What are your views of self diagnosis?

[Questella]

I've never once in my adult life managed to get a General Practitioner, I've only been d*cked around my those kinds of drs and their offices. I barely believe they're even a real thing anymore. I've made appointments with several offices that make you wait 3-6 months to get in for the first visit. Sometimes something would happend that day I wouldn't make it (who can really plan that far out for all constingences) there for causing me to rewait another 3-6 months and the couple times nothing interfered with the appointment and I went at the scheduled time they magically had no idea who I was, I was not on the books, also causing me to rewait another 3-6 months. I haven't even bothered in the past 2 years. Getting an OBGYN was easy though, dude called one local and they got me in the next day, it just saddens me that after my next child is born I'll be once again thrown to the streets as far as a regular doctor goes.

I found my psych that did my diagnosis from Psychology Today's website, grabbed the one most local to me (about an hour away) and made the appointment (3-4 months wait) but no problems, he didn't have any stupid receptionist to mess things up. Spent two days with him doing all the assessments then got the results a couple weeks later. Once again I was sad that I could no longer meet again with the doctor since all he does is assessments specializing in Autism's.

I went to a therapist for a day but the fighting at home was so horrible (because he then felt I tricked him into being with me, which I think we've since gotten over) that I couldn't deal with trying to see a therapist and then deal with the fighting at home so I just went around life as before diagnosis more or less except with the newfound and backed up knowledge of the fact. I've been considering trying the therapist thing again now that the diagnosis has settled in for me and my family. Or possibly a support group, since I'm out of work now I have the time. It would be nice to meet some fellow autise's in real life.

 

[Spotty01]

I was a little leary about posting anything on this thread (and I still am) for fear of sounding unintentionally insensitive or simply because of the fact that this tends to be a very sensitive topic, at least from what I've seen. Ah, well, here goes nothing I guess:

I, for one, don't really approve of self-diagnosis, not just of Autism/Asperger's, but of any disease or disorder. I'll get to why that is soon enough, so please hear me out. If you think that you may be on the Spectrum, then you should go to an actual psychiatrist or therapist (I forget which one usually diagnoses it; I was seven when I was professionally diagnosed, so I don't really remember) to have it confirmed, though I can understand if financial problems or simply not having one within close range could prove to be a problem. That, and the fact that, on several occasions, I've seen people self-diagnose themselves with a mental illness simply for the attention (but I'm not, repeat, am NOT saying all of them or even most of them do), which gives people with an actual mental illness a bad name.

Now, onto my own reasoning on why I don't approve of it. Actually, maybe I should rephrase that: I disapprove of it, but I understand why people do it. Like I said prior, maybe, for whatever reason, you can't go to a psychologist (?) to be officially diagnosed, but you have symptoms highly reminiscent of the disorder and just assume that's the case. For a while, I always said I had insomnia without being officially diagnosed, before asking my PCP (primary care provider) about it a few days ago, in which she confirmed that this was, in fact, the case regarding my irregular and difficult sleeping habits. So, self-diagnosing or not, it can still turn out to be the root problem in the end (since I, too, am guilty of it). But, then again, my mother often accused me of having Bipolar disorder, only to learn from my therapist that, what she thought was Bipolar was just another HFA symptom (that's what we were told anyway).

To make it short and sweet, you could have a Spectrum disorder, or it could be something entirely different. Unless you're a medical professional, you just don't know until you're diagnosed by someone who is.

Just a quick disclaimer, I really really REALLY don't want to come off on the wrong foot here. I have nothing against self-diagnosed Aspies/Auties, this is simply my opinion on the matter itself. I don't mean to sound like an insensitive prick or anything like that, but if my post ends up riling anyone up, then I'll understand if this is deleted (I might end up deleting it myself later). Thanks for reading and that is all.

