Self-stigma of antidepressant users through secondary analysis of PhotoVoice data

INTRODUCTION: Aspects of self-stigma and medication-related stigma among individuals with depressive disorders remain largely unexplored. The primary objective of this study is to highlight and characterize self-stigma and medication-related stigma experiences of antidepressant users. METHODS: This is a secondary analysis of data obtained from PhotoVoice studies examining psychotropic medication experiences. Transcripts of reflections from 12 individuals self-reporting a depressive disorder diagnosis and receipt of a prescription for an antidepressant were included. A directed content analysis approach based on expansion of the Self-Stigma of Depression Scale and an iterative process of identification of medication-stigma and stigma-resistance were used. Total mentions of self-stigma, stigma resistance, medication stigma, and underlying themes were tallied and evaluated. RESULTS: Self-stigma was mentioned a total of 100 times with at least 2 mentions per participant. Self-blame was the most prominent construct of self-stigma and was mentioned nearly twice as often as any other self-stigma construct. Most participants also made mentions of self-stigma resistance. Half of the individual participants mentioned stigma resistance more times than they mentioned self-stigma, which suggests some surmounting of self-stigma. Medication-related stigma was also prominent, denoting negativity about the presence of medications in one's life. DISCUSSION: Self-stigma related to self-blame may be problematic for antidepressant users. Identification and measurement of stigma resistance, especially in peer interactions, may represent a promising concept in overcoming self-stigma. Future work should explore emphasizing self-blame aspects when designing interventions to reduce self-stigma among individuals with depressive disorders and explore development of tools to measure stigma resistance.