The Effect of the Type of Mental Disorder on Mental Health Stigma

Mental health stigma is an important topic as it has an influence on the care clients receive, as well as resources allocated by society. Previous research has primarily investigated the topic of stigma associated with schizophrenia and various factors that may influence the endorsement of stigmatizing beliefs. Few studies have investigated whether the type of mental disorder has an influence on the level of stigma. The current study evaluated the difference in the level of stereotypes endorsed across three conditions: schizophrenia, major depressive disorder, and a typical person. Additionally, this study evaluated the reliability of using a global stereotype score obtained from summing the responses of the Attribution Questionnaire (AQ-27). The results of this study showed that there is a significant difference in the level of global stereotype scores across the three conditions and that a global stereotype score from the AQ-27 is reliable