 

[Questella]

I'm hoping that if I can get a lawyer that they'll be able to help me out of my school loan. Once after I had stopped paying on my loan they sent me some paper with a section on it asking why I hadn't been paying it off, one of the options was for having a medical reason that kept me from working in the job I went to school for. When I went looking for a job after graduating, despite having straight A's and a cover to cover memory of the data all the potential establishments I interviewed at just told me that my personality was not fitting for this career. Which made me so sad and depressed, after which I started drinking regularly and at least I could just keep dancing by the fear I may never be able to get a job outside of the club became real for real. A large majority of the girls attend school while dancing, most of them nursing but I just couldn't do nursing so I went for personal training because I was mad heavy before dancing and being in the clubs really helped me learn to take better care of myself, eat right and work out. I used to do loads of pole tricks and dreamed of competing, I was always helping newer girls to learn pole and with the training license I would be able to teach girls legally and get paid for it but my personality just got in the way. Now I don't even have my certification anymore because I was unable to keep up with it since not being able to find work so I'm not even hireable even if my personality became not a problem, which I doubt because I'll never be one of those people that can motivate nts in the way nts like to be motivated that from my perspective seems insulting, demeaning and reminds me of being bullied. I had hired a personal trainer for me once when I was a new stripper and absolutely hated the way she talked down to me to try to motivate me and quickly ended having sessions with her and just proceeded to learning everything I needed and motivating myself.

So getting out of this loan I'm hoping will be the one thing from a legal standpoint that having a certified diagnosis will help me with.

I'm sorry I seemed to go off on a tangent here but it was the only way I could think to reply to the question was with all my background on why and how I got my diagnosis.

 

[SD_David]

I know what you are saying, and ordinarily I might agree further, but I could easily make a case for those who may disagree, as my thinking is divided here.

First of all, regardless what condition one has, we cannot assume the nature of their condition is such they could get diagnosis or treatment or that they could trust another to do that, or open up to anyone about any limitations, and especially if they heard how tough it is to find a doctor to accurately, promptly and fairly diagnose.

Indeed, which is why I give people the benefit of the doubt since I'm no more qualified to deny someone's Autism than a doctor is. Denying someone's Autism without good reason is practically an act of bullying.

Secondly, what is the diagnostic process? Dylan went through ten doctors and service providers and none of those attempted to diagnose, despite us pressuring them to do something as core symptoms were there. They wanted to be patient, play ignorant, or just want to push him off to feeding, behavioral or occupational therapy without a diagnosis first.

So, people are just supposed to go through the medical system and process hoping they get lucky and find the perfect doctor to do the right things in a timely and reasonable way? Their conditions could be worsened by rejection, delays, incompetence, a lack of listening, arrogance, misdiagnosis, pressure to get treatment before diagnosis, etc.

If it were not for my strength, patience, and ability to see through all the medical wrongs, and my abilities to research and analyze, then our one child and my wife could have never been diagnosed properly. So, many caregivers and afflicted could be at the mercy of the medical establishment who is in no hurry to do things, or who cannot do things reasonably.

It is not caregivers or those with such conditions' fault the medical community does not have all their things in order. There is no consensus of what to do to diagnose Autism. Do they have a mandated screening for that, at a certain age, or when a certain number of core symptoms are met? No. Most would not even screen, unless it likely fits a perfectly stereotypical very severe image, or if a parent threatens them of lawsuit. In our case, nicely asking to screen went nowhere.

What is the standard test or diagnostic criteria for Autism? A simple Mchat, an ADOS test, the ADIR, or about six other tools that can be used, to screen for that condition. Or the DSM? If family doctors and pediatricians will not screen Autism by any of those items, that means specialists must, like a psychologist, psychiatrist, or Autism specialist that can involve very long waiting lists, higher costs, or more fears.

I'm not a psychiatrist so I can't say in detail, but I do know that one of the main diagnostic tools is the 'Triad of Impairments'. This cross-referenced approach is useful since Autism cannot be diagnosed by a single trait alone; for example many people with Autism are introverts, however not all introverts are Autistic and not all Autistics are introverted. Forgive me if I sound patronising when saying this, they're just my observations.

As for the administration side of things, getting access to a diagnosis really depends on how old you are and which country you live in. Being in education helps as the school/college has a practical need to gain a diagnosis (they can't assaign classroom assistants and technology grants to everyone, as nice as that would be) and well-equipped regions have dedicated centres with specialists who know exactly what to look for when diagnosing Autism.

