Stigmatisation is a well known social phenomenon based on the discrimination of an individual or a sub-group of individuals by a dominant or majority group. Often discussed in the frame of psychiatry, it is also observed in other domains of medicine. It impacts not only patients, but their relatives and their children, as well as the health professionals taking care of them. Moreover, it is detrimental to the implementation of preventive strategies and induces depressive reactions, loss of self esteem and reduction of patients' quality of life. Finally, it keeps researchers away from certain domains of medicine and has a negative impact on funding for research and treatment. It is therefore important to understand its underlying mechanisms in order to fight it more efficiently.