Research Article
Stigma and Discrimination in People Suffering with a Mood Disorder: A Cross-Sectional Study
Table 1
Social characteristics of participants
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| | Characteristic | Bipolar disorder % (N) | Depression % (N) | Total % (N) |
| | Gender | | | | | Male | 41.7% (35) | 33.3% (35) | 37.0% (70) | | Female | 58.3% (49) | 66.7% (70) | 63.0% (119) |
| | Age group | | | | | 20–29 | 8.4% (7) | 10.7% (11) | 9.7% (18) | | 30–39 | 15.7% (13) | 15.5% (16) | 15.6% (29) | | 40–49 | 33.7% (28) | 35.0% (36) | 34.4% (64) | | 50–59 | 37.3% (31) | 30.1% (31) | 33.3% (62) | | 60–70 | 4.8% (4) | 8.7% (9) | 7.0% (13) |
| | Highest education | | | | | Public school or less | 2.4% (2) | 2.9% (3) | 2.6% (5) | | High school | 29.8% (25) | 24.8% (26) | 27.0% (51) | | College or technical training | 39.3% (33) | 37.1% (39) | 38.1% (72) | | University | 28.6% (24) | 35.2% (37) | 32.3% (61) |
| | Employment status | | | | | Employed | 27.4% (23) | 36.2% (38) | 32.3% (61) | | Not employed | 72.6% (61) | 63.8% (67) | 67.7% (128) |
| | Marital status | | | | | Single | 56.0% (47) | 47.6% (50) | 51.3% (97) | | Married/common law | 44.0% (37) | 52.4% (55) | 48.7% (92) |
| | Living situation | | | | | Alone | 33.3% (28) | 25.7% (27) | 29.1% (55) | | Spouse/partner | 44.0% (37) | 50.5% (53) | 47.6% (90) | | Parents | 6.0% (5) | 9.5% (10) | 7.9% (15) | | Other | 16.7% (14) | 14.3% (15) | 15.3% (29) |
| | Mental health now compared to a year ago | | | | | Better | 52.4% (44) | 34.3% (36) | 42.3% (80) | | About the same | 23.8% (20) | 30.5% (32) | 27.5% (52) | | Worse | 23.8% (20) | 35.2% (37) | 30.2% (57) |
| | Age that symptoms were first noticed | | | | | 10 or under | 8.2% (7) | 6.0% (6) | 7.0% (13) | | 11–19 | 41.2% (35) | 38.0% (38) | 39.5% (73) | | 20–29 | 20.0% (17) | 21.0% (21) | 20.5% (38) | | 30–39 | 21.2% (18) | 22.0% (22) | 21.6% (40) | | 40+ | 9.4% (8) | 13.0% (13) | 11.4% (21) |
| | Number of years ill (as of survey completion) | | | | | 10 or less | 22.9% (19) | 30.6% (30) | 27.1% (49) | | 11–19 | 22.9% (19) | 21.4% (21) | 22.1% (40) | | 20–29 | 18.1% (15) | 22.4% (22) | 20.4% (37) | | 30–39 | 22.9% (19) | 19.4% (19) | 21.0% (38) | | 40–51 | 13.3% (11) | 6.1% (6) | 9.4% (17) |
| | Age at first treatment | | | | | 2–19 | 22.5% (18) | 16.8% (16) | 19.4% (34) | | 20–29 | 25.0% (20) | 30.5% (29) | 28.0% (49) | | 30–39 | 30.0% (24) | 28.4% (27) | 29.1% (51) | | 40+ | 22.5% (18) | 24.2% (23) | 23.4% (41) |
| | Number of years between symptoms and first treatment | | | | | Under 1 year | 38.8% (31) | 39.6% (36) | 39.2% (67) | | 1-2 years | 11.3% (9) | 9.9% (9) | 10.5% (18) | | 3–5 years | 16.3% (13) | 14.3% (13) | 15.2% (26) | | 6–10 years | 10.0% (8) | 8.8% (8) | 9.4% (16) | | 10+ years | 23.8% (19) | 27.5% (25) | 25.7% (44) |
| | Have come to accept diagnosis | | | | | No | 17.6% (15) | 14.6% (15) | 16.0% (30) | | Yes | 82.4% (70) | 85.4% (88) | 84.0% (158) |
| | Years between treatment initiation and diagnosis acceptance | | | | | Not accepted | 19.2% (15) | 18.1% (15) | 18.6% (30) | | Less than 1 year | 23.1% (18) | 26.5% (22) | 24.8% (40) | | 1–5 | 25.6% (20) | 24.1% (20) | 24.8% (40) | | 6–10 | 11.5% (9) | 15.7% (13) | 13.7% (22) | | 11–15 | 7.7% (6) | 7.2% (6) | 7.5% (12) | | 16–20 | 5.1% (4) | 4.8% (4) | 5.0% (8) | | 21–25 | 7.7% (6) | 3.6% (3) | 5.6% (9) |
| | Ever hospitalized for a mental illness or suicide attempt | | | | | Yes | 65.9% (56) | 53.8% (56) | 59.3% (112) | | No | 34.1% (29) | 46.2% (48) | 40.7% (77) | | Unknown/missing | (0) | (1) | (1) |
| | Ever hospitalized in a provincial psychiatric institution | | | | | Yes | 55.4% (31) | 52.7% (29) | 54.1% (60) | | No | 44.6% (25) | 47.3% (26) | 45.9% (51) | | Unknown/missing | (29) | (50) | (79) |
| | Ever hospitalized in a general hospital psychiatric unit | | | | | Yes | 78.6% (44) | 67.3% (37) | 73.0% (81) | | No | 21.4% (12) | 32.7% (18) | 27.0% (30) | | Unknown | (29) | (50) | (79) |
| | Ever committed under provincial mental health legislation | | | | | Yes | 38.2% (21) | 11.1% (6) | 24.8% (27) | | No | 61.8% (34) | 88.9% (48) | 75.2% (82) | | Unknown/missing | (30) | (51) | (81) |
| | Ever remanded to a forensic unit under federal legislation | | | | | Yes | 4.9% (2) | 0.0% (0) | 2.7% (2) | | No | 95.1% (39) | 100.0% (33) | 97.3% (72) | | Unknown/missing | (44) | (72) | (116) |
| | Hospitalized as a voluntary patient in the last year | | | | | Yes | 30.9% (17) | 40.0% (22) | 35.5% (39) | | No | 69.1% (38) | 60.0% (33) | 64.5% (71) | | Unknown/missing | (30) | (50) | (80) |
| | Hospitalized as an involuntary patient in the last year | | | | | Yes | 3.6% (2) | 3.6% (2) | 3.6% (4) | | No | 69.1% (38) | 60.0% (33) | 64.5% (71) | | Unknown/missing | (30) | (50) | (80) |
| | Use of outpatient community mental health program in the last year | | | | | Yes | 64.7% (55) | 68.3% (71) | 66.7% (126) | | No | 35.3% (30) | 31.7% (33) | 33.3% (63) | | Unknown/Missing | (0) | (1) | (1) |
| | Frequency of outpatient treatment () | | | | | Weekly | 46.3% (25) | 41.4% (29) | 43.5% (54) | | 2-3 times per month | 9.3% (5) | 24.3% (17) | 17.7% (22) | | Monthly | 22.2% (12) | 21.4% (15) | 21.8% (27) | | Every 2-3 months | 14.8% (8) | 10.0% (7) | 12.1% (15) | | 1-2 per year | 7.4% (4) | 1.9% (2) | 4.8% (6) |
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*Missing data for some items will mean that frequencies may not total.
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