The cognitive distortion where, once a person is diagnosed with a mental illness, given a political label, or otherwise categorized, everything they subsequently do or say is interpreted through that label. Their rational arguments become "symptoms," their emotions become "proof of instability," and their identity is reduced to the diagnosis.
Example: A politician with a known anxiety disorder criticizes a policy. Opponents immediately frame it: "She's just having a panic attack about change. Her critique isn't logical, it's pathological." The clothing label bias uses the diagnosis as a pre-emptive discount on all future speech, confusing the person for the condition.
by Dumu The Void February 9, 2026
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