Destigmatizing Mental Health Language
“Your kitchen is immaculate. You’re so OCD!”
“Hey, pay attention! You’re so distracted. It’s like you have ADD or something.”
Most of us so frequently hear mental health related terms used in this casual, joking way we don’t even stop to consider the implications.
Because our culture has historically stigmatized those with mental illness or mental health concerns, mental health terminology has become common to use in jokes or insults.
This is also exacerbated by the ways many faith communities practice dismissal or spiritual bypassing for mental health conditions (i.e. “if you’re depressed, you just need to pray and trust God more”).
Mental health and mental illness terminology aren’t insults, signs of weak faith, or derogatory terms.
Psychological terms describe real disorders and illnesses that affect real people and their lives. Using these terms to insult or joke—even in a well-intended way—demeans the reality many people live with every day.
Here are examples of how not to use mental health terminology:
When someone is tidy or prefers things to be orderly, don’t say, “You’re so OCD!” (First, OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) is so much more than cleanliness or a preference for order. These types of reductive statements make the assumption that OCD is simple or something people can easily control.)
If someone is sad or acting melancholy, don’t give them a hard time for “being so depressed.” (Depression extends beyond sadness someone can easily work through. Calling someone depressed for experiencing sadness reduces the severity of their experience and condition.)
If someone lives in a thin body, don’t harass them to eat more because they “look anorexic.” (Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness, and while we live in an image-obsessed culture, commenting on someone else’e body or food choices is no joking matter.)
When someone is distracted or switches topics quickly, don’t tease them for “being so ADD (or ADHD).” (Individuals with ADD or ADHD aren’t intentionally acting “spacey” or “random.” Rather their brains process information and stimulation in different ways than people without either condition.)
If someone changes their mind or their mood, don’t say, “You’re acting so bipolar!” (Not only is this type of statement about bipolar disorder potentially hurtful, it’s also misinformed. People with this condition typically experience longer periods of time in either a manic or depressive state, rather than simple switching moods quickly or changing their minds.)
What this all really boils down to is simple: never let someone else’s diagnosis be your entertainment.
In deciding whether or not you’re using mental health terminology in a potentially hurtful way, ask yourself these questions:
Does this phrasing demean or dignify other people?
If I had this mental health condition, would I be hurt by this phrasing?
If I knew and loved someone with this mental health condition, would I ever say this to them? Or, would I allow other people to speak to my loved one in this way?
While these questions certainly aren’t the only determining factors for whether or not language is harmful, they can provide a general sense of direction. And, if you’re unsure of whether specific phrasing is hurtful, I believe it’s better to air on the side of caution and avoid it altogether.
In changing the way we talk about mental health and mental illness, we can demonstrate compassion and honor others’ dignity and humanity.
