Monday, October 26, 2015

Is there a noun/adjective/verb for that?

I went through FutureLearn's Psychosis and Schizophrenia two week course. Language is a stumbling block! Some said "I don't want to be labeled "a patient." Call someone "psychotic" and there's a stigma attached. There was a discussion of "service user" (This is the Brits). Some object to being labeled as a service user. This is the same discussion we have in libraries. Are they "users"? "customers"? "clients"? "people who use the library who are not the staff"? Every term seems to carry some baggage for someone. BUT we need to talk about humans who are in certain roles during certain times of their lives. No insult or diminution of your status as a spiritual being in an earthly body intended! Can we please be allowed to use some noun that mean "persons who use the services of an organization"?