Unfortunately not everyone lives in such a well-equipped region, and even if they do they may no longer be in full-time education which means that the referral process is expensive or delayed, possibly both. It's this along with the other barriers which you mentioned earlier which makes getting diagnosed difficult for people, and why I wouldn't assume that someone's not Autistic just because they haven't gained an official diagnosis yet.

Dave, you mention we need Science. From what I understand, medical science is an inexact science. As well, there is yet to be a cure for Autism and related conditions, and no widely recognized treatment that helps all that have those conditions. So, perhaps many that choose self-diagnosis too do not want the pressure of long treatments? Or perhaps many love who they are, and feel a need for acceptance?

There's certainly more to learn about Autism as despite being known about for nearly 100 years it's only been in around the last 30 years that serious and credible research as been applied to it, but what we have learned about it is well documented and clearly defined by Autism groups such as the National Autistic Society. Defining Autism is important because it means that the critia for having autism is not nil, it is something. An example of a 'diagnosis from nil' would be the kind of internet trolls who intentionally use Autism as an excuse for offending people, even if the troll knows that they don't have Autism and that the offensive things they've done are not linked to Autistic traits. People see that action and they mistake real Autistics for being somekind of troll.

You may say that the 'troll' example is niche and not a huge problem in the big scheme of things, and you may be right, but the fact remains that if self-identification* was a circular argument of diagnosis (I identify because I identify because I identify) then the trolls will, in effect have Autism because Autism would no longer be a tangible thing anymore; it will instead become a 'meme' which changes based on what whatever society wants it be.

*not to be confused with self-researching, which is fine.

So, these persons may just want to off the record know what they have, without additional pressures or formal stereotype. Or maybe others fear a doctor will give the wrong diagnosis, and so worry of a lifetime of being seen as someone they are not? There are so many variables that come into play, so I cannot unfairly judge why any one person might rather self-diagnose, and as we had to too for Dylan before his diagnosis.

I am not arguing, but just showing another side to this. Personally, I commend anyone who is willing to research things on their own and admit they could have a condition. This society is often in denisl of things, or wanting to hide things, or wanting to wait to determine important things. I love those who are proactive and use their wisdom, too, and can sometimes question things.

Yes, I do feel a medical diagnosis would help in the long run, so if that is possible through submitting evidence and asserting oneself and demanding a prompt screening I am all for that, if that family wants that or is able to do that. I am not into though dragged out or medical agendas, or putting rigid protocols above the immediate needs of the one with that condition and their families. Too often that is the case.

The fact that more cases of Autism are reported though could mean some hope in the right direction in terms of more diagnostics, so I would not discourage anyone from trying to get a formal diagnosis, like we did, without giving up until another listened. However, for all the reasons given I certainly could understand why one would not want to go through such a process. We had to, as to us the condition in Dylan was obvious, and we had to protect our children's future rights.

Exactly, I think that one of the best off-shoots/advantages of better public awareness is better facilities for Autism diagnosis and mental health in general. The days when Autism diagnosis was based on comparing holocaust victims and bad parenting is still in living memory. We've came a long way but there's still much more to do until easy access to a diagnosis is available to everyone.

Nice post though. It caused me to think of the other side to things.

Thanks, likewise it was good to see a well laid-out reply from you.

 

[Dadwith2Autisticsons]

I was a little leary about posting anything on this thread at first (and I still am) for fear of sounding unintentionally insensitive or simply because of the fact that this tends to be a very sensitive topic, at least from what I've seen. Ah, well, here goes nothing I guess:

I, for one, don't really approve of self-diagnosis, not just of Autism/Asperger's, but of any disease or disorder. I'll get to why that is soon enough, so please hear me out. If you think that you may be on the Spectrum, then you should go to an actual psychiatrist or therapist (I forget which one usually diagnoses it; I was seven when I was professionally diagnosed, so I don't really remember) to have it confirmed, though I can understand if financial problems or simply not having one within close range could prove to be a problem. That, and the fact that, on several occasions, I've seen people self-diagnose themselves with a mental illness simply for the attention (but I'm not, repeat, am NOT saying all of them or even most of them do), which gives people with an actual mental illness a bad name.

