What is "basket case"

1919, American English, originally a reference to rumors of quadriplegics as a result of catastrophic wounds suffered in World War I (the military vehemently denied there were any such in its hospitals), from basket (n.) + case (n.2). Probably literal, i.e., stuck in a basket, but basket had colloquial connotations of poverty (begging) and helplessness long before this. Figurative sense of "person emotionally unable to cope" is from 1921.

n. 1 (context idiomatic slang potentially offensive English) One made powerless or ineffective, as by nerves, panic or stress. 2 (context idiomatic English) A country in a difficult economic or financial situation.

"Basket Case" is a song by the American punk rock band Green Day. It is the seventh track and third single from their third studio album, Dookie (1994). The song spent five weeks at the top of the Modern Rock Tracks chart.

Basket Case may refer to:

Basket Case, published in 2002, is the ninth novel by Carl Hiaasen. It is a classic Hiaasen crime novel, set in Florida, and centers on the death of singer James Stomarti (aka Jimmy Stoma), an ostensibly washed-up former lead man of "Jimmy and the Slut Puppies".

Basket Case is a 1982 American horror comedy film written and directed by Frank Henenlotter. It has two sequels, Basket Case 2 (1990) and Basket Case 3: The Progeny (1991) by the same director. It is notable for its low budget, bizarre humor, and strong violence. The film gained an audience in the 1980s due to the advent of home video and has become a cult film. Kevin Van Hentenryck stars as a normal-looking person who seeks vengeance for the unwanted surgery that separated him from his deformed Siamese twin brother.