DOI: 10.36347/sjams.2017.v05i10.017

Pages: 3890-3896

Stigma can be seen as an attitude, located at the individual level, based on ignorance, prejudice and fear of a particular group. It is a societal issue and resolution lies with the population at large, rather than those individuals experiencing symptoms of mental distress. One of the methods for indirect measurement of stigma is by self-esteem. This Cross sectional study was conducted on patients with involuntary movements, categorized on basis of etiology, into involuntary movements due to psychotropic medication and involuntary movements due to neurological disorders. After consent, socio-demographic data was obtained. Semi structured stigma questionnaire was used to assess stigma, Derriford appearance scale, Rosenberg self-esteem, Abnormal involuntary movement scale were administered for all the patients to find out other related factors. The patients with involuntary movements were discriminated, faced criticism, avoided social situations and public places, and with low self-esteem had problems with their appearance. Both Groups faced same amount of stigma. Stigma strongly correlated with severity of involuntary movements