When a person is affected by a debilitating disease or condition, it seems as though there is always some type of stigma attached. This is most likely the result of misunderstanding, or perhaps even fear surrounding the illness or affliction.
What is a Stigma?
Historically, a stigma was a word meaning a mark that branded a person—such as a slave—indicating the person was inferior. In the Oxford Dictionary a stigma is a mark of disgrace, linked with a certain person, or circumstance. A common modern-day definition of stigma, according to the journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia is, “a complex social experience, referring to the reaction of others when a person was thought to deviate from normal. A stigma is often described as a process in which a label—such as a diagnosis—links a person to discrediting characteristics associated with that label.” …
