrenia, major depression, or bipolar disorder a nd caregivers of 281 consumers with bipolar disorder or schizoaffective dis order, manic type, completed a 15-item instrument comprising two scales: ei ght of the 15 items operationally defined the devaluation of individual con sumers, and seven items operationally defined the devaluation of consumers' families. Results: No significant differences were observed between the tw o samples on the two devaluation scales or on 14 of the 15 items that const ituted the scales. About 70 percent of all caregivers indicated a belief th at most people devalue consumers, and 43 percent expressed a belief that mo st people also devalue the families of consumers. Conclusions: Strong evide nce from previous research indicates that the caregiving role is very deman ding, is frequently distressing, and may be harmful to health and injurious to one's quality of life. The addition of a community that is perceived to be rejecting makes life even more difficult for the caregivers and familie s of people with serious mental disorders. The development and implementati on of effective interventions to create more supportive and understanding c ommunities would be a challenging and worthwhile endeavor.