In this episode of Psychobabble, we take a scalpel to the modern autism diagnosis, tracing its dramatic expansion from a severe childhood disorder to a catch-all identity for anxious, rigid adults. Let’s examine how psychiatric gatekeeping has failed, how ideology has overtaken evidence, and how terms like "neurodivergent" are used more to shield than to clarify. Not to mention, the ethical costs of this diagnostic inflation. (Navigate to your topic of interest by using the timestamps below.)

Upgrade today, become a Psychobabble Insider and join us as we break down what proper treatment should look like for real autism and what it doesn’t look like. How therapy supported by the neurodivergent movement plays right into the hands of Cluster B types. We also have a look at the controversial MMR vaccine narrative and its enduring link to autism discourse.

Chapter Titles & Timestamps:

* 00:00 – The Trauma of Being Autistic

* 00:20 – From Disorder to Identity

* 01:20 – How the DSM Changed Everything

* 04:02 – The Rise of Spectrum Thinking

* 07:14 – Self-Diagnosis and the Influence of Pop Culture

* 08:12 – Neurodiversity: A Social Movement, Not a Medical One

* 10:27 – Sensory Overwhelm or Narcissistic Fragility?

* 13:33 – When Inclusion Becomes Exclusion

* 14:02 – Autism as a Personal Gospel

* 15:59 – Autistic Traits or Personality Quirks?

* 18:48 – Autism vs. TikTok

* 20:08 – What Real Autism Looks Like

* 24:26 – Theories of Autistic Cognition

* 27:52 – The Role of Activism in Diagnosis

* 30:19 – The Double Empathy Problem Debunked

* 33:01 – The Masking Myth

* 36:46 – How Cluster B traits reveal themselves

* 40:42 – Autism as Status

* 44:27 – Who Benefits from Broad Diagnoses?

* 46:42 – Why Accurate Diagnosis Matters

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