Can any mental health professional explain the term Toxic. Recently this word is being used to label or categorize people e.g. “ he’s a toxic person”. I’m an industrial hygienist and the term toxic has a completely different meaning I never knew applied to people. Please understand I’m asking for a professional medical definition not an opinion. Thank you
What does Toxic person mean? - Anxiety and Depre...
What does Toxic person mean?
Written by
Firebirdseal1963
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53 Replies
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Poisonous mindset?
That’s not an answer. That’s an opinion.
A suggestion
Same thing
🍅...tomatoe....tomato
It wasn’t a gardening question sausage
It is bandied about quite a bit and frequently used to excuse passive-aggressive behavior by the accuser. They don’t have to learn to confront as adults so they use ‘toxic’. It can be a coping technique for the p-a who doesn’t want to discuss life and lay blame.
However a true ‘toxic’ person is someone who by their action or inaction directly harms you and here’s the tricky part; they either know it or don’t care.
That’s the criteria. Example: a persons parent can have narcissistic tendencies but does the parent realize it and still do it uncaringly.
Toxic people can be people with addictions that match ones own addiction. In that case it’s not the person so much as the disease that pulls one back into unhealthy relationships.
Unhealthy people are sometimes called ‘toxic’. This is a shame as again we avoid the issue of truth and confrontation; particularly if they need help as well.
Your describing someone who the accuser is offended by because they dont support or agree with the accusers excuses, lifestyle, or condition. toxic means to inflect or affect physical condition. Your description is emotional
Only the first part. Read on to the second part. Read to the third part. I believe I was addressing the common usage of the term first which the poster brought up and then gave the clinical definition including the caveat.
Unhealthy person can be someone with a heart condition. How does that make them toxic?..
Mentally unstable.
People with physical issues who allow that to become their lives can certainly hurt their loved ones but Here I would need to put an opinion and don’t consider that toxic; just unsettling. I really don’t like putting my opinion in when someone asks a clinician question. It’s hard when two people aren’t facing each other to discuss the variables that here are ad infinitum.
But personally I find very few toxic people. I find toxic situations.
I agree face to face is best to discuss variables sienctificaly and clinically. A social forum is not beneficial as “sillysausage” demonstrates. I was wanting an actual mental or medical definition by a professional because my daughter refers to me as a toxic person.
I was also referred to as toxic for some time by a daughter. Facebook memes just mass produce it. It seems it’s a new coming of age phenomenon. As I said it’s when either by action or inaction someone knowingly (underline that) continues to hurt you despite tries at reconciliation. Until then there’s nothing we can do. Ten years for me. 13 years for my best friend and counting. We raised our kids together. They had excellent upper middle class lives with lots of love from a huge family. I moved on and set boundaries. When I did all was forgotten.
Ask yourself:
1. Did I knowingly harm her?
2. Do I repeatedly knowingly harm her?
3. Do I love her?
4. Has she calmly in an adult fashion brought to my attention what is bothering her?
You’ll be able to tell by answering these questions.
It seems my generations term “he’s an asshole” has been converted to “toxic person” based on how it’s used.
You’re up to speed now but it’s often used so they don’t have to face conflict. This is not good for this generation. You can’t keep a job if you can’t settle small disputes. They aren’t learning, only sticking their heads in the sand. It’s sad for them. It is quite common now for this to happen in families. If I could give advice I’d say your child feels you’ll go nowhere. Your child feels safe beating you up this way. Your child knows you love her. This is the new cutting of the apron strings for some. Take the high road mom and forget it all when she finds her way back.
I’m her Dad. The high road is the only path I know. I’m a degreed very successful professional and an ex Navy SEAL who’s accused of being being toxic by a 27 year old who did not graduate high school or has ever held a job. I agree; I should just let her find her way.
Sorry dad! Yep that’s about the age I figured. If you know you did nothing wrong but the best you could on the day you did it with the skill set you had at that time you’re not toxic. Set your boundaries on how you will be treated. That’s important. Very important. Then when outrageous things are said or done you’ve been hands off. You still love her though. My daughter got sick of ‘hows that working out for you?’ Then I moved on to my life. Your job was done at age 18. She also heard a lot of ‘hmmm, that’s a shame. Well I’ve got to go.’ She’s 33 now. We aren’t tight but her brain works finally.
A narcissistic person can’t inflect someone else with their condition.
Do you mean it’s not communicable?
Narcissistic behaviors can be learned. That does not mean they can’t be unlearned. Then there are others basically born with a different brain. You could call it a birth defect since it doesn’t fit the norm. A narc can not know how you feel. They can be helped if they want. Not all are evil. This is also true for sociopaths.
This web site is meant for opinion not professional diagnoses. Not that there has been any professional discussion in this thread just a bunch of pseudo intellectual clap trap. Your daughter probably needs an emotional connection with you. The term toxic person is important only as she perceives it in this situation. She's the person you need to ask. My opinion of course. Pam
Thank you for the invalidation of my $140,000 in student loans and I’ll be sure my patients know I’m spouting pseudo intellectual clap trap. Actually I printed your response and I’ll place it on my board. Have a lovely day.
Are you a psychiatrist or psychologist?
Opinion or diagnosis was not requested. I asked for a clinical or medical definition to validate a term. If your inflected with the clap from intellectual discussion you need to seek midcical help.
I can see why your daughter says your toxic.
So unnecessary and quite a low blow. These young people are going through things and we as parents take the brunt because they know we aren’t going anywhere. They know we love them. I see no reason to put a knife in someone’s heart.
I'm sorry. I just don't see why he has to go after people that are trying to help him here.
He’s upset. This is so painful it’s hard to react with anything but rancor. Your own children basically tell you how awful you are after you spend your whole life adoring them. It spilled over. I think we can forgive him for his pain.
