Is it sad that kids are learning to label personality quirks as psychological disorders?

Indeed it is. And dangerous. Therapy culture has really taken a toll. We used to laugh at celebrities because they all seemed to have a therapist. Universities pushed behavioral science degrees so this is what we have.

OCD gets thrown left and right these days (last couple of years).
My guess is that 95% of people that “are OCD” or get ‘accused’ of being it, aren’t.

So it is not strange that young ones are parroting their bigger siblings/parents/teachers, and you now hearing from your grandchild.

@Rebbel…It’s not just the parents and immediate family or the teacher. (Why would a teacher even be discussing OCD or ADHD or any other behavioral issues with a student?)
It’s from friends and what ever other social connections he has. And THEY get it from us.

So you would rather a kid learn to call other kids mean names instead of accepting other kids as having a personaity trait?

Instead of calling a kid OCD, people would call him a neat freak and try to mess up his things. Or, instead of recognizing that a kid is on the spectrum, they would call him weirdo or retard.

What @Zenvelo? Where did that attack come from???

Well, I am noticing a trend of “armchair psychiatrist” where people throw around terms like “narcissist” and “personality disorder” to label just about any behavior they don’t like. This is a little different, as “OCD” has entered the common lexicon as an adjective meaning “exhibiting traits commonly associated with OCD”. As someone who actually does have OCD, it’s always a little strange to hear someone use “OCD” to describe someone who has a certain meticulous personality. OCD is not just a harmless quirk; it can be genuinely distressing. I would like for more people to understand what these disorders are and they shouldn’t just become terms to describe personalities when no diagnosis has occurred, especially if they’re used pejoratively.

@Dutchess_III You seem to prefer that kids not use a psychological description. Would you rather they call him a name? Kids call other kids names all the time.

I think it’s a good thing, and shows children are being educated so they feel normal if they display signs later in life.

OCD stands for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. There is also a secondary disorder known as Obsesive-compulsive personality disorder. These are real diagnostic disorders, and it is both sad and irritating that so many people misuse the terminology.

It is offensive for those with these disorders when others use them to define quirks. Such as “Oh I’m so ADHD” without having ADHD. So yes, it is sad.

How about “meticulous,” or “picky,” @zenvelo? OCD is a serious psychological disorder, as @Demosthenes pointed out.

Exactly @DrShelby.

@Dutchess_III I don’t think teachers will discuss it with their little students, but they might hear it from them, when they talk with their colleagues (about other colleagues for example, or their friends/partners).
Some teachers here, in the Netherlands, are very young (and perhaps infected with this OCD (and other disorders) throwing aroundism).

And yes, like others have stated, OCD can for sure be a debilitating thing to have, so much so that one is likely to not be part of work society (or social).
Imagine having compulsive (unwanted, undesirable) thoughts, whenever you don’t want them.

Right? It’s wrong to use the term so casually.

Common conditions would be covered in health and psychology courses. I am of the mind that even if teens may have misconceptions, it is healthy for them to discuss mental health. Lots of my students speak openly about why they see a counselor or therapist. There is less shame and secrecy about it than in my generation.

I think I agree with @SnipSnip, @DrShelby, and @rebbel. It’s not encouraging, and not at all clear that it makes young people more understanding or compassionate.

So far, I don’t have children of my own navigating their way through the maze of issues at school, work, and in relationships. But I experienced a lot of “clinical social management” first hand while I was a student in primary grades and later in high school.

What’s seldom addressed is the heavy reliance on medication by educators to control behaviors that may not be actual disorders, but do to challenge teachers who want to keep discipline in the classroom.

You can call it “threapy culture” or “armchair psychiatry”, either way it feels wrong.

@Dutchess_III
How many young children have enough class and grace to use the word “meticulous”?
I think zenvelo is saying you should be thankful he even used that word instead of something worse.

And this is more a product of our own society that pushes people to use pills while demonizing actually healing yourself.

Mine had the class and dignity to use “meticulous” at 14, and now my grandson knows the word too.
“Picky” would have been an option that a 5 year old would know.

Depends on the location.
Using big words is a ticket to being bullied in some places. Things could have changed the past 15 years, but everyone has been using OCD as slang more than the word meticulous the past 15 years.

My kids grew up with big words. If other people’s kids didn’t that’s their problem.

Well, the dad and grandfather might have obsessive-compulsive personality disorder, and that may be why they’re meticulous. I’d guess they’ve never been evaluated. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with the 14 year old saying what he did. It shows some knowledge on his part, as well as maturity for not simply calling Turner names just because he may not be able to discern the finer differences between a quirk, OCD, and OCPD.

I used big words in early adulthood and ‘dumbed’ myself down because people thought I was putting on airs.

Except the 14 year old really had no clue what a Obsessive Compulsive Disorder IS.

DSM-5 labels everything as a disorder.

If it was me I would see it as a wonderful opportunity to teach the boy the difference between OCD and a meticulous personality, the difficulty an OCD patient faces, and how not everyone who is fussy has OCD. It would give the boy more knowledge about a serious issue while encourage empathy from him.

I don’t know your grandson so I can’t comment on how he knew the word and what purpose he used the word for, but is it possible he just discovered the term’s definition from some source but doesn’t know how to apply it? During my early days of discovering psychology I used a lot of clinical terms do describe things because I was new and didn’t know there has to be a context behind those terms. And I didn’t mean to insult. And also psychology was a new field for me so there was some kind of excitement around knowing stuff.

Whether the boy just lacks a way to describe the character or intentionally insulted him, education is key. After all the goal is to encourage more acceptance to mental health no matter what it is, and dwelling on the problem doesn’t help anyone.

Or are you using your grandson’s story as an example for a broader discussion? Then my answer would be different.

He must have had at least some idea of what OCD was since he was able to use the term in the correct context.

I’ll talk to him about it next time I see him.

Awww. . .good gramma!

It’s sad that kids are doing it but it’s even sadder when adults do it. To a kid it is just a new trendy descriptive word but to an adult it describes a psychological condition that needs treatment. If you try to remove everything that makes a child unique what will you be left with?

@smudges yeah, he must have had some knowledge of the basic definition, but not enough to understand the detailed nuances of what actually constitutes the diagnosis. Take me for example, I used to say I had “crippling depression” when I felt sad and unmotivated. Although it’s true that profound sadness and lack of motivation are symptoms of depression, does it mean I had the condition of depression? I don’t think so. I recovered shortly after that. I think this is what happened with the boy here.

@Dutchess I’m glad you plan to have a conversation with him. Make sure to do it gently and allow room for curiosity.

I know how to parent @Mimishu1995! Been doing it for over 40 years! Not to mention teaching and daycare.
But thanks. You have so much wisdom for someone so young.