Self-stigma among people with serious mental illnesses: The use of focus groups to inform the development of a brief video intervention.

Abstract

People with mental illnesses may avoid or delay treatment due to a fear of labeling and discrimination, a phenomenon known as self-stigma. Self-stigma is a major barrier to care and creates obstacles to pursuing employment, independent living, and a fulfilling social life. We aimed to gather input from people with lived experience of mental illness to develop a social-contact-based, brief video-based intervention to reduce self-stigma. Two (n = 12) focus groups were conducted to inform video content and led to the creation of a script and brief video using a professional actor, who described a story of living with schizophrenia while focusing on symptoms, personal struggles, and recovery. Two (n = 9) additional focus groups were held after video development to gather feedback and suggested edits. Focus group transcripts were analyzed using thematic content analysis. Themes emerging in prevideo development included the negative effects of being diagnosed with severe mental illnesses, being stereotyped, the value of relatable recovery stories and seeing the person as a whole, and the utility of focusing on symptoms and experiences rather than diagnosis-specific language. Feedback in the postvideo focus groups was mainly favorable and resulted in edits related to language about "responsibility" and a disclaimer about using a professional actor. While participants' experiences of stigma are consistent with extant literature, this is the first study to elicit the perspectives of people living with mental illnesses in developing a video intervention to reduce self-stigma. Studies are needed to examine the efficacy of these videos in reducing self/public stigma. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).