Live Session: Stigma and Discrimination in Addiction (July 2026)-Stigma and Discrimination Presentation

Stigma and Discrimination Presentation

Pdf Summary

This presentation on stigma and discrimination in addiction medicine argues that patients with substance use disorders (SUD) are frequently treated differently by the public, policymakers, and healthcare professionals, and that these attitudes can directly worsen care and outcomes. It defines stigma as negative perceptions and discrimination as negative treatment, then shows research demonstrating that many people believe SUD patients are violent, self-inflicted, manipulative, or undeserving of treatment, housing, or employment. Public attitudes and stigma can influence laws, funding, and access to treatment.<br /><br />Using several clinical cases, the speaker illustrates how stigma can shape real medical decisions. In one case, a patient’s report of prescribed benzodiazepine use was doubted because of his SUD history, even when later evidence showed he was telling the truth. In another, two similarly ill patients with endocarditis and injection opioid use were treated differently by surgeons, with one receiving supportive communication and surgery and the other being denied surgery due to perceived “lack of commitment” to treatment. A third case shows an older man with opioid use disorder who benefited from buprenorphine but wanted to stop after staff at a skilled nursing facility called him a “junkie.” The final case highlights a hospitalized woman with substance use who experienced overdose events, revealing the complexity of balancing safety, trust, and patient autonomy.<br /><br />The talk emphasizes that stigma affects not only patients but also clinicians’ attitudes, prescribing decisions, and willingness to offer treatments like buprenorphine or methadone. It concludes that education, respectful communication, nonstigmatizing language, patient-centered policies, and improved understanding of addiction as a medical condition are essential to reducing harm and improving care.

Keywords

stigma

discrimination

addiction medicine

substance use disorders

SUD

patient care

buprenorphine

methadone

nonstigmatizing language

healthcare bias