COMpassion for Psychiatric Disorders And Self-Stigma
People with mental disorders face frequent stigmatizing attitudes and behaviors from others . In response to this, they tend to isolate themselves, with the risk of impeding care and the process of recovery and integration into society . Stigmatization can also be assimilated by patients themselves - i.e. self-stigma. Self-stigma is involved in diminished coping skills that lead to social avoidance and difficulties in adhering to care . Reducing self-stigma and its emotional corollary, shame, is thus crucial to…
Conditions studied
Bipolar Disorder, Schizophrenia, Depression, Borderline Personality Disorder, Autism Spectrum Disorder
About this study
People with mental disorders face frequent stigmatizing attitudes and behaviors from others . In response to this, they tend to isolate themselves, with the risk of impeding care and the process of recovery and integration into society . Stigmatization can also be assimilated by patients themselves - i.e. self-stigma. Self-stigma is involved in diminished coping skills that lead to social avoidance and difficulties in adhering to care . Reducing self-stigma and its emotional corollary, shame, is thus crucial to attenuate the disability associated with mental illness. Shame is inherent to self-stigma and leads to difficulties in adhering to care as well as greater severity of clinical presentations . Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) is a third wave cognitive behavioral therapy that targets shame reduction and hostile self-to-self relationship and allows for symptom improvement while increasing self-compassion, a major resilience factor . Although shame is a prominent part of the concept of self-stigma, the efficacy of CFT has never been evaluated in individuals with high levels of self-stigma. In this study, the investigators will evaluate the efficacy and acceptability of a group based CFT program on decreasing self-stigma, compared to treatment as usual (TAU) and a psychoeducation program whose efficacy has been assessed in a previous trial.
Interventions
- Behavioral: Compassion Focused Therapy — CFT is an experiential therapy. As such, in addition to psychoeducation components (e.g.: compassion from an evolutionary and neuroscientific perspective, the tricky brain problem, emotion regulation systems) and explicit learning of emotion regulation skills (in particular, shame), experiential exercises are provided in-sessions (e.g. : chair work, role plays, guided mental imagery, …) and between sessions practices will be provided with video guides, made available for the participants online (e.g. : soothing rhythm breathing, safe place imagery, compassionate self-imagery, …). The overall aim of the CFT program is to help participants shift from a hostile and critical self-to-self relationship to a more compassionate relationship to self.
- Behavioral: Ending Self Stigma — Psychoeducation sessions cover topics such as the path from public stigma to self-stigma and modifying self-stigmatizing thoughts. Participants will be encouraged to do home practices (e.g. writing about the pros and cons of self-stigmatizing thoughts) between sessions. The overall aim of the ESS program is to help participants address self-stigma with concrete tools to increase their self-esteem and achieve their goals
Primary outcomes
- Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness inventory (ISMI) (Day 0)
- Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness inventory (ISMI) (Month 1)
- Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness inventory (ISMI) (Month 2)
- Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness inventory (ISMI) (Month 3)
Eligibility information
Study locations
- Pôle de Psychiatrie Adulte, Hôpital Charles Perrens, Bordeaux, 33076 France
- Ch Le Vinatier, Bron, 69678 France
- CHU de Clermont-Ferrand, Hôpital Gabriel Montpied, Service de Psychiatrie B, Clermont-Ferrand, 63003 France
- Pôle Hospitalo-Universitaire de Psychiatrie d'adultes et d'addictologie du Grand Nancy, Centre Psychothérapique de Nancy, Laxou, 54520 France
- CHU de Montpellier, Psychiatrie d'adultes, Hôpital la Colombière, Montpellier, 34295 France
- Etablissement Public de Santé Mentale (EPSM) de la Marne, Site Pierre-Briquet, Unité de réhabilitation psychosociale, Reims, 51100 France
- Service de Psychiatrie, Hôpital Civil, Hôpitaux Universitaires de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, 67091 France
Source: ClinicalTrials.gov. Record last refreshed by Varda Clinical: 2026-09-27.