People with mental illness (except those with only substance-related diagnoses) Mental and Behavioural Disorders Mental disorder, not otherwise specified
Conditions
Interventions
1. Control group
2. Intervention group: The group program is about disclosure ('coming out') versus secrecy of one's mental illness. The groups are facilitated by peers (people with mental illness).
Sponsors
Psychiatric University Hospital Zürich (Switzerland)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Inclusion criteria
Inclusion criteria: 1. At least one self-reported current axis I or axis II disorder according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) (American Psychiatric Association, 1994), which is not restricted to only substance-related disorder(s) 2. Age 18 or above, male and female 3. Ability to provide written informed consent 4. Fluent in German (for self-report measures) 5. At least a moderate level of self-reported disclosure-related distress/difficulty (score 4 or higher on the screening item 'In general, how distressed or worried are you in terms of secrecy or disclosure of your mental illness to others?', rated from 1, not at all, to 7, very much)
Exclusion criteria
Exclusion criteria: 1. Self-reported diagnosis of only a substance- or alcohol-related disorder, without non-substance related current psychiatric comorbidity. We will exclude people who only have a substance-/alcohol-related disorder because the disclosure of these disorders is not the topic of this intervention. 2. Intellectual disability 3. Dementia or other organic disorder 4. Current psychiatric inpatient treatment
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Change of total ISMI (Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness Inventory) score between t0 and t1 in the treatment group as compared to the control group | — |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| We expect positive variables (such as quality of life, self-esteem) to increase due to the intervention; and negative outcomes (such as self-stigma) to decrease. Positive: 1. Empowerment Scale, 28 items (Rogers et al., 1997) 2. Recovery Assessment Scale, 24-item short version (Corrigan et al., 1999) 3. Subjective Quality of Life, 12 items (Kaiser et al., 1999) 4. Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, 10 items (Rosenberg, 1965) 5. Disclosure-related self-efficacy, 1 item ('How confident are you to decide and handle well all the issues related to disclosing your mental illness or to keeping it secret?'; from 1, not at all, to 7, very much) 6. Benefits of being out, assessed by the Coming Out with Mental Illness Scale, 22 items (Corrigan et al., 2010) 7. Authenticity Scale, 12 items (Wood et al., 2008) Negative: 1. Self-Stigma in Mental Illness Scale, 20-item brief version (Corrigan et al., 2012) 2. Shame about having a mental illness, 1 item ('Do you feel ashamed about having a mental illness?'; from 1, not at all, to 7, very much) 3. Social withdrawal and secrecy, 17 items (Link et al., 2002) 4. Cognitive appraisal of stigma as a stressor, 8 items (Rüsch et al., 2009b;Rüsch et al., 2009a) 5. Barriers to Care Evaluation Scale, 30 items (Clement et al., 2012) 6. Attitudes to Disclosure Questionnaire, 28 items (Rüsch & Corrigan, unpublished) Measured at baseline (t0), three weeks after baseline (t1) and six weeks after baseline (t2) | — |
Countries
Switzerland
Outcome results
None listed