insanity
Sheer unhinged foolishness
Insanity is severe mental illness that impairs a person's grasp on reality.
In legal contexts, insanity is a defense claiming the accused couldn't understand their actions or distinguish right from wrong: The jury rejected the insanity plea.
Loosely, insanity describes any wild irrationality: It was insanity to attempt the climb in that weather.
The popular quotation attributing insanity to repeating the same action while expecting different results has no clear origin.
Extreme irrational foolishness
- madnessMental derangement or folly
- follyAbsence of good judgment
- absurdityWildly illogical quality
- senselessnessAbsence of reason or purpose
illogical · unreasonable · nonsensical · preposterous · foolishness · recklessness · stupidity · ridiculousness
Severe reality detachment
- schizophreniaPsychotic disorder with delusions
- bipolarHaving two opposite poles
- maniaIntense, consuming obsession
- depressionProlonged low state
paranoia · dementia · neurosis · delusion · hallucination · psychiatric · diagnosis · therapy
Violent mental agitation
- rampageViolent, destructive outburst
- hysteriaUncontrollable emotional excess
- meltdownCatastrophic loss of control
- breakdownFailure or decomposition
berserk · unhinged · rage · fury · manic · outburst · violent · crazed
State of wild disorder
- pandemoniumState of utter confusion
- mayhemViolent disorder and destruction
- havocWidespread destruction and chaos
- turmoilViolent disturbance or confusion
madhouse · frenzy · hysteria · anarchy · tumult · uproar · riot · wildness
Protection against harm
- pleaFormal request or defense
- verdictOfficial court decision
- acquittalFormal clearing of charges
- competencySufficient ability for something
diminished capacity · criminal · trial · not guilty · commitment · culpability · responsibility · mens rea
lunacy
Extreme irrational foolishness
senselessness · illogical · unreasonable · nonsensical · preposterous · foolishness · recklessness · stupidity · ridiculousness · harebrained
psychosis
Severe reality detachment
- schizophreniaPsychotic disorder with delusions
- bipolarHaving two opposite poles
- maniaIntense, consuming obsession
depression · paranoia · dementia · neurosis · delusion · hallucination · psychiatric · diagnosis · therapy · treatment
frenzy
Violent mental agitation
- rampageViolent, destructive outburst
- hysteriaUncontrollable emotional excess
- meltdownCatastrophic loss of control
breakdown · berserk · unhinged · rage · fury · manic · outburst · violent · crazed · possessed
bedlam
State of wild disorder
- pandemoniumState of utter confusion
- mayhemViolent disorder and destruction
- havocWidespread destruction and chaos
turmoil · madhouse · frenzy · hysteria · anarchy · tumult · uproar · riot · wildness · confusion
crazy
Mentally unhinged
loony · crackers · batty · bananas · cuckoo · loco · mad · wacko · deranged · unhinged
defense
Protection against harm
competency · diminished capacity · criminal · trial · not guilty · commitment · culpability · responsibility · mens rea · temporary
- Literary Madnessmadness, hysteria, melancholia, psychosis, delusion
- madnessmadness, lunacy, mania, schizophrenia, psychosis
- Mental Disordersschizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety, PTSD
- irrationalityirrationality, unreason, illogic, madness, lunacy
- contract defectsduress, fraud, misrepresentation, mistake, nullity
- criminal defensesdiminished capacity, mental incapacity, irresistible impulse, mens rea, criminal responsibility
insanitysanity
Mental soundness
mental health · soundness · saneness · psychological health · lucidity
insanityrationality
Sound judgment quality
reason · reasonableness · logic · logicalness · rationalness
insanityreason
Basis or justification
rationality · sanity · wisdom · prudence · good judgment
- temporary insanityBrief period of unsound mind
- insanity pleaDefense claiming mental incapacity
- insanity defensePlea citing mental incapacity
- criminal insanityMind unfit for guilt
- legal insanityDefense negating criminal responsibility