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Fargo resident urges caution on language around mental illness during task force public comment
Summary
During public comment, Christopher Cohen urged officials to avoid stigmatizing words like 'erratic' and asked public safety to help guide community responses to people in crisis.
Christopher Cohen, a Fargo resident, used the public comment period to urge the task force to avoid stigmatizing language when discussing mental illness and substance use.
Cohen said terms such as "erratic" can close down thinking and urged public safety and other agencies to provide clear guidance to community members on how to refer people in crisis to services rather than stigmatize them. "Erratic shuts down people's thinking," he said. "We have to reduce the stigma, and so the way we talk about it is really important."
