How many times have you just randomly heard the phrases “I just get so OCD” or “She looks so anorexic”? If you’ve heard it once, you’ve heard it too many times. These problems don’t exist for amusement or as a good comparison chart for how thin a person looks. These are serious issues, and because people use them like this in everyday conversation, it makes it that much harder for people suffering from these illnesses to be taken seriously.

So instead of using the phrase “I’m just being OCD,” try saying something to the effect of “I’m just being particular” or “The little details kind of bother me.” Not only will you sound smarter because you can’t just ‘be’ Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, but it won’t get people worked up about it.

When you see an outrageously thin girl, what if you just didn’t comment? Women suffer enough from body image issues and no one really wants to hear how ‘anorexic’ you think that woman looks, because commenting on a person’s weight is and will always be something inappropriate that you should never do. It doesn’t matter if they can hear you or not, it will never be okay.

All in all, it would be best if we thought a lot before using a mental illness in our everyday vocabulary because it rarely is okay and won’t benefit anyone, especially since while you are out joking about these illnesses, some people are actually living with them.