Academic Scientific JournalsAcceptance, coping strategies and health behaviors in bipolar disorder patients taking and not taking lithium carbonate
Keywords:
bipolar disorder, lithium carbonate, acceptance, coping strategy, health behaviorsAbstract
Background:
The variety of dysfunctions in bipolar disorder (BD) affects patients’ perceptions of the diagnosis, acceptance, and illness. Treatment of people with BD includes pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy. Maintaining long-term therapy is difficult, related to the patients’ overall approach to health. The aim was to assess health attitudes in people with BD treated with different mood stabilizers.
Participants and procedure:
The study group included 40 patients diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Participants were divided into two groups depend-ing on the medication taken: a group taking lithium (n = 20) and a group not taking lithium, treated with other drugs (n = 20). The respondents were measured with psychological tests – Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination, Illness Ac-ceptance Scale, Health Behavior Inventory, and Coping Inventory in Crisis Situations.
Results:
85% of the respondents stopped taking medication at least once without the doctor’s knowledge. People taking lithium had a significantly lower acceptance of the disease (t = –2.27, p = .015). The study groups did not differ in terms of coping with stress and health behaviors. The correlation analysis indicated that the acceptance of disease and health behaviors are significantly associated with selected coping strategies.
Conclusions:
Attitudes towards health, understood as acceptance of the disease, coping with stress, and health behaviors are average. It is advisable to develop an optimal approach to activities connected with the daily health maintenance of the patients in order to better cope with the disease and its symptoms.
Downloads
References
Arendt, A., Laszczyńska, M., Bażydło, M., Kotwas, A., & Karakiewicz, B. (2014). Ocena zachowań zdrowotnych mężczyzn po 40. roku życia [Estimation of health behaviors in men aged over 40 years]. Problemy Higieny i Epidemiologii, 95, 659–666.
Birch, N. J. (1999). Inorganic pharmacology of lithium. Chemical Reviews, 99, 2659–2682. https://doi. org/10.1021/cr9804240.
Bowskill, R., Clatworthy, J., Parham, R., Rank, T., & Horne, R. (2007). Patients’ perceptions of information received about medication prescribed for bipolar disorder: Implications for informed choice. Journal of Affective Disorders, 100, 253–257. https:// doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2006.10.018.
Brandish, P. E., Su, M., Holder, D. J., Hodor, P., Szumiloski, J., Kleinhanz, R. R., Forbes, J. E., McWhorter, M. E., Duenwald, S. J., Parrish, M. L., Na, S., Liu, Y., Phillips, R. L., Renger, J. J., Sankaranarayanan, S., Simon, A. J., & Scolnick, E. M. (2005). Regulation of gene expression by lithium and depletion of inositol in slices of adult rat cortex. Neuron, 45, 861–872. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2005.02.006.
Budziński, B., Leszczyński, J., & Jaracz, J. (2016). Znaczenie psychoedukacji w terapii choroby afektywnej dwubiegunowej [The meaning of psychoeducation in bipolar affective disorder treatment]. Psychiatria, 13, 31–38.
Chakrabarti, S. (2016). Treatment-adherence in bipolar disorder: a patient-centred approach. World Journal of Psychiatry, 6, 399–409. https://doi.org/ 10.5498/wjp.v6.i4.399.
Colom, F., Vieta, E., Martínez-Arán, A., Reinares, M., Benabarre, A., & Gastó, C. (2000). Clinical factors associated with treatment noncompliance in euthymic bipolar patients. The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 61, 549–555. https://doi.org/10.4088/jcp. v61n0802.
Cooke, R. G., Robb, J. C., Young, L. T., & Joffe, R. T. (1996). Well-being and functioning in patients with bipolar disorder assessed using the MOS 20-ITEM short form (SF-20). Journal of Affective Disorders, 39, 93–97. https://doi.org/10.1016/0165-0327(96)00016-x.
Corrigan, P. W., & Watson, A. C. (2002). Understanding the impact of stigma on people with mental illness. World Psychiatry: Official Journal of the World Psychiatric Association, 1, 16–20.
Dadic-Hero, E., Ruzic, K., Grahovac, T., Petranovic, D., Graovac, M., & Palijan, T. Z. (2010). Metabolic syndrome – the consequence of lifelong treatment of bipolar affective disorder. Psychiatria Danubina, 22, 381–384.
Dols, A., Sienaert, P., van Gerven, H., Schouws, S., Stevens, A., Kupka, R., & Stek, M. L. (2013). The prevalence and management of side effects of lithium and anticonvulsants as mood stabilizers in bipolar disorder from a clinical perspective: a review. International Clinical Psychopharmacology, 28, 287–296. https://doi.org/10.1097/YIC.0b013e32836435e2.
Fletcher, K., Parker, G., & Manicavasagar, V. (2014). The role of psychological factors in bipolar disorder: Prospective relationships between cognitive style, coping style and symptom expression. Acta Neuropsychiatrica, 26, 81–95. https://doi.org/10.1017/neu.2013.41.
Fung, V. C., Overhage, L. N., Sylvia, L. G., Reilly-Harrington, N. A., Kamali, M., Gao, K., Shelton, R. C., Ketter, T. A., Bobo, W. V., Thase, M. E., Calabrese, J. R., Tohen, M., Deckersbach, T., & Nierenberg, A. A. (2019). Complex polypharmacy in bipolar disorder: Side effect burden, adherence, and response predictors. Journal of Affective Disorders, 257, 17–22. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2019.06.050.
