Old is associated with elderly, frail, past it, over the hill, decrepit even words such as mature, senior or pensioner are terms that diminish the perceived value of older adults. Many years ago when I was training to be a nurse, I was working in the casualty department when a young girl of 16 yrs was brought in, after attempting suicide on the beach. Otherwise they have no such thing. If one has a brain tumor, migraines, or has a head trauma, they have a brain disease. Everyday words and phrases with racist and offensive backgrounds The phrase refers to the practice during the time of slavery in the United States when plantations in the Upper South would sell troublesome enslaved people to the brutal plantations in the Deep South in states like Mississippi. Society must move on from stereotyped views that condition how we think about chronological age. Colored man's ice cream: WATERMELON!. If pregnant or nursing, consult with a qualified provider on an individual basis. Every use of language is an act, and those acts build into our general understanding. I wonder why she has had no firm diagnosis. Of particular concern is that the word "old" has negative implications when it comes to employment. The words madness and lunacy conjure up pictures of people frothing at the mouth like some rabid animal. I so agree with you regarding how damaging labels can be. Meanwhile, an article published by NPR reported that in 1923, a candy made out of Brazilian nuts dipped in chocolate sold under the name n-----s toes.. I thought the characters were believable ( I could even liken them to people I had come across in hospital), and I saw suicide happen in the ward too. Communities can have positive, negative, or null consequences for their members and the broader environment in which they are situated. Hollywood has done a lot to create and perpetuate stigma with movies like One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest. As far as my friend, she really doesn't realize there is anything wrong with her and so she takes it better than the rest of us, which is good! Abashed embarrassed or ashamed; humiliated; shy