Have you ever noticed that when we label people by behavior, characteristics or perceived political affiliation, we limit our curiosity about that person? When we think we know who a person is, based ...

Humans are the naming species. We name everything we perceive and imagine, as if the universe were a vast grocery store, with all items clearly labeled. Of course, people are not grocery store items; ...

At the end of last year, I was doing some research for this story when I stumbled upon an online quiz inviting me to test for ADHD — attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. It looked legit, being on ...

If something is toxic, it is poisonous. If ingested or inhaled, its toxicity can make people sick; it can even be fatal. Toxic things are to be treated with extreme caution, black and yellow tape, red ...

In my field of psychiatry and addiction, stigma is unintentionally perpetuated by using words like “disorder.” Substance use disorder. Major depressive disorder. Attention deficit disorder. As soon as ...

It can be fun attempting to armchair-diagnose or label people that you’ve come across—especially when you find their behavior baffling or incomprehensible. And if someone’s treated you badly, it can ...