Paper short abstract:

It is crucial to understand and analyze the extent and effects of stigmatization through varied perspectives. In this qualitative study, I conducted semi-structered in depth interviews with mental health professionals in Turkey to understand how mental health is stigmatized in contemporary Turkey.

Paper long abstract:

Stigma is an important barrier to health seeking behavior for mental health disorders. Therefore, it is crucial to understand and analyze the extent and the effects of stigmatization. The Republic of Turkey acknowledged this issue in 2006 and there have been efforts to tackle this issue from various institutions. In this study, my goal is to explore how mental health is stigmatized in contemporary Turkey through the perspective of mental healthcare professionals. To achieve this goal, I conducted semi-structured in-depth interviews with mental healthcare professionals consisting of 6 psychiatry specialists and postgraduate medical doctors in training. Results have shown that stigmatization is still prevalent in Turkey and the efforts to tackle the issue have not been effective. In the context of Turkey, there is a close relation between mental health stigma and somatic symptom presentation in clinics. Professionals can act as stigmatizers in certain situations and patient fear towards institutional stigma is a prevalent topic in clinical care. Even though the topic of stigmatization has been studied extensively, few studies have been done focusing on the perspectives and the experiences of professionals.