LOW SELF-ESTEEM IN DIFFERENT PSYCHIATRIC CONDITIONS

This study measured the self‐esteem of 141 psychiatric out‐patients with a variety of DSM‐III‐R diagnoses. The results showed that there were wide variations in the level of self‐esteem between different diagnostic groups. The patients with depression had lower self‐esteem than most of the other patient groups except those with personality disorders. The groups whose self‐esteem was highest were those with anxiety disorders. Nonetheless, all patient groups scored more than normal populations in previous studies, suggesting that low self‐esteem may be involved in a wide range of psychiatric conditions. 1991 The British Psychological Society