She’s crazy: Womens health often reduced to hysteria

I’ve always been the type of person to wear my heart on my sleeve. I laugh loudly, cry deeply, love intensely and I get angry with a passion that makes my entire body shake. I never thought this was a bad thing – until I was consistently told it was. Growing up in a household filled with unsympathetic men, my emotions were often met with dismissive phrases such as “You’re just too sensitive honey”. It was a statement made out of care and concern but one that brushed aside the validity of my mental health, downplayed my emotions and, in many ways, minimized who I was. 

It’s a phrase I’ve heard my whole life, “she’s crazy” one used to tear down a woman’s emotions when they’re difficult to understand. I was officially diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) at 21, after years of therapy and struggling with my mental health, I felt relieved. I wasn’t crazy. There was an explanation for why I acted the way I did. Before, all of my emotions, mood swings and struggles were reduced to one word. There’s an unsettling power in the way this term has been wielded against women throughout history.

This phrase didn’t just discount my emotions, it’s made me question my value. A woman with strong emotions has always been viewed as unstable, irrational, or most commonly – crazy.

In a conversation with a friend, she said to me, “Yeah you are crazy … but it’s not a bad thing.” I don’t think she meant to insult me, it was supposed to be endearing, but after years of being reduced to a word that meant something needs fixing, it’s hard to look at it in a positive light. Why the need to clarify that “crazy” isn’t necessarily a bad thing? Why soften it? Why make it acceptable? And what happens when that label is glued to you, when it’s not just an insult, but a medical diagnosis?

This problem is not unique to mental health, that just happens to be my experience. When it comes to physical health, women face the same issue. Conditions like endometriosis or polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) are so common among women, yet the symptoms are dismissed as “hormonal” or “emotional” as though it’s just the way women act. Everyone has heard it before – “You’re just being dramatic” but in reality these conditions are very real.

Take endometriosis, a condition which causes extreme pain, fatigue, and sometimes infertility. For years, many women were told they were overreacting, just recently, we’ve begun to see endometriosis for what it truly is — a serious disease. Yet, many women still struggle to get proper diagnosis or treatment because their pain is considered “just part of being a woman”. We see the same thing with mental health. Women are diagnosed with mood disorders like depression and with that they are accompanied by the “crazy” label. This misperception of health issues – psychological or emotional — directly perpetuates a society where women’s health is consistently overlooked. 

The reality is that emotional intensity, mental health struggles, and physical conditions that affect women should never be brushed aside as “crazy” or “dramatic.” It’s time to reject harmful stereotypes and demand that women’s health — mental and physical — be treated with the respect and seriousness it deserves. 

It’s not “crazy” to feel deeply. It’s not “crazy” to demand better care for your health. It’s human, and if it was a man, I wouldn’t be writing this.