I’m mixed on self diagnosing. I understand that it can be helpful to people, but what if they’re self diagnosing the wrong thing and getting help for something that they don’t actually have? And some people online think that’s having autism and other disorders are cute and quirky, when it isn’t at all. Honestly it just makes life harder…
I think for the most part when it comes to being autistic, those who self diagnose are seeking support and that's just fine, there is of course the totally valid issue as you say of people self diagnosing the wrong thing and going on to get help for the wrong thing, but in my experience, having an autism diagnosis doesn't even get you much if any help, so I doubt those self diagnosing are able to access anything. Totally with you on people online thinking various disorders are just fun little personality quirks to have and its definitely damaging on the whole, but hopefully with more awareness and education available, people will be able to find sources speaking from direct experience with a more rounded idea of what their disorder involves!
I don't think there are many valid positives to self-diagnosis. Sure, it may give people some confidence to find a group they can resonate with, or be discovered after research without access to medical help; but that's undermined whenever they get it wrong. Certain disorders are extremely difficult to diagnose, even for professionals, and especially in adults. Making those mistakes can lead to false self-diagnoses, or prevent people from seeking well needed help. Plus it kind of treats mental disorders as "fun and quirky" talking points, as if they're little more than excuses for one's behaviour or lack of ability. I for one have been accused of faking my diagnoses by several people (most of whom had self-diagnosed), simply because I don't exhibit traits they assumed to be universal or just for taking medication that's used to treat another condition of mine. The worst extreme I've seen of this was an old friend of mine who self diagnosed with a general anxiety disorder, and attempted to self medicate as such. Anyone who recommended she seek professional help was met with a fairly cold response. As it turns out, she's bipolar. Her diagnosis came after she went through a dangerous and traumatising manic episode, likely caused by the substances she'd been using to treat anxiety
@@NeverMakingVideos I called myself autistic & went off meds for bipolar disorder. Didn't go so well. Psychiatrist said I am on the autism spectrum but below threshold for ASD. Nothing is done about it anyway for adults whereas bipolar disorder needs to be constantly managed. medically.
@@DanaAndersen ive seen a lot of people, like a WHOLE reddit thread, saying they want a diagnosis because they found community and identity in the idea of being autistic. Ive also known people in my personal life who try to call themselves autistic to excuse their abusive behavior, so there is a benefit to calling yourself autistic even if your not, and that. Is. Wrong.
As regards people who are mistaken about self-diagnosis or even "fake" it, I suspect the numbers are very low because autism is a stigmatised identity and there's usually no benefit from wrongly claiming to be autistic. There have been occasions when I have had my doubts about whether some diagnoses are correct but these are usually among those who have been officially diagnosed - often as children - rather than those who have been self-diagnosed. I think this is because the quality of clinical diagnosis is often lacking and errors are made. Some clinicians may give children in particular a collection of diagnoses of which autism is only one and not all of these will be accurate. However I agree that we must be very wary of challenging diagnoses - clinical or self - because we don't know fully a person's situation. Sometimes it may seem clear that someone has misinterpreted what autism means and it may be useful to politely and helpfully clarify that with them but we should be wary of seeming to invalidate their experience and sense of identity.
I have noticed a trend in some online groups to fight for diagnosis even when their physicians disagree. They seem to feel like it is a personality type, or even an elite club that will enable them to receive special consideration from others if they do things that they know are making other people uncomfortable. It is trendy AF, and these attitudes are especially perpetuated by women who share lists of "autistic" symptoms such as being extremely brilliant, extraordinarily empathetic, sensitive, and gifted. Some may be highly intelligent or even savant in specific areas, but autism is more associated with cognitive impairment than brilliance.
@@allisonwitkowski3447 Exactly. And receive special accommodations because people will be afraid to call them out on it. I see people genuinely struggling who are probably autistic and don't even know it. These are the people who are trying to fit in, but are ignored. They know they are marginalized, but don't understand why. I have great empathy for these people. Not so much for those who want to be able to climb under tables and meow at work instead of doing their jobs - when they know very well that it is uncomfortable for others and infuriating to the ones who have to pick up the slack.
