Why do you resonate more the term narcoleptic or person with narcolepsy?
In our poll (https://narcolepsy.sleep-disorders.net/vote/this-or-that/21213) you voted on which term resonates with you more. In this thread, Narcolepsy community members explain their vote.
Personally, I feel differently. As someone newly diagnosed with narcolepsy, I prefer to use the term "narcoleptic." I see it as identity-first language-much like how we say "autistic person" rather than "person with autism." You cannot separate the person from something as pervasive as narcolepsy, which affects so much of how our brains work and how we see the world, for better and for worse. I think it would be helpful to explore narcolepsy within the framework of neurodiversity because it absolutely belongs in this space. I also disagree that identity-first language propagates stigma. If people's ableism is so entrenched that they don't see a person as a person unless they're explicitly reminded in the first part of a sentence, then they have more work to do. Neurology is not an accessory!
I resonate with a "person with narcolepsy", because I am a person who happens to suffer from narcolepsy. Calling myself a narcoleptic, to me, signifies that having narcolepsy is all I am, when I am so much more.
It's the same to me.
