Also written: schizo
| Source | Year | Position |
|---|---|---|
| SumOfUs | 2016 | Avoid |
| Global Center for Journalism & Trauma | 2021 | Avoid |
| National Center on Disability and Journalism | 2021 | Avoid |
| Diversity Style Guide | 2023 | Avoid |
“schizophrenic (never use to mean “of two minds”)”
SumOfUs lists "schizophrenic" (and the slur-variant "schizo") among disability terms to avoid, attaching the specific caution against using it metaphorically to mean "of two minds." This is the earliest source in the set, and the metaphor caution is already present.
“Use clear, people-first language when describing a condition and its symptoms. For example, "she is living with schizophrenia" rather than "she is schizophrenic."”
The Dart Center / GCJT trauma-informed guide directs writers toward people-first phrasing — "living with schizophrenia" rather than "schizophrenic" as a label for the person.
“Many people prefer people-first language, such as "a person with schizophrenia"… rather than a "schizophrenic"… Do not use the word "schizophrenic" colloquially as a synonym for something inconsistent or contradictory.”
NCDJ — the chapter's anchor source — recommends people-first phrasing ("a person with schizophrenia") over "schizophrenic" as a noun label, and separately rules out the colloquial use of the word to mean something inconsistent or contradictory.
“Avoid. Slang words derived from schizophrenic and generally used inaccurately, to mean "of two minds."… find other words. A person who can't make up his mind is indecisive. A situation that keeps changing is unsettled.”
The Diversity Style Guide's glossary entry flags the metaphorical misuse — "schizophrenic" used to mean "of two minds" — and points writers to plainer, more accurate words ("indecisive," "unsettled") for the thing they actually mean.
The sources make two separate points. The first is a people-first rule: NCDJ and the Dart Center / GCJT both treat “schizophrenic” as the wrong way to label a person, preferring “a person with schizophrenia” or “living with schizophrenia.” The form to avoid is the word used as a noun or fixed adjective for someone, not the diagnosis itself. NCDJ explicitly allows referring to a person as having schizophrenia when it is relevant and medically confirmed.
The second is a caution against metaphor. Every source warns against using “schizophrenic” to mean “of two minds,” inconsistent, or contradictory: SumOfUs names it in 2016, NCDJ rules it out colloquially in 2021, and the Diversity Style Guide devotes its 2023 entry to it, supplying replacements (“indecisive,” “unsettled”) for what the writer usually means. The metaphor caution is present from the earliest source on, not a late addition. The four guides span 2016 to 2023 and agree throughout.
For a communicator the practical rule is short. When writing about a person, use people-first language and mention the diagnosis only when it matters and is confirmed. When tempted to use “schizophrenic” figuratively, pick the plain word for the actual idea: indecisive, contradictory, unsettled, in flux. No source here endorses either the noun-label or the metaphor.
The same two cautions run across the sources here from 2016 (SumOfUs) through 2023 (Diversity Style Guide): people-first phrasing over the noun label, and no metaphorical use to mean “of two minds.” There is no shift over time; each successive guide restates both points.