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Is there any way to get off the euphemism treadmill? First we had to create new terms because the old ones carried baggage. Now we have to righteously and vict

Is there any way to get off the euphemism treadmill? First we had to create new terms because the old ones carried baggage. Now we have to righteously and victoriously claim the old ones because we should be proud of our baggage. Call it chemical imbalance or call it people in distress; is any of this language vacillating actually enabling better treatment or is it just a way for people to get honors and headlines without actually having to actually produce science.

curiousllama 6y ago
In this more than most things, perception is reality. If people used to be less hesitant to accept the label of "chemically imbalanced" than "distressed," and now preferences are reversed then we should go back precisely to enable better treatment.
mikkergp 6y ago
The problem is the assumption that any one idea is "Right". I in general disagree with the disease model of psychology but most of people don't and they are genuinely helped by that. Trying to teach them to adopt a more existential model of psychology probably won't help them, it's not one-size fits all. I agree with the author but I also acknowledge this approach doesn't work for everyone. Psychology is based on the idea of "conceptualizations" or in CS lingo, abstractions. No Psych conceptualization actually carves at the joints of nature, they're all imperfect but each works for different situations or people. (Humanistic Psychology)[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humanistic_psychology https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humanistic_psychology] is great unless you're dealing with a psychopath. (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy)[https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/cognitive-behavioral-therapy/about/pac-20384610 https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/cognitive-behavi...] is great unless you actually have issues from your childhood to process which surprise surprise most of us do. [Psychoanalysis](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychoanalysis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychoanalysis) is great unless you're you know, not rich and don't have four days a week to do it. We can't get away from "euphamisms" as you call them, but it shouldn't be a treadmill, most should exist side-by-side.
P_I_Staker 6y ago
The problem is we're not likely to stop stigmatising people with mental health any time soon. You can't make people believe something they desperately choose not to. We think people are 100% responsible for their behavior, so if they do something wrong or inconvenience us, it's their fault, and they're bad people for it. They should just not complain or feel bad, because you're not entitled to sympathy for your mistakes or failings. You have to have a convincing case for your misery, why you deserve sympathy, and how it's not your fault, and even then, don't you dare complain to much. Obviously, I'm exaggerating a bit and don't feel that way myself. I really think most people believe some watered down version of this though.
- verylittlemeat 6y ago
  There was an interesting article [0] from a decade ago about a NY agency called "Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities." When the agency was established in the 70s the social workers fought hard for the clinical word "retard" over prior terms like "moron." Cut to 2010 and there was public outcry to have the offensive agency name changed but the people working there refused to give it up because they still held on to the more neutral meaning of "retard." [0] https://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/08/nyregion/08name.html https://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/08/nyregion/08name.html
jlokier 6y ago
Pragmatically, the terminology used affects how people end up treated. Both therepeutically, and how they are interacted with socially. If we say it's a chemical imbalance, chemicals will be sought to correct the imbalance, and effective suggestions that require other people to change will be met with resistance. If we say it's people in distress, other people will start to reflect and accept they play a role in causing the distress and be a bit more open to changing their behaviour. The best "treatment" is, of course, a combination of things tailored to individual and circumstance. But widespread language greatly affects what is available in practice.
MSbPSurvivor 6y ago
Language matters. It has far reaching consequences. Right now in mainstream culture mental health is used as a weapon to drag people down, or as virtual signaling and advertising conditions/medications/lifestyles with mental illnesses. It's being glamorized. No it's not okay to use misleading language to describe, discuss, debate or eve refer to an extremely complex problem. That's how you get even more unintended problems: by not looking at the hard truths and operating off of them. It matters because people think that most mental illnesses make the person less than, or they become insecure or fearful of people with basic mental issues and then become afraid to talk about their own. Psychiatrists have been taking advantage of people with normal, run of the mill problems for decades. Their own industry insiders have been calling them out for years on over diagnosis. There is a very real incentive for psychiatrists to make poeple sick, or convince someone who is perfectly healthy otherwise to go on medications that will completely change their body chemistry and life. Your attitude and approach to this problem is ignorant at best. You should speak to people before coming to such baseless conclusions and spewing them forth. This isn't a euphemism treadmill. This is science and it makes perfect sense. Tons of people are experiencing chemical imbalances because of habits, and because of the way they are treated or disconnected with others throughout our culture. If you abuse someone emotionally and mentally enough, it will show physically, and it doesn't take much pal. I don't know what universe you're living in but maybe get out of the macho "i'm so badass" comic books metality for two seconds and realize medical abuse and corruption within our medical industries is FUBAR.

