Understanding Indirect Jargon, Indirect Commentary, and Their Link to Psychosis and Psychiatric Disorders

Written, edited, created, and published By Nisa Pasha — Executive Political Health Guru, Peer Counselor, and Educator, MentalHealthRevival.org

When you live with a mental health condition—or if you’re navigating the mental health system—you already know how language shapes experience. The words you use, the way you express yourself, and how others interpret your speech can dramatically affect your sense of safety, understanding, and empowerment. In particular, indirect jargon and indirect commentary are forms of communication that often emerge when our brains are processing overwhelming emotions, stress, trauma, or psychiatric symptoms. These are not just abstract terms; they are real ways people like you and me communicate, often under pressure, in moments of crisis, or during periods of psychosis.

This article explores what these forms of communication are, why they emerge, how they connect to delusions, paranoia, and psychosis, and most importantly, how understanding them can help you advocate for yourself, maintain dignity, and find connection.

What Are Indirect Jargon and Indirect Commentary?

Language is more than words. It’s how we process experience, make sense of the world, and try to communicate feelings, fears, and observations that can sometimes feel too big for ordinary speech. When your language patterns shift, whether due to stress, trauma, neurodivergence, or psychiatric symptoms, people may misinterpret your words. But your words are meaningful—they are a reflection of your internal world.

Indirect Jargon: A Definition

Indirect jargon is language that may feel deeply meaningful to you but can seem cryptic, symbolic, or idiosyncratic to others.

Some characteristics include:

• Using personalized expressions or neologisms that make sense only internally.

• Describing experiences in metaphor or symbolic language rather than literal words.

• Employing phrasing that feels mystical, coded, or abstract, often reflecting internal emotional intensity.

• Communicating in ways that are not immediately interpretable by friends, family, or professionals.

For example, you might say:

• “The light speaks to me in codes,” rather than directly describing an unusual perception.

• “The blue door is calling me home,” instead of naming a fear or a memory.

• “The hum of the street tells me secrets,” rather than expressing anxiety explicitly.

These expressions are not failures of communication—they are your mind’s way of making sense of complex internal experiences.

Indirect Commentary: A Definition

Indirect commentary is when you hint, suggest, or allude to an idea instead of stating it directly. It often comes from a place of safety, caution, or emotional processing, and it’s a common strategy when you are feeling vulnerable or unsure if it’s safe to speak plainly.

Some common forms include:

• Speaking around a topic rather than naming it outright.

• Using metaphors or coded language to convey meaning.

• Suggesting possibilities or interpretations instead of stating beliefs as fact.

  
  

For example:

• “Some people might be watched at night…” instead of saying, “I feel like someone is watching me.”

• “There are signs everywhere if you know how to look” rather than expressing fear or paranoia directly.

Both indirect jargon and commentary can be tools of expression and survival. They are used creatively in art, literature, and spiritual practices—but in mental health contexts, they can also signal shifts in thought processes, especially during stress, mania, or psychosis.

How Language and Meaning Processing Relate to Your Mental Health

Your words reveal more than ideas—they reveal how your brain organizes reality, manages emotional intensity, and tries to process a world that sometimes feels unpredictable or threatening.

Normal Language vs. Disordered Language

In everyday communication, your speech is generally:

• Predictable and interpretable by others.

• Contextually coherent, meaning the ideas connect logically.

• Aligned with social norms, making conversation fluid and shared.

  
  

But during periods of psychosis or extreme stress, language may shift. You might notice that your own thoughts:

• Jump from one topic to another in ways that feel meaningful internally but disconnected externally.

• Include neologisms or private words that help you process experiences.

• Contain symbolic meaning or metaphors that are emotionally powerful, but difficult for others to understand.

  
  

These changes are not random—they reflect how your cognitive

and emotional systems are working overtime, trying to integrate overwhelming information and experiences.

Why Does This Happen?

Several factors can influence these shifts:

• Heightened internal meaning: Your brain assigns weight and significance to patterns that others may not notice.

• Altered associations: Ideas that normally stay separate may feel deeply connected.

• Emotional intensity: Strong feelings can override the brain’s usual logical sequencing, pushing expression into metaphor or symbolism.

• Cognitive load and trauma response: Past experiences of danger, unpredictability, or invalidation can create speech patterns that are protective rather than dysfunctional.

Understanding this can help you see your own language as adaptive, not broken.

Schizophrenia and Schizoaffective Disorder: How Language May Be Affected

Some psychiatric conditions, such as schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder, are often associated with shifts in language that you may recognize in yourself or others.

Schizophrenia

Key features include:

• Delusions: Strong beliefs that may not match shared reality.

