Migraine and stigma

Stigma can be defined as:^{[Zubair et al., 2021; Young et al., 2013]}

“A trait, characteristic, or diagnosis that discredits individuals and elicits prejudice, discrimination, and loss of status. It attaches to diseases in many different ways. It can be “enacted” when individuals experience discrimination. It can also be “internalized” or perceived which is how individuals feel about their condition and anticipation about how other may react to it.^”

As discussed on the slide, people with migraine can experience stigma, from society and from within the medical profession.^{[Basoglu et al., 2022; Parikh & Young, 2019;]} One study interviewed neurologists, and approximately half of those who responded believed that there was a stigma against people with migraine even among healthcare professionals.^{[Zubair et al., 2021]}

References:
Basoglu Koseahmet F, Polat B, Gozubatik-Celik RG, et al. An invisible cause of disability: stigma in migraine and epilepsy. Neurol Sci 2022; 43 (6): 3831–3838.

Parikh SK, Young WB. Migraine: stigma in society. Curr Pain Headache Rep 2019; 23 (1): 8.

Young WB, Park JE, Tian IX, Kempner J. The stigma of migraine. PLoS One 2013; 8 (1): e54074.

Zubair AS, Sico JJ, Kuruvilla DE. Presence of stigma in the treatment of patients with migraine among neurologists. Pain Med 2021; 22 (9): 2135–2138.