Investigating Public Awareness and Attitudes towards People with Bipolar Disorder in Punjab, Pakistan: A Cross-Sectional Study
Investigating Public Awareness and Attitudes with Bipolar Disorder
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54393/pjhs.v4i10.1081Keywords:
Bipolar Disorder, Attitudes, Pakistan, Awareness, Mental HealthAbstract
Bipolar Disorder (BP) is a psychiatric disorder that causes severe mood swings. As the leading cause of cognitive impairment, it affects many people worldwide. This study examines public awareness and attitudes towards bipolar disorder BP in Punjab, Pakistan, highlighting a literature gap. Non-professional community views and stigmatization of BP are examined in the specified region of Pakistan. Objective: To understand risk aspects to create a supportive environment for BP patients and informing future awareness and education efforts. Methods: This study used a validated questionnaire that included sociodemographic factors such as age, gender, degree of education, and employment status. The questionnaire was based on general, medical, and social categories. Responses for all sections were either "Agree," "Disagree," or "Do not know." These answers were assessed using computing language 1 = Agree, 0 = Disagree, and 2 = Do not Know. Python was used for data analysis in this study. Results: The study found that despite some awareness, there were significant misconceptions and negative attitudes toward those living with the disorder. Overall, the study states a low level of awareness regarding bipolar disorder among the surveyed population, with only around 48% having high awareness and positive attitudes toward bipolar disorder sufferers. Conclusions: Current research findings significantly affect Pakistan’s mental health policy and education. Improving public understanding and reducing stigma surrounding mental health issues is crucial for ensuring that those with bipolar disorder and other mental health conditions can access the care and support they need.
References
Richman S. Bipolar Disorders: an Overview. Cinahl Information System. 2022. Available at: https://www.ebsco.com/sites/default/files/acquiadam-assets/Social-Work-Reference-Center-Quick-Lesson-Bipolar-Disorders.pdf.
O'Connell KS and Coombes BJ. Genetic contributions to bipolar disorder: current status and future directions. Psychological Medicine. 2021 Oct; 51(13): 2156-67. doi: 10.1017/S0033291721001252. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291721001252
Ali MH, Maqsood H, Jalil MH, Shoukat HF, Shakeel HA. The prevalence of bipolar spectrum disorder in medical students of Pakistan. International Journal of Research in Medical Sciences. 2019 May; 7(5): 1618-21. doi: 10.18203/2320-6012.ijrms20191647. DOI: https://doi.org/10.18203/2320-6012.ijrms20191647
Anyayo L, Ashaba S, Kaggwa MM, Maling S, Nakimuli-Mpungu E. Health-related quality of life among patients with bipolar disorder in rural Southwestern Uganda: a hospital based cross sectional study. Health and Quality of Life Outcomes. 2021 Dec; 19: 1-8. doi: 10.1186/s12955-021-01729-5. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12955-021-01729-5
Vieta E, Salagre E, Grande I, Carvalho AF, Fernandes BS, Berk M, et al., Early intervention in bipolar disorder. American Journal of Psychiatry. 2018; 175(5): 411-26. doi: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2017.17090972. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.2017.17090972
Bayes A, Parker G, Paris J. Differential diagnosis of bipolar II disorder and borderline personality disorder. Current Psychiatry Reports. 2019 Dec; 21: 1-11. doi: 10.1007/s11920-019-1120-2. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-019-1120-2
Li Z, Liu X, Ma R, Feng S, Zheng S, Zhu H, et al., Cyclothymic Temperament, Physical Neglect, and Earlier Age of Onset Predict Poor Medication Adherence in Patients With Bipolar Disorder. The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease. 2023 Jan; 211(1): 35-9. doi: 10.1097/NMD.0000000000001573. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1097/NMD.0000000000001573
Rosa AR, González‐Ortega I, González‐Pinto A, Echeburúa E, Comes M, Martínez‐Àran A, et al., One‐year psychosocial functioning in patients in the early vs. late stage of bipolar disorder. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica. 2012 Apr; 125(4): 335-41. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0447.2011.01830.x. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0447.2011.01830.x
Abd Aziz NB. The Bipolar Disorder Diagnostic Label in Singapore: Uncovering its Usage 2023. (Doctoral dissertation, ResearchSpace Auckland). 2023.
