Patienters upplevelser av stigmatisering vid psykisk sjukdom : En litteraturöversikt

Sammanfattning: Background: Studies have shown that patients suffering from mental illness often feel that they are less well treated in health care than patients who do not suffer from a mental illness. What causes this is that patients with mental illness often become subject to stigmatization in healthcare in general. Aim: The aim of this study was to illuminate the experience of stigmatization in the healthcare encounter between nursing staff and patients with a mental illness. Method: Six qualitative and one quantitative article were analyzed to create a literature review. Results: Through the analysis two main-themes and seven sub-themes were identified. The two main-themes were: The feeling of powerlessness and The feeling of deviating. The seven sub-themes were: Not to be taken seriously, Not to be considered to have a real illness, Being malpracticed, Getting a worse response, To live with the fear of being labeled, To be identified with the diagnosis and To repress symptoms. Conclusions: Patients find that they are not taken seriously regarding their mental or physical problems and that they do not receive care on the same terms as patients without a psychiatric diagnosis. Healthcare professionals need better knowledge about experiences of stigmatization, in order to establish a better relationship between patient and nursing staff and to strengthen the patients' self-esteem.