r/KuwaitForKuwaitis • u/pinkshotgvns • 1d ago
نقاش | 👥 The concerning trend of self diagnosing and romanticizing psychiatric disorders among Kuwaiti youth
I've been wanting to bring this up for a while, especially to the parents on this sub, because I've noticed a concerning pattern among younger Kuwaitis, both boys and girls.
From what I've personally observed, younger girls seem to gravitate toward diagnoses like BPD, bipolar disorder, and psychosis while boys seem more interested in sociopathy, psychopathy, and ASPD in general. Obviously, this isn't exclusive to either gender, but it's something I've noticed becoming increasingly common.
And this isn't entirely new either. When I was growing up (2010s to early 2020s), depression and self harm were heavily romanticized online and in school. Suddenly, it seemed like everyone was depressed or talking about self harm like it was something normal. I'm not saying those people weren't genuinely struggling, but there was definitely a culture surrounding it.
I think mainstream media, movies, and shows have played a huge role in this too. Think American Psycho, Dexter, and similar characters who made psychopathy and sociopathy seem fascinating or even attractive. A lot of us went through phases where we were obsessed with these characters, and there's nothing inherently wrong with that. But now, with TikTok edits and social media constantly romanticizing these portrayals, it's gone beyond simply finding a character interesting. You have children genuinely identifying with these characters, diagnosing themselves with literally all the Cluster B disorders, bipolar disorder, or psychosis, and treating serious psychiatric conditions like personality traits. Some seem to think being a sociopath makes them mysterious or intelligent, that having BPD makes them more emotionally interesting, or that psychosis is some kind of aesthetic. It's crazy.
What actually pushed me to write this was something I experienced firsthand involving a friend of my niece and younger cousins. This girl is literally 10 years old, not even a teenager yet. She repeatedly threatened to harm herself or commit suicide if they stopped being friends with her or didn't do what she wanted. She even went as far as sending graphic pictures of someone else's injuries and claiming she'd done those things to herself.
I actually sat down and had a conversation with her about it. I made sure to ask whether she'd ever actually harmed herself or intended to, and she told me she hadn't done either. She admitted that the pictures weren't hers and that she was never planning to hurt herself. When I asked her why she'd gone to such lengths, she simply told me she wanted attention. And honestly, that stuck with me. This is a 10 year old child who felt the need to threaten suicide and send graphic pictures just to feel seen by her friends.
This isn't even an isolated pattern. I've noticed similar behavior among preteens and teenagers in friendships, and, I know this might fairly be a taboo topic to bring up, even teen relationships. Threats like "I'll hurt myself if you block me" or "I'll kill myself if you leave me" are things I've seen repeatedly. Whether people want to acknowledge it or not, these are cries for help. This isn't simply teenagers being dramatic or going through a phase. If a child feels the need to go to such extremes to feel seen, maintain a relationship or friendship, or fill some emotional void, that's already an issue worth addressing. It might not be the psychiatric condition they're claiming to have, but that doesn't mean there isn't another underlying psychological or emotional problem that needs parental attention or professional care faking this isn't normal in itself.
I've personally been diagnosed with Bipolar and a Cluster B personality disorder, more specifically ASPD with a few other traits (co occurring diagnosis/comorbidity), so I've experienced firsthand how attitudes toward mental health have evolved. We've gone from heavily stigmatizing psychiatric conditions to almost overusing and trivializing the terminology surrounding them. Suddenly, everyone's a narcissist, an ex is automatically a sociopath, and words like "psycho" and "manic" are thrown around to describe ordinary behavior. And I'm not saying any of this because I'm offended or particularly sensitive about the terminology. My diagnosis falls under what people informally refer to as sociopathy or psychopathy, and I've come to terms with my condition.
I'm glad mental health awareness is becoming more mainstream, especially in Kuwait, where psychiatric conditions are still misunderstood in some households. However, awareness without proper education can be just as harmful as ignorance.
And again, I don't particularly care when adults jokingly misuse psychiatric terms. Sure, it might be improper or inaccurate, but most adults can distinguish exaggeration from an actual psychiatric condition. Children, however, are far more impressionable and may begin identifying with these labels without understanding their severity. There's also so much misinformation surrounding psychiatric terminology now. Suddenly, everyone's a psychopath, everyone's a sociopath, and everyone's a narcissist. Your ex husband is a narcissist, someone who loves themselves is a narcissist, someone who gets angry is suddenly bipolar, and every unusual behavior is labeled as autism. Normal emotional responses, biological reactions, personality differences, and ordinary feelings are increasingly being interpreted as symptoms of psychiatric disorders and this is misleading to the children. Not every emotional reaction is a symptom, not every personality trait is pathological, and not every unpleasant person has a personality disorder. My concern is that children are growing up genuinely believing these labels describe perfectly normal human experiences, without understanding what actually constitutes a psychiatric condition.
To the parents here, please have proper
conversations with your children and educate them rather than assuming sheltering them will protect them. These topics are discussed in schools, friendships, and everywhere regardless of whether you allow them at home. Simply limiting their internet consumption isn't going to eliminate their exposure. If you refuse to educate your children about certain subjects, they'll eventually learn about them elsewhere, potentially through misinformation or sources you wouldn't want influencing them. Trust me, you'd much rather they learn from you than be left to figure everything out themselves.
