Top 10 Mental Illnesses People Should Stop Throwing Around
You've probably heard it before. Maybe you've even said it yourself. Ugh, I'm so OCD about my notes. She's acting totally bipolar today. I had a panic attack when I saw my test score. These kinds of throwaway comments are everywhere, and most people don't think twice about them. But if you stop and consider what's really being said, it becomes clear that joking about serious mental illnesses or using them to exaggerate everyday experiences isn't harmless; it's dismissive.Think about it like this: if someone casually said, "I'm so diabetic because I ate a cupcake", or "This headache is basically a brain tumor", it would sound absurd. That's because people recognize that physical illnesses are serious and not something to be trivialized. Yet mental illnesses, which can be just as debilitating, somehow get turned into punchlines or casual descriptions for moods and habits. When that happens, it downplays the struggles of those who actually live with these conditions, making it harder for them to be taken seriously when they need support.
Now, to be clear, nobody's saying you have to walk on eggshells or ban certain words from your vocabulary. It's just about being mindful of how language shapes perception. Mental health has long been misunderstood, and throwing around diagnoses as jokes or exaggerations only adds to that problem. These conditions aren't quirks or personality traits. They can take over people's lives in ways that are exhausting, frustrating, and sometimes terrifying.
So which mental illnesses get misused the most? That's what this list is here for. Maybe seeing them laid out will make people think twice before using them as a punchline.
Very few people I know who say they have depression actually do. I, out of most people, would know. My father has depression, not just for a short period of time but for the rest of his life. I have depression. My father has depression. My grandfather has depression. I am starting to think it may be genetic.
A person I know, let's call her E for privacy, came to me one day and told me she had depression. She showed me a scar on her wrist from self-harm, but the way she said it didn't seem right. Besides, you don't just tell people you have depression. My dad had to explain to me that I had it. I told him I felt different and sad, and he sat me down and explained the whole thing to me.
Also, you get these people who wear black makeup and act gothic and suicidal, but they're not. They, for some reason, think it's cool to be depressed, and let me tell you, it's not.
My brother calls me Sheldon Cooper from "The Big Bang Theory." I want to punch him in the face when he does this. I actually punch the air once I get away from him. It is that bad.
I have severe OCD. I always have to stick to a certain schedule, or else I freak out and expect the worst-case scenario to happen (I also have anxiety). I constantly obsess over whether I closed all the tabs on my computer before going to bed. Those "OCD TRIGGER" pictures drive me crazy. I can't have my webcam not centered on my face. I wash my hands whenever I get sticky stuff on them, after using the bathroom, before eating, and even when they smell bad.
After a shower, I don't wash my hands so that I can keep the smell of that soap on my hands rather than tainting it with another smell. I avoid doing anything that would taint it. I also have to make plans before doing anything, or else I would freak out.
Sorry, my ADHD made me say all of this. I like to talk. Ok, bye.
As of 9/27/19, it has been exactly one year since Shane Dawson's second episode of his documentary series "Mind of Jake Paul." It was filled with misinformation, stigma, and pointless imagery. I wonder how it affected the ignorant teenagers who watched it.
They probably think their family members, friends, and themselves are sociopaths, or that if they were one, they are totally unchangeable. Shane, please don't make something like this again, EVER!
Yeah, people need to stop calling their abusive ex-boyfriends and girlfriends sociopaths and psychopaths. They are more likely to be neurotypical, and neurotypicals can be jerks too. Actually, most psychos and sociopaths don't even go around committing crimes.
I know someone who is a diagnosed psychopath. He isn't violent, just shallow with no empathy. He doesn't manipulate people and couldn't care less about forming deep bonds, so he keeps to himself. He is an attorney for immigration.
I have schizophrenia and have had it since the age of four. I remember when I was a little girl, screaming and crying for my parents because I was seeing scary images in my room and hearing voices saying they were going to kill me.
I remember at age nine, after I moved away from my best friend, she was standing in the corner of my room, smiling at me. I hear voices in languages I don't understand. At school, I hear my mother calling my name. I turn around, and she's running up to me, wanting to give me a hug. I blink, and she's gone.
