Imagine that you are a Boston University student reading The Daily Free Press, as many BU students do every day. You also happen to be one of the millions of people in the United States who is a consumer of mental health services, whether you see a psychotherapist, participate in a therapy group or take medication prescribed by a psychiatrist. Now imagine how you would feel when you came across the headline of Allison Brown’s ‘Science Tuesday’ article in Tuesday’s Free Press (‘Massachusetts budget problems are driving us crazy,’ Sept. 30, pg. 5).

The title, which refers to the difficulties surrounding Massachusetts budget issues making people ‘crazy’ was (I assume) a play on the idea that people with mental illnesses are, as it were, ‘crazy.’ While I understand that this is a common word used to describe people with psychiatric impairments, I believe we should consider how using words that demean affects those to whom we direct such comments. If you were having difficulties in your life and needed help from a professional, would you feel indifferent to being called crazy, insane, psycho or nuts? Or would you want to be treated like a person who happens to use mental health services?

While I am pleased to see that the Free Press devoted a full page to the issues surrounding the effect that the Massachusetts budget has on psychiatric care, I feel that the topic could be approached with a little more sensitivity and consideration. People are people, no matter what problems they face. We should keep this in mind when we choose words that can make others feel any less than human.

Jill Panuzio CAS ’04