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[CaviarMeths]

It's ridiculous how everybody knows to treat seriously and is sensitive to physical disabilities, but it's still socially acceptable to trivialize and mock mental disabilities.

"I can't run very far, I'm so paraplegic lol."
"I can't write with my left hand at all lmao I'm such a fucking amputee."

This would get proper stunned looks of "wtf" and disbelief, but the same shit happens daily in regards to mental illness and nobody speaks up.

 

[NoblesseOblige]

Sociopath isn't really misused anymore. It was adopted by media and has a modern use that is too broad for it to be meaningful in clinical use so the current DSM doesn't even use it. No professionals use the term anymore except when use requires you to make your assessment easy to digest. So feel free

It's just the first example I use that came to mind. I'm sure I am guilty of others.

 

[Glix]

Whoa. I think your anger is causing you to imagine things. Let me try to help.

I haven't called the OP a bitch. I was referring only to me not being one. I am an outgoing and aggressive person. Some on GAF may have noticed this. You seemed incredulous at the notion that I have my own illness to deal with, but I assure you that it is not only the province of the meek or the lonely.

It's ok that you didn't like the "u mad" joke. Everyone's a critic. Your disappointment means nothing. I'm sure you've had a chuckle at some of my other material in the past.

I am under no obligation to share with you the specific details of my condition(s), that's why I jokingly use the term "insaniac." I think it's funny. There is nothing here for you to be offended by, but you can eat a big bag of poo if you think I'll defer to your standard of acceptable discourse on mental illness.

We are on the same page here.

You're free to be tasteless

Im free to call you out on it

You are free to not care.

All i did was point out that you were shitposting and that i hope you got the attention you crave for it.

I did not try and dictate your behavior, in fact i made no demands whatsoever.

 

[Count Dookkake]

We are on the same page here.

You're free to be tasteless

Im free to call you out on it

You are free to not care.

All i did was point out that you were shitposting and that i hope you got the attention you crave for it.

I did not try and dictate your behavior, in fact i made no demands whatsoever.

You can't tell the difference between a joke post ("u mad") and a joking admission of mental illness, and in expressing your discontent of both and framing it as an accusation of shitposting, it appeared that you did not believe the latter. If you want to call me a liar, be direct, but you'll be wrong.

If you believe me, then carry on. I just found it amusing that you'd be all boohoo about the issue while not taking seriously the opinion of someone who deals with this every day. We are not monolith.

 

[Realeza]

It's ridiculous how everybody knows to treat seriously and is sensitive to physical disabilities, but it's still socially acceptable to trivialize and mock mental disabilities.

"I can't run very far, I'm so paraplegic lol."
"I can't write with my left hand at all lmao I'm such a fucking amputee."

This would get proper stunned looks of "wtf" and disbelief, but the same shit happens daily in regards to mental illness and nobody speaks up.

This is exactly the same thing my teacher said when talking about this issue.

 

[A Link to the Past]

It's pretty weird when people use specific conditions like that. You don't hear people use physical afflictions that way like "man, I'm all irritated like scabies"

It's definitely less common for physical disabilities, but "are you deaf" or "are you blind" I think are common in and of themselves

 

[Vinc]

I mostly agree with what you're saying, but to play devil's advocate a little bit, I do think intent is very important when having this conversation. Words change their meaning all the time, and people using words in incorrect ways simply change their meaning over time. "Literally" is used wrongly so often that its meaning is essentially socially accepted as changed. It sucks that this phenomenon affects actual illnesses, but I don't think it truly belittles people who are affected by the illness, because the intent isn't there. It's basically the same thing for every word. People saying "retard" a lot doesn't make me feel less sorry for people who actually have the real problem. The implied meaning in "are you retarded?" would be "You aren't retarded, therefore you should have the intellectual capacity to understand that what you said is wrong." It's not a pretty way to phrase it, but it is what it is.

It's ridiculous how everybody knows to treat seriously and is sensitive to physical disabilities, but it's still socially acceptable to trivialize and mock mental disabilities.

