This post was originally published on Sacramento Observer

By Genoa Barrow

“Sticks and stones can break your bones, but words can never hurt you.”

The old ditty seeks to empower children to ignore negative things people say, but that isn’t always easy to do. Words do have the power to cause pain and they have been particularly weaponized, and normalized, in relation to mental illness. There has been pushback with increased awareness of mental health. Here’s a brief list of some harmful words and their histories.

Retarded: The word is used in reference to someone with below average intelligence and life skills, typically from birth. The shortening of the word to “retard” is a definite diss, whether a person really has mental issues or not. Urban vernacular includes calling someone “hecka retarded” or telling someone that they’re “so retarded.” Chris Brown uses the word in such songs as “Down” and “I Get Around,” which references a 2003 film about a mentally challenged Black man. In the early 2000s, the Black Eyed Peas changed their song “Let’s Get Retarded” to “Let’s Get It Started,” although the original version can still be found online. Retarded is viewed by some as hate speech. The politically correct (PC) term is now “intellectually disabled.”

Spaz: This word has been used as a verb and a noun, to describe both the act of being out of control and a person who displays such behavior. It stems from the word “spastic,” which is used in relation to people who lose motor skills due to conditions such as cerebral palsy or epilepsy that make them prone to spasms. In 2022, recording artist Lizzo received backlash for using the word in her song “Grrrls.” Lizzo later removed it, saying that as a plus-sized Black woman, she has been called derogatory names and knows that words can be hurtful.

Schizoid: There’s been online debate about this one with the general consensus being that while it is a technical term for someone diagnosed with schizophrenia, it is offensive when used as a generalization for anyone suffering from mental illness or in reference to anyone perceived to be acting as if they have a mental illness.

Crazy: Universally accepted word for someone displaying behavior that isn’t deemed to be “normal.” The word, and its widespread use, are likely here to stay. Beyonce famously sang about being “Crazy In Love” and TLC named one of their most successful albums “CrazySexyCool.”

Psycho: Shortened from “psychopath” and derived from the Greek word “psykho,” which means “mental.” It’s used in a derogatory manner to describe a person prone to “losing their mind” and committing heinous acts. Today the word is often used in toxic relationships and can be seen as both a scary and attractive quality.

Loony: A derogatory term for the mentally ill, shortened from “lunatic.” It has been used in the past to describe a person who is considered crazy, silly or strange. Persons whose actions are unpredictable and irrational have been called “a loony tune.”

Touched: Back in the day, Black people would say a person with mental illness was “touched in the head,” or simply “touched.” Today there are more PC, and more tactful, terms to use like “on the spectrum,” if speaking on someone with autism.

Not right: As in, “He’s not right,” or “She’s not right in the head.” Bokeem Woodbine played a character named Can’t Get Right in the 1999 film “Life.” The usage became unpopular with time because it implies that something is “wrong” with a person with challenges or disabilities.

While not an actual word, a gesture that has fallen out of favor over the years is circling one’s finger around one’s ear in pointing out someone perceived to have a mental issue, as in being loopy.

Stampede Stigma, an Australian campaign, offers a mental health inclusive language guide. It suggests some do’s and don’ts.

“None of us should be defined by our difficulties or diagnoses, or by any single aspect of who we are – we are people first and foremost,” the guide reads.

DO:

Say “a person with a mental health condition”

Say “a person who has been diagnosed with”

Say “a person with a mental health issue” or “a person experiencing a mental health issue”

Say “lives with a mental health condition”

DON’T:

Say “they are mentally ill” or “they are not normal.” Don’t define a person by their mental health issue

Use terms like “suffer” or “suffering.”

Say “X is mentally ill.”

Use insensitive and hurtful words like “bonkers,” “nutter,” “loopy,” “loony bin,” “deranged,” “insane,” “mad” or “mental.” Instead, use terms like “schizophrenic,” “bipolar” and “OCD” to describe behaviors or traits.

The post Awareness Can Change Lingo Around Mental Health, But Some Negative Terms Persist appeared first on The Sacramento Observer.