"My bitterness is deeper than the ocean": understanding internalized stigma from the perspectives of persons with schizophrenia and their family caregivers.

Family plays a central role in caring for persons with mental illness in China. Given the increasingly community-based nature of mental health services delivery, understanding internalized stigma as a family unit is important to guide the development of cultural-informed treatments. This pilot study provides a method that can be used to collect data that take into consideration the cultural nuances of Chinese societies.