I hear you and most people may not choose this however i think it's still very easy to fall into the trap of "these are the signs.." type social media posts and there are many people are still trying to find themselves or feel nice to be apart of something or feel special somehow but dont realise thats how they feel. I feel like it's possible for people to self diagnose honestly as autistic and not have anything wrong. Just because you dont feel like you fit, doesn't mean that individual has a condition
I am self-diagnosed/identified. I indeed do the research and carefully, honestly and critically reflect on my own behavioral tendencies and issues. The more I learned, the more my situation made sense, and I was able to tell myself "I'm probably autistic." There was a certain relief, or liberation that came with that, and I think I'm a happier and healthier person because of it. Now I typically don't tell people unless I think they will understand or at least be open-minded, and I'm not looking to gain anything from it. That piece of paper that forces others to acknowledge it won't make the issues I face in order to turn to the possibility of autism any more real and worthy of respect. I have been told that it's nonsense, that I shouldn't self-identify because it does more harm than good, and it sucks. There's just as much of a stigma to self-diagnosing as there is to autism itself. Yes I know I may be mistaken, but for me it's not about having THE answer, it's about being able to understand and accept myself, and that improvement to my mental health is and should be enough.
I had to self diagnose, convince my psychiatrist to send me for a proper diagnosis which he didn’t believe and sent me for a second diagnosis and even when he got that all he said was that they would diagnose him if he asked (I don’t disagree). I’m in a really privileged position though. I couldn’t have afforded to pay for a diagnosis and I lose nothing by having one. I can’t have my children taken from me, which is the worst thing I can imagine, as I was never in a position to have children. I can’t face special assessments for my job as my illnesses prevented me from establishing a career and I’m in supported living so my housing and care needs are met because I have a diagnosis, luckily my social worker and other workers I have met had no trouble accepting my diagnosis. I’m aware how lucky I am but it all started with self diagnosis, I would never have got a diagnosis any other way. The current wait time for a diagnosis here is two years if you can’t afford to go private. I have little sympathy with those using faked Autism to lie and cheat people but there’s lots of people who have self diagnosed and who must be wrong and I don’t really consider them faking as much as just being mistaken because they’re not able to access proper support. Thank you for the video, it’s a very complicated and interesting subject.
R u suggesting that using the internet for research purposes isn't good enough? What would u have accepted as good enough? U can look up the DSM 5 online
It certainly makes a lot of sense that people r out there confused because it is very confusing. People r just out there trying to figure it out. I'd love it if there was some easy way to just do a quick test and b like yep u have autism but no
I'm pretty sure that a lot of people that are well self aware and well informed of autism are capable of self diagnosis. I do believe in a second opinion to rule out bias but sometimes experts aren't as knowledgeable as people think they should be. I believe that some psychologist specialize in some areas of psychology and neglect others depending on their personal interests, opinions, experience, or some other variable. I could go to one psychologist and he will diagnose me with autism. I could go to another and he might not diagnose me with it. That brings up the question: am I being properly diagnosed? Or am I being misdiagnosed? Who do I believe? That one that confirms what I want to believe? Or the one with "experience"? I feel like self diagnosis is ok and should not be looked down on that way it is. I'm 99.999% sure I have autism. I have seen lists of traits related to autism and I have around 95% of them to some degree. I don't think my poor social skills and clumsiness are coincidence.
I think inconsistency between clinicians can be a big problem and some may have very high rates of diagnosing autism (and other conditions) while others have very low figures, even dealing with similar cases. They may focus too much on certain issues and even hold misleading views. There have been reports of some people having an autism diagnosis denied because they make eye contact, can hold a conversation, are married or have a job even though it is possible to be autistic and have all those things. Adults in particular have learned to mask and rarely conform to some "Rain Man" stereotype. Other clinicians may be far too liberal and diagnose as autistic anyone who says they sometimes feel uneasy in social situations. There are some excellent clinicians but too many who have partial or even stereotypical knowledge of autism.
