Psychiatric stigma in patients with comorbid hiv infection

INTRODUCTION: HIV-positive patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders experience burden of double stigma. Comorbid pathology may alter structure of stigma and shall be considered in development of individual destigmatization programs. OBJECTIVES: Study of psychiatric stigma features in HIV-positive and HIV-negative patients with schizophrenic disorders. METHODS: ISMI (Ritsher et al., 2003), PDD (Link et al., 1991) – to study stigma in 70 patients divided into three groups with respect to their diagnosis (I — F20.x, II — F21.x, III— F2x+HIV); BPRS (Overall & Gorham, 1962) – to assess psychiatric status, RSAS (Eckblad et al., 1982) – to assess anhedonia. Dispersion analysis (Kruskal and Mann–Whitney tests), Spearman and Pearson correlation were used. RESULTS: Patients with comorbid HIV-infection showed increased level of perceived stigma, although they resisted the stigma internalization better than others did (Table 1). [Figure: see text] Patients with schizotypal disorders and patients at early stages of HIV infection experienced the most alienation and frailty to internalization of stigma (Tables 1, 2). [Figure: see text] Correlation relationship between social anhedonia and perceived stigma (r=0.5, p<0.05) observed in patients with HIV infection. CONCLUSIONS: Comorbid HIV infection in psychiatric patients contributes to the psychiatric stigma structure. Differentiated approaches in rehabilitation of HIV-positive mental patients should be used.