Bill Maher has hit out at the rise in Americans who self-diagnose themselves with mental illnesses.
The comedian and talk-show host, 68, believes it takes away from those who really suffer with debilitating conditions.
‘PTSD is for people who fought in Iraq not for people who want to bring their dog on a plane,’ he said during a monologue on Real Time With Bill Maher on Friday.
Maher insisted that Americans ‘really need to stop pathologizing everything’.
He acknowledged that some people have real issues but there are ‘simple solutions’ to the way most others are feeling.
Bill Maher has hit out at the rise in Americans who self-diagnose themselves with mental illnesses
The comedian and talk-show host, 68, believes it takes away from those who really suffer with debilitating conditions
‘No one’s just sad anymore, they’re clinically depressed,’ Maher said on his show. ‘They don’t merely worry they have chronic anxiety.
‘Do you like things neat and organized? That’s OCD. You’re bummed when it’s cold, out, seasonal depression.
‘Hate being alone, separation anxiety. Bored? That’s ADHD. Shy? Social anxiety disorder.
‘Why because you don’t want to go to the office party? Nobody does, best case scenario you have too much fun and it leads to getting fired.’
He added: ‘Are you moody? No you’re bipolar. Some people are bipolar and some people are on the spectrum but sometimes on the spectrum is just a whole pass for being a jerk.
‘I’m clinically an a******, nothing I can do.’
Maher went on to say everyone alive is on the spectrum and added: ‘It’s not noble to glom on to the soft end of it.’
He then pointed to how self-diagnosing mental conditions takes away from the seriousness of those who suffer them.
‘PTSD is for people who fought in Iraq not for people who want to bring their dog on a plane,’ Maher said.
‘There are people in America with real problems who deserve to feel sad but sometimes a bad day is just a bad day.
‘When you constantly reinforce this message that no one’s just a normal human with normal struggles but we’re all permanently f***** in the head it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Maher insisted that Americans ‘really need to stop pathologizing everything’
He acknowledged that some people have real issues but there are ‘simple solutions’ to the way most others are feeling
He continued: ‘Maybe the solution is much simpler and you just went a week without sleep or sunlight.
‘Maybe you have problems that could be solved with vegetables or exercise.’
In the US, more 20 percent of the population lives with a mental illness, according to data from the CDC.
Around one in 25 live with a serious mental condition such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or major depression.