Self-Stigma in Patients with Endogenous Mental Disorders: A Cross-Sectional Comparative Study

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Clinical Psychology

Background:

• Self-stigma is a significant barrier in treating endogenous psychiatric disorders.
• It negatively impacts patient treatment adherence and social functioning.
• Tailoring interventions requires understanding self-stigma variations based on illness type and duration.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess self-stigma levels and characteristics in patients with chronic endogenous psychiatric disorders.
• To examine how self-stigma varies across different illness types and disease stages.
• To explore the relationship between self-stigma and patient attitudes toward their illness and treatment.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study of 86 patients with bipolar affective disorder and schizophrenia spectrum disorders.
• Utilized clinical psychopathology assessment and validated psychometric scales.
• Key instruments included the PANSS, Self-Stigma Assessment Questionnaire, ISP, and DAI-10.

Main Results:

• Early-stage bipolar disorder patients exhibited higher self-stigma than schizophrenia spectrum patients.
• Long-term schizophrenia/schizoaffective disorder patients in rehabilitation also showed high self-stigma.
• Significant correlations were found between self-stigma components and patient attitudes toward illness and therapy.

Conclusions:

• This study clarifies self-stigma nuances in various endogenous disorders across disease progression.
• Findings support integrating tailored self-stigma assessments into psychosocial treatment plans.
• Data provides a foundation for future research on self-stigma interventions in psychiatry.