Background:

There has been a growing tendency among practitioners, policy makers and political leaders to avoid using the phrase mental illness – often choosing the more ubiquitous term “mental health.” Usually expressed as a mental health “concern” or “issue,” these euphemisms minimize the devastating nature of a severe mental illness. Obfuscating the real nature of mental illness – as if it is a vulgar concept not to be spoken of – has the paradoxical effect of increasing, not reducing, stigma and discrimination.

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Since health care policies and procedures – as well as legislation and funding decisions – encompass a wide array of mental health and addiction conditions, it’s too easy for mental illness to get lost in the mix. This is especially true if no one will actually utter the words mental illness. With the plethora of voices speaking out for psychological and addiction concerns, the longstanding concerns regarding those with severe and persistent mental illness are being drowned out.

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The nature of mental illness, however, requires more resources and legal structures – and needs to be a topic of its own. Severe mental illnesses such as schizophrenia and related disorders are not predictable or preventable. They are psychiatric, not psychological, disorders. Mental illness requires specific and highly skilled psychiatric supports. More education about mental illness is needed to counteract the myths and fears that prevent people from even mentioning it.

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Position:

• The term mental illness must not be avoided by health care professionals, legislators and advocates when used to describe severe disorders such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and other psychotic illnesses.

• Education about severe mental illnesses needs to widespread and addressed to the public, families, and health care providers.

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Supporting Research:

1. Public discourse on mental health: a critical view Journal of Psychiatry & Neuroscience, April 3, 2024 

2. Severe and persistent mental illness: a useful definition for prioritizing community-based mental health service interventions Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, March 2006