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Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology
Published in: Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology 7/2014

01-07-2014 | Brief Report

Stigma and disclosing one’s mental illness to family and friends

Authors: Nicolas Rüsch, Elaine Brohan, Jheanell Gabbidon, Graham Thornicroft, Sarah Clement

Published in: Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology | Issue 7/2014

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Abstract

Purpose

People with mental illness face the dilemma whether or not to disclose their condition. We examined stigma variables and their relationship with comfort disclosing.

Methods

Comfort with disclosure, well-being, symptoms and aspects of experiencing and reacting to stigma were assessed among 202 individuals with mental illness.

Results

Controlling for symptoms, greater comfort disclosing one’s mental illness was associated with lower anticipated discrimination and lower stigma stress; more comfort disclosing was related to greater well-being.

Conclusions

Anticipated discrimination as an external threat and stigma-related stress as an internal process may reduce comfort with disclosure and could be targeted in interventions.
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Metadata
Title
Stigma and disclosing one’s mental illness to family and friends
Authors
Nicolas Rüsch
Elaine Brohan
Jheanell Gabbidon
Graham Thornicroft
Sarah Clement
Publication date
01-07-2014
Publisher
Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Published in
Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology / Issue 7/2014
Print ISSN: 0933-7954
Electronic ISSN: 1433-9285
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-014-0871-7

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