Bipolar Patients Face Stigma, Globally

VIENNA (Reuters Health) - Despite numerous public education campaigns for mental health and bipolar disorder in the United States and Canada, the stigma experienced by bipolar patients in these countries appears about the same as in others, according to a global survey released at the World Congress of Biological Psychiatry.

The World Federation for Mental Health, of Alexandria, Virginia released the results of the survey of 687 patients who were drawn from the United States, Canada, Greece, the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, and Italy.

Preston J. Garrison, secretary and chief executive officer of the federation, said the degree of discrimination reported in the United States and Canada was about the same as other countries in the survey. And that surprised him, he said, because of the numerous efforts to inform the general public about these illnesses in Canada and the United States.

In the United States, Garrison said, 82 percent of people with bipolar disorder feel discriminated against in their social circles. In the United States, 65 percent reported that families and teachers didn't understand their illness. In Canada the figure was 61 percent.

The survey represents the first multinational study of the social impacts of bipolar disorder. It provides further evidence that for many mental health patients, the social impact of their illness is far greater than that endured by patients with physical illnesses.

Among the findings were that:

-- 47 percent of the respondents feel that their disease has a highly negative impact on their quality of life.

-- All respondents said they had been subjected to social discrimination, but 35 percent said they have been highly discriminated against, because of their condition, often in everyday social relationships.

-- 71 percent believe the public does not understand their illness.

-- 79 percent said they believed successful treatment would lead to significant improvements in quality of life, including their ability to maintain a job, have relationships, living independently, and achieve goals.

Garrison noted that 25 to 30 years ago in many of these countries many of these patients would have been hospitalized, frequently involuntarily. Now he said, although these patients are largely living in the community, they have a long way to go to be fully welcomed into society, even though in many cases their medications have enabled them to be highly functioning citizens.

The survey was developed by AstraZeneca and the World Federation for Mental Health, and overseen by an independent panel of bipolar disorder physicians and advocacy group representatives. It was conducted by Research International, an independent marketing research firm.