Is "Insane" Still Used To Describe A State Of Mental Health?
The term insane was used to describe mental illness over 100 years ago. However, it may still be used on a community level or in the media to describe someone unique or to insult someone you don't like. In some cases, people use it to describe themselves when they feel their actions go outside of the norm. If you are going through a stressful or busy time in your life, you might feel distracted or anxious.
Although these feelings are normal, you might tell yourself, "I think I've lost my mind. I'm going insane." If you are concerned about your mental stability, you may wonder if you are living with a mental illness. Insanity is no longer used as a term in mental health settings, so having the correct terminology may help you move forward to receive the proper support and reduce stigmas surrounding mental health.
The definition of "insane"
Several words have evolved to carry different meanings and are used in conversation to convey different feelings. For example, saying, "This is driving me insane!" is different than calling another person insane for having a mental illness. In the second case, learning to be sensitive to mental health topics and approach them from a destigmatized lens can be essential.
The history of the term insanity
"How do you know I'm mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, "or you wouldn't have come here."
-Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
According to the American Psychological Association, insanity is most often used as a legal term in trials to determine if the condition of a defendant's mind renders a person incapable of being responsible for their criminal acts. This term is no longer used in a medical sense. While the term is legal, people use the word insane in everyday language to denote someone eccentric or to describe themselves when feeling overwhelmed.
Throughout history, as far as Biblical times, there was an acknowledgment that some individuals struggled to conform to social norms and conventions. Several labels have been applied to these people, including:
- Mad
- Lunatic
- Maniac
- Possessed
In Greek and Roman civilizations, behaviors that may be perceived as different in the present were perceived as signs of a special connection to the divine. If someone hallucinated, these civilizations did not believe they were mentally ill but "touched by the Gods." However, they did experiment with medical treatments for various delusions and other inappropriate public behavior.
At the other end of the spectrum, there have been cultures in which holding a controversial opinion was enough to be called "insane." In the 1970s, for example, the Soviet Union proclaimed that anyone who disagreed with their regime was mentally ill, leading to mass hospitalizations of Soviet dissenters.
Is insanity a relative concept?
The definition of "insane" varies significantly depending on location, education, culture, and beliefs. There are several definitions, including a popular and oft-quoted one that is misattributed to Albert Einstein or Mark Twain: "The definition of insane is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results."
While this definition accurately describes dysfunctional behaviors that might accompany an eccentric personality, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), or forms of frontal lobe brain injury, it is not a catch-all definition for "insane."
In some situations, it may be desirable and healthy to repeat the same action. For example, if you practice a new skill or send out job applications, you may be doing yourself a service.
This old popular saying may be catchy and comedic, but it may not help you determine a person's mental state. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, there are three definitions of insanity, including the following:
- A severely disordered state of mind usually occurring as a specific disorder (outdated and stigmatizing)
- Unsoundness of mind or lack of the ability to understand that prevents one from having the mental capacity required by law to enter a particular relationship, status, or transaction or that releases one from criminal or civil responsibility (legal definition)
- Extreme folly or unreasonableness
According to these definitions, there are medical and legal forms of insanity, with the medical form being outdated and stigmatizing.
Insanity as a legal defense
The insanity defense has existed since 1581. Over the years, governing bodies have been compelled to revise how insane could be used as a defense when heinous crimes are committed. In the US, the legal definition of insane has changed several times after the public felt it was applied too broadly or narrowly in specific cases. Judges are often skeptical of this defense, which is rarely used in courtrooms. When it is, states hold to the definition of being "unable to tell right from wrong."
Moving past stigmatizing terms
When discussing mental illness, terms are garnered from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), published and revised by the American Psychological Association. In the current version of the DSM, the DSM-5TR, there is no definition of "insanity" or condition with this label.
When discussing mental illness, terms are garnered from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), published and revised by the American Psychological Association. In the current version of the DSM, the DSM-5TR, there is no definition of "insanity" or condition with this label.
The word "insane" is no longer used in the mental health community. Contemporary therapists and psychiatrists take a person-centered approach, not labeling anyone with judgments but allowing individuals to form their own positive conclusions.
Although stigma still exists around mental illness and psychology, society is moving away from words like "mad," "crazy," or "insane" in a professional context, prompting individuals to cease the use of the word on a community level.
The word "insane" is no longer used in the mental health community. Contemporary therapists and psychiatrists take a person-centered approach, not labeling anyone with judgments but allowing individuals to form their own positive conclusions.
Although stigma still exists around mental illness and psychology, society is moving away from words like "mad," "crazy," or "insane" in a professional context, prompting individuals to cease the use of the word on a community level.
Signs of mental illness
If you worry that you or someone you love might have a mental health disorder, there are a few warning signs you might look for:
- Withdrawing from social situations
- Lacking interest in previously enjoyed activities
- Struggling to cope with day-to-day responsibilities
- Expressing "strange" thoughts or delusional, exaggerated beliefs
- Experiencing excessive nervousness or worry
- Experiencing dramatic shifts in sleeping habits and appetite
- Having sudden and dramatic changes in mood (highs and lows)
- Showing apathy
- Having difficulty with memory, concentration, and attention
- Experiencing a long-term sad or low mood
- Showing extreme anger
- Experiencing irritability
If you or your loved one shows any combination of these symptoms, it may be beneficial to reach out for support. If you feel shame about these symptoms, you're not alone. Some social stigmas may still be attached to mental illness, leading people to feel embarrassed and shameful after diagnosis.
However, mental health treatment is available for those with multiple symptoms, and you don't have to be diagnosed to receive help. Over 41.7 million adults in the US see a therapist, and going to therapy is increasing in popularity. Finding a therapist you feel comfortable opening up with may help you cope with your symptoms and see that therapy is not shameful, embarrassing, or weak. You're not alone in seeing a provider.
