HIV (Human Immuno-deficiency Virus) is a ‘virus that damages the cells in your immune system and weakens your ability to fight everyday infections and disease.’ (nhs.uk, 2019). Which can be transmitted through blood transfusions, sexual activity, breastfeeding, semen, syringes and injecting drugs and many more ways HIV get spreads. It is a fragile virus that spreads from human to human but not animals. When an individual with HIV is not treated this may develop into AIDS, AIDS (Acquired Immuno-deficiency Syndrome) is a ‘number of potentially life-threatening infections and illnesses that happen when your immune system has been severely damaged by the HIV virus.’ (nhs.uk, 2019), however an individual cannot catch AIDS as HIV caused AIDS in the mid 80’s to 90’s (Dalton, 2017). According to (NAT, 2017), it was estimated that in the United Kingdom 101,600 people live with HIV in 2017, 98% of the individuals diagnosed with HIV are still on treatment and 97% are ‘virally suppressed’ it means that they cannot spread the virus people have access to the care but a cure for HIV has yet been discovered and 92% of those who are diagnosed, about ‘1 in 12 people living with HIV in the UK do not know that they have the virus’ (NAT, 2017). ‘AIDS was first recognized in the gay community in the San Francisco in 1981, it rapidly became clear that this was sexually transmitted disease which could affect any sexually active member of society.’(Graham, Simon and Brian, 1993), this is because anal intercourse is one of most risky way and causes a direct entry to the ‘blood circulation’ (Graham, Simon and Brian, 1993). Although this appeared in the gay community which is the most affected group in the society (Dalton 2017), there has been a growing numbers of individuals with HIV in the heterosexual community in the UK this is due to drug users and some who are sex workers to support their drug addiction (Graham, Simon and Brian, 1993). Furthermore bisexual men may also cause spreading the infection in the heterosexual community as they are attracted to both male and female.
Illich’s (1976) and the notion of ‘medical imperialism’ which is ‘medicalisation’ created a culture of medical dependence and dependence on the health care due to the development in medical technologies and drugs. Illich’s (1976) notion of ‘medical imperialism’ talks about how the treatment makes people reliant on the doctors. People now spends money on drugs for different diseases, this is linked to HIV and AIDS as there are treatments put in place in order to treat the patients, this is called ‘Antiretroviral therapy’ (ART) which has increased the life expectancy of those with the infection, they live a healthy life and it has improved their lives due to the development in medicalisation (Nettleton 2013: 56) even though it does not get rid of the infection and this has control and surveillance over individuals with HIV and AIDS. HIV and AIDS was highly stigmatised as it is related to sex and cultural norms. Illich’s (1976) the notion of ‘medical imperialism’ has made the individuals to be dependent on the medical professionals and their knowledge. Illich (1976) stated that biomedicine only did more harm to the individuals than good and he disagree with the interventions of medicalisation as it contributed to the illness and did not cure or heal so it has a negative impact on the patients because of the side effects (Nettleton, 2013: 4).
As stated by Goffman in (1968: 11) Stigma is defined to an individual having attribute that is ‘deeply discrediting’ in the society. In a society they expect individuals’ bodies to have certain attributes and when the body does not meet those expectations it becomes stigmatised. This stigma makes an individual unfit from being fully a part of that society as their body does not quality to what is considered as normal and socially accepted and become labelled as deviant (Goffman, 1968). When an individual is stigmatised and labelled this becomes sticky and permanent, as a result Goffman (1963) put individual into three categories, the “own” are the stigmatised which are the individuals with HIV and AIDS, those who do not have the illness are called the “normals” and the “wise” are accepted by those bearing the stigma e.g. The HIV Nurse as they have the knowledge to help (Markowitz and Engelman, 2016). Patients that have HIV and AIDS more often lose weight, this is because of the ‘lipodystrophy syndrome’ that changes their body appearances and people tend to link that to HIV and AIDS because more or less the treatment of it affect the body fat (AIDSinfo).
As society changes and advance in technology, there has been a growth in in public health as in the past there was not many or fewer treatment for HIV and AIDS (Dalton, 2017). The word Stigma derived from the Greeks and it was used for label people with signs of ‘cuts or burnt into the body’ as criminals because they were not desirable attributes (Goffman 1968: 11) and in this modern society this term is used to shame individuals and are categorised into the stigma they fit in which are either deviant personal traits, tribal or external and physical deformations. This is linked to HIV and AIDS as there are social constructed risks of people with HIV and AIDS where people are concerned about the ‘dangers, difference and a menacing ‘other’’ (Nettleton, 2013) and because the government unable to control the medical technology and the medical cost of HIV and AIDS, the individuals with the infection are seen as a threat to the ‘social order’ (Nettleton, 2013). Furthermore the Individuals with HIV and AIDS and anything related to it such as groups and communities are discriminated against and discredited therefore the is a term ‘HIV-related stigma’ is used (Dalton, 2017) and this influences on how the individuals with HIV and AIDS communicate with everyone in ‘friendships, intimate partnerships and professional relationships’ and it can affect people’s self-esteem and the public respond to the infection with fear (Dalton, 2017). This has now being capitalised as we live in a capitalism society and when the patients are treated and healed this does not leave a taint of ‘deviance’ and people do not remembers the affected had a disease but being diagnosed by the medical professional with an illness leaves a permanent stigma (Illich 1976). Additionally medicalisation has created medical scrutiny and the action that were deemed as ‘immoral, sinful, or criminal’ have been given medical meaning now known as sickness (Conrad, 2007: 6). To conclude although the public health care for the people with HIV and AIDS has improved, the stigma around it has not and this does link to Illich’s (1976) notion of ‘medical imperialism’ they are becoming more controlled and surveilled with the medical care.
Written by Rianne
References:
AIDSinfo. (n.d.). HIV and Lipodystrophy Understanding HIV/AIDS. [online] Available at: https://aidsinfo.nih.gov/understanding-hiv-aids/fact-sheets/22/61/hiv-and-lipodystrophy [last reviewed 2018].
Conrad, P. (2007). The medicalization of society. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, p.6.
Dalton, A. (2017). ‘Just take a tablet and you’ll be okay’: medicalisation, the growth of stigma and the silencing of HIV. HIV Nursing, [online] 17(17.2). Available at: https://sure.sunderland.ac.uk/id/eprint/9327/1/HIV%20and%20Medicalisation%20Drew%20Dalton.pdf [Accessed 16 May 2019].
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Markowitz, F. and Engelman, D. (2016). The “Own” and the “Wise”: Does Stigma Status Buffer or Exacerbate Social Rejection of College Students with a Mental Illness?. Deviant Behavior, [online] 38(7), pp.744-755. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4737963/ [Accessed 13 May 2019].
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Medicalisation, Normality and the Body. 