From a lived experience perspective, language and labels in mental health contexts have complex, nuanced, and individualised impacts, where 'it's not really the words; it's how they land,' with negative experiences reflecting stigma and dismissal, and positive language providing validation, understanding, and hope.
Key Findings
Results
Six themes were generated from lived experience interviews describing how language and labels in mental health contexts affect consumers and carers.
Reflexive thematic analysis was applied to interview data from n=15 mental health consumers and/or carers.
Co-researchers with lived experience of mental ill-health contributed researcher positionality to the research process.
The six themes highlighted 'complex and nuanced experiences of language and labels' with 'overlapping themes' that highlight 'blurry edges' when people with lived experience discuss language.
The individual was placed at the centre of the thematic framework.
Results
Experiences of exclusion were centrally associated with feeling dismissed and misunderstood due to the language others use and how words are delivered.
Participants described both the content of language and its manner of delivery as influential in producing feelings of exclusion.
The title phrase 'It's not really the words; it's how they land' captures participants' emphasis on delivery over content.
These negative experiences were described as reflecting the influence of stigma.
Exclusive language experiences occurred in both the medical system and the broader community.
Results
Positive language in mental health contexts provided participants with validation, understanding, and a sense of hope.
Responses reflected the nature of both inclusive and exclusive language in the medical system and the community.
Inclusive language experiences contrasted with exclusive ones, which were marked by dismissal and misunderstanding.
The paper identifies positive language as generating validation, understanding, and hope for people with lived experience.
Discussion
Health professionals were identified as having opportunities to apply more personalised communication approaches that could improve outcomes.
The study found that individual preferences for language and labels varied, suggesting a need for personalised rather than standardised communication.
The authors conclude that 'health professionals may have opportunities to apply more personalised communication approaches, which could improve outcomes for the people they support.'
This finding emerged in the context of themes highlighting individual-centred experiences of language.
Background
The language used to describe mental ill-health continues to evolve but room for improvement remains from a lived experience perspective.
The study was motivated by acknowledgement that language evolution has been 'driven by advocacy and commitment to reducing the harmful effects of stigma.'
Despite progress, the authors state that 'from a lived experience perspective, room for improvement remains.'
The project explicitly aimed to explore the impact of current language and labels within the mental health sector on people with lived experience.
What This Means
This research explored how people who have personally experienced mental ill-health — either as consumers of mental health services or as carers — feel about the language and labels used in mental health settings. Researchers interviewed 15 people and worked alongside co-researchers who also had lived experience. Using a method called reflexive thematic analysis, they identified six overlapping themes that showed how deeply personal and context-dependent language experiences are. A key finding was that it often isn't the specific words used that matter most, but rather how those words are delivered — whether they feel respectful, caring, and individualised, or dismissive and stigmatising.
The study found that people commonly felt excluded, dismissed, and misunderstood in both medical and community settings due to the way language was used toward them. These negative experiences were linked to stigma. On the other hand, when language was positive and thoughtful, it gave people a sense of being validated and understood, and even offered hope. The research highlighted that there is no one-size-fits-all approach — different individuals respond differently to the same words or labels, making personalised communication especially important.
This research suggests that mental health professionals have meaningful opportunities to improve the experiences and potentially the outcomes of the people they support by paying closer attention to how they communicate — not just what they say, but how they say it. The findings reinforce the value of involving people with lived experience in shaping language practices within mental health care and policy, and point to the ongoing need to reduce stigma through more thoughtful, person-centred communication.
Foxcroft A, Allen C, Dray J, Gulliver A, Smith D, Rose G, et al.. (2026). It's Not Really the Words; It's How They Land: Lived Experience Perspectives on the Use of Language and Labels in Mental Health.. International journal of environmental research and public health. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph23081032