Knowledge and Perception of Mental Disorders Among Relatives of Mentally Ill Patients in State Specialist Hospital Gombe

Introduction: Common mental disorders like depression, anxiety, and substance abuse are expected to disable more individuals than complications from AIDS, heart disease, accidents, and warfare combined. This alarming statistic raises critical questions about the insufficient attention given to mental health disorders. In Africa, many individuals hold misconceptions about the origins of these disorders, often viewing them as spiritual rather than medical issues, which hinders appropriate medical intervention. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study design was carried out among relatives of mentally ill patients attending State Specialist Hospital Gombe that are 18 years and older. In Gombe State there is only one psychiatric unit operating in both outpatient and inpatient settings at the time of this research, which is the State Specialist Hospital, thus making the selection automatic, not through probability methods. Systematic sampling was used to select the participants, and semi- structured, interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect data, which was analysed using SPSS version 22.0 at a p-value of 5%. Results: The mean age of the respondents was 39.7 ±12.7 years. The findings showed that 84.1% of the respondents had good knowledge of mental health disorders. About 46% of the respondents had a good perception of mental health disorders. However, there was no statistically significant relationship between any of the sociodemographic variables with levels of knowledge or perception of mental disorders. Conclusion: The study showed that despite good knowledge of mental health disorders the participants, there is still poor perception of the conditions. This call for community awareness on mental health disorders to clear misconceptions.