OCD – People with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) are unable to stop themselves from engaging in behaviors that can be embarrassing and stressful and interfere with their ability to work, go to school, or have good relationships with others. Joking that a person has OCD just because they are well-organized or they have a lot on their mind minimizes how hard it can be for people to have OCD..
Bipolar – Bipolar disorder can cause people to experience extremely low moods and intense mania. This is sometimes accompanied by psychosis and suicidal thoughts. The things a person does during a manic episode may jeopardize their job and their relationships with other people. Saying someone is “acting bipolar” minimizes how difficult life is for people with this condition.
ADHD – Sometimes people will claim that they have ADHD because they are distracted or have a lot of energy and cannot seem to sit still. A fleeting moment like this is not the same as having attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, which people experience continuously and is also often accompanied by overstimulation, harsh self-judgment for being different from other people, and sometimes being disliked by other people who may perceive them as annoying or flighty.
Suicide – Joking about killing yourself may make people around you less inclined to take comments about suicide seriously. Also, a lot of people have lost someone to suicide, and your comment about wanting to end your life might be painful for them to hear.
Triggered – A trigger is something a person experiences that activates the symptoms of their mental health disorder. For a person with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), for example, triggers can include loud noises, unexpected physical touch, seeing someone who reminds them of an abuser, or a wide variety of other things. Many mental illnesses have triggers, and they can vary from one person to the next. Joking that someone is “triggered” because you had a disagreement disregards the serious role that triggers play in mental health disorders.
Crazy/Insane – These words have been used to describe people with mental health conditions as well as people who make bad choices or who are harmful to others. A lot of people describe their former significant others as “crazy” to express that they created a lot of problems in the relationship. Using words like “crazy” or “insane” in this way downplays real mental illness and marginalizes those who suffer from it.