The thing with self-diagnosis is that it reduces the importance of treating mental illnesses. Mental illness isn't some quirky thing to have. It can be seriously detrimental to someone’s health and well-being. As a society, we need to view mental illnesses in the same way we do for other illnesses. If someone’s self-diagnosis is correct, because they didn't see a doctor, they won’t have the same access to treatment as someone who did. The way self-diagnosis is portrayed on social media isn’t helping reduce the stigma around mental illness.
As an austistic female, me getting an early diagnosis was almost impossible. At the age of 15 I started noticing a lot of symptoms in me because at that time there was a big boom on autism awareness. I did extensive amount of research, listed out all my symptoms and went to my psychiatrist with said list. Not that long after, I was finally diagnosed. HOWEVER, not once did I refer to myself as autisic before I got the confirmation. Instead of saying "I am autistic" I said things like "I suspect that I might be autistic"
did you get diagnosed at 15 or as an adult? the process for adults is much longer, expensive, and more complex than going to your psychiatrist and getting a diagnosis not long after. it's not even worth it if you aren't going to seek treatment or disability aid.
i'm also autistic female and i've been going to psychiatric care since i was 12 i believe i can't remember that well. i think ever since then the doctors talked abt the possibility of me having it but they never gave me a diagnosis. when i was 20 and at an appointment my doctor asked me if anyone had ever brought up the possibility to me and i said yea i think cause i didn't remember how seriously it'd been talked about. she said oh good okay i'll send the order to get u tested for it and thus i had the evaluation done with little help from myself to get it. which i find very weird 'cause most ppl i've talked to haven't experienced it the same so i figure i'm quite lucky. i dont believe it cost me much if any either as my country has practically free healthcare. but because of this i don't rly like people self diagnosing autism and saying they won't get the diagnosis either bcs of how it can affect u to have it on paper like with work and other stuff. i find it so disrespectful bcs i didn't have a choice and now i do have that diagnosis on paper and will experience all the negatives of it. so it feels insulting ppl claim to be autistic but dont want to get the diagnosis ....
Self diagnosis CAN be useful/helpful but like most things, it isn't black and white. I generally don't agree with self diagnosis, however, I can and will concede it's helpful/needed in certain situations. Everything is nuanced. That being said, a lot of those who self diagnose are mislead. That doesn't make them a bad person, they just want to understand what's going on with themselves. In the case of a lot of teens and young adults, it could also be a way for them to find community/social connections. I could write a book about this, but alas, this is a youtube comment section lol
Thank you for sharing this. I agree that it is kind of a gray area & I appreciate you saying it doesn't make them a bad person there are pros and cons to self diagnosis
Our brains aren’t finished developing is why it’s rare to be diagnosed with many personality disorders. It’s not unheard of, it’s also not the norm. Self-diagnosis without intent to get help, via getting formally diagnosed or therapy to learn coping methods, is harmful. That’s the problem, too many are self-diagnosing and stopping there
I have a friend who self diagnosed with bipolar disorder. She did months and months of (confirmation biased) research, joined support groups and discords, etc. She got a bipolar pride flag and almost got a tattoo, too. She never saw a doctor. Never got blood labs. Never typed "differential diagnosis for bipolar" into the search bar. She never mentioned in her discord chats or added to her search queries her hair falling out or her fingers always be cold or her sensitivity to extreme temperatures. They didn't seem related to her bipolar so she never listed them among her symptoms. And then she ended up in the ER for what she thought was a manic episode and instead it was a life threatening condition; thyroid storm. She didn't have bipolar, she had an auto immune thyroid disease. Her self diagnosis almost ended her life.
I once experienced a weird and extremely painful physical symptom, I googled it to decide if it was something to see a doctor about or not, and based on that and its possible relation to a strange and unexplained ER visit I suffered a few months prior I decided to see the doctor to get it checked and get his opinion. But while explaining why I was there (basically what I just wrote), the doctor interrupted me with a snide remark about Google MD, insulted me for self diagnosing, did no examination and left. I never even said anything that could be construed as a self diagnosis. I never mentioned any specific illnesses. The man was just so damn sensitive about it that he wouldn’t even examine me after merely saying I used google to decide if the issue warranted a doctors visit, ‘cause you know, doctor visits cost money and time. I’m sure he felt like it was his “and then everyone clapped” moment. Never booked with that emotional little king again though. Started to really distrust doctors after that too. Anyway I hate him but I also hate self diagnosers of all stripes for creating this kind of culture. They think they’re not harming anyone but they are. They just don’t have to see it.
Cheater hair person very accurate. My first referal for DID/OSDD (The NHS in UK) went to a male psychiatrist who said I didn't have either because he was misogynistic, transphobic and homophones. He also called it MPD. Then onsecond opinion with consultant I recieved diagnosis. Also where I live in UK, it takes 3 years to get asd assessment decision for ASD under NHS. The sustism woman was awful saying horrible things about disgnosed ASD people. She makes good points but why say these horrible things?
It just depends, I got diagnosed by a doctor for autism when I was 3, but ever since the thing with ticks and roses I’ve been skeptical about self diagnosis for anything really, when people self diagnose, sometimes they will try to mold themselves into the stereotype of a condition, I just say to do research and don’t say 100% your something without getting the proper diagnosis.
I think a lot of people also self-diagnose because they think if they don’t have a disorder, it means their problems aren’t real. To any reading this: Even if you don’t have a disorder, your issues are valid, and you still deserve understanding and help
I’m a medical professional, and there are some mental health issues that even I don’t feel confident diagnosing. That’s why we have specialists. Mental and behavioral health is extremely complicated. Even if you feel the need to self-diagnose, please do not go sharing this online. Misinformation is dangerous.
Self diagnosis is hurting everybody though, the individual themselves and genuine disorders/illnesses as it has many negative consequences such as further stigmatising illnesses as well as making it alot more difficult for professionals to diagnose disorders due to the trend of 'wanting' a diagnosis so therefore studying known symptoms and behaviours causing problems with criteria
Thank you for sharing this. But It must be so frustrating when someone genuinely believes they have a condition & the professional questions it because of what's happening online
@michelle_mana definitely, there's also a lot of people who are going undiagnosed (mainly younger people) because professionals are in such difficult positions. It's always helpful when family, parents, and carers are able to support you during appointments by describing their own observations too, but I know sadly that isn't possible for many. I think maybe more attention should be paid to *why* this upsurge in typically symptom free individuals obsessively scouring the Internet, medical literature, joining support groups etc purely to learn 'how to have their chosen illness' Maybe there needs to be more studies on this pattern of behaviour. I believe there are some of these people who are nothing more than attention seekers. We've always had them, and they aren't going anywhere (!) However, I'm not going to say I 100% believe in this, even though I've been becoming more convinced of this theory. Could it be possible that a mixture of the long-term psychological effects of lockdown on people, especially those who were in their formative years and the knock-on effects of the internet on the brain? Humans are social species, even introverts during studies have been found that despite preferring to be alone in their own space still benefit from minimal level interaction or even just knowing they have the option of a social setting even if only for 30 mins. There is a measurable and notable difference between alone time, personal space, and downtime in the average person. In introverts, a preference for their own company, creating their private space is possible, etc. However, in the average level of how socially active an individual may be when measured from the highly scoring introverted personalities and up to average level of social behaviour,.in varying levels, personal space and a preference for their own company is always a factor. However, people have mistaken this preference for the more introverted a person the less they're able to experience loneliness whereas in fact introverts and people with scores ranging up to approximately lower to mid (a small number of studies measured from extreme introversion ((without agoraphobia etc.)) up to mid range personalities, so they included completely average scoring participants too. Every one of the studies showed that many people, especially younger participants, described themselves as introverted and believed that to be a true description of their personalities. However, when more in depth data was collected it was repeatedly discovered that only a minority of those who believed that their behaviour was a reflection of being typically introverted. Yet, quite worryingly it was found that the majority who believed their traits were due to personality type, yet when they were interviewed many believed their experience of being introverted explained their behaviours such as isolating themselves, fearing going outside (agoraphobia), disjointed sleep patterns, difficulties with food eating too much/not enough, general self care and many more. They appeared in numbers so concerningly high to mistakenly believe they were introverted and only had any form of social interaction online where they would create personas purely to achieve attention in any way. Some had multiple profiles with multiple issues eg. Abusive relationships, blogs that are completely fictional almost like a soap opera again for attention and the interest of others and support too. And then, of course the countless profiles of fake, undiagnosed etc mental illnesses/disorders, personality disorders, neurodivergent disorders. The theory is that young people during their formative years are not developing socially as they should in the natural typical experiences eg. Real life social interaction, long term relationships, possible romantic experiences, these and more should be practically a daily component of life. However, statistics show that this is not happening to such a degree it's leading to massive increases in people not developing socially as they should, leading to social interaction issues, struggling to function in reality completely and these issues as well as isolation and multiple others are part of the reason for this raise in the need to be somehow 'different' eg. various diagnoses as part of a cry out for help that they don't know how to ask for. There are diagnoses and treatment for these issues caused through problems bought on by any problems during formative years. However now there are a number of Dr's studying these disorders and their effects who believe there are lost generations who need a new specific diagnosis and treatment plan and then some way to ensure in future somehow prevent this arising at all. Has anybody else Read about these studies and various theories and hypothese? What does anybody else think
Proud to be a Manatee! Great video! I think you can HELP your Dr. or therapist with an inner fact-finding mission & awareness of things that may not seem aligned with the norm. But true diagnosis (& then treatment) needs to come from the professional. I believe that most mental illnesses have numerous aspects that the person WITH the illness cannot see in themselves. It’s like when I was growing up I believed that every kid was afraid of their parents & that regular beatings were normal. It wasn’t until college, when we were finally away from the situation, that the truth came out that my childhood was NOT what others experienced.
