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The right words in the right order.

Deleted user
over 3 years ago

I'm going to be pedantic.

But I get sick and tired of hearing people use the term mental health as a synonym for mental illness. A mental illness is a specific mental disorder. And someone is mentally ill when they have been diagnosed with a specific mental disorder. 

Mental health describes the whole spectrum of possible states of mental wellness or illness; we all have mental health because we all have minds.  In the same way we all have physical health because we all have bodies. Mental health is neutral and requires a positive or negative qualifier (good or bad) to correctly denote/describe someone's mental state. In other words, we can be mentally well or mentally un-well.

Now, on to the next point!

Being mentally unwell is not synonymous with being mentally ill. Being mentally ill requires a diagnosis of (at least one) a specific mental disorder. If someone is physically out of shape, we wouldn't assume they have cancer, irritable bowl syndrome or any other medical condition - without a diagnosis.

I know I'm being pedantic, but it really hurts my autistic brain when people use language imprecisely. Also, it diminishes the legitimate struggles and experiences of people with diagnosed mental illnesses when everyday language is used casually and incorrectly in the place of specific terminology. 

Let me know what you think! And may everyone's mental health be good! 

Parents
  • over 3 years ago

    I think people are looking for euphemisms rather than synonyms because it's hard to talk about stuff sometimes and not have people run a mile.  I am quite open in describing my problems - I often just come out and say that I have schizoaffective disorder, but if someone said they had mental health issues, I would know what they meant as you aren't going to have issues with the fact that you are just the right amount of happy and content but I suppose that just saying "I have mental health" could mean anything - but the meaning can usually be sought from the other info given.  I have seen posts on forums where people talk about people with serious mental health issues as though they can't belong to communities like this (not sure if I belong here yet or not) - so maybe people try to give the impression that their struggles are milder so that they don't become rejected. Your opinion is as valid as mine though - just thought I would describe it from my perspective.

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  • over 3 years ago

    I think people are looking for euphemisms rather than synonyms because it's hard to talk about stuff sometimes and not have people run a mile.  I am quite open in describing my problems - I often just come out and say that I have schizoaffective disorder, but if someone said they had mental health issues, I would know what they meant as you aren't going to have issues with the fact that you are just the right amount of happy and content but I suppose that just saying "I have mental health" could mean anything - but the meaning can usually be sought from the other info given.  I have seen posts on forums where people talk about people with serious mental health issues as though they can't belong to communities like this (not sure if I belong here yet or not) - so maybe people try to give the impression that their struggles are milder so that they don't become rejected. Your opinion is as valid as mine though - just thought I would describe it from my perspective.

Children