Stigma and Difficulty Accessing Medical Care in a Sample of Adults with Serious Mental Illness

Abstract

Introduction Wellness of people with mental illness is increasingly a public health priority. This study examined factors associated with difficulties receiving medical care in adults with mental illness. Methods In a sample of 1,670 adults with mental illness, we assessed difficulties in accessing medical care and stigma. Results A total of 465 (28%) participants reported difficulties in accessing medical care; 211 (13%) attributed difficulties in access to stigma. Lack of comprehensive medical care coverage and mental health symptoms were associated with increased odds of perceived difficulties in accessing medical care; personal empowerment was negatively associated with perceived difficulties attributed to stigma; education was positively associated. Discussion The findings highlight unmet need for medical care in this population and the need to recognize stigma as a barrier medical care. Interventions to empower patients and educate medical providers about wellness for people with serious mental illness could help to reduce barriers.

Safety of service users with severe mental illness receiving inpatient care on medical and surgical wards: A systematic review

“…; Ostrow et al . ; Reed & Fitzgerald ), there is a lack of explicit knowledge about the experiences of people with mental illness, whose experiences can only be inferred from these papers and other literature.…”

Crowdsourcing for conducting randomized trials of internet delivered interventions in people with serious mental illness: A systematic review

“…There is sufficient evidence that people with SMI often lack access to health care and when they do see a provider, their care is often substandard [17, 18]. Confirming the psychiatric diagnoses of individuals recruited using online crowdsourcing methods remains an important concern for future online intervention studies, even though it is unlikely that individuals would be dishonest about having a highly stigmatizing illness such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder just to enroll in a research study requiring long-term participation without monetary compensation.…”

“…In contrast to most current approaches requiring intensive in-person contact in clinical or community settings, online crowdsourcing could potentially increase intervention scalability and may be effective for expanding current efforts to reach and engage people with SMI, a patient group that is often difficult to enroll in general medical care [17, 18] or recruit and retain as participants in health research studies [19, 20]. For example, there are barriers to participation such as symptom severity, comorbid substance use disorders, recurring hospitalizations, and social factors like poverty, homelessness, and social stigma associated with having a mental illness [17, 18, 20].…”

“…For example, there are barriers to participation such as symptom severity, comorbid substance use disorders, recurring hospitalizations, and social factors like poverty, homelessness, and social stigma associated with having a mental illness [17, 18, 20]. Online methods also afford opportunities to deliver targeted interventions to individuals with SMI who may not want to be identified publicly as having a mental illness due to stigma, or who may not be interested in participating in time-consuming face-to-face programs that will take them away from work or school commitments [21].…”

Ethical Management of Patients with Cancer and Mental Illness

“…People with mental illness face significant health challenges that extend beyond the obvious effects of their psychiatric symptoms, adversely influencing their physical health and access to medical care [1,2]. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) [3] reports a lower use of medical care and lower adherence to treatment for chronic disease among patients with mental illness.…”