That's definitely a point I didn't think about while making the video, second or even third opinions are definitely required in some cases I'm sure and even then as you say, who do you believe? It was something I worried about myself in the lead up to my assessment, as GMLPC said in their comment, I believe far too many clinicians are still expecting a very stereotypical presentation of autism that, for adults especially, often doesn't exist. With all that being said, I don't think my diagnosis is all that more valid than you being 99.999% sure you're autistic, I just know that I have autistic traits and a guy gave me some paper saying he agreed!
@@DanaAndersen I would agree that it's useful and often validating for someone to seek the views of a clinician and in some cases they have to do this for their diagnosis to be accepted by agencies or employers. It's finding clinicians that are genuine experts on autism that is difficult. Some self-diagnosed people are reluctant to seek an official diagnosis because they're worried about being wrongly told they are not autistic, perhaps on some frivolous basis such as because they made eye contact. Being wrongly turned down is not just upsetting but threatening to someone's identity if they see themselves as autistic.
A person can be sub-clinically Autistic or the Broad Autistic Phenotype. If two people marry who are BAP they're more likely to have an Autistic child and may learn about their own traits as a result. With those traits, you can still struggle in life too. I'm not diagnosed but have been told by professionals helping my diagnosed daughter that I have traits. I know this is true and try to take care of myself and accommodate those difficulties. I know I can help my daughter more successfully that way.
As someone who has the criteria for diagnosis from the DSM 5 and cannot talk to a psychiatrist until I am a resident of the US (Probably another 6 months of waiting) so can not get officially diagnosed yet but will be pursuing as soon as I can. Originally I had a lot of worry until I went through the DSM 5 criteria multiple times and could bring up loads of examples for everything on there and am now sure I qualify for a diagnosis, but the idea of saying I'm autistic without an official diagnosis makes me self hating and anxious around others but knowing I will be getting one in the future makes me feel better.
I'm self-diagnosed. But it's both down to ease and lack of need. I know I have autism, I've been told by some friends and family I know who work in autism diagnosis that they believe I am autistic. And that's good enough for me - it's their area of expertise and my rather extensive reading on autism corroborates this. As to why I've never sought official diagnosis is because it's a massive pain in the ass. But, whilst growing up I experienced the standard "why am I so different to everyone" phase and that led to me initially being tested for dyslexia. Which is hilarious because I'm a very avid reader and my spelling is above average and therefore passed that part with flying colours. But I was marked down on the social aspects of dyslexia. On the back of that they diagnosed me and I gained access to some disability support through school. Now that I've left school I don't see the point. Up here in Scotland people diagnosed with autism get a concession bus pass, but I don't use buses so that'd be useless to me.
Thank you so much for this video! I'm almost 40 and realize I am autistic. But I can't get a diagnosis because of finances, and we want to adopt since we have infertility.
People online get mad because when people say self diagnose they often think you mean that you claim you are but never intended to go get a diagnosis what you did was pre diagnosis
I used to dismiss self-diagnosis as invalid and silly but I’ve now come to understand that this is the only choice for people in some situations. I think that this was due to the way I was diagnosed, and the pervasive internalised ableism which I’m still learning to deconstruct. I wasn’t seeking diagnosis for autism or ever had the thought that I may be autistic. I was being treated for CPTSD when my clinical psychologist began to suspect I was autistic and performed an assessment, only advising me of her diagnosis after a year of seeing her on a weekly basis. It’s taken me a couple of years to learn what autism actually is and fully accept my diagnosis so it’s hard for me to imagine self diagnosis. That would just have never happened and I’d still think I was just anxious, depressed, lazy, weird and difficult because I’m a bad person. The realisation I’m autistic has helped me to finally love and accept myself, and I wouldn’t want to take that sense of peace away from anyone just cause they’re self-diagnosed. However, if they’re offering their advice as absolute truth, or trying to sell a product or service through social media, I’d want to look into the validity of their diagnosis, their relationship with the product they promote, and their qualifications to offer a particular service, such as counselling. ✌️😘💕
I think I'd likely have had an opinion much more similar to that had I also had your experience, I totally had the thoughts of just being anxious, lazy, depressed etc., but also had the underlying thought that no one else seemed to find everything so difficult, so I absolutely know the feeling of being able to accept yourself thanks to knowing you're autistic! I think anyone offering advice as truth/fact or selling a product/service should be checked for validity really given all the scandals we've seen online in recent years, especially the counselling side given everything with BetterHelp!
