"You don't need a label", "Too many people these days have labels", and "I don't see how a label of autism/ ADHD is going to make any difference to you" are common responses from friends and family when autistic people share their desire to seek out a diagnosis or when they choose to self-diagnose.
Responses of this kind usually seem dismissive to people who have often spent a lifetime feeling "different" from others and struggling to get through life, no matter how good they are at hiding their struggles.
In an ideal world, it would be great if we could all accept ourselves as we are, flaws and all. But the reality is that others already label autistic and other people who identify as neurodivergent, often from a very early age. And those labels are usually hurtful and destructive.
Brianna shared with me that she was labelled as "hyper-sensitive" from an early age. Like many autistic people, she experienced an intense emotional response to criticism from others and to other people's (and animals') pain or distress. "I was always told I was 'too sensitive', and it was dished out as an insult. It shut me down. Those same people think I'm ridiculous for seeking out an autism diagnosis as I 'don't need a label'. But I've already been labelled my whole life".
Daniel told me that he'd always considered himself "stupid" because of the struggles he faced in school due to........