Perceived stigma in functional somatic syndromes and comparable medical conditions

Looper, Karl J.; Kirmayer, Laurence J.

doi:10.1016/j.jpsychores.2004.03.005

« Previous Next »Journal of Psychosomatic Research
Volume 57, Issue 4 , Pages 373-378, October 2004

Perceived stigma in functional somatic syndromes and comparable medical conditions

Department of Psychiatry, Sir Mortimer B. Davis—Jewish General Hospital, 3755 Chemin de la Côte-Ste-Catherine, Montreal, PQ, Canada H3T 1E2

Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Canada

Received 12 August 2003; accepted 23 March 2004.

Abstract

Objective

To determine if patients with functional somatic syndromes (FSS) perceive greater levels of stigma than patients with comparable medical conditions that have a clear medical pathology.

Methods

Patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), fibromyalgia (FM), or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) were compared to multiple sclerosis (MS), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and inflammatory bowel disease (IBS), respectively.

Results

There were greater levels of perceived stigma in the combined group of FSS compared to the medical control group. When each FSS was compared to its matched control group, only CFS had a higher level of perceived stigma. These results remained when controlling for other variables relevant to stigma.

Conclusions

The higher level of perceived stigma in CFS may be due to the ambiguity of its status as a medical condition. The absence of this effect in FM and IBS is consistent with a greater level of acceptance of these disorders as medical illnesses.

Keywords: Chronic fatigue syndrome, Fatigue, Fibromyalgia, Functional somatic syndromes, Irritable bowel syndrome, Stigma