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World Federation for Mental Health

Global Survey Reveals Personal Impact of Bipolar Disorder

Vienna, Austria (ots/PRNewswire)

- World Federation for Mental Health urges better understanding,
treatment and management to improve outcomes for people living with
bipolar  disorder
The World Federation for Mental Health (WFMH) today announced
results of  a global bipolar disorder consumer survey, Thinking
Ahead, at the World  Congress of Biological Psychiatry. The survey
revealed that almost half (47%)  of all people with bipolar disorder
- or 'consumers' as many mental health  patients prefer to be
referred to as - feel that their disease has had a  highly negative
impact on their quality of life. Further to this, more than a  third
(35%) of respondents stated they have been discriminated against as a
result of their condition, usually within the context of everyday
social  relationships.
"Many people who successfully treat and manage their bipolar
disorder are highly functioning individuals who sustain jobs,
relationships, and lead full lives", commented Preston Garrison,
Chief Executive Officer of the WFMH. "Unfortunately, however, there
is a critical need to improve awareness and remove the social stigma
associated with this growing condition so that others, who do not
feel comfortable seeking medical support, can obtain appropriate
treatment and, as a result, dramatically improve their quality of
life."
The WFMH partnered with AstraZeneca to implement this survey of
687 bipolar disorder consumers across seven countries (Canada,
Germany, Greece, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom, United States). The
findings from the Thinking Ahead survey add a compelling consumer
voice to the WFMH mission and AstraZeneca's commitment to reducing
damaging stigma associated with mental disorders and improving
outcomes for people living with mental disorders and their families.
VIENNA, Austria, June 29 /PRNewswire/ --
    The survey also revealed:
    - 26% of respondents NEVER tell people they have bipolar disorder. Fear
      of social stigma is a key reason why people do not share this
      information with others.
    - The vast majority (79%) of respondents in all countries say successful
      treatment would lead to significant quality of life changes in terms of
      increased functionality/improved lifestyle such as, maintaining a job,
      having relationships, living independently, and achieving goals.
    - 71% of people with bipolar disorder who were surveyed believe that the
      public does not understand their illness. This ignorance may be causing
      the stigma that many feel.
Eduard Vieta, Director of the Bipolar Disorders Program of the
Hospital Clinic at the University of Barcelona, Spain, commented,
"The results of this survey reflect my everyday practice in
psychiatry: consumers want and need treatments that will successfully
manage and treat their condition and allow everyday functioning. The
development in recent years of drugs which have reduced side effects
whilst remaining highly effective are a key factor in enabling people
with bipolar disorder to maintain a good quality of life."
Bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depressive illness, is a
severe biological disorder that affects approximately 3 - 4% of the
adult population.(1),(2),(3),(4) As more consumers are being
accurately diagnosed  this figure will increase.(5) It is a chronic
disease and approximately 90%  of people with bipolar disorder will
have multiple recurrences over the  longer term with an average of
nine episodes per lifetime.(6)
Michael Grinter, who was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 1996
and currently works with MDF The BiPolar Organisation, comments
"Without the right treatment, management and support for bipolar
disorder, the condition means that you will be unable to live a
normal life. After several years of battling with the condition, I am
now able to successfully treat and manage it - I play an active role
in the mental health field and enjoy each day as it comes. The
damaging stigma that many people associate with my condition only
serves to create a climate of fear that lessens acceptance by local
communities".
VIENNA, Austria, June 29 /PRNewswire/ --
    References:
    (1) American Psychiatric Association: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual
        of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision. Washington DC,
        American Psychiatric Association, 2000:385;395
    (2) Hirschfield et al. J Clin Psychiatry. 2003:64;53-59
    (3) Lish JD, Dime-Meenan S, Whybrow PC et al. J Affect Disord.
        1994:31;281-294
    (4) World Health Organization and the World Bank. The Global Burden of
        Disease: Summary. Cambridge, Mass: The Harvard School of Public
        Health Harvard University Press, 1996
