9.2 Types of Stigma
Health Canada (2019) identifies three different types of stigma that pertain to substance use:
- Self-stigma occurs when someone internalizes negative messages about PWUS and applies these messages to themselves.
- Social stigma occurs when negative attitudes or behaviours about psychoactive substances and substance use are applied to PWUS and/or their friends and family.
- Structural stigma is a by-product of policies, including those in health and social services, that increase stigma and barriers for people experiencing SUDs from getting help.
Self-stigma can take the form of low self-esteem and negative self-image tied to equating the person with their substance use (Committee on the Science of Changing Behavioural Health Social Norm et al., 2016). Social stigma may consist of prejudice, avoidance, rejection, and discrimination against people who have a socially undesirable trait or engage in culturally marginalized behaviours, such as substance use (Link & Phelan, 2001). And structural stigma (see following chapter sections for a more detailed discussion) can take the form of prohibitionist policies that criminalize and demonize substance use, perpetuating negative stereotypes of PWUS and the social stigma they experience (Committee on the Science of Changing Behavioural Health Social Norm et al., 2016).
