Abstract
IntroductionSelf-stigma plays a powerful role in attitudes toward mental illness and seeking psychological services. Assessing stigma from the perspective of people with mood disorders is important as they were ranked as major causes of disability.ObjectivesTo determine the extent and the impact of stigma experience in Saudi patients with mood disorder and compare them between depression and bipolar disorder patients. To test if stigma is a universal experience and has similar psychosocial impact across cultures.AimIt's a part of multicenter international study comparing its results to the universal experiences inthe perspectives of individuals with mood disorder.MethodologyWe randomly interviewed 94 individuals with mood disorder at King Khalid University Hospital using valid reliable tool, Inventory of Stigmatizing Experiences (ISE), which has two components: Stigma Experiences Scale (SES) and Stigma Impact Scale (SIS).ResultsISE was validated in a population of Saudi patients with mood disorder. There were no significant differences in stigma between patients with bipolar or depressive disorder on SES or SIS. However, over 50% of all respondents tried to hide their mental illness from the others, and to avoid situations that might lead them to be stigmatized. In comparison with the Canadian population, Saudi participants scored lower on both SES and SIS, which may be due to cultural differences.ConclusionStigma associated with mood disorder is serious and pervasive. It's important first to understand how patients perceive stigma in order to conduct successful anti-stigma programs. The ISE is a highly reliable instrument among cultures.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.
Highlights
The World Health Organization ranked major depression as the fourth most common cause of disability-adjusted life years
We detected no significant differences in experiences of stigma or stigma impact in patients with bipolar vs. depressive disorder
Over 50% of respondents reported trying to hide their mental illness from others to avoiding situations that might cause them to feel stigmatized
Summary
The World Health Organization ranked major depression as the fourth most common cause of disability-adjusted life years. Bipolar disorder ranked as the sixth most common cause of disability [1]. Stigmatization of individuals with mental illness is widespread and poses a major barrier to treatment [2, 3]. It leads to a decrease in compliance with therapeutic interventions, early termination of treatment [4], and added difficulties in the patient’s daily life [5]. Many aspects of the stigmatization of mental illness are culture-specific. Stigma plays a powerful role in an individual’s attitude towards mental illness and in their seeking psychiatric and psychological services. Assessing stigma from the perspective of people with mood disorders is important as these disorders have been ranked as major causes of disability
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