“That girl is crazy.”
I’ve really had enough. Lately, I’ve Heard a ton of Stigmatizing Language, including: crazy pills, psychotic, and crazy.
So, when I heard the above statement, I followed up:
Me: “What do you mean crazy?”
“You know… psycho!”
Me: “Do you mean she is psychotic? Is she experiencing hallucinations and/or delusions?”
“What? No. You know what I mean. She’s schizo!”
Me: “Schizo? Do mean has schizophrenia? Schizoaffective? Schizophreniform? Schizotypal? Schizoid?”
“What? I don’t know what you are talking about!”
Me: “EXACTLY. You have NO IDEA what you are actually saying… so maybe you should stop!”
If you think someone is strange, unlikable, or some other negative trait, the automatic adjectives you associate with that should not be mental illnesses. See how that is offensive? Someone’s illness is what language you use to negatively label others… not cool.
#StayKind November may be wrapping up, but… we need to do better year-round.
How about not use stigmatizing language?
Also, while we are at it, how about we avoid bullying overall?
