In recent years, the conversations surrounding mental health have become more common than ever before. Various online platforms such as social media apps, podcasts, online communities, and self-help content have helped encourage people to discuss their emotions as well their mental health more freely and openly. This has helped immensely in reducing the stigma surrounding such topics and has motivated many to actively seek professional support. However, it also raises an important question for us all: Are we beginning to pathologize normal human emotions?
Pathologizing refers to “Pathologizing refers to interpreting normal behaviors as symptoms of illness, which can lead to unnecessary labeling & stigma”. Emotions such as stress, sadness, anger, jealousy, etc are all natural and human responses to various life experiences. However, these emotions are nowadays quickly being labelled as “trauma,” “depression,” “anxiety,” etc without truly understanding their weight and psychological context.
Why is this happening?
Increased Mental Health Awareness
The topics surrounding mental health have seen a significant increase in recent years especially through social media platforms. While people have definitely become more emotionally aware, many psychological terms are being thrown around casually in conversations. Terms such as “panic attacks,” “gaslighting,” or even “trauma response” have become frequently used without any proper understanding of the clinical meaning they hold.
Social Media Simplification
The viral short form content plays a major role in the over simplification of various complex psychological concepts with the aim to make them more engaging and relatable for the viewers. Human emotions and behaviors are both highly nuanced subjects but the online content and trends tend to quickly reduce them to quick labels or personality traits.
Reduced Tolerance for Emotional Discomfort
In this fast paced world which often prioritizes productivity and constant happiness, emotions which may be “uncomfortable” are viewed as something to be “fixed” immediately. Emotional discomfort is a normal part of life. Feeling grief after loss or even stress during times of uncertainty are not things which can automatically indicate a mental illness.
Why can over-pathologizing be harmful?
Can Create Unnecessary Fear
When individuals start interpreting every emotional reaction as a disorder, they end up seeing themselves as “broken” rather than human. This can increase internal anxiety and emotional dependency on labels.
It May Invalidate Genuine Disorders
Casual use of clinical terms can at times minimize the experiences which individuals who are living with actual and severe psychological disorders go through. Clinical conditions involve a significant amount of distress, intensity and even impairment in daily functioning.
It Reduces Emotional Resilience
Not every difficult emotion needs to undergo immediate elimination. Emotions carry information regarding our needs, boundaries, and experiences. Learning to tolerate and process emotions in a healthy manner can strengthen our emotional resilience over time.
So, where to draw the line?
Recognizing our normal emotions does not in any way mean dismissing mental health concerns. It is simply important to be able to differentiate between the everyday emotional distress we undergo and psychological conditions which are clinically significant. Mental health professionals are trained and equipped to properly understand the difference through careful assessment and context.
Mental health awareness is an extremely important topic, but so is psychological accuracy. Not every difficult feeling is a diagnosis and not every emotional struggle is pathology. Sometimes, stress is stress. Sadness is sadness. Heartbreak is heartbreak.
Being human gives us the chance to experience a wide range of emotions of which not all may be pleasant. Instead of fearing every difficult emotion, we need to learn to understand them with proper compassion and emotional awareness.
If you, your family member, loved one, or friend is in need of therapy, feel free to reach out to us.
From the Desk of
Verushka Beaspal
Intern, QInsight Healthcare
B.A. (Media, Psychology), Christ University
