What’s in a word? Well, when it comes to alcoholism, it could be plenty, as researchers have recently discovered that the terminology used to describe someone struggling with alcoholism or drug addiction may significantly alter the attitudes of health care professionals, even those who specialize in addiction treatment.

Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers have found that the answers of health professionals to survey questions about a hypothetical patient varied depending on whether the patient was described as a “substance abuser” or as “having a substance use disorder.”

“We found that referring to someone with the ‘abuser’ terminology evokes more punitive attitudes than does describing that person’s situation in exactly the same words except for using ‘disorder’ terminology,” says John F. Kelly, PhD, associate director of the MGH Center for Addiction Medicine, who led the study. “Reducing the use of such stigmatizing terms could help diminish the shame, guilt and embarrassment that act as barriers, keeping people from seeking help.”

The authors note that alcoholism and addiction are the leading public health problems in the U.S. and that, while treatment can be very successful, it is sought by only 10 percent of affected individuals. The stigma against addiction problems is often cited as a major reason for not seeking treatment. Even though the World Health Organization acknowledged “abuser” as a stigmatizing term 30 years ago, it remains in common usage.