24/11/2025
“Oh, I forgot my document at home! I’m soooo ADHD!”
“I don’t like socializing either, we’re all a little autistic!”
“I’m kinda OCD, I organize my books by height!”
No. Just… no.
Yes, some traits related to neurodivergence or mental health conditions can show up in anyone.
But what actually makes the difference is the intensity, the frequency, and especially the combination of traits that interact together and make daily life genuinely hard.
These kinds of phrases are invalidating because:
-They minimize our reality: “everyone feels like that sometimes.”
-They erase the actual difficulties we deal with every single day.
-Because (let me remind you) it’s a question of intensity. If you’re “a little,” I’m that same thing times a thousand.
And they plant doubt : if “everyone is a bit like that,” then do these neurological realities even exist?
(Yes. Yes, they exist.)
And it’s harmful because:
-When our struggles are minimized, we don’t get the support or understanding we need.
-When someone says “I have trouble concentrating too and I manage,” it creates unrealistic expectations we can’t meet (and then we feel incompetent), or we meet them at the cost of our mental and physical health.
Yes, everyone can feel anxious.
But does your anxiety stop you from booking a doctor’s appointment to the point where your health suffers?
You wouldn’t tell someone with chronic migraines that “it’s not that bad” just because you sometimes get a headache.
Exactly.
Invalidating a problem takes away someone’s right to get support.
And that’s not nothing.
