Title : Talk to me How i talk: The role of african american vernacular english in mental health diagnosis and communication
Abstract:
Mental health and behavioral health diagnoses are intended to clarify symptoms, guide treatment, and support healing. However, for many African American women, diagnostic encounters within psychiatric, addiction, and behavioral health settings are experienced as confusing, alienating, or disempowering due to the language used to explain them. Clinical terminology that prioritizes standardized medical discourse often fails to align with patients’ cultural and linguistic realities, contributing to misunderstanding, mistrust, and disengagement from care.
This presentation examines how language functions as a critical yet underexplored determinant of mental health understanding and treatment engagement among African American millennial women. Drawing from qualitative dissertation research grounded in Critical Discourse Analysis and Critical Theory, this work centers Black women’s lived experiences of receiving mental health diagnoses and explores whether those diagnoses were communicated in language they could meaningfully understand. Particular attention is given to the role of African American Vernacular English (AAVE) and culturally familiar communication styles as tools for enhancing clarity, relational safety, and engagement in behavioral health and psychiatric contexts.
Findings highlight that when diagnoses are delivered using rigid clinical language without cultural translation, participants frequently reported emotional distancing, self-doubt, and hesitancy to ask questions or fully engage in treatment. In contrast, when providers utilized culturally responsive language practices, including metaphors, conversational explanations, and speech patterns aligned with patients’ lived experiences. Participants described greater comprehension, trust, and willingness to participate in care. Language emerged not merely as a communication tool, but as a mechanism of power that can either reinforce inequities or foster collaboration and healing.
This presentation situates these findings within broader conversations in addiction medicine and psychiatry regarding patient-centered care, health equity, and treatment adherence. Rather than advocating for the replacement of clinical terminology, this work emphasizes the importance of linguistic flexibility, cultural humility, and intentional communication practices. Implications are discussed for psychiatrists, addiction specialists, behavioral health providers, and interdisciplinary teams seeking to improve diagnostic conversations, reduce disengagement, and promote equitable mental health outcomes across diverse populations.
