#self dx autism

[purpurrock]

Ohmygod

Out of curiosity I decided to check and see how long I've been trying to diagnose myself with autism and ADHD. I was thinking "oh it's probably almost a year haha!"

It's. Been. Over a year. Holy shit.

The first google document I've opened about being neurodivergent was on December 20th, 2022 at 1:56pm. Thats. Oh my God. I thought it would be may 2023 or something. 2022 SEEMS SO FAR ALL A SUDDEN. FUCK.

All this time and I still haven't finished so I could tell my parents 💀💀

#self diagnosed autism #actually autistic #actually adhd #audhd #autistic #autism #autistic experiences #being autistic #adhd experiences #self diagnosed #self dx #not faking #anti fakeclaimer #actually audhd #autism adhd #self diagnosed adhd #self dx adhd #self dx autism

[controlledchaoscollective]

hey, look at me for a minute,

who told you self diagnosis was shameful?

self diagnosis is not something to be ashamed of, why would it ever be? because the people who hurt you told you it was?

there is no shame in knowing yourself.

self diagnosis is an act of kindness, it is spectacular and caring and allows for healing and acceptance in pain.

there could never be shame or ugliness in something with so much beauty.

self-awareness is a skill humans have strived for their entire existence. being able to look into your own self and pinpoint what’s causing discomfort? that’s amazing, that’s progress, that is beauty in it’s truest form, my dear.

this is brave, this is beauty, this is you. all of you. thank yourself, you deserve it.

#⚖️ #🫧 #(interally spoken by brennan to the whole system and transcribed by Stormi) #ccc rants a lot #posi tag #pro self dx #self dx #chronic illness #actually autistic #actually tourettic #actually adhd #self dx autism #self diagnosis #plural

[jovialnightmares]

I'm autistic with a dx and I think self dx is fine. People know themselves best. If they read up on autism and feel like it fits, that's that. And of course if you consider the barriers to accessing a dx, self dx is the only option for most adults.

.

Send me more opinions about self-dx'ing autism!!

#autism #autistic community #autistic experiences #autistic life #actually autistic #late diagnosed autistic #im not including my opinion because im selfdx and dont want to be biased lol #ask game #autism self dx #self dx autism

[wanderingparasite]

why is it so hard to get an assessment???

i was put on a waitlist for an ASD assessment almost a year ago, and when i had made that initial call, the person helping me had told me that i’d likely be getting a call back sometime in the fall for an evaluation. in the fall, after not hearing anything, i worked up the courage to call again, but this time the person working said that no, in fact, i wouldn’t be getting assessed soon. actually, she said, nobody should have given me that timeline because they have no clue how long the wait will be, that it could be several more years, and that there’s absolutely no way to check where i’m at in the system.

defeated & sad, i decided to reach out to a different organization on campus, who got me in for an ADHD pre-assessment appointment just a month later. i had that appointment and during it, the doctor agreed that everything i described sure sounded like ADHD. however, they didn’t end up taking me in to get evaluated fully because i had too many… confounding factors? he told me that he discourages me from getting tested by ANYONE, in fact, until i get my anxiety under control, and stop smoking weed (even though i explained that ive been having these symptoms since childhood). he said, since im well enough adjusted and still have good grades, that its not that big of a deal.

not to mention times i brought up the possibility of ASD to my past psychiatrist who literally told me “no i dont see it, i’m really good at noticing autism, its always very obvious” while we had only ever had virtual sessions, where he could only see my face and shoulders. he couldnt see me avoiding eye contact because it was through a screen, he never asked about my social functioning, but he sure did diagnose me with OCD and never told me why, even though the only obsessive tendencies i have are closer related to autism and NEVER have any catastrophizing thoughts to go with them.

i am just thankful that i have a supportive therapist right now who validates me and gives me as much support as she can with neurodivergence stuff, because this fucking sucks!!

#actually autistic #asd #autism #self dx autism #adult autism #diagnosis process #talking to the void #AAAAAGGGHGGGHGG

[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

[adhbabey]

Let's talk about some lesser known symptoms of autism! Maybe this will help some of you get a broader perspective on what this can be like. There is a whole grab bag of symptoms of autism, but here are some ones you may not know that you have.

Focus on truth

What does this mean? Well glad you asked. This is the focus on facts and logic rather than anything else. People have shown this as autistic people may refusing to lie because it goes against what they find as true. But that's not always the case.

Have you ever used logic to try and figure out your emotions?

