You may think you’re not using mental health slurs, but check your language …

The greatest lie ever told must be the one Satan told in the Garden of Eden to lure Eve into sin.

You can just imagine the hissing sound of a talking snake slowing slurring God’s truth …

“Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?” Genesis 3:1b.

“‘You won’t die!’ the serpent replied to the woman. ‘God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil,'” Genesis 3:4-5.

That was quite a whopper! Every human being has suffered from that lie being believed.

But ranking right up there among the worst lies ever told must be this one: “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me.”

Words can hurt as bad as sticks and stones pelting a body … if not worse.

Some of those words come in the form of how we use words or phrases originally pointed to people with mental illness and use them as slurs against people. You might think you don’t use such slurs, or hang with people who do, but how long has it been since you’ve heard (or said yourself) something like the following:

“He’s crazy!”
“They’re nuts!”
“She’s lost her mind.”
“You’re so retarded!”
“That’s insane!”
“That’s sick!”
“He’s psycho!”
“Don’t be a spaz!” or “Don’t be so spastic.”
“She’s got a screw loose.”
“He went bonkers.”
“She’s a halfwit.”
“He’s just not quite all there.”
“She’s not the sharpest knife in the drawer.”
“He’s off his rocker.”
“Put her some place with padded cells.”
“He’s disturbed.”
“She’s a lunatic.”
“He’s gone raving mad.”
“She’s mental.”

… and on goes the list of slurs.

Yes, they are slurs because they’re taking pejorative words or phrases relating to mental illness or mental health issues and using them disparagingly as a verbal weapon; they’re intended to hurt feelings and/or the character of another person. What may or may not be understood is that this is done at the expense of people who really do suffer from mental illness or mental health issues.

By thinking that people with mental illness are odd, weird, different, and “less than,” these words then are used to denigrate those they’re pointed at.

A horrible outcome is by choosing to use these words, we feed the negative stigma such words place on people suffering from mental illness and mental health issues. THAT HAS PROFOUND NEGATIVE RESULTS! A leading cause as to why the majority of people who NEED clinical counseling don’t get the help they need is due to S T I G M A!

People who suffer from mental illness and are stigmatized by it can lose the support of their own family, friends, and church; they can face difficulty getting and keeping employment; they can be discriminated against for housing. and shunned in numerous other ways.

All because you think it’s fine to sling slurs that feed the idea the mentally ill are weird and “less than.”

When was the last time you used such language?

When was the last time you put a stop to conversations you were part of that included the use of such slurs?

May is national Mental Health Awareness Month. It’s an important time to learn about mental illness and mental health issues, and to personally DO SOMETHING to stop the stigma. It can be easy to insist no such words come out of your mouth. It can be easy to politely but clearly object to use use of such slurs by others around you. It can be easy to have proactive conversations with your children, family, friends, co-workers, church members and others about cleaning up language to remove such slurs so that you and others STOP feeding the negative stigma so often applied to those with mental illness.

Be accountable for you language, and make a real contribution to ending stigma. If you want to do more, you can become a Care Partner with Scott Free Clinic to help us remove the barriers of cost and access to quality services to help people change their lives (learn more about that by clicking here).

Scotty