Entry NameBeyond ‘Behavioral’: Rethinking a word that shapes our view of mental health
SummaryDrawing on clinical experience and lived voices, Kurt White critiques the term “behavioral health,” tracing its history and unintended harms. He argues the word can reinforce stigma by implying choice and control, obscuring the biological, psychological, and social roots of mental illness, and calls for more accurate, humanizing language overall.