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Blog update schedule.

We had a gap over the winter, but are now working to update this daily Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

Talking Back to The Language Police

Language police control ideas as well as words

Recently, I got “beat up” by the language police in a bloody Facebook fight.  I was charged with:

1. Using the term “SMI” to refer to the “Seriously Mentally Ill” population.

2. Asserting that conditions like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder were “organic brain disorders,” different than situational issues such as trauma-based depression or stress-related anxiety.

The “language police,” aware of my personal history with traumas from hospitalizations and misdiagnoses, blasted me for my “hypocrisy,” and “holier than thou” attitude. Many people shared stories of having been traumatized by narrow-minded or inaccurate

Continue reading Talking Back to The Language Police

August 7th, 2012 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Category: Social Messaging Tips | One comment

By Diane Engster – The Trouble with Judgmental Mental Health Words, Part 1 of 2

Mental Health Words: "SMI"

Judgmental mental health words, like “high functioning” prejudice care givers and prevent recovery when people believe and internalize them.

Stop using mental health words like “SMI” (severely mentally ill) or “high-functioning” or “low-functioning.” Sitting in judgment of others is not part of your job description. You can hardly give hope if you hold others in such low regard.

If you’re too busy passing judgment on others, applying mental health words, you won’t have time to engage them and find out their hopes and dreams and what happened to them to shatter those hopes and dreams.

Continue reading By Diane Engster – The Trouble with Judgmental Mental Health Words, Part 1 of 2

June 4th, 2012 | Tags: , , , , , , , , | Category: Distress vs. Disease, Visiting Authors | Leave a comment