"I can't run very far, I'm so paraplegic lol."
"I can't write with my left hand at all lmao I'm such a fucking amputee."

This would get proper stunned looks of "wtf" and disbelief, but the same shit happens daily in regards to mental illness and nobody speaks up.

I've actually heard people say things like "I can't run to save my life, I'm like a paraplegic or something."

 

[Glix]

You can't tell the difference between a joke post ("u mad") and a joking admission of mental illness, and in expressing your discontent of both and framing it as an accusation of shitposting, it appeared that you did not believe the latter. If you want to call me a liar, be direct, but you'll be wrong.

If you believe me, then carry on. I just found it amusing that you'd be all boohoo about the issue while not taking seriously the opinion of someone who deals with this every day. We are not monolith.

If you would expect me to think that you actually have a serious mental illness when you say you have insaneia, i dont know what to tell you bro. I certainly did not think you were lying, per se, i just thought you were being an ass.

If someone posted "i struggle with nerd rage" i would think they were being an ass.

If they instead posted "i have severe anger and rage issues" i would take them seriously.

How you present something is going to dictate how people react. When you say you struggle with a mental illness whose definition can only be found on Urban Dictionary, I am not going to take it seriously.

The way you presented it was then Compounded by the fact that your only other post in the thread was "umad"

Edit - full disclosure. The umad post really annoyed me. So when you posted again and i saw i jumped all over it. I stand by the points i made, but the "umad" def pushed me into a more aggressive mode.

 

[Glix]

It's definitely less common for physical disabilities, but "are you deaf" or "are you blind" I think are common in and of themselves

I would say those two are actually much more common and its a very good point

 

[Zen_Arcade]

The one that bothers me is "oh I'm so depressed". You're sad not depressed. There's a major difference between the two.

PS I have major depressive disorder.

I also hear kids say retarded a lot. "That's so retarded" etc.

How do you know they're not actually depressed?

 

[Glix]

How do you know they're not actually depressed?

Thats a very fair point. As someone who has struggled their whole life with depression, it doesnt bother me at all to hear people say that.

What bothers me is that eventually "im depressed" just starts to mean "im sad". That leads to real struggles for people who actually suffer from depression as there is a HUGE HUGE percentage of people, including bosses, wives, friends, parents who truly believe we just need to "cheer up".

 

[pashmilla]

I catch myself using "I'm so OCD about..." sometimes.

The worst part is I actually have OCD.

 

[A Link to the Past]

How do you know they're not actually depressed?

It's not just about having an angry reaction to people saying "I'm so depressed," it's also about educating people so they understand that there's a difference between "I'm sad" and "I'm depressed."

 

[Count Dookkake]

If you would expect me to think that you actually have a serious mental illness when you say you have insaneia, i dont know what to tell you bro. I certainly did not think you were lying, per se, i just thought you were being an ass.

If someone posted "i struggle with nerd rage" i would think they were being an ass.

If they instead posted "i have severe anger and rage issues" i would take them seriously.

How you present something is going to dictate how people react. When you say you struggle with a mental illness whose definition can only be found on Urban Dictionary, I am not going to take it seriously.

The way you presented it was then Compounded by the fact that your only other post in the thread was "umad"

Edit - full disclosure. The umad post really annoyed me. So when you posted again and i saw i jumped all over it. I stand by the points i made, but the "umad" def pushed me into a more aggressive mode.

Ah, so you are mad.

Here's the thing, I don't think humor is taboo, even when discussing serious subjects. Most of the time I am being serious even when I am joking. In a thread about weight loss I am apt to describe myself as "a former fat fuck," rather than as "formerly obese." It's just the way I talk. So I'll stand by insaniac.

Maybe in the future if you have a problem with something I've said, try asking a question or two rather than going into lecture mode. That's what we have the red names for.

Now what am I gonna do with this big bag of poo?

 

[nitewulf]

We should also be careful to not be too sensitive I think.

 

[NoblesseOblige]

I also hear kids say retarded a lot. "That's so retarded" etc.

