#self diagnosis

[my-autism-adhd-blog]

Why self-diagnosed autistics are valid

medical diagnosis can be expensive

humans are the experts on their own minds

family may prevent assessment

diagnosis criteria is a poor checklist of stereotypes

diagnosis criteria ignores gender, race, sexuality, culture & more

medical diagnosis confirms autism, but doesn't create it

discrimination within the medical profession may prevent diagnosis.

Assessment waiting lists often long

medical trauma may make assessment unfeasible

Neurodiverse Journeys

#self diagnosis #why it’s valid #I find it perfectly acceptable with doing the correct research #the diagnosis process can be complicated and sometimes not a very pleasant experience #i honestly think I had ADHD too but I have no idea if I am #actually autistic #self diagnosed adhd #neurodivergence #neurodiversity #actually neurodivergent #feel free to share/reblog #Neurodiverse Journeys (Facebook) #autism awareness month #autism acceptence month

[evilesbiautism]

The most common argument you'll hear against self diagnosis is that people will fake being [X] for attention. But every disabled person, physical or otherwise, knows this could only work in online spaces - the world was not made for us, and brandishing your disability as a badge of honor that gives you ~special privileges~ is such a funny idea.

Like, honey - that doesn't happen. No one gets anything from being disabled. Maybe extra accommodations if you're lucky - but nothing else. And the internet isn't as important as you seem to think - eventually it just feels hollow.

Ask disabled people how often they had to fight to get diagnosed so their medical needs could be met and their complaints would be heard. Doctors are just hardwired to delay this as much as possible.

I knew I was autistic since late 2018 - I got an official diagnosis 4 months ago. Knowing yourself and how you can make your own life easier is a lifesaver.

And this isn't even going into how many *cons* there are to a professional diagnosis, like being met with disdain at most and denied services at worst.

I don't care if a 16 year old who self diagnosed after taking 1 online quiz about autism is wrong. And honestly I think it's weird people treat this 'issue' with so much hatred.

#little rant. sorry #im not talking about tiktok autism bs thats like. misinformation at the very least #im talking about trying to learn about yourself and help yourself. who cares if it turns out to be inaccurate. life life breathe air #actuallyautistic #actually autistic #autism #autistic #adhd #audhd #actually adhd #ocd #actually ocd #like see im constantly denied a diagnosis for ocd and im still like ok whats with the visions and thinking im a monster for them ^_^ #is it bc my obsession is very often avoidance. is it. #self dx #self diagnosis

[incognitopolls]

We ask your questions so you don’t have to! Submit your questions to have them posted anonymously as polls.

#polls #incognito polls #anonymous #tumblr polls #tumblr users #questions #polls about brains #submitted dec 5 #mental health #diagnosis #self diagnosis #mental illness

[bisexualgoth]

idk if that's a hot take or what but i genuinely do not give a flying fuck if kids online self-diagnose with adhd. if they browse those "how to do x with adhd" sites or look for+find support in adhd-specific communities or buy nice planners bc it helps them at school or buy those spinning rings to fidget with literally how is that any of my problem. I'd rather 5000 people without adhd better their lives by using things intended for people w adhd than one kid with adhd feeling lost and depressed bc they're convinced they're just lazy.

#and I'm saying this as someone w a professional diagnosis btw #adhd #actually adhd #add #attention deficit hyperactivity disorder #self diagnosis #444

[adhdpie]

Something I desperately want ppl to know:

LONG COVID CAN LOOK INDISTINGUISHABLE FROM ADULT ADHD

If you are an adult who has never experienced ADHD symptoms until recently: you may have a form of Long COVID

many ppl who have it call ‘brain fog’. Its primary feature is being unable to concentrate & short term memory/working memory issues, which severely impairs executive function.

COVID-induced brain fog’s effect on executive function is essentially indistinguishable from ADHD’s effect on the same.

& brain fog is A VERY COMMON LONG COVID SYMPTOM

as the number of adults with executive dysfunction has shot up, i want people to remember this. Especially if they get an ADHD evaluation and are told they’re not ADHD

Because we are all disabled, and we deserve care and understanding no matter what disabled us

#adhd adult #long covid #brain fog #executive dysfunction #actuallyadhd #adhd lookalikes #adhd problems #self diagnosis

[actuallyverynormalbtw]

i dont like to talk about self-diagnosis because i dont enjoy people making assumptions about me, my illnesses, and my diagnostic status. but i will say:

i have self diagnosed and gone on to be medically validated with an official diagnosis. multiple times actually. i was never wrong about my self-diagnoses.

however, i have been misdiagnosed by professionals FIVE TIMES. and let me tell you, a professional diagnosis being wrong is far more harmful than a self-diagnosis being wrong.

if your self diagnosis is wrong, maybe you used the wrong language or put yourself in a box or now feel invalid and whatnot. but if your professional diagnosis is wrong, it can lead to abuse, medical trauma, panic attacks, issues with medication, even suicide.