Can someone please tell me about treatment for schizophrenia? This is getting out of control, and it has been for the last eight years.
Once, my brother snapped at my mom, and her response was, "Jeez, you don't have to be so bipolar about it!" This was so offensive as I am an actual person with bipolar disorder, and my mom KNOWS that.
My teachers say my state is bipolar because the weather changes.
Apparently, my friend is bipolar when she has her periods.
Well, I don't know anymore. They don't know anymore. Changes of emotions or changes of weather do not make anything bipolar. Or anyone.
"Throw it around"... If anyone throws it around and makes it a fashion must-have, it's the ignorant celebrities, who haven't got it, but obviously feel left out because of it.
I'm not anorexic because I'm skinny. Someone is anorexic if they are purposefully starving themselves to lose weight, achieve a body goal, or simply to gain a sense of control in their lives. It's not okay to toss around to anyone who is skinny!
This is probably the most glamorized mental illness. There are people who consider themselves to be 'pro-ana.' There were sites dedicated to EDs and how to make them even worse. There are many people who think EDs are a choice.
In my country, people are taught that anorexia nervosa is ONLY about seeing someone fatter than the real you when you look in the mirror.
I have a severe anxiety disorder myself. I feel anxious probably 80% of the time, every day. It's so draining.
And when something that would be mildly nerve-wracking to others happens to me, I literally feel like I'm going to throw up.
I hate this. Only a few people I know have this: my mom, brother, my second and third best friends (I also have OCD, which is why I have an order), and one girl who I trust. We are not dating.
My brother always tells me to do certain things, and he knows I have this. He calls me a wimp if I don't do what he wants me to do. For example, going into the basement of my house at night scares me. When the light is off, I wait at least five minutes before going down there after I turn the lights on. He called me a wimp because I didn't get something that he wanted.
I just realized I have this, and if it weren't for homework, I would be getting bad grades. I have all the symptoms. Sometimes, I can be really hyperactive due to a random thought in my head.
I often have a hard time concentrating in class and distract myself with objects or daydream too much. I have trouble following instructions and need to ask for help frequently. I often forget important things, like my homework (which I end up doing in class). I am a huge procrastinator and usually start projects I don't finish. I also tend to interrupt others when talking.
I was recently diagnosed with this, along with bipolar disorder and anxiety. When describing this to my friends and family, they think I'm crazy, although they were fine with me saying bipolar. I've been asked if I hear voices or have different personalities.
My ex-boyfriends knew me as the crazy ex, but that's because part of my BPD is a fear of rejection. Although I'm tired all the time, I'm pretty good at hiding it. I do wish they would change the name of this disorder.
I don't know why, but this has become very popular lately. It's a truly awful disease and gets a nasty reputation as "crazy ex-girlfriend syndrome." Men can have it too!
People make so many assumptions as if BPD makes a person an evil liar who manipulates. Even psychiatrists avoid BPD patients. We can't get better if you stigmatize us!
The Newcomers
Not every person with this disorder is evil. It exists on a spectrum, and some people have more severe symptoms than others. It is also caused by childhood trauma and abuse.
I have had misophonia for almost all my life. I used to yell at my sister for eating or doing anything that annoyed me. I also used to think that it bothered everyone, so I would try to do things really quietly. When I tell this to anyone, they say that it is not real or that I can deal with it. Some people say, Oh yeah, it annoys me when people do that too. Most of the time, they are lying.
One time, I went to Great Wolf Lodge with my family, and people were snoring. It was crazy. I was going insane. I went outside on the little balcony we had, and, lucky me, the air conditioning unit next to the balcony turned on. That drove me crazy. I couldn't find somewhere quiet to be, and I started to have a panic attack, curling up in a ball and rocking myself back and forth. If you think you have this, think twice - less than 200,000 people in the world have it.
I'm surprised I was the first to add it. This is a rare disorder but horrid nonetheless. For the people who think it's all cute and pretend - stop. It's not. It's something people can't control and have to be ready for.
No medication can 100% stop the personality transitions. So don't fake it.