I wish we could destigmatise mental illness and disorders. It would also help if we stopped calling all issues in the mind/brain “illness”. Or “disability”.

Smol thread.

I have ADHD. It’s a “disorder” because it causes me problems, sometimes. It also gives me abilities and a way of thinking that is sometimes very useful. It’s a natural variation. By having ADHD I am not “mentally ill”. I’m just different.

It probably is a spectrum. But no not everyone is a bit “ADHD”. Mine causes real problems with inattention and hyperactivity - but I have mechanisms and strategies to deal with it. I don’t “forget” where I put things - I don’t create the memory in the first place.

So I use apps, mindfulness, and other modifications to “normal” to be the “best me”. The *illness* I had was anxiety and depression. Illnesses because they were causing me significant distress and symptoms. The cause was ADHD, but alone that’s not an illness.

Knowing the cause of my anxiety allowed me to eliminate it, but the ADHD remains. It’s part of who I am. The difficulty is managing it within a framework of “normal”. The problem is not fitting ppls expectations. When I explain it, it’s fine.

And although ADHD isn’t my fault or choice, it *is* my responsibility to manage. My responsibility to explain to others. Not theirs.

My biggest concern with throwing around “disorder” or “mentally ill” is the stigma of “therefore you’re sick” problem. It either value judges someone or makes them a perceived “victim” to their nature. I reject that.

I don’t know how we can talk about mental health and mental or neurological disorders without this idea that they make someone “less” of a person. Less “valid” https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🙄" title="Gesicht mit rollenden Augen" aria-label="Emoji: Gesicht mit rollenden Augen">. It also doesn’t mean someone with a mental - difference - is any way less rational or “wrong”.

Not sure where I was going with this https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🤣" title="Lachend auf dem Boden rollen" aria-label="Emoji: Lachend auf dem Boden rollen"> but anyway - it’s frustrating to see “mentally ill” and “disorder” thrown around, when I perceive value judgement. Maybe that judgement is projected, I don’t know https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🤷‍♂️" title="Achselzuckender Mann" aria-label="Emoji: Achselzuckender Mann">, but it feels... icky https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🤷‍♂️" title="Achselzuckender Mann" aria-label="Emoji: Achselzuckender Mann">