I hear the words “retarded,” “lame,” “psychotic,” “crazy” and “OCD” nearly every day. The problem with them is that they’re ableist. Merriam-Webster dictionary defines ableism as the “discrimination or prejudice against individuals with disabilities.” Although “retarded” and “psycho” may  just be words, they perpetuate the ongoing stigma associated with those who are mentally ill.

Many high-schoolers are not aware that these words carry a negative connotation, and that is the fault of the society that we live in. However, someone using an ableist word with the full knowledge that it is ableist is wrong.

Some may argue that words such as “insane” and “crazy” no longer apply to mentally ill people today. This outlook is inherently false.

Although the mentally ill may be a minority, they still exist in schools, workplaces and other public areas. It’s easy to forget that discrimination against the mentally ill isn’t a thing of the past but a current issue.

A study done by the Human Rights Watch in 2015 has shown that mentally ill inmates are often abused physically by guards. Methods of abuse include “being doused with chemical sprays, shocked with electronic stun guns and strapped for hours to chairs or beds.”

This maltreatment may occur on a lesser scale than previous years, but that does not erase the stigma and abuse that generations of mentally ill people have experienced. The use of ableist language perpetuates a negative view of the people who were and currently are labeled with those very words.

I’m not looking to police everyone on their language use. After all, it is difficult to stop saying these words that are now deemed “socially acceptable.” Even after I was aware that these words were discriminating, I still let them slip out every now and then. But saying one less ableist word in the day is progress.

Many people have used such language without knowing how hurtful it is, and that’s okay. However, it is not okay to continue to use the same words with full knowledge that they discriminate.

It is difficult to know who is educated on the matter and who is not, and it’s best to avoid a calling-out contest to see who is the most ableist. I would recommend individuals to focus on their own use of language instead of trying to persecute others. It’s a more productive solution, and it will lead to more self-improvement overall.

For those that tend to use some of the aforementioned words on a daily basis, I thought I’d provide an alternate list of non-ableist phrases. Instead of saying “retarded,” or “lame” use: “I don’t understand this,” or “this upsets me.” Instead of saying “insane,” or “crazy,” use: “this is ridiculous” or “that view sounds extreme.” Instead of saying “I’m so OCD,” use “I’m so picky.”

Ableist words do hurt, even if the majority of people are not affected by them.  Anyone can take the time to fix their language and be more accommodating toward those with disabilities.