The British Journal of Psychiatry (2007) 190: 535-536. doi: 10.1192/bjp.bp.105.020826
© 2007 The Royal College of Psychiatrists
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SHORT REPORTS

Perceived stigma and depression among caregivers of patients with bipolar disorder

DEBORAH A. PERLICK, PhD

Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut

DAVID J. MIKLOWITZ, PhD

Department of Psychology, University of Colorado at Boulder, Colorado

BRUCE G. LINK, PhD and ELMER STRUENING, PhD

Mailman School of Public Health of Columbia University, New York

RICHARD KACZYNSKI, PhD

Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut

JODI GONZALEZ, PhD

Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas, San Antonio, Texas

LAUREN N. MANNING, BA

Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts

NANCY WOLFF, PhD

School of Planning and Public Policy, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey

ROBERT A. ROSENHECK, MD

Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA

Correspondence: Correspondence: Dr D. A. Perlick, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, One Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY10029, USA. Tel: +1 718 584 9000, ext. 5231; fax: +1 718 364 3576; email: deborah.perlick{at}mssm.edu

Declaration of interest None. This study was supported by grants MH-65015 and NIMH-8001 from the National Institute of Mental Health.

This study investigates the associations between perceived stigma, depressive symptoms and coping among caregivers of people with bipolar disorder. Caregivers of 500 people with DSM–IV bipolar disorder responded to measures of these constructs at study entry. Patients’ clinical and functional status were evaluated within 30 days of the caregiver assessment. Perceived stigma was positively associated with caregiver depressive symptoms, controlling for patient status and socio-demographic factors. Social support and avoidance coping accounted for 63% of the relationship between caregiver stigma and depression. Results suggest that caregivers’ perceptions of stigma may negatively affect their mental health by reducing their coping effectiveness.




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