Volume 6 Issue 8 August, 2016
Stigma within Us
Is there anybody who is happy to be ill or not worried at all on learning that he is ill? Ranging from
emotional and social reactions to being ill, variations occur in inflammatory markers like CRP, kinins, IL-6,
neurosteroids and even the hippocampal structures, indicating biological changes. These can occur in
response to stress, in all types of illnesses, and especially in chronic disorders. That all illnesses have a
psychological angle is well known, and they deserve some interest in the psychiatric perspective. Whether this
progresses to a diagnosable mental disorder or not, the involvement of the mind is most often ignored, not
because of ignorance but because of the stigma that these disorders evoke. This is unfortunately happening
in the well learned and highly intellectual members of our own fraternity. Well, it would be useful if we could
pose ourselves one single question. How many of us are ready to get ourselves or our close relatives treated
for even mild mental disorders, even after it has been diagnosed and we are aware that it can be treated. As
doctors, if we bear stigma deep in our minds and are unable to step out of this zone, we would definitely not
be able to address the issue of stigma in the patient’s relatives, making our treatment efforts rather incomplete.
Working on stigma is essential to make true WHO’s definition of Health, with each of us contributing in our own
little way.
BMCH&RC, Chitradurga (Karnataka