Thank you for sharing! I think it's a good point that there are some symptoms you can't be objective about with yourself because it's part of the symptom. I agree that it can be helpful to suggest to a therapist that you have symptoms of x disorder. Hope you're doing well
I totally understand the concern around self-diagnosing personality disorders and mental illnesses. I agree that those diagnoses should be given by professionals. BUT. I have to say something about autism. There are studies that show the vast majority of self-diagnosed autistic people actually receiving a formal diagnosis when they pursue it. Autism is extremely under researched and misunderstood EVEN by mental health professionals. The information that’s taught in universities is not up to date and only reflects research done in white young males. So many professionals have no clue how it presents in women, POC, etc. Psychiatrists dismiss women pursuing autism assessments based on 30 year old stereotypes such as “you can’t be autistic because you make eye contact and you’re in a relationship”. The bias of many formal autism assessments is real. Most autistic people who self-diagnose actually make autism their special interest and study all they can find on the subject for months and even years before concluding they’re autistic. It’s a research done with dedication that surpasses some professionals. Self-diagnosing as autistic can be life-saving. After a lifetime of unexplained struggles and feeling like an alien, people finally begin to understand and learn to accommodate themselves, unlearning the harmful trauma responses of masking and camouflaging that lead to burnout. I’m speaking as a formally diagnosed autistic person with ADHD who was once self-diagnosed with both and questioned by everybody.
I was diagnosed with up to 7 different things at one point by different professionals. The most damaging being Bipolar 2 where I was put on harmful medications that made me extremely worse, then I was diagnosed with BPD instead of BP2 after one crisis appointment with a therapist... I started getting videos about how autism can show itself in women and started doing a lot of research through professionally diagnosed women, reputable self assessments, books, and mapping out all 7 of my disorders, their traits and how they could correlate with autism that might have been missed in my childhood, teen and adult years. I self diagnosed for almost 2 years until I could get a professional assessment, which was over $2k that Im still paying off 2 years later, and my 7 diagnosed disorders were reduced to CPTSD, Autism, ADHD and Major depressive disorder.
Im always skeptical with people using self diagnosis (when it comes to mental health or nuerodigvergancy) I'm a 2020 grad, so I watched as this all really began, especially with the freshman. It made it hard to believe even myself, who has diagnoses. It wasn't until a year and a half ago we found out I was autistic. Through a nueropsychcologist. I had a really nasty head injury that lead to post concussion syndrome, memory retention issues, migraines, vision issues, etc. Part of that Dr's testing to figure out what therapies could help me, for my age group 18-25, he also tested for autism, adhd, anxiety. I was with him for 5 hours so he saw pretty much all my behaviors. The reason he tests for it is because these can impact what therapies works and what doesn't for pcs and what ways to make a plan specifically for you. Turns out my dad had kept trying to get my birth giver to go take me to be tested all through out my childhood (he was in the army and deployed or station overseas a lot so he couldn't) and my now fiance thought for 3 years I was hiding the fact I'm autistic from him. Like my man knew before me? I didn't even know. While I would love to make content relating to this, I won't ever because of people faking or try using it to self diagnose themselves. But my adhd and autism got placed as bpd as a teen. Which all the therapies relating to bpd never helped. I felt worse. But now I have the answer which is nice and I woukd love to help others who have the same issue but again the self diagnosing is such a scary place I don't want to add fuel to the fire ya know? But I love that you're talking about this because it shows both positives and negatives. 😊
I'm big on "I have symptoms of..." And I was someone who was a case of misdiagnosis! I was misdiafnosed with bipolar disorder quite young and thankfully my mom was very offput by the diagnosis and encouged me to keep looking and exploring because she felt 17 was young ans my symptoms weren't bad enough to be such an outlier. At 17 I thought my mom was wack and just wanted to do what the doctor suggested. But the medication wreaked havoc on me, and once I got my psychology degree, I realized my mom was RIGHT lol my symptoms were NOT bad enough to be such an outlier to get that diagnosis at 17! So my ass with my partner and my mom had the DSM open and whatever patient history we could get from my (at that point) 22 year history of in/out patient treatment. And when I narrowed it down to a juicy ADHD & GAD combination, I just said I had symotoms of the 2. And then instead of just seeing a psychologist/psychiatrist in general, I was lucky enough to see a psychiatrist who specialized in women who have ADHD afer I saw my GP and presented my case. So my self/family/partner diagnosis helped me GET my real diagnosis and circumvent a second misdiagnosis!
3:34 there's also something to be said for the face that having many of the symptoms of something doesn't necessarily mean that diagnosis fits best. there's a ton of overlap between different neurodivergencies, which is why differential diagnosis must also be considered. when i was 15 i was on the quest of identifying what was "wrong with me" and eventually landed on bpd/eupd. i had nearly every symptom and was testing into the severe level of bpd. i told my therapist about my theory and she basically laughed in my face. not the greatest delivery, but she was right. see, i had many traits of bpd, ocd, anger issues, and social anxiety, but i didn't have bpd, ocd, anger issues, and social anxiety. i had, and have, autism. it's kind of like how just because you have a fever and the sniffles doesn't mean you have covid. considering overlapping diagnoses is an important step in the process if for some reason you need to self diagnose.
Self diagnosing may be bad for DID but as a diagnosed autistic, who was once undiagnosed, diagnosis are already hard to get, but formal diagnosis doesnt always means you have no proof, my psychologist said she thinks I have autism before I got a more formal diagnosis, my brother also begin to think he is autistic and accepted it, and guess what? He got diagnosed with autism! Many autistic people need to take a initiative to see themselves as autistic so they can live better, learn why they have certain problems, and learn to respect themselves And I must say, I saw someone say that self diagnosis makes it harder for professionals to diagnose disorders but I don't believe that with autism, most people who seek out professionals are able to gather proof that they fit the criteria for autism, so while it's not my place to talk about DID self diagnosis, I just need to express that for autistic people it's life saving, if I didn't think "I might be autistic" and sought help for autistic problems, no one would *ever* have tried to diagnose me, everyone in my life was too uninformed about it or was too taboo for them to consider because I was a "smart" and "good kid", I would have probably have tried to kill myself more times if I never realized, I would think Im the reason for all my problems, that I have some fundamental issue about me that can't be fixed and that I'll always live in misery
i have a personal bone to pick with self diagnosers because my sister, a medical doctor who studied for 6 years has read about psych patients faking disorders and is now CONVINCED i am faking my bpd. not only her though, also other family members etc. it’s gotten to the point i hardly talk to them about my life anymore because i‘m currently doing a lot of therapy and recovery. i was professionally diagnosed twice. they still don’t believe me because of kids faking shit online and getting bashed for it. thanks for nothing 🤪🤪🤪
My honest opinion of self-diagnosis is, if you self-diagnose you shouldn't go around telling people about it and using it as an excuse for your behavior. Don't go online and tell people your experience with having this self-diagnosis. I believe I have something wrong with me, but I need to build up the courage to actually get diagnosed. It seems like today, a self-diagnosis is an identity. I honestly don't understand why some people go online and have their diagnoses in their bio. I view it as a risk. You're telling strangers about your mental disability, making it much easier for them to take advantage of you. Which is something that is confusing to me because if you actually have that mental disability, you'll understand that risk, but a lot of these people don't view it as a big risk. It makes me wonder if they don't understand they are making themselves more vulnerable, or if they don't think it makes them more vulnerable because if they don't actually have that mental disability, then it doesn't make them more vulnerable to tell everyone about their self-diagnosed mental disability.