    (5) Sachs GS, Printz DJ, Kahn DA et al. The expert consensus guideline
        series: medication treatment of bipolar disorder 2000. Postgrad Med
        Special Report. 2000:April;1-104
    (6) Goodwin FK. J Clin Psychiatry. 2002:63;(Suppl 10):5-12
Notes to Editors:
About Thinking Ahead
The Thinking Ahead survey interviewed people living with bipolar
disorder to better understand how their disease impacts their lives
and that of their families, and how treatment can help ensure their
disease has as limited impact as possible on their quality of life.
The Thinking Ahead theme was chosen to highlight the need for long
term strategies to treat and manage bipolar disorder to ensure that
consumers achieve full quality of life benefits, as opposed to short
term fixes that only add to the stigma and mismanagement of mental
illness.
The survey was developed by AstraZeneca and the World Federation
for Mental Health, overseen by an independent panel of bipolar
disorder physicians and advocacy group representatives, and conducted
by Research International, an independent marketing research firm.
687 people with bipolar disorder were interviewed via the internet
and face-to-face, across seven countries: U.S (203 consumers), Canada
(99 consumers), U.K. (100 consumers), Germany (102 consumers), Spain
(75 consumers), Italy (100 consumers) and qualitative in Greece (8
consumers). AstraZeneca was the financial sponsor of the survey.
About the World Federation for Mental Health
The WFMH was founded in 1948 to advance, among all peoples and
nations, the prevention of mental and emotional disorders, the proper
treatment and care of those with such disorders, and the promotion of
mental health.
The Federation, with members and contacts in 112 countries on six
continents, has responded to the international mental health crisis
through its role as the only worldwide grassroots advocacy and public
education organization in the mental health field. The Federation's
organizational and individual membership includes mental health
workers of all disciplines, consumers/users of mental health
services, family members and concerned citizens. The Organization's
broad and diverse membership makes possible collaboration among
governments and non-governmental organizations.
Through its history, the Federation has been active in advancing
the concerns of people with mental illnesses before international
forums, both private and governmental, and in supporting the efforts
of its member organizations at the national and regional level.
The Federation is accredited as a consultant to the United Nations
and its specialized agencies, working closely with the World Health
Organization, UNESCO, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, the UN
Commission on Human Rights, the International Labour Organization and
others.
For more information regarding the WFMH international activities,
including World Mental Health Day (October 10), visit www.wfmh.org
About AstraZeneca
AstraZeneca is a major international healthcare business engaged
in the research, development, manufacture and marketing of
prescription pharmaceuticals and the supply of healthcare services.
It is one of the world's leading pharmaceutical companies with
healthcare sales of over $21.4 billion and leading positions in sales
of gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, respiratory, oncology and
neuroscience products. AstraZeneca is listed in the Dow Jones
Sustainability Index (Global) as well as the FTSE4Good Index.
In Neuroscience, AstraZeneca is dedicated to providing medicines
that have the potential to change patients' lives. The company
already markets several products including SEROQUEL and ZOMIG.
SEROQUEL, which has proven efficacy and a favourable side effect
profile, is the fastest growing of the leading atypical
antipsychotics and the number one prescribed atypical in the United
States with global sales of $2 billion in 2004; ZOMIG is a reliable
migraine therapy and a leader within the triptan market. The
Neuroscience pipeline includes leading approaches for the treatment
of depression and anxiety, overactive bladder, dementia, stroke, pain
control and anaesthesia.
World Federation of Societies of Biological Psychiatry
The World Federation of Societies of Biological Psychiatry is a
non-profit world wide organization composed of 60 National Societies
of Biological Psychiatry, as well as individual members, and has
built in this way a network of 7500 psychiatry professionals from 102
countries all over the globe. The aim of the Federation is to
promote, in all countries, education and the attainment of the
highest level of knowledge and understanding in the field of
Biological Psychiatry.
global.headquarters@wfsbp.org
www.wfsbp.org

Contact:

For more information or interviews please contact: Preston J.
Garrison, World Federation for Mental Health, Mobile:
+1-571-247-5491; Sarah Fraser, Shire Health International, Mobile:
+1-917-945-7488