If a therapist recently diagnosed you with ADHD, anxiety, or depression, you might be thinking about how all of those conditions have genetic components and likely came from your parents. While this is true, it’s not something you should necessarily say out loud. So, if you find yourself home for 48 hours, here are some tips to help you have dinner with your parents without diagnosing them with something.
Focus on the food!
If you’re struggling to refrain from telling your parents to take any online quizzes, go back to basics! Focus on complimenting the meal, commenting on the ambiance of the room you’re in, or really anything except wondering aloud about your parents’ potential ailments. Do everything within your power to stop yourself from throwing the DSM-5 at them! It’s not going to have the effect you hope it’ll have!
Make otherwise incendiary statements.
Bursting at the seams to tell your dad he’s displayed every symptom of ADHD in a mere 30-second period? Try talking politics instead! Sure, it’ll make everyone mad, but at least they won’t be as mad as if you were to yell, “Talk to a fucking psychiatrist about Vyvanse or I’m out the fucking door!”
Remember: they will not be receptive to your improvised diagnoses.
As much as you might want to tell your mom that she probably inherited generalized anxiety disorder from Grandma and that she would be better equipped to handle changes in routine if she were on Lexapro, remember that she will not know or be receptive to these terms. In fact, she’ll probably take offense, because being unsolicitedly diagnosed with something is kind of offensive, even if it’s true!
Let them come to the diagnosis on their own.
Sure, you shouldn’t explicitly diagnose your parents, but there’s no harm in planting the seed! The next time your mother says she gets tired of “putting on a mask around other people” all day, maybe change the subject and mention that autism is much more of a spectrum than we used to think. Then just sit back, relax, and wait for her to do some googling.
Remember: it will be tough to resist the urge to diagnose your parents, but not as tough as it would be to deal with the aftermath of diagnosing your parents. Happy visiting!
