Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

The Stigma of Families with Mental Illness

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Academic Psychiatry Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Objective

This article describes family stigma, which is defined as the prejudice and discrimination experienced by individuals through associations with their relatives.

Methods

The authors describe family stigma and present current research related to mental illness stigma experienced by family members. Research indicates this type of stigma negatively impacts family members and relatives with mental illness.

Results

The authors also present strategies to eliminate stigma and discuss implications for the training goals of psychiatrists throughout the text.

Conclusion

The authors end this article with recommendations for psychiatry training goals.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Goffman E: Stigma: Notes on the Management of Spoiled Identity. Englewood Cliffs, N.J., Prentice Hall, 1963

    Google Scholar 

  2. Lee YT, Albright L, Malloy TE: Social perception and stereotyping: an interpersonal and intercultural approach. International Journal of Group Tensions 2001; 30: 183–209

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Corrigan PW, Penn DL: Lessons from social psychology on discrediting psychiatric stigma. American Psychologist 1999; 54: 765–776

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Link BG: Mental patients status, work and income: an examination of the effects of a psychiatric label. Am Sociol Rev 1982; 47: 202–215

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Link BG, Cullen FT, Frank J, et al: The social rejection of former mental patients: understanding why labels matter. Am J Sociology 1987; 92: 1461–1500

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Angermeyer MC, Schutze B, Dietrich S: Courtesy stigma: a focus group study of relatives of schizophrenia patients. Soc Psychiatry and Psychiatr Epidemiology 2003; 38: 593–602

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Phelan JC, Bromet EJ, Link BG: Psychiatric illness and family stigma. Schizophr Bull 1998; 24: 115–126

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Ohaeri JU, Fido AA: The opinion of caregivers on aspects of schizophrenia and major affective disorders in a Nigerian setting. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 2001; 36: 493–499

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Phillips MR, Pearson V, Li F, et al: Stigma and expressed emotion: a study of people with schizophrenia and their family members in China. Bri J Psychiatry 2002; 181: 488–493

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Thompson EH, Doll W: The burden of families coping with the mentally ill: an invisible crisis. Fam Relat 1982; 31: 379–388

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Shibre T, Negash A, Kullgren G, et al: Perception of stigma among family members of individuals with schizophrenia and major affective disorders in rural Ethiopia. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 2001; 36: 299–303

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Wahl OF, Harman CR: Family views of stigma. Schizophr Bull 1989; 15: 131–139

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Oestman M, Kjellin L: Stigma by association: psychological factors in relatives of people with mental illness. Br J Psychiatry 2002; 181: 494–498

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Struening EL, Perlick DA, Link BG, et al: Stigma as a barrier to recovery: the extent to which caregivers believe most people devalue consumers and their families. Psychiatr Services 2001; 52: 1633–1638

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Lefley HP: The stigmatized family, in Stigma and Mental Illness. Edited by Fink PJ, Tasman A. Washington, D.C., American Psychiatric Press, 1992, pp 127–138

    Google Scholar 

  16. Corrigan PW, Larson JE, Kuwabara SA: Attribution models for primary and family stigma of mental illness. J Ment Health (in press)

  17. Corrigan PW, Watson AC, Miller FE: The stigma of psychiatric disorders and the gender, ethnicity, and education of the perceiver. Community Ment Health J 2007; 43: 439–458

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Dumont M, Yzerbyt V, Snyder M, et al: Suppression and hypothesis testing: does suppressing stereotypes during interactions help to avoid confirmation biases? Eur J Soc Psychol 2003; 33: 659–677

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Macrae CN, Bodenhausen GV, Milne AB, et al: Out of mind but back in sight: stereotypes on the rebound. J Personality and Soc Psychol 1994; 67: 808–817

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Newman LS, Caldwell TL, Chamberlin B, et al: Thought suppression, projection, and the development of stereotypes. Basic and Applied Soc Psychol 2005; 27: 259–266

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Corrigan PW, Rowan D, Green A, et al. Challenging two mental illness stigmas: personal responsibility and dangerousness. Schizophr Bull 2002; 28: 293–310

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Pettigrew TF, Tropp LR: A meta-analytic test of intergroup contact theory. J Pers Soc Psychol 2006; 90: 751–783

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Corrigan PW: Target-specific stigma change: a strategy for impacting mental illness stigma. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal 2004; 28: 113–121

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Watson AC, Corrigan PW, Ottati V: Police responses to persons with mental illness: does the label matter? J Am Acad Psychiatr Law 2004; 32: 378–385

    Google Scholar 

  25. Druss BG, Bradford DW, Rosenheck RA, et al: Mental disorders and use of cardiovascular procedures after myocardial infarction. JAMA 2000; 283: 506–511

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Kingdon D, Turkington D, John C: Cognitive behavior therapy of schizophrenia: the amenability of delusions and hallucinations to reasoning. Bri J Psychiatr 1994; 164: 581–587

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Rogers ES, Chamberlin J, Ellison ML, et al: A consumer constructed scale to measure empowerment among users of mental health services. Psychiatr Services 1997; 48: 1042–1047

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Corrigan PW, Matthews AK: Stigma and disclosure: implications for coming out of the closet. J Ment Health 2003; 12: 235–248

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Dixon L, Stewart B, Burland J, et al: Pilot study of the effectiveness of Family to Family Education Program. Psychiatr Serv 2001; 52: 965–967

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  30. Wood AL, Wahl OF: Evaluating the effectiveness of a consumer-provided mental health recovery education presentation. Psychiatr Rehabil J 2006; 30: 46–53

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Illinois Institute of Technology, 3424 S State, Chicago, Illinois, 60616, USA

    Jon E. Larson Ed.D. & Patrick Corrigan Psy.D.

Authors
  1. Jon E. Larson Ed.D.
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Patrick Corrigan Psy.D.
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jon E. Larson Ed.D..

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Larson, J.E., Corrigan, P. The Stigma of Families with Mental Illness. Acad Psychiatry 32, 87–91 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ap.32.2.87

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ap.32.2.87

Keywords

Search

Navigation