BIPOLAR DISORDER PATIENTS ATTITUDES TO AND KNOWLEDGE OF THEIR ILLNESS- A RETROSPECTIVE STUDY

Objective: To assess the effect of specific psychoeducational sources - support group meetings, lectures and literature - on bipolar disorde r patients' knowledge and attitude to their illness. Methods: Eighty b ipolar disorder patients attending for a lithium blood test were asked to complete a questionnaire detailing their demographic characteristi cs, duration of illness, knowledge of manic-depressive illness and the ir attitude towards their illness and what exposure they had had to re levant support group meetings, lectures and literature on bipolar diso rder. Results: The 43 group attenders had a statistically significant higher mean score on the illness and lithium knowledge and the attitud e to illness sections of the questionnaire than the 30 patients who di d nto attend groups (P<0.001). A multiple regression analysis indicate d that, in addition to group attendances, only reading literature cont ributed significantly to illness knowledge and attitude. Age, sex, dur ation of illness and socio-economic status did not contribute signific antly to these outcome variables. Conclusions: Bipolar disorder patien ts who attended support group meetings and availed of relevant literat ure knew more about their illness and lithium therapy and expressed mo re positive and realistic views about their illness than those who onl y read literature and attended lectures.