Language primer
Language as a vehicle of discrimination
Language both reflects and shapes social reality. Discriminatory language is, therefore, both a symptom of, and a contributor to, various forms of discrimination.
Many advocates for social justice have recognised the use of language in reinforcing stereotypes including those addressing the unequal social status of women, people with disabilities and people from various ethnic and racial backgrounds.
We encourage journalists to think actively about the language they use when reporting on mental illness, and below is a list of some suggestions on how to avoid using discriminatory language that reinforces stigma and discrimination towards people experiencing mental illness.
When writing or talking about people with experience of mental illness, remember to follow these guidelines:
- Avoid the verbs ‘is' and ‘are' and avoid ‘a schizophrenic' and ‘schizophrenics' as this is labeling people as their illness. Employ the verbs ‘has' or ‘have' and name the illness, as in ‘Johnny has a diagnosis of schizophrenia' or ‘Johnny has schizophrenia'.
- Avoid all adjectives that label people; employ instead substantives, for example, naming conditions or diagnoses as in the example above.
- Avoid the article ‘the' as in ‘the mentally ill'. Employ first person constructions, as in ‘people with...', ‘a person with...', and name the specific illness as in ‘people with bipolar disorder' or ‘a person with depression'.
- Avoid ‘mental illness', the singular and employ the plural, ‘mental illnesses', as there are many.
- Avoid the use of ‘suffering' when describing a person or persons with mental illness. Use instead, ‘experience' as in ‘supporting men experiencing depression' or ‘supporting men with experience of depression', rather than men suffering from depression.
