by Christine Deneweth
Have you ever wanted to correct how someone identifies their mental disorder? You might think you’re doing the right thing. But check out this insider’s view on why it’s so important to stop policing language and start respecting people’s preferences on how they identify.
Actually, I prefer it the other way around. But indeed it’s the persons choice regarding his or hers own perspective of the influence the illness has on his or hers identity. I don’t think sz has that much of an influence on my identity, I identify the illness in me but I’m not ill because I take meds that take my psychosis away. Of course, everyone has the right to decide whats better for them or what feels best. For me, I have an illness, but I’m not ill at the moment.
I agree with @Minnii, in that I have it, it doesn’t define me. The cartoon in the article was stupid too.
I think you may be missing the point. It’s not saying one way is better or worse. It’s saying not to take away his right to decide.
FTFA: “Have you ever wanted to correct how someone identifies their mental disorder? You might think you’re doing the right thing.”
Yeah, it does say their way is better.
I get that, but how should people put it, the person who wrote that prefers it that way and we prefer it another way…?
I think its a great step to be able to think that saying “a person with sz” is less damaging than “a schizophrenic” or “a schizo”, it bothers me more when I hear those words because I don’t think it has to do with identity, as it’s also not politically correct to call a black person “the black person”, and being black or white has a lot more to do with identity than having an unbalanced chemistry in the brain.
I just don’t agree with what they’re saying, that’s all. No beef here…
It’s correcting how they identify themselves. I know it’s not the same however if I say I’m menopausal instead of I have menopause, then it’s my right to make that distinction if I choose.
Whatever you say!! I’m not going to beat this dead horse any longer. You have your opinion, and that is fine.
Also, we as humans have the need to classify and attribute characteristics as identity, which can be wrong depends on the person. And an illness doesn’t define a person at all, my illness doesn’t define me. You don’t say a cancerous person, it’s a person with cancer.
The fight against stigma played a huge roll to leading people to understand that the illness is not the person and I believe that this kind of statement goes against that.
Labeling people for this illness is wrong in so many levels.
I was just thinking about this, because a friend refered to me as schizophrenic and I asked her if anything in my behaviour towards her pointed in that direction, she said no, so I asked her isn’t it better to say that I have schizophrenia instead of immediately attributing me an identity on which I have no identification.
Sorry for not agreeing but I think this was a very important step on the fight against stigma and this little cartoon just goes against that.
Well said, you said it for me.
I’m a diabetic but it doesn’t define my life. The same goes with schizophrenic, brother, uncle, conservative, liberal, and any other label. My life is more complex than a single label.
I think this is just people wanting to distance themselves from the illness. Embrace it, there’s nothing wrong with being a schizophrenic and nothing for which to be ashamed.
I call myself schizo… a stretch beyond that skits… and if it would make sense to people i’d just say SZ (which I pronounce as ‘Schee’ or ‘see’ z… its easier.
but a schizophrenic is a person who has or lives with sz… its all the same me… I kind of like skitz… got an air of inocense to it… like skating or something…
I didn’t bother to read the article. Feminists can be wrong about a lot of things. They should stay off our turf. We don’t need their “help.”
I don’t care if people want to call themselves Schizophrenics. It is just that it helps other people to stigmatize us.
I identify as butteredtoast.
everytime i see that image of ’ the toast and the butter '…
i feel hungry !?! 
take care 
Whenever it comes up, I just say ‘I have schizophrenia’…
These ultra-Feminists get so caught up in language and terms to the point sometimes where they can’t see past their noses imo.
Butteredtoast likes to slather himself in butter. It makes him irresistable to the ladies.