Are you someone who doesn't understand why others may speculate when the current knowledge is right there? (such as subtext versus canon knowledge or theoretical arguments)

Do you find it frustrating when others avoid their problems as a way to avoid figuring out negative things? (such as avoiding conflict in a friend group)

Is it easy for you to talk about your strengths and flaws? Do you know your likes, dislikes and limits pretty well?

High context communication

This is preference on details and the full context of any situation. Often going into great detail and backstory to anything.

Do you feel as though you need to overexplain to give the person everything they need to know?

Have you ever apologized to someone by explaining the deep and meaningful reasons of why you did it, before you said you were sorry? And maybe even felt upset or confused why they reacted badly?

Have you ever felt stressed out because you wanted to give others full detail but they either interrupted you or cut you off?

Are you stressed out by people who tell you what to do and not why they want you to do it?

Are you ever told that you talk back a lot?

Do you prefer recipes versus verbal/vague instructions? (All the things that you need such as ingredients, measurements, prep time, etc.)

Do you really like watching deep dives and knowing about the whole history of something you're even vaguely interested in?

Identity diffusion

This is not everyone's experience, and it is common in a variety of other disorders such as DID and BPD. However, it is when you do not know who you are in regards to others. This is also known as identity disturbance.

Have you ever felt like an outsider without knowing why?

Are you deeply interested on what other people think of you? Especially if it's all the time?

Do you really like taking personality tests and quizzes? Are you interested in horoscopes?

Do you feel like you don't fit in any one specific group? Either being a loner, or hopping in between many different groups?

Do you ever feel weirder than the "weird kids" group? Do you not really get along or feel like you belong with them?

Do you have low self esteem when it comes to comparing yourself to your friends? Do you feel like they're better or more capable than you?

Do you feel drastically unimportant and not as interesting or cool as everyone else?

Have you ever related to narratives surrounding a character that is the last of their kind?

Do you feel like your identity is a vast and gaping void, that even if you learn a little bit, that you'll never know everything?

Internalized repetition

This is one of those traits that not every autistic person experiences, but that some might. You could say that for all autistic traits, but hey, good to know regardless. Because of internalized repetition, you may not do many external stims, besides vocal.

Do you listen to a song over and over again? Perhaps having a playlist on repeat?

When stressed out, do you type the same word or phrase over and over again?

Do you like looking at the same things, such as the same color or the same artist's works?

Do you really like certain patterns, crystals or aesthetics?

Do you enjoy games with recognizable fighting patterns? (Such as character rotation, boss battle rotation, etc.)

Struggling to connect to others *

This is something that's been characterized by struggling to connect to others through their emotions, but the opposite is actually true for many autistic people. *I will be talking about those who struggle to connect to others who are emotionally distant or unavailable. Being emotionally distant or not showing emotions externally is a trait that many autistic people share, but for those without alexithymia, they may struggle to understand why anyone wouldn't like to talk about their emotions. I don't know the specific symptom term for this, so please bare with me. If anyone would like to inform me about what this is called, please tell me.

Do you struggle to talk with dry texters, or tend to over-examine people's tone through text?

Do you have anxious attachment?

Do you feel disconnected with many other autistic people and struggle to make friends or talk to them?

Do you feel embarrassment or shame with being emotionally sensitive?

Have you fallen down the rabbit hole of things like starseeds, star children or empaths?

Do you want to talk about serious emotions a lot, even when its not appropriate?

Do you trauma dump or wish people would become more emotionally intimate with you? Do you enjoy it when people share their deep traumas with you, even if it's triggering?

Are you constantly reassurance seeking?

There is plenty more symptoms out there, and these are just a few that stood out to me, because I think I may be autistic. I've always related somewhat, but never connected the dots. But there are reasons for that, such as identity diffusion and thinking I'm different from everyone else no matter what. I struggled because I didn't seem to have a lot of the outward and visible symptoms that were often talked about. I thought every autistic person had alexithymia, when that's just not true. My best friend, who has similar symptoms to me, along with another close friend of mine, have a similar presentation of autism. And it's taken quite a bit for me to accept or process. I feel like I'm faking my experiences just because I've self diagnosed before. And I'm angry that ADHD isn't given enough significance.

But I think I might be autistic, and this article that I based this post off of, confirmed it. So here's my post informing and coming out on that. You can be autistic and highly masking without actually knowing what's going on is masking. You can be autistic and have a spectrum of verbality, you can be autistic and struggle to connect to anyone who isn't immediately emotionally intimate with you. You can be autistic and not relate at all to other autistic people.

