Are the Speech Police coming to either of your houses? Unless derogatory and directed to another, who cares?

It might be OK but I don’t like it. I also don’t like it when a person is labeled as as “a schizophrenic”, as though that condition defined their existence. “She has schizophrenia” would be better.

People who like to use those terms could be seen as uncaring and intellectually lazy. There are far better terms to use for a busy, disorganized life, being abnormally clean, or even ineffective in function or thought. But people use words that cause pain to innocent people as a way to offend others. Those people are lacking a proficient vocabulary.

My daughter--in-law say I have OCD because I don't like untidiness and messy home. I honestly will not refer to neatness and wanting to have a clean home OCD. Who's going to do it if I don't maintain it or get someone to assist me to maintain it.

It is not OK and it has never been, but it would be hard to rule on how people speaks with those adjectives. They use words like idiot, imbecile, crazy, moron, stupid, psycho, retarded, mental and the recent very popular and subtle way of saying the same with the sound "DUH", which I hate. Some people still use sexual preferences as a way of insulting or mocking. Unfortunately people that uses lots of insults in their daily talking are those who care the less about offending and making others feel bad...

Because it's not a medical condition

Common insults used when I was school were “You’re mental” “spacko” and “nutter”

It’s only when you get older you realise how these vernacular words are actually REALLY insulting.

No, it isn't okay. done and done

I tend to avoid it, myself. I might use "crazy" or "nuts" or "insane" but that's about the limit of it. And having been called retarded due to simply having Aspergers, I know how it feels sooooo....that's also a no-go for me. HOWEVER, I am not the language police.All I think I or anyone can ask is that you think before you speak and that's really the best anyone can do.

I don't see how the comment preceding your last paragraph in any way is a premise for the question. I don't understand how speaking their native tounge in the home and speaking english when interacting with people who speak english is schizophrenic (something tells me the person you heard was speaking tounge-in-cheek).

There is also the fact that in your first few sentences, you are referencing what people are calling themselves and their family, not what someone else is calling their friends and family. In addition "schizophrenic" and "OCD" are actual mental disorders defined in the medical community where "retarded" is not.

People do use the r-word far too often. They say the meaning has changed. It hasn't. And using the words you described is also inappropriate.
When I hear someone use that sort of language I try to explain that using one person's diagnosis to insult another is suggesting both are worthy of ridicule. It is unfair.
I ask if they would ever say a bald guy has a chemo-do. Or if they would call a thin person an Auschwitz Survivor.
Sometimes they get it, sometimes they don't. If they don't, I use their name as an insult every chance I get.
"Geez, Terry, could you stop being so frickin' Bob?!" "OMG, that is such a Bob thing to do." "Son-of-a-Bob"

You have the right to offend, and to be offended. That is the risk we all take when we participate in civilization. Those who feel the need to be shielded from offensive language really need to understand the importance of emotional durability. It's a consequence of self-esteem.

How fortunate we are to live in societies where freedom of expression is something of a guarantee. How unfortunate it is that some of us ignorantly take it for granted while on the same planet other people in other places are forcefully denied it.

Decorum and politeness, on the other hand, are still worthy enterprises.

It is not okay. Unfortunately, it becomes a joke when countered.

I went to a This is My Brave show and a girl having bipolar disorder said, "My friend said her mom is bipolar. First she said i could go to the party, but when she found out i was failing math, she said i couldn't. That is action & consequence. Not bipolar." She went on to express her frustration with her body and brain, exploring and revealing how the disorder affects her life.

I am diagnosed with bipolar as well as other things. I am suffering from those as well as other undiagnosed mental illness. I have tried to be open about what i experience (although it embarrasses my mother and amuses people with whom i chat).

If i sat with friends to eat and said, "no thank you, i'm feeling diabetic today." when dessert was offered, no one would laugh. They might even suggest i need help understanding the disorder of not producing insulin to help digest. I hope my friends would say, " you can't FEEL diabetic unless you have diabetes."

I tried to ease my family into the idea of accepting my openness about my broken brain. (Please don't tell me its not broken. It does not work as it should and i need to figure out how to limp along with it, just as with a broken leg) So i started saying, "i have a serotonin deficiency (which is true) and so i need this medication and i'm seeing a doctor regularly. That grew into more and more openness about my mental illness. I know it remains an uncomfortable topic. I don't care. Keeping it in perspective that i'm treating an illness that i need not be ashamed for coping with.

