AN ASSESSMENT OF THE KNOWLEDGE AND AWARENESS REGARDING BIPOLAR DISORDER AMONGST UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN PAKISTAN
Syed Shahzaib Shakeel, Ammar Nadeem, Taha Ahmad Siddiqui, Haadi Uddin Ahmed, Sheharyar Ahmed, Hamza Sohail, Usama Abdul Ahad Memon and Dr. Syed Uzair Mahmood*
ABSTRACT
Background: Bipolar disorder is a multivariate illness that causes periods of depression or abnormally elevated mood and is one of the leading causes of disability worldwide. It affects 6% of the adult population when the complete spectrum of the disease is taken into consideration. Bipolar subjects were found to have clinically significant depression 32% of the time, manic symptoms 9% of the time and presented with both 6% of the time Objective: Assess the knowledge and awareness regarding bipolar disorder in university going students of Pakistan. Method: A cross sectional study was conducted from May 2018 to August 2018, in major universities across Pakistan. Non-probability, convenient sampling was used to collect data from 390 university students. Data collection was carried out using a structured questionnaire and informed consent was taken prior to the commencement of the survey which consisted of two sections, namely, demographics and bipolar disorder questions. Results: In total, 390 university students took part in this study. 79.2% of the students knew that bipolar disorder is a medical illness and 89.8% of the students knew that both mania and depression are components of bipolar disorder. Furthermore, 75.4% of the students considered counselling as a viable option of management and treatment for bipolar disorder
Keywords: Bipolar disorder, Mania, Depression, Mood Disorder.
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