Why we’re turning psychiatric labels into identities
ABC 192: On when the labels help us and when they hurt us
Once a month I volunteer as a writing coach at a local nonprofit, and I’ve recently noticed a trend among my snotty-nosed students.
First, it was Jackson a 4nd grader, who proudly professed, “I have ADHD!” Then, Carter, a 2nd grader, told me she had sensory processing sensitivity. Though the students have difficulty spelling words like “eight,” they have a surprising grasp of neurobehavioral disorders. And it’s not just the kiddos.
Telling others that you have anxiety or are on the spectrum has become almost as common as telling others you’re a Virgo or an introvert—at least in my social circles. The normalization of neurodiversity is certainly a good thing, and yet I’ve started to wonder if there’s a cost to treating psychiatric diagnoses as identities.
This week’s piece was a fascinating read. It dives into how psychiatric categories offer frameworks for self-understanding and create identities that—for better or worse—we’ve come to depend on.
Here’s the piece: Why We’re Turning Psychiatric Labels Into Identities
Warmly,
Simo
P.S. The song of the week is the Kendrick Lamar diss track that’s set to become the song of the summer. The full songs of the week playlist is here.