The weather has been ‘bipolar’ this week, a neat and tidy friend has Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), and someone who tried to chat you up in a bar was as awkward as someone with Asperger’s.

Using mental health terms as if they are clichés has become commonplace in the past few years, we hear them dropped into conversation as though they are just any other word, but as much as the people who say them don’t do so out of malice, are they accurate and more importantly, are they acceptable?

Much research has suggested that using mental health terms to describe personality traits is becoming increasingly common, with a 2007 study of the terms “schizophrenia” and “schizophrenic” in the UK media revealing that 11% of the references were metaphorical.

According to consultant psychiatrist Arun Chopra who works at Queen’s Medical Centre based in Nottingham, using these terms so flippantly can have a negative impact upon patients who are actually affected by these conditions (and their families) and can contribute to misunderstanding and stigma.

Chopra recalled one particular situation in which the mother of a schizophrenic patient burst into tears when she read in a newspaper article that the weather was “schizophrenic”.

“You would never hear it used in relation to a physical condition. You wouldn’t hear someone being described as a bit diabetic.” Chopra added.

Chief executive of the Mental Health Foundation, Andrew McCulloch is of the same opinion, and believes that using clinical diagnosis terms in such a way simply fuels public misunderstanding.

He went onto say that the positive of this negative situation is that at least we have now moved away from not mentioning these conditions at all. Now the hard work lies in educating people about these mental health conditions.

“Five years ago people wouldn’t have known what you were talking about if you mentioned OCD,” he says. “Now they have a sense of what it is about and use it, but don’t really fully understand it. The next five years will be about working to fully educate people.” Said McCulloch.

View and comment on the original BBC News article.

Listed below are just a few mental illnesses that could be affecting you or a member of your family. For more information visit Times Online, where all questionnaires featured are available, plus a number of others related to mental health.

Bipolar Disorder is a mental health condition featuring extreme mood swings. If you think you might have Bipolar disorder or are worried for someone you know visit the bipolar questionnaire

Depression is a condition, which is characterised by phases of misery and hopelessness. There also might be some physical symptoms, which can include insomnia and often can prevent you from eating properly. If you’re worried you might be depressed take the depression questionnaire

Drug abuse is often not detected by the person involved, but is later spotted by people who are close to the person affected. If you think somebody you know or you may have a problem with drugs take the drug problem questionnaire

Obsessive-compulsive disorder is a common mental health problem. It ranges from very serious cases to the milder forms, but generally involves the sufferer feeling they need to perform certain rituals and activities repetitively. If you are worried you may be suffering from OCD, take the OCD questionnaire

It is only in recent years that we have started to pay more attention to and take care of our mental health. Depression affect such a large proportion of the population now, as well as other mental illnesses it is so important that we are able to detect the warning signs and seek help.

There are calls for more research to be undertaken to monitor those in high-risk groups, such as pregnant women and young people leaving home, to ascertain triggers and and help prevent the illness.

One method to help recognise the symptoms early on may be to screen women in ante-natal classes.

Cognitive Beheavioural Therapy is currently thought to be the only way to help treat the condition.

Ashley Fulwood, chief executive of OCD-UK said: “Misdiagnosis and delays in diagnosis remain a real problem because there isn’t sufficient expertise at a local level. If we can get to the root of the initial trigger for OCD, that will improve awareness and help reduce the burden of this hugely disruptive condition.”

Read more here…

The Conference is organised by OCD Action and has been designed to educate and inspire participants, and provide an opportunity to share personal experiences. It is estimated that OCD affects approximately 1.8 million people in the UK and it is listed as one of the top 10 disabling conditions in the world by the World Health Organisation.

The day will include workshops, presentations and short films designed to help those attending. OCD Action Chairman, Peter Jennings, said: “This day of action will have internationally-respected experts deconstruct this complex disorder to show people that these intrusive thoughts and compulsive rituals are purely symptoms of OCD; symptoms which can be managed through therapy, medication and the determination to say No to OCD”.

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