• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

FHE Health | Inpatient Rehab & Mental Health Facility in Florida Homepage

Drug, Alcohol and Mental Health Treatment

ContactCareers

Call for Immediate Help (833) 596-3502

MENUMENU
  • About
        • About FHE Rehab
          • About FHE Health
          • Our Staff
          • Locations We Serve
          • Testimonials
        • Our Campus
          • Gallery
          • Our Videos
          • The Health and Wellness Center at FHE Health
        • Our Locations
          • Alcohol Rehab
          • Detox Center
          • Drug Rehab
          • Mental Health Center
          • Outpatient Rehab
        • Careers at FHE Health
          • Employment Opportunities
        • Our Expertise
          • Accreditations
          • Educational Opportunities
          • Community Impact Award
          • First Responder Families Podcast
          • First Responder Paws
          • Education Scholarship
  • Addiction
        • Treatment Programs
          • Treatment Program Overview
          • Alcohol Addiction
          • Drug Addiction Treatment
          • Behavioral Addiction
        • Levels of Care
          • Continuum of Care
          • Addiction Detox
          • Inpatient Addiction Treatment
          • Outpatient Addiction Treatment
        • What We Treat
          • Alcoholism
          • Amphetamines
          • Benzodiazepines
          • Cocaine
          • Heroin
          • Opioids
          • Sedative
  • Mental Health
        • Mental Health Rehab
          • Mental Health Rehab
          • Onsite Psychiatric Care
          • Dual Diagnosis
        • Levels of Care
          • Residential Mental Health Care
          • Outpatient Mental Health Care
        • What We Treat
          • ADD & ADHD
          • Anxiety Disorders
          • Bipolar Disorder
          • Depression
          • Eating Disorders
          • Personality Disorders
          • PTSD
          • Schizophrenia
          • Substance Use Disorder
          • Trauma
  • Programs
        • FHE Programs
          • Specialty Program Overview
          • Restore (Mental Health)
          • Empower! (Women's Program)
          • Shatterproof FHE Health(First Responders)
          • Compass Program
        • Support Programs
          • Alumni
          • Family Support
        • Therapies
          • Acupuncture
          • Breathwork Therapy
          • CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy)
          • DBT (Dialectical Behavioral Therapy)
          • EMDR Therapy
          • Expressive Arts Therapy
          • Individual Therapy
          • Group Therapy
          • Gambling Therapy
          • Massage
        • Medical Care
          • Medical Integration
          • Ketamine Infusion
          • IV Vitamin
          • Fitness & Nutrition
          • Medication-Assisted Treatment
          • Medication Management
        • NeuroRehab Services
          • Neuro Rehabilitation
          • Neurofeedback Training
          • Neurostimulation Therapy
          • EEG Brain Mapping
          • Insomnia Treatment for PTSD
  • Resources
        • FHE Guides
          • Understanding Drug Abuse
          • Signs of Addiction
          • The Disease of Addiction
          • Confronting Addiction
          • Staging an Intervention
          • Rehab Success Rate – Does It Really Work?
          • Withdrawal Timelines
          • Life After Rehab
          • LGBTQ+ Community Resources
          • Veteran Resources
          • FHE Podcasts
          • Remote Resources Toolkit
        • Learning Center
          • Help for You
          • Help For Loved Ones
          • Help For Alcoholism
          • Help With Substance Abuse
          • Behavioral & Mental Health
          • Life in Recovery
          • Rehab Explained
          • Addiction Statistics
          • Our Research Articles
          • View All Articles
        • The Experience Blog
          • Addiction News
          • Alumni
          • Community Events
          • Expert Opinions
          • FHE Commentary
          • FHE News
          • Treatment Legislation
          • View All Articles
  • Admissions
        • Insurance
          • Blue Cross Insurance
          • Beacon Health / Value Options Insurance
          • Cigna Insurance
          • Humana Insurance
          • TRICARE Insurance
        • Admissions
          • Steps to Addiction Help
          • Will Insurance Cover Behavioral Treatment?
          • Self-Pay Rehab
        • FAQ
          • Keeping Your Job in Rehab
          • Example Day in Rehab
        • Contact Admissions
          • Contact Us
          • Secure Payment Form
  • Contact
  •  
Home > Experience Blog > Alumni > 3 Reasons Why Defining Someone by their Mental Illness is ‘Cheugy’

September 13, 2021 By Don Verona

3 Reasons Why Defining Someone by their Mental Illness is ‘Cheugy’

Beyond Labels: Why Defining Someone by Mental Illness is 'Cheugy'

“Cheugy” is a term that was created by someone on TikTok who had invented it herself and shared it with her friends before bringing it to the masses on social media. It caught fire quickly and suddenly we had a new word invented.

Following trends or saying things that are now stale and out of style is “cheugy.” If it used to be a big trend, but no longer is, that’s cheugy.

Your video of the fireworks on the 4th of July? Cheugy. The inspirational sign you bought from Hobby Lobby and made sure to share on Facebook? Cheugy.

Calling someone “crazy” because they have bipolar, or schizophrenia is a 10 out of 10 on the cheugy scale if you ask me. Let’s look at some reasons why.

Mental Health Does Not Discriminate

Mental Illness Quote 1For a lot of the stereotypes and assumptions we have about certain demographics, we can look to Hollywood for perpetuating that assumption through TV and film.

