Transcript Slide 1

Metro Boston Massachusetts
Regional Prevention Meeting –
Addressing the Issue of Stigma
Thursday, September 25th, 2014
10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Waltham, MA
Massachusetts Technical Assistance Partnership for Prevention
What is Stigma?
• A social process which can reinforce relations
of power and control.
• Leads to status loss and discrimination for the
stigmatized.
- Link and Phelan
(From “Understanding Drug-Related Stigma: Tools for Better Practice
and Social Change,” developed by the Harm Reduction Coalition for the
New York State Department of Health AIDS Institute)
How is stigma imposed?
Examples outside of substance use:
• Stigma based on race/ethnicity
• Mental health-related stigma
• Weight-related stigma
• HIV/AIDS-related stigma
• Others?
Forms of Stigma
• Stigma from individuals
• Institutional stigma
• Self-stigma (internalized)
• Stigma by association
Stigma and Language
The words we use
matter.
Discussion
• What has been your experience with language that
stigmatizes drug users?
• In what settings does this seem to be more of an
issue?
• What do you do, or have you done, in such situations
when someone uses a stigmatizing word?
• What would you do differently?
• What about if the mayor (or someone in a position of
authority) uses stigmatizing language?
General discussion
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Next steps re: the topic of stigma?
Announcements?
Successes/challenges?
Topics for upcoming regional
meetings