I am self-diagnosed, but I don't even tell anyone because I'm normal enough that I can hide it pretty well. In the online tests I come out about 2 points into the normal range. Still what I've learned about autism has explained a whole lot of problems I've had in my life. Some things I don't identify with at all--like needing routines, but others, like hypersensitivity to light, sound, and physical touch, withdrawal, social alienation, and misreading of social cues have been big problems all my life. So I don't really give a f... if people think I'm faking it, or whatever. I get a lot of benefit out of the RUclips videos on autism. As for faking it, who would want to? It's not fun in the slightest, as attested to by the high suicide rate among autistic people. These pissy people in the comments are watching too many empty-headed teenagers on TikTok, and have a distorted understanding of.....probably everything.
Yeah I think u have it under control, after that talk anyone who was faking will stop now and also b an ally because they're informed hopefully. If life were like that u wouldn't need MasterCard lol
Saying that its hard to get a diegnosis in America isn't true at all I didn't have health insurance and I was flat broke but I was still able to get appointments and meet face to face with the right doctors I needed to see to get s diagnosis of autism.
I'm really glad you had an easy time of it yourself, but from what I've seen from a lot of other peoples accounts it can cost thousands of dollars and be quite a length process.
It depends on where you live, though. Also, if you're on Medicare and Medicaid they won't take you. I finally got an appointment but I had to tell them I didn't have insurance.
I’m mixed on self diagnosing. I understand that it can be helpful to people, but what if they’re self diagnosing the wrong thing and getting help for something that they don’t actually have? And some people online think that’s having autism and other disorders are cute and quirky, when it isn’t at all. Honestly it just makes life harder…
I think for the most part when it comes to being autistic, those who self diagnose are seeking support and that's just fine, there is of course the totally valid issue as you say of people self diagnosing the wrong thing and going on to get help for the wrong thing, but in my experience, having an autism diagnosis doesn't even get you much if any help, so I doubt those self diagnosing are able to access anything.
Totally with you on people online thinking various disorders are just fun little personality quirks to have and its definitely damaging on the whole, but hopefully with more awareness and education available, people will be able to find sources speaking from direct experience with a more rounded idea of what their disorder involves!
am autistic. u can't get help till ur are fully diagnosed I ask one off my staff
I don't think there are many valid positives to self-diagnosis. Sure, it may give people some confidence to find a group they can resonate with, or be discovered after research without access to medical help; but that's undermined whenever they get it wrong. Certain disorders are extremely difficult to diagnose, even for professionals, and especially in adults.
Making those mistakes can lead to false self-diagnoses, or prevent people from seeking well needed help. Plus it kind of treats mental disorders as "fun and quirky" talking points, as if they're little more than excuses for one's behaviour or lack of ability. I for one have been accused of faking my diagnoses by several people (most of whom had self-diagnosed), simply because I don't exhibit traits they assumed to be universal or just for taking medication that's used to treat another condition of mine.
The worst extreme I've seen of this was an old friend of mine who self diagnosed with a general anxiety disorder, and attempted to self medicate as such. Anyone who recommended she seek professional help was met with a fairly cold response. As it turns out, she's bipolar. Her diagnosis came after she went through a dangerous and traumatising manic episode, likely caused by the substances she'd been using to treat anxiety
@@NeverMakingVideos I called myself autistic & went off meds for bipolar disorder. Didn't go so well. Psychiatrist said I am on the autism spectrum but below threshold for ASD. Nothing is done about it anyway for adults whereas bipolar disorder needs to be constantly managed. medically.
@@DanaAndersen ive seen a lot of people, like a WHOLE reddit thread, saying they want a diagnosis because they found community and identity in the idea of being autistic. Ive also known people in my personal life who try to call themselves autistic to excuse their abusive behavior, so there is a benefit to calling yourself autistic even if your not, and that. Is. Wrong.
