Language and How You Speak Can Indicate Your Mental Health

We're saying more than just words when we speak.
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Lydia Ortiz

How a person talks can tell you a lot about them, like where they're from and or even their age. But new research shows how we speak might say something about our mental health.

According to research from the University of Reading, speech patterns could indicate whether or not someone is depressed. It might not be surprising that people who are depressed use words that describe negative emotions (like sad or lonely) more often than those who aren't depressed, but the research found that how people use pronouns and the intensity of their language also could say something about their mental health.

When it comes to pronouns, researchers found that those who are depressed use more first-person pronouns.

"Those with symptoms of depression use significantly more first person singular pronouns – such as 'me,' 'myself' and 'I' – and significantly fewer second and third person pronouns – such as 'they,' 'them' or 'she.' This pattern of pronoun use suggests people with depression are more focused on themselves, and less connected with others," researcher Mohammed Al-Mosaiwi wrote.

Beyond that, the study found that those in online mental health forums used more absolutist language than those in control forums. That means people who frequent these forums are more likely to use words like "always," “nothing” or “completely".

"Compared to 19 different control forums (for example, Mumsnet and StudentRoom), the prevalence of absolutist words is approximately 50% greater in anxiety and depression forums, and approximately 80% greater for suicidal ideation forums," Al-Mosaiwi wrote.

This isn't the first time researchers have made a connection between language and depression. One study from 2012 studied absolutist language and depression.

Of course, researchers pointed out that people do use absolutist language or first person pronouns without being at all depressed, and mental health is how you feel over time, not one specific instance. So diagnosing someone strictly via their language isn't possible, or a good thing to try. But, the more aware we are about our mental health, and the more tools we have available to indicate who might need help, the better off we may be. Since we know that mental health treatment works, using any and every tool available to get people that help is worth the time.

Related: Mental Health Treatment Associated With Fewer Depressive Symptoms for Teens