muffinhead wrote:
And not just for autism; are you obsessive about order and cleanliness? OCD. Do you frequently fluctuate between being happy and sad? Bipolar. Do you feel a bit bummed out over something stupidly superficial that really doesn't matter? Depressed.
Yeah, that too. I know some actual obsessive-compulsives and have read some autobiographies, and a lot of them don't care about cleanliness or order. Their obsessions can be about anything that's deeply terrifying to them or contrary to who they are or want to be. And I've seen people bandy about bipolarity to refer to mere emotional lability, when the real deal can involve psychotic breaks, suicidal tendencies, very dangerous behavior, and other stuff people wouldn't or shouldn't want to exactly bandy about.
I sometimes feel like identifying as typical and average and downplaying whatever quirks I do or did have is an act of rebellion in a world where other basically typical people are looking to fly their freak flags. But flying a not-a-freak flag in defiance is also just a silly game. I have tried changing the minds of people who overrate quirks and underrate real mental disorders, and it doesn't work. So the only thing left that makes sense is to make my best effort to not do it myself, and "agree to disagree" with those who continue to make these mistakes.