Fawad K, Kholood JA, Amna A. Perception of Pakistani Population Regarding the Effects of Jinn, Evil Eye and Black Magic on Physical and Mental Health. Neurological Research & Surgery. 2019; 2(1): 1-4. doi: 10.33425/2641-4333.1011. DOI: https://doi.org/10.33425/2641-4333.1011
Ahmad SS and Koncsol SW. Cultural Factors Influencing Mental Health Stigma: Perceptions of Mental Illness (POMI) in Pakistani Emerging Adults. Religions. 2020; 13: 401-21. doi.org/10.3390/rel13050401. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/rel13050401
Husain MI, Chaudhry IB, Rahman RR, Hamirani MM, Mehmood N, Haddad PM, et al., Pilot study of a culturally adapted psychoeducation (CaPE) intervention for bipolar disorder in Pakistan. International Journal of Bipolar Disorders. 2017 Dec; 5(1): 1-9. doi: 10.1186/s40345-017-0074-8. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40345-017-0074-8
Aadil M, Munir A, Arshad H, Tariq F, Anwar MJ, Amjad N, et al., Consanguinity associated with increased prevalence and severity of bipolar disorder in Pakistan: a case report highlighting the genetic link. Cureus. 2017 Jul; 9(7): e1467. doi: 10.7759/cureus.1467. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.1467
Khalid M, Driessen TM, Lee JS, Tejwani L, Rasool A, Saqlain M, et al., Association of CACNA1C with Bipolar Disorder among the Pakistani population. Gene. 2018 Jul; 664: 119-26. doi: 10.1016/j.gene.2018.04.061. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gene.2018.04.061
Shakeel SS, Nadeem A, Siddiqui TA, Ahmed HU, Ahmed S, Sohail H, et al., An Assessment of the knowledge and Aaareness regarding Bipolar Disorder amongst university students in Pakistan. European Journal of Biomedical. 2021; 8(9): 150-4.
Fusar‐Poli P, Correll CU, Arango C, Berk M, Patel V, Ioannidis JP. Preventive psychiatry: a blueprint for improving the mental health of young people. World Psychiatry. 2021 Jun; 20(2): 200-21. doi: 10.1002/wps.20869. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/wps.20869
Young S, Hollingdale J, Absoud M, Bolton P, Branney P, Colley W, et al., Guidance for identification and treatment of individuals with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder and autism spectrum disorder based upon expert consensus. BMC Medicine. 2020 Dec; 18(1): 1-29. doi: 10.1186/s12916-020-01585-y. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-020-01585-y
Ahmed Z. Understanding the Social Stigma Surrounding Mental Health and Suicides in District Ghizer, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. University of Wah Journal of Social Sciences. 2023 Jun; 6(1): 34-46.
Hassoulas A, Umla-Runge K, Zahid A, Adams O, Green M, Hassoulas A, et al., Investigating the association between obsessive-compulsive disorder symptom subtypes and health anxiety as impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study. Psychological Reports. 2022 Dec; 125(6): 3006-27. doi: 10.1177/00332941211040437. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/00332941211040437
Taherdoost H. Determining sample size; how to calculate survey sample size. International Journal of Economics and Management Systems. 2017; 2: 237-9.
Sahoo K, Samal AK, Pramanik J, Pani SK. Exploratory data analysis using Python. International Journal of Innovative Technology and Exploring Engineering. 2019; 8(12): 4727-35. doi: 10.35940/ijitee.L3591.1081219. DOI: https://doi.org/10.35940/ijitee.L3591.1081219
Siddiqui T and Amer AY. A Comprehensive Review on Text Classification and Text Mining Techniques Using Spam Dataset Detection. Mathematics and Computer Science. 2023 Jul: 2: 1-7. doi: 10.1002/9781119896715.ch1. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119896715.ch1
Harris CR, Millman KJ, Van Der Walt SJ, Gommers R, Virtanen P, et al., Array programming with NumPy. Nature. 2020 Sep; 585(7825): 357-62. doi: 10.1038/s41586-020-2649-2. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-020-2649-2
Nelli F. Python data analytics: Data analysis and science using PANDAs, Matplotlib and the Python Programming Language. Apress; 2015 Aug.
Waskom ML. Seaborn: statistical data visualization. Journal of Open Source Software. 2021 Apr; 6(60): 3021-4. doi: 10.21105/joss.03021. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21105/joss.03021
Alosaimi FD, AlAteeq DA, Bin Hussain SI, Alhenaki RS, Bin Salamah AA, AlModihesh NA. Public awareness, beliefs, and attitudes toward bipolar disorder in Saudi Arabia. Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment. 2019 Sep: 15: 2809-18. doi: 10.2147/NDT.S209037. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2147/NDT.S209037
Mohsin H, Aslam MK, Fatima K, Asif A, Fiaz A, Ahmad B, et al., Analysis of Community-Based Awareness Regarding Schizophrenia: A Cross-Sectional Study from Pakistan: Community-Based Awareness Regarding Schizophrenia. Pakistan Journal of Health Sciences. 2022 Oct: 60-5. doi: 10.54393/pjhs.v3i05.137. DOI: https://doi.org/10.54393/pjhs.v3i05.137
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2023 Pakistan Journal of Health Sciences
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
This is an open-access journal and all the published articles / items are distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. For comments