I'm new to the channel and binging. I agree with the defenses of self diagnosis I've seen in the comments. For me, I related a lot to content by autistic creators, but I didn't want to assume I was based on that relation. It wasn't until I saw a psychiatrist that brought it up to me that I even wanted to consider it. I then started therapy, and completely seperate from my psychiatrists input, they also mentioned ASD as a likely diagnosis. When I wanted confirmation so I could better understand myself and what to do next, I was shocked by the nightmare of it. ASD testers are very hard to find. Many out there also only work with children and wont diagnose adults. In my entire state, there is only 1 tester accepting new patients (for next year at the soonest), he said insurance doesnt cover it, and my out of pocket cost would be around $3,000. I understand the popularization of mental illness has led to a lot of stigma, but I completely understand why so many turn to self diagnosis. There is a limit to access diagnosis. Like the "go to therapy" trend made sense as many people do need it, but in reality, therapy is hard to get into and often riddled with BetterHelp quality services. Since I started going to therapy, both of my practitioners have been firm in saying they believe i have ASD, but because theyre not licensed or certified, I could never claim it without having to clarify its an unofficial diagnosis. These situations are so complex. Its so important we talk about the damage 'faking' can do, but we cant discount all of these people due to lack of resources. Diagnosis, in the US at least, is a priviledge. I think you did a great job covering this. I just wanted to share my experience and be sure we dont villainize unofficial diagnosis altogether in an era of economic strife and limited resources.
so how do people feel about those cannot afford mental health care? how do seek to find healing or cope? how much research would be required?/genuinequestion
to be clear, i'm not personally against self diagnosis. but self diagnosis really won't do much for you. you're still going to have to identify your specific problems and find coping mechanisms. i was depressed when i was 14 and i actually had a psychotherapist, but she never diagnosed me. we just practiced coping tools and mood regulation techniques. the lack of diagnosis didn't hinder me. it's somewhat of a fallacy that having x mental illness strictly means you need y coping tool. that won't work for everyone with the illness, and some people without the illness might also benefit from it. example: many NT people are benefited from fidget toys. you don't have to be ND, or know you're ND, to utilize that. there is something to be said for treatment mapping and how it differs between specific mental illnesses, but typically when we're talking about that sort of thing we're talking about treatment that would necessarily be delivered on a professional level. at which point the hypothetical becomes irrelevant because the subject *can* afford mental health care and *does* have someone to diagnose them.
I've been experiencing memory gaps for the majority of my childhood and with the help of the internet and my partner system, i have realized that i may not be alone in my own head... I've always seen self diagnoses as wrong but when these bariers were broken and after a long stage of denial...i can no longer ignore the facts of what i am personally experiencing, but sadly i am unable to reach a mental health professional about it. That being said, i have been using the internet to help my case, and i know when the information i see is helpful or not.. i only follow what personally works for me
For me its all so confusing. Theres too many over lapping symptoms with many disorders. All i can do is trust that the doctors know best. It can be so hard for many reasons to get the right help, but it is worth looking into before making any conclusions. And even doctors are sometimes wrong. Also i dont want it to define me.
I get the point of self dx but its also like, just don't publish shit online about it/teaching people on it if you aren't formally diagnosed. As a mentally ill transmasculine person who went through my own journey to get my diagnosis(es)- I talked to my therapist who knew me since I was 14, who then guided me to a psyche when I wanted to get treated for my OCD, and through talking to that psyche she suggested that I should go through the process to get an ASD diagnosis due to certain details that aligned more with ASD symptoms than OCD ones. I then went through the process of getting my ASD diagnosis. But also I wanted to be formally diagnosed so I can eventually get a service animal one day to help with grounding me. Finding your resources is hard and emotionally taxing, but doable. I paid for all my visits and worked my ass off to get the treatment I needed- especially when it came to Trauma, OCD, and figuring out my coping mechanisms. Because relying on the internet to FIX YOU is not going to help, and will most likely harm you instead.
Diagnosis is meant for treatment of something that interferes with your life. You can have tendencies, but live a normal life, so you wouldn't be diagnosed with a disorder, unless the therapist or doctor diagnosing you only looks at symptoms and not your lifestyle and past history. In example, autism is probably over diagnosed because trauma also covers every symptom, but people don't want to face their trauma or don't know about it, or they have poor diet and sleep habits mixed with an overloaded schedule. I don't agree with self diagnosis at all without a goal of healing. I thought I was schizophrenic and probably getting early onset dementia, when in actuality I have PTSD and a dissociative disorder. I've worked hard trying to overcome my symptoms and heal, whereas my friend claims she's autistic and adhd but never stops moving and working and won't do anything to help herself but keep piling on more work so she doesn't have to be honest with herself about her behavior and how poorly she treats everyone around her.
I think self diagnosis is ok for certain things as long as people make sure to do plenty of research. Some things are more simple to diagnose like anxiety, but then some are very complicated like did which idk if people should be diagnosing themselfs. I self diagnosed before I got professionally diagnosed. Self diagnosis doesnt actually do anything for you anyways, you cant get accommodations or anything until you have a professional diagnosis. I still wouldn't like post about it online and tell a bunch of people and make content about it until you actually get a professional diagnosis as well just because you might be wrong.
🙋🙋♀🙋♂💁♀ (they wanted to wave and say "Hi") Hello, I believe *self-diagnosis of any condition* from allergies to schizophrenia *is not healthy* BECAUSE there may be other MORE pressing issues taking place (PATIENT "My allergies make me feel out of breath" DOCTOR "Maybe your 50 years of smoking is the cause and not allergies") OR, PATIENT "I don't go out and do things. I must have agoraphobia." DOCTOR "Your labs show decreased proteins and you say that you eat 1200 calories a day, so I would like to also look at your physical symptoms." At 10:10 you said, "In some cases of D.I.D. your brain is like I actually cannot deal with this information that I'm receiving and so I'm literally split myself off into another person. For some people this may be why you don't have great communication with your alters at the beginning stages of therapy." Well, there's my problem. Rather than fronting during sessions (or rarely if at all?), the alters instead convey the trauma incident, either in memory, emotions, or verbally with me, the current Host. It hurts, immensely, and I love them all for holding what they have held, yet, it is so difficult to act as a liaison for them because that means I have to know 'remember' all the pain, emotions, and emptiness of each of the trauma incidents. A thing that no one 'person' should know/feel/experience. Would appreciate your thoughts and input. And yes, I have shared this with my counselor(s). Kindly, Cloud Oh, and I as well voted "Manatee" 🤭
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and experiences! It's a great point that it's important to recognize that self-diagnosis can sometimes overlook underlying issues or lead to misinterpretations of symptoms. My unprofessional opinion & I hope I'm understanding but if not please correct me: Acting as a liaison for them & remembering all the pain sounds incredibly challenging and painful. (I am not a professional) but it seems like they might not want want to come forward during therapy for a reason that I don't know. Or because of your progress in therapy, memories are coming forward or they feel a stronger relationship with you. I hope you are able to develop strategies to manage your symptoms with your counselor(s), but I can imagine it takes a lot of strength, time & resilience. It's really good that you're advocating for yourself and seeking support, that is a huge step. Wishing you the best❤
I’m self diagnosed with autism and ADHD, but do actually have a reason! Even before I knew what they were I always felt different from everyone and viewed life differently, and once I began doing my research I realised how heavily I related to it. The difference is I’m in the process of trying to get a diagnosis both so I can finally feel validated like ‘oh my god, I can finally say I have this and people will know what’s going on’ and also be able to get help in college/uni
Well done! Great vid. I am in the uk and im dx with DID/C-PTSD. which ad you know is cringingly *popular* with bored idiots on tik tok who thinks its cute and quirky. People self dx-ing grate me. It took years for me to be seen and assessed, but that process was important. You cannot diagnose your own levels of dissociation, how is that possible? One of my kids is dx autistic. Another's annoyingly popular tik tok fad. Im not autistic and dont want to speak for that community however self dx worries me there too because during our sons assessment they also formally diagnosed OCD...as parents we did not see thst one coming. We had predicted autism but without professional input we'd never have know of the OCD, we just didnt recognise it (much parental guilt now) It was vital for HIM that we get that full, in depth assessment so that we are able to help him learn to understand his full self as best he can. OCD is such a hard thing to live with and im glad it was spotted so weve been able to support him. .if we'd stuck with "well loooook at him, hes obviously autistic" and not taken him for that in dept assessment, we'd have ultimately failed him because he may have never known why he feels these confusing scary compulsions, or why his life was so controlled by obsessive safety seeking routines. But ..dx is a privilege and honestly i do feel like im hitting my head off a brick wall trying yo get out youngest assessed. Cos girls present differently and masking is very real. Its hard. So ultimately, id say self diagnosis as a placeholder is so completely valid but keep pushing, cos that full in-depth assessment is so so important
Wow. Thank you for sharing. I can imagine it's very difficult or impossible to diagnose your own levels of dissociation. Also thank you for sharing about your kid. This is a great example of why it's important to go through an in depth assessment. While diagnosis can be considered a privilege, I've heard so many stories like yours where it is an incredibly difficult journey. So I can understand if people with a diagnosis might not appreciate it being called one.
I get some of the principles for self-diagnosis with financial barriers etc. I just don't get why people advertise themselves as being self-diagnosed. The phrasing can make it seem like what you think you know is definite, and thus, that you feel no need for medical diagnosis. That may be the case for some, but I disagree with that element of it because medical diagnosis is what elevates something from a "quirky trait" that has devastating impacts socio-emotionally to something that still has devastating impacts socio-emotionally but is taken seriously. Really what these people should be saying is "I suspect I have X disorder" until proven definitively, and regardless they should not be acting as a public figure advocate for that disorder while in that gray area.
