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Do The Words Matter The Language We Use For Mental Health

Leo Migdal
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do the words matter the language we use for mental health

Several general terms used to describe mental disorders are understood by most people to have similar meanings, according to a new study published in BMC Psychiatry. However, with specific mental disorder concepts and terms, the study found some differences between public perceptions and the descriptions in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manuu56a5l of Mental Disorders (DSM). The DSM is the handbook published by APA and used by healthcare professionals in the U.S. and much of the world as the authoritative guide to the diagnosis of mental disorders. The latest edition is the DSM, Fifth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-5TR), published in 2022. See more on the DSM.

Concepts and classification of mental disorders have been the focus of significant attention, but how the concepts and terms are understood by laypeople, the study authors note, has received much less attention. Researchers Jesse S. Y. Tse and Nick Haslam, Ph.D., with the University of Melbourne, examined public perceptions about various general labels for mental disorders and found that “mental disorder,” “mental illness,” and “mental health problem” were viewed with... “Psychological issue” was viewed as encompassing a broader range of conditions. The study involved a nationally representative sample of 600 adults in the U.S.

Subsets of participants were asked to review and make judgments about vignettes describing people with mental disorders. The vignettes covered 37 DSM-5 disorders and 24 non-DSM phenomena. Examples of non-DSM conditions examined in the study include character flaws (such as recurrent cheating and jealousy); bad habits (such as procrastination and social media disorder); and medical/neurological conditions (such as migraine headaches and... DSM-5 conditions included disorders from each of the 19 broad categories (such as depressive disorders, anxiety disorders, dissociative disorders, bipolar and related disorders). Each vignette was two to five sentences long describing an unnamed fictitious person who might or might not have a mental disorder. Demographic information was only included when necessary as part of the diagnostic criteria.

When looking at perceptions of disorders in relation to definitions in the DSM-5, Tse and Haslam found “some significant points of disagreement between professional and public understandings of disorder, while also establishing that laypeople’s... This content mentions suicide or suicidal thoughts, depression, eating disorders and personality disorders. Please read with care. There are details of where to find help at the bottom of this page. Perhaps it is not surprising that an area of health that has been systematically stigmatised for so many decades has historically settled for a discriminatory lexicon. Generations of people have grown up in societies that found terms like “psycho”, “schizo”, “loonie”, and “crazy” perfectly acceptable.

Stigma is not only an element of mental health, of course, but the extent to which it has permeated our language, compared to any other area of ill-health, is astonishing. Many would argue that it is practice and not language that matters. But words are a barrier to help-seeking and a motivator for making discrimination acceptable. It can be a provider of a context for many people, which further entraps them in a vicious cycle of thinking that they’re suffering from “something” that they really shouldn’t be – or worse,... Person-First means using language to recognize a person’s experience with mental health as only part of them as a person, and not the whole. “Person living with schizophrenia.”“My brother living with OCD.”“She is a person recovering from addiction.”

“A schizophrenic.”“My OCD brother.”“She is an addict.” Practice normalizing what someone is going through and not minimizing, downplaying, or judging their experience with mental health. When we normalize these experiences, we can help people open up more. “It’s understandable to be feeling down with everything going on.”“What you’re going through is challenging.“ In a perspective published in Neuropsychopharmacology, leaders from the National Institutes of Health address how using appropriate language to describe mental illness and addiction can help to reduce stigma and improve how people with... The authors define stigma as negative attitudes toward people that are based on certain distinguishing characteristics.

More than a decade of research has shown that stigma contributes significantly to negative health outcomes and can pose a barrier to seeking treatment for mental illness or substance use disorders. Thirty five percent of people with serious mental illness in the U.S., and nearly 90% of people with substance use disorders, do not receive treatment. The perspective authors point to evidence that stigma-related bias among clinicians can contribute to a treatment-averse mindset and to flawed clinical care, including failure to implement proven methods of treatment. Further, when a person with a mental illness or substance use disorder continues to experience stigma, they may begin to internalize it. This “self-stigma” can lead to lower self-esteem and feelings of self-worth and can become an ongoing source of distress that may exacerbate symptoms and create barriers to successful treatment. Conversely, efforts to reduce stigma may reduce the psychological burden it places on individuals and can be an important component of removing barriers to care.

