Medical Students' Perceived Stigma in Seeking Care

Abstract

This chapter discusses the stigma and the barriers, which hinder medical students from seeking help for both physical and mental health conditions. Stigma will also be explored from a cultural perspective; the authors will demonstrate how it is embedded in help seeking behaviour. The authors will explore the existing literature to highlight these issues, and demonstrate how negative help seeking behaviour contributes to the poor academic performance of the students, as well produces chronic mental and physical health conditions. Solutions and interventions to address this perceived stigma will also be discussed. The authors will emphasise the importance of educators and staff of medical schools taking a more proactive role, in providing the necessary environment to facilitate such change in behaviour, by implementing some of these interventions.