["StigMa" - Evaluation of a Psychological Therapy Program for Stigma-Management]. / "StigMa" ­ Evaluation eines psychologischen Therapieprogramms zu Stigma-Management.

OBJECTIVE: The project "Stigma Management - StigMa" aims on the evaluation of an adaptive therapy program for patients with psychiatric illness to help them in managing internalized stigma and self-stigmatization. METHODS: The patients for this pilot-study were recruited in day-hospitals of pro mente tirol. 26 patients participated in 11 group sessions, following 6 modules: "Education", "Activation of Resources", "Social Network", "Self-Esteem", "Social competence in public places" and "My personal stigma management". The control group consisted of 20 patients who did not participate in StigMa. Pre-post-evaluation was done by the Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness-Scale 1. RESULTS: No significant interaction effects could be observed, although in the treatment group, the burden of perceived discrimination was significantly less pronounced after training than before it. The program, however, was evaluated as being extremely positive by the participants. CONCLUSIONS: The program StigMa will be adapted in accordance with the suggestions of the participants and reevaluated taking into consideration methodological optimization.

[StigMa--The Development of the Therapy Program Stigma Management]. / StigMa--Die Entwicklung des Therapieprogramms Stigma-Management.

OBJECTIVE: While lots of projects focus on "stigmatization by others" in people with mental diseases, the problem of "self-stigmatization" is rarely considered in their treatment.Thus, the program "Stigma Management" aims on the conception of a therapeutic manual concerning self-stigmatization. As experts on their own, in phase 1 the patients' experiences and needs are assessed by themselves. METHODS: 17 patients with schizophrenia discussed the topic of self-stigmatization in the setting of focus groups. The discussions were analyzed by the documentary method of Bohnsack 1. RESULTS: Ten topics could be identified, such as prejudice, self-help groups, openness and public relations. CONCLUSION: Concerning these 10 topics the program "Stigma Management" was designed (phase 2) and will be evaluated shortly (phase 3).

[Communicate instead of stigmatizing - does social contact with a depressed person change attitudes of medical students towards psychiatric disorders? A study of attitudes of medical students to psychiatric patients]. / Kommunizieren statt Stigmatisieren - Verändert der soziale Kontakt mit einer an Depression erkrankten Person die Einstellungen von MedizinstudentInnen zu psychisch Kranken? Eine Studie zu Einstellungen von MedizinstudentInnen zu psychisch erkrankten Menschen.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to investigate how attitudes to psychiatric patients of medical students change, when given an opportunity to have social contact with a depressed individual, during their usual psychiatric practical. METHODS: In the course of their compulsory practical at the University Clinic for General and Social Psychiatry, 127 students additionally participated in an information session in which a person suffering from depression reported on his/her life, illness and experiences with the illness. The control group comprised 98 students who did only the psychiatry practical. Both at the beginning and end of the practical, students filled in a questionnaire, among others, on cognitive and affective dimensions and social distance. The questionnaire was preceded by 4 different case vignettes describing a fictional person (a man/woman suffering from paranoid schizophrenia and a man/woman suffering from unipolar depression). RESULTS: The results of our study show that before students took their practical, female students felt more pro-social and socially closer, but at the same time more fearful, in relation to mentally ill persons than male students. Females also considered psychiatric illnesses as better treatable than males. Basically, students felt socially closer towards depressed persons than towards schizophrenic patients who were also perceived to be more severely ill, more dangerous and more unpredictable. Students with personal contact with a female depressed patient during their practical demonstrated significant reduction of social distance and fear in relation to depressed persons, and in the sense of a generalization effect, there was also a significant reduction in their assessment of the danger and unpredictability of schizophrenic patients. As against this, students who did only their compulsory practical developed an even stronger stereotype of schizophrenic patients as being dangerous and unpredictable. Additionally, contact with a depressed person during practical resulted in a better assessment of the treatability of this illness. Students who participated in the compulsory practical alone reduced their fear towards depressed persons and increased prosocial feelings towards schizophrenic patients. CONCLUSIONS: Compared to students who did only the psychiatry practical, additional contact with a depressed person resulted in major changes in attitude, in particular, in relation to the stereotype of schizophrenic patients being "dangerous". Thus, enabling direct contact with patients during psychiatry practical represents a meaningful and effective anti-stigma intervention.

[Does education focusing on depression change the attitudes towards schizophrenia? A target-group oriented anti-stigma-intervention]. / Verändert der Unterricht über Depression die Einstellungen gegenüber Schizophrenie? Eine zielgruppenorientierte Anti-Stigma-Intervention.

OBJECTIVE: It should be evaluated, whether two units of education about depression in a secondary school alter the student;s attitude towards patients suffering from depression and whether this intervention could also change the attitude towards patients with schizophrenia. METHODS: A patient with depression - at the moment without symptoms - was involved in the educational program. At three specific times (T0 = some days before the intervention; T1 = some days after the intervention; T2 = 3-4 month follow-up), students have been presented with the same case vignette, one with the description of a fictitious depressive classmate as well as with one fictitious classmate with schizophrenia. The affective, the behavior-related and the cognitive dimensions of attitudes towards the described person were assessed by questionnaires. RESULTS: At T0, the attitudes towards the case vignette "depression" have been significantly more positive than the attitudes to the case vignette "schizophrenia" in all dimensions of attitude. At T1, in the case vignette "depression" the factor "fear" showed a decrease, as well as the opinion this person could be dangerous. At T2, these factors reached the level of T0 again. The opinion, that these fictitious depressive classmates suffer from a treatable illness, was approved significantly more often at T1 and T2 compared to T0. The change of attitude towards the case vignette "schizophrenia" was even more distinctive. Compared to T0 feelings of fear, social distance and stereotypes, that such a person would be dangerous and unpredictable, decreased significantly at T1 as well as T2. CONCLUSIONS: Target group oriented interventions including the contact with patients, may improve the attitude towards patients with mental illnesses. Seeing that some improvements decreased again after three month one may wonder whether a single shortterm educational program would be sufficient in order to provoke a sustainable change in attitudes. Although the intervention focused on a less stigmatized illness (like depression), the attitudes towards a more stigmatized illness (like schizophrenia) could markedly be improved.