Stigmatizing Diagnoses in Neurosurgery: A Narrative Review

Stigma is defined as a social process resulting in labeling, stereotyping, and separation that cause status loss, disapproval, rejection, exclusion, and discrimination of the labeled individuals. Stigma can be experienced by individuals or groups, can be real or perceived, and can include a wide array of characteristics (e.g., race/ethnicity, gender, and health conditions). It is well documented that stigma for health conditions is a barrier to treatment and leads to worse outcomes for vulnerable people. The purpose of this study is to examine the increasingly mature field of stigma theory and research, and how this relates to the practice of neurosurgery. This review provides an overview of stigma and its application in a neurosurgical setting, including diagnoses treated by neurosurgeons as well as diagnoses with impact on neurosurgical outcomes. Examples of stigmatizing diagnoses of relevance to neurosurgical practice include epilepsy, pain, smoking, obesity, and substance use disorder. This information is useful for the practicing neurosurgeon to understand the origins and higher-order effects of societal perceptions surrounding certain diagnoses, and the subsequent effects on health that those perceptions can create on a systemic level.