Self-stigma and bipolar disorder: A systematic review and best-evidence synthesis

Bipolar disorder is a severe and chronic mental illness characterized by recurrent major depressive episodes and mania or hypomania. In addition to the burden of the disease and its consequences, self-stigma can impact people with bipolar disorder. This review investigates the current state of research in self-stigma in bipolar disorder.

An electronic search was carried out until February 2022. Three academic databases were systematically searched, and best-evidence synthesis was made.

Sixty-six articles were related to self-stigma in bipolar disorder. Seven key themes were extracted from these studies: 1/ Comparison of self-stigma in bipolar disorder and other mental illnesses, 2/ Sociocultural context and self-stigma, 3/ Correlates and predictors of self-stigma, 4/ Consequences of self-stigma, 5/ Treatments and self-stigma, 6/ Management of self-stigma, and 7/ Self-stigma and recovery in bipolar disorder.

Firstly, a meta-analysis could not be performed due to the heterogeneity of the studies. Secondly, limiting the search to self-stigma has excluded other forms of stigma that also have an impact. Thirdly, the under-reporting of negative or nonsignificant results due to publication bias and unpublished studies might have limited the accuracy of this reviews' synthesis.

Research on self-stigma in persons with bipolar disorder has been the focused on different aspects, and interventions to reduce self-stigmatization have been developed, but evidence of their effectiveness is still sparse. Clinicians need to be attentive to self-stigma, its assessment, and its empowerment in their daily clinical practice. Future work is required to establish valid strategies to fight self-stigma.