scholarly journals Mental illness stigma, secrecy and suicidal ideation

2015 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-60 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Oexle ◽  
V. Ajdacic-Gross ◽  
R. Kilian ◽  
M. Müller ◽  
S. Rodgers ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Illness ◽  
Suicidal Ideation ◽  
Path Analysis ◽  
Mentally Ill ◽  
Community Sample ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Mental Illness Stigma ◽  
Public Stigma ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Perceived Stigma

Aims.Whether the public stigma associated with mental illness negatively affects an individual, largely depends on whether the person has been labelled ‘mentally ill’. For labelled individuals concealing mental illness is a common strategy to cope with mental illness stigma, despite secrecy's potential negative consequences. In addition, initial evidence points to a link between stigma and suicidality, but quantitative data from community samples are lacking.Methods.Based on previous literature about mental illness stigma and suicidality, as well as about the potential influence of labelling processes and secrecy, a theory-driven model linking perceived mental illness stigma and suicidal ideation by a mediation of secrecy and hopelessness was established. This model was tested separately among labelled and unlabelled persons using data derived from a Swiss cross-sectional population-based study. A large community sample of people with elevated psychiatric symptoms was examined by interviews and self-report, collecting information on perceived stigma, secrecy, hopelessness and suicidal ideation. Participants who had ever used mental health services were considered as labelled ‘mentally ill’. A descriptive analysis, stratified logistic regression models and a path analysis testing a three-path mediation effect were conducted.Results.While no significant differences between labelled and unlabelled participants were observed regarding perceived stigma and secrecy, labelled individuals reported significantly higher frequencies of suicidal ideation and feelings of hopelessness. More perceived stigma was associated with suicidal ideation among labelled, but not among unlabelled individuals. In the path analysis, this link was mediated by increased secrecy and hopelessness.Conclusions.Results from this study indicate that among persons labelled ‘mentally ill’, mental illness stigma is a contributor to suicidal ideation. One explanation for this association is the relation perceived stigma has with secrecy, which introduces negative emotional consequences. If our findings are replicated, they would suggest that programmes empowering people in treatment for mental illness to cope with anticipated and experienced discrimination as well as interventions to reduce public stigma within society could improve suicide prevention.

scholarly journals Constructs and concepts comprising the stigma of mental illness

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 183 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick J. Michaels ◽  
Marcelino López ◽  
Nicolas Rüsch ◽  
Patrick W. Corrigan
Keyword(s):  
Mental Illness ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Health Care Quality ◽  
Behavioral Therapy ◽  
Care Quality ◽  
Mental Illness Stigma ◽  
Change Strategies ◽  
Public Stigma ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Calidad De Vida

Abstract: People with mental illness frequently confront public stigma and may experience self-stigma. This review discusses the concepts of mental illness stigma and its consequences for those with mental illness. After a conceptual overview of stigma prominent consequences pertaining to public stigma (i.e., employment, health care quality) and self-stigma (i.e., self-confidence, quality of life, “why try” effect) are reviewed. We discuss the three main public stigma change strategies - protest, education, and contact – as well as current selfstigma change strategies (e.g., psychoeducation, cognitive-behavioral therapy). We conclude by noting that anti-stigma initiatives with more tailored content for specific groups (e.g., police officers vs. general public) may diminish the negative consequences of mental illness stigma by providing more concrete ways to help stigmatized people.Constructos y conceptos abarcativos del estigma sobre la enfermedad mental Resumen: Las personas con enfermedades mentales con frecuencia se enfrentan al estigma público y pueden experimentar autoestigma. Esta revisión analiza los conceptos referidos al estigma de las enfermedades mentales y sus consecuencias para las personas que las padecen. Después de una visión global de carácter conceptual sobre el estigma, se examinan las consecuencias más importantes del estigma público (por ejemplo empleo y calidad de la atención) y del auto-estigma (por ejemplo auto confianza, calidad de vida o el efecto “por qué intentarlo”). Se discuten también las tres principales estrategias de cambio del estigma público - protesta, educación y contacto – así como las estrategias actuales de intervención sobre el auto-estigma (por ejemplo, psicoeducación y terapia cognitiva-conductual). Concluimos señalando que iniciativas anti-estigma con contenidos específicamente adaptados para grupos específicos (por ejemplo, agentes de policía frente al público en general) pueden disminuir las consecuencias negativas del estigma de la enfermedad mental proporcionando vías más concretas para ayudar a las personas estigmatizadas.

