In Case You Haven't Heard…

Earlier this year, the Journal of Abnormal Psychology announced a change to its name because, as Editor‐in‐Chief Angus MacDonald III wrote, “Names matter.” The spectrum of diagnoses considered “abnormal” includes amnesias and depressions, sleep issues and hallucinations, and many, many more, The Washington Post reported Sept. 11. MacDonald wrote that by referring to people with such a wide range of mental health conditions as “abnormal,” the journal was “contributing to stigma of people with mental illness.” The publication's new name, beginning next year, is the Journal of Psychopathology and Clinical Science . “Since first being diagnosed with depression and generalized anxiety in my early 20s, I felt the stigma of being considered ‘abnormal,’” wrote Steven Petrow, journalist and author. “Back then, I regularly heard friends use pejorative words like ‘nuts,’ ‘psycho,’ ‘schizo,’ ‘insane’ and ‘looney tune’ as general insults to anyone for any transgression. Mental health experts often point to how ‘people with cancer’ or ‘people with AIDS’ have forcefully advocated to be referred to that way, rather than as a ‘cancer victim’ or ‘AIDS sufferer.’ I've learned that lesson, as well: I am a son, a brother, an uncle, a dog dad and a person who suffers from depression, But I am not ‘a depressive.’ … My mom, who died four years ago, surely would have agreed with the experts today who say that openly talking about mental health can break down the stigma associated with different conditions.”