In short. No No No. Please stop saying you're OCD if you just like a clean house. Stop saying you are bipolar if you just change your mind. Stop saying you're depressed if you are sad because of something temporary. Stop saying you have anxiety if you're just nervous about taking your driving test..... And so on, and so on.

Now, my older brother is bipolar, which corresponds to having a chemical unbalance in the brain. My father committed suicide, we only know that he was taking medicine, a breakdown, in the least. What's the problem about speaking about mental health? Myself I'm a bit paranoid and I admit it here in public. Schizophrenia is a very vague definition for many of mental illnesses/issues. It's something to be addressed as well and hiding our heads in the sand doesn't solve anything.

I think it is a "know your audience" type thing - not even an age or culture thing.

I have friends that appreciate offensive language and concepts - let the private Roasts commence. But generally, I try to be sensitive to those around me. I don't swear in a church and I don't pray in a pub.

I was about to type "let's not get hysterical", but the word 'hysterical' would fall right into that category the OP is asking about. Sheesh and Balderdash!

I have a diagnosed stress disorder, but then I don't get too bothered when people say, "Man, I have PTSD from this Christmas shopping" or something along those lines. So... take it for what it's worth... one can understand that everyone uses terms they don't really understand.

Maybe these people who are describing their personal situation are trying to get a grip on it. It is true that nothing can be changed until we can name it. But, I see a downside to constantly repeating the same old story, that would appear that a person is stuck and unable to move forward.
We need to define ourselves by what we want our life to mean in our own eyes. Sure, we all came from ‘some place’ and sure many of us were ‘shortchanged,’ but, that is not who we are, that is just a challenge that a lot of us were faced with. How are we spending our days now...to grow into our best selves? Something that we feel represents what we live for and feel good about...that no one else will ever fully be witness too! And, for the rest of us, who must be with people who have not ‘found themselves,’ we must not get hooked into their ‘stories’ and try and force them to come to their ‘senses’...instead we need to be ‘present’ and patient and let what little good we can offer be it! Every human has another piece of life’s puzzle. We need to remember that.

Schizophrenia tends to be a blanket diagnosis, retard is totally outdated, the New York Times described it as such years ago: [google.com.au]
My sister in law laughs about having ocd, but hasn’t. If she gets to, ‘As Good As It Gets’ levels I might start taking her seriously.
People not being respectful are the reason that others feel unable to be honest and open about their differences, or feel that they’ll get equal or fair treatment. If that’s the world you like I guess you’ll stick with it. I’d like something more inclusive and understanding myself.

It is up to the person as to how they describe himself or herself and his or her family.

no, it’s not okay. it was always something i was against, and it became a lot more personal for me in the last few years when “autistic” became very popular to use as an insult. i’m sure not everyone who uses these terms badly realizes how harmful it is, especially the kids who do it, but it’s still wrong.

I pretty much have used every word in the book, for just about every thing in the book.
Or was that the voices, Hard to tell.

I am diagnosed with Schizoaffective-Disorder. For a good part of my life before treatment, I had a horrible time not quite sure what was really happening, or was that a real person. Meh, the list goes on.
Any way, I used to really get down on myself quite a bit. But one thing that has really helped me is to find some humor in it. The art of, instead of feeling down, or damaged, I've learned to laugh at times at myself or my disorder. There is more to it, but my point is, by laughing at something I can't control, sometimes takes my negative thoughts about myself and it goes right out the window.

Also. I am of the mind that they are just words. I try not to get my panties in a bunch over a word. If I don't give the word any weight, then the person who said it doesn't have any weight either. JMHO

Don't be retarded.

Personally I’m fine with all of that. Calling your family schizophrenic is fine. Calling someone a retard is fine. Others may not be fine with that though.

Using language creativity is perfectly normal. Everyone within their own group of friends might have inside jokes or terms that mean nothing or something completely different.

You might have a friend who is hysterical and laughs at things that nobody else does, you might affectionately call this "a Joe"

For wider things like using something that describes mental health to describe a situation is fine as long as the meaning is properly conveyed. With words like retarded since it never actually meant dumb, the meaning is not properly conveyed, since it means "to hold back or prevent" so saying: "the presidents antics retarded the country" is corectness usage, but if you think retarded means dumb you might missinterperet this statement.

The same problem emerges if you try to use other words this way, for example someone might use "bipolar" to mean something like "fickle" and the word naturaly changes meaning overtime.