ABSTRACT:

Background: Although the benefits of public AWARENESS of physical disease is widely

accepted but the knowledge about mental disease has been comparatively neglected.

Objective: To assess the PERCEPTION & ATTITIDE of mental illness among general
population OF KARACHI

MethodOLOGY: A cross-sectional study was conducted on a sample size of 400 people,

SAMPLE WAS TAKEN THROUGH NON- PROBABILITY PURPOSIVE METHOD, Sample was taken
from ALL FIVE DISTRICTS OF KARACHI AND people of DIFFERENT WALKS OF LIFE E;G, medical
students ,engineering students, school students, drivers. The study was conducted within a
period of 08 months FROM MARCH TO OCTOBER 2014, Pilot study was conducted to assess the
VALIDITY of questionnaire, A STRUCTURED QUESTIONNAIRE WAS distributed and got filled.
SPSS version 16 was used for data entry and analysis with 95% confidence interval MARGIN OF
ERROR 5% AND P-VALUE 0.05 AS STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT.

I HV MADE CHANGES IN METHODOLOGY THEY R IN CAPITAL, REWRITE THEM

Result: knowledge mental illness among general public was quite poor and suggests the need
for strong emphasis on public education to increase mental health literacy.

Conclusion: an increase in mental health literacy in the population may assist prevention,
early intervention, and support of others in the community.

Keywords: perception + general awareness + attitude + mental illness.

INTRODUCTION:
Throughout the world, there is increasing awareness of mental illness as a significant cause of
morbidity. People with a mental illness can be among the most disadvantaged in society, and
many confront barriers as a direct result of their illness. Cognitive and communication
impairments may pose challenges, while stigma and discriminatory attitudes can be worse than
the illness itself.

Discrimination and stigma can create barriers to recovery for people with mental illness.
Peoples beliefs and attitudes toward mental illness set the stage for how they interact with,
provide opportunities for, and help support a person with mental illness. Attitudes and beliefs
about mental illness are shaped by personal knowledge, knowing and interacting with someone
living with mental illness, cultural stereotypes, and other factors.
Stigma has been described as "a cluster of negative attitudes and beliefs that motivate the general
public to fear, reject, avoid, and discriminate against people with mental illnesses" . When
stigma leads to social exclusion or discrimination, whether from mental illness or some other
condition, it results in unequal access to resources that all people need to function well, adversely
affecting quality of life

This report examines individual attitudes toward mental illness to highlight subgroups that might
benefit from educational programs and services.

METHODOLOGY:
A cross-sectional study was conducted on a sample size of 400 people, SAMPLE WAS TAKEN
THROUGH NON- PROBABILITY PURPOSIVE METHOD, Sample was taken from ALL FIVE DISTRICTS
OF KARACHI AND people of DIFFERENT WALKS OF LIFE E;G, medical students ,engineering
students, school students, drivers. The study was conducted within a period of 08 months
FROM MARCH TO OCTOBER 2014, Pilot study was conducted to assess the VALIDITY of
questionnaire, A STRUCTURED QUESTIONNAIRE WAS distributed and got filled. SPSS version 16
was used for data entry and analysis with 95% confidence interval MARGIN OF ERROR 5% AND
P-VALUE 0.05 AS STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT.

Result:
Out of 400 PARTICIPANTS, 67% (PUT P-VALUES) of the people believed that mentally ill
people were harmful which agreement to medical viewpoint. 89% of the people believed
that mental illness could affect relationship between patient and family. This however is
true as people try to refrain from them.72.5% of the people believe that our society does
not accept mentally ill people. This is due to general perception that these people can
cause harm to humans and their assets. 87.5% of the people believe that mentally ill
people need help from their family and acquaintances. Receiving love and affection from
people closer to heart helps in early recovery.88% of the people believe that mental
health is important for a healthy perfect life. 84% people believe that the negative
attitude of society or family will hinder the recovery of mentally ill persons.
WRITE IN PAST TENSE
S.# QUESTION PROMPT YES% NO% P- VALUES MEAN CI 95%

UPPER RANGE LOWER

RANGE

1 It is caused by evil spirits 21.2 74.5 0.004 1.83 2.306 1.354

(BHOOT)?

