TITLE:
Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness in Swedish Patients with Mental Illness
AUTHORS:
Lars Jacobsson, Magnus Lejon, Anette Edin-Liljegren
KEYWORDS:
Internalized Stigma, Perceived Discrimination, Mental Disorders, Sweden
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Psychiatry,
Vol.7 No.3,
July
3,
2017
ABSTRACT: Stigma and discrimination because of epilepsy, leprosy and HIV/aids has decreased over the years, but this has not happened as regards mental illness. One aspect of the stigma issue is what has been described as self-stigmatization, the way the mentally ill look at themselves. The aim of this study was to illuminate the self-perception of mentally ill persons in a Swedish setting. An internationally well established questionnaire, Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness scale (ISMI) was used to investigate two samples of out-patients from northern Sweden (N = 260). Fifty two percent reported “minimum stigma”, 35% “mild” and 13% “moderate/severe” stigma. As many as 58% agreed to the statement “I am embarrassed or ashamed that I have a mental illness”. The levels of internalized stigma are rather high, but somewhat lower than reported from some other European and an Iranian study using the same methodology. In spite of several campaigns aimed at reducing the stigma and discrimination because of mental illness in Sweden, still the experience of self stigma is rather high. There is an urgent need to further developed anti-stigma strategies.