It’s been less than 40 years since the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) was discovered and isolated.1 Since then, more than 100 types or variants have been found. Most of them are symptom-free, but several variants are associated with cervical cancer. HPV-16 and HPV-18 are the first two variants discovered that are associated with cancer; HPV-16 is in 50...
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With knives or branding irons, ancient Greeks would mark criminals or traitors to indicate that they should be shunned and not welcomed in society. The Greeks called that mark a stigma. Today, to stigmatize a person is to classify them by a negative attribute and devalue them on that basis alone. Stigmatizing is a cross-cultural and cross-species...
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Lung Cancer Facts In 2014, its been estimated that there will be 224,210 new cases of lung cancer and 159,260 deaths in the US. Sadly, one of the people lost was a brilliant young woman that we featured last year, Jessica Rice. She died March 14, 2014, after 2 1/2 years of treatment at age 32. Lung cancer patient survival rates have not increased...
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“There is no health without mental health” This week is Mental Illness Awareness Week (October 5-11). Working at the intersection of physical and mental health is Ann Becker-Schutte, PhD, a Kansas City psychologist whose practice is focused on supporting people impacted by serious illness. “Challenging stigma requires that you have some...
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Losing The Man Who Helped Us Laugh The news that beloved actor and comedian Robin Williams killed himself should jar us from complacently accepting the status quo of mental healthcare in the US. His suicide also exposes the stigma of mental illness. In 2006, during an interview on “Fresh Air,” Williams’ responded to Terry...
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