The Perceived Stigma in Patients with Alopecia and Mental Disorder: A Comparative Study

AIM: We aimed to measure the perceived stigma, especially in patients with alopecia areata (AA) and to compare the results with patients with mental disorder (MD). MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study included forty patients with AA who were consecutively recruited from dermatology outpatient clinic and 42 patients with MD who were consecutively recruited from psychiatric outpatient clinic. The presence of a MD was assessed by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder Fourth Edition. All participants were asked to complete the 28 items modified stigmatization questionnaire. RESULTS: Total and all subscale scores of stigmatization questionnaire scale were higher in the group of patients with AA than in the patients with MD. CONCLUSION: AA is a condition that leads to more self-stigmatization than MD.