Editor:
The stigma persisting around mental health is alarming.
That is one view, may I offer another? Catering to people directing that prejudice is both unnecessary and harmful, and as you point out can be deadly.
From one authority, ‘stigma’ has been used as an all-purpose term for the negative attitudes faced by people with behavioural health issues. However, increasingly reporters are using more precise terms such as ‘prejudice’, ‘bias’, ‘social exclusion’ or ‘discrimination’.
I cannot think of when it is warranted to accommodate anyone directing a stigma or to use less than precise language.
Harold A Maio, retired mental health editor
Ft Myers, Florida
