Mental illness is not a stigma

I’VE noticed that some doctors don’t like using the term ‘mental illness’.

Instead, they refer to the psychiatric problems of their own or others as ‘issues with mental health’.

I’ve also heard people saying things such as: ‘I’ve had mental health before.’ Not only is this grammatically incorrect, it reinforces the stigma.

You wouldn’t skirt around saying that someone had diabetes, or heart disease, so why do it with mental illness?

It is also important to distinguish between ‘mental health’ – which we all have – and ‘mental illness’, which is a medical condition.

If we want to encourage people to speak openly about their emotional wellbeing, and urge them to seek help where necessary, we shouldn’t be afraid to call it what it is.