Now, onto my own reasoning on why I don't approve of it. Actually, maybe I should rephrase that: I disapprove of it, but I understand why people do it. Like I said prior, maybe, for whatever reason, you can't go to a psychologist (?) to be officially diagnosed, but you have symptoms highly reminiscent of the disorder and just assume that's the case. For a while, I always said I had insomnia without being officially diagnosed, before asking my PCP (primary care provider) about it a few days ago, in which she confirmed that this was, in fact, the case regarding my irregular and difficult sleeping habits. So, self-diagnosing or not, it can still turn out to be the root problem in the end (since I, too, am guilty of it). But, then again, my mother often accused me of having Bipolar disorder, only to learn from my therapist that, what she thought was Bipolar was just another HFA symptom (that's what we were told anyway).

To make it short and sweet, you could have a Spectrum disorder, or it could be something entirely different. Unless you're a medical professional, you just don't know until you're diagnosed by someone who is.

Just a quick disclaimer, I really really REALLY don't want to come off on the wrong foot here. I have nothing against self-diagnosed Aspies/Auties, this is simply my opinion on the matter itself. I don't mean to sound like an insensitive prick or anything like that, but if my post ends up riling anyone up, then I'll understand if this is deleted (I might end up deleting it myself later). Thanks for reading and that is all.

I feel your post was very fine, as in order to learn we need all types of perspectives, or even debate. You told it from your point of view, and in a pretty fair way. So, do not worry about any comments, as your points were not made to offend.

From our experiences, there were some wonderful doctors that went above and beyond their duties, in the case especially for Aaron, our older son, many more were average and nothing to write home about, but several a huge disappointment.

I see both sides to things. Either way I feel there is no perfect solution, with some good, neutral and bad in terms of risks and rewards for each choice, whether to get formal diagnostics or self-assessment, and as one could have great experiences with medical people, awful, or in-between.

It would be hard to predict any outcome in advance, so in that regard I can not recommend what any one else do, but to just state our experiences and concerns, and our wishes for the medical system to change and be more prompt and professional. Then more may want to get diagnostics.

Thanks for posting.

 

[SD_David]

I feel your post was very fine, as in order to learn we need all types of perspectives, or even debate. You told it from your point of view, and in a pretty fair way. So, do not worry about any comments, as your points were not made to offend.

Indeed, I'd much prefer to read something which I disagree with and have the opportunity to respectfuly counter it rather than this forum becoming a stagnant echo chamber where I agree with everything. If our ideas are correct then they needn't hide from criticism.

 

[Amy Susan Rose]

Dave, you mention we need Science. From what I understand, medical science is an inexact science. As well, there is yet to be a cure for Autism and related conditions, and no widely recognized treatment that helps all that have those conditions. So, perhaps many that choose self-diagnosis too do not want the pressure of long treatments? Or perhaps many love who they are, and feel a need for acceptance?

Especially the fields of psychiatry and psychology; these cannot be regarded as exact sciences. "Experts" still debate and disagree regarding many aspects of ASD. Also criteria may change from year to year. I was diagnosed twenty years ago; however it wasn't the testing that made me aware of having Aspergers. Once I had done significant research and of course through much reflection I knew I was on the Spectrum as I'm sure so many here can assert to. "Know thyself and all will be revealed.”
― Pamela Theresa Loertscher

 

[Dadwith2Autisticsons]

I've never once in my adult life managed to get a General Practitioner, I've only been d*cked around my those kinds of drs and their offices. I barely believe they're even a real thing anymore. I've made appointments with several offices that make you wait 3-6 months to get in for the first visit. Sometimes something would happend that day I wouldn't make it (who can really plan that far out for all constingences) there for causing me to rewait another 3-6 months and the couple times nothing interfered with the appointment and I went at the scheduled time they magically had no idea who I was, I was not on the books, also causing me to rewait another 3-6 months. I haven't even bothered in the past 2 years. Getting an OBGYN was easy though, dude called one local and they got me in the next day, it just saddens me that after my next child is born I'll be once again thrown to the streets as far as a regular doctor goes.

