%0 Journal Article
%T Low self-esteem and psychiatric patients: Part I ¨C The relationship between low self-esteem and psychiatric diagnosis
%A Peter H Silverstone
%A Mahnaz Salsali
%J Annals of General Psychiatry
%D 2003
%I BioMed Central
%R 10.1186/1475-2832-2-2
%X The present study was carried out on a consecutive sample of 1,190 individuals attending an open-access psychiatric outpatient clinic. There were 957 psychiatric patients, 182 cases with conditions not attributable to a mental disorder, and 51 control subjects. Patients were diagnosed according to DSM III-R diagnostic criteria following detailed assessments. At screening, individuals completed two questionnaires to measure self-esteem, the Rosenberg self-esteem scale and the Janis and Field Social Adequacy scale. Statistical analyses were performed on the scores of the two self-esteem scales.The results of the present study demonstrate that all psychiatric patients suffer some degree of lowered self-esteem. Furthermore, the degree to which self-esteem was lowered differed among various diagnostic groups. Self-esteem was lowest in patients with major depressive disorder, eating disorders, and substance abuse. Also, there is evidence of cumulative effects of psychiatric disorders on self-esteem. Patients who had comorbid diagnoses, particularly when one of the diagnoses was depressive disorders, tended to show lower self-esteem.Based on both the previous literature, and the results from the current study, we propose that there is a vicious cycle between low self-esteem and onset of psychiatric disorders. Thus, low self-esteem increases the susceptibility for development of psychiatric disorders, and the presence of a psychiatric disorder, in turn, lowers self-esteem. Our findings suggest that this effect is more pronounced with certain psychiatric disorders, such as major depression and eating disorders.Self-esteem is an important component of psychological health. Much previous research indicates that lowered self-esteem frequently accompanies psychiatric disorders [1-5]. It has been suggested that low self-esteem is an etiological factor in many psychiatric conditions as well as in suicidal individuals [6]. Self-esteem also plays some role in quality of life for psy
%K Self-esteem
%K Psychiatric disorders
%U http://www.annals-general-psychiatry.com/content/2/1/2