Everyone has some obsessive/compulsive tendencies, it doesn’t mean you have OCD.

Everyone has sad moments, it doesn’t mean you have depression .

Everyone worries, it doesn’t mean you have an anxiety disorder.

Everyone gets hung up over their body image and/or eating schedule, it doesn’t mean that you have an eating disorder.

Everyone identifies themselves as a mixture of masculine and feminine traits, it doesn’t mean that you are trans / have gender identity disorder.

Everyone is only turned on in certain situations, it doesn’t mean that you are part asexual.

Everyone is only attracted to certain traits, it doesn’t mean that you are a non-normative sexuality.

Everyone has an internal monologue and may talk to themselves, it doesn’t mean that you have headmates / multiple personality disorder / dissociative identity disorder.

Everyone has difficulties in some social situations, it doesn’t mean that you are autistic.

When you claim to be things that you are not, it destabilises the structure for those who are. It may change public perception, de-medicalise something that needs to be medicalised, encourage individuals to not seek medical aid, create more barriers to prevent medical aid, or make it more difficult to find information and support.

It waters the issue down to have individuals who aren’t actually it, but feel kinda like it. Whether the damage comes from medical needs or societal oppression, it is not helped by growing numbers of people who ‘identify as’ that thing, but by definition are not.

There’s already a public perception that mental disorders are not at all bad compared to non-mental conditions.

There’s already a public perception that asexuals just haven’t found the right person yet.

There’s already a public perception that transsexuals don’t require medical intervention and are just deluded.

There’s already a public perception that those with eating disorders could just choose to snap out of it.

Don’t be part of the problem.