The word “stigma” is derived from a Greek word referring to a mark on the body. Indeed, people who are stigmatized are socially marked as different and deviant from the norm. This deviance from the norm is threatening to the majority group, causing them to view the person who is different as “tainted” and “discounted”. There is a judgment in stigmatization that happens so quickly that it’s often not conscious, an implicit belief that the person with the difference is an offender who should be excluded from society.[1].
Stigma differs from discrimination. Discrimination is unfair treatment due to a person’s identity, which includes race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin, citizenship, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital status, family status or disability, including mental disorder. Acts of discrimination can be overt or take the form of systemic or covert discrimination. Under the Ontario Human Rights Code, every person has a right to equal treatment with respect to services, goods and facilities, without discrimination.
Chronic conditions, also known as long-term health conditions, are non-communicable. They exist worldwide, and include both mental and physical conditions. Chronic diseases span cardiovascular, metabolic, respiratory, musculoskeletal, neurological, mental health, and autoimmune categories, and represent the leading causes of long‑term disability and death worldwide.
[1] JD Katie Willard Virant MSW, LCSW, “Chronic Illness and Stigma,” (2021).
Chronic illnesses are a growing concern internationally. Although global morbidity rates for most chronic illnesses are unavailable, global mortality rates suggest that a substantial number of adults are suffering from chronic illnesses (World Health Organization, 2010). In 2008, an estimated 63 percent of deaths were attributable to chronic illnesses. This number is expected to grow by 15 percent by 2020.
Dual, multiple, or intersectional discrimination arises when an individual is subjected to bias based on more than one characteristic concurrently. For instance, a person may encounter prejudice not solely on the basis of gender but also due to race, disability, age, religion, or sexual orientation. In contrast to single-axis discrimination, this framework recognizes the complexity of identity and the compounding impact of prejudice when multiple attributes intersect such as gender, ethnicity and diabetes or another chronic long-term condition. There is increasing evidence that diabetes stigma has negative impacts on behavioural and psychological outcomes among people with Type 2 Diabetes. However, research has focused largely on Caucasian and certain Asian groups.[1]
This book examines stigma and discrimination suffered by diabetics and includes references to all non-communicable chronic condition sufferers.
[1] Hamzah Alzubaidi, Kevin Mc Namara, Catarina Samorinha, Vincent Versace, Ward Saidawi, and Jane Speight, “Impact of Diabetes Stigma in Diabetes Distress and Diabetes Self‐Care: The Moderating Role of Diabetes Social Support and General Self‐Esteem in Arabic‐Speaking Adults with Type 2 Diabetes,” Diabetic medicine 40, no. 8 (2023).
