The association of stigma with the incidence of depression in leprosy patients: a systematic review

Introduction: Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium leprae. Leprosy causes not only medical problems but also social problems such as stigma. Depression in leprosy patients is thought to be related to stigma from society and from leprosy sufferers, who find it difficult to accept their disability.

Methods: We conducted this systematic review by gathering articles from the PubMed, ProQuest, and Google Scholar databases.

Results: At the stage of article collection, 1558 articles were obtained from the databases. After screening, the author finally obtained seven articles for review.

Conclusions: Stigma (enacted, perceived and internalized stigma) is associated with the incidence of depression in leprosy patients.