Identity first, or person first? Guidelines this series follows when writing about autism and mental health

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Autism and mental health are complex subjects. Here are some guidelines we use when choosing how to write about them.

Person first? Identity first? It depends.

When we’re writing about a person’s experience with a mental health condition, we’ll likely use “ person-first language .” For example, we will refer to someone as “living with schizophrenia” or “having a diagnosis of schizophrenia,” instead of describing that person as “a schizophrenic.”

The same goes for writing about a disability, which is a mental or physical condition that significantly affects the ability to carry out at least one life activity. An illness or disability is something that a person has, not the