People Who Are Mentally & Emotionally Unhinged Usually Say 7 Phrases In Casual Conversation

Last updated on Jul 30, 2026

A portrait of a man making a bizarre, wide-eyed facial expression into the camera, illustrating psychological dysregulation, erratic communication, and social impulsivity. Alexander Gold | Shutterstock
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Irish singer/songwriter Ronan Keating may have put it best when he penned the lyrics, "You say it best when you say nothing at all" — and we're willing to bet these people would agree. 

Read on for the casual phrases that suggest a person is mentally & emotionally unhinged. If you're trying to get someone's attention by saying less, I applaud you. Make them work for it, but maybe refrain from saying these things.

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Mentally and emotionally unhinged people usually say things casually:

1. 'Dude'

"I hate when grown adults call me 'dude.' I am a 58-year-old man. I'm definitely not a dude." — John, 58

2. 'I just can't'

"Using the phrase 'I can't' while laughing uncontrollably is definitely unhinged. It makes no sense whatsoever. It's an incomplete thought. You can't ... what? It's the equivalent of me laughing and saying 'applesauce,' which makes just as much sense as 'I can't' (none).  Also, it suggests you can't believe what I just said. Well, believe it. It just happened." — Joe, 27

3. 'ROTFL'

woman rolling her eyes at man Dean Drobot / Shutterstock

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"If you use the terms LOL, WTF, OMG, LMAO, JK, ROTFL — which in text terms, means 'Rolling On The Floor Laughing' (no, you aren't) or anything else used in texting while verbally expressing the American lexicon, you're mentally & emotionally unhinged. If you're not Paris Hilton and don't have a billion-dollar empire to go with your dollar menu brain, don't use these phrases IRL." — Alex, 26

RELATED: 11 Phrases Brilliant People Use Instead Of ‘I Knew That Already'

4. 'Or nah'

"Ever hear that song 'Or Nah' by Ty Dolla? The teeny boppers love it. I was dating this 20-year-old, and I swear every 5 minutes she's like, 'Do you wanna get something to eat? Or nah? Do you wanna drive to Jones Beach? Or nah? Do you love me? Or nah? Unhinged." — Jason, 25

5. 'Just sayin''

"'Just sayin' is an unhinged, annoying suffix to an unwelcome observation. It's very much like saying, 'so screw you." — David, 48

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RELATED: 10 Classic Millennial Comebacks That Promptly Put Someone Back In Their Place

6. 'La-Di-Da'

"Have you ever seen the Woody Allen movie, Annie Hall? I've dated two people who used the phrase 'la-di-da' from the movie, and it absolutely drives me crazy because it's such an unhinged thing to say." — Nick, 32

7. 'Totes cray'

"I just essentially dislike it when people want to make short words even shorter. There's nothing worse than being in a bar with drunk people that are amazed, screaming 'OH MY GOD THAT'S TOTES CRAY CRAY GUUUUURL.' It's just lazy and unhinged." — Shamal, 27

RELATED: 11 Brilliant Phrases That Put People Who Interrupt You In Their Place

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Danielle Page is a writer and editor whose work has been featured on Woman’s Day, Bustle, Cosmopolitan, The New York Times, Thought Catalog, and Huffington Post. 

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