What Is Stigma?

Some definitions found in dictionaries:

• A strong feeling of disapproval that most people in a society have about something, especially when this is unfair (Cambridge Dictionary)
• A symbol of disgrace and infamy (Vocabulary.com)
• A mark of disgrace associated with a particular circumstance, quality, or person (English Oxford Living Dictionaries)
• A distinguished mark of social disgrace (Collins English Dictionary)
• A feeling that something is wrong or embarrassing in some way (Macmillan Dictionary)
• A mark of shame or discredit: stain (Merriam-Webster)

In Christian tradition, stigma corresponds to marks left on Christ’s body

Stigma has a Greek origin, meaning “mark”, “puncture”. Then, it came from Latin to mean a mark burned into the skin to signify disgrace.

Today, stigma is commonly used figuratively

Examples of stigmatized people (past or actual):

• Divorced women
• Unmarried mothers
• Being or having been to prison
• People having cancers
• People having AIDS*
• Mentally ill

In medicine, stigma is a visible sign or characteristic of a disease

In botany, it is the part of a pistil (flower) that receives the pollen during pollinisation

Stigma against mentally ill people is very common worldwide and it could be more in Lebanon. The consequent negative attitudes and beliefs lead to fear, rejection and discrimination of the person. Stigma is harder to the mentally ill than the disease itself.

Today, a lot of work is being done to remove the stigma around mental health

*Acquired Immuno-Deficiency Syndrome