It's not like people are just sitting around declaring everything a syndrome or disorder, that's ridiculous.
I didn't say anyone was doing that, but sometimes it seems that way. A large part of Western society wants things tied up in neat little packages. There are those in the medical and scientific communities who will pander to that by studying and linking a group of traits/characteristics/tics, etc., and then giving it a name. What they identify might only apply to a very tiny subset of society, and only in certain circumstances with particular conditions in place, but they will publish a book or paper on it to get their research grant money so they can pay their bills another year. It gets reported - usually just the sensationalistic highlights, yet we're supposed to believe it's the whole story. The so-called professionals push for these things to be listed in the DSM, write books, do a round of talk shows... great! For them, it's another year or more of their bills paid.
The public gloms onto this because we are generally uncomfortable with the unknown. We don't like behavior that doesn't make sense, so we analyze ourselves, our neighbors, and our loved ones, and then claim these labels as our own or use them to describe other people. Therapists and others of their ilk realize they can get more business if they talk the lingo, too, even if a thing isn't in the DSM and doesn't have much research to support it. Then they're writing a bunch of books and marketing themselves as specialists in whatever it is, and so it goes round and round.
I am not saying the problems and challenges aren't real. I'm not saying I don't know anyone with mental illness or other challenges. Indeed, I do. I am saying that I am cautious about grouping people together under the latest trendy umbrella, and buying into those concepts, instead of recognizing and dealing with people as unique individuals. For instance, for a while, there were a lot of people coming onto these forums and introducing themselves or describing people in their lives as "conflict avoidant." That was the hot phrase back then. Now, I guess, we'll be seeing lots of people coming here and talking about "highly sensitive" people. Of course, there have always been people who would like to avoid conflict, and there have always been people who were highly sensitive, and so on, but attaching the label makes it a
thing, and then it's too easy to base one's interactions with people on the
thing instead of the people. It can become an excuse for certain behaviors, on both sides of the coin. This is the trap I'm talking about and would prefer not to fall into.
Again, I'm not saying anyone here is doing that, and I am not dismissing the possibility that these labels can be valid. I am expressing how very baffling it is to me to see just how easily and quickly such terminology gets adopted and used. I prefer to be cautious.
