"Suffers from"
Sep. 12th, 2009 04:20 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sasha_featherThere is a language convention in journalism that goes, "she suffered from OCD", "he suffers from Parkinson's disease", "sufferers of chronic pain."
I would prefer the more neutral language "has". "She had OCD," "he has Parkinson's", "those who have chronic pain."
What I mislike the most is the implication that having a disease automatically means suffering from them, when in reality many people who have diseases manage them well; and even if they don't, the tone is one of pitying and emotionality rather than neutrality.
Obviously having a disease usually involves some suffering. But John Kabat-Zinn (and others) tell us that suffering does not automatically have to follow from pain. "Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional," as the saying goes. Diseases will always exist. Suffering does not have to be equated with having a disease.
I realize that I am more careful with language than a lot of people are. I realize that some of these battles I'm not going to win. But one thing we can do: I don't say that I suffer from chronic pain. I say that I have it. One simple change.
If you are comfortable editing Wikis, you can go into Wikipedia and make changes like this. Another one is change "confined to a wheelchair" to "uses a wheelchair". (Idea frombadgerbag.
I would prefer the more neutral language "has". "She had OCD," "he has Parkinson's", "those who have chronic pain."
What I mislike the most is the implication that having a disease automatically means suffering from them, when in reality many people who have diseases manage them well; and even if they don't, the tone is one of pitying and emotionality rather than neutrality.
Obviously having a disease usually involves some suffering. But John Kabat-Zinn (and others) tell us that suffering does not automatically have to follow from pain. "Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional," as the saying goes. Diseases will always exist. Suffering does not have to be equated with having a disease.
I realize that I am more careful with language than a lot of people are. I realize that some of these battles I'm not going to win. But one thing we can do: I don't say that I suffer from chronic pain. I say that I have it. One simple change.
If you are comfortable editing Wikis, you can go into Wikipedia and make changes like this. Another one is change "confined to a wheelchair" to "uses a wheelchair". (Idea from
badgerbag.
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no subject
Date: 2009-09-12 10:26 pm (UTC)When I was newer to being chronically ill, I used the "suffer from" to describe my conditions. But I started changing it on my own in time because it just didn't feel right. "I have..." or "I've been diagnosed with..." or even "struggle with" or "cope with". Suffering from something makes it seem like my whole entire life is nothing but misery and pain. And you know? Some days it feels like that. But it's not my reality most of the time. And it's definitely not how I want to portray myself to the world.
I agree with trying to change that kind of language all around. If someone wants to use that phrase for themselves to reflect how they feel about their situation, it can be very descriptive and good in those cases. But don't inflict it on all of us automatically, you know?!
no subject
Date: 2009-09-12 11:14 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-14 03:36 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-14 04:07 am (UTC)