Are attitudes, mental health literacy and clinical characteristics predischarge related to perceived stigma reported by adolescents discharged from inpatient psychiatry?

Psychiatric illness and stigma are serious global concerns. Adolescents with psychiatric illness represent a vulnerable group. The purpose for this study was to explore the associations of attitudes toward people with mental illness, mental health literacy and clinical characteristics captured while adolescent patients were hospitalized with the patients’ perceived stigma encountered post-discharge. Psychiatrist-reported less improvement in functioning was associated with perceived personal rejection, and patient-reported severity of symptoms was associated with perceived secrecy. Inpatients who do not display good improvement in functioning while in hospital may benefit from specialized intervention such as cognitive behavioural therapy during and after their hospital stay.