Person with a psychological disorder

Without knowing the specific diagnosis, people often describe others as “mentally ill” or in even more hurtful terms: “crazy”, “abnormal” or “inadequate”. But these words are unacceptable to describe the mental state of a person, because they are offensive and inaccurate.

The term “mental health problem” used to be widely-used. However, it is not advisable to use the wording “people with problems…” when talking about people with disorders or disabilities, as it brands their disorder as a problem that needs solving.

The phrase “suffer from psychological disorders” is also offensive and inaccurate. Suffering is a philosophical category that has nothing to do with certain physical states. A person can be completely healthy and suffer, and can have a disorder or diagnosis and be happy. It is inadmissible to determine a person’s mental state on the basis of a diagnosis. If you are close to a person, it is better to ask them what makes them happy or causes suffering or discomfort. But we certainly shouldn’t make assumptions without asking for input from the people who have these disorders. And to sympathize with a person solely because of our subjective opinions on their “abnormality” is humiliating and unworthy.