The language used when discussing mental health needs to be changed as it the terms used can be perceived as offensive and derogatory. I’ve heard people with mental health problems be referred to as ‘crazy ‘ and ‘freaks’. I myself have never had any words like this said to my face but I can’t begin to imagine how it would feel to be told these things. This is just going to make that person feel worse than they probably already do about what they are going through. They would not want to tell people about what they are going though in fear that people will have the same reaction.
Mental health terms have become so ingrained in our everyday language that they have lost part of their meaning. Everyone has down days but being sad one day isn’t being depressed. People really need to understand what depression actually is because the generalisation can lead to people not recognising their problem. You would never hear this with a physical illness as it would be deemed to be incorrect so why does it seem to be acceptable with mental illness?
The metaphorical use of mental health conditions leads to generalisation, helping build the stereotypes and stigma. People are referred to as ‘OCD’ when they like to be neat and tidy but this isn’t the only thing that OCD entails. This is another thing aiding the stigma. A survey conducted in 2007 found that 11% of cases where schizophrenia was mentioned in the UK press, were metaphorical. However, the figure was only 0.02% in the case of cancer. I think that there are some terms that are just unacceptable for use and distance needs to between what is acceptable and what is not. These unacceptable terms are contributing to the stigma around mental health problems as the connotations of the words are often negative which builds up a stereotype. It does mean that mental health problems are being talked about but not in the right way which may even be worse.
Language reflects our opinions but could sometimes convey the wrong idea. Using the right language can be a massive impact on someone’s life as it can show understanding, empathy and hope. I know that it isn’t easy and you have to be very careful and attentive to what you say but it is worth it knowing the offense or upset you may cause. We should all chose our words carefully and consider how the words we use could impact on someone’s life and recovery.