Sreelakshmi Sharma, Prashanth Peethala, G. Gopalakrishnan
BACKGROUND Stigma is defined as stereotypes or negative views attributed to a person or a group of people, when they are viewed as being different from or inferior to societal norms. Stigma associated with mental illness has chronic, devastating effects. The Centre for Mental Health Services (CMHS) defines serious mental illnesses (SMIs) as those that result in functional impairment that significantly interferes with or limits one or more major life activities. They are schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, other psychotic disorders, bipolar disorder and severe depressive disorder. The aim of the study is to determine as to whether perceived stigma levels are more among patients with severe mental illnesses or their family members. The objectives were to measure stigma levels among patients with severe mental illnesses, and their attenders, and then to compare the two levels in order to arrive at a reasonable conclusion. MATERIALS AND METHODS Semi-structured socio-demographic proforma was used to assess the patients’ age, sex, socio-economic status, occupation and relationship with the caretaker. The Stigma Questionnaire was then administered to both patients and attenders in order assess their perceived stigma level. Settings and Design- This was a cross-sectional, comparative, observational study conducted on fifty patients and their primary caregivers at a tertiary care center in rural Karnataka. Statistical Analysis- Comparisons were made, patient vs. attender group, using mean scores. RESULTS The study concluded that the caretakers of the patient perceived much higher stigma than the patients. The patients perceived maximum stigma in the respect domain, whereas the attenders perceived maximum stigma in the marriage domain. CONCLUSION The patients faced higher levels of self-stigma whereas the attenders perceived public stigma.