Not just kids. I hear it said by staff at work a bunch. Both at my current job (hospital) and previous job (K-12 school that specialized in special needs children ironically).

 

[Magni]

On a similar note, people shouldn't use the word "nuke" so lightheartedly. Definitely guilty of that one in the past.

 

[OrionX]

A while back I made a comment in another thread about not liking how Tifa called Barrett a retard in FFVII. When I said I hoped that line would be different in the remake, one person acted like I'd suggested removing Sephiroth from the game. -_-

Hate that autistic has become an insult. Just disrespectful.

Yeah that bothers me too. The thing that's especially irritating is that most who use it have probably never met anyone with autism and know very little about it. It's just a new word for idiot/dumbass to them. My autistic brother's in his 20's and he's never been able to have a conversation with me. At the end of the day I know it's just a word but when it's something that's had such a huge affect on your family, it's upsetting to hear it thrown around like it's nothing but a petty insult.

 

[A Link to the Past]

Mental illness isn't always at the extreme end of the spectrum, it's variable and complex, the human mind is complex in general.

My wife has OCD, it's not anywhere near as bad as some people but it can sometimes really have an impact on her.

I also suffer with bouts of really bad health anxiety because I have a physical health condition with my heart, sometimes it is easy to deal with, other times it is crippling and I do mean crippling.

Maybe we shouldn't judge others because of their own suffering.

People aren't being judged, people are being educated. No one is showing a Twitter post and asking NeoGAF to go on a witch hunt, TC is making the point that casual, inappropriate use of mental illness in that way undermines the seriousness of the conditions and causes people to misunderstand them.

 

[Vault 101]

I can't stand it when people use 'schizo'.

Like schizophrenia is such a terrible illness and schizo is a total put down. The media coverage of schizophrenic offenders seems to ensure that this colloquial use will never go away.

 

[MadJackChurchill]

Absolutely agree. Mental illnesses should not be trivialised and further education is necessary in schools and through public services.

However, the more insidious side of ableism is much harder to confront. The use of "lame", "dumb", "crazy", "retarded" etc. is a LOT harder to govern when you're so used to using them constantly. I know I am absolutely the worst when it comes to using these adjectives. Just don't know how to replace them.

 

[OniBarubary]

I catch myself using "I'm so OCD about..." sometimes.

The worst part is I actually have OCD.

I have done the same thing.

 

[20cent]

Stop using metaphors, hyperbole, rhetorics, sarcasm, humor, etc...

This forum, geez....

 

[Mr Git]

Stop using metaphors, hyperbole, rhetorics, sarcasm, humor, etc...

This forum, geez....

You can do all of those things without being a cunt about it though.

 

[Shadybiz]

Agreed. I have very minor OCD traits, that are a byproduct of my also (thank god) minor Tourette's. I must check each faucet a few times before I leave the house to make sure the water's off (I have to physically tap it to make sure it's off), I'll have to check several times to make sure I locked the door, I have to check the pipes in the basement EVERY morning to make sure nothing is leaking...fairly small stuff like that.

But the people who have it real bad...those people go through hell. I had a roommate years ago who would only dry himself with paper towels after a shower, who washed his hands raw, and who felt compelled to sleep on newspapers. Was pretty sad, really. No, these illnesses are not to be taken lightly.

 

[OpinionatedCyborg]

Using autism as an insult is weird to me. It made a bit of sense when people used asperger's as an insult because it used to be common for socially awkward people to self-diagnose themselves with it. Calling someone autistic as an insult is just in poor taste.

To be accurate, the improper diet is more likely to exacerbate the situation, not be the sole source of it.

And Type 1 and Type 2 aren't 'better' or 'worse' than the other. They both fucking suck to deal with.

There's a good diabetes (Type 2) just like there's a good Hodgins.

The one that bothers me is "oh I'm so depressed". You're sad not depressed. There's a major difference between the two.

PS I have major depressive disorder.

I also hear kids say retarded a lot. "That's so retarded" etc.

It's common for people to go through periods of depression and sadness can be element of it. Thing is, the depression lifts after awhile. If it doesn't, you are clinically depressed. A good chunk of people will experience clinical depression in their lifetime too.

