James Morris
James Morris / Lucy Foulkes
Labelling & language in mental health & alcohol with Dr Lucy Foulkes
Labelling & language in mental health & alcohol with Dr Lucy Foulkes
Labelling & language in mental health & alcohol with Dr Lucy Foulkes
Monday 10th January 2022
Dr. Lucy Foulkes joins Dr. James Morris to discuss how labels in mental health and alcohol use affect stigma and recovery on The Alcohol Problem Podcast.
44 minutes
Informative
Thought-provoking
Empowering
Engaging
Hopeful
About this podcast
Author:
James Morris
Overview:
Categories:
Navigating Alcohol Dependency
Understanding Addiction & Recovery
Creative Recovery Journeys
Sexual Stigmas & Myths
Financial Health in Recovery
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Episodes:
21 (View all)
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Get the buttons here!Words Matter: The Impact of Labels in Mental Health and Alcohol Use
It's a sense-making process, which both clinicians and people who experience problems and engage in treatment- and I guess this kind of movement around formulation, which I think most clinicians or good clinicians who would use categorical diagnoses, as you know, in a functional way, would be actively trying not to use them in the context of conversations or labeling with the person with the problem.
Ever wondered how the words we use shape our understanding of mental health and alcohol issues? In this episode of 'The Alcohol Problem Podcast', Dr. James Morris chats with Dr. Lucy Foulkes about the power of labels and language. Dr. Foulkes, a senior research fellow at the Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families, dives into how terms like 'alcoholic' or 'schizophrenia' can both help and hinder.
While these labels might offer clarity, they also bring stigma, making recovery more challenging. Dr. Morris and Dr. Foulkes discuss the continuum of alcohol use, stressing that it’s not always black and white. They explore how society's need to distance itself from those with alcohol problems often fuels stigma. Dr. Foulkes points out that the perception of choice in addiction adds to this issue, explaining that the disease model was introduced to shift away from blame and moral judgment.
The conversation gets personal as Dr. Foulkes shares her own experiences with difficult emotions and coping mechanisms. She highlights the significance of understanding why we use labels and whether they are always necessary. Dr. Morris adds that labels can be both beneficial and harmful to the same person. They also touch on the benefits of initiatives like Dry January, which promotes sobriety but acknowledge that abstinence isn't the only path to recovery. The episode wraps up with Dr.
Foulkes emphasizing the importance of support systems in the journey to recovery. Tune in for a thought-provoking discussion that challenges how we think about mental health and alcohol use, and offers fresh perspectives on recovery.