Triggering
“In our pop psych, TikTok culture, triggers are something to be avoided or put upon the other person to remove. As in, ‘You are triggering me, so stop doing that.’ But in eating disorder treatment, triggers are something to be aware of and overcome. So, how can we figure out what triggers my urge to engage in eating disorder behavior, and then what are the skills I’m going to use to combat that urge?”
—Erin Parks, PhD, clinical psychologist in Carlsbad, California, and cofounder of the eating disorder treatment platform Equipopens in new window
Trauma
“There is this phenomenon in language where words, over time, basically lose their original meaning. And I think, in some ways, that process is happening to the word ‘trauma.’ ‘Trauma’ is being used as something that persists over time—like there may be a particular experience that, years later, you haven’t resolved. But any negative childhood experience isn’t necessarily traumatic.”
—Kostadin Kushlevopens in new window, PhD, assistant professor at Georgetown University and head of the Digital Health and Happiness Lab
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
“Among the general public, the term is used to suggest diligence and particularity, and it supposedly reflects chosen behavior. But in actuality, OCD refers to a clinical condition characterized by repetitive intrusive thoughts, fears, doubting of one’s own experiences, and compulsive routines and mental behaviors that people do not choose but feel compelled to do. Altogether, the condition is one that causes quite a bit of suffering.”
—Daniel Chazin, PhD, clinical assistant professor in psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania and director of the Center for Anxiety, OCD, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapyopens in new window in Philadelphia
Self-care
“I think ‘self-care’ has been taken over by capitalism and is fed to us as a laundry list of to-dos. There’s exercise and nutrition and sleep and boundaries and bubble baths. While it’s beneficial to include those things in daily life, self-care shouldn’t be used as a proxy for self-compassion. There’s a being versus doing distinction—you can go through the motions of self-care without having any self-compassion.”
—Thekla Brumder Rossopens in new window, PsyD, a Milwaukee-based clinical psychologist and national leader in addiction medicine who teaches self-compassion to medical students and abortion providers
Imposter phenomenon (or imposter syndrome)
“The one that really gets me going is how the media has completely taken over ‘imposter syndrome.’ I do a lot of work supporting the Black community and folks of color, and that concept can be really empowering when someone has a language to talk about what they’re feeling in a work setting in particular. But the way that this word has taken a life of its own, it’s turned into something really negative.”
—Taisha Caldwell-Harveyopens in new window, PhD, clinical psychologist in Martinez, California, and founder of The Black Girl Doctor
Bipolar
“Instead of lightly throwing around phrases like ‘she’s so bipolar’ when referring to a friend’s moodiness, we should say exactly what we mean—describing them as being ‘unpredictable’ would also work. When people use these terms incorrectly, they not only belittle the experiences of those living with mental disorders but also perpetuate stigma against them.”
—Nilou Esmaeilpour, MSc, clinical director and registered clinical counselor at Lotus Therapy & Counselling Centreopens in new window in British Columbia, Canada
Gaslighting
“It’s important to understand that simply being self-centered or having a different perspective or interpretation of events does not automatically mean someone is a narcissist and gaslighting you. Gaslighting is a manipulative behavior where someone intentionally deceives others with the intention of causing harm. When we misuse these terms, it dilutes their meaning and hinders our understanding of the issue.”
—Sarah Bishopopens in new window, DClinPsy, clinical psychologist in Birmingham, England
[Related: How to harness the power of therapy-speak]
