When Erin returned to school after her attempt, she and a classmate had an argument.
It cut me deeply, Erin says.
As a psychiatrist, Ive had a long-standing internal debate about whether I should be using the wordcrazyat all.
Getty / fairywong
Their public struggles with mental health earned them both a horrifying amount of vitriol.
Ive actually stopped myself midword, trying to come up with a synonym.
But is that really even necessary?
One of my most interesting discoveries?
No one I talked to felt like we should all just stop using the wordcrazyentirely.
They fear using the wrong words, being unintentionally offensive, or getting scolded.
Instead, everyone I interviewed felt as though the conversation should be aboutwhenandhowwe use the wordcrazy.
It implies a characterological issue or personality flaw rather than a brain illness.
Around 1812, people began usingcrazeto describe an exaggerated and often transient enthusiasm, perMerriam-Webster.
Crazycan be especially troublesome when we use it as a catchall for negative behavior.
Someone who is racistthey are racist, not crazy.
Its a harmful connection to reinforce.
All of these uses ofcrazyperpetuate stigma around mental illness.
For better or for worse, the two have become linked in many peoples minds.
As apsychiatrist, its especially important for me to explore this topic with other clinicians.
Context is everything where crazy is concerned, which can cause a lot of issues.
This kind of use actually dates back to 1887,Merriam-Websterexplains.
Even for a lot of people withmental illnessesandmental health experts, usingcrazythis way isnt really an issue.
The word by itself feels like nothing, says Howard.
It’s a great word.
I’m crazy about my wifeI love her that much!
The new roller coaster that is the tallest, fastest, longest in the world is absolutely crazy.
And, honestly, you’d have to be crazy to pass up theBlack Friday savingsevery year.
Crazy has [uses] that aren’t offensive.
She offers up the example, Simone Bilesshows crazy speed.'
We know that’s not an insult, she says.
Some people with mental illnesses even want to reclaim the word.
If I use it myself, then it cant hurt me, Jane says.
For her, its basically like using dark humor and sarcasm to deal with herbipolar disorder.
I want other people to know that this is hard, she says.
It can be a fraught process that may leave many hurt and offended.
If you personally want to reclaimcrazyto describe yourself as a person with mental illness, great.
Just understand that it doesnt give you blanket permission to use the word against others.
We need to leave judgment up to the people with lived experiences, she says.
Ill also encourage my peers and students to do the same by calling it out in the moment.
Its possible that my patients might say it about themselves, but thats their rightnot mine.
Im also not going to call any negative behaviors like driving dangerously or yelling crazy.
I feel okay saying someone did a crazy backflip or did crazy-well on a test as a compliment.
As Alan says, [Crazy] should always be used mindfully like a curse word.
We don’t go about using the F-word just anywhere, do we?
