The Effect of Psychoeducation on Internalized Stigma of the Hospitalized Patients with Bipolar Disorder: A Quasi-Experimental Study

Abstract

Stigma is one of the common problems of patients with bipolar disorders, which impedes their recovery. This is a quasi-experimental study on 76 hospitalized patients with bipolar disorder (38 in each group) in Iran. The intervention group received six sessions of psychoeducation in a period of 2 weeks. Internalized stigma was measured by the Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness scale. The education significantly reduced the scores of alienation, discrimination experience, stigma resistance and total score of stigma in the intervention group. Hence, this education can be used as an accessible technique in hospitals to reduce the internalized stigma.

Acknowledgments

This paper is a graduate student’s thesis approved by Iran University of Medical Sciences. The research team appreciates all the officials of the Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery of Iran University of Medical Sciences, the authorities and patients of Iran Psychiatric Center.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).