This first edition of the NAMI Schizophrenia and Psychosis Lexicon Guide strives to represent current best practices regarding the words and terms, including clinical and plain language phrases, that are used in the assessment, diagnosis, treatment, recovery and overall wellbeing of and respect for people with schizophrenia and related psychosis conditions. Importantly, this guide is not a glossary – it is a conversation starter.
While the guide focuses primarily on language used between individuals and their treatment team, it is intended for use by specialty clinicians, general practitioners and pharmacists, communications and public relations professionals, law enforcement and first responders, the news media, and the general public. Publication of this lexicon also coincides with the expanding demand for factdriven news reporting on television, radio and social media, and supports improvement of communication standards and practices.