The Perceived Stigma in Patients with Alopecia and Mental Disorder: A Comparative Study.
OBJECTIVE
We aimed to measure the perceived stigma, especially in patients with alopecia areata (AA) and to compare the results with patients with mental disorder (MD).


METHODS
This study included forty patients with AA who were consecutively recruited from dermatology outpatient clinic and 42 patients with MD who were consecutively recruited from psychiatric outpatient clinic. The presence of a MD was assessed by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder Fourth Edition. All participants were asked to complete the 28 items modified stigmatization questionnaire.


RESULTS
Total and all subscale scores of stigmatization questionnaire scale were higher in the group of patients with AA than in the patients with MD.


CONCLUSIONS
AA is a condition that leads to more self-stigmatization than MD.
Department of Dermatology, Afyon Kocatepe University, Afyonkarahisar, Turkey.
Seval Dogruk
SD
Kacar
Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Dumlupinar University, Kutahya, Turkey.
Ethem
E
Soyucok
Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Afyon Kocatepe University, Afyonkarahisar, Turkey.
Erman
E
Bagcioglu
Department of Dermatology, Afyon Kocatepe University, Afyonkarahisar, Turkey.
Pınar
P
Ozuguz
Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Afyon Kocatepe University, Afyonkarahisar, Turkey.
Kerem Senol
KS
Coskun
Department of Psychiatry, Afyon State Hospital, Afyonkarahisar, Turkey.
Ahmet Hakki
AH
Asık
Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Afyon Kocatepe University, Afyonkarahisar, Turkey.
Hasan
H
Mayda
Alopecia areata; mental disorder; perceived stigma