Stigma and Alzheimer’s disease

Abstract

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a brain ailment that contains psychiatric and cognitive abnormalities. Stigma is the use of unwanted labels to categorize a person with a disability or illness. Stigma about AD exists. Three types of stigma affect persons with AD dementia; public stigma, self-stigma and spillover stigma. Stigma is often a major cause of distress to family members and care partners. Both persons with AD and their family members are influenced by disinhibition and challenging social behaviours caused by AD. Younger age, higher education, and familiarity with a person with AD were linked to lower levels of stigmatizing approaches. The National Alzheimer's Association Early Stage Advisory Group in US provided advice to persons with dementia to help them in overcoming the stigma of dementia: be part of the solution, stay open and direct, talk the truths, seek support and join in, do not lose hope. Public awareness and understanding of the disease is important for preventing people from stigmatizing AD. Education and public policy might be able to lessen that stigma by creating more understanding.