Would you rather be mentally challenged? (Mentally retarded)

Sure, Wave. I get it. Practicing psychologists learn to use scientifically imprecise language in the appropriate situations. But they are practicing psychologists, not college kids. Some things are learned in the field, not the classroom.

They should know better as well -
I am totally done with this - its all getting old

i think a lot of these words have some very bad negative connotations

and i think its more about finding ways to describe these illnesses and/or disabilities that is more acceptable.

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i have a learning disorder called Dyslexia i use a spell checker most of the time
other times when i cant spell anything ill ask my husband for the spelling he get annoyed by me doing so he tell me to try google
i know i have nothing like downs syndrome or anything that major as autism but it effects me every day
Things like buying food etc i have to get my husband to deal with that as i dont know if anyone is ripping me off
my grammar is really bad as well

The word retard is a horrible word i was called that a few times by people who were brainner than me
i hate it
because i was in the retard class

Funny, I was sometimes called a ■■■■■■, 'tard, mental ■■■■■■, mental case, and mental in school. Yet I got good grades and sometimes was used in class to help some other kid who had problems with their work. I think it had to do with my not being too good at sports at the time, and also I was different than most of the other kids. Plus some kids knew I took pills for hyperactive, but they didn’t understand what hyper was and just used the dreaded R or M word…

Well, Mortimer, at least you probably won’t have to be told not to use that word if and when you start working with the mentally challenged in a clinical setting.

Remember that rule we came up with about unpleasant experiences sometimes being seen as good practice? I guess we are just going to see a long list of people condemning you for not having full professional skill yet, but my guess is that you will learn from it. :smile:

I don’t even appreciate the word intellectually challenged. It’s hurtful. It must be so helpless to not be able to think freely and constructively and as a principle we should help the disadvantaged as we too are helped as schizophrenics. In general providing both conditions are serious I narrowly prefer our disability where we can choose to help ourselves, medicate and use our mind to be more independently functional. Being absolutely psychotic is a rollercoaster but I think more ostracising to lack the ability to communicate on a par with others for not understanding how they feel or what they mean. At least medication can normalize us moderately enough.

I guess if I wouldnt have to go through the suicidal thoughts and feelings any more than the norm. I pretty much have major depression, and schizophrenia. This means I am at a higher risk for suicide. That is why I am glad I stopped the alcohol because I came across info that said me drinking alcohol or using recreational drugs would put me at an even higher rate of suicide that I already had. Also I think I have an gene or something that was making me an addict.

Fair point… I get where your coming from…

Maybe it’s because both my parents are teachers… Just like with Wave… it’s a big no-no.
My parents didn’t put up with us calling someone retarded.

It just has never sit well with me… I’ve seen a lot of bullying and people picking on the “retarded kids”.

when I’ve heard it used… … it’s been used as a put down.

I’ve heard people say… it’s OK to mess them over… steal their stuff… make them spill their lunch… they are retarded so what do they know? It a very ugly word for me… I try not to let it upset me… but it just does.

Sorry, can’t help it… no matter how scientific it can be used… no matter how many scientist proclaim it’s OK… it’s just something that hits my head the wrong way and causes some gut reaction I just can’t shake.

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Thanks! @BryanAshley
A lot of the time I think I’m just smart enough to know I’m dumb.
oh well, one can’t know everything, and I sure wouldn’t care to anyway.

To know everything would take all the wonder out of this world, and I really enjoy spending a lot of time thinking of all the posibilities that could be.
It makes a good hobby.

Okay everyone I want to clear something up- I did not mean “retarded” in a vulgar deragatory sense, I meant it in a psychiatric sense, like it is used in the ICD-9 and 10.

It looks like I should have said that as a pretense.

I do not used the word “retarded” in my speech, save for this one time, I was trying to be precise by using medical terminology. Sort of like how I do not use the word “schizophrenic” and how I say “have schizophrenia” in my speech.

I only use label words in medical terms because I admit to being a chronic paranoid schizophrenic, but I say it differently; I say “I/he/she has chronic paranoid schizophrenia” most of the time unless it is for school or being very precise and adhering to medical linguistics. For example, I tell medical professionals “I’m schizophrenic” but I tell people I meet “I have schizophrenia.”

Hope this clears things up. I do not call mentally handicapped people “retarded” unless I am speaking from an academic perspective. In class, saying “mentally handicapped” is vague, so in class I have to specify “mentally retarded” if that is what I mean.

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Well like the crow I also used to have bad dyslexia, but judging from my grades in English class for college I’ve out grown the disorder… I rather be called dyslexic than “mentally challenged.” I think you have to make a distinction in labels between people with ADD and dyslexia on one hand and people with very low IQs on the other, instead of lumping them all into one category.

You’re ok Mouse.
Not sure why this hit such a nerve with people, guess I understood your terminology from the start.

Dyslexia is far from what a medical doctor would call mental retardation. By mentally retarded I mean severely cognitively impaired. You are clearly not mentally retarded, I can tell by the way you read and write :wink:

Linguistically I fail to see how ‘mentally handicapped’ is more vague than ‘mentally ■■■■■■■■’ if both are reasonably defined . Then again psychologist’s verbal skills may not always be that good .

I know that mouse, but some people would like to put people with these disorders into a box and I disagree with that.

Handicapped can mean anything- it can mean mentally ill, even. Please do not commit the logical fallacy of ad hominem by saying that psychologists have poor verbal skills, they must make above a 300/340 on the GRE to even get their degree.

Sorry for calling you out dude. Glad you settled on a different title.

There was no ad hominem ,and saying that their verbal skills may not be that good is not the same as saying they all have poor verbal skills.

From what I have encountered and experienced with PHD psychologists, is that, many of them make excellent students - they are very good at analyzing and observing, within the cushioned environment of a college or university.
But almost all of the psychologists that I have dealt with, have a difficult time dealing with the real world and real life experiences.
For example, my current therapist was amazed that I knew how to make Lentil Soup. She kept asking me questions on how to make it, or where to buy lentils?
Very smart students, but not so aware when it comes to real life experiences - they seem a bit out of touch

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