You're not alone.

#babey posts #actually autistic #audhd #autism #autism spectrum disorder #i know its a spectrum disorder but bro it doesn't feel like it #its broader than you might realize #you can be autistic and struggle to accept it #this has been the most frustrating and painful realization #i just. i feel a lot of negative feelings at myself about this #but i want to curate a place for people to exist without judgement #and before the anti self dx ppl come in here. this has never been the blog for you. #if youre like this. you belong here. #and if you just understand this. you also belong here. #you're not alone

[avalovesindie]

one of my least favorite neurotypical customs is how long it takes to leave somewhere. My mom will be like “alright it’s time to leave” but we stay like 10 more minutes because people can’t stop talking. We get two feet before stopping again. We stand in the doorway for 5 minutes. It’s annoying and stressful and puts my brain in constant waiting mood.

#Autism #autistic #I still live with my mom because life is hard #Actuallyautistic #actually autistic #neurotypical bullshit #Studying neurotypicals #Neurodivergent #neurodivergency #self diagnosed autism #self diagnosed #self dx autistic #Yes im self diagnosed

[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

[thatcontrolfangirl]

Did anyone else actually get the good at math/science autism? Geology is a science, it’s my special interest, and science in general has been what I’ve excelled at my whole life. Anyhow I’ve decided to make a poll about it.

#autism #actually autistic #special interest #autism spectrum disorder #self dx #autistic #autistic community #asd #polls

[mischiefmanifold]

autism is not just social anxiety and being awkward and having an interest

ADHD is not just being fidgety or loud

some of you need to do some serious research on these conditions before claiming that you have them, because it’s getting exhausting correcting people’s misinformation

#no this does not mean that I’m anti self dx #HOWEVER #many. many people have been using social media to dx extremely complex disorders #(cough. tiktok. cough) #and y’all need to FUCKING STOP IT #at the very least if you’re going to inaccurately dx yourself #please for the love of the gods #SPREAD CORRECT INFORMATION #and like ‘quirky’ people who have level 1 / low support needs autism? #shut the fuck up and let higher needs people talk #autism #adhd #actuallyautistic #actuallyadhd #neurodivergence #actually neurodivergent #neurodivergent #audhd #actually audhd #misinformation

[shadowsbrainrot]

if anyone tries to give me shit for being self dx i’ll just tell them that yeah my psychiatrist and my therapist believe me but are just unable to diagnose me bc healthcare literally sucks ass

#self dx autistic #self dx is valid #so so so valid #take that fakeclaimers and other assholes #they’re like yeah u have the traits we just can’t diagnose it ourself and the ppl who can charge insane money sorry :/ #autism #actually autistic

[clownrecess]

(Tw for talk of r/fakedisordercringe, ableism, fake claiming, harassment, etc.)

I have had it with r/fakedisordercringe. This subreddit is filled with content that is both ableist and harmful to the neurodivergent community. The posts mock autistic people, systems, people with ADHD, etc. suggesting that people are faking or exaggerating their symptoms for attention. First of all, it's incredibly harmful to assume that someone is faking a disorder just because they don't fit into your narrow view of what that disorder looks like. Autism, for example, is a spectrum disorder, which means that there are a wide variety of ways that it can present itself. Just because someone doesn't exhibit all of the classic symptoms that you associate with autism doesn't mean that they're faking it. (Tell me you're an aspie supremacist without telling me you're an aspie supremacist /hj)

The reasoning that the users of this subreddit often use tend to fall under these categories:

"They don't experience *insert disability* the same way that I do, so they must be faking"

"They post too frequently about their disability, so they must be faking"

"They support self diagnosis, so they must be faking"

"They use xenogenders/neopronouns, so they must be faking"

etc.

Has it ever crossed your mind that maybe not everyone is the same? That not everybody's disability is the same? /nbh

The idea that someone can determine whether or not another person is truly autistic or has a mental disorder based on a few online interactions (or even just a post!) is absurd. Not every autistic person or people with other disorders fits the stereotype of what people expect, and it's not up to strangers on the internet to decide who is "legitimate" and who is not.

As an autistic person, I'm tired of constantly having to defend myself and my experiences. I'm tired of seeing people with disabilities being reduced to nothing more than punchlines for jokes.

A few days ago someone in a youtube comment section accused me of faking being autistic, by saying something along the lines of "Self diagnosed ahh". First off, not everybody can safely access diagnosis. You are so incredibly privileged if you think everyone can. Somebody being undiagnosed does NOT immediately mean they are faking. Second off, I am literally professionally diagnosed.