As regards people who are mistaken about self-diagnosis or even "fake" it, I suspect the numbers are very low because autism is a stigmatised identity and there's usually no benefit from wrongly claiming to be autistic. There have been occasions when I have had my doubts about whether some diagnoses are correct but these are usually among those who have been officially diagnosed - often as children - rather than those who have been self-diagnosed. I think this is because the quality of clinical diagnosis is often lacking and errors are made. Some clinicians may give children in particular a collection of diagnoses of which autism is only one and not all of these will be accurate. However I agree that we must be very wary of challenging diagnoses - clinical or self - because we don't know fully a person's situation. Sometimes it may seem clear that someone has misinterpreted what autism means and it may be useful to politely and helpfully clarify that with them but we should be wary of seeming to invalidate their experience and sense of identity.
I have noticed a trend in some online groups to fight for diagnosis even when their physicians disagree. They seem to feel like it is a personality type, or even an elite club that will enable them to receive special consideration from others if they do things that they know are making other people uncomfortable. It is trendy AF, and these attitudes are especially perpetuated by women who share lists of "autistic" symptoms such as being extremely brilliant, extraordinarily empathetic, sensitive, and gifted. Some may be highly intelligent or even savant in specific areas, but autism is more associated with cognitive impairment than brilliance.
The benefit is that an adult can blame their bad or rude behavior on their "autism"
@@allisonwitkowski3447 Exactly. And receive special accommodations because people will be afraid to call them out on it. I see people genuinely struggling who are probably autistic and don't even know it. These are the people who are trying to fit in, but are ignored. They know they are marginalized, but don't understand why. I have great empathy for these people.
Not so much for those who want to be able to climb under tables and meow at work instead of doing their jobs - when they know very well that it is uncomfortable for others and infuriating to the ones who have to pick up the slack.
Does that really happen, though? If it does, yipes, and those people should go screw themselves.
I hear you and most people may not choose this however i think it's still very easy to fall into the trap of "these are the signs.." type social media posts and there are many people are still trying to find themselves or feel nice to be apart of something or feel special somehow but dont realise thats how they feel. I feel like it's possible for people to self diagnose honestly as autistic and not have anything wrong. Just because you dont feel like you fit, doesn't mean that individual has a condition
I am self-diagnosed/identified. I indeed do the research and carefully, honestly and critically reflect on my own behavioral tendencies and issues. The more I learned, the more my situation made sense, and I was able to tell myself "I'm probably autistic." There was a certain relief, or liberation that came with that, and I think I'm a happier and healthier person because of it. Now I typically don't tell people unless I think they will understand or at least be open-minded, and I'm not looking to gain anything from it. That piece of paper that forces others to acknowledge it won't make the issues I face in order to turn to the possibility of autism any more real and worthy of respect. I have been told that it's nonsense, that I shouldn't self-identify because it does more harm than good, and it sucks. There's just as much of a stigma to self-diagnosing as there is to autism itself. Yes I know I may be mistaken, but for me it's not about having THE answer, it's about being able to understand and accept myself, and that improvement to my mental health is and should be enough.
I had to self diagnose, convince my psychiatrist to send me for a proper diagnosis which he didn’t believe and sent me for a second diagnosis and even when he got that all he said was that they would diagnose him if he asked (I don’t disagree). I’m in a really privileged position though. I couldn’t have afforded to pay for a diagnosis and I lose nothing by having one. I can’t have my children taken from me, which is the worst thing I can imagine, as I was never in a position to have children. I can’t face special assessments for my job as my illnesses prevented me from establishing a career and I’m in supported living so my housing and care needs are met because I have a diagnosis, luckily my social worker and other workers I have met had no trouble accepting my diagnosis. I’m aware how lucky I am but it all started with self diagnosis, I would never have got a diagnosis any other way. The current wait time for a diagnosis here is two years if you can’t afford to go private. I have little sympathy with those using faked Autism to lie and cheat people but there’s lots of people who have self diagnosed and who must be wrong and I don’t really consider them faking as much as just being mistaken because they’re not able to access proper support. Thank you for the video, it’s a very complicated and interesting subject.
what research did you use to self diagnose. hopefully not the internet/google and online tests.
