CopingwithStigma.docVIP

Coping with Stigma Lepers are foremost among groups categorized as “untouchables”. Historically, lepers have been ostracized from their communities, seen as highly contagious, and thought to be receiving divine punishment for some indiscretion. The term “leprosy” still leads people to think of the disabling, deforming, and highly communicable disease that was described in the Bible. However, the medical reality of the disease has changed dramatically. The myth surrounding leprosy leads to an unusually high degree of social stigma. Although stigma is a negative attribute in almost any situation, it is particularly tragic in the case of leprosy because it is entirely unwarranted. If the general public had a better understanding of the disease, all justifications for the banishment of patients would lose their merit. The difficulty such a destructive attitude presents for patients to cope with their condition is one of the principal factors exacerbating the significant public health problem the disease continues to pose. Once heightened awareness leads to decreased social and emotional isolation of patients, the so-called “lepers” will have the opportunity to lead normal lives and be more willing to undergo treatment. These conditions will set the ideal stage for the eradication of leprosy. The misconceptions surrounding leprosy are deeply rooted in its changing nature. The current reality of the disease is so different from what it was in the past that many countries have officially changed its name from leprosy to Hansen’s disease in order to keep people from transposing their ideas about leprosy to the illness that now exists. Still, most people fail to realize that Hansen’s disease and leprosy are different designations of the same illness, that it can now can be easily controlled and cured, and that it carries a relatively small risk of infection. Stigma continues on the basis of these false ideas and other dangerous assumptions. It is essential to