We encounter many phenomena in the social that have to do with the non-existence of the sexual relation. In particular, there are phenomena that take on the characteristics of trends, namely, something that has a certain value, even if only quantitative and statistical, in state and city cultural communities, or even in cosmopolitanism. In Milan – a trendy city par excellence – we find, among others, a trend of particular clinical interest: many individuals, already well into adulthood, turn to diagnostic centres to undergo a series of tests.
On TikTok and Instagram – or at least in their Italian algorithmic circuits – informative content on the subject is rampant. These are testimonials from individuals who recount their experiences with symptoms, malfunctions, and social maladjustment. The individuals describe their relationship with their symptoms from a phenomenological perspective: they recount when they first appeared, how they interpreted them and what their significant others have said about them. "I've always been the odd one out, no one understood me," is one of the most common statements. These symptoms can mainly be attributed to two nosographic diagnoses that we could currently describe as trendy: autism – often high-functioning – and ADHD.1 The list of possible symptoms is – to put it mildly – very inclusive. For autism in adulthood, they include difficulty socialising, understanding the emotions of others and one's own, difficulty dealing with unexpected situations, as well as hypersensitivity to sensory stimuli. For ADHD, on the other hand, we refer to psychomotor agitation, disorganisation, difficulty concentrating, impulsive decision-making and logorrhoea.
The phenomenon of self-diagnosis – and of requesting a diagnostic certification from a clinician in adulthood – is widespread. Many individuals seek a nosographic diagnosis, which, we hypothesise, is a movement aimed at denying the non-existence of the sexual relation through common and universalising nominations. This gives rise to communities, united by their shared psychological functioning and difficulties in coping with the demands and "duties" of everyday life. In such groups, "one recognises oneself."
In fact, there are countless blogs and forums2 where individuals from all over the world not only discuss their symptoms, but also engage in heated debates about the most appropriate treatment. And the match often repeats itself in an identical way: with treatment or medication and a will for control on one side, and on the other, speech opening towards the unconscious.
[1] A. Rossi and R. Pollice, "Il disturbo da deficit dell'attenzione ed iperattività dall'infanzia all'età adulta" [Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder from infancy to adult age], Journal of Psychopathology, available online: old.jpsychopathol.it.
[2] As one example of such a forum, see PSICO, available online: psycho.forumfree.it.
