Feb to Kathleen - alternate words to lunatic

 

This isn't a new idea and I meant for this to appear with the other ones that were similar - but I don't think it is there. My frustration with how I take groups of photos - and then put them into folders - and then post them WAS getting to me. But, as a devotee of creative problem solving - I have a new plan for organizing and posting. In the mean time (or is it meantime) I really liked the way this one turned out. I also, had no recollection of sending it - so, I think I sent a second one to Kathleen - with a note inside saying I couldn't find a photo of one that I had sent - and then it popped up. Half-a-grrrr. I'm actually pleased with my new method of photographing and posting.

I like the two stacked Es - because one is the curvy one and the other is the squarish one.

***

When I used the word lunatic yesterday, did I cross a line and use a word that is no longer OK to use?

Is it even possible to keep up with which words we can use and which words are deemed offensive? I don't want to offend anyone - but, with my own *impacted* brain situation - I am still struggling with memory/focus issues. So --  because I love to search - here is a list of 120 alternatives to lunatic/lunacy. Sadly, I did not keep track of the source.

There are many words that I do not think should be on the list - but, it is not a good use of my time to ponder which ones to delete. It does, however, give me some very nice options - if only I knew how to remember them. Some of the terms from bygone eras are interesting. 

Words for mental illness: 

depression, 

hysteria, 

melancholia, 

nervousness, 

neurosis, 

neurasthenia, 

madness, 

lunacy, 

insanity, 

delirium, 

10

derangement, 

demonic possession, 

black humors, 

black bile, 

yellow bile, 

the black dog, 

the blues, 

the blue devils, 

a brown study, 

the vapors, 

20

a funk, 

a storm, 

the abyss, 

an inferno, 

hell, 

a pain syndrome, 

stress, 

an anxiety disorder, 

lack of affect, 

an affective disorder, 

30

a mood disorder, 

panic, 

loneliness, 

bad wiring, 

a screw loose, 

a mercurial temperament, 

irritability, 

schizophrenia, 

unipolar disorder, 

bipolar disorder, 

40

post-traumatic stress disorder, 

obsessive-compulsive disorder, 

attention-deficit disorder, 

borderline personality disorder, 

laziness, 

pain, 

rumination, 

grief, 

mourning, 

malingering, 

50

unhappiness, 

hopelessness, 

sadness, 

low spirits, 

invalidism, 

despondency, 

dysthymia, 

detachment, 

disassociation, 

dementia praecox, 

60

neuralgia, 

fibromyalgia, 

oversensitivity, 

hypersensitivity, 

idiocy, 

an unsound mind, 

cowardice, 

obstinacy, 

apathy, 

recalcitrance, 

70

spleen, 

a broken heart, 

battle fatigue, 

shell shock, 

self-pity, 

self-indulgence, 

self-centeredness, 

weakness, 

withdrawal, 

distraction, 

80

distemper, 

a turn in the barrel, 

a break in a life narrative, 

bad thoughts, 

bad feelings, 

coming undone, 

coming apart, 

falling apart, 

falling to pieces, 

willfulness, 

90

defiance, 

thoughts of hurting oneself or others, 

the thousand-yard stare, 

craziness, 

rage, 

misery, 

mania, 

morbidity, 

genius, --- OK, I really have to object to this one -- sometimes - but not always

suicidality, 

100

suicidal ideation, 

aggression, 

regression, 

decompensation, 

drama, --- and let's not lump all the theater majors into this group

breakdown, 

crackup, 

catatonia, 

losing one’s mind, 

losing one’s shit, 

110

losing one’s way, 

wasting away, 

psychic disorganization, 

spiritual despair, 

raving, 

the furies, 

an enigma, --- sorry - this one is just picking on people who might be just a little *out there*

a tragedy, 

a curse, 

and, of course, 

psychosis.

120