• in reply toNeuronerdDoaty
I agree. Thankyou for sharing your knowledge with us.
I couldn't agree more Marshall.
Marshall64 you are a good person luv💛
OK. Obviously I need to rephrase my question for the intellectually challenged... there are no medical or psychological publications I can find that identify “Toxic person” as a legitimate condition or affliction. Why is this term applied to an individual as if it was an actual cause for the accusers problem, condition or state? Translation: is Toxic person real or made up?
It’s not in the DSM
"Intellectually challenged". Just listen to how you speak to other people. Toxic indeed!! Get off this site and look elsewhere, since you seem to think that you are superior to everyone else.
A benefit of taking the high road is there’s no traffic. Enjoy the rat race.
That doesn't even make sense. Oh-but I must be too " intellectually challenged " to understand that. That's ok. I'm happy being that way, if it means I'm not picking fights with everyone I come into contact with. Enjoy your life, feeling that you are better than everyone else. I'm surprised you haven't heard the term sooner.
Obviously don’t grasp the meaning of toxic. without sounding harsh .....Oxford dictionary not opinion.....poisonous..venomous..noxious...harmful... I also find people who think themselves intellectually superior to others usually have no common sense ...just my opinion
A toxic person is a real but the word is a nick name/slang
psychcentral.com/blog/whats...
Not my favorite site but the descriptions are good. Other than this I only have technical and medical journals.
Thank you for the your input. Sincerely-scared patriot
That’s great info. The artical you referred discribing “toxic behavior” is in no way my sistuation. My accuser is 3000 miles away and I haven’t had any direct involvement or knowledge in her upbringing, education or living condition in 19 years. She called me 3years ago on advice for a specific topic to which she didn’t agree and has refused to communicate or have a relationship since. tHe only reason I can find was on this site where she posted a description me as a toxic person to complete strangers.
With more knowledge I can see the issue better. I go back to the new phenomenon of young adults using this as an excuse to see things their own way only. I suggest you find a group of ‘Parental Alienation’ and you’ll get your answers. Try to be open even with your pain.
Hi. This is a Spiritual term and not a medical term. Toxic people means to bring you down. Uplifting people are an inspiration and help you raise your vibrations and let you be who you are without judgement or shaming.
If you can access YouTube then Im suggesting you search - Teal Swan 'toxic people'. Quite a few come up not with the title but rather the topic.
I don't believe any person is toxic; only your mind makes them toxic.
If a person is hell-bent on manipulating you, then as an intelligent adult you should work more on being less easy to be manipulated. Know your own mind, have trust in and listen to trained professionals over individuals.
If a person wishes you harm, then learn to question more into those you do not fully know yet.
Someone is only a bad influence on your if you let. It is an opportunity to increase your defences and strength of mind.
• in reply toVedm
I love that, you make good valid points. Most of the people I know that I would consider toxic, I believe have some mental illness and were probably abused in their childhoods. Im learning in my senior years how to deal with such people and protect myself. Havent figured out not to ruminate about situations that hurt me, but Im better , its a process I guess
Interesting discussion you started here Firebirdseal1963. Thankyou for your service💜. My family had many Naval servicemen. My youngest brother who is no longer with us, was career NCIS. I have deep respect for all military.
Glad you asked about definition of toxic people. Sorry you were called a toxic person. I think in todays society, people like to throw out word bombs instead of explaining themselves or what they are upset about. Lately I was verbally attacked by a “ friend” and for once spoke my mind ( kindly), didnt let her get by with it which didnt end well. I was an innocent party, just a victim of another person’s dysfunctional thinking. I intellectually understood what was going on, but on some level it hurt anyway. At age 66, Im finally learning ( slowly) not to let the darts penetrate too deeply.
Ask a mental health professional if you want a mental health opinion.
First of all I am just a sufferer of mantle and also physical illnesses.
This word is just a describer. A toxin in a body slowly or quickly causes body harm. A toxin can even kill a person.
If a person, group of people or organisation views, opinions are negative, prejudical etc to a person or group of people then I would describe them has toxic. There actions cause the person or people harm which they may understand or not understand. The results would be the same yo ghe effected person or people.
Describes if used correctly I think are usefull. On the other hand describes are used for people with illness which are completely wrong. These can be morally wrong or legally wrong. So describes need to be questioned has in sons cases they need to be challenged to change them. Language, words are very powerful and dangerous. Once they become avctotex by society they sre harder to remove gas they find rngrained I. Society. I know this explanation Ix long but this is a topic that I do have passion about. Not because I like the hppjc bug j gave wrong language, des robots used against md daily. Ov any one wants concession on this Hopi. Or other groups I have set up then please feel welcome go send me a private message on this platform. You are also wrbomdvyo just reply or do both on this post also.
In my case- A friend who thinks you should be her own private free therapist till you can’t take it any more.
This is an informal definition. It is anyone who repeatedly says or does something to make you feel badly about yourself. This person might be someone whom you notice that every time you spend time with them, you feel negatively about yourself due to what they have said or done. It may be a person who repeatedly sabotages your efforts, or intentionally blocks you from being all you can be. The general idea is that a toxic person keeps you from seeing your own loveliness, felling good about yourself and your decisions. I hope that helps. The overall note is that they do this repeatedly to you.
I'm curious, if you require to know the term "toxic" from a mental health professional then why don't you ask one? I don't see the point of asking anyone other than a doctor or psychologist.
Anyone's idea of a toxic individual is going to be stilted toward their own experience because it's nearly impossible to look beyond ourselves. For example, an ex boyfriend of mine said I was toxic because I was mentally unwell. Not a professional definition but a subjective one is what you're likely to get for now.
Narcissistic
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