I found my psych that did my diagnosis from Psychology Today's website, grabbed the one most local to me (about an hour away) and made the appointment (3-4 months wait) but no problems, he didn't have any stupid receptionist to mess things up. Spent two days with him doing all the assessments then got the results a couple weeks later. Once again I was sad that I could no longer meet again with the doctor since all he does is assessments specializing in Autism's.

I went to a therapist for a day but the fighting at home was so horrible (because he then felt I tricked him into being with me, which I think we've since gotten over) that I couldn't deal with trying to see a therapist and then deal with the fighting at home so I just went around life as before diagnosis more or less except with the newfound and backed up knowledge of the fact. I've been considering trying the therapist thing again now that the diagnosis has settled in for me and my family. Or possibly a support group, since I'm out of work now I have the time. It would be nice to meet some fellow autise's in real life.

It sounds like you had some very poor experiences, but I am glad you were able to get a diagnosis. The fact you are considering therapy and a support group is to be commended. I think those entities could understand things better, now that they have a formal diagnosis.​

 

[Dadwith2Autisticsons]

Indeed, which is why I give people the benefit of the doubt since I'm no more qualified to deny someone's Autism than a doctor is. Denying someone's Autism without good reason is practically an act of bullying.



I'm not a psychiatrist so I can't say in detail, but I do know that one of the main diagnostic tools is the 'Triad of Impairments'. This cross-referenced approach is useful since Autism cannot be diagnosed by a single trait alone; for example many people with Autism are introverts, however not all introverts are Autistic and not all Autistics are introverted. Forgive me if I sound patronising when saying this, they're just my observations.

As for the administration side of things, getting access to a diagnosis really depends on how old you are and which country you live in. Being in education helps as the school/college has a practical need to gain a diagnosis (they can't assaign classroom assistants and technology grants to everyone, as nice as that would be) and well-equipped regions have dedicated centres with specialists who know exactly what to look for when diagnosing Autism.

Unfortunately not everyone lives in such a well-equipped region, and even if they do they may no longer be in full-time education which means that the referral process is expensive or delayed, possibly both. It's this along with the other barriers which you mentioned earlier which makes getting diagnosed difficult for people, and why I wouldn't assume that someone's not Autistic just because they haven't gained an official diagnosis yet.



There's certainly more to learn about Autism as despite being known about for nearly 100 years it's only been in around the last 30 years that serious and credible research as been applied to it, but what we have learned about it is well documented and clearly defined by Autism groups such as the National Autistic Society. Defining Autism is important because it means that the critia for having autism is not nil, it is something. An example of a 'diagnosis from nil' would be the kind of internet trolls who intentionally use Autism as an excuse for offending people, even if the troll knows that they don't have Autism and that the offensive things they've done are not linked to Autistic traits. People see that action and they mistake real Autistics for being somekind of troll.

You may say that the 'troll' example is niche and not a huge problem in the big scheme of things, and you may be right, but the fact remains that if self-identification* was a circular argument of diagnosis (I identify because I identify because I identify) then the trolls will, in effect have Autism because Autism would no longer be a tangible thing anymore; it will instead become a 'meme' which changes based on what whatever society wants it be.

*not to be confused with self-researching, which is fine.



Exactly, I think that one of the best off-shoots/advantages of better public awareness is better facilities for Autism diagnosis and mental health in general. The days when Autism diagnosis was based on comparing holocaust victims and bad parenting is still in living memory. We've came a long way but there's still much more to do until easy access to a diagnosis is available to everyone.



Thanks, likewise it was good to see a well laid-out reply from you.

Thank you. Your reply was appreciated, too, as I learned many new things from what you said. Great job.

