[Gemme]

Originally Posted by Medusa

My love!

I have the same stuff going on around the word "crazy". I am, technically and medically, "crazy" and I have used that word to identify myself in mixed company as a way to show folks that Im ok talking about it. It is an intensely personal thing when it comes to medical stuff (as you well know) and I know that I have been in conversations where people are incredibly uncomfortable asking questions or trying to navigate around my idiosyncrasies. I use the word "crazy" to kinda say "Hey, I have a diagnosis for all of this eccentric stuff." I *identify* with "crazy".

But.

A mental health professional has told me that this word is hurtful to people who dont own it in the same way.

The question sets up a weird dichotomy for me where I put my identity as "crazy" first or those other "crazy" people's feelings. I dont think it has to *be* a dichotomy but Im still learning to navigate that.

In short, I HEAR YOU! YAY!

Crazy is a word that I use that I've always felt it was okay to use. Of course, as an adult, I see the hurt it can cause others and try not to use it, especially when I'm knowingly in the company of someone who would be hurt by the usage.

But growing up, my mother (paranoid schizophrenic) would use it herself and that gave me a feeling of acceptability with it. I still occasionally say...so and so makes me crazy or this or that is driving me to the brink of insanity. I realize that I'm not 'going mad' or insane or crazy, although...in that moment, my world my feel that way...and I can see that someone who didn't know where I was coming from and my ownership of that word (courtesy of mom) could take it to heart in a most painful way. That's certainly not my goal.

I believe that so many of us speak words and phrases that we may not even know the origin of or exactly how hurtful it may be like we're breathing air. It's everywhere and it's only escalating. The youth that I am surrounded by regularly uses verbage that literally makes me cringe.

I love the AWARENESS of so many issues is being raised here and on this site. It's a beautiful thing to behold.