head case
Someone needs therapy
A head case is someone considered mentally unstable, eccentric, or difficult to deal with—suggesting their head (mind) needs professional attention.
The term is informal and mildly dismissive: He's a total head case when he doesn't get enough sleep.
In sports, a head case is a talented player whose psychological issues undermine performance.
Eccentric individual
- weirdoPeculiar person, dismissively
- characterNature, symbol, or role
- originalFirst or inventive
- misfitOne who doesn't fit in
maverick · crackpot · nutcase · kook · whacko · fruitcake · screwball · oddity
Liable to sudden change
- erraticLacking regularity or consistency
- unpredictableCannot be anticipated
- impulsiveActing without deliberation
- temperamentalEasily upset, unpredictable
mercurial · unhinged · irrational · explosive · manic · moody · unbalanced · unglued
Suffering emotional turmoil
- tormentedSubjected to severe distress
- afflictedSuffering from something harmful
- anguishedSeverely emotionally distressed
- sufferingSustained experience of distress
traumatized · damaged · broken · wounded · haunted · scarred · struggling · fragile
Identification of illness
- therapyCurative mental treatment
- psychosisSevere reality detachment
- schizophreniaPsychotic disorder with delusions
- bipolarHaving two opposite poles
neurosis · psychiatrist · institutionalization · antipsychotics · counseling · mental hospital · ward · patient
oddball
Eccentric individual
misfit · maverick · crackpot · nutcase · kook · whacko · fruitcake · screwball · oddity · crank
volatile
Liable to sudden change
- erraticLacking regularity or consistency
- unpredictableCannot be anticipated
- impulsiveActing without deliberation
temperamental · mercurial · unhinged · irrational · explosive · manic · moody · unbalanced · unglued · disturbed
distressed
Suffering emotional turmoil
- tormentedSubjected to severe distress
- afflictedSuffering from something harmful
- anguishedSeverely emotionally distressed
suffering · traumatized · damaged · broken · wounded · haunted · scarred · struggling · fragile · vulnerable
diagnosis
Identification of illness
- therapyCurative mental treatment
- psychosisSevere reality detachment
- schizophreniaPsychotic disorder with delusions
bipolar · neurosis · psychiatrist · institutionalization · antipsychotics · counseling · mental hospital · ward · patient · DSM
head caserock
Solid earthen material
steady Eddie · cool head · voice of reason · anchor · stoic