Comparing Self-stigma Between People With Different Mental Disorders in Taiwan. Issue 7 (July 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Chang, Chih-Cheng; Wu, Tsung-Hsien; Chen, Chih-Yin; Lin, Chung-Ying
• Is Part Of: Journal of nervous and mental disease. Volume 204:Issue 7(2016:Jul.)
• Publication Date: 2016-07
• Subjects: Anxiety disorder -- bipolar disorder -- depressive disorder -- schizophrenia; Neurology -- Periodicals; Psychiatry -- Periodicals; Neurology; Psychiatry; Neurologie; Psychiatrie; Neurology; Psychiatry; Periodicals; 616.8005
• DOI: 10.1097/NMD.0000000000000537
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0022-3018

Abstract

Abstract : Abstract: Internalized stigma (or self-stigma), one of the most painful effects of stigma, causes people with mental health problems profound negative consequences, for example, psychological adversity, demoralization, and feelings of hopelessness. However, knowledge about self-stigma in people with different mental disorders is insufficient. We hypothesized that people with different psychiatric diagnoses have different levels of self-stigma. Through convenience sampling, we used the Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness Scale to compare people diagnosed with schizophrenia ( n = 161), depressive disorder ( n = 98), bipolar disorder ( n = 43), and anxiety disorder ( n = 45) in southern Taiwan. We found that people with schizophrenia (mean, 2.09–2.30) and those with bipolar disorder (mean, 2.16–2.38) had significantly higher levels of self-stigma, except for the Stigma Resistance, than did those with anxiety disorder (mean, 1.74–1.87). Our results suggest that clinicians should use different interventions to reduce self-stigma for populations with different psychiatric diagnoses.