Deinstitutionalization, social rejection, and the self-esteem of former mental patients

Modified labeling theorists have long argued that the stigma of mental illn ess has important consequences for the lives of people with mental illness. We propose that social rejection is an enduring force in the lives of peop le with mental illness and that these experiences are central to understand ing the poor self-concepts described by many former psychiatric patients. W e explore changes in a cohort of recently deinstitutionalized mental patien ts' (N = 88) self-esteem and experiences with social rejection using data f rom a three wave panel survey conducted while institutionalized and over a two-year period following the patients' discharge from a long-term state ho spital. Our results indicate that social rejection is a persistent source o f social stress for the discharged patients. Moreover these experiences inc rease feelings of self-deprecation that, in turn,,weaken their sense of mas tery! Where the patients 'received their follow-up care-whether in a commun ity setting or in another state hospital-had little impact on their self-re lated feelings or on their experiences of social rejection. Our results pro vide further support for modified labeling theory and underscore the Heed t o consider the dynamic relationship between stigmatizing experiences and se lf-related changes.