What's in a name? - The Psychiatric Identity Conundrum

The proper label to describe people receiving care has evoked considerable debate and controversy among providers and bio-ethicists. Fashionable terms in current use include "patient, client, consumer, customer and service user." There is little evidence to show that changes in nomenclature actually take patients preferences as to how they would like to be addressed into account

This aim of this study is to survey the views of the people with learning disability in inpatient settings to establish the term they prefer. This is the first study of its kind looking at the views of people with learning disability about how they would like to be addressed and to identify factors associated with various preferences.

Approval was obtained from the local clinical governance board. The target population covered a tertiary level inpatient service including acute assessment and respite services, forensic (male/female and low/medium secure services) and CAMHS LD covering the Coventry, Warwickshire and Birmingham areas (rural and inner city population). Participants were provided with an information sheet on the research project. The questionnaire was administered by means of a joint interview carried out by the authors of the study. Dictionary definitions were analyzed as to the derivation and connotations of various terminologies. A questionnaire was developed which was tailored for use in PWLD after consultation with Speech & Language Therapists and local peer review. Responses were than analyzed to identify factors associated with various preferences.

Evidence indicates lack of universality in preferences for terms and suggests the need for dialogue about preferred terms between service providers and recipients. This study shows a preference for the term "patient" in all categories that were measured within an LD inpatient setting and very interesting demographic preferences were identified. A more differentiated approach may be suggested by taking professional background and some demographic characteristics into consideration. A positive therapeutic relationship is a fundamental component of psychiatry and should take into account patients' preferences regarding how they are addressed by professionals.