Weaponizing Mental Health.

By Dr. Gregory Lyons, PsyD, LCPC.
9/27/2025.

Diagnosis can be a powerful tool in understanding mental and behavioral health. Yet, it can also be turned into something harmful when misapplied or used against others. “Weaponizing diagnosis” occurs when someone takes a diagnostic label out of context and uses it to shame, discredit, or control another person (Psychology Today, 2023; LI Psychologist, n.d.).

One common example is when a spouse or significant other calls their partner “narcissistic” or “autistic” without any professional evaluation or evidence. These terms are often thrown out during arguments, used as slights, or brought into relationship conflict to suggest that the partner’s actions or behaviors fall outside of social norms — even when they do not (Counseling & Wellness Center, Pittsburgh, n.d.; Pleasant Counseling Services, n.d.).

The word “narcissism” has become something of a cultural buzzword in recent years. On social media and in pop psychology, almost any behavior perceived as selfish, insensitive, or emotionally detached may be labeled “narcissistic.” However, Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) is a clinical diagnosis with very specific DSM-5-TR criteria, such as grandiosity, need for admiration, lack of empathy, and a pervasive pattern of interpersonal exploitation. Simply disagreeing with a partner or making a mistake does not make someone “a narcissist.” When the label is misused in relationships, it risks invalidating real experiences of those who meet clinical criteria and reinforces stigma.

Similarly, the misuse of the term autistic in casual conversation can be damaging. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is no longer divided into categories such as “Asperger’s syndrome” — the DSM-5 subsumed these under one broad spectrum. Characteristics of autism include persistent deficits in social communication and interaction (such as difficulty with eye contact or challenges interpreting social cues), as well as restricted or repetitive patterns of behavior (such as repetitive motor movements or highly focused interests). None of these traits should be weaponized as insults. Labeling someone as “autistic” because they prefer solitude, are socially awkward, or fail to meet someone else’s expectations unfairly pathologizes normal variation in personality and behavior.

The same problem occurs with ADHD. Many individuals today use “ADHD” as shorthand for ordinary distractibility or boredom. In reality, ADHD is defined by persistent patterns of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity that interfere with functioning or development. It includes criteria such as difficulty sustaining attention across settings, frequent careless mistakes, poor organization, avoidance of sustained mental effort, fidgeting, interrupting, and acting without thinking. It is not simply “losing interest in things” or struggling to focus occasionally. When ADHD is reduced to a casual label, it trivializes the struggles of people who actually live with the disorder.

Another layer of weaponization appears when individuals use their own mental health conditions as shields or justifications for behavior. This is sometimes referred to as weaponized mental health or weaponizing healing (Roamers Therapy, n.d.; Inner Balance AZ, n.d.). For example, someone may claim “I have ADHD” when their lack of focus is better explained by poor habits or day-to-day practices rather than clinical impairment. Similarly, others may identify as autistic or traumatized in order to validate certain behaviors, when in reality these patterns may arise from unrelated personality or social factors.

It is important to remember that diagnosis is not casual labeling. Trained therapists diagnose individuals using criteria established in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-5-TR) (American Psychiatric Association, 2022). These criteria require not only the presence of specific symptoms, but also evidence of duration, distress, impairment, and the exclusion of other explanations. Accurate diagnosis requires training, clinical judgment, and often collaboration with other medical or mental health providers.

A central reason professional diagnosis is so critical is that other medical and psycho-therapeutic professionals will see and use that diagnosis. The assigned diagnosis becomes the framework through which psychiatrists may prescribe medication, or therapists may determine the psychological approach most likely to help. Importantly, however, diagnosis is not set in stone. It reflects the symptoms presented at the time of the initial assessment. As treatment progresses, a diagnosis can evolve, shift, or even be removed altogether.

For example, a client initially diagnosed with ADHD may later experience symptom remission due to effective medication and therapy. At that point, they may no longer meet diagnostic criteria, meaning they do not currently “have” ADHD. Similarly, diagnoses that once applied may lose relevance if the client no longer presents those symptoms. This flexibility shows that mental health diagnoses are time-bound, context-sensitive, and treatment-responsive, not lifelong labels meant to weigh down an individual indefinitely.

By contrast, the rise of “internet therapy” culture — where people rely on Google searches, TikTok videos, or self-tests — has created an environment where almost anyone can label themselves or others with complex conditions. This is risky. Misdiagnosis, or adopting a label without professional guidance, can not only perpetuate stigma but also lead individuals away from appropriate treatment. In some cases, it can even put lives at risk if serious conditions are overlooked or misunderstood.

When mental health language is used to harm, deflect, or diminish, it undermines trust, stigmatizes legitimate diagnoses, and contributes to confusion about what these conditions truly mean (van Voren, 2010; Dunlap, 2021). It also trivializes the work of licensed professionals who rely on structured criteria to provide life-changing care.

References.

American Psychiatric Association. (2022). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed., text rev.; DSM-5-TR). American Psychiatric Publishing.

·Counseling & Wellness Center, Pittsburgh. (n.d.). Therapy speak: When language gets misused and weaponized. Retrieved from https://counselingwellnesspgh.com/therapy-speak-when-language-gets-misused-and-weaponized

LI Psychologist. (n.d.). Diagnostic labels and weaponizing mental health. Retrieved from https://lipsychologist.com/diagnostic-labels-and-weaponizing-mental-health

Pleasant Counseling Services. (n.d.). Weaponizing therapy terms: Why it hurts more than it helps. Retrieved from https://www.pleasantcounselingservices.com/blog/1360080-weaponizing-therapy-terms-why-it-hurts-more-than-it-helps

Psychology Today. (2023, Aug.). Are you ‘weaponizing’ mental health terminology? Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/a-marriage-of-equals/202308/are-you-weaponizing-mental-health-terminology

Roamers Therapy. (n.d.). What does it mean to weaponize mental health and healing? Retrieved from https://roamerstherapy.com/what-does-it-mean-to-weaponize-mental-health-and-healing

Inner Balance AZ. (n.d.). Weaponized self-care talk. Retrieved from https://innerbalanceaz.com/blog/weaponized-self-care-talk

Dunlap, C. J. (2021, May 10). Should mental health diagnoses be allowed to become another weapon of political warfare? Duke University. Retrieved from https://sites.duke.edu/lawfire/2021/05/10/should-mental-health-diagnoses-be-allowed-to-become-another-weapon-of-political-warfare

Van Voren, R. (2010). Political abuse of psychiatry—An historical overview. Schizophrenia Bulletin, 36(1), 33–35. https://doi.org/10.1093/schbul/sbp119