Why The Need for a Label?

Where did I leave myself????

I sit here at my computer, horrified by what appears to be a recent trend within the adolescent community. A friend of mine recently told me her daughter sought out a doctor to give her a diagnosis of autism. Her friends had convinced her she was autistic and therefore needed a diagnosis. Fortunately, the doctor was able to explain to her that being quirky was different from autism and that, while she might be quirky, she was not autistic.

Thinking this was unusual, I spoke with another psychologist who informed me this was a trend put forth by Tic-Tok. She went on to describe another, even more ludicrous trend, which seems to be even more desirable: gaining a diagnosis of MPD (Multiple Personality Disorder). This friend told me three young women came into her office seeking a diagnosis of MPD. She explained to them this was a very rare diagnosis and that it was highly unusual to have three friends be afflicted with this condition at the same time. She also went on to explain that one of the highlights of this condition is an inability to know you are afflicted with it.

Many years ago, I attended a graduate class where a psychology professor invited a woman he was working with to come in to explain her condition. Usually with an MPD, there is a personality more aware of itself than the others. For example, there are cases of one personality having a heart attack, and another driving the first one to the hospital. In the case of the client who was visiting us students, she had awoken to find her car missing, with no memory of what had happened. Eventually her car was discovered about 25 miles away, where one of her personalities had parked it and then had taken a bus home. It is an exceptionally complicated condition and generally associated with severe sexual abuse prior to the time a child is able to adequately verbalize what is happening within its world.

Autism is equally an unusual condition with which to be labeled. According to the Oxford Dictionary, autism means “a neurodevelopmental condition of variable severity with lifelong effects that can be recognized from early childhood, chiefly characterized by difficulties with social interaction and communication and by restricted or repetitive patterns of thought and behavior.” The interesting fact to me is this definition has been watered down. It is also interesting that the use of the word “autistic” has risen dramatically since the year 2000, portrayed by a graph with a steep grade that is linear and nearly straight up in its representation.

Autism once meant “he who stands alone.” It meant a person was incapable of understanding the world outside of itself – the world outside of itself had no meaning. There was a book (Flatland) written once upon a time that described this condition perfectly in a small book about a point, a line and a circle; for the point, nothing outside of itself existed or was real. According to the old definition of autism, as defined by Hans Asperger and Leo Kanner, it described a schizophrenic patient who had withdrawn into his own world. The Greek word ''autós'' meant “self” and the word “autism” was used to mean morbid self-admiration and withdrawal within self. 

As stated, both of these conditions are highly unpleasant. Either one of them, at one time, could guarantee a lifetime commitment to a psychiatric facility. What does it mean that our children are seeking a self-diagnosis of such conditions and others, yet to be discovered by TIkTok, that are a thousand times worse?

What concerns me is this is how our young people view themselves. They are not seeing themselves as happy, healthy individuals, pleased with who they are and with a great future. Perhaps they are a bit quirky, a bit selfish, but that is ok. Each is a perfect representation of whom they are meant to be, just as they are and just as who they are becoming. But instead of seeing themselves this way, they are seeing themselves as sick, and in a morbid manner. 

One side effect of this trend is a greater number of teenagers legitimately taking “legal” drugs to modify mood swings and to modulate the way they view reality. And the best way to gain this is to get a diagnosis. There are many “perks” that come with doing so, such as extended times on tests, not being held responsible for behavior, etc. 

As I considered what this could mean, I picked up Psychology Today magazine, and the headline on the cover was “Diagnosed in Adulthood: Discovering a Mental Health Condition At Any Age.” I am seeing a trend. It appears we are a society increasingly unhappy with who we are and constantly seeking a reason for why we are like we are. Instead of looking to find what is great about us, we seek illness and medication to modify the illness. It appears we are forgetting what healthy, what liking ourselves just the way we are, is like.

It appears we are seeking a way out — a way out of reality. These are thoughts I have as I think about these things. I will share them further as I gain greater understanding. In the meantime, I encourage you to bring forth your thoughts – good or not and let’s try to figure this out together.