Confronting Inadvertent Stigma and Pejorative Language in Addiction Scholarship: A Recognition and Response

Lauren M. Broyles; Ingrid A. Binswanger; Jennifer A. Jenkins; Deborah S. Finnell; Babalola Faseru; Alan Cavaiola; Marianne Pugatch; Adam J. Gordon

doi:10.1080/08897077.2014.930372

journal article Jul 01, 2014

Confronting Inadvertent Stigma and Pejorative Language in Addiction Scholarship: A Recognition and Response

Lauren M. Broyles Ingrid A. Binswanger Jennifer A. Jenkins Deborah S. Finnell Babalola Faseru Alan Cavaiola Marianne Pugatch

Adam J. Gordon

Substance Abuse Vol. 35 No. 3 pp. 217-221 · SAGE Publications

View at Publisher Save 10.1080/08897077.2014.930372

Abstract

Appropriate use of language in the field of addiction is important. Inappropriate use of language can negatively impact the way society perceives substance use and the people who are affected by it. Language frames what the public thinks about substance use and recovery, and it can also affect how individuals think about themselves and their own ability to change. But most importantly, language intentionally and unintentionally propagates stigma: the mark of dishonor, disgrace, and difference that depersonalizes people, depriving them of individual or personal qualities and personal identity. Stigma is harmful, distressing, and marginalizing to the individuals, groups, and populations who bear it. For these reasons, the Editorial Team of Substance Abuse seeks to formally operationalize respect for personhood in our mission, our public relations, and our instructions to authors. We ask authors, reviewers, and readers to carefully and intentionally consider the language used to describe alcohol and other drug use and disorders, the individuals affected by these conditions, and their related behaviors, comorbidities, treatment, and recovery in our publication. Specifically, we make an appeal for the use of language that (1) respects the worth and dignity of all persons (“people-first language”); (2) focuses on the medical nature of substance use disorders and treatment; (3) promotes the recovery process; and (4) avoids perpetuating negative stereotypes and biases through the use of slang and idioms. In this paper, we provide a brief overview of each of the above principles, along with examples, as well as some of the nuances and tensions that inherently arise as we give greater attention to the issue of how we talk and write about substance use and addiction.

Topics

No keywords indexed for this article. Browse by subject →

References

24

[1]

American Psychiatric Association. Mental illness in the AP Stylebook. Available at: http://www.psychiatry.org/advocacy–newsroom/newsroom/mental-illness-in-the-ap-stylebook. Published 2014. Accessed May 8, 2014.

[2]

250 labels used to stigmatise people with mental illness

Diana Rose, Graham Thornicroft, Vanessa Pinfold et al.

BMC Health Services Research 10.1186/1472-6963-7-97

[3]

10.1016/j.drugpo.2009.10.010

[4]

10.1016/j.socscimed.2008.06.004

[5]

Confronting the Stigma of Opioid Use Disorder—and Its Treatment

Yngvild Olsen, Joshua M. Sharfstein

JAMA 10.1001/jama.2014.2147

[6]

Corrigan PW World Psychiatry (2002)

[7]

American Psychological Association. Guidelines for nonhandicapping language in APA journals. Available at: http://www.apastyle.org/manual/related/nonhandicapping-language.aspx. Published 2014. Accessed May 15, 2014.

[8]

National Association of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors. Advances in Addiction & Recovery, publication guidelines. Available at: http://www.naadac.org/advancesinaddictionrecovery. Published 2014. Accessed May 13, 2014.

[9]

Society for Pediatric Psychology. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, manuscript preparation. Available at: http://www.oxfordjournals.org/our_journals/jpepsy/for_authors/msprep_submission.html. Published 2013. Accessed May 15, 2014.

[10]

American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. Information for authors, American Journal on Intellectual and Developmental Disability. Available at: http://aaiddjournals.org/page/authors/ajidd. Published 2014. Accessed May 14, 2014.