• Hallucinations: Seeing or hearing things others do not.

• Disorganized thinking: Words and ideas may jump unpredictably.

• Negative symptoms: Withdrawal, flattened affect, or decreased motivation.

• Functional impact: Difficulty with work, school, or relationships.

In this context, indirect language often reflects how thought patterns are being reorganized internally, even when the result is misunderstood externally.

Schizoaffective Disorder

Schizoaffective disorder combines psychotic features with mood disturbances, like mania or depression.

• Language may shift alongside mood: elevated energy may produce rapid, metaphor-rich speech; depression may slow speech or make expression more guarded.

• Indirect jargon may intensify during mood episodes, reflecting both cognitive and emotional load.

Recognizing these patterns as part of lived experience rather than as inherently “wrong” allows for self-compassion and supports advocacy.

Indirect Language During Psychosis: What It Feels Like

When you are experiencing psychosis or delusional thinking, indirect language often serves protective, expressive, and cognitive purposes.

• Disrupted thought organization: You may notice thoughts racing, connecting in ways that feel internally logical but seem scattered to others.

• Symbolic processing: Neutral events—sounds, colors, movements—can feel loaded with personal significance.

• Indirect speech as self-protection: Hinting or using metaphor may keep you safer from judgment, confrontation, or misunderstanding.

  
  

From the inside, your words are meaningful, vivid, and connected to your inner world. From the outside, they may be confusing. This mismatch is not a reflection of failure, but a signal that your experience needs careful listening and contextual understanding.

Examples:

• Direct: “I think the government is tracking me.”

• Indirect: “When the car slows, they’re checking the signal.”

Both statements reflect experience, but the indirect phrasing may feel safer to voice.

Delusions and Paranoia: When Indirect Speech is Protective

If you feel unsafe, hyperaware, or vulnerable, indirect language may be your brain’s way of communicating without risking exposure or conflict.

• You may hint at danger rather than stating it outright.

• You may express symbolic or metaphorical warnings.

• You may scan the environment for safety cues, which can intensify speech indirectness.

• Emotional cues, like tone and pacing, may convey meaning more than words themselves.

These are survival strategies, not signs of moral failure or weakness. Recognizing this allows you to reframe your communication as protective and intelligent, even when misunderstood.

Comparing Peer Experiences: How Indirect Language Shapes Outcomes

Let’s consider two hypothetical peer experiences, showing how indirect language interacts with mental health, system response, and recovery:

Case One: Sam

• Indirect language was misunderstood by clinicians, labeled as pathological, and led to isolation.

• Lack of peer support or advocacy meant internal experiences were discounted, leading to shame.

• Emotional and cognitive load increased, with brain fog, anxiety, and functional decline.

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Case Two: Riley

• Peers and advocates validated indirect speech, helping translate meaning to the system.

• Riley learned to explain metaphors safely, fostering self-trust.

• Outcomes included faster stabilization, reduced shame, and meaningful recovery, with enhanced social and creative engagement.

Lesson: Your support network and advocacy can transform indirect language from a source of misunderstanding to a tool for self-expression and empowerment.

Why Understanding This Matters for You

• Language is a primary tool for connection.

• Misunderstanding your speech can increase stress, isolation, and crisis risk.

• Understanding how indirect language functions allows you to self-advocate, teach others, and protect your dignity.

• Peer support transforms indirect language into a bridge to empathy and recovery, rather than a barrier.

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Practical Strategies for Peer Consumers

• Explain your communication style to trusted peers or professionals when safe.

• Request accommodations: time to express yourself, written notes, or peer mediation.

• Seek peer support spaces where indirect language is understood.

• Practice safe self-advocacy, like explaining metaphors or coded expressions.

• Track triggers: fatigue, medication changes, or sensory overload can intensify indirect speech.

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Motivational Takeaway

Your voice matters. Your metaphors, coded speech, or indirect commentary are valid expressions of experience. You are not broken, you are navigating a world that does not always understand.

• With peer support, self-advocacy, and safe spaces, your words can connect rather than isolate.

• Healing begins when judgment is replaced by curiosity.

• Strength grows when your communication is acknowledged and respected.

• Hope lives in understanding, safety, and empowerment.

  
  

You are not alone. Your words, your voice, and your experience have power and meaning—even when they feel confusing to others. Keep listening, keep sharing, and keep honoring your inner world.

If you have specific questions or concerns, feel free to share!

Hope you found this insightful while grasping the key components!

Please contact me if you would like to chat in a peer counseling session, revolving around this post or another topic.

Mental health revival seeking to inspire a unique perception of mental health awareness and Harm-reduction.