The history of the concept of stigmatization dates back to ancient times, but the meaning of this term has changed over the years. Presently it is defined as the attitude of disapproval, negative perception, discrimination by a group due to certain features presented by it. This problem is also valid in medicine, affecting, among many others disorders, patients with dementia. Stigmatization carries a lot of negative consequences, causing feelings of shame that may lead to the exclusion from society. It also affects families and close relatives. The intensification of stigmatization depends on many factors, such as age, gender, education and ethnic structure of community. In this review paper we try to highlight the problem of stigmatization among people affected by dementia.
Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease; social stigma; stigmatization; cognitive disorders; dementia.