Stigma Resistance and Its Associated Factors among Patients with Mood Disorder at St. Paul’s Hospital and Millennium Medical College, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 2019
Table 3
Response of all patients to each internalized stigma components.
Items of scale
Strongly agree (%)
Agree (%)
Disagree (%)
Strongly disagree (%)
Alienation
I feel out of place in the world because I have a mental illness
65 (27.7)
80 (34.0)
58 (24.7)
32 (13.6)
Having a mental illness has spoiled my life
34 (14.5)
51 (21.7)
64 (27.2)
86 (36.6)
People without mental illness could not possibly understand me
33 (14.0)
66 (28.1)
71 (30.2)
65 (27.7)
I am embarrassed or ashamed that I have a mental illness
33 (14.0)
92 (39.1)
51 (21.7)
59 (25.1)
I am disappointed in myself for having a mental illness
26 (11.1)
80 (34.0)
64 (27.2)
65 (27.7)
I feel inferior to others who do not have a mental illness
51 (21.7)
100 (42.6)
52 (22.1)
32 (13.6)
Stereotype endorsement
Stereotypes about the mentally ill apply to me
47 (20.0)
92 (39.1)
48 (20.4)
48 (20.4)
People can tell that I have a mental illness by the way I look
123 (52.3)
77 (32.8)
28 (11.9)
7 (3.0)
Mentally ill people tend to be violent
52 (22.1
83 (35.3)
68 (28.9)
32 (13.6)
Because I have a mental illness, I need others to make most decisions for me
107 (45.5)
110 (46.8)
16 (6.8)
2 (.9)
People with mental illness cannot live a good, rewarding life
79 (33.6)
94 (40.0)
43 (18.3)
19 (8.1)
Mentally ill people should not get married
76 (32.3)
94 (40.0)
40 (17.0)
25 (10.6)
I cannot contribute anything to society because I have a mental illness
70 (29.8)
104 (44.3)
39 (16.6)
22 (9.4)
Discrimination
People discriminate against me because I have a mental illness
54 (23.0)
106 (45.1)
38 (16.2)
37 (15.7)
Others think that I cannot achieve much in life because I have a mental illness
67 (28.5)
99 (42.1)
47 (20.0)
22 (9.4)
People ignore me or take me less seriously just because I have a mental illness
64 (27.2)
88 (37.4)
52 (22.1)
31 (13.2)
People often patronize me or treat me like a child, just because I have a mental illness
70 (29.8)
96 (40.9)
41 (17.4)
28 (11.9)
Nobody would be interested in getting close to me because I have a mental illness
65 (27.7)
119 (50.6)
38 (16.2)
13 (5.5)
Social withdrawal
I do not talk about myself much because I do not want to burden others with my mental illness
46 (19.6)
71 (30.2)
74 (31.5)
44 (18.7)
I do not socialize as much as I used to because my mental illness might make me look or behave “weird”
56 (23.8)
109 (46.4)
54 (23.0)
16 (6.8)
I stay away from social situations to protect my family or friends from embarrassment
58 (24.7)
135 (57.4)
33 (14.0)
9 (3.8)
Negative stereotypes about mental illness keep me isolated from the “normal” world
58 (24.7)
126 (53.6)
40 (17.0)
11 (4.7)
Being around people who do not have a mental illness makes me feel out of place or inadequate
58 (24.7)
127 (54.0)
38 (16.2)
12 (5.1)
I avoid getting close to people who do not have a mental illness to avoid rejection