There are some things that are easier to diagnose over other things. I've gone over 'is this autism or cptsd symptoms' with my therapist and the overlap of symptoms between trauma responses, ASD, Bipolar, BPD, etc can be SO close. In the US it can be incredibly hard to get seen, I get that, but there's also zero harm in saying 'I haven't been able to get a formal diagnosis but I resonate with symptoms of ______' or something along those lines. I wouldn't personally say someone is definitely faking and I think that's even harder to speculate with ASD, but some like DID it's much easier to literally just watch and see someone disqualify themselves from the minimum criteria in the DSM5. I think there's a lot of weight in knowing your own mind and own self, I think self diagnosis should come with that disclaimer to be honest. Especially if you're making content attempting to educate people on something you haven't been formally developed with yourself. It's not like people are being fakeclaimed before they make awareness content often.
I have strong views on this and have been diagnosed with autistic spectrum disorder and ADHD. I don't believe that self-diagnosis is ever valid unless there is a post-apocalyptic situation and you are left with only a tattered copy of the ICD/DSM and unlikely to meet a surviving mental health professional on the wastelands. I actually used to support self-diagnosis because I thought that it was only a tiny handful in desperate and dire straits that indulged in it. However, when I saw how commonplace this damaging trend was, I changed my mind. Joking aside, there is nothing wrong with suspecting that you have a certain condition and then getting it confirmed or not as the case may be. This was how I got diagnosed with ADHD and autism. However, no one should ever be encouraged to slap a mental health label on themselves and say that they definitely have X disorder without professional input. I know that some places have terrible access to healthcare and that needs to change but why can't you say "I suspect that I have X disorder and I would like to have some support dealing with the symptoms" instead of self-diagnosing? I have a huge problem with lots of the self-diagnosed people speaking over those of us that are actually diagnosed and screaming that autism is "just a difference and never a disability." This hurts people who have to go through the pain of these disorders every day and the way that they attack you because you dared to speak up about how autism isn't all fun and joy is just unbelievable. I know that this has happened with the DID fakers and probably other disorders as well. Anyone who is going to self-diagnose/fake an illness to speak over those who actually have said illness really should be ashamed of themselves. If they want a quirky little subculture then fine but please don't use actual clinical terms that should be reserved for people diagnosed with life ruining disorders. If people want to be neurodivergent or plural then fine, as they are not actual clinical terms. I have autism and whilst some autistic people like the term neurodivergent (their choice, no judgment) I cannot stand it because it is not a clinical term and I feel like it plays down the difficulties of living with my conditions. It is okay to want to find community with similarly quirky people and I wouldn't begrudge anyone for desiring such a human thing. It is not okay to fake illnesses for clout and if you or someone you know does this, please see a qualified therapist about it.
i dont think you understand. the only way to confirm whether you do have autism or not, is actually applying for assessment with a professional. yeah not everybody would get in the line, it takes a lot of time and resources, but that is the only known way to find out, unfortunately. also, i don't like how you imply that any positive portrayal of autism and neurodivergency is "romantization". yes autism is a disorder, it is a legitimate disability and it makes life for autistic people a lot harder. but it does not spell the end of the world as much as "autism moms" and autism speaks would like you to believe. autistics are people, they get to go through both the good and the bad parts of their life with this condition. good parts should be celebrated and bad parts should be treated with empathy and respect. also it seems like you underestimate how many woman and poc and just adults in general don't get their deserved diagnosis and treatment because they don't fit such rigid criterias as eye contact, among others. this is why when most people who diagnose themselves on a suspicion of autism, don't seek that information from social media, but veritable sources that were made available by autistics for autistics. plus qualified therapists can be wrong, because most information they learn in colleges and universities is outdated and wrong. so if you don't trust those who self-diagnose, how much can you trust the psychologists and psychiatrists?
@@makeart-notwar-6732not even professionals are allowed to self-diagnose due to a thing called confirmation bias. Every human has it and no one can truly overcome it. This is why an outside opinion is essential in terms of diagnosis. The DSM that professional people use is essentially just the notes and they would have had a LOT of education and training on how to use those notes properly. Another thing is that in fields where information changes, professionals attend training even after university. It isn't a case of qualifying and then never learning. There may be one professional who really is bad and occasionally mistakes are made but they are not in some sort of conspiracy against autistic people. There was an article not long ago in Psychology Today about how a record number of people who weren't white were now getting diagnosed. Your point about making eye contact etc, any professional can see through that and if you can "mask" so well that you don't appear autistic, you probably don't have autism. You definitely have problems if you want a label and to be disabled so badly. You need and deserve help if you are in this category. "Veritible sources that were made available by autistics for autistics" can also be false and I'd take the opinion of someone professionally trained to help me over some echo chamber crap all day. There is something your lot love to say about knowing yourselves better than a professional. In some ways you are correct but the professionals know the disorder way better than any of us ever will. They didn't sit in university twiddling their thumbs, they attended rigorous training as well as getting a post graduate degree. If people pushing this ideology spent as much time trying to campaign for better access to diagnosis as they did spreading their beliefs, they could actually do some good in the world. You can self-suspect and think that you may have a certain disorder and then seek professional advice. You may be right or you may be wrong but a doctor will know best. Self-diagnosing can also be dangerous in that you may be completely wrong and for those who build their identity around a false diagnosis, this can cause more harm when they are eventually sent to a professional and find out that they don't have it. Your post is like you copy and pasted it from elsewhere that is pushing what I can only describe as the "neurodiversity and self-diagnosis cult." I suffer from autism and can't form connections with people, that's probably why I can't comprehend the desire to conform to a group of people and spread misinformation just to fit in. I hope that you one day get the help that you need and stop spreading this nonsense without critical thought.
I'm a feminist so would much rather be called a Manatee than part of the Manation even though I know it's nothing to do with the patriarchy and in reality we are living in a 'man' nation lol
@michelle_mana naa I just think that's because it's cool lol most channels have cool names for their subs but this one is great it's funny original and it's not offensive because obviously it's your name but you went crazy with it lol 😜
It´s so strange, these people are defending their self diagnosises so strong and if you question them they scream ableism, but all they seem to "use" their selfdiagnosis for is belonging to a community, not getting treatment. What do they want a diagnosis for, if not for getting help for the illness they "have"? I don´t know anyone who would say I have a self diagnosed broken leg but I won´t go to hospital or something... Hmm but if they would get treatment for what they say they have, they would at some point get better, and not anymore belong to that colorful "fun" community of social media mental illness. I think the most of it is really born out of lonelyness and wanting to belong somewhere. For the really young ones i feel kinda sad, but at some point they have to realize that mental illness is not a fun quirky thing but a thing that has the potential to wreck your life... (Hope I didn´t butcher it too much, having a bit of trouble writing english at the moment)
Completely agree. I think it is also a sign that children should not be left on TikTok to jump on those silly trends and should be helped to meet people offline. It is sad that these people can't find other ways to belong such as taking up a hobby or learning a new skill. They also become so attached to the idea that they are autistic or whatever that their world comes crashing down if a professional says otherwise. They overuse the world "ableism" and it has lost its meaning due to people like this.
In the case of self-diagnosed autism, there is no treatment and barely any support, especially for adults. So yes, people literally self-diagnose purely in order to find community, finally understand their lifelong struggles of feeling like an alien and learn how to accommodate themselves.
@@nellyefronOh, I´m sorry, I didn´t want to offend anyone! I´m really sorry. As I was writing the comment, I think I was getting a bit too emotional. I had more the self-diagnosing of mental illnesses in mind, not neurodivergencies. I´m aware, that those are not curable and ressources are hard to get. About one year ago, I had to search for a new treatment team and almost no therapist in my travelling distance wanted to work with me, because I am diagnosed (for 12 years now) with one of the conditions that are "popular" among a certain group of people who self diagnose with this mental illness. I guess I wasn´t able to stay rational as I was writing my former comment, I was too angry in that moment and it probably wasn´t a good idea to write before calming myself 100% down. Again, I´m sorry.
@@nellyefron There could be a whole myriad of reasons why someone could feel like that besides autism. Being diagnosed with autism doesn't even guarantee that you will be able to find community, as I have a diagnosis and I often feel just as alienated around other autistic people as I do around those without the condition...especially in online spaces. By self-diagnosing, they are refusing to look into other possibilities. There may not be much treatment and support for autism but there is for other things that may look similar to autism. Someone without a professional qualification just slapping a label on themselves may be treatable and be able to access therapy for the condition that they genuinely do have. Self-diagnosis is harmful to people. You can find community by doing these really old fashioned and cool things like finding a hobby or achieving something, instead of labelling yourself with a condition that you may not even have. People who want to have a label and sense of belonging should perhaps just stick to the term "neurodivergent" that is a non-medical term and not diagnose with actual disorders.
@@ERROR_brain_not_found no worries, I understand there’s a difference in diagnosing and treatment (or lack of thereof) between neurodivergencies and mental illnesses. I agree with you regarding mental illnesses. It’s just that the author of the video put autism in the same category.
The thing with self-diagnosis is that it reduces the importance of treating mental illnesses. Mental illness isn't some quirky thing to have. It can be seriously detrimental to someone’s health and well-being. As a society, we need to view mental illnesses in the same way we do for other illnesses. If someone’s self-diagnosis is correct, because they didn't see a doctor, they won’t have the same access to treatment as someone who did. The way self-diagnosis is portrayed on social media isn’t helping reduce the stigma around mental illness.
