Purpose: To present a detailed account of the subjective feelings and experiences of care-givers of patients with schizophrenia and the consequences of care-giving both on the quality of life of care-givers and the impact of it on the delivery of care. Design: Phenomenological methodology. Method: Open-ended, audio-recorded in-depth interviews were conducted in Dr. RML Hospital, New Delhi, with 6 care-givers (parents) of patients with schizophrenia, 61-66 years old (mean 64). The recordings were transcribed and translated into English and analyzed to identify themes pertinent to the care-giving experiences. Results: The major themes emerged were varying perceptions and misconceptions, institutionalization: a new experience, stigmatization of the mentally–ill, traumatic experiences of bizarre behavior, challenges of care-giving, apprehensions about marital relationships, abandonment by significant others, disrupted family functioning and family dynamics, failure to derive personal satisfaction, disordered personal life, imbalanced social life, disrupted occupational life, expensive treatment, consternation of future expenses, only God can help, reaffirming hope and meditation is the best coping resource. Conclusion: The care-givers attributed the occurrence of the symptoms to mythical ideations and considered mental-illness a paranormal phenomenon. Scarcity of knowledge was a big concern for the care-givers, which made them unskilled and untrained for the trials associated with the task of providing care for the family member with schizophrenia.

Keywords: Schizophrenia; Care-Givers; Qualitative Methodology.