Introduction
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that
presented with episodic memory impairment and gradually decreases other
cognitive functions.(1) The global prevalence of the disease, which
increases twice every 5.5 years, is expected to be 114.5 million in
2050.(2,3) Early recognition of this disease, which has a great
socio-economic impact worldwide, is significant in increasing
appropriate treatment of dementia and managing it in psychological,
emotional, familial, economical terms. However, the perceived stigma
against AD is seen as a huge factor in preventing effective strategies
for the disease.(4)
Stigma is defined as the negative attitude of the social public towards
people who are thought to be different in terms of physical, mental, and
lifestyle. People who carry this label are less desired.(5) Patients
with memory impairment are known to judge themselves due to their
illness and symptoms and experience both social and internalized
stigmatization.(6) In addition, family members and caregivers have
stigmatization also.(7) Moreover, some people believe that those
diagnosed with AD are less fortunate than those with treatable
diseases.(5) Understanding the perception of stigma in healthy
individuals and educating the society with accessible and effective
methods helps to increase disease-related awareness and improve disease
management.(8-9)
There is no study evaluating the perceived stigma against AD in healthy
people in Turkey to the best of our knowledge. Therefore, this study
aims to investigate the perceived stigma level against AD in healthy
people. Its second aim is to reveal the demographic characteristics and
related factors of people with high stigmatization.