Mental Health Terms TikTok Gets Wrong: A Therapist Explains Common Misused Terms

If you’re like me, you spend a good amount of time scrolling TikTok in your free time. It’s a great source of entertainment and education. The challenge is that sometimes the mental health lingo thrown around on TikTok isn’t actually the most accurate.

We love that more and more people are speaking up about mental health and sharing their mental health journeys. This helps reduce the stigma around mental illness and allows people to feel less alone. We want people to keep connecting and sharing their stories.

It’s also important to recognize where TikTok lingo might mislead people about true mental health terms. That’s why we’re creating our own fact-checking sheet to explain how these terms are being used colloquially versus how they’re actually used in the mental health field.

TikTok Lingo Debunked

Dissociation

More and more people are becoming aware of and using the term *dissociation*. You’ll often hear things like, “I just need a day to dissociate,” or “I need my dissociation time.” It’s used casually to describe turning off your brain and taking a break.

While that’s somewhat accurate—since all humans engage in dissociation to varying degrees—the term has a more specific meaning in a mental health context. Dissociation occurs when some aspects of mental functioning are removed from conscious awareness. For example, have you ever driven to the store but have no memory of how you got there? That’s a mild state of dissociation. Your brain essentially goes on autopilot, and you become unaware of your environment, body, or emotions.

More severe dissociation can be a symptom of mental health diagnoses such as PTSD, Dissociative Identity Disorder, and Schizophrenia. In these more intense states, people can lose a sense of self, time, and place. They may also experience different parts of the self or consciousness becoming active and present.

It’s important to understand that yes, everyone dissociates to some degree as part of daily life, but dissociation exists on a continuum. At the extreme end, it can be a symptom of serious mental health conditions. Using the term casually can minimize the experiences of those who live with severe dissociation.

Mania

The term *mania* is another mental health term that’s entered mainstream language. You might hear someone say, “I rearranged my whole room last night—I was so manic,” or “She’s so manic, you never know what she’ll say next.” In everyday use, *mania* often just means high energy or unpredictability.

However, in a mental health context, mania has a very specific meaning. Mania is defined as a period of at least one week in which a person experiences a change in behavior that significantly affects their functioning.

Symptoms of mania may include:
- Abnormally high energy levels
- Euphoric mood
- Decreased need for sleep
- Inflated self-esteem
- Racing thoughts
- Increased talkativeness
- Intense focus on specific activities
- Easy distractibility
- Restlessness and fidgeting
- Engaging in impulsive or risky behaviors

Mania is most commonly associated with diagnoses such as Bipolar I and II Disorder, Postpartum Psychosis, Schizoaffective Disorder, and Cyclothymia. It can cause serious disruption in someone’s life and is often followed by a period of regret once the episode ends.

When we use *mania* to describe a singular behavior or burst of energy, we risk misunderstanding and misrepresenting the intensity of a true manic episode. While bringing awareness to the term is valuable, using it inaccurately can invalidate the experiences of those living with mania.

OCD

OCD is another term frequently used casually. People often say things like, “He has to keep his desk perfectly clean—he’s so OCD,” or “I organize my clothes by color because I’m so OCD.” These uses imply that OCD is just about being neat or orderly, but true OCD looks very different.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a serious mental health condition marked by uncontrollable, recurring thoughts (obsessions), repetitive behaviors (compulsions), or both. OCD can cause significant impairment in daily life. Obsessions may focus on themes like contamination, hoarding, magical thinking, religious fears, and more. To manage these obsessive fears, people often engage in compulsions such as excessive washing, checking, counting, ordering, or ritualistic behaviors.

There is also a diagnosis called Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder (OCPD), which involves a chronic preoccupation with perfectionism, control, and organization. OCPD can negatively impact relationships and hinder task completion due to rigid standards.

Both OCD and OCPD can be incredibly distressing and disruptive. Using “OCD” as a shorthand for cleanliness or preference for order downplays the seriousness of these disorders and the suffering they can cause.

More and more mental health language is entering our everyday conversations. This is a sign that people are becoming more comfortable talking about mental health and sharing their personal journeys. But when we adopt clinical terms without fully understanding their meaning, especially on platforms like TikTok, we risk minimizing the experiences of those who live with serious mental health challenges.

As mental health professionals, we’re not here to gatekeep the conversation—we’re here to deepen it. The more we understand where these terms come from and what they really mean, the better we can support ourselves and others. Language matters, and when we use it with care, we help create a culture where people feel seen, heard, and accurately understood.

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Calm Mind Therapy is a boutique mental health practice located in Ardmore, PA, specializing in the care of children, adolescents, and adults. Our mission is to provide the Main Line with high-quality mental health services for all ages. Our goal is to help our clients achieve emotional well-being and build a life worth living. Serving clients in Ardmore, Bryn Mawr, Wynnewood, Narberth, Radnor, Lower Merion, Haverford, Havertown, Villanova, Swarthmore, Devon, Berwyn, Malvern, Bala Cynwyd, and more.