Mental illness stigma: Concepts, consequences, and initiatives to reduce stigma

2005 ◽  
Vol 20 (8) ◽  
pp. 529-539 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicolas Rüsch ◽  
Matthias C. Angermeyer ◽  
Patrick W. Corrigan
Keyword(s):  
Mental Illness ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Mental Illness Stigma ◽  
Public Stigma ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Conceptual Overview

AbstractPersons with mental illness frequently encounter public stigma and may suffer from self-stigma. This review aims to clarify the concept of mental illness stigma and discuss consequences for individuals with mental illness. After a conceptual overview of stigma we discuss two leading concepts of mental illness stigma and consequences of stigma, focussing on self-stigma/empowerment and fear of stigma as a barrier to using health services. Finally, we discuss three main strategies to reduce stigma - protest, education, and contact – and give examples of current anti-stigma campaigns. Well-designed anti-stigma initiatives will help to diminish negative consequences of mental illness stigma.

Development and Validity of the Personal Suicide Stigma Questionnaire (PSSQ)

Crisis ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (5) ◽  
pp. 317-325 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jurgita Rimkeviciene ◽  
John O'Gorman ◽  
Jacinta Hawgood ◽  
Diego De Leo
Keyword(s):  
Mental Illness ◽  
Short Form ◽  
Community Sample ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Mental Illness Stigma ◽  
Research Attention ◽  
Self Blame ◽  
Stigma Of Mental Illness ◽  
Related Stigma ◽  
Suicide Behaviors

Abstract. Background: The detrimental consequences of stigma have been recognized in extensive research on mental illness stigma, but experiences of suicide-related stigmatization have not received sufficient research attention. The lack of a simple self-report assessment of personal suicide-related stigma led to the work reported here. Aim: To develop and assess the validity of the Personal Suicide Stigma Questionnaire (PSSQ). Method: The item pool for PSSQ was based on qualitative data and was tested in a community sample of 224 adults (mean age = 32.68 years, 83% female, 92.9% Caucasian) who reported lifetime suicidality. Factor analysis was used for item selection. The Self-Stigma of Mental Illness Scale – Short form (SSMIS-SF) and Suicide Behaviors Questionnaire – Revised (SBQ-R) were used to assess validity of the scale. Results: Following analysis, 16 items, forming three highly interrelated factors (Rejection, Minimization, and Self-blame), were selected for the PSSQ. The PSSQ scores showed predicted relationships with mental illness stigma and suicidality, suggesting its validity. Limitations: The validity of the scale still requires further research in clinical populations. Conclusion: The newly developed PSSQ can be used to assess the levels of suicide-related stigma experiences of suicidal individuals.

scholarly journals Mental illness stigma and suicidality: the role of public and individual stigma

2016 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 169-175 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Oexle ◽  
T. Waldmann ◽  
T. Staiger ◽  
Z. Xu ◽  
N. Rüsch
Keyword(s):  
Mental Illness ◽  
Suicidal Ideation ◽  
Suicide Prevention ◽  
General Public ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Path Model ◽  
Mental Illness Stigma ◽  
Public Stigma ◽  
Negative Attitudes

Aims.Suicide rates are increased among unemployed individuals and mental illness stigma can contribute to both unemployment and suicidality. Persons with mental illness perceive negative attitudes among the general public and experience discrimination in their everyday life (=public stigma components) potentially leading to self-stigma and anticipated discrimination (=individual stigma components). Previous research found evidence for an association between aspects of mental illness stigma and suicidality, but has not yet clarified the underlying pathways explaining how different stigma components interact and contribute to suicidal ideation.Method.Public and individual stigma components and their association with suicidal ideation were examined among 227 unemployed persons with mental illness. A path model linking public stigma components (experienced discrimination, perceived stigma) with suicidal ideation, mediated by individual stigma components (anticipated discrimination, self-stigma), was examined using structural equation modelling within Mplus.Results.Our sample was equally split in terms of gender, on average 43 years old and about half reported no suicidal ideation during the past 30 days. In bivariate analyses all stigma components were significantly associated with suicidal ideation. In the path model and controlling for symptoms, the association between experienced discrimination and suicidal ideation was fully mediated by anticipated discrimination and self-stigma. Perceived stigma's contribution to suicidal ideation was fully mediated by anticipated discrimination, but not by self-stigma.Conclusions.In general, programmes addressing multiple stigma components seem to be most effective in improving suicide prevention. Besides interventions targeting negative attitudes and discriminating behaviours of the general public, programmes to support persons with mental illness in coping with perceived and experienced stigma could improve suicide prevention. Future studies should test the short- and long-term effects of such interventions on suicidality and further investigate the role of stigma coping (e.g. secrecy) and emotional consequences (e.g. hopelessness and loneliness) for the association between stigma components and suicidality.

