Sanism, Sanize, Sanist: Words to Understand Mental Health Prejudice

Throughout the world, individuals with mental health conditions have a lower social value than those considered normal. They tend to face a wide range of negative social consequences because of their mental health condition or mental traits — one they have or one that they are judged to have.

The word that best captures this social problem is called Sanism. Its also referred to as saneism, mentalism, or psychophobia.

Here’s an entry in the Scholarly Community Encylcopedia describing the concept of Sanism:

Mentalism or sanism describes discrimination and oppression against a mental trait or condition a person has, or is judged to have. This discrimination may or may not be characterized in terms of mental disorder or cognitive impairment. The discrimination is based on numerous factors such as stereotypes about neurodivergence, for example autism, learning disorders, ADHD, bipolar, schizophrenia, and personality disorders, specific behavioral phenomena such as stuttering and tics, or intellectual disability. Like other forms of discrimination such as sexism and racism, mentalism involves multiple intersecting forms of oppression, complex social inequalities and imbalances of power. It can result in covert discrimination by multiple, small insults and indignities. It is characterized by judgments of another person’s perceived mental health status. These judgments are followed by actions such as blatant, overt discrimination which may include refusal of service, or the denial of human rights. Mentalism impacts how individuals are treated by the general public, by mental health professionals, and by institutions, including the legal system. The negative attitudes involved may also be internalized.

Origin of the term

The term Sanism was first coined by Morton Birnbaum, an American lawyer and physician who advocated for the right of psychiatric patients to have adequate, humane care.

Later, Judi Chamberlain an American activist and educator in the psychiatric survivors movement, created a synonymous term that she called Mentalism.

Other activists have over the years used similar terms, with most tending to lean toward the use of the word Sanism.

The contributions of Birnbaum and Chamberlain in the mental health rights discourse cannot be understated. It is because of their pioneering work that we are now able to put words to problems and communicate and advocate much more effectively.

Need for expanding the definition

Language is crucial for understanding and communicating ideas. In this essay, I wish to humbly build upon their definition by enlarging the scope of the definition and creating a noun, verb and adjective that could be easily added to any dictionary.

The words here are meant to be umbrella terms — a catchall — that is meant to include a wide range of negative societal conditions that a person because of their mental health condition. It includes, but is not limited to stigma, prejudice, discrimination, oppression and antagonism as well as word social, political, legal, economic and other structural barriers.

The Words

Noun
Sanism
Definition: Prejudice, discrimination, oppression, or antagonism by an individual, community, or institution against a person or people based on their mental health condition, whether real or perceived.

Example Usage:

• “Sanism is evident in the way society marginalizes people with mental health conditions, often denying them equal opportunities in employment and social participation.”
• “Activists are raising awareness about sanism and advocating for more inclusive policies that protect the rights of those with mental health issues.”
• “The therapist addressed the sanism present in the medical community, which often leads to a lack of respect for patients with psychiatric diagnoses.”

Verb
Sanize (transitive verb)
Definition: To express or exhibit prejudice, discrimination, oppression, or antagonistic behavior toward someone based on their mental health condition, whether real or perceived.

Example Usage:

• “The manager did not hire an individual with a psychosocial disability. He was subsequently criticized for sanizing potential recruits with mental health challenges.”
• “The media often sanizes individuals with mental health conditions by perpetuating harmful stereotypes about mental illness.”

Adjective:
Sanist
Definition: Exhibiting or characterized by prejudice, discrimination, oppression, or antagonism against individuals or groups based on their mental health condition, whether real or perceived.

Example Usage:

• “The company’s hiring policy was criticized for being sanist, as it excluded candidates with a history of mental health issues.”
• “Sanist attitudes are pervasive in the workplace, often leading to stigma and exclusion of those with mental health conditions.”
• “The media’s portrayal of people with mental illnesses often perpetuates sanist stereotypes.”

Points of Note

There are a few related points that are worthy of note.

First, the term Sanism and its verb and adjectives are not meant to be used as shields against bad or abusive behaviors. Abusive behaviors must not be condoned and those who engage in such actions needs to be properly held responsible. As an example, an individual diagnosed with anti-social personality disorder cannot complain that the legal system is sanist after he was taken into custody for violently beating his wife.

Second, sanism is a nuanced and complex concept and sanist reactions of the general public in a society, or by a single individual is going to differ from case to case. For instance, a person with a known diagnosis of schizophrenia is going to be treated vastly different than someone with general anxiety disorder.

Third, Sanism is conceptually similar to other forms of prejudice such as racism, sexism and is similarly a social evil as well. Its likely that Sanism has existed across all places and times to varying extent since our ancestors first began to think. Even in today’s world some countries have higher levels of overall sanism than others. In some countries, sanism is almost universal with nearly everyone holding highly sanist attitudes. While in other progressive countries, the public attitude might be much less sanist.

Fourth, Sanism, like human rights, is not subject to the beliefs or actions of individuals or entire societies. Just as slavery is universally wrong, regardless of whether one person or an entire nation endorses it, sanism is inherently unjust, no matter how widely it is accepted. Sanism against individuals based on their mental health condition is always a violation of their dignity and rights, irrespective of how many people hold sanist attitudes. Ethical principles like human rights and anti-sanism stand above social norms, and the wrongness of sanism, like slavery, remains absolute, regardless of popular opinion.

Looking forward

Even though sanism might be virtually universal in some societies, we must realize that it does not always have to be this way. Just because what everyone around us does or what our parents did, does not mean that we have to do the same. We can choose to think and act different. We can choose to be more compassionate and thereby more moral and just.

Similar to other social evils such as racism, sexism — sanism must be continously fought against until it is eradicated.

We must keep our hopes high. Even if not within our generation, than perhaps generations later — Sanism might one day be eradicated. Just as we have seen other social evils decline to the point of extinction.

Then perhaps one day: these words that I defined here will no longer be needed. Except when reading history.