Cultural backgrounds

Tommy Lewander, Sweden 

Have you had any patients for whom you believe their cultural and/or social background has had a significant impact on their prognosis?

Yes, we have a lot of immigrants and refugees so there are many different countries to consider. You have to consider each country separately, as well as how they usually treat their family members.

Do you think that bipolar disorder, and other severe mental disorders are stigmatised by the media?

Not anymore. They used to be, but I think that there has been a lot of discussion around it and the general public are aware that people in high positions also have depression, or mania, or bipolar and that helps. I think that the more the disorder is talked about, the better it is for the patient.