 

[Apathy]

It annoys me to no end having studied psych at school and worked with people who live with mental illness how the general population uses terms like this without issues and incorrectly.
"omg I don't want to go to the bar today, I'm so antisocial", like fuck off already people.

 

[NameGenerated]

On a similar note, people shouldn't use the word "nuke" so lightheartedly. Definitely guilty of that one in the past.

If you have a better way to describe microwaving leftovers, I'd like to hear it.

 

[NoblesseOblige]

If you have a better way to describe microwaving leftovers, I'd like to hear it.

Ruining.

 

[A Link to the Past]

Stop using metaphors, hyperbole, rhetorics, sarcasm, humor, etc...

This forum, geez....

Yeah, you might have a problem if "don't use mental illnesses inappropriately" is "stop using humor." It might mean that you have no idea what good humor is.

Let me guess, when someone rips you off, you say "I totally got gyped"?

 

[NameGenerated]

Ruining.

But I'm starving.

Spoiler

Oh shit is that too insensitive?

 

[Zen_Arcade]

Thats a very fair point. As someone who has struggled their whole life with depression, it doesnt bother me at all to hear people say that.

What bothers me is that eventually "im depressed" just starts to mean "im sad". That leads to real struggles for people who actually suffer from depression as there is a HUGE HUGE percentage of people, including bosses, wives, friends, parents who truly believe we just need to "cheer up".

But you don't need to be clinically depressed to get depressed sometimes. Depression can just be an occasional version of extreme sadness for people.

Unless you mean that you've heard people say they're depressed for some benign reason.

Its a tough situation because even though I'm not clinically depressed, I do get depressed from time to time. I agree that the idea that depressed people should just "Cheer up" is a pretty shitty response, but it's this unfortunate situation where people can't get into the minds of someone who can't stop being depressed because they've probably been depressed at some point in their life and snapped out of it. So they equate their temporary problem with your permanent one and think they're one in the same.

 

[WedgeX]

Completely agree. Until recently I worked in social work with people who have mental illnesses. Trying to educate people about their diagnoses is hard enough without all the baggage that people have thrust upon each and every mental health diagnosis. Having the stigma of peoples made up beliefs about mental health is...well it's a damn disgrace that we put people who are affected by something well beyond their control in a position to feel even worse about themselves because we are shit at describing things.

 

[JigglesBunny]

As someone with OCD, anxiety disorder and clinical depression, it's definitely a gear grinder.

That said, I have become a bit desensitized to it. It happens so often that it's hard to police.

 

[Mr Git]

Thats a very fair point. As someone who has struggled their whole life with depression, it doesnt bother me at all to hear people say that.

What bothers me is that eventually "im depressed" just starts to mean "im sad". That leads to real struggles for people who actually suffer from depression as there is a HUGE HUGE percentage of people, including bosses, wives, friends, parents who truly believe we just need to "cheer up".

I often tell those people that's like telling cancer to fuck off, expecting it to leave promptly.

As someone with OCD, anxiety disorder and clinical depression, it's definitely a gear grinder.

That said, I have become a bit desensitized to it. It happens so often that it's hard to police.

Mental health seems to reside in a weird vacuum, where it's both heavily stigmatised and trivialised. It's bizarre and upsetting, but in general the world is slowly catching up.

 

[zer0blivion]

One that kind of bothers me is the casual use of "triggered" and making fun of trigger warnings. It makes light of people with PTSD.

 

[BKatastrophe]

People are going to use what they use. It's super amusing seeing someone get blown up for using conditions like that. Most don't bother me, and some do, but it's not worth it: You say you're being bipolar when you clearly aren't Okay, you're being moody. ADD? Okay, you can't focus. But the one that always pisses me off?

OCD. You are not obsessively compulsed to do it, you just feel better. You function better. People with OCD never feel better. That obssession and compulsion never goes away. You're scratching an itch at best.

 

[How About No]

Ruining.

Let's not drag ruins into this. There are some ancient ruins out there that taste better than my leftover pot roast, I'm sure.