curiousllama 6y ago

In this more than most things, perception is reality. If people used to be less hesitant to accept the label of "chemically imbalanced" than "distressed," and now preferences are reversed then we should go back precisely to enable better treatment.

mikkergp 6y ago

The problem is the assumption that any one idea is "Right". I in general disagree with the disease model of psychology but most of people don't and they are genuinely helped by that. Trying to teach them to adopt a more existential model of psychology probably won't help them, it's not one-size fits all. I agree with the author but I also acknowledge this approach doesn't work for everyone. Psychology is based on the idea of "conceptualizations" or in CS lingo, abstractions. No Psych conceptualization actually carves at the joints of nature, they're all imperfect but each works for different situations or people. (Humanistic Psychology)[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humanistic_psychology https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humanistic_psychology] is great unless you're dealing with a psychopath. (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy)[https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/cognitive-behavioral-therapy/about/pac-20384610 https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/cognitive-behavi...] is great unless you actually have issues from your childhood to process which surprise surprise most of us do. [Psychoanalysis](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychoanalysis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychoanalysis) is great unless you're you know, not rich and don't have four days a week to do it. We can't get away from "euphamisms" as you call them, but it shouldn't be a treadmill, most should exist side-by-side.

P_I_Staker 6y ago

The problem is we're not likely to stop stigmatising people with mental health any time soon. You can't make people believe something they desperately choose not to. We think people are 100% responsible for their behavior, so if they do something wrong or inconvenience us, it's their fault, and they're bad people for it. They should just not complain or feel bad, because you're not entitled to sympathy for your mistakes or failings. You have to have a convincing case for your misery, why you deserve sympathy, and how it's not your fault, and even then, don't you dare complain to much. Obviously, I'm exaggerating a bit and don't feel that way myself. I really think most people believe some watered down version of this though.

verylittlemeat 6y ago
There was an interesting article [0] from a decade ago about a NY agency called "Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities." When the agency was established in the 70s the social workers fought hard for the clinical word "retard" over prior terms like "moron." Cut to 2010 and there was public outcry to have the offensive agency name changed but the people working there refused to give it up because they still held on to the more neutral meaning of "retard." [0] https://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/08/nyregion/08name.html https://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/08/nyregion/08name.html

jlokier 6y ago

Pragmatically, the terminology used affects how people end up treated. Both therepeutically, and how they are interacted with socially. If we say it's a chemical imbalance, chemicals will be sought to correct the imbalance, and effective suggestions that require other people to change will be met with resistance. If we say it's people in distress, other people will start to reflect and accept they play a role in causing the distress and be a bit more open to changing their behaviour. The best "treatment" is, of course, a combination of things tailored to individual and circumstance. But widespread language greatly affects what is available in practice.

MSbPSurvivor 6y ago

Language matters. It has far reaching consequences. Right now in mainstream culture mental health is used as a weapon to drag people down, or as virtual signaling and advertising conditions/medications/lifestyles with mental illnesses. It's being glamorized. No it's not okay to use misleading language to describe, discuss, debate or eve refer to an extremely complex problem. That's how you get even more unintended problems: by not looking at the hard truths and operating off of them. It matters because people think that most mental illnesses make the person less than, or they become insecure or fearful of people with basic mental issues and then become afraid to talk about their own. Psychiatrists have been taking advantage of people with normal, run of the mill problems for decades. Their own industry insiders have been calling them out for years on over diagnosis. There is a very real incentive for psychiatrists to make poeple sick, or convince someone who is perfectly healthy otherwise to go on medications that will completely change their body chemistry and life. Your attitude and approach to this problem is ignorant at best. You should speak to people before coming to such baseless conclusions and spewing them forth. This isn't a euphemism treadmill. This is science and it makes perfect sense. Tons of people are experiencing chemical imbalances because of habits, and because of the way they are treated or disconnected with others throughout our culture. If you abuse someone emotionally and mentally enough, it will show physically, and it doesn't take much pal. I don't know what universe you're living in but maybe get out of the macho "i'm so badass" comic books metality for two seconds and realize medical abuse and corruption within our medical industries is FUBAR.