title: The language of violence in mental health: shifting the paradigm to the language of peace.
abstract: Language used in health care, particularly with vulnerable populations such as those with mental illness, is often violent, rising from historical prejudices and politics of power over others. This creates disharmony and distrust between health care providers and patients and families. Peace involves relationships that nurture ongoing harmony, trust, and constructive solutions. In this descriptive philosophical article, we discuss connections between and among the concepts of peace, health, relational ethics, in relation to nurses' responsibilities, current health care realities, and the language of nursing. We propose a shift in discourse within nurse-patient relationships from oppressive and stigmatizing language to the discourse of peace.
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, St. Francis Xavier University, Antigonish, Nova Scotia, Canada.
authors.forename: Marion
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Alex
authors.forename: Joanne
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Whitty-Rogers
authors.forename: Wendy
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Panagopoulos
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003142:Communication; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000451:nursing*; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000941:ethics* / Q000592:standards; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D010687:Philosophy, Nursing; D011287:Prejudice; D013240:Stereotyping