The experience and impact of stigma in Saudi people with a mood disorder

Introduction Self-stigma plays a powerful role in attitudes toward mental illness and seeking psychological services. Assessing stigma from the perspective of people with mood disorders is important as they were ranked as major causes of disability. Objectives To determine the extent and the impact of stigma experience in Saudi patients with mood disorder and compare them between depression and bipolar disorder patients. To test if stigma is a universal experience and has similar psychosocial impact across cultures. Aim It's a part of multicenter international study comparing its results to the universal experiences inthe perspectives of individuals with mood disorder. Methodology We randomly interviewed 94 individuals with mood disorder at King Khalid University Hospital using valid reliable tool, Inventory of Stigmatizing Experiences (ISE), which has two components: Stigma Experiences Scale (SES) and Stigma Impact Scale (SIS). Results ISE was validated in a population of Saudi patients with mood disorder. There were no significant differences in stigma between patients with bipolar or depressive disorder on SES or SIS. However, over 50% of all respondents tried to hide their mental illness from the others, and to avoid situations that might lead them to be stigmatized. In comparison with the Canadian population, Saudi participants scored lower on both SES and SIS, which may be due to cultural differences. Conclusion Stigma associated with mood disorder is serious and pervasive. It's important first to understand how patients perceive stigma in order to conduct successful anti-stigma programs. The ISE is a highly reliable instrument among cultures.