It's interesting how we react to different terminology. A lot of it comes down to semantics - what the term means to me is often different, because my experiences differ to yours.
Behavioural medicine - I'd never really thought of it, but Heather I think I do see what is bugging you. The "behavioural" bit, especially. The problem (as I see it) isn't the white coat brigade, it's the family, friends, general public viewpoints, based on what THEY perceive the title to mean.
I was given a diagnosis of ME (myalgic encephalomyelitis) years ago (it's not accurate). The label was bad enough, an incomprehensible wheelbarrow of a name, but it was still far better than what the name got changed to in 1988 - "chronic fatigue syndrome". A lot of people kicked up a lot of fuss over that, but we had to lump it because the people who chose to change the name were the expert medicos, we were just members of the public who had to LIVE with the label. And for a lot of people, it began a change in attitudes (for the worse) from family and friends. "Fatigue" has a serious meaning in medical terms, but is common to a lot of conditions. However, the meaning to the lay person is much more trivial. "I feel a bit fatigued today" really has no bearing to true, medical fatigue (where you can barely lift your head off the pillow).
"Oppositional Defiant Disorder" is another label I HATE! The implication is that the person (kid) is choosing to be deliberately defiant, as part of some brain disorder. This is an oxymoron - how can a person CHOOSE to be oppositional, and yet this be the result of a disorder? Generally a disorder implies that there is no choice, this is how they're made. I'm not saying ODD doesn't exist - only that I think the label itself causes a lot more damage and provides very little help. It's like the word "defiant" got shoved in there by a very frustrated diagnostician for whom the possible term "Oppositional Disorder" was simply insufficient.
Heather, I wonder if the term "behavioural medicine" also has a different, more specific meaning to health professionals than the average lay person. "Mental illness" is perhaps too broad for health professionals to be happy about using it.
I don't know. I'm just throwing in ideas here. But maybe.
One thing I DO know - names of diseases, departments, concepts - change (or get applied) as fashions change. Not just in medicine but just about anywhere where jargon is used. Fashions change. New ideas come in, old ones go out. And I really hate such changes where they do not seem to have any real justification (other than maybe someone trying to either cover their rear ends or maybe coining a new term so they can promote sales of their new "how to" book).
A current buzzword in education in Australia, is "resiliency". What the...? In MY dictionary, the noun for the verb "resilient" is "resilience". Where did that "Y" come from? Oh, I see - it's a new term, just invented by this person (who I won't name, he's only attention-seeking) to promote his business as a seminar presenter and speaker on educational topics. I read the bloke's papers on the topic (often handed to me by teachers at the local school, to justify their approach to bullying - ie do nothing) and found little of value and nothing new. I was again reminded of the term on Sunday when talking to a friend who is a Special Education teacher. She had just attended one of these seminars and was trying to discuss it with me, how we need to balance the need to protect our vulnerable children against the need to build their "resiliency". She talked for about ten minutes about how children need to learn to do things for themselves and not be spoon-fed; how they need to learn self-discipline and personal organisation - I had ONE response to it all which shot the lot down in flames. "The reason our kids often ARE Special Needs is because their brains just are not mature enough, yet, to be age equivalent. Trying to force capability in a kid who is just not yet capable, is cruel and damaging. For these kids, 'resiliency' is a dangerous approach."
I remember the place where I used to work - among other things, I was a Safety Officer. But the organisation's Safety Department had a name change which I found not only ironic but offensive - they changed the name to Risk Management. I mean, surely they could at least PRETEND they were trying to do something constructive and call themselves Risk Minimisation? But no - Risk Management. But we were all still called Safety Officers and were at one point told, officially, that if any of us said "Accidents will happen" it could mean our jobs.
"Mental illness" - I don't see anything wrong with the term in itself, but I do recognise that over the years it has become a label with a lot of stigma attached to it. But the stigma comes from society, not from the label. Change the label - and soon the NEW label will have the same problems, no matter what you make it ("smelling like a rose" department?).
Heather, one thing I've learned that you need to do in such situations - if people are DETERMINED to change the name of something and you feel strongly about it, give them some alternatives. The reason we get foisted with terms such as"Behavioural Medicine" and "resiliency" is because the geniuses who got the brainwaves have no competition. Give people a viable alternative at the right time and chances are, you will have your way.
So maybe we can have a think tank here, where we can come up with alternatives we are happier with?
Marg