When mental illness terms are used as flippant slang in conversations, it increases stigma. This is why you should care about stopping it.

Why does this matter to me, and why should it matter to you?

I’m so glad you asked. 😉

I’ve been a professional counselor for over two decades, but this just isn’t clinically based. Mental illness has shaped the lives of my friends & family members, my students, my colleagues, my supervisees, and countless clients I’ve sat with over the years.

Stigma doesn’t just show up in headlines. It shows up in my office. At my dinner table with friends over the years. In real people trying to cope and manage. I bet mental health issues have shown up in your people & circles as well, and that’s why you should care about this.

More Slang & Stigma

“I’m totally OCD about my desk.”

“He went psycho after the meeting.”

“I’m depressed about what happened.”

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Psychosis, and Major Depression Disorder are mental health disorders that are mischaracterized in these common cultural conversations. Behind each word is a person with real lived experience who deserves more respect than slang.

How Does Language Affect Stigma?

Misusing mental health terms is not just inaccurate, it’s harmful because…

- People who are experiencing mental health issues are less likely to get help.

- Symptoms get misunderstood or minimized by people who actually experience them.

- Stereotypes are reinforced.

- Mental illness becomes a punchline.

This is not a matter of political correctness. Don’t miss the point here.

It’s a matter of accuracy, respect, and reducing stigma of mental health.

That’s the point of all of this. That’s why I’ve been writing weekly (sometimes more often) for the past month or so: To Crush the Stigma. 📝

Here, here, and here are some articles to read about how informal language affects people getting help and increases stigma, which is a primary cultural barrier to care.

How We Got Here

It’s many factors. TV tropes. Tabloid headlines. Social‑media memes. Casual gossip about others in the name of prayer or support. All have chipped away at the meaning of clinical language.

When we say, “She’s schizophrenic,” we’re turning a complex disorder into a caricature, stripping it of humanity.

A New Way of Thinking

Would we say “she’s so diabetic” when someone skips insulin?

Or “he’s so cancer” when someone is having a bad day?

Of course, we would not, because we recognize those as real, serious illnesses. How many of us have been affected by cancer? My guess is most people reading this. So why do we make light of mental health and not physical illnesses? Is it because many people don’t fully understand mental health issues? Maybe, that’s some of it. We tend to make light of what we don’t understand.

Let’s all start by agreeing to say the following as a replacement in conversations: “Mental health IS health.” 👍🎁 

That is language that normalizes mental health, crushes its stigma, and encourages people to get help when they need it. That’s the kind of language all of us can get behind.

What Can You Do Today?

You don’t need professional mental health training to shift the conversation.

Try This

Pause the conversation. There is no need to come across as harsh or defensive, just slow the conversation down.

Confront the language. Ask, “What do you mean by that?” or “Do you actually mean bipolar?”

Educate with care. You could say something like “Bipolar is a real mental health disorder. By talking about it like this, it may affect others needing real help. Would you like to know more about this?”

Final Thought

Mental health isn’t slang in a conversation, a meme, or a trend.
It’s personal.
It’s real.
And how we talk about it carries real impact with the people we love.

So next time someone says, “He’s got to be OCD,” let it be your moment to stand up for truth—and for those whose experiences deserve respect.

My mind is blown that 139 of you have joined this journey I’m on. And last I saw, 10 new subscribers are pending! 😮

What is MindWatch?

MindWatch is a weekly newsletter I created to help crush the stigma of mental health by telling stories and reacting to news, culture, faith, and politics.

Until next week, come back…be here.

Keith