title: Stigma and psychiatric day care.
abstract: Comparatively little is known about the stigma which attaches to psychiatric day care, as opposed to in-patient care. This study uses grounded theory to analyse the views of 21 clients of a psychiatric day unit. The results suggest that clients have difficulty in interpreting their reasons for continuing to attend the unit, and that these difficulties are connected with a fear of being labelled 'mad'. The issue of stigma management was important to the clients, and some thought that the move to a locally-based service would exacerbate problems by reducing the number of available stigma management strategies.
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003631:Day Care, Medical / Q000523:psychology*; D004992:Ethics, Medical; D005260:Female; D006778:Hospitals, Psychiatric; D006801:Humans; D007258:Informed Consent; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D012934:Social Isolation