Based on twenty months of fieldwork on investigating people with dementia and their family caregivers in Shanghai, this article intends to analyze the rationales of using the derogatory term “chidai” to name dementia, which include historical and cultural factors, limited knowledge of dementia among the public, media's selective propaganda, and neglect of humanity care among the medical education sectors. By analyzing these factors, this article calls for the attention of the medical community to the stigmatization of “chidai”, particularly the secondary harmful effects of using “chidai” to label diseases on patients and their families. Meanwhile, this article invites relevant stakeholders, particularly medical authorities, to initiate the change of this disease name and de-stigmatization.
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