The Importance of Language When We Talk About Mental Health at Work
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You know that saying, "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me"? Guess what? When it comes to talking about mental health at work, that's a load of crap. And I'll tell you why.
Words matter and can cause harm, whether intended or not.
In the workplace, words can be even more critical. And ESPECIALLY how we talk about mental health in the workplace.
Whether someone is coming to you for help, you’re the one seeking some form of support, or what you overhear from a colleague about how someone behaved - the words we use could be the difference between increasing the stigma around mental health or normalizing the conversation.
According to the National Institutes of Health, the stigma attached to mental health can significantly reduce the chances of someone reaching out for help. So, putting an emphasis on using language accurately around mental health in the workplace is critical in creating psychological safety around discussing the topic.
Let's look at the consequences of what happens when people use stigmatizing mental health language in the workplace, how to address that, and what to do to get it right.
WHY DO WE MISUSE MENTAL HEALTH LANGUAGE?
Let’s take a look at some of the reasons behind this behavior of misuse around mental health language:
Mental health is an abstract concept. It's easier to misuse or misappropriate language about a concept that one doesn't understand, and that isn't 'monitored for appropriateness' nearly as much as when we talk about physical health.
Using medical terms around mental health to emphasize what they’re saying or to be hyperbolic. (1) Words that were once only used to describe symptoms of a mental illness or a mental illness itself have now creeped into society and colloquial language, like the ever-present “triggered.” Think about how many times you have heard someone or even yourself say, “I feel depressed today.” When, in actual fact, the feeling is more of sadness than clinical depression.
People just don’t know any better. They don't realize their words can be gravely harmful, like the classic joke about wanting to kill yourself in a boring meeting.
More and more mental health-related terms are being co-opted in everyday speech. (2) When people use these terms, it’s often because they have heard someone else say it, whether in a friendship circle or on TV or social media. A few examples include, “I’m so OCD”, “Look at that psycho!”, “Wow! That stunt was mental.”
Lack of awareness and understanding around mental health issues. This comes back to the stigma attached to mental health, in the workplace and society as a whole. For generations before us, those with mental illnesses were treated as outsiders and shamed, (3) making it easier, and dare I say more socially acceptable to trivialize mental illnesses. Fortunately, we’ve come a long way since then, but we still have many miles to walk. And it starts with our language use. We wouldn't trivialize physical health this way, so why do it with mental health?
CONSEQUENCES OF MENTAL HEALTH LANGUAGE MISUSE IN THE WORKPLACE
Apart from hurting someone emotionally, and completely misappropriating medical terminology, when we diminish mental health in the workplace with the words we use, we prevent those who need help from seeking it, or from talking about their struggles at all.
Language is a huge deal when discussing mental health anywhere, particularly at work. (4)
Let’s see how it all plays out.
SCENARIO 1: Person A, unintentionally, uses mental illness terminology to prove a point or exaggerate what they’re going through. Maybe they feel it “sounds cool” to call someone “schizo” when they notice a sudden change in mood.
CONSEQUENCE: While Person A may not have meant to be judgmental or cause any harm, Person B, who is privately struggling with mental health issues, may start to feel unsafe in their presence and in the workplace in general.
SCENARIO 2: Let’s say you hear the word “depressed” thrown around often by your colleagues. Sometimes it’s mentioned on a Monday morning, and sometimes it’s confused with a feeling of sadness.
CONSEQUENCE: If you are experiencing depression (but you don’t know that’s what it is yet), you may brush off those symptoms as ‘not a big deal’, based on how trivial your colleagues seem to treat it, so you struggle continually thinking you need to deal with it on your own because it’s just “par for the course life-stuff”. The same goes for someone assisting another with a mental health issue.
Without understanding the meaning of what someone is going through, we risk diminishing their situation. If we don't use appropriate language to name our experiences, we not only influence how others view their experiences through our words, but we also make it harder for them to get the correct mental health care.
SCENARIO 3: Using mental health language to shame or guilt trip others intentionally. (5) In popular culture today, terms like "triggered" and "PTSD" are thrown around to describe seemingly meaningless situations, like when someone makes a fashion mishap. However, someone who does have PTSD would not appreciate having their experiences minimized or inappropriately reassigned to other experiences.
CONSEQUENCE: When we use these terms so loosely, whether in the workplace or our social media posts, we diminish the experience of those who are actually living with a mental health condition. And so the cycle of stigma continues.
TIPS FOR USING MENTAL HEALTH LANGUAGE CORRECTLY
So what can you do when you notice someone misusing mental health terminology? Let's look at two perspectives: individually and in conversation.
In Conversation With Others:
Educate, educate, educate.
In my book, I mention my appreciation for those who create teachable moments from improper language use scenarios.
By calmly (as much as you can anyway) explaining why a certain word or label may be hurtful to others, or that we shouldn't attribute meaning where we don't understand it, we create of moment of re-education and trying to reduce misappropriated stigma by (hopefully) opening other peoples' eyes to why what they said in the first place was uninformed.
Individually:
Be aware of your wording and tone: Some people like to exaggerate or be hyperbolic, not realizing the harm they cause.. They may think it’s "cool", but those privately struggling with mental health issues may feel unsafe.
Don’t use clinical labels for behavior you don’t understand or that makes you uncomfortable: For example, instead of using the term "OCD" to describe a colleague’s neat and organized desk, say, "My colleague is a perfectionist with their workspace." And instead of saying "crazy" when someone is lashing out about a work problem, you could say, "Our co-worker is having difficulty with this project."
Don’t generalize experiences: Mental illness can refer to a whole spectrum of different conditions with unique symptoms. Someone with anxiety does not have the same lived experience as someone facing depression. So be specific.
Don't use harmful language, even when joking: Words like "crazy," "psycho," and "junkie" are serious no-gos. Seriously, just no. The same goes for comments that trivialize suicide.
CONCLUSION
Before you let the words “crazy”, “depressed” or “triggered” slip out in everyday conversation, take a moment to pause and reflect on the impact of your words. Because the words we use do matter.
Our words can help to educate others on mental health. And our words can change the way someone views this topic, hopefully in a way they didn't consider before.
By changing the language we use every day, person by person, moment by moment, we can aim to have a collective impact and contribute to destigmatizing mental health at work.
To learn more about getting rid of mental health stigmas in the workplace, check out Melissa's book or sign up for a book club session.
To book a training session at your company, contact Melissa.
Sources:
1,2,3,4: Doman, Melissa. Yes, You Can Talk about Mental Health at Work: Here's Why ... and How to Do It Really Well. Welbeck Publishing Group, 2021.
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