STIGMA TYPES | Dr. Funke B.A.

The topic of this week's post is stigma. We've already said that a stigma is a personal or social mark that is meant to make a person or group look bad. We'll talk about the most common kinds of stigma this week. There are many different kinds of stigma. So, let's take a look at the five most common types of stigma.

Self-stigma is when a person's problems cause them to think things about themselves that aren't true or helpful. No matter how other people treat them, a person can give themselves a bad name. This is also called "internalising shame."

Numerous factors, including not seeking treatment, feeling helpless, having less confidence in oneself, and having a lower quality of life, have been linked to self-stigma. "I don't belong here" and "I don't deserve it" are examples of self-stigma.

 Social stigma is the strong dislike of a person based on social traits that make them seem different from other people. This is an unhelpful way of thinking about people who are sick, poor, disabled, or have anything else that makes them different.  Usually, it is based on wrong ideas, fear, and personal preferences.

When someone close to a person who is being stigmatised feels the effects of the stigma, this is called stigma by association. Associative stigma happens when a person is not allowed to talk to certain people because he or she is part of a certain group of people. It happens when people think less of you because you hang out with a stigmatised person or group.

This type of stigma happens when people who work in health care have negative feelings about their patients. These feelings are often based on fear or a lack of understanding about the causes and symptoms of their illnesses.  When someone treats you in a negative way because of a mental health problem this is discrimination.

 This happens when institutions or other parts of society make it harder for people with certain problems to get the things they need. Structural stigma is any rule that keeps people from applying for jobs because they belong to a certain group, for example, a disability, a person's race, or their sexual orientation.

The experience of being stigmatised in a variety of ways frequently results in feelings of helplessness and shame.

It is important to understand the different types of stigma in order to be able to recognize and address them appropriately