Caring for those who care

The art of caring does not involve omnipotence, but rather sensitivity and the capacity for psychic involvement. Based on this concept, it is possible to state that at various points in their life trajectory, the subject may recognise the absence of their full health. Therefore, the general aim of this study is to understand and discuss the influences of mental illness on the health of carers. It is understood that carers also suffer from the reflection of these situations in their occupational and personal lives, as they invariably withdraw from social relationships due to lack of time and physical strain. The study revealed that the most common symptom among carers, and the most noticeable, is stress, which can sometimes trigger other pathologies such as depression. Twenty books and 30 scientific articles were researched - Scientific Electronic Library Online (SCIELO), Virtual Health Library (BVS), Electronic Periodicals in Psychology (PESPIC), among which approximately 15 books and 10 articles were analysed, on which this study was based and the results discussed.