Buzzwords, also known as Therapy Speak, and Psychobabble are terms used to reference the misuse of psychological language in casual, everyday conversation. It relies heavily on the usage of psychological expressions to describe regular, everyday feelings, and emotions.
Where Are They Used Most?
The usage of buzzwords are most often heard in digital media, such as movies, tv shows, social media platforms, and even in self-help books. This is often because people desire to understand every micro-feeling and look for the quickest resource to find that.
Common Misuses:
Stated below are some of the most misused terms, this includes a summarized clinical description of what it is, and then the interpretation made by social sources. This is, by no means, a place to get a diagnosis.
Addiction
Clinical: Addiction is a chronic medical disease caused by a person’s genetics, their environment, and personal life experiences. People with an addiction use substances or engage in behaviours that become compulsive and often continue despite harmful consequences.
Social: People use the term “addiction” to describe an intense love for a certain thing.
ADHD
Clinical: Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a developmental disorder marked by persistent symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. ADHD can interfere with daily life, including social relationships, and performance at work and school.
Social: People say they are “so ADHD” to refer to their forgetfulness, and by how easily distracted they are.
Depression
Clinical: Depression, also known as Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), is a mood disorder that causes a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest in what was once enjoyed. This is known to affect how you feel, think, and behave. Depending on severity, people diagnosed with depression state that they suffer from emotional and physical problems as a result of their diagnosis.
Social: The term “depression” is often used to refer to a person who is feeling sad, or down.
Gaslighting
Clinical: Gaslighting is a subtle form of manipulation and psychological control. Victims of gaslighting are deliberately and systematically fed false information that makes them question what they know to be true, often about themselves.
Social: When some people misuse this term, it is often in reference to a disagreement of another person’s recounting of a specific event, or story.
Mania
Clinical: The term mania describes a state of mind characterized by unusually high energy, excitement, and euphoria over a sustained period of time. It is an extreme change in mood and cognition that can interfere with school, work, or home life.
Social: Mania, Manic, or Manic episode, is used casually to describe intense excitement, a fleeting obsession, or being overly hyper.
Narcissism
Clinical: Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) is a mental health condition in which people have an excessively high sense of their own importance. It is a very complicated disorder, however it is frequently described as a pervasive pattern of grandiosity. People with NPD often have a significant vulnerability aspect, and are very sensitive to any type of criticism.
Social: The term “narcissism,” or “narcissist” is used to refer to someone who is full of themself, someone who is self centered, boastful, and is more inclined to seek out attention.
OCD
Clinical: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) features a pattern of unwanted thoughts and fears known as “obsessions.” These obsessions often lead to repetitive behaviours, called “compulsions.” These obsessions have been noted to cause distress, and tend to get in the way of daily activites.
Social: People will say they have OCD because of their cleanliness, and desire to keep their surroundings orderly.
Toxic
Clinical: A toxic person is someone whose consistent negative, manipulative, or controlling behaviour damages your emotional well-being, and psyhological safety. People like this often lack accountability for their actions.
Social: When people describe a “toxic person” they use it to talk about someone who doesn’t agree with their opinions and insights. Typically a described toxic person is someone who is difficult to deal with.
Trauma
Clinical: Trauma is the lasting emotional response that often results from living through a distressing event. Experiencing a traumatic event can harm a person’s sense of safety, sense of self, and ability to regulate emotions and navigate relationships.
Social: The term “trauma” is used lightly to describe an uncomfortable situation, a minor annoyance, or everyday stress.
Triggers
Clinical: A trigger is a stimulus that causes a painful memory to resurface. It can be any sensory reminder that could cause this, such as a sound, sight, smell, physical sensation, or even a specific time of day. It is what brings on or worsens a person’s trauma response.
Social: Getting “triggered” is something that is solely caused by another person’s actions, and is something that makes the person using this term uncomfortable, agitated, or annoyed.
Harmful Impacts:
Misusing these terms can lead to many side effects, for many reasons.
It oversimplifies actual conditions. Using these specific buzzwords in the wrong situation can actually weaken the term. When people hear the same word over and over in daily conversations, they eventually tune out the word, making the value of this word lose meaning. In the process, this also stigmatizes the serious mental health disorders attached to those words. When people stop listening, people start to feel discouraged about reaching out and asking for help.
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