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Key Challenges and Unmet Needs in Bipolar Disorder
Date: 26 August 2010
Bridging the Gap Between Healthcare Professionals and Patients - A Pilot Malaysian Study
Executive Summary
Levels of awareness and understanding of mental health disorders and treatment in Malaysia are low. This is especially true for mental disorders, such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. This situation is exacerbated by the: Social stigma placed on people with mental health disorders and cultural barriers Lack of adequate infrastructure and resources to deliver required counseling, therapy and patient care to mental health patients Under-reporting of mental health disorders in mainstream news media.
To date, there is no research-based insight on the challenges in understanding, diagnosing and treating mental health disorders or patients’ perspectives specifically in Malaysia. Hence, this Malaysian-centric study was designed to raise the understanding of one mental health disorder – bipolar disorder.
The survey covered four key areas: public awareness; diagnosis; treatment; and access to information.
Improving Awareness
Social stigma associated with bipolar disorder is considered the most prevalent public attitude in Malaysia (59%). In addition, there is a general lack of understanding of what this condition is, from symptoms to how it affects patients.
To overcome this, more than half of the doctors who responded to the survey regard public health campaigns that aim to reduce discrimination against people with mental health problems as the most practical solution. Many also believe education in schools about mental illnesses will help.
Improving Diagnosis
37% of the doctors surveyed said they take two (2) years or more, but fewer than four (4) years to correctly diagnose a patient. However, there is a disconnect between patients and doctors around diagnosis, as patients’ responses varied from less than one year (27%) to get an accurate diagnosis, to eight years or more (27%).
For further reading, please download the full document below...
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