Objective: We compared stigma experienced by psychiatric patients and controls\nin various social domains and hypothesized higher levels of stigma and\nhigher rates of non-disclosure by psychiatric patients. Methods: Psychiatric\noutpatients and a control group of medical outpatients were assessed for experienced\ndiscrimination through a structured questionnaire that included adapted\nitems from the Discrimination and Stigma Scale (DISC-12). Controls were assessed\non discrimination related to physical, rather than mental health issues.\nStatistical analyses were conducted with Pearson�s chi-squared tests and one-way\nAnalyses of Variance (ANOVA). Results: In total, 202 patients comprising 99\npsychiatric patients and 103 controls gave consent to the study. Psychiatric\npatients experienced higher levels of discrimination (F (1, 196) = 24.4, p < 0.001),\nand in more areas of life (F (1, 196) = 22.5, p < 0.001) than controls. Compared\nto controls, a higher proportion of psychiatric patients practised non-disclosure\nof their illness. Conclusion: Our study confirmed that psychiatric patients\nexperienced considerable stigma and coped by non-disclosure of their condition.
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