Using Psychological Terms Without Understanding Their Meaning

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21 July 2026

Synopsis

Mental health terms like OCD, trauma, depression and ADHD are often used casually in everyday conversations. This article explores why misusing psychological terminology can be misleading and how it affects those living with mental health conditions.

Table of Contents

Section No.	Topic
1	Introduction
2	Three questions that arise here are
3	References

Using psychological terminology uninformed

We talk about mental health, create awareness about it and try to put it in the best spot that points to destigmatisation. It is a good thing that people are inclined towards doing that but at the same time don't you think we are implicitly also putting it in a bad light? Especially in terms of the jargons and the terminologies that we use to address common day to day instances. We end up using words that mean so much deeper than how we casually use it. You might have been prey of using terms like OCD, trauma, depression/depressive, anxiety or ADHD (the list goes on). These labels are used for two instances:

To justify one’s own personal behavior
To point out someone else’s behavior

We may think that these few letters may give us a description about someone or ourselves but the magnitude to these same few letters is heavier than it seems.

You may have heard common phrases like, ‘I need to keep it in order and arrange it properly’ or ‘I need to clean that, I have OCD’. What OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) means is a disorder that causes distress to an individual to an extent that it causes impairment in their daily functioning. This includes having recurrent intrusive thoughts that lead the individual to engage in compulsive behavior like cleaning, checking, ordering, repeating or hoarding. In a very similar manner, the way ‘trauma’ is used, in regular conversation it is used too often (incorrectly) when someone goes through a difficult situation that must have caused them discomfort or inconvenience that according to them was not favorable. What trauma means is experiencing something disturbing which ends up causing the individual to deal with significant fear, helplessness, confusion or other disruptive feelings that leads to them having prolonged negative effects on their attitudes, thoughts, behavior and disrupting other regular functioning as well due to this.

Three questions that arise here are:

How and why does it happen?
From where and who is supplementing this vocabulary?
Why are people reaching out for it?

This usually comes from pop culture references, digital media or content-creator ‘therapists’ without proper qualifications. Information nowadays is given out without any verification in digital media and just like that these terminologies are used abruptly without adequately knowing what it means. Just because it is used somewhere by someone does not necessarily mean that it needs to be used. The ‘want’ to use this is generally generated because it sounds better, good vocabulary makes one stand out from the rest or can also be perceived as intellectual; information that comes out sounds legit because of using these big words. Let’s draw a simple comparison here, I was anxious to drive for the first time on this highway’ sounds more serious than saying ‘I was nervous to drive for the first time on this highway’. It is difficult to draw a line when someone vaguely throws signs or symptoms. It makes it difficult to distinguish if the individual is fearful of driving or they lack confidence or proper training. What we question here is, are they confusing any concepts here or did they face something like that?

A few other instances that we hear people saying and self-diagnosing that, I have difficulties in concentrating, that's because of my ADHD’. Similarly for personality traits like narcissism, antisocial or paranoid personality; these terms are used as adjectives but in reality, they are proper issues that people face. Another such example is ‘depression’, we often hear phrases like ‘the weather today is very depressing’ or ‘I was too depressed to go through that book.” There is a question for you to think about, how can a disorder with serious consequences be compared to such situations? While we are at this, let's think about this from the perspective of who is actually going through such a condition. It can sound like disregarding or dismissing the struggle that this condition has put them through. Along with this they may feel invalidated or unseen since symptoms may be overlooked or not taken seriously because ‘nowadays everyone says it’. Holding onto that let’s just think once about how difficult it is to acknowledge mental health issues and this certainly makes it difficult as to where we draw a line. To put this into an example, someone saying that they cannot focus more than 5 minutes because they have (undiagnosed) ADHD, can be looked at from a lens of getting bored or distracted.

The need here is to see how to use correct language and terminology while conversing. Incorrect usage gives an impression of either taking things lightly or catastrophizing it by putting it on the extreme ends of the spectrum which puts it into confusion. It varies from person to person, some may take it unserious thinking that it is common, or some may end up panicking looking at the signs based on the kind of vocabulary that was used and may also end up internalizing it. If at all you feel somewhere along the lines that something is wrong or repetitively think of having such notions, then it is important to consult a professional for clarifications or accurate diagnosis rather than loosely labeling or self-diagnosing.

It is a common instance to not think twice before talking and just saying something that comes to our mind, it is bound to happen. It is equally crucial to be mindful about how we are talking. Sometimes we may say for the sake of it but there can be repercussions that we may not realize but someone else is getting affected by it. Therefore, before picking up such terminologies, it is essential to understand the context. Instead of borrowing clinical terms, using common terms is just alright. Lastly, before internalizing it, check in with a professional since they would have a better grasp of understanding the situation and will let you know if there is something going on with you. So, let's take a step back and reflect on what we talk about and how it may not only affect ourselves but others as well.

Written by Misha Patel approved by Mrs. Anusha G S Consultant - Clinical Psychologist