HOW STIGMA FROM THE PUBLIC AND SIGNIFICANT OTHERS AFFECTS SELF-PERCEPTION IN PEOPLE WITH MENTAL ILLNESS IN HONG KONG: A QUALITATIVE STUDY

This study aims to explore the interrelationship between different types of stigma experienced by people with mental illness. A multiple case studies approach was adopted, and semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with ten Chinese with mental illness in Hong Kong. Thematic analysis of the data revealed that the respondents were stigmatized by the public, their significant others, and themselves. Results suggested that stigma from the public and significant others might have remarkable association with self-stigma among the respondents. Moreover, self-stigma might reinforce the sense of powerlessness and the adoption of negative coping strategies. A self-disruptive vicious cycle of stigma of people with mental illness is proposed and discussed.