Labeled: The Stigmatization of Schizophrenia

Abstract

Research has not reached a consensus on how having knowledge and information of schizophrenia affects stigmatization. But, there is a consensus that being diagnosed with schizophrenia creates stigmatization. The current study focused on how providing specific information about a schizophrenia diagnosis affects stigmatization. I predicted that the groups that received information about a diagnosis would exhibit more stigmatization than those who did not. Results revealed that the experimental groups did show more stigmatization than the control group. Interestingly, those labeled as having recovered from schizophrenia were less stigmatized than the other labels. Future research should continue to investigate what part of the label fosters stigmatization.