The provision of mental health care should be promoted at the community level, in order to facilitate their recovery process. Thus, the people who care for these individuals go through a situational transition, as they have to play the role of Family Caregivers (FC).

a) to characterize the FC burden of the person with Mental Illness; and b) to correlate FC overload with the variables age, gender, cohabitation, degree of kinship and level of education.

A cross-sectional correlational study was conducted. The sample consisted of FC who went to consultations and to the inpatient psychiatric unit of a portuguese hospital. Data were collected through a questionnaire which included sociodemographic data, the Lawton-Brody Index and the Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI).

Of the 119 FC, 66.4% were female, with an average age of 53.8 years. 73.1% of FC cohabited with the person they care for, in which the majority was cared for by their child or spouse, 45.2% and 36.1%, respectively. It should also be noted that 71.4% felt the need for more support from health professionals. As for autonomy, 52% of the individuals cared for by FC were moderately dependent. It was verified that about 45% of the FC had an intense overload. Female gender has greater overload and that there are no significant differences between the level of education and cohabitation.

Considering the results, it is understood the importance of valuing FC, as a target and care partners, in order to reduce the burden, they feel when caring for people with MI.