i was misdiagnosed with BPD when i was 15 by a psychologist that i spoke to for hardly even 10 minutes. this diagnosis was based on my parent's description of my reactions to abuse, and the diagnosis was used to validate and excuse their abuse.

i was misdiagnosed with MDD when i was 12 and put through several different types of anti-depressants. we never found anything that worked, because it was actually ADHD and dissociation, but i did end up with panic attacks and insomnia all throughout middle/highschool!

when i self-diagnosed with autism however, it saved my life. it took me out of active suicidality because i was able to finally able to accept myself after years of feeling like i am just "being a person wrong". i had the knowledge to accomodate for myself and the language to advocate for myself. this was life changing. even if i was wrong, which i wasnt, i dont see how it couldve caused any harm.

my opinions on self-diagnoses arent black and white, and im not entirely settled on them either, but i do think this is important to understand. doctors and psychologists are not all knowing. we live in a time where we can access thousands of dollars worth of university level education on the internet, even the same exact resources medical students use. plenty of people are capable of interpreting themselves and that information to come to a conclusion about what they are experiencing and what might help.

sure, self-diagnosis might be biased. but a professional is most likely going to be just as biased, and possibly less aware of it. its just silly to use bias as a primary argument when it is an inescapable feature of human psychology. there is a reason ADHD is underdiagnosed in women. there is a reason anxiety disorders are underdiagnosed in men.

an incorrect self-diagnosis wont take away resources or your space in your comminities. but professional misdiagnosis can cause real damage.

(i am not trying to fear-monger about professional diagnosis, moreso responding to the fear-mongering surrounding self-diagnosis)

#self diagnosis #psych critical #actually mentally ill #self diagnosed autism #anti psych #anti psychiatry #discourse tw #tw discourse #madpunk #neurodivergent #neuropunk

[fadedstarpng]

autistic people when there's collectable things with tv shows with multiple generations of them:

#my litte pony friendship is magic #mlp #teenage mutant ninja turtles #littlest pet shop #lps #collectibles #toys #mainly talking about those things but if anyone wants to add other things please do!! #autism #self diagnosis #pls dont take this as generalizing I just really love collecting stuff based on my personal special interests but people who dont #are still autistic regardless also splatoon fixation has returned because of side order but still haven't played it bc I need to finish #the main story mode also got a tiny metal locker bc of splatoon from kmart for 9 dollars and its pink and cute also said kmart bc it still #exists in australia lmao idk about other countries but maybe also nz but not sure!! #edit: i have played some of side order!! its so funnnn

[five-crows-in-a-trench-coat]

When I mentioned my (apparently hot) take that I believe self-diagnosed people are valid, I got a handful of (my first!!!) hate comments.

So I thought I'd elaborate.

People who are self-diagnosed with anything might just end up being default settings. That's okay. What's not okay is denying someone aid on the basis that they don't have a diagnosis.

I always carry earplugs because a bunch of my friends have auditory sensory issues. None of them are diagnosed with anything, but I've helped them through panic attacks nonetheless.

If a stranger came up to me at a loud event and, seeing I have earplugs, asked for a pair, I wouldn't hesitate to give them. Don't bother giving them back, I buy in bulk.

Maybe that person was a neurotypical with sensitive ears, or maybe they were an autistic person with auditory sensory issues. I'll never know. But if my response was, "Do you have autism?" that would just make me a jerk. If their response was "Yes," and I then demanded paperwork as proof of their autism and therefore eligibility for ear plugs? That would mean I'm violating their privacy.

One of my friends had a panic attack at a loud event where she was working, and someone took her shift without question when they asked if she was okay and she said she wasn't. That's being a cool person. Saying "Well, you're not diagnosed with autism," and refusing to help her on that basis while she is clearly in distress is not cool. Even if she is neurotypical, anyone in distress merits help. Just because someone can swim doesn't mean they need breaks to keep from drowning, and refusing them a lifesaver on those grounds is just being a jerk, especially if there's no one else who could use the metaphorical lifesaver.

One of the main reasons I'm pursuing being a psychiatrist is so I can give my friends the diagnoses that I know would make their lives easier. I have the privilege to be diagnosed. They do not. I want to help give people free therapy and diagnoses since, at least in the United States, money is a huge barrier keeping people from diagnoses.

#nonbinary #queer #they them #queer pride #trans #adhd #neurodivergent #tired #autism traits #autism spectrum disorder #asd #autism #self diagnosis #self diagnosers #self diagnosed autism

[purpleflameb0i]

I cannot stress how important getting a diagnosis is for any mental disorder/disability (for anyone who needs it/wants it). And I also cannot stress how much of a privilege it is for people to get an official diagnosis. Self diagnosis is valid. Sincerely, a professionally diagnosed autistic person.

