{"id":64457,"date":"2018-02-14T20:15:26","date_gmt":"2018-02-15T01:15:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/mind-your-language-a-guide-to-talking-about-mental-health\/"},"modified":"2018-02-14T20:15:26","modified_gmt":"2018-02-15T01:15:26","slug":"mind-your-language-a-guide-to-talking-about-mental-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/mind-your-language-a-guide-to-talking-about-mental-health\/","title":{"rendered":"Mind Your Language: A Guide To Talking About Mental Health"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mind Your Language: A Guide To Talking About Mental Health<\/b>
\nWe all know someone who has described themselves as \u2018feeling bipolar\u2019 or \u2018a bit OCD\u2019. While it might seem harmless, this throwaway language is actually making it harder for people to receive the\u00a0mental health\u00a0support they need,\u00a0warns\u00a0Bupa\u00a0and\u00a0Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) England.<\/p>\n

A survey by the organisations found almost half (49%) of people have used words such as schizophrenic and psychotic to incorrectly describe themselves. Women were more likely to misuse mental health descriptors when talking about themselves,\u00a0while men<\/a> and those aged under 35 were most likely to use the same phrases as an insult.<\/p>\n

Cal Strode, a spokesperson for the Mental Health Foundation, says the difference in how men<\/a> and women<\/a> use mental health descriptors is interesting, particularly when you look at \u201cthe wider cultural influences that are likely at play\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor instance, the internalisation of having their feelings and behaviours invalidated in a patriarchal culture can lead to self-stigmatising language for women<\/a>,\u201d he explains. \u201cFor men<\/a>, the influence of rigid toxic masculinity within a patriarchal culture can lead to burying of emotions through the mask of humour and insults.\u201d<\/p>\n

Using language in this way is not just a sign of a negative effect of patriarchal culture, it also has an impact on how we feel about seeking help.<\/p>\n

Pablo Vandenabeele, clinical director for\u00a0Mental Health at Bupa UK, says despite seeing a positive change to people\u2019s attitudes to mental health over the past 20 years,\u00a0more needs to be done to tackle misused language because “if terms for mental health are regularly being used in a negative way, it can make it more difficult for someone to feel comfortable having an honest and important conversation about their condition, potentially delaying the time it takes for them to seek medical help.”<\/p>\n

So what words shouldn\u2019t you be using?<\/p>\n

There are two areas which need improvement. Firstly, taking mental health terms out of context or using them colloquially to describe yourself or others and secondly, how we talk about people with mental health.<\/p>\n

Bupa and MHFA\u2019s survey found schizophrenic and psychotic were deemed the most offensive terms when used out of context, with special needs falling closely behind. Describing others as autistic and bipolar was also considered harmful.<\/p>\n

Making light of conditions can also be damaging and, according to Strode, perpetuate simplistic stereotypes. \u201cThe burden of dispelling these stereotypes can often fall on the people living with them and feel exhausting,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n

Examples of this could include:<\/p>\n

::\u00a0Using \u2018bipolar\u2019 to describe a mood swing.<\/p>\n

::\u00a0Using \u2018schizo\u2019 to describe a person\u2019s reaction or personality.<\/p>\n

::\u00a0Using \u2018that\u2019s mental\u2019 to describe something outrageous.<\/p>\n

::\u00a0Saying you\u2019re \u2018depressed\u2019 if you feel a bit sad.<\/p>\n

::\u00a0Using \u2018OCD\u2019 to describe the fact you\u2019re neat and tidy.<\/p>\n

::\u00a0Using \u2018psycho\u2019 to describe a person you dislike.<\/p>\n

The language we use when talking and writing about mental health is equally important. Time To Change has shared a set of guidelines for journalists which are also useful for members of the public.\u00a0Do not call<\/a> someone a \u2018psycho\u2019 or \u2018schizo\u2019, it advises, instead refer to them as \u2018a person who has experienced psychosis\u2019 or \u2018a person who has schizophrenia\u2019.<\/p>\n

Other words which aren\u2019t acceptable include \u2018lunatic\u2019, \u2018nutter\u2019, \u2018unhinged\u2019, \u2018maniac\u2019 and \u2018mad\u2019.\u00a0If you\u2019re talking or writing about someone with a mental illness you could say: someone who \u2018has a diagnosis of\u2019 is\u00a0\u2018currently experiencing\u2019 or \u2019is being treated for\u2019.<\/p>\n

Lastly,\u00a0antidepressants shouldn\u2019t be labelled \u2018happy pills\u2019. They are simply antidepressants, medication or prescription drugs.<\/p>\n

Changing the way we talk about mental health can only have positive repercussions in society. Bupa and MHFA\u2019s survey revealed more than half of UK adults (53%) believe that people are more aware of mental health conditions than they were five years ago. And the more awareness there is, the fewer barriers there will be for those who need to access help.
\n
\nwww.huffingtonpost.co.uk\/entry\/how-to-talk-about-mental-health-without-offending-people_uk_5a841e01e4b02b66c513b889<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mind Your Language: A Guide To Talking About Mental Health We all know someone who has described themselves as \u2018feeling bipolar\u2019 or \u2018a bit OCD\u2019. While it might seem harmless, this throwaway language is actually making it harder for people to receive the\u00a0mental health\u00a0support they need,\u00a0warns\u00a0Bupa\u00a0and\u00a0Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) England. A survey by the … Continue reading Mind Your Language: A Guide To Talking About Mental Health<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2466,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[107],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-64457","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nMind Your Language: A Guide To Talking About Mental Health - GAYFRIENDSCHAT.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/mind-your-language-a-guide-to-talking-about-mental-health\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Mind Your Language: A Guide To Talking About Mental Health - GAYFRIENDSCHAT.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Mind Your Language: A Guide To Talking About Mental Health We all know someone who has described themselves as \u2018feeling bipolar\u2019 or \u2018a bit OCD\u2019. 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