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Word abuse

paulrburridge

Updated: Jun 17, 2024



We ask too much of words. I regard some words and phrases with the pity I feel for those poor malnourished, overburdened creatures in donkey charity advertisements. How much more meaning can those poor words bear. It’s the result of many things: soundbite journalism, promoting lazy thinking and lazy writing; an impoverished vocabulary; ignorance of the subject; bandwagon jumping.


Here’s a current abused and overused example.


Mental health


It’s bad for my mental health, my mental health is suffering, you hear it and read it all across the media usually from the least qualified to expound on the subject. Thank heavens it has never come up in a conversation in which I have been involved. Because I would be tempted to ask if they could be more specific. For instance to what aspect of your mental health are you referring …

 

Absence seizure Abulia Acute Stress Disorder Adjustment Disorders Adverse effects of medication Age-related Cognitive Decline Agoraphobia Akiltism Alcohol Addiction Alzheimer’s Disease Amnesia Amphetamine Addiction Anorexia Nervosa Anterograde Amnesia Antisocial personality disorder Anxiety Disorder Anxiolytic-related disorders Asperger’s Syndrome Attention Deficit Disorder Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Autism Spectrum Disorder Autophagia Avoidant Personality Barbiturate related disorders Benzodiazepine-related disorders Bereavement Bibliomania Binge Eating Disorder Bipolar disorder Body Dysmorphic Disorder Borderline intellectual functioning Borderline Personality Disorder Breathing-Related Sleep Disorder Brief Psychotic Disorder Bruxism Bulimia Nervosa Caffeine Addiction Cannabis Addiction Catatonic disorder Catatonic schizophrenia Childhood amnesia Childhood Disintegrative Disorder Childhood Onset Fluency Disorder Circadian Rhythm Disorders Claustrophobia Cocaine related disorders Communication disorder Conduct Disorder Conversion Disorder Cotard delusion Cyclothymia Delerium Delusional Disorder Dementia Dependent Personality Disorder Depersonalization disorder Depressive personality disorder Derealization disorder Dermotillomania Desynchronosis Developmental coordination disorder Diogenes Syndrome Disorder of written expression Dyscalculia Dissocial Personality Disorder Dissociative Amnesia Dissociative Fugue Dissociative Identity Disorder Down syndrome Dyslexia Dyspareunia Dyspareunia Dysthymia Eating disorder Ekbom’s Syndrome  Emotionally unstable personality disorder Encopresis Enuresis Erotomania Exhibitionistic Disorder Expressive language disorder Factitious Disorder Female Sexual Disorders Fetishistic Disorder Folie à deux Fregoli delusion Frotteuristic Disorder Fugue State Ganser syndrome Gambling Addiction Gender Dysphoria  Generalized Anxiety Disorder General adaptation syndrome Grandiose delusions Hallucinogen Addiction Haltlose Personality Disorder Histrionic Personality Disorder Primary hypersomnia Huntington’s Disease Hypoactive sexual desire disorder Hypochondriasis Hypomania Hyperkinetic syndrome Hypersomnia Hysteria Impulse control disorder Impulse control disorder Inhalant Addiction Insomnia Intellectual Development Disorder Intermittent Explosive Disorder Joubert syndrome Kleptomania Korsakoff’s syndrome Lacunar amnesia Language Disorder Learning Disorders Major Depression  Major depressive disorder Male Sexual Disorders Malingering Mathematics disorder Medication-related disorder Melancholia Mental Retardation  Misophonia Morbid jealousy Multiple Personality Disorder  Munchausen Syndrome Munchausen by Proxy Narcissistic Personality Disorder Narcolepsy Neglect of child Neurocognitive Disorder Neuroleptic-related disorder Nightmare Disorder Non Rapid Eye Movement Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder Oneirophrenia Onychophagia Opioid Addiction Oppositional Defiant Disorder Orthorexia Pain disorder Panic attacks Panic Disorder Paranoid Personality Disorder Parkinson’s Disease Partner relational problem Passive-aggressive personality disorder Pathological gambling Pedophilic Disorder Perfectionism Persecutory delusion Persistent Depressive Disorder Personality change due to a general medical condition Personality disorder Pervasive developmental disorder Phencyclidine related disorder Phobic disorder Phonological disorder Physical abuse Pica Polysubstance related disorder Postpartum Depression Post-traumatic embitterment disorder Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Premature ejaculation Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder Psychogenic amnesia Psychological factor affecting medical condition Psychoneurotic personality disorder Psychotic disorder, not otherwise specified Pyromania Reactive Attachment Disorder Reading disorder Recurrent brief depression Relational disorder REM Sleep Behaviour Disorder Restless Leg Syndrome Retrograde amnesia Retts Disorder Rumination syndrome Sadistic personality disorder Schizoaffective Disorder Schizoid Personality Disorder Schizophrenia Schizophreniform disorder Schizotypal Personality Disorder Seasonal Affective Disorder Sedative, Hypnotic, or Anxiolytic Addiction Selective Mutism Self-defeating personality disorder Separation Anxiety Disorder Sexual Disorders Female Sexual Disorders Male Sexual Addiction Sexual Masochism Disorder Sexual Sadism Disorder Shared Psychotic Disorder Sleep Arousal Disorders Sleep Paralysis Sleep Terror Disorder  Social Anxiety Disorder Somatization Disorder Specific Phobias Stendhal syndrome Stereotypic movement disorder Stimulant Addiction Stuttering  Substance related disorder Tardive dyskinesia Tobacco Addiction Tourettes Syndrome Transient tic disorder Transient global amnesia Transvestic Disorder Trichotillomania Undifferentiated Somatoform Disorder Vaginismus Voyeuristic Disorder

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