Coping with the stigma of mental illness: An interpretive descriptive study of out-patients in a public mental health hospital in Ghana

Abstract

Stigma reduces the status of individuals from full social acceptance, motivating the stigmatized person to find ways to cope with the perceived threat as much as possible. The present study explored the experience of dealing with a mental illness daily within the public space. We applied an interpretive description method using a semi-structured interview guide to elicit subjective responses from 12 purposefully recruited outpatients. Study participants described various ways through which individuals coped with their illness, including secrecy, avoidance/withdrawal, relaxation techniques, confrontation, ignoring the stigmatizing agent, ingroup comparisons, and engaging in diversion activities. The participants' observations suggest they were unhappy about how society perceived and treated them. To deal with stigma, multifaceted approaches of active engagement with the public, healthcare providers, policymakers, and government are needed to mitigate the phenomenon.