Some Observations on the Social Consequences of Forgetfulness and Alzheimer's Disease: A Call for Attitudinal Expansion

The stigma associated with Alzheimer's disease has arisen from at least three sources in American society: (1) the lack of understanding and fear that persons experiencing forgetfulness and their family members may have when encountering symptoms of Alzheimer's disease; (2) emphasizing the negative consequences of the disease to gain political support for policy change; and (3) scientific reductionism wherein the person is reduced to sets of pathological behavioral and biological signs and symptoms. This article is a plea for a change in the way the condition commonly known as Alzheimer's disease is both publicly and professionally understood in our society.