scholarly journals Insomnia Mediates the Association between Eveningness and Suicidal Ideation, Defeat, Entrapment, and Psychological Distress in Young Adults

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Danny Royston Russel Bradford ◽  
Stephany Biello ◽  
KIrsten Russell
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Suicidal Ideation ◽  
Sleep Disturbances ◽  
Community Sample ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Affective Outcomes ◽  
Increased Risk

Chronotype describes a person's general preference for mornings, evenings or neither. It is typically conceptualized as a continuous unidimensional spectrum from morningness to eveningness. Eveningness is associated with poorer outcomes across a myriad of physical and mental health outcomes. This preference for later sleep and wake times is associated with increased risk of depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation and behaviors in both clinical and community samples. However, the mechanisms underlying the negative consequences of this preference for evenings is not fully understood. Previous research has found that sleep disturbances may act as a mediator of this relationship. The present study aimed to explore the associations between chronotype and affective outcomes in a community sample of young adults. Additionally, it aimed to investigate the potential role of insomnia as a mediator within these relationships. Participants (n = 260) completed an anonymous self-report survey of validated measures online which assessed chronotype, insomnia symptoms, and a range of affective outcomes (defeat, entrapment, stress, suicide risk, and depressive and anxious symptomology). Eveningness was associated with more severe or frequent experiences of these outcomes, with young adults demonstrating a preference for eveningness more likely to report poorer affective functioning and increased psychological distress. Mediation analysis found the relationship between chronotype and these outcome measures were partially mediated by sleep disturbances as measured by the well-validated Sleep Condition Indicator insomnia scale. Taken together, these findings add further evidence for the negative consequences of increased eveningness. Additionally, our results show that chronotype and sleep disturbances should be considered when assessing mental well-being. Implementing appropriate sleep-related behavior change or schedule alterations can offer a tool for mitigation or prevention psychological distress in young adults who report a preference for later sleep and wake times.

Understanding the Nature of Stigma Communication Associated With Mental Illness in Africa

2018 ◽  
pp. 20-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Gichuhi Kimotho
Keyword(s):  
Mental Illness ◽  
Mentally Ill ◽  
Cultural Beliefs ◽  
Social Costs ◽  
Mental Illness Stigma ◽  
Social Constructions ◽  
Illness Beliefs ◽  
Stigma And Discrimination ◽  
The Social

Besides health and social costs, mentally ill, often, are also victims of stigma and discrimination, among many communities in Africa. Cultural beliefs, stereotypes are some of the social constructions used to perpetuate mental illness stigma. The purpose of this study was to describe the nature of stigma communication associated with mental illness, beliefs and stereotypes underpinning mental illness stigma. Generally, the findings indicate nature of mental illness stigma communication is an intersection of stigma messages, cultural beliefs, and stereotypes associated with mental illness. Cultural beliefs associated with mental illness are inextricably intertwined with the perceived causes of mental illness (which include curses, witchcraft, cultural misdemeanor, and possession by spirits or demons). Symptoms of mental illness (mainly aggression and nudity) mark the mentally ill as different and expose them to labeling by the rest of the community. Generally, the mentally ill are stereotyped as aggressive, symbol of shame, and unpredictable.

Mental Health Stigma: What's Been Done? Where to Go?

2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. s245-s245
Author(s):  
P. Macedo ◽  
M. Silva ◽  
A. Fornelos ◽  
A.R. Figueiredo ◽  
S. Nunes
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Psychiatric Patients ◽  
Mental Health Stigma ◽  
Public Stigma ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
People With Mental Illness ◽  
Competing Interest

IntroductionNegative attitudes towards psychiatric patients still exist in our society. Persons suffering from mental illness frequently encounter public stigma and may internalize it leading to self-stigma. Discrimination occurs across many aspects of economic and social existence. It may represent a barrier for patients to receive appropriate care. Many anti-stigma campaigns have been taken to decrease people's prejudice, but its effects are not well documented.ObjectivesTo characterize anti-stigma initiatives and its effects on diminishing negative consequences of stigma.MethodsBibliographical research using PubMed using the keywords “stigma” and “mental illness”.ResultsDespite several approaches to eradicate stigma, it shows a surprising consistency in population levels. It was expected that focus on education would decrease stigma levels. The same was expected following concentration on the genetic causation of pathology. Most studies have revealed that education has little value and endorsing genetic attributions has led to a greater pessimism on the efficacy of mental health services, sense of permanence and guilty feelings within the family.ConclusionPublic stigma has had a major impact on many people with mental illness, especially when leading to self-stigma, interfering with various aspects in life, including work, housing, health care, social life and self-esteem. As Goffman elucidated, stigma is fundamentally a social phenomenon rooted in social relationships and shaped by the culture and structure of society. Social inclusion has been pointed as a potential direction of change.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

