breakinglight11 | Language evolves (Reply)

I am a person who lives with mental illness. That has been clear since I was about nineteen years old, and has been a significant problem in my life on and off for the intervening time. The name of the illness and even the number I have has been disagreed upon by various parties in a position to offer an opinion— I've heard anywhere between one and four, and a corresponding range of diagnoses— but the one that's pretty indisputable is the moderate depression that has waxed and waned throughout my adult life. It's been a big enough and constant enough presence for me that I very much feel the daily reality that is being mentally ill.

I know it's common among other mentally ill folks to object to the use of the word "crazy." It's been dismissed by those people as offensive, even ableist. But I have never felt that way, and honestly do not even feel like the way most people use "crazy" refers at all to the symptoms of mental illness. It's much more a synonym for "absurd." People bust it out when they can't see how something could possibly have logically happened, when someone or something is unreasonable, ridiculous. Even when people call each other crazy, I don't feel like they're often actually implying that they think the person is mentally ill— instead, as stated above, being beyond reason or absurd. As someone whose life and behavior are definitely impacted by mental illness, I really feel as if the language has evolved here away from the original meaning the word may have had.

Now I admit I may not have the kind of conditions that inspire people to call you that word. I am highly functional even during severe attacks. Maybe if I had a personality disorder or something that caused more extreme behavior that I could not cope with as well, I would feel differently. But my illness definitely impacts the way I perceive the world and the choices I make in reacting to it. It's a very present part of my life. So I kind of resent the idea that my situation is not "real" or "serious" enough to have an opinion on this. I know I can't speak for every mentally ill person, and other people can decide what's acceptable to themselves. But as far as I'm concerned, it's a word that refers to something else because of the way the language usage has changed over time.