In rebranding the site, and especially over the last few days, I’ve been looking for the word for one who has PTSD.
And depression.
And occasional suicidal ideation.
If you search for ‘patient’ on thesaurus.com and click on ‘person being treated for a medical problem, you get all kinds of helpful suggestions that DO NOT resonate.
case
inmate
subject
sufferer
victim
convalescent
emergency
invalid
outpatient
shut-in
sick person
NOPE.
Part of me wanted to go with slang IRONICALLY – psychopath or nutjob or mental case – but I then it occurred to me that others with mental illness might adopt the same label that I chose for myself.
Not Cool, Leander.
Because while I might label myself BITCH ironically, I’d HATE IT if my daughter adopted it as well.
So then I thought, what would I call someone else with a mental illness?
Someone fighting the good fight?
Oh.
I’d call them a Fighter.
A Warrior.