SCRIPT: Ending/Summary/Why stigmas can contribute to bad solution
“The only hope for ending the growing addiction epidemic is to change our mindset and
accept substance use disorder/addiction as a medical condition…”
“The only hope for ending the consistently growing addiction contagion is to transform
our perspective and acknowledge substance use disorder/addiction as a medical
condition….”
Stigma affects all of us – and nearly everyone has felt stigmatized or has
stigmatized others at some point in their lives. In a study done by Johns Hopkins
Bloomberg School of Public Health, the general public was more likely to have negative
attitudes towards those dealing with substance use disorder/addiction than those who
were dealing with other mental health concerns.
The concept of stigma describes the powerful, negative perceptions commonly
associated with substance abuse and addiction. Stigma has the potential to negatively
affect a person’s self-esteem, damage relationships with loved ones, and prevent those
suffering from substance use disorder or addiction from accessing treatment.
When a person is diagnosed with cancer, they are treated with love, compassion
and understanding. Cancer patients are rarely cut off by their families or judged for being
sick. This is exactly how it should be. Unfortunately, this is not the case with addiction, as
it can cause anger and resentment amongst loved ones. Those struggling with substance
use disorder are often viewed as “criminals” “losers” “futureless” or just completely selfish
individuals, which can often lead them to be cast out by their family and spouses, thrown
in jail and deprived of healthcare. Addiction simply does not receive sympathy like other
medical conditions, which hurts not only the person with addictive behaviors, but also
contributes to the growing epidemic.
With that being said, the stigma of addiction has prevented hundreds of people
with a substance use disorder from getting the treatment they need. Treatment is
effective, but somehow the stigma has made it seem counterproductive. If communities
can take the proper steps to reduce the stigma, the number of individuals who get
treatment could eventually increase if the awareness of the problem at its core is
addressed.
[The importance of the person seems to become lost behind negative and harmful
words. Stigmatization can leave someone feeling disvalued and even worthless. These
feelings create barriers to seek help or to support someone who needs help (Ahern,
Stuber, & Galea, 2007).]
USED REFERENCES
https://drugabuse.com/addiction/stigma/
REFERENCES
https://doh.gov.ph/sites/default/files/publications/Substance-Abuse-Beat-10-12-21.pdf
https://drugabuse.com/addiction/stigma/
https://www.bworldonline.com/health/2017/11/30/86078/minding-gap-philippinesmental-health/
https://drugabuse.com/addiction/stigma/
https://substanceabusepolicy.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13011-020-00288-0
https://extension.usu.edu/heart/research/how-to-prevent-substance-use-disorder-stigma
https://www.recoveryanswers.org/research-post/the-real-stigma-of-substance-usedisorders/
https://fixforaddiction.com/breaking-the-stigma/
https://apcbham.org/2021/05/18/how-addiction-is-stigmatized-and-steps-you-can-taketo-break-the-stigma/
https://www.rappler.com/nation/174021-drug-addiction-duterte-war-drugs/
https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2014/study-public-feels-more-negative-toward-people-withdrug-addiction-than-those-with-mental-illness
https://skywoodrecovery.com/how-to-shift-societys-perspective-on-addiction/
“The only hope for ending the growing rate of addiction is to change our mindset and
accept substance use disorder as a medical condition…”