When a clinical word creeps into daily conversation, it tends to get watered down (stressed, depressed, addicted to Twitter). It softens from a diagnosis into more of a quirk. “A little OCD” might mean you simply love to perfect your PowerPoints or stack your books in the Zoom background just so. Adorable! But then there is another category of clinical word that tends to get harsher as it spreads. For example, narcissist. I don’t know many people who would humblebrag that they are “a little narcissistic.” (“Fun fact: I just love to gaslight my friends!”)
