Bipolar disorder among married women in Bangladesh: Survey in Rajshahi city

BACKGROUND: Bipolar disorder (BPD) is a major mental disorder which not only affects the personal and social functioning of an individual, but also inflicts a huge economic burden on the family. Yet, the study of BPD in Bangladesh is rare and poorly documented. Responding to the dire need, we conducted a new study to determine the prevalence of, and detect the associated factors of, BPD among married women in Rajshahi City, Bangladesh. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study, selecting households in Rajshahi City using a multi-stage random sampling design. The data consisted of 279 married women, who were screened for BPD using the bipolar spectrum diagnostic scale (BSDS). Frequency distribution, chi-square test and binary logistic regression model were used respectively to determine the prevalence, identify the associated factors and quantify their effects on BPD. RESULTS: The prevalence of BPD among married women in Rajshahi City was 2.5%, with an additional 7.2% classified as probable BPD. A binary logistic regression analysis established the following six main factors of BPD: (1) comorbid mental disorder [AOR = 8.232, 95% CI = (1.397, 50.000), p<0.05]; (2) poor relationship with husband [AOR = 11.775, 95% CI = (2.070, 66.667), p<0.01]; (3) poverty [AOR = 1.600, 95% CI = (2.086, 122.709), p<0.01]; (4) high educational level [AOR = 0.177, 95% CI = (0.037, 0.843), p<0.05]; (5) lack of immediate treatment if sick [AOR = 2.941, 95% CI = (1.259, 6.871), p<0.05]; and (6) death of beloved one/s [AOR = 2.768, 95% CI = (1.130, 6.777), p<0.05]. LIMITATIONS: Our survey involved self-reporting, which is typically affected by differing levels of understanding and bias. Also, a cross-sectional, observational study cannot establish an actual cause-and-effect relationship. Some other potentially important factors such as environment, lifestyle, familial customs, effects of drugs, treatment options and outcomes, etc. were not studied. Also, save mental disorder, all other comorbidities remained undocumented. CONCLUSION: This study laid down the foundation for conducting further research on identifying different factors affecting BPD, and for studying other issues related to BPD among married women in Bangladesh. Among such factors are familial environment and culture, comorbidities, treatment options, treatment outcomes, biochemical feature, environmental factors, etc. This study also recommends that, while treating BPD patients, health professionals should focus on comorbidities and family matters.