This question comes from watching the TV right now, and they’re talking about Bruce Willis. I feel bad for him, I really do…

Bruce Willis apparently has what they call Frontotemporal Dementia. That’s a tounge twister mouthful for most average people, I can only assume Mr. Willis probably can’t even remember the name of his own condition…

Why isn’t there a ‘patient-friendly’ easy to remember name for disorders that literally affect a person’s brain and memory?

Like shit, I bet most people wouldn’t know what polytetrafluoroethylene is, but they gave everyone a simple name to know it by, teflon.

So, why don’t they have simpler terms for brain disorders so the suffering patient might be able to talk to their own doctor privately…?

  • TranquilTurbulence@lemmy.zipEnglish
    15·
    3 days ago

    Doctors call it “pharyngitis”, because they need to be specific in their documents. Normal people just call it “sore throat”, because that’s close enough and easy to understand. Same thing should apply to various brain disorders too.

    If you aren’t writing to medical professionals, go with whatever description you understand better. It’s going to be easier for everyone involved.

    If you’re in America, you should look up the relevant TLA and use that instead. Every American seems to be born with the innate ability to know all of them, so it’s just as good as using the easily understandable two word description.

      • TranquilTurbulence@lemmy.zipEnglish
        1·
        1 day ago

        Yeah, it gets ridiculous at times. If you’re in a niche community, you can expect to see some “professional jargon”, but in general communities like asklemmy and nostupidquestions using those types of niche acronyms just don’t make much sense.

        If you’re in a car specific community, you can throw your acronyms around, but outside it you shouldn’t expect people to know what a BSM is. Be considerate and call it a blind spot monitor instead.