#self diagnosis #self diagnosed autism #self diagnosed adhd #self diagnosers #neurodiversity #autism #autistic #adhd #This goes for anything btw

[starlite-sin]

What a lot of people think self-dxing is:

*sees a video of traits* I do that, so now I’m gonna call myself that

What it actually is:

*sees video or post about traits* oh hey I do that

*gets curious and looks it up* 

*denies having it cause “i don’t relate to this at all”* 

*realizes that they do, diagnostic criteria are just very ridged and don’t provide a lot of explanation* 

*maybe a breakdown or two*

*talks to friends who have it*

*laughing about this anxiety, only for the scary moment of “oh yeah no that sounds like *insert disorder here**

*talks to a therapist if able*

*talks to strangers who have it*

“Maybe it’s not this, maybe it’s this...”

*More research to try to prove themselves wrong*

*realizes all the childhood/teenage moments that should have been a red flag* 

“Well, all these other people have it like this, but mine is different, so I don’t have it!” “No, that’s still a trait/symptom, just less well know or less sensationalized”

*finally coming to terms that maybe you have it*

*depending on what the disorder is, fearing your social life is fucked*

And that’s that. I have never heard of a person going “haha I do that” and calling it a night. There’s always way more to it. 

#self diagnosis #bpd #npd #psychosis #borderline personality disorder #narcisstic personality disorder #adhd #autism #osdd system #didsystem #self-dx

[my-autism-adhd-blog]

When People Say Self-diagnosed Autistic People Take Away ’Real’ Autistic People’s Support, They Fail to Recognise that There is Often No Support for any of us Anyway...

Neurodivergent_lou

#autism #actually autistic #self diagnosis #we need more support #neurodivergence #neurodiversity #actually neurodivergent #feel free to share/reblog #neurodivergent_lou (Facebook)

[theconcealedweapon]

"But what if someone fakes being autistic in order to talk over autistic people?"

They'd have no motive to do that. Autism Speaks does a phenomenal job of talking over autistic people, and they don't pretend to be autistic themselves. Non-autistic people who wish to talk over autistic people already have an outlet for that. They'd gain nothing by pretending to be part of the group they're abusing.

#autism #actuallyautistic #self diagnosis #autism speaks #ableism

[featherybitch]

guys i beg you don't dismiss any possible symptoms you experience!!

a few years ago tiktok began flooding me with adhd and autism symptoms and of course people there quickly mixed them all up BUT it kind of made me realize i might have/be one of these. so i started to research (because it would not be too wise to take all my info from tiktok) adhd symptoms and diagnosis criteria and i thought for a good while it's adhd. once i asked my previous psychiatrist (who was absolute SHIT) about it and she behave like she doesn't even comprehend my words. i knew she was being purposefully obtuse but it stayed with me y'know.

then i started to research autism symptoms and diagnosis criteria and decided that "lmao no way it was autism all along, omg tiktok played me so dirty for making me thing i have adhd". after changing psychiatrists i asked the new one about it and he said that yeah i'm autistic and so 1. i was glad that i figured it out on my own 2. didn't talk about things that led me to believe i might have adhd nor that i even thought that.

well guess what. it was both. the psychiatrist said it's fucking both. it was both all along and i would have meds by know if i didn't start to think that it was silly of me to even consider adhd. i had this brief moment while going from thinking it's adhd to thinking it's autism when i thought it might actually be both but i decided than "eh no way pick a struggle". turns out the struggle was real and it was those two bad boys being comorbid.

#asd #actually autistic #autism #mental health #nd #neurodivergent #autistic #neurodiversity #actually neurodivergent #actuallyautistic #adhd #actually adhd #self diagnosis #comorbidities #comorbid conditions

[the-edgy-fuckerz]

If you aren't purposely faking it, then you're not fake, even if it turns out you aren't a system, you weren't faking, you just had the wrong label for your symptoms, its okay to be wrong, there's nothing morally wrong about it, and if it turns out you are a system you wouldn't have known if you didn't explore it,

Everything will be alright in the end, I promise, stay strong and keep fighting

#traumagenic system #did system #actually traumagenic #self dx #self diagnosis #traumagenic did #endo neutral #did osdd #osdd system

[terfarchive]

me seeing sock (nonbinary genderqueer neurogender it/its) diagnose themself with adhd because school is boring (my doctor recommended to me to get a college roommate that can handle my medication for me because my adhd is so severe i can’t live independently)

#radblr #radical feminism #terfblr #terfsafe #radical feminist safe #gender critical #female separatism #male violence #tra receipts #trans receipts #adhd #self diagnosis #self diagnosed adhd

[puddle-turtle]

#autism #autistic #autistic joy #neurodivergent #neurodiversity #actually neurodiverse #actually autistic #autistic experiences #adhd #self diagnosis #dyslexia #schizophrenia #osdd #did #dissociative identity disorder #partial dissociative identity disorder #ptsd #fibromyalgia #down syndrome