As an austistic female, me getting an early diagnosis was almost impossible. At the age of 15 I started noticing a lot of symptoms in me because at that time there was a big boom on autism awareness. I did extensive amount of research, listed out all my symptoms and went to my psychiatrist with said list. Not that long after, I was finally diagnosed. HOWEVER, not once did I refer to myself as autisic before I got the confirmation. Instead of saying "I am autistic" I said things like "I suspect that I might be autistic"
did you get diagnosed at 15 or as an adult? the process for adults is much longer, expensive, and more complex than going to your psychiatrist and getting a diagnosis not long after. it's not even worth it if you aren't going to seek treatment or disability aid.
i'm also autistic female and i've been going to psychiatric care since i was 12 i believe i can't remember that well. i think ever since then the doctors talked abt the possibility of me having it but they never gave me a diagnosis. when i was 20 and at an appointment my doctor asked me if anyone had ever brought up the possibility to me and i said yea i think cause i didn't remember how seriously it'd been talked about. she said oh good okay i'll send the order to get u tested for it and thus i had the evaluation done with little help from myself to get it. which i find very weird 'cause most ppl i've talked to haven't experienced it the same so i figure i'm quite lucky. i dont believe it cost me much if any either as my country has practically free healthcare. but because of this i don't rly like people self diagnosing autism and saying they won't get the diagnosis either bcs of how it can affect u to have it on paper like with work and other stuff. i find it so disrespectful bcs i didn't have a choice and now i do have that diagnosis on paper and will experience all the negatives of it. so it feels insulting ppl claim to be autistic but dont want to get the diagnosis ....
Self diagnosis CAN be useful/helpful but like most things, it isn't black and white. I generally don't agree with self diagnosis, however, I can and will concede it's helpful/needed in certain situations. Everything is nuanced. That being said, a lot of those who self diagnose are mislead. That doesn't make them a bad person, they just want to understand what's going on with themselves. In the case of a lot of teens and young adults, it could also be a way for them to find community/social connections. I could write a book about this, but alas, this is a youtube comment section lol
Thank you for sharing this. I agree that it is kind of a gray area & I appreciate you saying it doesn't make them a bad person there are pros and cons to self diagnosis
Our brains aren’t finished developing is why it’s rare to be diagnosed with many personality disorders. It’s not unheard of, it’s also not the norm.
Self-diagnosis without intent to get help, via getting formally diagnosed or therapy to learn coping methods, is harmful. That’s the problem, too many are self-diagnosing and stopping there
Thanks for sharing!
I'm still struggling to understand the point of self diagnosing without further seeking therapy to learn coping methods.
7:40 lmaooooo “internalized ableism.”
I have a friend who self diagnosed with bipolar disorder. She did months and months of (confirmation biased) research, joined support groups and discords, etc. She got a bipolar pride flag and almost got a tattoo, too. She never saw a doctor. Never got blood labs. Never typed "differential diagnosis for bipolar" into the search bar. She never mentioned in her discord chats or added to her search queries her hair falling out or her fingers always be cold or her sensitivity to extreme temperatures. They didn't seem related to her bipolar so she never listed them among her symptoms.
And then she ended up in the ER for what she thought was a manic episode and instead it was a life threatening condition; thyroid storm. She didn't have bipolar, she had an auto immune thyroid disease. Her self diagnosis almost ended her life.
I once experienced a weird and extremely painful physical symptom, I googled it to decide if it was something to see a doctor about or not, and based on that and its possible relation to a strange and unexplained ER visit I suffered a few months prior I decided to see the doctor to get it checked and get his opinion. But while explaining why I was there (basically what I just wrote), the doctor interrupted me with a snide remark about Google MD, insulted me for self diagnosing, did no examination and left. I never even said anything that could be construed as a self diagnosis. I never mentioned any specific illnesses. The man was just so damn sensitive about it that he wouldn’t even examine me after merely saying I used google to decide if the issue warranted a doctors visit, ‘cause you know, doctor visits cost money and time. I’m sure he felt like it was his “and then everyone clapped” moment. Never booked with that emotional little king again though. Started to really distrust doctors after that too. Anyway I hate him but I also hate self diagnosers of all stripes for creating this kind of culture. They think they’re not harming anyone but they are. They just don’t have to see it.
Cheater hair person very accurate. My first referal for DID/OSDD (The NHS in UK) went to a male psychiatrist who said I didn't have either because he was misogynistic, transphobic and homophones. He also called it MPD. Then onsecond opinion with consultant I recieved diagnosis. Also where I live in UK, it takes 3 years to get asd assessment decision for ASD under NHS.
The sustism woman was awful saying horrible things about disgnosed ASD people. She makes good points but why say these horrible things?
It just depends, I got diagnosed by a doctor for autism when I was 3, but ever since the thing with ticks and roses I’ve been skeptical about self diagnosis for anything really, when people self diagnose, sometimes they will try to mold themselves into the stereotype of a condition, I just say to do research and don’t say 100% your something without getting the proper diagnosis.
I think a lot of people also self-diagnose because they think if they don’t have a disorder, it means their problems aren’t real. To any reading this: Even if you don’t have a disorder, your issues are valid, and you still deserve understanding and help
I’m a medical professional, and there are some mental health issues that even I don’t feel confident diagnosing. That’s why we have specialists. Mental and behavioral health is extremely complicated. Even if you feel the need to self-diagnose, please do not go sharing this online. Misinformation is dangerous.
Self diagnosis is hurting everybody though, the individual themselves and genuine disorders/illnesses as it has many negative consequences such as further stigmatising illnesses as well as making it alot more difficult for professionals to diagnose disorders due to the trend of 'wanting' a diagnosis so therefore studying known symptoms and behaviours causing problems with criteria
Thank you for sharing this.
But It must be so frustrating when someone genuinely believes they have a condition & the professional questions it because of what's happening online
@michelle_mana definitely, there's also a lot of people who are going undiagnosed (mainly younger people) because professionals are in such difficult positions. It's always helpful when family, parents, and carers are able to support you during appointments by describing their own observations too, but I know sadly that isn't possible for many.
I think maybe more attention should be paid to *why* this upsurge in typically symptom free individuals obsessively scouring the Internet, medical literature, joining support groups etc purely to learn 'how to have their chosen illness'
Maybe there needs to be more studies on this pattern of behaviour. I believe there are some of these people who are nothing more than attention seekers. We've always had them, and they aren't going anywhere (!) However, I'm not going to say I 100% believe in this, even though I've been becoming more convinced of this theory. Could it be possible that a mixture of the long-term psychological effects of lockdown on people, especially those who were in their formative years and the knock-on effects of the internet on the brain?
Humans are social species, even introverts during studies have been found that despite preferring to be alone in their own space still benefit from minimal level interaction or even just knowing they have the option of a social setting even if only for 30 mins.
There is a measurable and notable difference between alone time, personal space, and downtime in the average person. In introverts, a preference for their own company, creating their private space is possible, etc. However, in the average level of how socially active an individual may be when measured from the highly scoring introverted personalities and up to average level of social behaviour,.in varying levels, personal space and a preference for their own company is always a factor. However, people have mistaken this preference for the more introverted a person the less they're able to experience loneliness whereas in fact introverts and people with scores ranging up to approximately lower to mid (a small number of studies measured from extreme introversion ((without agoraphobia etc.)) up to mid range personalities, so they included completely average scoring participants too.
Every one of the studies showed that many people, especially younger participants, described themselves as introverted and believed that to be a true description of their personalities. However, when more in depth data was collected it was repeatedly discovered that only a minority of those who believed that their behaviour was a reflection of being typically introverted. Yet, quite worryingly it was found that the majority who believed their traits were due to personality type, yet when they were interviewed many believed their experience of being introverted explained their behaviours such as isolating themselves, fearing going outside (agoraphobia), disjointed sleep patterns, difficulties with food eating too much/not enough, general self care and many more. They appeared in numbers so concerningly high to mistakenly believe they were introverted and only had any form of social interaction online where they would create personas purely to achieve attention in any way. Some had multiple profiles with multiple issues eg. Abusive relationships, blogs that are completely fictional almost like a soap opera again for attention and the interest of others and support too. And then, of course the countless profiles of fake, undiagnosed etc mental illnesses/disorders, personality disorders, neurodivergent disorders.
The theory is that young people during their formative years are not developing socially as they should in the natural typical experiences eg. Real life social interaction, long term relationships, possible romantic experiences, these and more should be practically a daily component of life. However, statistics show that this is not happening to such a degree it's leading to massive increases in people not developing socially as they should, leading to social interaction issues, struggling to function in reality completely and these issues as well as isolation and multiple others are part of the reason for this raise in the need to be somehow 'different' eg. various diagnoses as part of a cry out for help that they don't know how to ask for.
There are diagnoses and treatment for these issues caused through problems bought on by any problems during formative years. However now there are a number of Dr's studying these disorders and their effects who believe there are lost generations who need a new specific diagnosis and treatment plan and then some way to ensure in future somehow prevent this arising at all.
Has anybody else Read about these studies and various theories and hypothese? What does anybody else think
Proud to be a Manatee! Great video!
