How to Talk About Mental Health

While mental disorders, such as depression, are common, they often are misunderstood. When someone makes a “joke” about mental health issues, keep your response simple and calm. You can remind the speaker that stereotypes limit us all and that he or she probably would not like it if another person said the same thing about his or her relative or friend. If the individual replies, “Can’t you take a joke?,” let him or her know that you enjoy humor, but that what he or she said hurts others.

Using derogatory language, such as saying someone who is acting unusually or violently is “crazy”, “psycho” or “nuts”, makes individuals with mental health issues feel excluded and unworthy. Unfortunately, straight jackets and “Psych Ward” and “Insane Asylum” escaped mental patient t-shirts continue to be sold as Halloween costumes. In reality, individuals with mental health concerns confront prejudice and discrimination daily.

For those who do not have mental health issues, know that it is okay to openly discuss terms and labels. Explain to friends and/or relatives that you do not know which words to use and ask them how they prefer to talk about their personal difficulties. It will make conversations easier in the future.

In reality, some individuals will have only one episode of depression during their lifetimes and will completely recover, while others will experience symptoms occasionally with years of feeling well in between episodes. It is important to remember that while a particular mental health condition tends to show a certain range of symptoms, not everyone will experience the same ones.

When a person has a diagnosis, it should not label them. For example, it is much better to say “an individual experiencing schizophrenia” rather than “a schizophrenic.” The mental health terms you use not only influence how you think about a person, but also how he or she feels about himself or herself.

Despite what the media often portrays, research has shown that people receiving treatment for a mental health condition are no more dangerous or violent than the general population. If you alter the language you use, you can change perceptions. Until then, stigmatizing mental illness will continue to discourage individuals from seeking necessary help and/or speaking openly about their experiences.