The Problem with Using the Word 'Cure' in Mental Health, and the Powerful Alternatives That Inspire Resilience and Healing

Moving beyond cure-focused language to embrace progress, resilience, and long-term growth

Natalie C. Frank, Ph.D September 8, 2025

Motortion/NC Health [CC BY-ND 4.0] 

When people talk about mental health, one word is focused on again and again: “cure.” It appears in search engines, in conversations with family, and even in the way we speak to ourselves. How do I cure my anxiety? How do I cure my depression? How do I cure my trauma? 

The problem is that “cure” isn’t really the right word. It sets up an expectation of total elimination, as if one day the symptoms will disappear forever and never return. That isn’t how mental health works. In fact, using the language of cure often sets us up for disappointment, self-blame, and shame. This mindset can make matters significantly worse.

Mental health is not the flu. It doesn’t respond to antibiotics or a week of bed rest. Anxiety, depression, ADHD, trauma, bipolar disorder, these are not conditions we can erase. They are experiences we manage, adapt to, and grow alongside. For many people, expecting a cure is like expecting to wake up tomorrow and never feel sadness, worry, or stress again. The expectation is not only unrealistic but also deeply unfair to ourselves.

What’s more, cure language reinforces stigma. When we say someone hasn’t been “cured” of depression or PTSD, it can make them sound broken or incomplete, as if they failed to meet the standard. Even if it’s said that someone’s difficulty needs to be cured, this also implies that they are suffering from something that most of the rest of us don’t experience, which we know to be false.

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