Our language is a powerful source that can create and maintain stigma. Often this is not even on a conscious level. An example is calling someone “schizophrenic”, instead of an individual with schizophrenia. When it comes to physical disease we tend to say that a person has cancer. This leads to the "schizophrenic" receiving a label and becoming one of “them”, while a person who has cancer still remains one of “us”.
The "schizophrenic" person also becomes inseparable and equal to his or her illness, while a person with cancer is still an individual of his own who needs help to cure cancer. Even language used in everyday conversation reveals aspects of stigma that are embedded in common words and phrases. For instance, when we communicate and a hint of irrationality or disruption of logic emerges, we are quick to say such things as ”are you out of your mind?” or “you’re insane!”. Unpopular ideas are often dismissed as “crazy”, “nuts” or “madness”. Other examples include “ she is more than a little strange - she is psycho”, “ those people are really weird… mental cases”. In fact even children begin to use terms signaling degradation of individuals with mental disorders. Words such as “retard” and “crazy” are among the first words used by children to downgrade peers, which reveals early learning of put - downs associated with mental health problems.
See references: Hinshaw,
S.P. (2007). Corrigan,
P.W. (Ed.). (2005), Rüsch, N., Angermeyer. M.C., & Corrigan, P., W. (2005).