Stigma by association

Abstract

BackgroundStigma affects not only people with mental illnesses, but their families as well. Understanding how stigma affects family members in terms of both their psychological response to the ill person and their contacts with psychiatric services will improve interactions with the family.AimsTo investigate factors of psychological significance related to stigma of the relatives.MethodIn a Swedish multi-centre study, 162 relatives of patients in acute psychiatric wards following both voluntary and compulsory admissions were interviewed concerning psychological factors related to stigma.ResultsA majority of relatives experienced psychological factors of stigma by association. Eighteen per cent of the relatives had at times thought that the patient would be better off dead, and 10% had experienced suicidal thoughts. Stigma by association was greater in relatives experiencing mental health problems of their own, and was unaffected by patient background characteristics.ConclusionsInterventions are needed to reduce the negative effects of psychological factors related to stigma by association in relatives of people with mental illness.

‘You don't bring me flowers any more’: an investigation into the experience of stigma by psychiatric in-patients

“…Mental illness engenders stigmatising responses in others and leads to discriminatory behaviour, as it carries with it labels of unreliableness, unattractiveness and dangerousness (Pescoscolido et al, 1999;Crisp et al, 2000;Martin et al, 2000;Corrigan et al, 2003). There is evidence of feelings of rejection and attempts at concealment in the relatives of mentally ill in-patients (Phelan et al, 1998;Ostman & Kjellin, 2002), but less is known about the actions of the patients themselves in responding to stigma. Stigma may result in the internalisation of negative beliefs, causing shame and low self-esteem.…”

Conceptualizing Family Members of Violent Mentally Ill Individuals as a Vulnerable Population

“…I think of myself as a loner even though I'm a caretaker" (Veltman et al, 2002, p. 111). In a Swedish study with family members of mentally ill individuals, 47% of the parents reported feeling as though their child's mental illness led to mental health problems of their own, 33% reported that the child's mental illness affected their ability to have company, and 21% endorsed that at times they believed their mentally ill child would be better off dead (Ostman & Kjellin, 2002). A smaller percentage of these parents (16%) felt that their burden was so heavy that they had suicidal thoughts; and, at times, 14% wished that the patient had never been born (Ostman & Kjellin, 2002).…”

Mental Illness in India

“…This type of stigma is called as courtesy or associative stigma and it comes to the caregivers just by virtue of being associated with the individual with mental illness 17 . Caregivers report depressive symptoms when they are subjected to stigma 15. …”