The Power of Language and Labels: “The Mentally Ill” Versus “People With Mental Illnesses”

Undergraduate students ( N = 221), adults in a community sample ( N = 211), and professional counselors and counselors‐in‐training ( N = 269) were given a measure of tolerance. Within each sample, half of the participants were given a version that used the term “the mentally ill” and half were given a version that used the term “people with mental illnesses.” Individuals receiving the version with the term “the mentally ill” had lower levels of tolerance. Professional counselors had the largest differences in tolerance on the basis of language.