Gitlin, M. J., Swendsen, J., Heller, T. L., & Hammen, C. (1995). Relapse and impairment in bipolar disorder. The American Journal of Psychiatry, 152, 1635– 1640. https://doi.org/10.1176/ajp.152.11.1635.
Granek, L., Danan, D., Bersudsky, Y., & Osher, Y. (2018). Hold on tight: Coping strategies of persons with bipolar disorder and their partners. Family Relations, 67, 589–599. https://doi.org/10.1111/fare.12328.
Gruszczyńska, M., Bąk-Sosnowska, M., & Plinta, R. (2015). Zachowania zdrowotne jako istotny element aktywności życiowej człowieka. Stosunek Polaków do własnego zdrowia [Health-related behaviors as an essential part of human life activities. Attitude of Poles towards their own health]. Hygeia Public Health, 50, 558–565.
Inman, D. D., van Bakergem, K. M., Larosa, A. C., & Garr, D. R. (2011). Evidence-based health promotion programs for schools and communities. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 40, 207– 219. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2010.10.031.
Jorm, A. F., & Wright, A. (2007). Beliefs of young people and their parents about the effectiveness of interventions for mental disorders. The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 41, 656–666. https://doi.org/10.1080/00048670701449179.
Juczyński, Z., & Ogińska-Bulik, N. (2012). Narzędzia pomiaru stresu i radzenia sobie ze stresem [Tools for measuring stress and coping with stress]. Pracownia Testów Psychologicznych PTP.
Kabzińska, K. (2018). Psychospołeczne aspekty odstawienia leków psychotropowych [Psychosocial aspects of withdrawal from psychotropic drugs]. Paper presented at the 3rd National Conference of Clinical Psychology, Poznan.
Kabzińska, K. (2021). Psychospołeczne aspekty odstawienia leków psychotropowych [Psychosocial aspects of withdrawal from psychotropic drugs]. Paper presented at the 4th National Conference of Clinical Psychology, Poznan.
Kabzińska, K., Cisek-Woźniak, A., Czajeczny, D., Mruczyk, K., & Wójciak, R. W. (2021). The influence of Li+ ions on pepsin and trypsin activity in vitro. Journal of Trace Elements in Medicine and Biology, 66, 126763. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. jtemb.2021.126763.
Kabzińska, K., Czajeczny, D., & Wójciak, R. W. (2018). Kontrowersje wokół pewnego normotymiku. Historia litu [Controversy around a certain normotymic. The history of lithium]. Acta Medicorum Polonorum, 8, 36–51.
Kubiak, M. (2009). Psychologia zachowań zdrowotnych [Health behavior psychology]. Pielęgniarstwo Polskie, 2, 128–132.
Mizock, L., & Russinova, Z. (2016). Acceptance of mental illness: Promoting recovery among culturally diverse groups. Oxford University Press.
Najafi-Vosough, R., Ghaleiha, A., Faradmal, J., & Mahjub, H. (2016). Recurrence in patients with bipolar disorder and its risk factors. Iranian Journal of Psychiatry, 11, 173–177.
Paans, N. P. G., Dols, A., Comijs, H. C., Stek, M. L., & Schouws, S. N. T. M. (2018). Associations between cognitive functioning, mood symptoms and coping styles in older age bipolar disorder. Journal of Affective Disorders, 235, 357–361. https://doi. org/10.1016/j.jad.2018.04.052.
Peters, A. T., West, A. E., Eisner, L., Baek, J., & Deckersbach, T. (2016). The burden of repeated mood episodes in bipolar I disorder: Results from the national epidemiological survey on alcohol and related conditions. The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 204, 87–94. https://doi.org/10.1097/ NMD.0000000000000425.
Rybakowski, J. K. (2018). Challenging the negative perception of lithium and optimizing its long-term administration. Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience, 11, 349. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnmol.2018.00349.
Sajatovic, M., Tatsuoka, C., Dines, P., Bialko, C. S., Athey, M., Williams, T., & Cassidy, K. A. (2014). Patient choice as a driver of medication-switching in non-adherent individuals with bipolar disorder. Patient Preference and Adherence, 8, 487–491. https://doi.org/10.2147/PPA.S56790.
Saunders, K. E. A., & Goodwin, G. M. (2010). The course of bipolar disorder. Advances in Psychiatric Treatment, 16, 318–328. https://doi.org/10.1192/apt. bp.107.004903.
Sheeran, P., Gollwitzer, P. M., & Bargh, J. A. (2013). Nonconscious processes and health. Health Psychology, 32, 460–473. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0029203.
Tohen, M., Waternaux, C. M., & Tsuang, M. T. (1990). Outcome in mania. A 4-year prospective follow-up of 75 patients utilizing survival analysis. Archives of General Psychiatry, 47, 1106–1111. https://doi.org/10.1001/archpsyc.1990.01810240026005.
Wendołowska, A. M., Czyżowska, D., & Siwek, M. (2020). Model diadycznego radzenia sobie ze stresem pacjentów z chorobą afektywną dwubiegunową [The dyadic coping model of bipolar disorder patients]. Psychiatria Polska, 172, 1–16. https://doi.org/10.12740/PP/OnlineFirst/118840.
Zielińska, M. (2008). Społeczne uwarunkowania zachowań zdrowotnych łódzkich kobiet w wieku prokreacyjnym [Social background of the healthrelated behavior of the women of Łódź of their procreative age]. Problemy Higieny i Epidemiologii, 89, 367–372.
