Mental Health, Trauma, and Substance Use

Psychotherapy is the process of working with a professional provider to address behaviors, beliefs, emotions, relationship issues, and/or somatic responses that are causing distress. Psychotherapists treat a range of conditions and use diverse methods, each with its own defining techniques and suitability for treating specific diagnoses. Reporting that implies all a person needs to do to treat a mental health condition is to, for instance, take daily walks or deep breaths is both inaccurate and can stigmatize help-seeking via professional psychotherapy.

PTSD is a mental health condition caused by trauma. It can have profound effects on memory, mood, social relationships, and daily functioning. People will sometimes use the term PTSD when they are joking about distress (e.g., “That movie gave me PTSD”). Doing so can blur the boundary between everyday experiences of discomfort and the serious mental health condition of PTSD.

Rape is a type of sexual assault involving penetration of an orifice without explicit consent. When reporting on rape, terms like “successful” or “unsuccessful” are misleading. Rape and sexual assault can present unique challenges for reporters covering them: There is often a lack of physical evidence and witnesses, and victims often do not come forward immediately, or ever. In the absence of witness statements or court documents, careful reporting and fact-checking can help identify areas that need clarification and forestall surprise criticisms.

Recovery refers to a prolonged period in which a person experiences few to no symptoms. It can be used in both a mental health and substance use context. Phrasing such as “a person who previously used drugs” is more humanizing and specific than terms that appear to sum up a person’s identity and connote judgment, such as “reformed addict.” In the context of a mental health condition, the term “recovery” can imply it is a linear process, which can be misleading and obscure that many mental health conditions are chronic.

Recurrence refers to the return of a condition after a period without symptoms. When describing recurrences, language like “falling off the wagon” or “relapse” can inadvertently assign blame or weakness to the person experiencing a return of their addiction. Describing a “recurrence,” or saying someone has “resumed substance use,” acknowledges addiction as a disease and not a moral failing.

Relapse refers to the return of a condition after a symptom-free period. The term “relapse” is used in the context of both mental health diagnoses and substance use disorders, though using the term to describe the latter can imply a moral failure. Reserving the term for when someone uses it to describe their own experience helps avoid stigmatizing an individual.

Remission refers to a state in which symptoms have disappeared or become negligible and can refer to mental health, physical health, or substance use. “Remission” and “recovery” are often used interchangeably.

When a person intentionally harms themself, often to cope with distressing situations or overwhelming emotions. Generally when discussing self-harm, person-first language (e.g., “person who cuts themself” rather than “cutter” or “self-harmer”) frames the phenomenon as something a person is doing versus an identity that defines who they are. Terms like “self-abuse” or “self-violence” can stigmatize the person and make it sound like they are committing a crime.

Sexual abuse refers to nonconsensual sexual activity that often involves force, threats, or coercion. The term is sometimes used interchangeably with sexual assault. In the context of abuse of a child by an adult, the term “sexual abuse” is more accurate than “child molestation,” which can give readers the false impression that abuse only counts if touching is involved.