 

[SusanLR]

I knew my life had been different from the start and I was an only child. I really started seeing this when I started school and spent the day having a fit due to seperation anxiety. Never really made friends in school and finally anxiety became so bad I was home schooled through High School. Then came University and I attended since we lived close by. Still no friends. I saw a psychiatrist at that time and was told to "act out" what it was I was afraid would happen in class. I was told it was panic disorder. I worked for about 10 years in a well paying profession before I had a total breakdown. First the diagnosis was Depression with Panic Disorder. That is probably true. But, I knew my whole life was lived differently and there was more to it than that.
Then in 2013 my worst fear came true. I lost my parents and I had no one else I felt connected to nor had I ever lived with anyone else or alone. I was totally lost. A tennis friend (Senior with health issues) wanted someone to live with and I needed a place to live. I was so afraid that if I had a panic attack or didn't act normal that would be that. I was in a state of grief, trauma, and keeping it all inside. Finally I talked with a social worker who noticed things other doctors hadn't and told me she thought my difficult life could be because I had Asperger's. She first told me several tests to do on-line and see what my scores were. I had no idea what Asperger's even was but the tests all scored the same. So I guess that was a semi-self diagnosis.
Then she encouraged me to get the real deal from a psychologist. Same.
For me, just knowing why I was as I was helped.
Therapy really didn't help my inner turmoils though.
Each day is a challenge but I let my friend know about the Asperger's and it was actually accepted. No support, but we're still living in the same house...for now. So my diagnosis was a mix and I think it eased some of the tensions for myself and my friend.

 

[Crossbreed]

I see this question from different angles.

1. If one doesn't have any destructive/self-destructive inclinations, go ahead. Try it on and see if it fits. Therapeutic strategies for auties would be benign-to-beneficial for uncertain NTs, anyway. Read books. Sit in on public events. (Join autistic forums... )
   
2. If one DOES have any destructive/self-destructive inclinations, they should pursue a formal diagnosis. Not to secure an ASD label, but to address said inclinations.
3. If one can attain insurance and has access to a recognized ASD professional, the ride will be a lot smoother with an official diagnosis. It is even more difficult to find someone who is adept at both ASDs AND giftedness [a.k.a. 2E] (for adults), since both are rare by themselves.

 

[When In Rome]

If you're self-diagnosed then it's fake, simple as that. If everyone went around doing that then professional doctors would be out of a job and these are people who have studied and worked hard to achieve their statuses.

 

[Bookmaker]

Self-diagnosis is a good first step to a professional diagnosis. I self-diagnosed my Autism first and then had it validated by a professional. My self-diagnosis of autism was correct.

I recently self-diagnosed an injury to my left arm as a ruptured distal biceps tendon. I went straight to a bone and joint specialist for validation. Good thing I did as it can only be corrected with surgery and the repair must be done within two weeks of the injury. Again, my self-diagnosis was correct.

So is self-diagnosis valid? Oh hell yeah! But I do recommend following up with a professional.

For those of you dissing the self-diagnosed, just stop it and show some respect. If someone thinks they are autistic, they most likely are.

 

[Dadwith2Autisticsons]

I knew my life had been different from the start and I was an only child. I really started seeing this when I started school and spent the day having a fit due to seperation anxiety. Never really made friends in school and finally anxiety became so bad I was home schooled through High School. Then came University and I attended since we lived close by. Still no friends. I saw a psychiatrist at that time and was told to "act out" what it was I was afraid would happen in class. I was told it was panic disorder. I worked for about 10 years in a well paying profession before I had a total breakdown. First the diagnosis was Depression with Panic Disorder. That is probably true. But, I knew my whole life was lived differently and there was more to it than that.
Then in 2013 my worst fear came true. I lost my parents and I had no one else I felt connected to nor had I ever lived with anyone else or alone. I was totally lost. A tennis friend (Senior with health issues) wanted someone to live with and I needed a place to live. I was so afraid that if I had a panic attack or didn't act normal that would be that. I was in a state of grief, trauma, and keeping it all inside. Finally I talked with a social worker who noticed things other doctors hadn't and told me she thought my difficult life could be because I had Asperger's. She first told me several tests to do on-line and see what my scores were. I had no idea what Asperger's even was but the tests all scored the same. So I guess that was a semi-self diagnosis.
Then she encouraged me to get the real deal from a psychologist. Same.
For me, just knowing why I was as I was helped.
Therapy really didn't help my inner turmoils though.
Each day is a challenge but I let my friend know about the Asperger's and it was actually accepted. No support, but we're still living in the same house...for now. So my diagnosis was a mix and I think it eased some of the tensions for myself and my friend.

