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From Diagnosis to Stigma: Linguistic Shifts and Mental Illness
- Fri, Jan 30, 2026
- 2:45 pm–3:35 pm
Science Building 110
This talk explores how medical terminology used to describe mental health has evolved over time, resulting in once-clinical terms trickling down into popular speech as pejoratives. Drawing on historical, sociolinguistic, and cultural perspectives, this talk traces the journey of words from diagnosis to everyday insult, revealing what our language discloses about enduring stigma and the challenges of destigmatization.
Speaker: Dr. Neil Shepard, Davenport University