To hate the use of 'mental health'

[BarbaraVineFan]

As someone who has mental health issues in their family, this is driving me increasingly mad (pardon the pun!)

Increasingly these days you see people saying or writing 'mental health' when they mean 'mental illness' or 'mental health problems'.

'I couldn't do X because of my mental health'- kind of ok.

'I couldn't do X because I have mental health'- incorrect and increasingly common.

Why is this? Is it because people don't like using the word 'illness'? It is baffling to me!

lucky for my mental health that you are smart and happy to show it then

I agree OP, people are stupid.

Recommendation from a PP for pendants corner is spot on

Guilty. I use it ironically. Because half the world is using the phrase as a victim status claim.
e.g. When discussing an attack on the news. ‘Probably got mental health’. It’s a nonsense phrase used by people who will not admit personal responsibility for anything ever. They don’t need to because mental health. Saying ‘issues’ afterwards makes it sound negative and nothing can be negative.

Mental health frailties is my go to, but it still doesn't sound quite right.

I remember, as a child in the 70s, the likes of PTSD etc (as a definition), people were referred to as:

1. Her nerves are playing up
2. He's having trouble with his nerves

Absolutely! It’s all anyone bloody talks about!

I got so fed up of hearing certain phrases and decided to see whether I could get through a day without hearing certain Bingo words, like mental health, Trans, non-binary etc...... and it's impossible.

The media are feeding us this shit all day long and you have to wonder why?

No wonder our young people now feel as though they need to be suffering from some sort of mental health condition, or be non-binary, or some such shite, just to fit in.

It's not trendy to be straight with a healthy mind. You're just not quirky enough. It's all grade A bollocks.

I remember getting irrationally irritated reading fiction by the US usage of ‘tan’, eg ‘She was tan from being outdoors so much’.

I agree OP, it drives me mad. "I've got mental health" - That should be good then.

I read this article this morning and thought the same it’s the comments at the end from the man that was scammed (out of £99 he got refunded by the bank) …
'We booked a £99 stargazing break - all we got was an empty field' https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0mzxe4dvw3o

Likewise you might say 'I'm going to ask to cut my hours for my mental health' You don't have to have a diagnosis to protect your mental health.

That's not the usage OP is referring to though. It's people saying "I've got metal health" when they mean poor mental health/ mental health problems.

Sorry just read the thread and it’s more about the wrong grammar so my post doesn’t really make sense 🥴 in that context.

YANBU, it gives me the rage, especially when professionals use it! They’ve got mental health… that’s wonderful, I’m glad they’re healthy 😂.

'Mental health' is a fairly new concept in public discourse. People hear it being talked about in the context of difficulties with it, and regard it as indicating something diverging from a putative norm of not having difficulties with it, and use it that way. Obviously it's inaccurate language, but - as an unapologetic descriptivist - that would be my take on why it's happening. It's a little bit like the contemporary use of 'literally' to mean the exact opposite - which I believe is now listed in dictionaries.

Whatever the linguistic rights and wrongs, I wouldn't want to be sneering at someone making that disclosure, tbh.

Yeah I’ve often thought this too but haven’t said it.

’I have mental health’……. 😐 we all do, just like we all have physical health. Just makes it sound like you’re exaggerating your issues. Like most things in life, being specific makes communication easier and clearer.

Like most things in life, being specific makes communication easier and clearer

Fair enough, but 'being specific' about MH conditions is not always an easy or appropriate thing to do.

Yes, it's annoying! I think it comes about because the missing word is implied somewhere along the line people didn't bother with it. A bit like carbon emissions. We all know the problem carbon dioxide emissions but nobody can be bothered say that.

I'm so glad to read this, I was beginning to think it was just me that thought it was nonsense

I just assume it means the person is also not very bright and lacking in education and good family background and that also gives me context on why they can't do "X".

As someone with a history of mental health struggles I get what you mean BUT what offends me more is the common use of the words "mad" and "crazy" in normal conversations. It's right there in your OP. It's not a funny pun some people really are mad and have to heart poor mental health mocked daily

People use it all the time to close dien debate when things are not going their way
I also still think there' is still very little understanding of severe and enduring mental illness, s i used to be a mental health nurse,,when people talk about their mental health issues, the vast majority are referring to anxiety and depression which can affect a lot of people to varying degrees conditions, such as schizophrenia, Bipolar ,schizo affective disorders etc are still taboo.

I saw this the other day on FB, agree it makes no sense, replace it with physical health is nothing to be ashamed of. I thought I had read it wrong.

So it’s just the way it’s written that doesn’t make sense.

At last someone else who finds this extremely annoying. “I’ve got mental health” absolutely does not make sense.

Actual mental illness IS still a taboo though, and incredibly stigmatised. There's virtual silence on schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, debilitating OCD, bipolar disorder or catatonic depression.

I agree however that there are far too many people talking about 'mental health issues', 'having anxiety' and being 'a bit OCD' when what they actually mean is, 'I feel a bit crap today', 'I don't like talking to people on the phone' and 'I like to keep my space tidy'.