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Background Individuals diagnosed with mental illness differ due to treatment approaches and the difference in diagnoses and symptoms. Mental illness does not only affect relationships, occupation, recreation and finances, but also the overall routine of the individual’s daily life and the lives of their family members. The shortage of skilled and experienced health workers, lack of facilities, limited psychiatric care and inaccessible mental health care services are causes of concern. The uMsunduzi Municipality in Northern KwaZulu-Natal is one such outlying area, with limited access to health services and resources, where family members have to take care of the mentally ill. These underlying problems have warranted the need to explore the experiences of family members living with mentally ill relatives. Aim of the study The aim of the study was to explore and describe family members’ experiences of caring for their mentally ill relatives and to identify their coping strategies. Methodology A qualitative, exploratory, descriptive design was used to explore and describe the experiences of family members living with mentally ill patients in the uMsunduzi Municipality and purposive sampling was used to select participants .Data was collected by in-depth face to face one-on-one interviews with 20 family members caring for mentally ill patients and the findings were analysed using Tesch’s method of data analysis. Findings Three major themes that emerged from the data analysis were a) caring for a mentally ill relative, b) challenges arising from caring for a mentally ill relative and c) family members’ coping mechanisms with caring for a mentally ill relative). Conclusion This study showed that the research setting, a rural area in the uMsunduzi Municipality, needs resources to assist family members who care for their mentally ill relatives. It further revealed that the family members were inexperienced, lacking the skills, knowledge and capacity to care, treat and rehabilitate their loved ones. Compounded by inadequate mental health facilities and infrastructure, the implications of the non-implementation of the acts, policies, processes and procedure in the mental health discourse are evidently cause for concern in the uMsunduzi Municipality.

Experiences of family members caring for mentally ill relatives at uMsunduzi Municipality in the province of KwaZulu-Natal