Years of research has shown that stigma contributes significantly to negative health outcomes and can pose a barrier to seeking treatment for mental illness or substance use disorders. In a perspective published in Neuropsychopharmacology, leaders from the National Institutes of Health address how using appropriate language to describe mental illness and addiction can help to reduce stigma and improve how people with these conditions are treated in health care settings and throughout society.

Read more: https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/words-matter-language-can-reduce-mental-health-addiction-stigma-nih-leaders-say