Words And Mental Health

Spoken, Written, Heard. 

Words. 

You must never ignore the impact, or damage our usage of words can bring to a person. 

The saying ‘sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me’, is entirely inaccurate, especially with the advancement of technology. 

A misuse of words, is not just applicable in cases of bullying. They can be a subconscious remark, a passing comment, or maybe even a joke. 

Some may not realise their words can be a landmine to others. 

Concurrently, words can also give beneficial and meaningful effects to a person’s life. They can be used to heal and save a person. 

We will explore how words impact our mental health, in negative ways, and how we can change it. 

Negative Impacts 

Words can influence your mental health. This can be a good thing, most times; others, not so much. 

Words can be offensive, triggering, and trivialise situations. 

Everyone’s mindset is different. Something you may find offensive, may not be the case with another’s. 

This can be due to our experiences, beliefs, religion, ethnic, culture, and so on. As everyone is different, our triggers will also differ. 

Have you heard of the expression ‘to make a mountain out of a mole hill’? 

Trying to trivialise a situation is not always a good thing. Trying to make small of a situation, can be offensive, or upsetting. 

If the situation was caused by a misappropriated use of words, brushing it off can just cause the situation to worsen. 

What was said, could have been highly offensive to the person, or to a person of relation. By trying to minimise the situation half-heartedly, without understanding why it was offensive, can be disrespectful and angering. 

An inappropriate use of words, does not only cause adverse effects on the concerned party, but also on their friends and family. 

E.g., I am so OCD – Saying it because they like things clean, not actually OCD. 

E.g., They are crazy – Used as a figure of speech. Not schizophrenic. 

E.g., Why is the weather so bipolar today? – Suggests unpredictable weather. 

Using medical terms, as abbreviations, or talking in a way that relates to mental illnesses. 

Saying things like this, in front of people who know someone with mental health issues, or the person in question, can be daunting. 

Turning Negative, Into Positive 

Some small changes in our word choices can go a long way. 

Not using medical terms, abbreviations, and misdirecting words in your speech is a good place to start. 

Using the examples stated before: 

E.g., I am so OCD – 

Changed to: I really like how organised I am. It is so clean. 

OCD is a recognised mental health condition. It is not limited to just how organised or clean a person is. 

As they do not actually have OCD, it is more fitting to call them organised, or really clean. 

E.g., They are crazy / psycho / schizo – 

Changed to: They like the thrill. They had too much fun. 

The word crazy can be associated with schizophrenia. Schizo and psycho are also medical abbreviations of mental illnesses. 

In this example, crazy is used to measure their personality, or the actions they are doing. Using the words, thrilling or fun, seem more suited. 

E.g., Why is the weather so bipolar today? – 

Changed to: Why is the weather so unpredictable? 

Bipolar is a medical condition, switching from very high levels of excitement, to very high levels of depression. Sometimes just extreme excitement. 

The word, bipolar, is used to describe the sudden change in weather. 

Change this into unpredictable, or changeable.  

You can also use a metaphor, such as ‘it is raining cats and dogs’.