Many thoughts occur here, but when I think of terminology I ultimately land on: Does it accurately describe at least some of the experience? Is it helpful to the person experiencing the condition? And what about how it affects others? Can the term promote empathy and understanding? Or does it oversimplify and get used for control? And as importantly: do alternative terms help promote understanding (some do) or do they end up being another kind of denial (a real possibility). Denial can be as unloving (to ourselves or to others) as judgemental labels...
Then again, maybe it's our relationship with the word "illness" that is the problem? As if an illness (of any sort) were sign of divine punishment. It can be empowering to embrace the universal reality that "living things do get sick, and sometimes have problems functioning." Maybe denial vs judgment are just two sides of the same coin: fear.
What if this is all less about finding the "right" label as a need for applying greater love and understanding?
Many thoughts occur here, but when I think of terminology I ultimately land on: Does it accurately describe at least some of the experience? Is it helpful to the person experiencing the condition? And what about how it affects others? Can the term promote empathy and understanding? Or does it oversimplify and get used for control? And as importantly: do alternative terms help promote understanding (some do) or do they end up being another kind of denial (a real possibility). Denial can be as unloving (to ourselves or to others) as judgemental labels...
Then again, maybe it's our relationship with the word "illness" that is the problem? As if an illness (of any sort) were sign of divine punishment. It can be empowering to embrace the universal reality that "living things do get sick, and sometimes have problems functioning." Maybe denial vs judgment are just two sides of the same coin: fear.
What if this is all less about finding the "right" label as a need for applying greater love and understanding?