The words we use to describe mental illness - how they matter

We hear the words often - words that imply that a person is a disease and the disease is a person. For example, we may say that someone is a diabetic or a hypertensive. But that's not right. The diabetes and the hypertension (high blood pressure) don't define the person. The person lives with or has diabetes or hypertension. Do you see the difference?

This use of words is particularly important when it comes to mental health. Someone may say that a sibling or coworker is a schizophrenic or that someone committed suicide. The first is wrong for the same reason that saying someone is diabetic is wrong. But what is wrong with "committed suicide?" A lot really, because people commit crimes - and suicide isn't a crime. 

Someone I love killed himself. I don't say he committed suicide. I say he killed himself or he took his life. He didn't commit a crime and by implying it with the words, his death is stigmatized even more.

How we use words evolves over time and writers and journalists play a role in how this happens. If writers repeat hurtful or incorrect terminology or phrases, the readers begin to think that this is normal and what they should be using too. Because of this, I was glad to see that the Canadian Journalism Forum on Violence and Trauma partnered last year with CBC News (the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation), to put together a comprehensive guide on writing about mental health. Mindset - Reporting on Mental Health was compiled to help Canadian journalists navigate the waters of reporting on mental illness. The English version was launched last week, April 24, and is now available for download.

While it was written for Canadian journalists, there is no reason why English-speaking writers and journalists from around the world can't use the guide. It addresses issues about how not all mental illness can be put into one category, how the majority of people with mental illnesses don't commit crimes, interviewing techniques, and mental illness and the law - among other things.

It's an interesting read for students who will be working in social fields, such as psychology, teaching, policing, social work, law, and so many other professions. It's also interesting for the general public, because it gives some context to the issue of mental illness and how we talk about it. 

Think about it - how do you talk about mental illness? I know that I learned quite a bit from just browsing the document. 

Charlie Sheen, Brittany Spears, are we seeing any similarities?

With the entertainment world sitting in a front row seat, watching Charlie Sheen’s self-destruction, isn’t anyone reminded of something similar happening to Brittany Spears not all that long ago?

At first, Sheen’s behaviour looked like typical spoiled brat behaviour – just as Spears’ behaviour did. But as Sheen is spinning further and further out of control, it’s like watching Spears all over again.

While we don’t have an official diagnosis on Spears and nobody has diagnosed Sheen, it seems pretty obvious to the average person that there is much more going on than just bad behaviour.

According to the National Institute of Health, one in four American adults have a mental disorder. The Canadian Mental Health Association says that 20% of Canadians will experience a mental health issue at some point in their lives.

While some mental illnesses are depression and anxiety (which can be life threatening), they include other types, such as bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and obsessive-compulsive disorder, among many others.

Mental illness is not anything to laugh about. If it turns out that Sheen is just being a jerk, then well, that’s what he is. But it doesn’t seem that way and rather than laughing at him and giving him all this attention, maybe we should walk away and hope that he gets the help it looks like he needs.

Wednesday's news

I love Wednesdays for news because so many stories come out on Tuesdays. There is so much to choose from. I try to pick things that are not as clinical as interesting as they may be, but what I think my readers may find applicable and interesting.

Blood test predicts onset of Alzheimer's is interesting because Alzheimer’s is such a devastating disease. Of course, detecting it doesn’t mean that there is a cure, but it is a good step in that direction. Plus, researchers are finding ways to slow down the progress of the disease, so early detection would be a great plus.

Canada approves first new HIV drug in 10 years and Study examines AIDS patients in Africa seem ironic, to me, that they show up in the same week. It’s known how difficult it is for people in so-called Third World countries to get HIV medications and now we learn (although it’s not surprising) that many don’t take them as they should. Very sad.

This story A low prevalence of H pylori in HIV-positive patients was just interesting to me.

Now, I guess we shouldn’t be surprised with this story: Severely mentally ill at high risk for cardiovascular disease. I’m thinking of it from the point of view that a psychiatric illness must be stressful on the body – that was always my amateur take on this type of thing. I believe that psychiatric illnesses have a much greater impact on the physical body than the medical community has realized.

Potentially deadly staph superbug spreading faster than ever is an important story. We hear a lot about some problems that may never affect us, but this is a biggie. We need to be more aware of this. Interestingly, this story also appeared at the same time: Simple measures can reduce spread of respiratory viruses. Handwashing is our number one defense against spreading germs and getting sick ourselves.