For a long time, mental health issues in TV and film were represented by things like someone staying locked up in a room and crying for days or somebody rambling on a street corner and talking to invisible people.

Naturally, people just began to think “crazy” was a normal thing to label people; that if you were suffering from a genuine diagnosis of a mental health problem, you were on the brink of snapping.

Thankfully, in the past few years, top celebrities and athletes have opened up about their struggles with depression and other issues. This is a huge deal because the “face” of those suffering from mental health problems is evolving. When somebody who is already well-established and successful admits they have been clinically depressed their whole life, that can change a lot of people’s “cheugy” opinions quickly.

Simone Biles dropping out of the Olympics because of her mental health is one of the best sports stories in a long time. The most important factor was that she stayed with her team and talked publicly about it, and she got international support because of it.

Had Biles done that in the 90’s, we all know that story wouldn’t be as “feel good.” There would have been more criticism due to a lack of education.

Words Are Powerful

Mental Illness Quote 2“Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.”

Thankfully, in 2021, we have come to pretty good terms that this is not the best advice to give children as they grow up. Words can hurt, they can hurt tremendously.

For those struggling with their mental health and trying their best to stay strong, a simple judgment or negative comment can shatter them. So how do you know someone is struggling with their mental health all the time? You don’t know. It isn’t obvious a lot of the time.

I can recall times in my life when I felt awful and hopeless inside, but I was quite good at putting on the mask and acting to make it look like everything was okay. The most simple, harmless joke or ribbing was enough to send me into a tailspin.

Look, I am a realist and understand that at certain times I misinterpreted some things said around me and made it about me because I was a very self-centered drug addict. I’m not asking for people to be perfect spiritual saints, but to simply be aware of verbalizing judgments on people whether they are serious or as playful as it gets.

Stay away from statements like “You’re crazy” or “What’s wrong with you?” While these phrases can be said in a very casual or joking manner, they can do a lot of damage if said to the wrong person at the wrong time.

NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) has amazing information on its website, such as these tips on how to help a person with mental illness.

Awareness Is In

Mentall Illness Quote 3Education in understanding the diversity of our country is very much “in” these days. Every day, people in power and those who have any amount of fame are being held accountable for problematic beliefs or words they may say.

You do not want to be part of the “everyone is too sensitive these days” crew. It is arrogant and narrow-minded. Open yourself up to be teachable. Think of anything difficult you have gone through personally or think about friends or family who suffer from any type of mental health issue. Imagine people mocking them. Doesn’t feel good, does it?

I had my time when I thought the world was too sensitive. Thankfully I had some friends who were willing to challenge my beliefs. I was a year or so sober and had done some work, so being teachable and being able to admit I was wrong was a possibility.

I got honest with myself and realized I could not at all pretend to know what it feels like to have a clinical mental illness, be a minority, or have a different sexuality. These are all groups that are highly discriminated against, which is something I have never personally experienced as a white male.

I had to do research and learn how to be more of an ally to these groups. There are great resources out there on how to improve in that area. It takes time and effort to flip the script and change views, but it can happen.

In the past 5 years, I have slowly continued to learn how I can be an ally to any discriminated group. It is an amazing feeling to be a part of the agenda that calls for equality for all people regardless of background. It has saved me a lot of delusional anger and stubbornness and truly has made me a greater human being.

Ask yourself if you have any brash judgments towards those suffering from mental health issues. Reflect on misconceptions you have had in the past and belief systems that should be reconsidered. People in your life with mental illness that notice you becoming more of an advocate will genuinely appreciate it, in a way you may never understand.

Don’t you want to do everything you can to be at a minimum level of “cheugy?” Start with this step. It’s a big one.

Filed Under: Alumni, Featured in Alumni

More Questions about Treatment?

More Questions about Treatment?

We offer 100% confidential and individualized treatment

Contact Us

About Don Verona

Primary Sidebar

The Experience Blog

  • Addiction News
  • Alumni
  • Community Events
  • Expert Columns
  • FHE Commentary
  • FHE News
  • Treatment Legislation
  • All Articles

Sign up for the Blog

Our Facilities

Take a look at our state of the art treatment center.

View Our Gallery

Learning Center

  • Help for You
  • Help For Loved Ones
  • Help For Alcoholism
  • Help With Substance Abuse
  • Behavioral & Mental Health
  • Life in Recovery
  • Rehab Explained
  • All Articles
Contact Us
  • Call Now:
  • Best Time to Call:

Footer

FHE Health

© 2025 FHE Health

505 S Federal Hwy #2,
Deerfield Beach, Florida 33441
1-833-596-3502
youtube facebook instagram linkedin twitter
  • Contact
  • Careers
  • AI Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sitemap
A+ BBB and Top Places to Work - Sun Sentinel

Copyright © 2025 · FHE Theme On Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

Manage Consent
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage {vendor_count} vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}

The FHE Health team is committed to providing accurate information that adheres to the highest standards of writing. If one of our articles is marked with a ‘reviewed for accuracy and expertise’ badge, it indicates that one or more members of our team of doctors and clinicians have reviewed the article further to ensure accuracy. This is part of our ongoing commitment to ensure FHE Health is trusted as a leader in mental health and addiction care.

If there are any concerns about content we have published, please reach out to us at marketing@fhehealth.com.

833-596-3502

Text/Call Me