Stigma

For example, there is a stigma attached to having a mental illness, which can make it hard for people to ask for help and support if they are experiencing mental health problems.

HIV is another medical condition which is stigmatised, usually because people lack information about it or they make moral judgements about how someone has contracted HIV. This is because HIV is mainly transmitted through sex and can be linked to activities such as injecting drugs.

Stigma is often borne out of fear and can take many forms including hostility, physical or verbal abuse, or someone being avoided or excluded from activities they used to take part in.

People can experience stigma in any area of their life - within your relationship, family, at work or at places where you socialise such as church, for example. If you experience harassment or abuse of any kind it is important to report this to the police or to contact a domestic violence organisation like Refuge.

People from African backgrounds who are living with HIV often experience stigma from their community. This can be from partners, members of the family, friends or people in their faith community. If you discover you have HIV you may feel afraid of the wider community finding out in case they talk about you or exclude you.

Many African people have seen sad and upsetting things in their home countries when friends and loved ones have had HIV. Although free antiretroviral treatment is gradually becoming more widely available in sub-Saharan Africa, mMany people in Africa won’t have had access to antiretroviral treatments and because of this they may have become sick or died. As a result some people are scared of HIV and fear being around people who are living with the virus.

If you experience stigma from your community you might like to talk to a counsellor or come along to a group where you can meet other people from your community who are also living with HIV.

Sometimes people may not realise that when you live in the UK you can access medicine which will enable you to live a normal and healthy life. You could also try giving the people involved some more information about HIV so they are better informed.

You might also find that you stigmatise yourself for having HIV. This can take the form of thinking you are somehow 'dirty' or 'shameful' and that you don’t deserve to have a partner, children, friends or work. Unfortunately this is a common reaction but you may need help to overcome it and move forward with your life. Talking to someone like a counsellor or a Health Trainer can help, or you may want to join a group for people living with HIV.

People living with HIV are protected by the Equality Act 2010 from the time they are diagnosed. This makes it illegal for employers to discriminate against you on grounds of disability.

If you feel you have been stigmatised when you have used a public service, such as healthcare, you can report this or make a complaint. Your local Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) can help you to address what has happened.