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‘My Friends Keep Trying to Diagnose Me With Something!’
The Cut • • health
Key Points:
- The letter writer is a well-adjusted adult whose friends frequently speculate that she is neurodivergent based on personality traits like recalling pop-culture trivia, though she has never sought or felt the need for a diagnosis.
- The advice emphasizes that diagnosing someone based on personality traits without clinical assessment is inappropriate and that the writer should be taken at her word about her functioning and needs.
- The response acknowledges the contemporary context of increased awareness and discussion of neurodivergence, often fueled by social media, which can lead to overgeneralizations and armchair diagnoses among friends seeking connection.
- To manage the situation, the advice suggests gently redirecting conversations, acknowledging friends’ good intentions, and setting clear boundaries if the commentary becomes overbearing or unwelcome.
- Being direct and honest about discomfort with unsolicited diagnoses is encouraged, as it is not patronizing to ask friends to stop if polite hints fail to work.
