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Rikki -

An excellent point. You are absolutely right that a diagnosis can be very devastating for the individual. Very early in my therapeutic internship, I learned to refer to clients in a specific way: e.g. not "a bipolar". "a borderline", "a schizophrenic", but rather "a person with (or "diagnosed with") bipolar disorder", "a personal with borderline personality disorder", etc, for just that reason.

It's also why I believe strongly in group therapy. Like you said, these experiences can be very alienating, and it can be very helpful to interact with others who are going through something similar, be it depression, panic attacks, or auditory hallucinations.

Most therapists I know (the good ones, anyway) tend to stay away from the term "suffer from", and try to refer instead to specific symptoms or diagnoses. e.g., "the client experiences/reports periods of delusional thinking..." or simply, "diagnosed with...".

In session, I have also used the verb "struggle", since that is often what I see people doing in response to their symptoms...

Sarah