I think you can HELP your Dr. or therapist with an inner fact-finding mission & awareness of things that may not seem aligned with the norm. But true diagnosis (& then treatment) needs to come from the professional. I believe that most mental illnesses have numerous aspects that the person WITH the illness cannot see in themselves.
It’s like when I was growing up I believed that every kid was afraid of their parents & that regular beatings were normal. It wasn’t until college, when we were finally away from the situation, that the truth came out that my childhood was NOT what others experienced.
Thank you for sharing! I think it's a good point that there are some symptoms you can't be objective about with yourself because it's part of the symptom. I agree that it can be helpful to suggest to a therapist that you have symptoms of x disorder. Hope you're doing well
I totally understand the concern around self-diagnosing personality disorders and mental illnesses. I agree that those diagnoses should be given by professionals. BUT. I have to say something about autism.
There are studies that show the vast majority of self-diagnosed autistic people actually receiving a formal diagnosis when they pursue it. Autism is extremely under researched and misunderstood EVEN by mental health professionals. The information that’s taught in universities is not up to date and only reflects research done in white young males. So many professionals have no clue how it presents in women, POC, etc. Psychiatrists dismiss women pursuing autism assessments based on 30 year old stereotypes such as “you can’t be autistic because you make eye contact and you’re in a relationship”. The bias of many formal autism assessments is real.
Most autistic people who self-diagnose actually make autism their special interest and study all they can find on the subject for months and even years before concluding they’re autistic. It’s a research done with dedication that surpasses some professionals.
Self-diagnosing as autistic can be life-saving. After a lifetime of unexplained struggles and feeling like an alien, people finally begin to understand and learn to accommodate themselves, unlearning the harmful trauma responses of masking and camouflaging that lead to burnout. I’m speaking as a formally diagnosed autistic person with ADHD who was once self-diagnosed with both and questioned by everybody.
I was diagnosed with up to 7 different things at one point by different professionals. The most damaging being Bipolar 2 where I was put on harmful medications that made me extremely worse, then I was diagnosed with BPD instead of BP2 after one crisis appointment with a therapist... I started getting videos about how autism can show itself in women and started doing a lot of research through professionally diagnosed women, reputable self assessments, books, and mapping out all 7 of my disorders, their traits and how they could correlate with autism that might have been missed in my childhood, teen and adult years. I self diagnosed for almost 2 years until I could get a professional assessment, which was over $2k that Im still paying off 2 years later, and my 7 diagnosed disorders were reduced to CPTSD, Autism, ADHD and Major depressive disorder.
Im always skeptical with people using self diagnosis (when it comes to mental health or nuerodigvergancy) I'm a 2020 grad, so I watched as this all really began, especially with the freshman. It made it hard to believe even myself, who has diagnoses.
It wasn't until a year and a half ago we found out I was autistic. Through a nueropsychcologist. I had a really nasty head injury that lead to post concussion syndrome, memory retention issues, migraines, vision issues, etc. Part of that Dr's testing to figure out what therapies could help me, for my age group 18-25, he also tested for autism, adhd, anxiety. I was with him for 5 hours so he saw pretty much all my behaviors. The reason he tests for it is because these can impact what therapies works and what doesn't for pcs and what ways to make a plan specifically for you.
Turns out my dad had kept trying to get my birth giver to go take me to be tested all through out my childhood (he was in the army and deployed or station overseas a lot so he couldn't) and my now fiance thought for 3 years I was hiding the fact I'm autistic from him. Like my man knew before me? I didn't even know.
While I would love to make content relating to this, I won't ever because of people faking or try using it to self diagnose themselves.
But my adhd and autism got placed as bpd as a teen. Which all the therapies relating to bpd never helped. I felt worse. But now I have the answer which is nice and I woukd love to help others who have the same issue but again the self diagnosing is such a scary place I don't want to add fuel to the fire ya know?
But I love that you're talking about this because it shows both positives and negatives. 😊
I'm big on "I have symptoms of..."
And I was someone who was a case of misdiagnosis! I was misdiafnosed with bipolar disorder quite young and thankfully my mom was very offput by the diagnosis and encouged me to keep looking and exploring because she felt 17 was young ans my symptoms weren't bad enough to be such an outlier. At 17 I thought my mom was wack and just wanted to do what the doctor suggested. But the medication wreaked havoc on me, and once I got my psychology degree, I realized my mom was RIGHT lol my symptoms were NOT bad enough to be such an outlier to get that diagnosis at 17! So my ass with my partner and my mom had the DSM open and whatever patient history we could get from my (at that point) 22 year history of in/out patient treatment. And when I narrowed it down to a juicy ADHD & GAD combination, I just said I had symotoms of the 2. And then instead of just seeing a psychologist/psychiatrist in general, I was lucky enough to see a psychiatrist who specialized in women who have ADHD afer I saw my GP and presented my case. So my self/family/partner diagnosis helped me GET my real diagnosis and circumvent a second misdiagnosis!
3:34 there's also something to be said for the face that having many of the symptoms of something doesn't necessarily mean that diagnosis fits best. there's a ton of overlap between different neurodivergencies, which is why differential diagnosis must also be considered.
when i was 15 i was on the quest of identifying what was "wrong with me" and eventually landed on bpd/eupd. i had nearly every symptom and was testing into the severe level of bpd. i told my therapist about my theory and she basically laughed in my face. not the greatest delivery, but she was right. see, i had many traits of bpd, ocd, anger issues, and social anxiety, but i didn't have bpd, ocd, anger issues, and social anxiety. i had, and have, autism.
it's kind of like how just because you have a fever and the sniffles doesn't mean you have covid. considering overlapping diagnoses is an important step in the process if for some reason you need to self diagnose.
Self diagnosing may be bad for DID but as a diagnosed autistic, who was once undiagnosed, diagnosis are already hard to get, but formal diagnosis doesnt always means you have no proof, my psychologist said she thinks I have autism before I got a more formal diagnosis, my brother also begin to think he is autistic and accepted it, and guess what? He got diagnosed with autism! Many autistic people need to take a initiative to see themselves as autistic so they can live better, learn why they have certain problems, and learn to respect themselves
And I must say, I saw someone say that self diagnosis makes it harder for professionals to diagnose disorders but I don't believe that with autism, most people who seek out professionals are able to gather proof that they fit the criteria for autism, so while it's not my place to talk about DID self diagnosis, I just need to express that for autistic people it's life saving, if I didn't think "I might be autistic" and sought help for autistic problems, no one would *ever* have tried to diagnose me, everyone in my life was too uninformed about it or was too taboo for them to consider because I was a "smart" and "good kid", I would have probably have tried to kill myself more times if I never realized, I would think Im the reason for all my problems, that I have some fundamental issue about me that can't be fixed and that I'll always live in misery
i have a personal bone to pick with self diagnosers because my sister, a medical doctor who studied for 6 years has read about psych patients faking disorders and is now CONVINCED i am faking my bpd. not only her though, also other family members etc. it’s gotten to the point i hardly talk to them about my life anymore because i‘m currently doing a lot of therapy and recovery.
i was professionally diagnosed twice. they still don’t believe me because of kids faking shit online and getting bashed for it.
thanks for nothing 🤪🤪🤪
Second comment just to shout out the name Manatees! Sea cows, and cows are like giant puppies, so giant sea puppies!!
Omg!! (no manatee emoji)
My honest opinion of self-diagnosis is, if you self-diagnose you shouldn't go around telling people about it and using it as an excuse for your behavior. Don't go online and tell people your experience with having this self-diagnosis. I believe I have something wrong with me, but I need to build up the courage to actually get diagnosed. It seems like today, a self-diagnosis is an identity. I honestly don't understand why some people go online and have their diagnoses in their bio. I view it as a risk. You're telling strangers about your mental disability, making it much easier for them to take advantage of you. Which is something that is confusing to me because if you actually have that mental disability, you'll understand that risk, but a lot of these people don't view it as a big risk. It makes me wonder if they don't understand they are making themselves more vulnerable, or if they don't think it makes them more vulnerable because if they don't actually have that mental disability, then it doesn't make them more vulnerable to tell everyone about their self-diagnosed mental disability.
I'm new to the channel and binging. I agree with the defenses of self diagnosis I've seen in the comments. For me, I related a lot to content by autistic creators, but I didn't want to assume I was based on that relation. It wasn't until I saw a psychiatrist that brought it up to me that I even wanted to consider it. I then started therapy, and completely seperate from my psychiatrists input, they also mentioned ASD as a likely diagnosis. When I wanted confirmation so I could better understand myself and what to do next, I was shocked by the nightmare of it. ASD testers are very hard to find. Many out there also only work with children and wont diagnose adults. In my entire state, there is only 1 tester accepting new patients (for next year at the soonest), he said insurance doesnt cover it, and my out of pocket cost would be around $3,000.
I understand the popularization of mental illness has led to a lot of stigma, but I completely understand why so many turn to self diagnosis. There is a limit to access diagnosis. Like the "go to therapy" trend made sense as many people do need it, but in reality, therapy is hard to get into and often riddled with BetterHelp quality services.