I am tired of r/fakedisordercringe and the hate, misinformation, and stigma it perpetuates.

Leave disabled people ALONE.

#tw fakedisordercringe #tw ableism #tw fakeclaiming #actually autistic #pro self dx #rant #neurodivergent #nonspeaking autistic #autism #aac user #nonspeaking #disabled #disability

[jovialnightmares]

Am a suspected but undiagnosed autist

I'll probably never be able to get a diagnosis for autism unless they change how they do that sort of thing. I have a borderline personality disorder diagnosis and am filled with trauma of shitty parents forcing me to mask and script my way through interactions and life pretending to be as normal as I could. I am also an amab tran so like just so many things stack up against me lol. Plus it's expensive and I struggle to just afford food and rent.

Idk tho, I really don't need a diagnosis to tell me if my autistic traits qualify me as "officially autistic" and requiring that of people that want to use the word autistic to describe themselves just seems silly.

I have many autistic traits, they are just a part of my life. Maybe they come from one thing or maybe they come from another thing but it really doesn't matter, because they are a reality I live with as I take things one day as a time. 🤷🏼‍♀️

.

Tell me your opinions about autism self-diagnosis!

#autism #autistic community #autistic experiences #actually autistic #autistic women #autistic life #self dx autism #autism self dx

[purpurrock]

autistic culture is when the only two options in life is to mask and conform to everyone's bullshit while hating yourself because you're not you, or unmasking and being yourself but everyone hates you for being you. Plot twist you're miserable both ways because it's very tiring and being hated isn't fun.

#actually autistic #autistic #autism #autistic culture is #being autistic #autistic experiences #autistic struggles #autistic things #undiagnosed autism #self diagnosed #self dx

[thecatspasta]

Ok but if you think about it anti self diagnosis stuff is so stupid sometimes

'Hey I have self dxed autism'

'You do not have autism bc a medical professional has not approved this and therefore you are not autistic'

Imagine if you applied that to smth like cancer and then that person later died of cancer. Hey if its not diagnosed then its not real and cant affect you so everyone who died of smth that they didnt get diagnosed obviously did not have that

You can see how thats stupid right?

#also this is your reminder that getting a self diagnosis wrong is so much better than being misdiagnosed #getting a self diagnosis wrong does not have as big of an affect that smth being wrong on your medical records #bc you can get prescribed the wrong meds #and be treated so vastly vastly differently and overall can have very severe consequences lol #anyways #garlic breath #pro self diagnosis #pro self dx #autism #actually autistic #neurodiversity #neurodivergent #actually neurodivergent #actually neurodiverse #neurospicy #ig #mental health #mental illness

[officialspec]

genuinely curious, and probably will agree but on your tags for the post about mental illness terms being used trivially you said that it’s basically impossible to self diagnosis dissociation- genuinely i want to know why you think that

my stance is that its pretty much impossible to distinguish dissociation from other potential symptoms in any meaningful way without professional guidance, for a few reasons:

for one, its a widely misunderstood symptom even in actual psychiatric circles, and on top of that any legitimate information you might be able to find is surrounded by 100 times more tumblr-infographic-style misinformation and for most people it is straight up impossible to tell the difference

you (general) might be inclined to think 'i know not to trust infographics i would be able to tell', but the sheer volume of misinformation has saturated the field so completely that its plastered on very official looking websites, and even some more trustworthy sources, so a discerning eye wont save anyone

the average person simply will not be able to sift through the hogwash to any legitimate resources without direction from someone who knows what theyre looking for, no matter how savvy they might be. no one is immune

if you do somehow manage to separate the wheat from the chaff, the next issue is that dissociation is a wildly nebulous human experience, and the way it presents overlaps with about one million other things that are all managed in completely disparate ways. a treatment for dissociation might make someones actual problem much worse, or drive them to hopelessness if it doesnt change their symptoms at all. its a huge risk that i just dont think is worth it

this answer is already long as hell but ending on the usual disclaimers that im aware diagnoses are prohibitively expensive and also i cant stop anyone from doing anything. but i will have opinions about it. as is my right

#theres a lot else that falls under this btw not just dissociation. ngl aside from autism i think self dx hurts more than it helps #but ummm ya. if u think youre dissociating thats a serious medical issue and you should see a doctor. im so sorry about the Cost #wish it wasnt so hard to insist on professional advisement in good faith. deep sigh. the economy #ask