Almost Done

4/12/2021

This past week I began working on the self-stigma portion of the final product. I really focused on how internalized stigma can be a product of institutional and inter-personal stigma and then talked about the stigma against migraines in healthcare, especially primary care. I also discussed the problem of the internalized stigma that is creating inhibited advocacy efforts as it demands a consensus among all patients regarding the disability of the condition and only when patients together begin to overcome this stigma can the field of headache medicine receive more funding for more effective treatments. I talked more personally about how I thought this affected my mother and grandfather as well as how I changed my own view on the disease. I also attended an ACT NOW migraine group meeting, where we discussed the role of insurance companies in the care of migraine patients and how it has affected treatment stability, and how patients can reach out to officials for help, especially in regard to the government. After the meeting, I continue to work on the self-stigma section and how that relates back to the self-stigma I had. Finally, I met with my mentor, Dr. Masrour, towards the end of the week, and with her, I finished my final product as we talked about how to tie off the end of the piece with a call to action and to really cement a person's role in this movement. Next, we focus on the sentence structure found in the self-stigma section as it seemed to be a bit too shaky and disconnected from the personal element of the piece. Dr. Masrour felt as if I should add more details about my mother's headaches and perhaps a personal account of an event we're missing due to her migraines and I will continue to work on the self-stigma section for this oncoming week.