The authors highlight numerous studies showing that using scientifically accurate language and terms that centralize the experience of patients with mental illness and substance use disorders is one key component to reducing stigma. They argue that a shift in language is crucial for mobilizing resources toward mental health and addiction services and eroding the prejudices that keep people who need those services from seeking or receiving them. Though stigma is difficult to eliminate, they contend that changing the language we use to describe these conditions can make a significant and immediate difference for the people experiencing them. ND Volkow, JA Gordon, and GF Koob. Choosing Appropriate Language to Reduce the Stigma Around Mental Illness and Substance Use Disorders. Neuropsychopharmacology.

DOI: 10.1038/s41386-021-01069-4 (2021). About the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA): NIDA is a component of the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIDA supports most of the world’s research on the health aspects of drug use and addiction. The Institute carries out a large variety of programs to inform policy, improve practice, and advance addiction science. For more information about NIDA and its programs, visit www.nida.nih.gov.

From the four humours and lobotomies to where we are now, our understanding of psychology has evolved dramatically over time, and with the network of the human brain being comparable to that of the... We are learning new ways to understand each other, share spaces with one another, and it is important that the language we use when speaking about mental health shares that same view of progress. For us to recognise the importance of linguistic evolution, we must acknowledge where we first started. In the past, people with mental illnesses were treated as subhuman, their entire being overlooked in light of their condition. The word “crazy” was used in the 1570s to describe someone as “diseased, sickly”, and in the 1580s to describe something as “broken, impaired, full of cracks or flaws” (etymonline, n.d.). “Insane” comes from the Latin insanus meaning “mentally damaged”, and “Maniac” comes from the Greek maniacus, meaning “affected with mania, raving with madness” (etymonline, n.d.).

The language used around mental health was initially intended to belittle, dehumanise and distance sufferers, excluding them from society and discounting their experiences, and despite our scientific progress since then, these words often seep... When we use the same language, regardless of whether the context or intention surrounding the words have changed, this effect of marginalisation remains the same. We want people to talk about mental health often. The more awareness about mental health, the more chance there is of helping people who are experiencing challenges associated with mental illnesses. If you feel unsure about what language to use when talking about mental health, you are not alone. We are here to help you navigate these important—and potentially life-saving—conversations.

While there are specific terms and phrases to avoid when speaking about mental illness, there are some general rules that can help you choose your words more carefully. Avoid: Choosing our words carefully is about more than avoiding stigmatizing terms. The language we use can also have a positive, empowering effect, which makes choosing the right words just as important as avoiding harmful ones. This article contains references to suicide. As humans, language is our foremost method of communication.

It is how we connect, share our thoughts, emotions, and our experiences. Both verbally and in written form. And this gives language power. The words we use are impactful. They can be liberating, uplifting, and inspiring. But equally, they can be harmful.

It is for this reason that we need to be aware of the language that we should and shouldn’t use. Sometimes, it has a larger effect than we may initially comprehend. No matter how aware you are, and how sensitive you are to the feelings of others, the reality is that we don’t always use the correct language when we talk about sensitive topics. When it comes to mental health, several words and phrases have become ingrained into our daily vocabulary based on dated misconceptions of mental health. While society has come a long way from these damaging views of mental health, and we now often don’t mean any ill-intent by these language choices, the use of this vocabulary can still be... At Parents' Foundation for Transitional Living, we understand that recovery is a journey—one that is deeply influenced by the way we talk about mental health.

Words have the power to either build confidence and encourage progress or reinforce stigma and isolation. Why Language Matters in Mental Health Recovery Breaking the Stigma in Transitional Living Individuals in transitional living settings often face unique challenges, including rebuilding their sense of independence and self-worth. Using outdated or negative language—like calling someone “crazy” or “unstable”—can add to feelings of shame and discourage people from seeking the support they need. Instead, person-centered language helps reinforce dignity and empowerment.

For example, saying "a person living with depression" rather than "a depressed person" reminds us that mental health conditions do not define a person’s entire identity.

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