The ‘person focused’ or the ‘person first approach’ encourages professionals to refer to people with mental health issues as ‘a person with a [specific disorder]’. Thus person with diagnoses of autism or schizophrenia are not l referred to as being ‘autistic’ or ‘schizophrenic’ but rather as a ‘person with autism’ or a ‘person with schizophrenia’ ie they are a person first and the diagnosis second.
I was surprised when I listened to Kristy Forbes, a Melbourne based autism support specialiststate that she refers to herself as being ‘autistic’ ie she tells other people ‘I am autistic’.
The rationale is to do with both reclaiming power and identity. When a psychiatrist diagnoses someone with autism they are exercising social power. When a person states ‘I am autistic’ they are both reclaiming power and announcing their own (proud) identity. Good on them!!
Likewise it is now common to hear people with a ADHD diagnosis as referring to themselves as ‘ADHDers’.
As a psychologist I might have some concerns when a person’s primary identity is forged by a mental health diagnosis – however just with gender preference, it a person’s right to make their own choice about how they refer to themselves.