2 These patients are harmful? 67 24.8 0.000 1.41 1.441 1.37

3 Mental illnesses can effects 89.0 6.0 0.000 1.16 1.184 1.136
relationship between
patients & family members?

4 Do you think mental illness is 82.2 13.5 0.001 1.22 1.245 1.195
a disease (bimari)?

5 Do you think marriage can 21.0 61.2 0.004 1.97 2.001 1.939
treat the mental illness?

6 Do you think society/family 84.0 11.0 0.002 1.4 1.235 1.185

NEGATIVE attitude can affect
recovery of mentally ill
person?

7 Do you think it is A serious 83.2 10.5 0.002 1.23 1.257 1.203

problem?

8 Mental health is important 88.0 7.2 0.000 1.17 1.297 1.246

for healthy life?

9 Our society accepts these 17.2 72.5 0.012 1.93 1.982 1.878
patients?

10 Should govt. take these 79.8 12.0 0.001 1.28 1.31 1.25
issues seriously?
1. Do you think it is caused by evil spirits (BHOOT)?

80
70
60
50
40 YES
30 NO
20 DNK
10
0
Do you think it is caused by
evil sprits or bhoot?

2. DO U THINK THESE PATIENTS ARE HARMFUL?

70
60
50
40 YES
30
NO
20
DNK
10
0
Do you think these pateints
are harmfull

3. Do you think parents fight affect childrens mental health?

100
80
60
YES
40
NO
20
DNK
0
Do you think parents fight
affect childrens mental
health
4. Do you think mental illness is a disease (bimari)?

100

80

60
YES
40 NO
20 DNK

0
Do you think mental illness
is a disease or bimari

5. Do you think marriage can treat the mental illness?

70
60
50
40 YES
30
NO
20
DNK
10
0
Do you think marriage can
treate the mental illnes?

6. Do you think society/family NEGATIVE attitude can affect recovery of mentally ill person?

100
80
60
40
20 YES
0 NO
Do you thinks family's or DNK
societies negative
attitude affects the
recovery of mentally ill
person?

7. Do YOU THINK THESE PEOPLE NEED OUR HELP?

 100

80

60
YES
40 NO
20 DNK

0
Do you think these people
need our help?

8. Do you think it is A serious problem?

100

80

60
YES
40 NO
20 DNK

0
Do you think it is a serious
problem?

9. Do you think mental health is important for healthy perfect life?

90
80
70
60
50
40 YES
30 NO
20
10 DNK
0
Do you think mental health is
important for healthy perfect
life?

10. Do you think OUR SOCIETY ACCEPTS THESE PATIENTS?

 80
70
60
50
40 YES
30 NO
20 DNK
10
0
Do you think our society
accepts these patients?

11. SHOULD GOVT. TAKE THESE ISSUES SERIOUSLY?

80
70
60
50
40 YES
30 NO
20 DNK
10
0
Should govt. take these issues
seriously?

ONLY TAKE THE GRAPHS MENTIONED IN TABLE OK

GOOD WORK
 DISCUSSION;
The study has been confined out to assess the level of perception and attitude of general public
towards mentally ill people. . Our sample contained a higher proportion of university graduates
than the population as a whole. [1]

This baseline survey has shown that there is a high level of contact with people with mental
health problems which may reflect a high prevalence of disorder, poor services or the
community's acceptance of mentally ill people, or a combination of all three, and warrants
further investigation.[1]

Social perceptions of mental health problems are dominated by negative stereotypes. [2]
Attitudes and beliefs concerning mental health are influenced by a lack of knowledge as well as a
mix of traditional and modern views. [3] People with mental health problems might be seen
solely in terms of their health problems, regardless of their overall contribution to society, and
may be seen as incompetent and dependent on others. [2] The finding that people with low
education levels had a more positive attitude towards mental illnesses than did respondents with
higher education levels is in contradiction with many studies suggesting that positive attitudes
towards mental patients are related to higher education levels. Thus, more knowledge of mental
illnesses seems to decrease the willingness to engage in social relationships with mentally ill
people. [3]

Attitudes towards mental illness are very mixed, with large proportions of the population holding
stigmatizing attitudes towards people with mental illness in relation to treatment, work, marriage
and recovery. The majority put the blame on the afflicted individual, avoided contact with them
and would not openly discuss their own psychological problems. [1] Individuals with mental
health problems have much lower rates of employment than the general population, despite their
willingness to work. This may be due to the greater levels of stigma and prejudice they face. [2]