Since I started going to therapy, both of my practitioners have been firm in saying they believe i have ASD, but because theyre not licensed or certified, I could never claim it without having to clarify its an unofficial diagnosis. These situations are so complex. Its so important we talk about the damage 'faking' can do, but we cant discount all of these people due to lack of resources. Diagnosis, in the US at least, is a priviledge.
I think you did a great job covering this. I just wanted to share my experience and be sure we dont villainize unofficial diagnosis altogether in an era of economic strife and limited resources.
so how do people feel about those cannot afford mental health care? how do seek to find healing or cope? how much research would be required?/genuinequestion
like I'm trying to save money to actually get the care I need, but trying to find ways to heal and cope until then is really difficult.
to be clear, i'm not personally against self diagnosis. but self diagnosis really won't do much for you. you're still going to have to identify your specific problems and find coping mechanisms. i was depressed when i was 14 and i actually had a psychotherapist, but she never diagnosed me. we just practiced coping tools and mood regulation techniques. the lack of diagnosis didn't hinder me.
it's somewhat of a fallacy that having x mental illness strictly means you need y coping tool. that won't work for everyone with the illness, and some people without the illness might also benefit from it. example: many NT people are benefited from fidget toys. you don't have to be ND, or know you're ND, to utilize that.
there is something to be said for treatment mapping and how it differs between specific mental illnesses, but typically when we're talking about that sort of thing we're talking about treatment that would necessarily be delivered on a professional level. at which point the hypothetical becomes irrelevant because the subject *can* afford mental health care and *does* have someone to diagnose them.
I've been experiencing memory gaps for the majority of my childhood and with the help of the internet and my partner system, i have realized that i may not be alone in my own head...
I've always seen self diagnoses as wrong but when these bariers were broken and after a long stage of denial...i can no longer ignore the facts of what i am personally experiencing, but sadly i am unable to reach a mental health professional about it. That being said, i have been using the internet to help my case, and i know when the information i see is helpful or not.. i only follow what personally works for me
For me its all so confusing. Theres too many over lapping symptoms with many disorders. All i can do is trust that the doctors know best.
It can be so hard for many reasons to get the right help, but it is worth looking into before making any conclusions. And even doctors are sometimes wrong.
Also i dont want it to define me.
I get the point of self dx but its also like, just don't publish shit online about it/teaching people on it if you aren't formally diagnosed.
As a mentally ill transmasculine person who went through my own journey to get my diagnosis(es)- I talked to my therapist who knew me since I was 14, who then guided me to a psyche when I wanted to get treated for my OCD, and through talking to that psyche she suggested that I should go through the process to get an ASD diagnosis due to certain details that aligned more with ASD symptoms than OCD ones. I then went through the process of getting my ASD diagnosis.
But also I wanted to be formally diagnosed so I can eventually get a service animal one day to help with grounding me.
Finding your resources is hard and emotionally taxing, but doable. I paid for all my visits and worked my ass off to get the treatment I needed- especially when it came to Trauma, OCD, and figuring out my coping mechanisms. Because relying on the internet to FIX YOU is not going to help, and will most likely harm you instead.
Diagnosis is meant for treatment of something that interferes with your life. You can have tendencies, but live a normal life, so you wouldn't be diagnosed with a disorder, unless the therapist or doctor diagnosing you only looks at symptoms and not your lifestyle and past history. In example, autism is probably over diagnosed because trauma also covers every symptom, but people don't want to face their trauma or don't know about it, or they have poor diet and sleep habits mixed with an overloaded schedule. I don't agree with self diagnosis at all without a goal of healing. I thought I was schizophrenic and probably getting early onset dementia, when in actuality I have PTSD and a dissociative disorder. I've worked hard trying to overcome my symptoms and heal, whereas my friend claims she's autistic and adhd but never stops moving and working and won't do anything to help herself but keep piling on more work so she doesn't have to be honest with herself about her behavior and how poorly she treats everyone around her.
I think self diagnosis is ok for certain things as long as people make sure to do plenty of research. Some things are more simple to diagnose like anxiety, but then some are very complicated like did which idk if people should be diagnosing themselfs. I self diagnosed before I got professionally diagnosed. Self diagnosis doesnt actually do anything for you anyways, you cant get accommodations or anything until you have a professional diagnosis. I still wouldn't like post about it online and tell a bunch of people and make content about it until you actually get a professional diagnosis as well just because you might be wrong.
🙋🙋♀🙋♂💁♀ (they wanted to wave and say "Hi")
Hello,
I believe *self-diagnosis of any condition* from allergies to schizophrenia *is not healthy* BECAUSE there may be other MORE pressing issues taking place (PATIENT "My allergies make me feel out of breath" DOCTOR "Maybe your 50 years of smoking is the cause and not allergies") OR, PATIENT "I don't go out and do things. I must have agoraphobia." DOCTOR "Your labs show decreased proteins and you say that you eat 1200 calories a day, so I would like to also look at your physical symptoms."
At 10:10 you said, "In some cases of D.I.D. your brain is like I actually cannot deal with this information that I'm receiving and so I'm literally split myself off into another person. For some people this may be why you don't have great communication with your alters at the beginning stages of therapy."
Well, there's my problem. Rather than fronting during sessions (or rarely if at all?), the alters instead convey the trauma incident, either in memory, emotions, or verbally with me, the current Host. It hurts, immensely, and I love them all for holding what they have held, yet, it is so difficult to act as a liaison for them because that means I have to know 'remember' all the pain, emotions, and emptiness of each of the trauma incidents. A thing that no one 'person' should know/feel/experience.
Would appreciate your thoughts and input. And yes, I have shared this with my counselor(s).
Kindly, Cloud
Oh, and I as well voted "Manatee" 🤭
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and experiences!
It's a great point that it's important to recognize that self-diagnosis can sometimes overlook underlying issues or lead to misinterpretations of symptoms.
My unprofessional opinion & I hope I'm understanding but if not please correct me: Acting as a liaison for them & remembering all the pain sounds incredibly challenging and painful. (I am not a professional) but it seems like they might not want want to come forward during therapy for a reason that I don't know. Or because of your progress in therapy, memories are coming forward or they feel a stronger relationship with you.
I hope you are able to develop strategies to manage your symptoms with your counselor(s), but I can imagine it takes a lot of strength, time & resilience.
It's really good that you're advocating for yourself and seeking support, that is a huge step.
Wishing you the best❤
@@michelle_mana if you are not a professional, then what right do you have to declare who does have a certain condition and who doesn't?
I’m self diagnosed with autism and ADHD, but do actually have a reason! Even before I knew what they were I always felt different from everyone and viewed life differently, and once I began doing my research I realised how heavily I related to it. The difference is I’m in the process of trying to get a diagnosis both so I can finally feel validated like ‘oh my god, I can finally say I have this and people will know what’s going on’ and also be able to get help in college/uni
Well done! Great vid. I am in the uk and im dx with DID/C-PTSD. which ad you know is cringingly *popular* with bored idiots on tik tok who thinks its cute and quirky.
People self dx-ing grate me. It took years for me to be seen and assessed, but that process was important. You cannot diagnose your own levels of dissociation, how is that possible?
One of my kids is dx autistic. Another's annoyingly popular tik tok fad.
Im not autistic and dont want to speak for that community however self dx worries me there too because during our sons assessment they also formally diagnosed OCD...as parents we did not see thst one coming. We had predicted autism but without professional input we'd never have know of the OCD, we just didnt recognise it (much parental guilt now)
It was vital for HIM that we get that full, in depth assessment so that we are able to help him learn to understand his full self as best he can. OCD is such a hard thing to live with and im glad it was spotted so weve been able to support him. .if we'd stuck with "well loooook at him, hes obviously autistic" and not taken him for that in dept assessment, we'd have ultimately failed him because he may have never known why he feels these confusing scary compulsions, or why his life was so controlled by obsessive safety seeking routines.
But ..dx is a privilege and honestly i do feel like im hitting my head off a brick wall trying yo get out youngest assessed. Cos girls present differently and masking is very real.
Its hard.
So ultimately, id say self diagnosis as a placeholder is so completely valid but keep pushing, cos that full in-depth assessment is so so important
Wow. Thank you for sharing. I can imagine it's very difficult or impossible to diagnose your own levels of dissociation.
Also thank you for sharing about your kid. This is a great example of why it's important to go through an in depth assessment.
While diagnosis can be considered a privilege, I've heard so many stories like yours where it is an incredibly difficult journey. So I can understand if people with a diagnosis might not appreciate it being called one.
I get some of the principles for self-diagnosis with financial barriers etc. I just don't get why people advertise themselves as being self-diagnosed. The phrasing can make it seem like what you think you know is definite, and thus, that you feel no need for medical diagnosis. That may be the case for some, but I disagree with that element of it because medical diagnosis is what elevates something from a "quirky trait" that has devastating impacts socio-emotionally to something that still has devastating impacts socio-emotionally but is taken seriously. Really what these people should be saying is "I suspect I have X disorder" until proven definitively, and regardless they should not be acting as a public figure advocate for that disorder while in that gray area.
