
Let’s avoid talk of ‘chemical imbalance’: it’s people in distress - rbanffy
https://psyche.co/ideas/lets-avoid-talk-of-chemical-imbalance-its-people-in-distress
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Pick-A-Hill2019
This one touches on the 'what do you call something without giving it a label'
category. When it comes to physical conditions people are comfortable with the
phrases healthy or unhealthy. Saying that somebody is mentally healthy seems
ok, but calling someone mentally unhealthy seems off. I have seen people react
badly to the term mental illness. Equally saying that I 'suffer from' xyz
strikes me as negative ('suffering' is too negative, ‘experiencing’, ‘dealing
with’, ‘enduring’ are more personally more apt /applicable but are such odd
phrases that using them in conversation would stigmatize things further or
make people suddenly start walking on egg shells).

Which leads to the question – What is the best term to use when it comes to
discussing mental health (mental un-health?) issues with prospective
employers?

Personally I am fortunate that in my area of industry I’m required to list any
and all prescription medications as part of background checks. This allows me
to steer the dialogue at an early stage of the process (‘what are these for,
why do you take them, what impact do they have’ etc.) Most have been extremely
understanding and supportive. A very, very few have run for the hills so
having that discussion at the start of things saves time all round. As with
all things in life, your mileage may vary

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rbanffy
I am glad the article got reposted and that the HN community had a chance to
have this discussion.

