Mental-Illness-Related Stigma in Health Care in South India: Mixed-Methods Study

Abstract

Background: Stigma related to mental illness is a reality among health care providers. This study is an attempt to understand the attitudes of doctors from different specialties toward mental illness and the stigma related to it. Methods: We used a concurrent nested mixed-methods approach to understand and identify the various factors of mental-illness-related stigma in medical practitioners. Between November 2018 and March 2019, 100 medical practitioners from South India were administered a self-reporting OMS-HC (Opening Minds Scale for Health Care Providers), followed by in-depth interviews among 25 of the 100 participants selected using purposive sampling. Quantitative surveys were analyzed using SPSSv23. In-depth interviews were transcribed as extended notes, translated, and initially explored using focused coding and the constant comparative method. Results: Though findings from quantitative analysis show low to moderate stigma (Mean = 53.52, SD = 7.61), the qualitative study revealed unintended and covert negative attitude toward mental illness. Conclusion: As stigma occurs at various levels—structural, institutional, interpersonal, and personal—anti-stigma measures also need to be systematically designed. Qualitative studies give more insight regarding the nature of stigma in medical practitioners toward mental illness

Profile of Patients Seen in Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry in India: A Systematic Review

“… 5 , 14 Accordingly, it can be said that there is an urgent need to focus on the stigma associated with mental illnesses in the general public per se, but also among other specialists. 37 Additionally, there is a need to improve exposure to psychiatry during the undergraduate training and for other specialists in their postgraduate training. For undergraduate training, psychiatrists should focus on training the students in identifying various psychiatric issues in medically ill patients, rather than focusing only on those with primary psychiatric disorders.…”

“…5,14 Accordingly, it can be said that there is an urgent need to focus on the stigma associated with mental illnesses in the general public per se, but also among other specialists. 37 on training the students in identifying various psychiatric issues in medically ill patients, rather than focusing only on those with primary psychiatric disorders. This can be done by having cases for discussion from the medical-surgical wards, rather than limiting training on those from psychiatry wards only.…”

The stigma towards mental illness: Portuguese validation of the Opening Minds Stigma Scale for Healthcare Providers (OMS-HC)

“…It is not unusual for individuals to take a particular stance on a subject and then fail to act accordingly ( Hagerty et al, 2005 ). Answering this scale can help people realize that they need to deepen their understanding of mental health and consequently the stigma that may exist ( Munisami et al, 2021 ). With the Portuguese validation of this scale, it will be possible to conduct future research into this reality in Portugal and compare different groups of healthcare professionals.…”

“…The professionals often believe that they do not have stigmatizing attitudes. Therefore, addressing stigma requires an increase in awareness of the problem, both at a social and individual level ( Munisami et al, 2021 ). Likewise, research is needed to study the extent to which stigma against mental illness is prevalent among healthcare providers.…”