R u suggesting that using the internet for research purposes isn't good enough? What would u have accepted as good enough? U can look up the DSM 5 online
It certainly makes a lot of sense that people r out there confused because it is very confusing. People r just out there trying to figure it out. I'd love it if there was some easy way to just do a quick test and b like yep u have autism but no
I'm pretty sure that a lot of people that are well self aware and well informed of autism are capable of self diagnosis. I do believe in a second opinion to rule out bias but sometimes experts aren't as knowledgeable as people think they should be. I believe that some psychologist specialize in some areas of psychology and neglect others depending on their personal interests, opinions, experience, or some other variable.
I could go to one psychologist and he will diagnose me with autism. I could go to another and he might not diagnose me with it. That brings up the question: am I being properly diagnosed? Or am I being misdiagnosed? Who do I believe? That one that confirms what I want to believe? Or the one with "experience"?
I feel like self diagnosis is ok and should not be looked down on that way it is. I'm 99.999% sure I have autism. I have seen lists of traits related to autism and I have around 95% of them to some degree. I don't think my poor social skills and clumsiness are coincidence.
I think inconsistency between clinicians can be a big problem and some may have very high rates of diagnosing autism (and other conditions) while others have very low figures, even dealing with similar cases. They may focus too much on certain issues and even hold misleading views. There have been reports of some people having an autism diagnosis denied because they make eye contact, can hold a conversation, are married or have a job even though it is possible to be autistic and have all those things. Adults in particular have learned to mask and rarely conform to some "Rain Man" stereotype. Other clinicians may be far too liberal and diagnose as autistic anyone who says they sometimes feel uneasy in social situations. There are some excellent clinicians but too many who have partial or even stereotypical knowledge of autism.
That's definitely a point I didn't think about while making the video, second or even third opinions are definitely required in some cases I'm sure and even then as you say, who do you believe? It was something I worried about myself in the lead up to my assessment, as GMLPC said in their comment, I believe far too many clinicians are still expecting a very stereotypical presentation of autism that, for adults especially, often doesn't exist.
With all that being said, I don't think my diagnosis is all that more valid than you being 99.999% sure you're autistic, I just know that I have autistic traits and a guy gave me some paper saying he agreed!
@@DanaAndersen I would agree that it's useful and often validating for someone to seek the views of a clinician and in some cases they have to do this for their diagnosis to be accepted by agencies or employers. It's finding clinicians that are genuine experts on autism that is difficult. Some self-diagnosed people are reluctant to seek an official diagnosis because they're worried about being wrongly told they are not autistic, perhaps on some frivolous basis such as because they made eye contact. Being wrongly turned down is not just upsetting but threatening to someone's identity if they see themselves as autistic.
After doing all this research, I'm seeing all these autism traits I have. So much seems to fit into place.
A person can be sub-clinically Autistic or the Broad Autistic Phenotype. If two people marry who are BAP they're more likely to have an Autistic child and may learn about their own traits as a result. With those traits, you can still struggle in life too. I'm not diagnosed but have been told by professionals helping my diagnosed daughter that I have traits. I know this is true and try to take care of myself and accommodate those difficulties. I know I can help my daughter more successfully that way.
As someone who has the criteria for diagnosis from the DSM 5 and cannot talk to a psychiatrist until I am a resident of the US (Probably another 6 months of waiting) so can not get officially diagnosed yet but will be pursuing as soon as I can. Originally I had a lot of worry until I went through the DSM 5 criteria multiple times and could bring up loads of examples for everything on there and am now sure I qualify for a diagnosis, but the idea of saying I'm autistic without an official diagnosis makes me self hating and anxious around others but knowing I will be getting one in the future makes me feel better.
I’m was diagnosed ASC 14 years ago in the United States. I feel at times I’m totally a HSP too! Thanks for this video👍🏼
i really enjoyed this video and your perspective. subscribed.
Welcome aboard!
