The understanding of stigma, its origins and its persistence among members of society has been a multidisciplinary scientific effort from Social and Human Sciences, and Health Sciences fields.
In Psychiatry, stigma is an important cause of the patient suffering, discrimination and of avoiding pursuing or taking an adequate treatment.
Misconceptions concerning the etiology of mental disorders, together with the effects of the treatment on everyday life and relationships, interfere with the patient’s adherence to the correct managing of Psychiatric Disorders.
Furthermore, the widespread idea that the patient’s willpower should be sufficient to stop the course of depression, anxiety, obsessions, compulsions, and addiction, among other symptoms, is an important obstacle for those suffering, to consider an effective psychiatric treatment.
This misconception is also a barrier for their relatives to provide enough support and reassure or to help them seek expert care, for their primary care providers to refer them to care, for their community or religious leaders to be supportive about looking for care, and for policymakers to develop proper policies ensuring access to an affordable mental health care program.
This Research Topic aims to contribute to the state of the art of stigma in psychiatry knowledge, reporting studies coming from different fields of research.
Subjects of interest include:
- Studies describing the effects of stigma in the overall life quality of psychiatric patients and relatives.
- Studies describing the main misconceptions concerning psychopathology among patients and their relatives.
- Studies describing the main misconceptions concerning psychopathology among health professionals.
- Studies describing mental health promotion strategies and policies against stigma focused on changing societal misconceptions about psychiatric patients.
- Psychoeducational clinical initiatives focused on groups for patients and their relatives.
- Educational strategies focused on changing societal broad misconceptions about mental health.
We welcome original articles, reviews, and commentary papers. We also encourage authors to submit manuscripts describing research designs and study protocols.
The understanding of stigma, its origins and its persistence among members of society has been a multidisciplinary scientific effort from Social and Human Sciences, and Health Sciences fields.
In Psychiatry, stigma is an important cause of the patient suffering, discrimination and of avoiding pursuing or taking an adequate treatment.
Misconceptions concerning the etiology of mental disorders, together with the effects of the treatment on everyday life and relationships, interfere with the patient’s adherence to the correct managing of Psychiatric Disorders.
Furthermore, the widespread idea that the patient’s willpower should be sufficient to stop the course of depression, anxiety, obsessions, compulsions, and addiction, among other symptoms, is an important obstacle for those suffering, to consider an effective psychiatric treatment.
This misconception is also a barrier for their relatives to provide enough support and reassure or to help them seek expert care, for their primary care providers to refer them to care, for their community or religious leaders to be supportive about looking for care, and for policymakers to develop proper policies ensuring access to an affordable mental health care program.
This Research Topic aims to contribute to the state of the art of stigma in psychiatry knowledge, reporting studies coming from different fields of research.
Subjects of interest include:
- Studies describing the effects of stigma in the overall life quality of psychiatric patients and relatives.
- Studies describing the main misconceptions concerning psychopathology among patients and their relatives.
- Studies describing the main misconceptions concerning psychopathology among health professionals.
- Studies describing mental health promotion strategies and policies against stigma focused on changing societal misconceptions about psychiatric patients.
- Psychoeducational clinical initiatives focused on groups for patients and their relatives.
- Educational strategies focused on changing societal broad misconceptions about mental health.
We welcome original articles, reviews, and commentary papers. We also encourage authors to submit manuscripts describing research designs and study protocols.