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Bipolar disorder patients' attitudes to and knowledge of their illness: a retrospective study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 June 2014

Patrick McKeon  and
Fionnuala O'Loughlin
Fionnuala O'Loughlin
Affiliation:
Depression Research Unit, St. Patrick's Hospital, James's Street, Dublin 8, Ireland
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Abstract

Objective: To assess the effect of specific psychoeducational sources – support group meetings, lectures and literature – on bipolar disorder patients' knowledge and attitude to their illness. Methods: Eighty bipolar disorder patients attending for a lithium blood test were asked to complete a questionnaire detailing their demographic characteristics, duration of illness, knowledge of manic-depressive illness and their attitude towards their illness and what exposure they had had to relevant support group meetings, lectures and literature on bipolar disorder. Results: The 43 group attenders had a statistically significant higher mean score on the illness and lithium knowledge and the attitude to illness sections of the questionnaire than the 30 patients who did nto attend groups (P<0.001). A multiple regression analysis indicated that, in addition to group attendances, only reading literature contributed significantly to illness knowledge and attitude. Age, sex, duration of illness and socio-economic status did not contribute significantly to these outcome variables. Conclusions: Bipolar disorder patients who attended support group meetings and availed of relevant literature knew more about their illness and lithium therapy and expressed more positive and realistic views about their illness than those who only read literature and attended lectures.

Keywords

PsychoeducationSupport groupsBipolar disorderLithium
Type
Original Papers
Information
Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine , Volume 10 , Issue 2 , June 1993 , pp. 71 - 75
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1993

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