For many alcohol and other drug (AOD) workers, stigma is not an abstract concept but a daily obstacle that shapes how they feel about their work, their wellbeing, and their place in the sector. This study, published in the International Journal of Drug Policy, analysed survey responses from 190 AOD workers to capture their lived experiences of stigma.

Stigma by association refers to the negative attitudes people hold towards those who use alcohol and other drugs that can also extend to AOD workers. This can lead to lowered productivity and wellbeing, higher burnout, and greater intentions to leave the sector.

Published in Hepatology, this global consensus statement brought together 236 experts and patient advocates from 56 countries to review the terminology used for fatty liver disease. The aim was to reduce stigma and improve clarity in diagnosis.

Published in the Journal of Mental Health (June 2024), this systematic review looked at 41 studies on programs designed to help health professionals address stigma and its impact on patients. Read on to discover the findings.

This commentary, published in Nature Medicine on June 5, 2025, calls for a shift in how liver diseases are talked about to reduce stigma and discrimination.

This pilot study, led by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and the World Hepatitis Alliance, tested a new survey tool in nine European countries to explore stigma and discrimination faced by people living with hepatitis B and C.

The paper highlights how stigma, often driven by blame, fear, or negative stereotypes, harms people’s health and opportunities. The group agreed on evidence, recommendations, and a global pledge to put an end to diabetes stigma and discrimination.

We all want our efforts to reduce stigma to produce only “good” effects. But this isn’t always the case when the message of campaigns is not interpreted as intended. Campaigns can increase stigma and other unintended harmful outcomes.

Published in BMC Medicine, this open-access paper introduces the Health Stigma and Discrimination Framework—a global, crosscutting model designed to guide research, interventions, and policy across multiple health issues including HIV, cancer and mental illness.

While stigma is widely recognised as harmful, some argue it can act as a deterrent to addiction. This paper challenges that idea, examining whether so-called “justified disapproval” can be separated from stigma—or whether it simply reinforces it.

Published in the Social Science and Medicine Journal, this study explores how abortion stigma shapes the environment in which abortion is delivered and received and can have important implications for quality in abortion care.