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Quick, what(s a four-letter word for loony? If you guessed (nuts," you've solved a New York Times crossword puzzle clue that has some mental health advocates crossed.

Laurie Parsons, a NAMI-Metro member, is not amused. As an active participant in that affiliate's Media and Advocacy Group (MAG, for short), she's on the case of NYC media that run afoul of the dignity that should be accorded persons living with mental illness.

A questionnaire she and others constructed for participants of the October 2000 Picnic for Parity asked them to rate for offensiveness the Times crossword section, as well as news articles. Poignant responses included, 'makes me cringe and feel ashamed' and 'humiliation destroys.'

Go on the New York Post's website, search their archives under 'psycho', and you'll get hundreds of hits for articles using this term.

"When they write about a 'psycho,' they're writing about me," one advocate said. The woman asked not to be identified.

Hearing her impassioned words, I was moved to change my tune. Let others believe what they will—let the media say what it does—I thought a person could smash the stereotype by his words and actions alone.

This, however, involves moving from self-advocacy to being open and honest with others. Not many of us choose this route. "Only silence is shame" to quote Bartolomeo Vanzetti, an Italian anarchist, and it's the shame that reinforces our negative self-images.

Often, big-city editors will not strike the word "sicko" or "psycho" from common use, although their stylebooks include racial epithets and other dangerous terms, in the list of words not fit to print. Advocates in dialogue with various New York editors often receive completely unsympathetic responses.

How long must we be silent? I'm convinced, more than ever, that we must use the media, such as this newspaper, to our advantage.

I'm remembering a great subway ad on the R line that featured Isaac Brown and other mental health leaders, dressed in elegant suits and clothing, with their real names captioning the photos. They proudly dared commuters to match true faces to our illnesses, under the bold advertisement: Mental Health Treatment Works. Imagine if these ads could run every day!

Moving from the personal to the political does involve risk. In our ordinary lives, so many of us grapple with these questions: Do I come out, or keep quiet? How long do I wait before I let someone know about my illness? Imagine daring to publicly announce yourself, by writing a letter to an editor, seeing your byline in a magazine, or otherwise challenging the status quo.

Silence reinforces the stigma. When you read a malicious article in the New York Times or the Post or the Daily News, do write in. Newspapers, radio, TV, and other forums are accountable to society. It's time to take back the media. One subway advertisement is not enough.