By Anne-Marie D’Mello
Are you being triggered?
What do you think of when you hear the word ‘triggered’? It can have numerous meanings depending on the situation: setting a sequence of events in motion or an alarm. Today it is more commonly used to describe a person’s response to an action or situation.
This word is used a lot, particularly amongst young people. It has also become noticeable that other words relating to mental health are appearing in our everyday vocabulary. It seems that often these words take on a different value to their original meaning and context. Trigger’ is used as a pre cursor to describe the impact of an event and sometimes used to exaggerate its effects.
Take exam time for example: exams are generally challenging times. They can induce short term stress and worry, which fades as the exams pass. Words such as ‘worry’ are being replaced with ‘anxiety’ and to use this term incorrectly undermines the struggles of people who live with anxiety and find it difficult to function on a daily basis. OCD is another diagnosable mental health condition which is often used to describe the particular way a person might like something done. It belittles the experiences of people whose unwanted obsessions and compulsive behaviours interfere with all aspects of life. Being a ‘neat freak’ does not translate to having OCD.
Equally, sadness is the emotion felt when experiencing loss or grief. Sadness is a natural emotion and in the same vein as worry, the word ‘sad’ is often replaced by ‘depressed’. Mood swings are referred to as ‘bipolar’. ‘Schizo’ or ‘psycho’ have derogatory meanings and are associated with criminal behaviors. Such words do not recognise the lifelong impact on people who have a clinical diagnosis.
Using a clinical diagnosis to describe personality traits can only fuel misunderstanding, notes Andrew McCulloch, Chief Executive of the Mental Health Foundation.
Thankfully we are becoming more aware of mental health and indeed First Aid for Mental Health courses help to differentiate the terminology of natural human emotions and responses, to understanding the features of mental health conditions. Being mindful of the words we use, and their context will help combat the stigma many people face because of their condition.