Sunday, September 24, 2006

Crazy

Two things:

  1. It's Bi-polar disorder, not manic depression. It's not so freaky. Read up on it. It is still okay to sing along with and enjoy the song "Manic Depression" by Jimi Hendrix, and to a much lesser extent, "Manic Monday" by The Bangles.
  2. If you think someone or something is of two minds (or has two distinct sides that seem diametrically opposed), say that, don't say "Schizophrenic", because that's not what that means. It always vexes me when people who are otherwise very careful with the words they choose make this particular word choice.
And one other thing addressed to someone who doesn't read this blog:
If you tell your kid that his parent is bad for having a mental illness/emotional problem, and that kid is biologically predisposed to having that same or a similar problem, you are setting up your kid for a bad experience if he is indeed diagnosed with a mental illness/emotional problem later in life. Open your eyes and your mind before you cause a little boy damage. Asshole.

2 comments:

Jack Burden said...

The tricky thing about misuse of "schizophrenic" (sp?) is that it's such a common phrase that it gets ground into one's mind (or at least, my mind) so deeply that even knowing that it's an incorrect use of the word, it's hard to stop using it.

It's like being an athiest/agnostic and still using phrases like "Please, God..." when you're trying to start your car on a winter morning - you may actually reject the concept of God, but the phrase/use of the phrase is such a part of the world around you that it's just a part of your vocabulary, no matter what you believe.

Nice to see you back up 'n' blogging!

LavaLady said...

Jack, I'm with you. It's just one of those words that I won't use except in the clinical sense. I went through a word thing a few years ago. I won't use the phrase "slave-driver" in casual conversation (I say "harsh task master" or something similar). Makes no difference in the larger world, but somehow makes me feel better.

And I'm an atheist who says "Please, god", that cracked me up. So I get what you are saying. And honestly what pisses me off is someone on radio or tv using it when they are smart enough to know better.