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Handing over the language of psychiatry to be the play thing of media.

ZiggySenior Contributor26 May 2025, 8:56 pm AEST

Handing over the language of psychiatry to be the play thing of media.

One of the most tragic things which I have borne witness to over the last 35 years (post diagnosis) is the loss of ownership of the language within the mental health sector. Whilst our friends within the LGBTQIA+ movement took ownership and indeed Pride in the language of 'different to the perceived norm'. 'We' in the mental health sector have shied away from owning the language of psychiatry and as such I have witnessed it unwind to further marginalisation and misunderstanding from correct use of language directly impacting the very real people who carry any diagnosis. It seems this has resulted in most people not wishing to identify with a diagnosis for the fear of judgement (of the uneducated) that may go with it.
I carry a sense of Pride in my diagnosis because despite all I have 'gotten on with it'.
When first diagnosed my Dad & I went to the Schizophrenia Fellowship where we met Dr. Margaret Leggatt who became a source of much compassion and wonderful guidance. To see this easily identifiable resource eventually become a hazy association with mental health issues under the banner of Wellways is a pertinent example of giving up the language rather than 'owning it'.
Unfortunately (and in my opinion) the naming of helpful entities in the mental health sector has become a case of 'nice sound grabs' (like 'headspace', 'the orange door', 'MIND', 'Wellways' &c. rather than just naming the 'issue we address here' which would be so much more appropriate and accessible than 'playing PC with our diagnoses' whilst almost encouraging the media (& anyone who wants to) permission to play with 'our language'.
What are your thoughts on this?

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In response to: Handing over the language of psychiatry to be the play thing of media.

chibamSenior Contributor27 May 2025, 8:39 pm AEST

Re: Handing over the language of psychiatry to be the play thing of media.

I'm sorry, @Ziggy , it was not my intent to derail the conversation.

I thought my comments were in-line with subject you were trying to address, though evidently they were not. I was perhaps clouding the discussion with recent frustrations I've had - particularly regarding a speech recently from a supposed spokesperson for the mental illness lived experiance community, who I found to be very incoherant, largely down to the fact that she insisted upon using "her own language".

I'm not sure I've understood the concerns you've tried to address.

You mentioned the media in your original post and it's implied misuse of mental health language, and I can't help but wonder if the media does this for the sake of trying to make the topics more comprehensible to the mainstream audience.

Words like "schizophrenia" and "bipolar disorder" might make crystal clear sense to those in the realm of mental health experiance, but to the general public they can be vague, confusing and uninformative; and so, in order to be useful, the media might find it necessary to define these topics in differant language, which the average person can understand.

Maybe this isn't in line with what you were referring to? If not, do you have any examples of the kind of problem you were referring to?

As for the naming of institutions, well... "Headspace", as I understand it, is sort of a one-stop-shop for any young person with any sort of mental health issue. So it can't really have a name that fully describes it's service, can it? If it tried to rename itself: "The Schizophrenia, Depression, Suicide, Antisocial Personality Disorder... [list every mental health condition]... Center", the name would never fit on the side of the building.

Maybe some very specialized services could get away with rebranding themselves: "The Schizophrenia Center", or "The Anxiety Center", ect., ect., but a lot of the services with a more broader focus probably can't come up with a condensed name that accurately conveys what their all about.

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