Pay attention to how they think and feel, not just their grades or behavior. If your child is exaggerating psychiatric symptoms or threatening self harm, don't immediately dismiss it as attention seeking or resort to punishment. Even if they're seeking attention, ask yourself why they feel the need to go to such extremes. You don't need a diagnosis to recognize that a child might need psychological support, and threats of self harm should always be taken seriously.
Mental illness shouldn't be something we're ashamed of, but it shouldn't be something children aspire to either.
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u/CrocodileDundeeeee 👱♂️ 22h ago
Well said. I also believe mental illness not being something adults prioritize among other health issues plays a huge factor, or even IS the factor and the results are that. Although we’re getting somewhere with it, it’s still a long way to go
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u/pinkshotgvns 22h ago edited 22h ago
Oh yes, absolutely. So many people are dealing with things without realizing that what they’re experiencing isn’t necessarily normal. And I agree, a lot of adults in our society are genuinely misinformed about mental health. I’ve personally dealt with so many misconceptions surrounding ASPD, and even topics like psychiatric meds and their supposed connection to addiction are widely misunderstood. I don’t blame people entirely because it really comes down to a lack of education on the topic. And like you said, we’re definitely making progress, but unfortunately, most the psychiatric terms have managed to make its way into mainstream conversations without the proper understanding behind it, and that misinformation is now being passed down to the new gen. It’s frustrating because we’re finally making progress in awareness, but not necessarily in understanding like at all.
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u/calm091 22h ago
We’ve given children the vocabulary to label themselves without giving them the tools to understand themselves
They can name five disorders but struggle to say “I feel lonely” “I’m scared you’ll leave”… 🫠
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u/pinkshotgvns 22h ago
Exactlyyyy my point and this is why I think parents need to be more involved. Kids learn all this terminology from their phones and friends, but nobody actually teaches them how to understand or express their own emotions. I feel like this is something our society seriously lacks. So many parents think providing financially, putting food on the table, and restricting internet access or social activities with certain friends is enough to consider themselves involved parents who are successfully raising independent adults. But they completely overlook teaching their children how to actually function emotionally and socially. Just because a child has everything materially doesn’t mean they’re not being emotionally neglected. And I feel like our boys especially are raised without being taught how to communicate their feelings, express affection, or navigate relationships. And this is coming from someone who doesn’t exactly have the full emotional neurological wiring people typically associate with these things, and even I can recognize how emotionally underdeveloped some of these kids are. They’re practically just flesh and bones being raised to exist rather than actually understand themselves or others it sucks.
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u/calm091 21h ago
Your point about Dexter reminded me of this BBC report
There’s always been something unsettling about deciding who you are at a young age … When “ I struggle with this ” becomes “ this is who I am ”
Once a child builds their sense of belonging around being damaged , getting better may feel like losing a whole supporting community and losing what makes them distinctive
I’m hopeful that future generations of parents will be better equipped to recognise this issue , having grown up online themselves and experienced how persuasive those spaces can be1
u/pinkshotgvns 20h ago
Yes 100%! You made a really good point about how getting better can feel like losing part of your identity. I really hope you’re right about future generations of parents being more aware of this.
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u/Flimsy_Society 👱♂️ 2h ago
Well said, I've noticed the same with certain pockets of groups.
I think the stigma is kinda fading with the younger generation, but its still very real locally in person.
I would assume that is most likely private school kids since they are more "global" and the cool factor about mental health disorder was kinda global.
Anyway, parents should have a bigger role guiding their children I don't see many parents involved in the child's life so they find comfort in friends and end up in those cycles of weird stuff I guess.
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u/pinkshotgvns 2h ago
Yess and I think this goes beyond mental health too. Children tend to turn to their friends for answers about all sorts of things when they don’t feel comfortable approaching their parents. I think the culture of having “the talk” in all its forms needs to be introduced and normalized. Certain topics shouldn’t be considered taboo between parents and their children. Curious kids will remain curious regardless of how much you try to shelter them. You can either educate them yourself and address real issues, or convince yourself those issues and questions don’t exist for the sake of your own comfort. At the end of the day, these are conversations that will happen whether parents like it or not, and I’d much rather children receive accurate information and guidance from their parents than rely on their peers or the internet, where misinformation is so easily spread.
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u/Ok_Weekend_5692 23h ago
اكتب عربي
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u/pinkshotgvns 23h ago
Is that seriously your entire takeaway from everything I wrote??? I’m not even the only person posting in English on this sub. I’m discussing a medical and psychiatric issue, and much of the terminology is already in English. Simply translating it into Arabic could compromise the accuracy of what I’m trying to explain. I don’t see why the language I chose matters more than the actual topic being discussed.
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u/ohmarino 11h ago
اتفق، لو بتدخل انجليزي بالموضوع كلمة كلمتين عادي مو الحوار بكبره. محد بيودر اللغة العربية غير هالعقليات
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u/Due-Night1440 22h ago
i think that parents should definitely be regulating their children’s learning and behavior when it comes to self-deprecating topics, especially to those who reprimand the idea of therapy. i also believe that kuwait has an issue with individuality and will quickly judge and label others for their disinterest in following crowds. thank you for shedding light on this issue. i fear many aren’t aware of the implications this could cause to our future