 

[Belfast]

While I'm sure some people are misusing the language, it is also possible that others have undiagnosed tendencies. A lot of mental illnesses *do* fit on a spectrum, which means that they vary in terms of severity from person to person. Not everyone who has OCD is scrubbing their hands until they bleed (as cited in one of the early posts). Not everyone fits into those extreme examples.

And on the flipside of this argument, I've run into some real bad cases (including an ex-girlfriend) who turn their classifications into their whole identity. Her problems were always worse than anyone else's and woe be unto those who simply expressed *they* were having a bad day in her presence.

 

[A Link to the Past]

I often tell those people that's like telling cancer to fuck off, expecting it to leave promptly.



Mental health seems to reside in a weird vacuum, where it's both heavily stigmatised and trivialised. It's bizarre and upsetting, but in general the world is slowly catching up.

It's the whole invisible illness thing. Unless you have one of the "big ones" like cancer, people call you a whiner or claim you're faking it. Happens with physical disabilities and mental illnesses alike. Reminds me a lot of the thread where people complain about people who walk slow or block foot traffic due to their speed not considering that maybe they're going at the pace that they can.

 

[Althane]

There's a good diabetes (Type 2) just like there's a good Hodgins.

HAH!

Thanks for the laugh.

Spoiler

I'd still argue about 'good' or 'bad' diabetes though.

 

[pelicansurf]

I have some pretty vicious ADD. I have also been diagonosed with ADD multiple times throughout my life. It is incredibly tough(impossible?) for me to focus on a specific task that I have limited interest in, but have to get done. I also get super distracted by literally anything.

I use the terminology "I have ADD" because I do!

 

[TheSchwab_7]

To clarify I meant saying "I'm depressed, that's depressing, etc." as an exaggeration to something rather than actually feeling sad.

Off topic, but some athletes during high school befriend another student with an intellectual disability, and all they did was make fun of him behind his back, call him a retard, and go durrrr all the time. It still pisses me off. Poor guy thought he had some real friends.

 

[Silent Chief]

But how else will I ridicule people with different opinions?

I guess I'll always have Virgin and Cuck.

Stupidity is not an opinion.

Those who discards facts because they don't like them are stupid.
That's not the same as ignorants, who are just not aware of the facts.

 

[RMI]

"Retarded" as a pejorative is my pet peeve.

I hadn't considered some of these other ones, so thanks for the thread OP.

 

[Thursday War]

Stop using metaphors, hyperbole, rhetorics, sarcasm, humor, etc...

This forum, geez....

.

nofunallowed.jpg

 

[brianjones]

To clarify I meant saying "I'm depressed, that's depressing, etc." as an exaggeration to something rather than actually feeling sad.

people who claim depression because a girl doesn't like them back is annoying me a lot lately

i know that feeling sucks but people have real depression over things like employment and housing

 

[PeskyToaster]

Phobia just means fear and the various -phobias out there very greatly in strength.

There's a phobia for holes, it's not that deep.

Using a complex mental illness as shorthand for one's behavior based a trait that it may or may not have in common isn't really the same thing

We are talking about mental illness in this thread though, not the Greek language. A real phobia isn't just simple fear and has specific criteria it must fulfill to be a phobia. Using phobia in that way is still co-opting a mental illness to refer to someone in a derogatory way.

 

[Orayn]

This is something I personally feel very strongly about and it's changed my vocabulary quite a bit over the last few years. (Not just mental illness, but casual ableism in general.) Responses are predictably pretty hostile when I try to explain it to other people because "crazy" and "stupid" have become very ingrained in the way a lot of us speak, but I do my best to stick to my convictions and compensate by getting more creative, precise, and descriptive in the words I do choose to use.

 

[Dai Kaiju]

Me: I have ADD.

Them: oh me too! I'm always on my phone while I'm watching tv and trying to cook at the same time lol.

Me: No, I mean I can't graduate school because I can spend 6 hours straight trying to read over a single chapter in a book and not retain any of it.

Them: oh, I don't have that...