Why Do People Say “ Mental Health”When They Mean “ Mental Health Problems”?

[RabbitsRock]

It’s annoying! Everyone has mental health! Anyone else find it annoying?

Sounds reasonable and smart.

Really interesting and a lot of truth to it. You're wrong about the ADHD.

Yes. That’s what they mean. It’s like people saying they have blood pressure when they mean HIGH blood pressure. Everyone has blood pressure!

I find it intensely irritating.

He has poor mental health. She suffers from mental íll-health.

She has mental health? Well so do we all. If anything 'having health' means 'healthy' to me. .

I know, people don't understand the correct terms.

I often think the description should be mental ill-health. Usually these days it’s “issues” not “problems”. But problems is what they are

Yep, I hear it in my line of work a few times a day, generally and sadly normally by the people trying to explain why they can't work/do anything for themselves/claim benefits/be pushed to the top of the housing list! It's a shame as the people with poor mental health that really need help don't get what they need as everyone's time is taken up with made up "mental 'elf "

I didn’t say anything about ADHD?

It’s because people have piss-poor grammar and/or are thick as mince.

See also “he done brilliant” and “it needs done”.

OMFG!!

You're very kind.
Unless you're one of my offspring who tend to say this sort of thing sarcastically, in which case: 😛
You wouldn't want to get me started on "nauseous" versus "nauseated", "bleed" versus "haemorrhage" and "supratentorial".

Eta Love your username.

Yes is annoying, yes I use it as a professional, yes everyone knows what I (and everyone means) when we say it

Theres also the distinction that not everyone we are using that term about has diagnosed or formal mental health disorders or illnesses.

So I wouldnt say mental illness, or mental health disorder if there was no formal diagnosis, I might not even say mental ill health. I might say poor mental health.
I might say mental health 'issues' which even though I use that term and everyone uses that term also annoys me

I'm not one of your offspring... I don't think.

Beware.

"I've got mental health" can sometimes irritate me a bit, but most people using it are I think just ordinary people using a shorthand term they've come across before, to get over some idea of what they mean without getting too specific about whether they actually have a mental illness or just get nervous/fed up/pissed off from time to time.

What annoys me more is "bipolar" as a noun.

I have bipolar disorder, and I'm fine with expressing it in that way, or by saying that I have manic depression/manic depressive disorder/manic depressive illness/whatever. [Edit: or even bipolar affective disorder, if we want to get properly technical and medical textbook about it, but "affective" can be easily misinterpreted in general communication. "Bipolar disorder" is already shorthand for convenience.] I'm also fine with describing myself as a manic-depressive. And if an adjective is needed, I can say that I'm bipolar, or I'm manic depressive. Some people don't like the older manic-depressive terminology, or take issue with the "a manic-depressive" type of framing (like some people object to "a diabetic" or "a schizophrenic"), and that's fine by me, we all have preferences.

But there's now some weird push to rename the illness as just "bipolar", as in "She has bipolar", or "We run support groups for bipolar". Bipolar what?? It's like saying "He has inflammatory" or "My daughter has an eating".

And if this was just ordinary people using shorthand when chatting among themselves, it wouldn't bother me much. But the actual bloody main UK bipolar disorder charity has now switched wholesale to talking about "having bipolar" in all official communications. Drives me nuts.

It's irritating.

More broadly, it's also irritating when "mental health problems" is used to talk about what are actually psychiatric conditions. I don't think I'm being pedantic; it is actually not useful to have "everyday depression" and "psychosis" lumped into the same category.

Ha, I know exactly what you mean. "No, I can't do that, I've got mental health!" I read the other day that 'mental health' is the new 'bad back'.

It does grate. Same with "should of", "Chester draws" "I was sat" etc. And Americanisms such as "gifted it". Lazy grammar.

If they said ‘suffering with your mental health’, it would be correct.

What do you mean by ‘everyday depression’? There is only sadness or clinical depression mild, moderate and severe. Mild can become moderate, or severe quickly. The suicide rate in those suffering with clinical depression is 20 times greater than for the general population. It’s about the same for those with psychosis, but guess what? That is because they are depressed. Your comment shows a real lack of knowledge and compassion.

I agree @StrikeForever , they all need taking seriously albeit they need different treatments.

I apologize profusely for not using intensely researched medical language in. MN post ;]

Sarcasm doesn’t change the fact that you minimised depression, saying it isn’t a significant mental illness.

Nice goady post @RabbitsRock pity you haven't bothered coming back.

Eyesopenwideawake not meant to be goady at all! And it’s not about not bothering. Just living life.

I asked a question & got some answers