I’m a reasonably well-adjusted 30-something who knows herself pretty well. But because of some of my personality traits — for instance, I have a talent for retaining pop-culture trivia and minutiae about acquaintances (though never their names!) — my friends often feel the urge to tell me I’m neurodivergent. Most of them are neurodivergent themselves, and based on their own experiences and what they’ve seen on TikTok, they love to speculate that I have autism spectrum disorder, ADHD, OCD, or some other condition.
I’ve never sought out or received a diagnosis along the lines of what they’re mentioning. I’ve never felt I wanted or needed one. If there were anything to diagnose, I’d still believe I’m high functioning enough not to need intervention and I have coping mechanisms to help me thrive.
I know my friends mean well, but I have qualms about armchair-diagnosing people and making generalizations about these conditions. Do you have any advice on how to curb this commentary, especially when my friends are probably just seeking connection and understanding? Any conversation I play out in my head sounds snobby and patronizing.
