STIGMA OF MENTAL ILLNESS: COMPARISON OF PATIENTS' AND STUDENTS' ATTITUDES IN SLOVENIA

Background It is known that the consequences of stigmatization towards people with severe mental illness reflect themselves in a lack of self-esteem and consequently in low level of initiatives to improve one's status in the community. The burden of stigma may cause denial of participation in the stigmatized group. So far, there were few studies to compare the mentally ill patients' perception of the "other" mentally ill with the perception of future professionals in mental health services. Methods We have compared stigmatizing attitudes of students with attitudes of patients with severe mental illness. Results The patients expressed higher stigmatization scores towards people with severe mental illness than the students. Conclusions Negative attitudes of patients with severe mental illness towards their own group present a serious problem. Actions are needed to improve their identification and reduce the perceived need for exclusion from their group.