Support options
Some people turn online, searching for a convenient way to speak with a trusted therapist without leaving the comforts of home. Recent studies show that electronically delivered cognitive-behavioral therapy can reduce depression and anxiety symptom severity more effectively than face-to-face therapy. The analysis considered several randomized controlled study trials that evaluated the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy online. Researchers concluded that online therapy is more effective in all aspects of outcomes, including severity of symptoms, adverse outcomes, clinically relevant outcomes, global functionality, participant satisfaction, quality of life, and affordability.
Meeting with an online counselor may allow you to receive emotional support from home. If you are considering online therapy, a platform like BetterHelp can connect you to thousands of licensed therapists offering compassionate, non-judgmental counseling services from professionals trained to help those living with mental illness. Encouraging people to seek support can be an expression of love and care. You're not insane if you reach out for help, and insanity is no longer a term used in mental healthcare.
Takeaway
Below are some of the most frequently asked questions about the insane definition psychology professionals or legal systems may use.
What's the difference between crazy and insane?
The two words “crazy” and “insane” are often harmful and stigmatizing, especially when used to describe someone with a mental illness. In a legal setting, insanity refers to a defense strategy when experts have determined someone in a trial to have uncontrollable impulsive behavior due to a mental illness or mental state. The term “crazy” is not used in a court of law or by psychologists and can be considered a harmful slur when used against someone.
What do you call someone who is clinically insane?
The term “clinically insane” is no longer used to describe individuals in a public or therapeutic setting. This term may be used in court to show a defendant’s ability or lack of ability to make sane decisions. When people in a court of law have mental health symptoms of such a severe nature that they are considered justifiable under a temporary insanity case, the “insanity” label may be given to them by the court experts.
What is an example of insane?
“Insane” behavior in a court of law may involve acts of such a severe nature that cause significant harm to another person due to abnormal thought patterns, behaviors, or symptoms. For example, a criminal who harmed an innocent person due to a nervous breakdown or loss of brain function might plead an insanity defense. In some cases, experts determine that the person was mentally sane during the crime, and they may be charged regularly. In other cases, the person may be sent to a mental health hospital or psychiatric prison for support.
What is an insane person like?
Insane is no longer a clinical term to describe someone with a mental illness. Someone with mental illness may have various symptoms, depending on their diagnosis, and most people with mental illnesses do not commit crimes of a severe nature. Connecting “insanity” with mental illness and crime is a form of stigma and stereotyping that can harm people with certain conditions often stigmatized, such as personality disorders or schizophrenia.
What causes someone to go insane?
People do not “go insane.” Insanity is a harmful term to use when people are mentally unwell. Instead, people may have mental health challenges for various reasons, including mental illness, a traumatic past, or lack of survival resources. Some people may commit crimes of a severe nature and have no mental illness at all. These people may do so out of a lack of empathy, a desire to harm others, or a desire to fit in socially with others they’ve grown up with.
What is the hardest mental illness to live with?
Symptom severity for each mental illness can vary per person, and therapists consider no one mental illness to be the “most difficult.” Some conditions may be regarded as severe, such as bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and personality disorders. However, any condition can be severe and life-changing.
For example, people with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) may experience severe interruptions in daily life through repetition compulsion behaviors. People with anorexia may experience an intense fear of having gained weight, leading to a potential loss of life. They may struggle with daily tasks like eating oatmeal or drinking water. No mental illness is necessarily “worse” than another. It can be crucial to empathize with people with these conditions, regardless of stereotypes about severity.
What mental illness is considered insane?
No mental illness is considered insane. People with mental illnesses may sometimes commit crimes where they are labeled “clinically insane” or use the insanity defense in a courtroom. However, outside of a legal setting, psychological organizations and researchers no longer use this term. All mental illnesses can cause distressing symptoms, unfinished business, and unhealthy behaviors. People can choose how they respond to their mental illness, and many effective treatments are available to support people with even the most severe cases. If one is on a persistent quest to find support, support can be found.
Can insanity be cured?
Insanity is not a mental illness, disease, or condition in any diagnostic manual. For this reason, insanity cannot be “cured.” Mental illnesses, however, can sometimes be treated, leading to full or partial remission of symptoms.
What are three words for insane?
Synonyms for insane include crazy, of unsound mind, and psychotic. However, these terms are also stigmatizing and not used in clinical settings to describe people with mental illness. Instead, using the term “person with a mental illness” may be beneficial if that is what you are trying to convey.
What are the four different tests of insanity?
The four legal defenses of insanity include the McNaghten Rule, the Irresistible Impulse Test, the Durham Rule, and the Model Penal Code test. These tests are as follows:
- The McNaghten Rule: The person was unaware of what they were doing when they committed the crime or incapable of understanding that what they were doing was wrong.
- The Irresistible Impulse Test: The person was unable to resist the crime due to a mental illness, even if they knew it was wrong.
- The Durham Rule: This act is only used in New Hampshire and states that a psychologist or another expert can determine whether a defendant is “legally insane.”
- Model Penal Code: The defendant was diagnosed with a mental illness at the time of the crime and could not understand the conduct's criminality or conform to the law.
The insanity plea has been used in many cases, including a 2018 case where Brandon Biers murdered his mother, Theresa Micheli, due to schizophrenia. He was deemed unfit for trial and was sent to a mental health facility for further support.
These laws have been controversial for ages, but some use the quote by Benjamin Franklin to understand their meaning. He stated, “It is better [that] 100 guilty persons should escape than one innocent person should suffer.” You can learn more about the insanity defense in the Notre Dame Law Review.
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