I think learning to see different perspectives helps a lot. I do not know that the person was trying to hurt or make fun of you as much as having their own trouble understanding where you were coming from. Other people's troubles are not ours but it can be hard to learn that when other people are talking about our troubles.

What does having all those diagnoses do for you? Diagnoses are what doctors give for their own purposes so they can try to treat us. They don't really do much for me because they are about symptoms that professionals note and symptoms aren't always useful with mental illness but are all the professionals have. That I have a cough and the doctor tells me I have a cold or bronchitis, the only way I see that that helps me is I feel a little more confident the doctor might have a better idea of what medicine might make me feel a bit better as my body battles the illness.

But as far as telling others, "I have bronchitis" I would not bother much; I'd get to bed and have my loved ones bring me lots to drink and drop by the pharmacy for any medicine and maybe a book or magazine for when I could not sleep anymore. What are you doing with your illnesses, other than worrying about what others are saying about them? Just "having" them is not very interesting?