2025 Volume 16 Issue 1 Pages 23-31
Introduction: Stigma remains a significant burden on individuals with bipolar disorder, contributing to reduced quality of life and worsened mental health. This study aimed to identify demographic and clinical factors associated with self-stigma severity in Japanese patients with bipolar disorder.
Methods: A questionnaire survey was conducted on outpatients with bipolar disorder at a university hospital in Kawasaki, Japan. Eligible participants were adults (age ≥20) diagnosed with bipolar I or II disorder based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), who provided written informed consent. Data were collected on participants' demographic, clinical, and social factors, including self-stigma severity.
Results: A total of 127 participants (bipolar I: n = 43, 33.9%; bipolar II: n = 84, 66.1%) with a mean age of 54.2 years (SD = 15.9) and mean illness duration of 20.0 years were included. Logistic regression analysis showed that higher self-stigma severity was significantly associated with lower stigma resistance (OR = 0.007, 95% CI: 0.0008-0.07) and utilization of public support services (OR = 3.04, 95% CI: 1.20-7.67).
Conclusion: Self-stigma and stigma resistance exhibit an inverse relationship. Furthermore, individuals using economic support services experience a dual burden: the distress of their disorder and the added stigma of social vulnerability such as utilization of public support services. Further research is required to explore this association and its implications for psychosocial interventions.
