Living with bipolar disorder in Chile: A qualitative study

Abstract

Bipolar disorder (BD) is an important factor contributing to rates of higher morbidity and mortality with serious consequences on the quality of life. There is limited literature on life experience of people living with BD in Chile. For this reason, this study examines the life experiences of Chilean clients with BD. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, and clients aged 40-65 years, euthymic, with a preserved judgement of reality were included. A thematic analysis was conducted, and two themes and subthemes were extracted. The first theme is the life experiences of the disease, and it comprises the subtheme information about BD, life experiences of relapses (with acute experiences of disease, professional assistance, and prodromal symptom management), accepting the disease, accepting the medication, and being bipolar as a stigma. The second theme is that of family environment, which includes the subthemes of family support, lack of family support, and family crisis resulting from BD. The findings provide evidence to support the importance of accepting the disease, the long-term course of the disease, in addition to pharmacological treatment, which requires interventions from nurses when personal risk factors of acute episodes are identified and addressed. Besides, client and family members have to be actively involved. Future research should examine the relationship between stigma from bipolar disorder, perceptions from family members, and educational interventions from nurses and people affected by BD in Chile.

The relationship between self-stigma and quality of life in long-term hospitalized patients with schizophrenia: a cross-sectional study

“…Next, another result shows that avoidant coping strategies can directly impact quality of life and, at the same time, partially influence it via self-stigma. There is a reciprocal causal relationship between avoidance and self-stigma, forming a vicious cycle ( 59 , 60 ). Cavelti et al.’s study also demonstrated that lower scores on avoidance are associated with lower self-stigma and higher quality of life ( 61 ).…”

Stigmatization of people diagnosed with a mental disorder in secondary mental health centers in Chile: An ethnographic study

“…In this context, a social discourse that demands respect for differences has emerged. However, prejudices toward MDs are still present, associating them with danger (Grandon et al, 2018), especially in diagnoses such as schizophrenia, minimizing the opinion of those affected on matters of their interest (Grandon et al, 2021), and, generally, limiting their opportunities (Hormazabal‐Salgado & Poblete‐Troncoso, 2020).…”