title: Insight and its relationship with stigma in psychiatric patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The literature on insight has paid insufficient attention to the social experiences that are associated with receiving and endorsing a diagnosis of mental illness. The psychological and behavioral commitments associated with insight extend beyond agreeing with a diagnosis and accepting treatment to include taking on the identity of an individual diagnosed with mental illness. This study sought to examine the relationship between insight and stigma in psychiatric patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional assessment of insight and stigma was done using the system adopted by Kaplan and Sadock in their comprehensive textbook of psychiatry and Felt Stigma Scale in 100 psychiatric patients (40 patients suffering from Bipolar affective disorder, 30 Schizophrenics, 20 Substance dependents and 10 with Obsessive Compulsive disorder).
  
  
  RESULTS
  It was found that the level of stigma felt by patients with insight was significantly higher than that felt by patients without insight.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Though there is a certain extent of stigma present in patients without insight, as is expected, the level of stigma increases as the patients develop insight.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Psychology, Ranchi Institute of Neuro Psychiatry and Allied Sciences (RINPAS), Kanke, Ranchi - 834 006, India.
authors.forename: Deepak K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Mishra
authors.forename: Sarika
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Alreja
authors.forename: K S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Sengar
authors.forename: Amool R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Singh