The Sickness of Stigmas

In modern medicine, approaches to healthcare no longer only encompass injury management, but increasingly focus on understanding the performance demands and health risk exposures faced by performing artists. Quantitative and qualitative scientific and health analyses by performing artists, clinicians, educators, and researchers are increasingly helping us to develop effective, targeted, and relevant health promotion and performance optimisation strategies worldwide. While such research increasingly identifies improved methods of preventing and managing potential psychological, audiological, or physical challenges faced by performing artists, we still need to work hard to address very important barriers to implementing appropriate health approaches. One of the challenges to better health management in performing arts populations relates to stigmatization.