The Positive Power of a Mental Health Label
Mental health is a sensitive topic for many people. Some people view it as a weakness to seek help. Others feel ashamed to have a medical or mental label attached to them. When I was first diagnosed with ADHD, I felt a weird mix of emotions — relief, sadness, shock, and fear. For years, I had struggled with feeling like I was just lazy, scattered, exhausted, and disheveled. I didn’t understand why I always had to work so much harder than my peers to achieve the same results. After my diagnosis, I began to see my symptoms in a different light. Suddenly, the things that had always been a struggle made sense.
It was as if someone had handed me a new set of glasses, and everything came into focus.
In this post, I want to talk about why I now embrace my ADHD label and think that labels can be a good thing.
Labels Can Help You Find Support and Resources:
One of the biggest benefits of having a mental health label is that it can help you find resources, support, and information. When you have a label, you can start to connect with others who share your experiences and struggles. You can find advocacy groups, online forums, and meetups for people who have similar diagnoses. Having a label can also help you find specific tools, therapies, or medications that are tailored to your needs.
Validation & Understanding:
When you’re struggling with a mental health issue, it can be incredibly isolating and confusing. Having a label can help you connect with others who are going through similar experiences, and can make you feel less alone. Additionally, a label can help you understand why you’re struggling. It can provide insight into your behaviors, emotions, and thoughts, and can help you develop strategies for managing your symptoms.
Labels Can Help You Advocate for Yourself:
When you have a label, you can use it to educate others about your condition and advocate for your needs. You can use your diagnosis as a tool to help others understand why certain accommodations or modifications are necessary. Advocating for yourself can be especially important in educational or workplace settings. When you have a label, you are not just another person with a “quirk” or “personality trait,” you are someone who has a legitimate medical or mental health condition that deserves respect and understanding.
By openly acknowledging your condition, you are taking ownership of your mental health journey. You are asserting that your struggles are real and valid and that you deserve support and resources.
Helps Shift Your Perspective:
Before my diagnosis, I felt like I was constantly failing to meet expectations. I couldn’t focus, I was forgetful, I was anxious, I was depressed and I struggled to stay organized. After my diagnosis, however, I realized that the problem wasn’t me — it was my brain. This realization helped me stop blaming myself for things that weren’t my fault, and start focusing on strategies for managing my symptoms. Instead of feeling ashamed and hopeless, I felt empowered.
Labels Can Help You Understand Your Symptoms:
You better understand your symptoms. You can start to recognize patterns and triggers and learn how to manage your symptoms in a more effective way. When you have a label, it’s easier to research your condition and find information about strategies and tools that have worked for others. For example, after I was diagnosed with ADHD, I started to research how to manage executive dysfunction, which is a common symptom of ADHD that affects my ability to plan, prioritize, and complete tasks. Knowing more about my condition helped me find strategies like breaking tasks into smaller, more manageable steps and using visual schedules to stay on track.
Labels Can Help Reduce Self-Blame and Shame:
One of the most challenging things about living with an undiagnosed or misunderstood mental or medical condition is the sense of self-blame and shame that can come with it. When you can’t identify why you’re struggling, it’s easy to feel like you’re just not good enough, smart enough, or organized enough. Having a label can help reduce that sense of shame and self-blame. It can help you recognize that your struggles are not your fault and that you deserve compassion and understanding for them. When you have a label, you can start to see your symptoms as a treatable medical or mental health condition, rather than as a personal failing.
Reduce Stigma:
Lastly, medical and mental labels can lower the stigma associated with particular behaviors. Before medical advancements, research, and studies, people may have thought that mental illness was a result of poor character or weakness; they didn’t recognize the complexity of the brain. Today, people understand that ADHD is a neurological condition that affects millions of people worldwide. The label serves as a tool for understanding instead of a judgment of character.
Having a medical or mental label can be a good thing, despite what some people may believe. Labels can be a powerful tool for understanding and managing mental and medical health conditions. While there can be stigma and negative connotations attached to labels, there are also many benefits that come with identifying and labeling symptoms. For me, my ADHD label has been a source of validation, understanding, and empowerment. It has helped me access resources and accommodations and has shifted my perspective on my struggles. The label does not define you, but it is a helpful tool in supporting and managing mental and medical conditions. It can ultimately lead to self-compassion and a better understanding of oneself and others who share the same level. It’s just one part of your unique and complex self.