scholarly journals Promoting the Mental Health of University Students in China: Protocol for Contextual Assessment to Inform Intervention Design and Adaptation (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Josephine Pui-Hing Wong ◽  
Cun-Xian Jia ◽  
Mandana Vahabi ◽  
Jenny Jing Wen Liu ◽  
Alan Tai-Wai Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
University Students ◽  
Focus Groups ◽  
Health Knowledge ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Mental Illness Stigma ◽  
Contextual Assessment ◽  
Mental Health Knowledge

BACKGROUND Chinese students are extremely vulnerable to developing mental illness. The stigma associated with mental illness presents a barrier to seeking help for their mental health. OBJECTIVE The <i>Linking Hearts—Linking Youth and ‘Xin’ (hearts)</i> project is an implementation science project that seeks to reduce mental illness stigma and promote the mental health of university students in Jinan, China. The Linking Hearts project consists of 3 components. In this paper, we outline the protocol for the first component, that is, the contextual assessment and analysis of the mental health needs of university students as the first step to inform the adaptation of an evidence-based intervention to be implemented in Jinan, China. METHODS Six local universities will participate in the Linking Hearts project. A total of 100 students from each university (n=600) will engage in the contextual assessment through self-report surveys on depression, anxiety, stress, mental health knowledge, and mental health stigma. Quantitative data will be analyzed using several descriptive and inferential analyses via SPSS. A small number of participants (144 students and 144 service providers) will also be engaged in focus groups to assess the socio-environmental contexts of university students’ health and availability of mental health resources. Qualitative data will be transcribed verbatim and NVivo will be used for data management. Social network analysis will also be performed using EgoNet. RESULTS Linking Hearts was funded in January 2018 for 5 years. The protocol of Linking Hearts and its 3 components was approved by the research ethics boards of all participating institutions in China in November 2018. Canadian institutions that gave approval were Ryerson University (REB2018-455) in January 2019, University of Alberta (Pro00089364), York University (e2019-162) in May 2019, and University of Toronto (RIS37724) in August 2019. Data collection took place upon ethics approval and was completed in January 2020. A total of 600 students were surveyed. An additional 147 students and 138 service providers took part in focus groups. Data analysis is ongoing. Results will be published in 2021. CONCLUSIONS Findings from this contextual assessment and analysis will generate new knowledge on university students’ mental health status, mental health knowledge, and resources available for them. These findings will be used to adapt and refine the <i>Acceptance and Commitment to Empowerment-Linking Youth N’ Xin</i> intervention model. The results of this contextual assessment will be used to inform the adaptation and refinement of the mental health intervention to promote the mental health of Chinese university students in Jinan. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT RR1-10.2196/25009

scholarly journals Examining the Associations between Psychological Flexibility, Mindfulness, Psychosomatic Functioning, and Anxiety during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Path Analysis

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (23) ◽  
pp. 8764
Author(s):  
Benita Wielgus ◽  
Witold Urban ◽  
Aleksandra Patriak ◽  
Łukasz Cichocki
Keyword(s):  
Path Analysis ◽  
State Anxiety ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Psychological Flexibility ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Mindfulness Practice ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Leading Role ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Social distancing plays a leading role in controlling the spread of coronavirus. However, prolonged lockdown can lead to negative consequences in terms of mental health. The goal of the research is to examine the relationship between anxiety and general psychosomatic functioning during the COVID-19 pandemic; the impact of psychological flexibility and mindfulness is also considered. Variables were measured with self-report questionnaires and symptom checklists. The sample included 170 people (M = 27.79, SD = 8.16). Pearson’s correlation, stepwise regression, and path analysis were conducted. The results showed a significant positive relationship between state anxiety and somatic and psychological responses to the pandemic. Path analysis revealed that mindfulness had a direct negative impact on and decreased the level of state anxiety (b = −0.22, p = 0.002), whereas psychological flexibility influenced the variable indirectly (b = 0.23, p = 0.002) by enhancing psychosomatic functioning (b = −0.64, p < 0.001). Psychological flexibility and mindfulness may mediate the development of mental disorders and facilitate achieving overall wellbeing. The study points to the usefulness of mindfulness practice as a form of self-help with anxiety symptoms; this is crucial during the pandemic because contact with clients is restricted.

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