Psychiatry Specialist Prof. Dr. Mehmet Emin Önder was the guest of the “STIGMA” event organized by Üsküdar Üniversitesi Faculty of Medicine. Specialist Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Mehmet Emin Önder, who shared a lot of information about the concept of Stigma at the event which attracted great interest from students, also answered the questions posed by the students.
“Stigma refers to negative attitudes that lead to an individual's exclusion”
Prof. Dr. Mehmet Emin Önder stated that studies conducted in recent years show that the process of education, particularly regarding psychiatric disorders, has positive effects on stigma. Önder explained that stigma has literal meanings such as 'trace,' 'stain,' and 'brand,' and specifically recounted how cowboys in 18th-century America used brands among their cattle to differentiate their own. Emphasizing that beyond the conceptual meaning of stigmatization, stigma refers to negative attitudes that lead to an individual's exclusion, Önder underlined that stigma is an important concept affecting society as well as the individual.
“People try to exist within society with certain minorities”
Önder stated that some diseases, such as AIDS, necessarily carry hidden characteristics, and individuals do not want these diseases to be known by everyone because they know that if it becomes known in society, they will be differentiated and interact differently. Prof. Dr. Mehmet Emin Önder also added that some ideologies can be given as examples here, pointing out that German Nazism existed for a period, but after a certain period, they tended to hide themselves, and religious beliefs could also fall into this group. Önder stated that people try to exist within society with certain minorities, underlining that all these individuals experience difficulties to a certain extent in terms of visibility and concealability in social stigmatization.
“Films are also quite effective”
Önder stated that films have a profound effect on stigma; “When the behaviors of people with problems are displayed in horror films, and the idea that those characters might be dangerous forms in the minds of the viewers, they begin to think that people exhibiting similar behaviors might also be dangerous. Therefore, their impact is significant.” He said.