Between Diagnosis and Identity: Being the Subject
The fine line between "This is how I am" and surrendering to expert authority in neurodiversity discussions, and owning one's own experience.
Caught Between Diagnosis and Identity
In discussions about neurodiversity, ADHD, and Autism, we have been oscillating between two extremes for years.
As Psychotherapist Özgür Atlas points out:
> "Both sides of this discussion often fall into the same trap: Losing the subject."
On one side, there are those who turn their diagnosis entirely into their identity: *"I am autistic, therefore I don't need to change,"* or *"I have ADHD, my responsibilities are different, accept me as I am."* By saying this, they turn the diagnosis into the sole explanatory principle of life. They even view it as the absolute identity of difference. At this point, the diagnosis ceases to be one of the individual's traits and becomes the individual themselves. Without realizing it, the person objectifies themselves.
On the other side, there is the guardianship of expert authority: *"You don't look autistic, you can't say you are autistic. Only we can decide that."* This language pushes the individual's knowledge of their own life and experience behind the expert's knowledge.
> [!IMPORTANT]
> Loss of the Subject: Both approaches strip the human of being a "subject" and turn them into a defined object. In one, the person surrenders to their own diagnosis; in the other, to the expert's definition.
A True Neurodiversity Approach: Being the Subject
No one is just a diagnosis. Diagnoses are real, they have effects, and they help us understand our support needs. However, a diagnosis is not the entirety of a person. Likewise, no expert is the sole owner of a person's lived experience.
The neurodiversity approach neither denies the diagnosis nor glorifies it. The real issue is to recognize the individual's right to make sense of their own experience:
One person might say, *"I am autistic."*
Another might say, *"I have autistic traits but I don't define myself this way."*
Yet another might not want to put their diagnosis at the center of their identity.
None of these are inherently right or wrong on their own. What is wrong is others (whether other neurodivergent individuals or clinicians) deciding how a person should make sense of their own life.
The right of subjects to self-determination is not merely a political principle, but an ethical and human necessity. A human being has the right to speak about their own body, life, identity, and future. A good expert (or support network) is not someone who builds an identity on behalf of the person; they are someone who holds space for the person to build their own identity, life, and decisions.
> [!TIP]
> Remind Yourself: Your diagnosis is your user manual, not your master. You are the subject.