Sometimes, the stories hit home because of issues that I’ve gone through or had. I’ve had a few gastroscopies so this story definitely caught my eye: Patients may have sweet and effective way to prepare for upper GI endoscopy: an anesthetic lollipop. I can do a lot of things without freaking, but I just can’t tolerate upper GI endoscopies. I have a very strong gag reflex and it’s not easy for me to imagine one of those scopes going down my throat.

A few others that were interesting because of professional or personal experience were these ones: Chinese herbal medicine may help relieve painful menstrual cramps, No evidence that insoles prevent general back pain, Stretching out does not prevent soreness after exercise, Don't routinely use enemas during labor, and Don't 'break the waters' during labor without good clinical reason, concludes Cochrane Review.

Most women who have had painful menstrual cramps can definitely understand the interest in such a finding. If you don’t get a good effect from the available treatments, it really is miserable having to experience that cramping every month. The story about insoles is interesting. As a nurse, I have that age-old nurse problem, a sore back. I never thought of trying special insoles though.

Now, the stretching story really caught my eye because I’d read that before. And you know what? Even though they have the findings, I have to disagree with them. I know that if I do any type of exercise, be it on my elliptical, raking leaves, shoveling snow, or golfing, and I haven’t stretched first, my muscles hurt. However, if I stretch before (and after if I think of it), there is minimal, if any, muscle pain.

The next two stories about labour are also interesting. I thought that they didn’t do enemas to labouring mothers any more. I guess I was wrong. As for breaking the water – that one makes a lot of sense because we really should be limiting any type of medical intervention in labour and delivery unless it is really necessary, in my opinion.

And that is the news for today!

Still no room for those with mental illness

The first story on my news list was also on the CBC National News last night in another form. The story was a documentary about a woman, Marie, who had fetal alcohol syndrome and is unable to care for herself due to severe outbursts. There is no place for her. Her father can’t care for her and when she was in a hospital, she struck out and attacked a nurse and another patient. What was the result? She was arrested and put in prison. What’s wrong with that picture?

Mental illness is still not being recognized and treated properly by a large part of our society. Just when it seems that progress is being made, we are reminded of the number of homeless people who have mental illness or disproportionate number of people with mental illnesses who are in prison.

What is it going to take to get this treated seriously? The big movement to close psychiatric hospitals and integrate the patients isn’t working. While integration is great for some, it’s really not for others. They need the structure, they need the experienced caregivers, and they need the help. Did closing all those institutions really save the money it was supposed to? Well, in the institution books, yes. But not in real life. How much is it costing to hospitalize people in a mental health crisis? What is the real life cost of people living on the margins of society? Can dollar savings even compare to this cost?

News for Today:
Homeless hospitalized more often for mental illness: study
Ovary removal heightens risk of dementia, Parkinson's
Underage drinking starts before adolescence
Pill box organizers increase HIV patients' adherence and improve viral suppression

Speaking out about illness that no-one talks about

There are many health and medical issues in the news; which ones are important enough to talk and write about? It’s easy to say “all of them,” but I’m a strong believer in trying to make the most noise about the very topics people don’t want to hear about.

How many men perform self-examination for testicular cancer? How many people have had screening colonoscopies? How many people openly discuss their battles with mental health disorders? These are just a few examples. Years ago, we didn’t talk about breast cancer. Now it’s all over the news and women are reminded often about the importance of breast health. That’s what exposure can do.

There are so many things that are taboo in our society – still. We like to think that in the western world, we’re open to talk about whatever we want, but that’s not always true. At one time, no-one even whispered the term “sexual abuse.” But now that it can be talked about, children and adults who are and were hurt, can start to seek the help they need. Schizophrenia, bipolar disease, and all the other mental health disorders are only now being talked about. Before, they were not issues that people wanted to deal with. You can’t see mental health, you can’t measure it in terms of lab tests or x-rays, you can’t verify it in how someone appears physically, so it’s truly the unknown. The problem is though, mental health is just as important, if not more important sometimes, than physical health. How many times have we read or heard that your mental status plays a huge role on recovery from physical illness?

We need to speak out about any illness or disorder that seems to be hidden because of shame. The more we talk about it, the more we make noise about it, the more people will sit up and take notice – the squeaky wheel and all that.

Todays news:

Whole grains may cut risk of inflammatory diseases
Radiation under the knife can speed recovery
Relief for 'bad pain' is possible, researchers say