There are some things that are easier to diagnose over other things. I've gone over 'is this autism or cptsd symptoms' with my therapist and the overlap of symptoms between trauma responses, ASD, Bipolar, BPD, etc can be SO close. In the US it can be incredibly hard to get seen, I get that, but there's also zero harm in saying 'I haven't been able to get a formal diagnosis but I resonate with symptoms of ______' or something along those lines. I wouldn't personally say someone is definitely faking and I think that's even harder to speculate with ASD, but some like DID it's much easier to literally just watch and see someone disqualify themselves from the minimum criteria in the DSM5. I think there's a lot of weight in knowing your own mind and own self, I think self diagnosis should come with that disclaimer to be honest. Especially if you're making content attempting to educate people on something you haven't been formally developed with yourself. It's not like people are being fakeclaimed before they make awareness content often.
I have strong views on this and have been diagnosed with autistic spectrum disorder and ADHD. I don't believe that self-diagnosis is ever valid unless there is a post-apocalyptic situation and you are left with only a tattered copy of the ICD/DSM and unlikely to meet a surviving mental health professional on the wastelands. I actually used to support self-diagnosis because I thought that it was only a tiny handful in desperate and dire straits that indulged in it. However, when I saw how commonplace this damaging trend was, I changed my mind.
Joking aside, there is nothing wrong with suspecting that you have a certain condition and then getting it confirmed or not as the case may be. This was how I got diagnosed with ADHD and autism. However, no one should ever be encouraged to slap a mental health label on themselves and say that they definitely have X disorder without professional input. I know that some places have terrible access to healthcare and that needs to change but why can't you say "I suspect that I have X disorder and I would like to have some support dealing with the symptoms" instead of self-diagnosing?
I have a huge problem with lots of the self-diagnosed people speaking over those of us that are actually diagnosed and screaming that autism is "just a difference and never a disability." This hurts people who have to go through the pain of these disorders every day and the way that they attack you because you dared to speak up about how autism isn't all fun and joy is just unbelievable. I know that this has happened with the DID fakers and probably other disorders as well. Anyone who is going to self-diagnose/fake an illness to speak over those who actually have said illness really should be ashamed of themselves.
If they want a quirky little subculture then fine but please don't use actual clinical terms that should be reserved for people diagnosed with life ruining disorders. If people want to be neurodivergent or plural then fine, as they are not actual clinical terms. I have autism and whilst some autistic people like the term neurodivergent (their choice, no judgment) I cannot stand it because it is not a clinical term and I feel like it plays down the difficulties of living with my conditions. It is okay to want to find community with similarly quirky people and I wouldn't begrudge anyone for desiring such a human thing. It is not okay to fake illnesses for clout and if you or someone you know does this, please see a qualified therapist about it.
i dont think you understand. the only way to confirm whether you do have autism or not, is actually applying for assessment with a professional. yeah not everybody would get in the line, it takes a lot of time and resources, but that is the only known way to find out, unfortunately. also, i don't like how you imply that any positive portrayal of autism and neurodivergency is "romantization". yes autism is a disorder, it is a legitimate disability and it makes life for autistic people a lot harder. but it does not spell the end of the world as much as "autism moms" and autism speaks would like you to believe. autistics are people, they get to go through both the good and the bad parts of their life with this condition. good parts should be celebrated and bad parts should be treated with empathy and respect.
also it seems like you underestimate how many woman and poc and just adults in general don't get their deserved diagnosis and treatment because they don't fit such rigid criterias as eye contact, among others. this is why when most people who diagnose themselves on a suspicion of autism, don't seek that information from social media, but veritable sources that were made available by autistics for autistics. plus qualified therapists can be wrong, because most information they learn in colleges and universities is outdated and wrong. so if you don't trust those who self-diagnose, how much can you trust the psychologists and psychiatrists?
@@makeart-notwar-6732not even professionals are allowed to self-diagnose due to a thing called confirmation bias. Every human has it and no one can truly overcome it. This is why an outside opinion is essential in terms of diagnosis. The DSM that professional people use is essentially just the notes and they would have had a LOT of education and training on how to use those notes properly. Another thing is that in fields where information changes, professionals attend training even after university. It isn't a case of qualifying and then never learning. There may be one professional who really is bad and occasionally mistakes are made but they are not in some sort of conspiracy against autistic people.
There was an article not long ago in Psychology Today about how a record number of people who weren't white were now getting diagnosed. Your point about making eye contact etc, any professional can see through that and if you can "mask" so well that you don't appear autistic, you probably don't have autism. You definitely have problems if you want a label and to be disabled so badly. You need and deserve help if you are in this category.
"Veritible sources that were made available by autistics for autistics" can also be false and I'd take the opinion of someone professionally trained to help me over some echo chamber crap all day. There is something your lot love to say about knowing yourselves better than a professional. In some ways you are correct but the professionals know the disorder way better than any of us ever will. They didn't sit in university twiddling their thumbs, they attended rigorous training as well as getting a post graduate degree.
If people pushing this ideology spent as much time trying to campaign for better access to diagnosis as they did spreading their beliefs, they could actually do some good in the world.
You can self-suspect and think that you may have a certain disorder and then seek professional advice. You may be right or you may be wrong but a doctor will know best. Self-diagnosing can also be dangerous in that you may be completely wrong and for those who build their identity around a false diagnosis, this can cause more harm when they are eventually sent to a professional and find out that they don't have it.
Your post is like you copy and pasted it from elsewhere that is pushing what I can only describe as the "neurodiversity and self-diagnosis cult." I suffer from autism and can't form connections with people, that's probably why I can't comprehend the desire to conform to a group of people and spread misinformation just to fit in. I hope that you one day get the help that you need and stop spreading this nonsense without critical thought.
I'm a feminist so would much rather be called a Manatee than part of the Manation even though I know it's nothing to do with the patriarchy and in reality we are living in a 'man' nation lol
DARN I didn't think of that. Maybe that's why everyone voted for manatee
@michelle_mana naa I just think that's because it's cool lol most channels have cool names for their subs but this one is great it's funny original and it's not offensive because obviously it's your name but you went crazy with it lol 😜
It´s so strange, these people are defending their self diagnosises so strong and if you question them they scream ableism, but all they seem to "use" their selfdiagnosis for is belonging to a community, not getting treatment. What do they want a diagnosis for, if not for getting help for the illness they "have"? I don´t know anyone who would say I have a self diagnosed broken leg but I won´t go to hospital or something...
Hmm but if they would get treatment for what they say they have, they would at some point get better, and not anymore belong to that colorful "fun" community of social media mental illness.
I think the most of it is really born out of lonelyness and wanting to belong somewhere. For the really young ones i feel kinda sad, but at some point they have to realize that mental illness is not a fun quirky thing but a thing that has the potential to wreck your life...
(Hope I didn´t butcher it too much, having a bit of trouble writing english at the moment)
Completely agree. I think it is also a sign that children should not be left on TikTok to jump on those silly trends and should be helped to meet people offline. It is sad that these people can't find other ways to belong such as taking up a hobby or learning a new skill. They also become so attached to the idea that they are autistic or whatever that their world comes crashing down if a professional says otherwise. They overuse the world "ableism" and it has lost its meaning due to people like this.
In the case of self-diagnosed autism, there is no treatment and barely any support, especially for adults. So yes, people literally self-diagnose purely in order to find community, finally understand their lifelong struggles of feeling like an alien and learn how to accommodate themselves.
@@nellyefronOh, I´m sorry, I didn´t want to offend anyone! I´m really sorry. As I was writing the comment, I think I was getting a bit too emotional. I had more the self-diagnosing of mental illnesses in mind, not neurodivergencies. I´m aware, that those are not curable and ressources are hard to get.
About one year ago, I had to search for a new treatment team and almost no therapist in my travelling distance wanted to work with me, because I am diagnosed (for 12 years now) with one of the conditions that are "popular" among a certain group of people who self diagnose with this mental illness. I guess I wasn´t able to stay rational as I was writing my former comment, I was too angry in that moment and it probably wasn´t a good idea to write before calming myself 100% down. Again, I´m sorry.
@@nellyefron There could be a whole myriad of reasons why someone could feel like that besides autism. Being diagnosed with autism doesn't even guarantee that you will be able to find community, as I have a diagnosis and I often feel just as alienated around other autistic people as I do around those without the condition...especially in online spaces. By self-diagnosing, they are refusing to look into other possibilities. There may not be much treatment and support for autism but there is for other things that may look similar to autism. Someone without a professional qualification just slapping a label on themselves may be treatable and be able to access therapy for the condition that they genuinely do have. Self-diagnosis is harmful to people.
You can find community by doing these really old fashioned and cool things like finding a hobby or achieving something, instead of labelling yourself with a condition that you may not even have. People who want to have a label and sense of belonging should perhaps just stick to the term "neurodivergent" that is a non-medical term and not diagnose with actual disorders.
@@ERROR_brain_not_found no worries, I understand there’s a difference in diagnosing and treatment (or lack of thereof) between neurodivergencies and mental illnesses. I agree with you regarding mental illnesses. It’s just that the author of the video put autism in the same category.
diagnosis are hard to get :( especially as a minor it took me a year to get properly diagnosed