Public beliefs and attitudes towards bipolar disorder and the effect of renaming conditions on stigma

This thesis is presented in three parts. The overall aim was to explore public beliefs about and attitudes towards bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder is one of the few disorders to have undergone a name change in the last 30 years, and there are current proposals for schizophrenia to also be renamed to help reduce stigma. The second aim was therefore to explore the effect of renaming disorders on stigma. Part one presents a systematic review of literature pertaining to public beliefs and attitudes towards bipolar disorder, and internalised stigma in people with this diagnosis, their families and carers. In comparison to research on other mental health problems, there is a dearth of literature exploring stigma in bipolar disorder. There were inconsistent findings and the literature was largely inconclusive, although a moderate to high degree of internalised stigma was identified. Part two is an empirical paper which investigates public beliefs and attitudes toward bipolar disorder and how they compare to schizophrenia, and the effect of presenting different diagnostic labels on stigma. Causal beliefs, beliefs about prognosis, emotional reactions, stereotypes and desire for social distance were explored in relation to bipolar disorder, and in response to different diagnostic labels. Findings are discussed in relation to the evidence base, clinical and scientific implications, and directions for future research. Part three is a critical appraisal of the research undertaken in this thesis and of the measurement of stigma more generally. It explores conceptual and methodological issues, and concludes with a discussion of the role of clinical psychology in stigma reduction.