"I'm so OCD about my desk." "That meeting gave me literal PTSD." "I have such an addictive personality when it comes to this TV show." We hear these phrases every day in office breakrooms, on social media, and during casual dinners with friends. Clinical diagnostic terms have quietly evolved into modern slang, used to add dramatic flair to our daily habits and minor inconveniences. I can appreciate that using these phrases can make our statements stand out a little as well as do help to express a person’s experience, I also do find it slightly grating and frustrating to hear people use these phrases, sometimes quite nonchalantly.
By swapping out medical labels for simple, precise language, we can better express our actual experiences while respecting those who live with these diagnoses.
OCD: "I Have Such Bad OCD" vs “ I like things to be organised
When someone says they are "so OCD" because they love a color-coded spreadsheet or enjoy a spotless kitchen, they are confusing a personality trait with a painful mental health condition. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder is not a quirk, a superpower, or a passion for tidiness & organisation. It is a gruelling, exhausting cycle driven by intense, unwanted intrusive thoughts (obsessions) that trigger extreme distress. To cope, a person performs repetitive mental or physical actions (compulsions) to temporarily ward off danger or anxiety. Wanting your books lined up neatly is an aesthetic preference; feeling like your family will get hurt if you do not tap the light switch seven times- is OCD. Instead of borrowing a medical diagnosis to describe your neatness, a more accurate phrase is simply: "I am highly organised," or "I prefer things kept in a specific way." Perhaps even use the phrase, ‘I have perfectionist tendencies’
Addiction: "I Have an Addictive Personality" vs “I can sometimes overdo eating my favourite snack”
It is easy to claim you have an "addictive personality" when you find yourself binge-watching a new show for six hours or eating an entire bag of your favourite snacks. But using this phrase treats a complex biological and psychological reality as a simple, fixed character trait. True clinical addiction is a chronic brain condition characterised by the compulsive pursuit of rewarding stimuli, despite severe, destructive consequences to a person's health, relationships, and livelihood. It is an intense struggle, not a strong passion for a hobby. If you know anyone or have experienced addiction yourself, it is more than simply overdoing it on something which initially felt good and then becomes extremely overused – true addiction is debilitating and overwhelming to cope with, every single day. When we look at our everyday habits, that perhaps we might indulge in or overdo in doing- the truth is usually much simpler. A clearer, more honest way to express this is: "I easily overdo things when I enjoy them," or "I have a hard time moderating”
PTSD: "I Have PTSD From That" vs “ I struggled in that situation”
We often hear people claim they have "PTSD" after a bad breakup, an embarrassing presentation at work, or an annoying encounter with customer service. While these events are genuinely uncomfortable, equating them to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder minimises a deeply debilitating condition. PTSD develops after an individual experiences or witnesses a terrifying, life-threatening event. It manifests as horrific flashbacks, severe nightmares, emotional numbing, and a constant state of high alert—where the brain genuinely believes it is still in mortal danger. The diagnosis of PTSD is incredibly difficult to secure and is a contentious issue amongst mental health clinicians in terms of the correct diagnosis of PTSD. An awkward or stressful moment might make us cringe, but it does not alter our nervous system's survival response. To keep our language grounded and precise, we can say: "That was incredibly stressful," or "I still feel shaken up by how uncomfortable that situation was."
Anxiety: "I have anxiety” vs “I struggle with overwhelming feelings of anxiety”
Anxiety has become the default word for any feeling of unease, anticipation, or excitement. It has also become a default term that is used in mental health self-diagnoses. To say you have anxiety is a fact. Anxiety is an important part of a human’s functioning as it is a natural biological alarm system that evolved to keep humans safe from danger and prepare the body to cope with threats. So to claim you have anxiety – is normal. Feeling nervous before a job interview or experiencing jitters before a big life change is a normal, healthy part of being human When it becomes a problem, is when your anxiety becomes overwhelming, dysfunctional and is detrimental to your daily performance. When your anxiety is no longer an alarm system warning you of impending danger but rather is constantly on and you consistently interpret situations as harmful. A clinical anxiety disorder is entirely different; it is a persistent, overwhelming, and often unprovoked wave of dread that paralyses daily function and refuses to go away, even when everything is fine. When we use "anxious" to describe ordinary, temporary stress, we lose the ability to talk about normal human emotions. Next time you feel the pressure of daily life, try using a phrase that matches the moment, such as: "I am feeling really nervous about this deadline," or "I have a lot of nervous energy today."
Conclusion: Consider the language you use to describe how you are feeling.
Language shapes how we view the world and how we treat one another. Moving away from casual clinical slang isn’t about being overly polite or censoring our speech; it is about choosing clarity and empathy. Perhaps by not using medical terms to describe everyday habits, we restore the true meaning of those words for the people who genuinely need them to explain their suffering. At the same time, we give ourselves permission to feel normal human emotions—like stress, neatness, enthusiasm, and nerves—without pathologising them. Next time you catch a clinical word on the tip of your tongue, pause and ask yourself what you are truly experiencing. Choosing a simpler, more accurate phrase might be the small change that makes a massive difference.