[11]

Language Policy Task Force, International Association of Psychosocial Rehabilitation Services. Language guidelines. Available at: http://uspra.ipower.com/Certification/2003_Language_Guidelines.pdf. Published 2003. Accessed May 1, 2014.

[12]

American Psychiatric Association. Reporting on mental illness. Available at: http://www.psychiatry.org/advocacy–newsroom/newsroom/reporting-on-mental-illness. Published 2014. Accessed May 13, 2014.

[13]

White W (2006)

[14]

10.1186/1940-0640-7-10

[15]

10.1080/08897077.2014.898976

[16]

Harris J (2012)

[17]

10.1177/0887403403255064

[18]

Ellis E. (2013)

[19]

Education from the Inside Out Coalition. Language matters: words to use when talking about mass incarceration. Available at: http://eio-coalition.blogspot.com/2014/03/language-matters.html. Published 2014. Accessed May 19, 2014.

[20]

National Institute of Justice. Recidivism. Available at: http://www.nij.gov/topics/corrections/recidivism/Pages/welcomeaspx. Published 2010. Accessed May 19, 2014.

[21]

TASC Inc. Substance Use Disorders: A Guide to the Use of Language. Rockville, MD: Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT), Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA); 2004. Available at: http://www.naabt.org/documents/Languageofaddictionmedicine.pdf. Accessed May 1, 2014.

[22]

Salsitz E, Miller SC, Wilford B. Organizing committee for the American Society for Addiction Medicine Review Course. http://naabt.org/documents/ES-lettervoc.pdf. Published 2002. Accessed May 1, 2014.

[23]

10.1007/s10488-007-0123-1

[24]

Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network, International HIV/AIDS Alliance, and the Open Society Institute. Nothing about us without us—greater, meaningful involvement of people who use illegal drugs: a public health, ethical, and human rights imperative. Available at: http://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/reports/nothing-about-us-without-us. Published 2008. Accessed May 15, 2014.

Cited By

182

Stigma Toward Substance Dependence: Causes, Consequences, and Potential Interventions

Anne C. Krendl, Brea L. Perry · 2023

Psychological Science in the Public...

How to Reduce Stigma and Bias in Clinical Communication: a Narrative Review

Megan Healy, Alison Richard · 2022

Journal of General Internal Medicin...

Metrics

182

Citations

24

References

Details

Published: Jul 01, 2014
Vol/Issue: 35(3)
Pages: 217-221
License: View

Authors

L

Lauren M. Broyles

Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion (CHERP), VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; VISN 4 Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center (MIRECC), VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Division of General Internal Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

I

Ingrid A. Binswanger

Division of General Internal Medicine and Division of Substance Dependence, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado, USA; Community Health Services, Denver Health Medical Center, Denver, Colorado, USA

J

Jennifer A. Jenkins

Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion (CHERP), VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

D

Deborah S. Finnell

Acute and Chronic Care Department, The Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing, Baltimore, Maryland, USA

B

Babalola Faseru

Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas, USA; Department of Family Medicine, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas, USA; Kansas Department of Health and Environment, Bureau of Health Promotion, Topeka, Kansas, USA

A

Alan Cavaiola

Monmouth University, West Long Branch, New Jersey, USA

M

Marianne Pugatch

Adolescent Substance Abuse Program, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Center for Substance Abuse Research, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts, USA

A

Adam J. Gordon

Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion (CHERP), VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; VISN 4 Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center (MIRECC), VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Division of General Internal Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

Cite This Article

Lauren M. Broyles, Ingrid A. Binswanger, Jennifer A. Jenkins, et al. (2014). Confronting Inadvertent Stigma and Pejorative Language in Addiction Scholarship: A Recognition and Response. Substance Abuse, 35(3), 217-221. https://doi.org/10.1080/08897077.2014.930372

Confronting Inadvertent Stigma and Pejorative Language in Addiction Scholarship: A Recognition and Response

You May Also Like