DOI: https://doi.org/10.63345/ijrhs.net.v13.i6.3
Komal Rajput
Independent Researcher
India
Abstract
Social stigmas associated with mental health conditions significantly influence how individuals perceive, experience, and express psychological distress. In multilingual and multicultural societies, regional languages serve not only as channels of communication but also as vessels of cultural norms, values, and taboos. This manuscript explores the dynamics between social stigmas and mental health expression across selected regional languages in India, including Hindi, Bengali, Marathi, Tamil, and Telugu. Drawing on qualitative interviews with 100 participants, content analysis of social media posts, and a review of culturally grounded literature, the study examines (a) the linguistic euphemisms and metaphors employed to describe mental distress, (b) variations in stigma-related attitudes embedded in language use, and (c) the impact of language-specific stigma on help-seeking behaviors. Findings reveal that while some regional languages employ relatively neutral or medicalized terms for mental health, others rely heavily on pejorative metaphors (e.g., “pagal” in Hindi or “bomma” in Tamil) that reinforce shame. Help-seeking intention correlates negatively with the strength of stigmatizing language in daily discourse. The study underscores the need for culturally sensitive anti-stigma interventions that leverage regional linguistic contexts to promote more open discussions of mental health.
Keywords
mental health stigma, regional languages, cultural metaphors, help-seeking behavior, euphemisms, qualitative study
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