By: Kelsey Wooten, LPC
I was recently out to lunch with a friend when she shared with me the recent negative experience when she went to the doctor’s office. She explained how she was disbelieved by her doctor when she reported a side effect because of a recent medication change. Her doctor waved off the concern and related it to her weight (it wasn’t). My friend told me the experience made her question herself and not want to continue pursuing this medical issue. What my friend experienced was stigma. Why? Because her doctor had negative views/opinions about those who are overweight.
What is stigma?
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, stigma is defined as “a set of negative and unfair beliefs that a society or group of people have about something.” My friend experienced fat-phobia.
What does it look like?
Emily Swaim from Healthline wrote an article about the different stigma:
Public – how society sees a trait in a negative way. An example of this is having bipolar or OCD and being judged or treated differently because of it.
Self – taking on the stigma of others and judging yourself for it
Perceived – You think others will judge you for an aspect of you. An example of this might playing dungeons and dragons or having a specific kink.
Structure – Swaim explains this as “institutional policies based on stigmatizing attitudes. Even if the employees don’t hold the stigma, the structure supports it.” For example, many AI softwares discriminate against people of color.
Healthcare – See story above
How to handle it
1. If you are feeling unheard by your medical provider or they will not give you the care you request, ask them to put that you refused the request in your chart. Set those boundaries!
2. Report the mistreatment to the front desk, write a review or report them.
3. Ask around for doctors that other people you know and trust see. Or search for doctors that have specific training around your concern (ex: health at every size, LGBTQ+, trans friendly).
Long-term exposure
Long-term exposure to stigma, racism, and discrimination can lead to toxic levels of stress. This can impact your mental, physical health and general well-being.
Here at Sonder our goal is to give our clients the best care we can. We are currently accepting new clients, call or email today!