You’re feeling bored. An ordinary day in a room and simply sitting in a dusty corner, drowned out by different kinds of murmurs, stories, and “spilling the teas.” Then, from those lighthearted conversations, an unforeseen pressing topic just introduces itself, completely disrupting the vibe, and unexpectedly someone just blurts out, "I want to k*ll myself."

A sudden jolt shot down from your spine to your head as you contemplated what you just heard. Then, out of nowhere, a burst of laughter fills the empty room. As you thought to yourself, “What just happened? Is k*lling yourself something really funny now?" Trying not to seem uncomfortable, you awkwardly laugh it off. Then you realize that self-harm and anything associated with mental health concerns can easily be thrown into any conversation as a form of banter today. 

Is our generation so desensitized that we are numb and insensitive enough to just say what we want to say?

With the advancement of social media, we fear that as technology grows, the overuse of trendy psychological terms in pop psychology is also becoming more prone to misuse, leading to misinformation and misinterpretation.

Did you know that, according to Merriam-Webster, the word of the year 2022 is gaslighting? Most people assume that gaslighting means lying, being mean and rude, or simply indifference. However, the dark reality of the word “gaslighting” pertains to a covert type of manipulation where a person starts to question one’s sanity and perception of reality, usually occurring in abusive relationships (Gordon, 2023; Haupt, 2023).

As mental health professionals and psychology students try to raise awareness by destigmatizing misconceptions about psychological disorders and terms, or mental health in general, proper and appropriate usage of psychological vocabulary is still at risk of being wrongly conceived by common people. Sometimes, one viral TikTok or Facebook post is all it takes to launch a psychological word into the digital world that may easily lead to the public’s confusion. As people continuously misrepresent and overuse these words, it further trivializes the meaning and casualizes the usage of most psychological terms; it causes a dilution in social media into the minds of netizens. This causes more harm to people who are diagnosed with mental health disorders, and undiagnosed people may find it harder to seek professional psychological help as the proliferation of the said problem persists (Harbeck, 2023; Haupt, 2023; Lilienfeld, 2015; Warren, 2023).

Honestly, it is hard to correct or educate people nowadays. When you tell them they are misusing certain terms, such as “traumatizing,” it could come off as you’re invalidating them, but in actuality, the purpose is just to clear out what someone is feeling and not diminish it into something less. It is okay to express melancholy, cringe, embarrassment, or frustration. But we also need to understand that our words reflect, and if we overuse some words that are deeply correlated with psychology and psychiatry, there is a possibility that we deprecate these words, leading to the desensitization of people who are actually experiencing diagnosed trauma.

We need to remember that not everything is invalidation; sometimes we need to see and learn that psychological words are not your usual trendy slang—these words define and illustrate the very dark path that people’s minds have gone through and are still probably going through.

Comprehending and grasping what these words mean and using them properly and appropriately can be a stepping stone to further removing stigma in mental and psychological health. We need to understand the gravity of how seriously our usage and choices of words may affect people. That is why, when you hear someone misusing a psychological or mental health term, calmly and deliberately speak up and help them to be aware of the proper meaning and usage of the terms they use. 

Using our social media as platforms with proper management also helps with destigmatizing problems revolving around mental health. Every little thing and effort counts in helping break down the stigma around mental health—let us become the voice of reason and change.

You never know how much words can invalidate and hurt people. Remember that we use our words to define, describe, and express—not to mislead or misinform people. 

Speak carefully, sensitively, and kindly.