Mental illnesses aren’t something that everyone has to some extent.
I very much disagree. Many mental illnesses are defined as “the same trait a mentally healthy person has, just too much or too little, to the point where it’s causing them distress and interfering with their lives”.
Nearly everything is a spectrum. Even the few things that have quantifiable biological markers are usually present in neurotypical people as well, just at a more “normal” level.
Right. (some) Mental illnesses are when that trait is so severe it causes problems for the person. That trait is something everyone has, but not the mental illness. Mental illness is specifically when that trait is severe. It would be saying everyone has a severe issue to some extent, even if it’s not severe for them. It just doesn’t make sense, and to me weakens what mental illness actually is. If people use adhd to just mean attention issues, even ones so minor they don’t cause a person problems, it undermines the word.
Edit: didn’t mean to delete the parent comment, I accidentally posted twice. It was the same as above in the thread.
I very much disagree. Many mental illnesses are defined as “the same trait a mentally healthy person has, just too much or too little, to the point where it’s causing them distress and interfering with their lives”.
Nearly everything is a spectrum. Even the few things that have quantifiable biological markers are usually present in neurotypical people as well, just at a more “normal” level.
Right. (some) Mental illnesses are when that trait is so severe it causes problems for the person. That trait is something everyone has, but not the mental illness. Mental illness is specifically when that trait is severe. It would be saying everyone has a severe issue to some extent, even if it’s not severe for them. It just doesn’t make sense, and to me weakens what mental illness actually is. If people use adhd to just mean attention issues, even ones so minor they don’t cause a person problems, it undermines the word.
Edit: didn’t mean to delete the parent comment, I accidentally posted twice. It was the same as above in the thread.