Severity of stigma in psychiatric patients in Mashhad (2013)

Given the importance of stigma in life, behavior and social interaction of psychiatric patients, this cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the severity of stigma in 200 patients referred to Ibn-Sina Hospital in Mashhad during 2013. The results showed that 47.5% of the patients had moderate stigma and 52.5% had severe stigma. The association of age, marital status, education level and income with stigma was not significant. There was significant association between stigma and gender and women experienced greater stigma than men. Psychological training of families and the community can be effective to increase awareness and reduce stigma related to psychiatric disorders.