Shortly after the publication of our article in which we spoke about the importance of choosing our words wisely when talking about suicide, we were contacted by Harold Maio, a retired mental health editor who tirelessly crusades against the prejudicial use of ‘the’ mentally ill and ‘stigma’ in all forms of print, wherever he finds them, from his now-grown son’s bedroom in Florida.
His email to us was short and to the point – by using the word stigma in association with mental health illnesses and suicide, we are contributing to its existence.
According to Maio, ‘Once one has diminished a group to a “the”, one then claims for them a “stigma”, a “they”, a difference, eventually a deficiency.’ His arguments got us talking, and they got us thinking: what if our constant use of the word stigma in association with suicide and mental illness is what is perpetuating it?
What if we stopped using that word and starting talking about acceptance instead?
Because just by saying ‘we need to remove the stigma surrounding mental health issues’ we are associating the two, reinforcing the idea in people’s minds that stigma is attached to mental illness, and so it persists.
Words are so powerful, but the power to choose how we use them is in our hands, so let us remember this: there is only stigma if we allow there to be and if we banish it from our vocabulary then it will, with time, disappear from our minds.
The new date for Darkness Into Light Luxembourg 2020 is 3 October (6.30 am) – please walk with us to create a world of hope and acceptance. More information here.
