European Journal of Cardiovascular Medicine

Background: Bipolar disorder is the sixth leading cause of disability worldwide, affects about 60 million people worldwide3 and has a lifetime prevalence of about 1-3% in the general population worldwide. Objective: To assess the level of perceived Stigma, Self-esteem and Quality of Life in euthymic patients of Bipolar Affective Disorder. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among all euthymic patients of Bipolar Affective Disorder, attending Psychiatry services in the Department of Psychiatry, Tertiary care center of a General Hospital. Results: Bipolar Affective Disorder patients have significantly higher stigma associated with illness even when they are euthymic. Their self-esteem is significantly lower even when they are not symptomatic and it is significantly associated with number of relapses. Their quality of life is also significantly lower than healthy population across all domains specially social relation and psychological heath domain. High level of Stigma and lower Self-esteem significantly affect the Quality of Life in patients of Bipolar Affective Disorder and can predict change in it, though stigma and self-esteem show significant association but they do not seem to be predictive of each other’s severity. Conclusions: This study is a small step in demonstrating that Bipolar Disorder patients, even when they are in a euthymic period, experience lower Quality of Life, have lower Self-esteem and experience higher internalized Stigma associated with illness.