This message reminded me a little of myself when I was younger. I had no friends in school or college. For me it was from severe social anxiety and shyness, and a belief I did not fit in and everyone was judging me badly. It got so bad that in my late teens through early twenties I started throwing up numerous times a day from all that anxiety. This led me to having panic attacks in fearing vomiting nearing others in class, which of course only made the panic worse.

I found out on my own that the only thing that made the panic subside was if I told myself "I hope I do get sick in class. Maybe others will see my severe anxiety and pain and they would notice and try to help, or I would then force myself to get help as I was facing the world alone. Maybe then things would get better," I thought. Eventually this trick worked, once I really started believing that, as the fear was reducing, and so that panic went away.

I was able to finish my studies by going part time and focusing on my efforts, as if putting too much pressure on myself to be like everyone else and finishing those school years timely, would cause me to end up quitting because I could not compete at that level. Although I had parents, they never supported me at all my life. My mother was very critical of me and wanted me to be a factory worker, and my Dad never talked to us. He talked to his bottle.

The only time I remember him speaking to me was when he said, "Once you reach eighteen you will get out of here by getting a job or going to the military." Of course, to spite him, and as I could not work anyway then, I chose school. Our slightly older brother had died in the military anyway, thanks to Dad and sister pressuring him to join. So, I had to live alone, as my twin wanted to go to college far away. So, those were really tough years as I had to survive on my own and find answers on my own. Eventually I resorted to self-help as I had no in-person support system. That helped, until I found support groups. I slowly got better on my own.

Now I am married, with a wonderful wife and with two great children, too. They each have their conditions, with our two sons having the Autism, one milder and one moderate, and even one social worker long ago thought I had Aspergers, but regardless I did not need to verify her suspicions as such a diagnosis did not matter to me. I was way past diagnostics after I got social phobia, social anxiety disorder diagnoses in my early twenties, and as I personally did not need further treatment help.

 

[Dadwith2Autisticsons]

If you're self-diagnosed then it's fake, simple as that. If everyone went around doing that then professional doctors would be out of a job and these are people who have studied and worked hard to achieve their statuses.

Thanks for your post. However, I disagree, as I hope more doctors who do not do their jobs properly are out of a job. That is how society works for most isn't it? What I find is fake is those doctors that pretend to care, but really care about money, status, and pleasing insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies, and their supervisors in following rigid protocol.

In the case of doctors though, it is even more needed they be fired if they do wrong, as their fakeness as a professional is shown in their wrong diagnoses, excessive delays, and incompetence. This can mean the difference of condition improving, worsening and even death. Coddle doctors and think they do no wrong and have all the answers, because they have an education? That solves everything I guess.

When is the last time anyone heard of a doctor being fired? That tells me they are like teachers. They can do tons of wrong, but just move on from school to school or clinic to clinic. No wonder why many are resorting to self-diagnosis, and homeschooling. Congrats to anyone for being proactive and doing research on their own, and standing up to the traditional establishments. We need more thinkers like that.

Do I wish more would be comfortable seeing a medical professional? Yes. Do I wish there were more doctors that were competent and showed great understanding, instead of dictating and acting like they are too important and busy to listen? It's sad your outrage is not at all those that are misdiagnosed, and who suffered because of such. It is an individual choice to have diagnostics or self-diagnosis. This is not a dictatorship. Sorry if you or anyone else disagrees.

 

[WereBear]

On the other hand, if I didn't believe in self-diagnosis, I'd be in a psychiatric hospital.. suffering from something they don't know how to treat, with a very bleak future.

