Risk for stigma may include:
(1)
significant mental illness (schizophrenia, psychosis, etc)
(2) cause
(3) severity of symptoms (visibility, bizarreness)
(4) cultural attitudes towards mental illness
(5) homelessness
(6) perceived threat
Effect of stigma on the patient with mental illness:
(1) poor self-image
(2) tendency to hide diagnosis
(3) social isolation
(4) lower socioeconomic status, including unemployment
(5) failure to get adequate treatment
(6) self-medication with alcohol or drugs
Effect on available resources:
(1) avoidance of psychiatry as a profession by providers
(2) fewer resources (underfunding, etc)
(3) lower reimbursement