I'm self-diagnosed. But it's both down to ease and lack of need. I know I have autism, I've been told by some friends and family I know who work in autism diagnosis that they believe I am autistic. And that's good enough for me - it's their area of expertise and my rather extensive reading on autism corroborates this. As to why I've never sought official diagnosis is because it's a massive pain in the ass. But, whilst growing up I experienced the standard "why am I so different to everyone" phase and that led to me initially being tested for dyslexia. Which is hilarious because I'm a very avid reader and my spelling is above average and therefore passed that part with flying colours. But I was marked down on the social aspects of dyslexia. On the back of that they diagnosed me and I gained access to some disability support through school. Now that I've left school I don't see the point. Up here in Scotland people diagnosed with autism get a concession bus pass, but I don't use buses so that'd be useless to me.
Thank you so much for this video! I'm almost 40 and realize I am autistic. But I can't get a diagnosis because of finances, and we want to adopt since we have infertility.
People online get mad because when people say self diagnose they often think you mean that you claim you are but never intended to go get a diagnosis what you did was pre diagnosis
True
I used to dismiss self-diagnosis as invalid and silly but I’ve now come to understand that this is the only choice for people in some situations. I think that this was due to the way I was diagnosed, and the pervasive internalised ableism which I’m still learning to deconstruct. I wasn’t seeking diagnosis for autism or ever had the thought that I may be autistic. I was being treated for CPTSD when my clinical psychologist began to suspect I was autistic and performed an assessment, only advising me of her diagnosis after a year of seeing her on a weekly basis. It’s taken me a couple of years to learn what autism actually is and fully accept my diagnosis so it’s hard for me to imagine self diagnosis. That would just have never happened and I’d still think I was just anxious, depressed, lazy, weird and difficult because I’m a bad person. The realisation I’m autistic has helped me to finally love and accept myself, and I wouldn’t want to take that sense of peace away from anyone just cause they’re self-diagnosed. However, if they’re offering their advice as absolute truth, or trying to sell a product or service through social media, I’d want to look into the validity of their diagnosis, their relationship with the product they promote, and their qualifications to offer a particular service, such as counselling. ✌️😘💕
I think I'd likely have had an opinion much more similar to that had I also had your experience, I totally had the thoughts of just being anxious, lazy, depressed etc., but also had the underlying thought that no one else seemed to find everything so difficult, so I absolutely know the feeling of being able to accept yourself thanks to knowing you're autistic!
I think anyone offering advice as truth/fact or selling a product/service should be checked for validity really given all the scandals we've seen online in recent years, especially the counselling side given everything with BetterHelp!
Bruh do you have any official diagnosis?
I am self-diagnosed, but I don't even tell anyone because I'm normal enough that I can hide it pretty well. In the online tests I come out about 2 points into the normal range. Still what I've learned about autism has explained a whole lot of problems I've had in my life. Some things I don't identify with at all--like needing routines, but others, like hypersensitivity to light, sound, and physical touch, withdrawal, social alienation, and misreading of social cues have been big problems all my life. So I don't really give a f... if people think I'm faking it, or whatever. I get a lot of benefit out of the RUclips videos on autism. As for faking it, who would want to? It's not fun in the slightest, as attested to by the high suicide rate among autistic people. These pissy people in the comments are watching too many empty-headed teenagers on TikTok, and have a distorted understanding of.....probably everything.
Yeah I think u have it under control, after that talk anyone who was faking will stop now and also b an ally because they're informed hopefully. If life were like that u wouldn't need MasterCard lol
So tired of doctor's thinking because you can't afford an Autism diagnosis then you can't have it.
Saying that its hard to get a diegnosis in America isn't true at all I didn't have health insurance and I was flat broke but I was still able to get appointments and meet face to face with the right doctors I needed to see to get s diagnosis of autism.
I'm really glad you had an easy time of it yourself, but from what I've seen from a lot of other peoples accounts it can cost thousands of dollars and be quite a length process.
It depends on where you live, though. Also, if you're on Medicare and Medicaid they won't take you. I finally got an appointment but I had to tell them I didn't have insurance.