“Multiple personality disorder” probably doesn't exist
The phenomenon of mental illness &amp; trauma-based clout is intriguing and I don’t really understand it. Certainly a conservative trope for the balance of my life has been one of victimhood, from the notion of a persecuted majority to the plight of small business ownership. If it’s a liberal trope to be victim of one’s genetic makeup and life experiences the logical conclusion is that one shouldn’t feel remorse for not meeting societal expectations. I resonate with that, but am also concerned that the victim’s mindset ends up being self-limiting.<p>We really celebrate the stories of those who have overcome adversity, and oftentimes invest a lot of energy and resources into removing sources of adversity, clearing the way for others. If adversity engenders strength, why try to remove it? Alternatively if it simply expends strength and reduces human potential, why celebrate it?<p>I have no opinion on the matter, but I’d love more information. I’d also love philosophical perspectives around these topics. Please share if you have them.<p>On the point of TikTok self-diagnosis being popular, I’ve certainly observed that. However it’s not limited to one political group as the author suggests. The platform and its algorithm have been really affecting at exposing affine groups, without explicitly labeling them. For everyone who walks away with a dubious self-diagnoses, I believe there are ten who have found support, validation, and resources for their very real conditions. That doesn’t get media attention. It’s just like the fact that billions of dollars worth of person-to-person transactions happen through Craigslist every year, yet only the times where violence take place dominate it’s narrative.<p>Teens behave in unpredictable ways and this is a novel time when the aggregate of their  activities are on full view to the world. They will inevitably grow and evolve. I’m not going along with any doomsayers about what is happening with teens on TikTok; it’s all temporal and portends nothing in particular.