On the other hand, the population did have a fairly reasonable understanding of the etiology of
mental illness, citing genetic factors, negative life events, brain disease and substance abuse as
key causes although evil spirits were also viewed as major factors., Understanding of the nature
of mental illness, its implications for social participation and management remains negative in
general. However the majority accept patients' rights and the view that patients can be managed
outside hospital, admit that the services at the PHC level are poor and would welcome
developing such services. Social distance was associated with higher educational level, wanting
to hide a mental illness problem from the family and not wanting to allow a person with mental
illness to take their own decisions. [1]

REFERENCES:

[1]: Public perception of mental health in Iraq

Sabah Sadik1, Marie Bradley2, Saad Al-Hasoon1 and Rachel Jenkins3*

[2]: Countering the stigmatization and discrimination of people with mental health problems in
Europe. by David McDaid.

[3]: Perceptions of Mental Health and Help-Seeking Behavior in an Urban Community in

Vietnam: An Explorative Study.

Lia van der Ham,corresponding author1 Pamela Wright,2 Thang Vo Van,3 Vuong D. K.
Doan,3 and Jacqueline E. W. Broerse1

Conclusion:
After conducting a thorough research on perception and awareness on mental health it is
concluded that general public is highly aware of pros and cons of the disease. They are also
aware about medical treatment, behavioral therapy and cognitive support to be given to the
mentally ill patients. It is however established that general public understanding about the
disease is in-line with medical sciences standpoint.
 References;
1) http://mhaustralia.org/our-work/changing-perceptions-about-mental-illness

2)http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1034/j.1600-
0447.2003.00150.x/abstract;jsessionid=B65E2356853302ABFC6B4FD4BE8AA426.f01t04?systemMessag
e=Wiley+Online+Library+will+be+disrupted+on+the+18th+October+from+10%3A00+BST+%2805%3A00+
EDT%29+for+essential+maintenance+for+approximately+two+hours+as+we+make+upgrades+to+impro
ve+our+services+to+you&userIsAuthenticated=false&deniedAccessCustomisedMessage=

3)) http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1600-
0447.2005.00699.x/abstract?systemMessage=Wiley+Online+Library+will+be+disrupted+on+the+18th+October+from
+10%3A00+BST+%2805%3A00+EDT%29+for+essential+maintenance+for+approximately+two+hours+as+we+make
+upgrades+to+improve+our+services+to+you&userIsAuthenticated=false&deniedAccessCustomisedMessage=

4)4) http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s001270050204#page-1

5) http://journals.psychiatryonline.org/article.aspx?articleid=86175

6) http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/2136945?uid=2&uid=4&sid=21104334216411

7) http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1046/j.1365-
2648.2000.01661.x/abstract?systemMessage=Wiley+Online+Library+will+be+disrupted+on+th
e+18th+October+from+10%3A00+BST+%2805%3A00+EDT%29+for+essential+maintenance+
for+approximately+two+hours+as+we+make+upgrades+to+improve+our+services+to+you&u
serIsAuthenticated=false&deniedAccessCustomisedMessage=

8) http://www.health.gov.au/internet/publications/publishing.nsf/Content/mental-pubs-r-recons-toc~mental-pubs-r-
recons-2~mental-pubs-r-recons-23~mental-pubs-r-recons-231

9) http://www.industrialpsychiatry.org/article.asp?issn=0972-
6748;year=2009;volume=18;issue=2;spage=92;epage=96;aulast=Mahto

10) http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-698X/4/3

11) http://link.springer.com/article/10.1023/B:COMH.0000026999.87728.2d#page-1

12) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1489832/

13) http://www.schres-journal.com/article/S0920-9964(03)00186-5/abstract?cc=y
14) http://www.europsy-journal.com/article/S0924-9338(05)00090-8/abstract

15) http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/2657432?uid=2&uid=4&sid=21104334216411(labeling

16) http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/ort/68/2/321/

17) http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/amp/47/4/511/
 18) http://books.google.com.pk/books?hl=en&lr=&id=O-
yxsKnOzr0C&oi=fnd&pg=PA1&dq=perception+about+mentally+ill+people&ots=b_yeSfGMRH&sig=JtjD9hr0GX4NYy8XNfLE
IcAbKg8#v=onepage&q=perception%20about%20mentally%20ill%20people&f=false

