Abstract:

Today, individuals with schizophrenia in the category of mental disorders are the ones that are most exposed to stigmatization. Pleasing results are obtained in the treatment day by day. However, pharmacological treatment alone is not enough. In addition to medical treatments, psychosocial treatments are also needed to ensure that patients achieve a complete well-being and regain their pre-disease quality of life. In this study, it was aimed to examine the quality of life of schizophrenic patients followed-up by Community Mental Health Center (CMHC) according to their stigma levels and to gain information about their current situation. Our study is important in terms of the adoption and development of new approaches besides pharmacological treatment. Having information about the current state of the patients will shed light on suggestions for solutions that can be developed. Accordingly, 105 schizophrenia diagnosed patients who agreed to be applied a scale and are able to be communicated, followed-up by Esenyurt CMHC between December 2017 – February 2018, were included in our study. In addition to the socio-demographic data sheet, "World Health Organization Quality of Life Scale-Short Form" and "Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness Scale (ISMI)" were applied to the participants of our study. Data was analyzed and interpreted using t-Test, ANOVA and regression analysis techniques with the help of SPSS. When findings in our study were compared with stigma and quality of life hypothesis tests, it was revealed that as the level of internalized stigma in schizophrenia patients increased, their quality of life, overall health status, physical health status, mental health status, social relations status and social circle decreased, which is in line with the literature. With these results, it may be suggested that patients with schizophrenia should be assessed from a social service point of view, which aims at ensuring that every person lives a dignified life, and the number of CMHCs fighting with the stigma can be increased. In addition to medical treatment, patients can also be supported by psychosocial approaches to improve their current quality of life.

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