People with severe mental illness and a history of involuntary hospitalization may experience stigma-related stress and suffer negative consequences as a result. However, the long-term impact of stigma stress on suicidality in this population remains unknown. This longitudinal study therefore examined stigma stress, self-stigma, self-esteem and suicidal ideation among 186 individuals with mental illness and recent involuntary hospitalization. After adjusting for age, gender, diagnoses and symptoms, more stigma stress at baseline predicted suicidal ideation after 2 years, mediated by increased self-stigma and decreased self-esteem after 1 year. Anti-stigma interventions that reduce stigma stress and self-stigma could therefore support suicide prevention.

Stigma stress may have a lasting detrimental effect on recovery among people with mental illness and a history of involuntary hospitalisation. Anti-stigma interventions that reduce stigma stress and programs that enhance empowerment could improve recovery. Future research should test the effect of such interventions on recovery.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the effects of a preventive monitoring program targeted to reduce compulsory rehospitalization and perceived coercion in patients with severe mental disorder. We analyze patient outcomes in terms of perceived coercion, empowerment, and self-reported mental health functioning at 12 months.MethodsThe program consists of individualized psychoeducation, crisis cards and, after discharge from the psychiatric hospital, a 24-month preventive monitoring. In total, 238 psychiatric inpatients who had had compulsory admission(s) during the past 24 months were included in the trial. T1-assessment 12 months after baseline was achieved for 182 patients.ResultsStudy participants reported lower levels of perceived coercion, negative pressures, and process exclusion, a higher level of optimism, and a lesser degree of distress due to symptoms, interpersonal relations, and social role functioning (significant time effects). However, improvements were not confined to the intervention group, but seen also in the treatment-as-usual group (no significant group or interaction effects). Altered perceptions were linked to older age, shorter illness duration, female sex, non-psychotic disorder, and compulsory hospitalization not due to risk of harm to others.ConclusionOur findings suggest that changes in the subjective perspective were fueled primarily by participation in this study rather than by having received the specific intervention. The study contributes to a better understanding of the interaction between “objective” measures (compulsory readmissions) and patients’ perceptions and highlights the need for treatment approaches promoting empowerment in individuals with a history of involuntary psychiatric hospitalizations.

The aim of this study was to evaluate an intervention programme for people with severe mental illness that targets the reduction in compulsory psychiatric admissions. In the current study, we examine the feasibility of retaining patients in this programme and compare outcomes over the first 12 months to those after treatment as usual (TAU). Study participants were recruited in four psychiatric hospitals in the Canton of Zurich, Switzerland. Patients were eligible if they had at least one compulsory admission during the past 24 months. Participants were assigned at random to the intervention or to the TAU group. The intervention programme consists of individualised psycho-education focusing on behaviours prior to illness-related crisis, crisis cards and, after discharge from the psychiatric hospital, a 24-month preventive monitoring. In total, 238 (of 756 approached) inpatients were included in the trial. After 12 months, 80 (67.2%) in the intervention group and 102 (85.7%) in the TAU group were still participating in the trial. Of these, 22.5% in the intervention group (35.3% TAU) had been compulsorily readmitted to psychiatry; results suggest a significantly lower number of compulsory readmissions per patient (0.3 intervention; 0.7 TAU). Dropouts are characterised by younger age and unemployment. This interim analysis suggests beneficial effects of this intervention for targeted psychiatric patients.