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- MEAN CI 95%

# % VALUES
UPPER LOWER
RANGE RANGE

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

spirits (BHOOT)?

2 These patients are 67 24.8 0.000 1.41 1.441 1.37

harmful?

3 Mental illnesses can 89.0 6.0 0.000 1.16 1.184 1.136

effects relationship
between patients &
family members?

4 Do you think mental 82.2 13.5 0.001 1.22 1.245 1.195

illness is a disease
(bimari)?

5 Do you think marriage 21.0 61.2 0.004 1.97 2.001 1.939

can treat the mental
illness?

6 Do you think 84.0 11.0 0.002 1.4 1.235 1.185

society/family
NEGATIVE attitude can
affect recovery of
mentally ill person?
7 Do you think it is A 83.2 10.5 0.002 1.23 1.257 1.203
serious problem?

8 Mental health is 88.0 7.2 0.000 1.17 1.297 1.246

important for
healthy life?

9 Our society accepts 17.2 72.5 0.012 1.93 1.982 1.878

these patients?

10 Should govt. take 79.8 12.0 0.001 1.28 1.31 1.25

these issues
seriously?

1. Do you think it is caused by evil spirits (BHOOT)?

2. DO U THINK THESE PATIENTS ARE HARMFUL?

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

4. Do you think mental illness is a disease (bimari)?

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

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

7. Do YOU THINK THESE PEOPLE NEED OUR HELP?

8. Do you think it is A serious problem?

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

10. Do you think OUR SOCIETY ACCEPTS THESE PATIENTS?

11. 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.
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. Attitudes towards mental illness are very mixed, with large proportions of
the population holding stigmatising 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.
On the other hand, the population did have a fairly reasonable understanding of the aetiology 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. WHERE ARE REFERENCES???????

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.f0
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systemMessage=Wiley+Online+Library+will+be+disrupted+on+the+18th+Octobe
r+from+10%3A00+BST+%2805%3A00+EDT
%29+for+essential+maintenance+for+approximately+two+hours+as+we+make+
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%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+the+18th+October+from+10%3
A00+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
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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 MAR APR MA JUN JUL AUGU SEPTEM OctOB

CH IL Y E Y ST BER ER
Research
proposal
Literature
review
Questionn
aire
constructi
on
Pilot
study
Data
collection
Data
analysis
Research
writing
Research
submissio
n

REWRITE NOW
Letter of recommendation:

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COMPLETE THEN RESEND OK