Skip to main content

Table 2 Terms for madness

From: Concepts of madness in diverse settings: a qualitative study from the INTREPID project

Chengalpet

Ibadan

Tunapuna-Piarco

• gunam marattam (a change in behavior that is not acceptable or is different from usual behaviours)

• loosu (a colloquial term-possibly from the English word, loose-meaning can range from someone who is stupid to someone who is mentally ill.)

• mad

• manaa kolaaru (a problem with the mind)

• manaa kulapam/kozhapum (confusion in the mind)

• manaa maarudhal (a change of mind in decisions related to any activity)

• manaa nalam baathika pattavar (a person whose mental wellness has been affected-often used in context of a precipitating event)

• manaa nellai seri illathavar (someone whose state of mind is not alright)

• manaa noi (mental illness)

• manaa noiali (mentally ill)

• manasu kattupai (mental irritation)

• manasu seri illathevur (one who is mentally not well)

• manavalarchi kundriyavar (one who’s growth of mind is retarded)b

• mental

• mentally affected

• moolai valarchi kummi (poor growth in mental functioning)b

• moolai valarchi illathavar (someone who does not have adequate growth of the mind)b

• narambhu thalarchi (“nerve weakness,” a term preferable to one that indicates mental illness).

• noi vandhirichi (one who is affected by an illness)

• paithiyam (colloquial term for being mad/crazy)

• pazhuthugal (word most commonly used to imply repairs in machinery. In this context it could mean a reference to the mind being in “repair.”)

• psycho (colloquial term)

• abisinwin (going mad after giving birth)

• afise (externally induced act or predicament)

• aisan (sickness/illness of the brain)

• alanganna (a person with odd/abnormal behaviour)

• alarun opolo (person with mental disease)

• arun apolo (brain sickness)

• asinwin (insane/madness)

• crazy

• didinrin/odoyo (imbecile/fool)

• elesimirin (mentally retarded)

• mad

• ode ori (hunter of the head)

• oku oru (in the dead of night)

• schizophrenia

• iwin (spirit creature)

• siwin (being mildly insane)

• warapa (epilepsy)

• were (mad person/madness)

• were kannakanna (mad, psychotic)

• were onigbo (madness in which the person wants to be isolated)

• ya were tan (gone completely mad)

• altered state

• anxiety

• attacks

• breaking down

• challenged

• crack up

• crazy

• curious

• demonic possession

• depression

• dunce

• dysfunctional

• emotional problem

• foolish

• going out of mind

• gone off

• loco

• lose their minds

• mad

• madman

• madness

• mental disorder

• mental problem

• mentally sick

• mentally unstable

• nerves gone bad

• not whole within

• oppression

• psychological problem

• schizophrenia

• sickness

• spiritual problem

• spiritually affected

• spiritually disturbed/spiritual disturbance

• strange

• stressed

• trip off

• eh bête

  1. a mind
  2. b terms refer to persons with less intelligence