“To fast or not to fast?” Ramadan and religiosity through the eyes of people with bipolar disorder: an exploratory study
BackgroundThe month of Ramadan, due to its changes in social rhythms, can seriously affect the course of bipolar disorder (BD). Therefore, psychiatrists sometimes find it necessary to discourage Ramadan practices, especially fasting, although taking part in this practice can give a sense of belongin...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2023-10-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Psychiatry |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1270000/full |
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| author | Imen Mejri Imen Mejri Uta Ouali Uta Ouali Petra C. Gronholm Yosra Zgueb Yosra Zgueb Abdelhafidh Ouertani Fethi Nacef Fethi Nacef |
| author_facet | Imen Mejri Imen Mejri Uta Ouali Uta Ouali Petra C. Gronholm Yosra Zgueb Yosra Zgueb Abdelhafidh Ouertani Fethi Nacef Fethi Nacef |
| author_sort | Imen Mejri |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | BackgroundThe month of Ramadan, due to its changes in social rhythms, can seriously affect the course of bipolar disorder (BD). Therefore, psychiatrists sometimes find it necessary to discourage Ramadan practices, especially fasting, although taking part in this practice can give a sense of belonging and accomplishment to patients. Research on this subject is limited.AimThe aim of the present work was to explore: (i) religious practices with special attention to Ramadan before and after the onset of BD, (ii) the perceptions and behaviors related to not fasting during Ramadan in patients with BD and their families’ attitudes, (iii) religiosity and self-stigmatization and their relationships with religious practices, and (iv) the doctor-patient relationship around fasting.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective, cross-sectional and descriptive study in clinically stabilized patients with BD in a public mental hospital and in a private psychiatric practice in Tunis, Tunisia. Socio-demographic and clinical data, as well as data related to general religious practices and Ramadan practices were collected using a self-established questionnaire. We assessed (i) religiosity of the patients with the Duke University Religion Index and (ii) self-stigma using the Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness scale.ResultsOur sample consisted of 118 patients of whom 65.3% were fasting regularly before BD onset. More than half had stopped this practice following BD onset. Of the patients who did not fast, 16% felt guilty about this and 4.9% reported receiving negative remarks from their surroundings. High self-stigma scores were observed in 11% of the patients. Self-stigma was associated significantly with negative perception of not fasting, negative remarks regarding not fasting and taking both meals at regular times during Ramadan. The decision whether to fast or not was taken without seeking medical advice in 71.2% of the sample, and 16.9% of the sample reported that their psychiatrist had spontaneously approached the issue of Ramadan fasting.ConclusionReligiosity and more specifically the practice of Ramadan remains an important point that should be considered when treating patients with psychiatric problems. It seems necessary that healthcare professionals should integrate the positive and the negative side of fasting into their reflections. Our results remain exploratory and encourage further work on the subject. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T18:18:01Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-3b5168c9f28147fbb769390690d53da7 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-0640 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T18:18:01Z |
| publishDate | 2023-10-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychiatry |
| spelling | doaj.art-3b5168c9f28147fbb769390690d53da72023-10-16T04:29:11ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychiatry1664-06402023-10-011410.3389/fpsyt.2023.12700001270000“To fast or not to fast?” Ramadan and religiosity through the eyes of people with bipolar disorder: an exploratory studyImen Mejri0Imen Mejri1Uta Ouali2Uta Ouali3Petra C. Gronholm4Yosra Zgueb5Yosra Zgueb6Abdelhafidh Ouertani7Fethi Nacef8Fethi Nacef9Department Psychiatry A, Razi Hospital La Manouba, Tunis, TunisiaFaculty of Medicine of Tunis, University of Tunis El Manar, Tunis, TunisiaDepartment Psychiatry A, Razi Hospital La Manouba, Tunis, TunisiaFaculty of Medicine of Tunis, University of Tunis El Manar, Tunis, TunisiaCentre for Global Mental Health and Centre for Implementation Science, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United KingdomDepartment Psychiatry A, Razi Hospital La Manouba, Tunis, TunisiaFaculty of Medicine of Tunis, University of Tunis El Manar, Tunis, TunisiaDepartment Psychiatry A, Razi Hospital La Manouba, Tunis, TunisiaDepartment Psychiatry A, Razi Hospital La Manouba, Tunis, TunisiaFaculty of Medicine of Tunis, University of Tunis El Manar, Tunis, TunisiaBackgroundThe month of Ramadan, due to its changes in social rhythms, can seriously affect the course of bipolar disorder (BD). Therefore, psychiatrists sometimes find it necessary to discourage Ramadan practices, especially fasting, although taking part in this practice can give a sense of belonging and accomplishment to patients. Research on this subject is limited.AimThe aim of the present work was to explore: (i) religious practices with special attention to Ramadan before and after the onset of BD, (ii) the perceptions and behaviors related to not fasting during Ramadan in patients with BD and their families’ attitudes, (iii) religiosity and self-stigmatization and their relationships with religious practices, and (iv) the doctor-patient relationship around fasting.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective, cross-sectional and descriptive study in clinically stabilized patients with BD in a public mental hospital and in a private psychiatric practice in Tunis, Tunisia. Socio-demographic and clinical data, as well as data related to general religious practices and Ramadan practices were collected using a self-established questionnaire. We assessed (i) religiosity of the patients with the Duke University Religion Index and (ii) self-stigma using the Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness scale.ResultsOur sample consisted of 118 patients of whom 65.3% were fasting regularly before BD onset. More than half had stopped this practice following BD onset. Of the patients who did not fast, 16% felt guilty about this and 4.9% reported receiving negative remarks from their surroundings. High self-stigma scores were observed in 11% of the patients. Self-stigma was associated significantly with negative perception of not fasting, negative remarks regarding not fasting and taking both meals at regular times during Ramadan. The decision whether to fast or not was taken without seeking medical advice in 71.2% of the sample, and 16.9% of the sample reported that their psychiatrist had spontaneously approached the issue of Ramadan fasting.ConclusionReligiosity and more specifically the practice of Ramadan remains an important point that should be considered when treating patients with psychiatric problems. It seems necessary that healthcare professionals should integrate the positive and the negative side of fasting into their reflections. Our results remain exploratory and encourage further work on the subject.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1270000/fullbipolar disorderfastingRamadanreligionstigmatization |
| spellingShingle | Imen Mejri Imen Mejri Uta Ouali Uta Ouali Petra C. Gronholm Yosra Zgueb Yosra Zgueb Abdelhafidh Ouertani Fethi Nacef Fethi Nacef “To fast or not to fast?” Ramadan and religiosity through the eyes of people with bipolar disorder: an exploratory study Frontiers in Psychiatry bipolar disorder fasting Ramadan religion stigmatization |
| title | “To fast or not to fast?” Ramadan and religiosity through the eyes of people with bipolar disorder: an exploratory study |
| title_full | “To fast or not to fast?” Ramadan and religiosity through the eyes of people with bipolar disorder: an exploratory study |
| title_fullStr | “To fast or not to fast?” Ramadan and religiosity through the eyes of people with bipolar disorder: an exploratory study |
| title_full_unstemmed | “To fast or not to fast?” Ramadan and religiosity through the eyes of people with bipolar disorder: an exploratory study |
| title_short | “To fast or not to fast?” Ramadan and religiosity through the eyes of people with bipolar disorder: an exploratory study |
| title_sort | to fast or not to fast ramadan and religiosity through the eyes of people with bipolar disorder an exploratory study |
| topic | bipolar disorder fasting Ramadan religion stigmatization |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1270000/full |
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