1. We want reporting, not mind-reading. It's hard enough for the shrinks to plumb men's souls; how is the Associated Press supposed to do it, long-distance [usually without ever even talking to the patient]?
2. "Phobia" has a meaning, in psychology; elsewhere it's just a popularized technicality for the supposed dislikes of someone the journo dislikes already.
3.
DSM, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Like that other compendium of mental disorders, the AP Stylebook, it grows fatter and more expensive with each new edition. More and more human behavior is classified in ways that allow doctors to seek reimbursement from health insurers.
4. We can never be wholly neutral, since people and their language are never neutral. Doesn't mean we give up trying. AP ain't perfect, but when you compare its reporting to everything else that passes for reportage on the Internet [and lots of
that was cribbed from the AP] it still is pretty good.