19) http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00127-007-0213-0#page-1

20) http://ontario.cmha.ca/files/2012/07/olm_stigma_matters_200902.pdf

21) http://psychcentral.com/archives/violence.htm

22) http://informahealthcare.com/doi/abs/10.3109/01612849409006914

23) http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/szb/15/1/131/

24) http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277953697001615

25) http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/prj/19/4/67/

26)http://www.merckmanuals.com/home/mental_health_disorders/overview_of_mental_health_care/mental_illness_in_socie
ty.html

27) http://psycnet.apa.org/psycinfo/2004-19091-003/

28) http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00127-004-0772-2#page-1

29) http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00127-005-0903-4#page-1

30) http://ontario.cmha.ca/files/2012/07/mass_media.pdf

NO ONLINE REFS. ARE ACCEPTED, REWRITE

QUESTIONNAIRE:

Name: - Age: - Gender:-

Marital status: - level of education:-A.Iliterate B.Primary C.Middle D.Matric E.More

Occupation:- Telephone:- House:-

Q#1: Do you think it is caused by evil spirits (BHOOT)?

a) Yes

b) No
Q#2: Do you think it is caused by Jin?

a)Yes

b)No

C)DNK

Q#3: Do you think these people goes in control of jinnat?

a)Yes

b)No

c)DNK

Q#4: Do you know if somebody is aggressive and by taking a tablet calms down?

a)YES

b)No

c)DNK

Q#5: Do you know somebody who can be easily irritated and get abusive?

a)Yes.

b)No

c) DNK

Q#6: Do you think these people are malingering to get attention?

a) Yes.

b) No.

c)DNK

Q#7: Do you think Moulvi,peer, Faqir and other people in shrine can treat these patients?

a)Yes

b)No

c)DNK
Q#8: Do you think these people are harmful?

a)Yes

b)No

c)DNK

Q#9: Do you think parents fight affect childrens mental health?

a)Yes

b)No

c)DNK

Q#10: Do you think mental illness CAN effects relationship between patients and family members?

a) Yes

b) No

c)DNK

Q#11: Do you think mental illness is a disease (bimari)?

a) Yes.

b) No

c)DNK

Q#12: Do you think these people be locked at HOME/HOSPITAL until they recovered?

a) Yes

b) No

c) DNK

Q#13: Do you think marriage can treat the mental illness?

a) Yes

b) No
c)DNK

Q#14: Do you think Females are more affected than Males?

a) Yes

b) No

c) DNK

Q#15: Do you think these patients should be in Mental hospital/Pagal khana?

a) Yes

b) No

c)DNK

Q#16: Do you think mental illness is treatable?

a) Yes

b) No

c) DNK

Q#17: Do you think society/family NEGATIVE attitude can affect recovery of mentally ill person?

a) Yes

b) No

c)DNK

Q#18: Do you think poorness(ghurbat) makes a man mentally ill?

a)Yes

b)No

c)DNK

Q#19: DO you think walking during sleep is a mental issue?

a) Yes

b)No
c)DNK

Q#20: Do you think these people need our help?

a) Yes

b) No

c)DNK

Q#21: Do you think it is A serious problem?

a) Yes

b) No

c)DNK

Q#22: Do you think mental health is important for healthy perfect life?

a)Yes.

b)No

c)DNK

Q#23: Will you continue your relation with him/her normally?

a) Yes

b) No

c) DNK

Q#24: Would you agree helping people with mental illness?

a) Yes

b) No

Q#25: Do you think our society accepts these patients?

a) Yes

b) No

C)DNK
 Q#26: Do you think mental illness is same ad DIABETES/HYPERTENSION?

a) Yes

b) No

c)DNK

Q#27: Do you think we should be sympathetic(Rahemdil) to these patients?

a)Yes

b)No

c)DNK

Q#28: Should Government take these issues seriously?

a)Yes

b)No

c)DNK

Q#29: Do you know any GOVT. Awarenes Program on this problem?

a)Yes

b)No

c)DNK

GANTTS chart;

TASK MARCH APRIL MAY JUNE JULY AUGUST SEPTEMBER OctOBER

Research
proposal
Literature
review
Questionnaire
construction
Pilot study

Data
collection
Data analysis

Research
writing
Research
submission

REWRITE NOW

Letter of recommendation:

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COMPLETE THEN RESEND OK