My midlife Aspie meltdown was destroying my body, too; just at a slower pace. I was so exhausted I would have to cluster all my easiest work tasks to be done after 2 pm. And if that didn't work, I would have to drive myself to get things done; and the food and laundry and such... Mr WereBear has a chronic illness too, so we were in terrible shape.

Because I kept going to doctors, and they kept not figuring it out.

I don't want to hear "oh it's a rare issue" and the like. So what? Figuring stuff out is supposed to be their job. And yet only my GP was sympathetic. He ran a ton of tests and finally told me it "must be a stress issue." Which he was actually right about, to give him credit.

All the specialists I saw took one shot at the most likely culprit. When I tested negative for whatever that was, they wanted me to take Prozac and go away.

If I hadn't kept at my own attempts to figure it out, it never would have been figured out and I would never have improved and my mind would have broken under the strain and everyone would have said, "So sad she had a nervous breakdown" and I'd be in a psychiatric facility taking drugs that don't work for me and create more problems.

Just sitting back and trusting doctors would have ruined my life.

 

[Professori]

If you're self-diagnosed then it's fake, simple as that. If everyone went around doing that then professional doctors would be out of a job and these are people who have studied and worked hard to achieve their statuses.

That is a very judgmental statement to make, given that despite the fact that doctors are qualified, they are not infallible in their judgments. I certainly do not place them on a pedestal, just because they are qualified.

You are assuming that they are never wrong in diagnosing someone with autism/aspergers. They are sometimes wrong, and then what about those people who have been misdiagnosed? What a millstone to hang around their necks. The diagnostic process and the diagnostic standards are also fallible - the 'condition' is just too complex to be easily categorized.

Faking it implies that someone is deliberately posing as autistic. Good grief, who actually wants to be autistic?!

 

[Professori]

I was a little leary about posting anything on this thread at first (and I still am) for fear of sounding unintentionally insensitive or simply because of the fact that this tends to be a very sensitive topic, at least from what I've seen. Ah, well, here goes nothing I guess:

I, for one, don't really approve of self-diagnosis, not just of Autism/Asperger's, but of any disease or disorder. I'll get to why that is soon enough, so please hear me out. If you think that you may be on the Spectrum, then you should go to an actual psychiatrist or therapist (I forget which one usually diagnoses it; I was seven when I was professionally diagnosed, so I don't really remember) to have it confirmed, though I can understand if financial problems or simply not having one within close range could prove to be a problem. That, and the fact that, on several occasions, I've seen people self-diagnose themselves with a mental illness simply for the attention (but I'm not, repeat, am NOT saying all of them or even most of them do), which gives people with an actual mental illness a bad name.

Now, onto my own reasoning on why I don't approve of it. Actually, maybe I should rephrase that: I disapprove of it, but I understand why people do it. Like I said prior, maybe, for whatever reason, you can't go to a psychologist (?) to be officially diagnosed, but you have symptoms highly reminiscent of the disorder and just assume that's the case. For a while, I always said I had insomnia without being officially diagnosed, before asking my PCP (primary care provider) about it a few days ago, in which she confirmed that this was, in fact, the case regarding my irregular and difficult sleeping habits. So, self-diagnosing or not, it can still turn out to be the root problem in the end (since I, too, am guilty of it). But, then again, my mother often accused me of having Bipolar disorder, only to learn from my therapist that, what she thought was Bipolar was just another HFA symptom (that's what we were told anyway).

To make it short and sweet, you could have a Spectrum disorder, or it could be something entirely different. Unless you're a medical professional, you just don't know until you're diagnosed by someone who is.

Just a quick disclaimer, I really really REALLY don't want to come off on the wrong foot here. I have nothing against self-diagnosed Aspies/Auties, this is simply my opinion on the matter itself. I don't mean to sound like an insensitive prick or anything like that, but if my post ends up riling anyone up, then I'll understand if this is deleted (I might end up deleting it myself later). Thanks for reading and that is all.

I don't have a problem with your post and respect your opinion.

 

[When In Rome]

Thanks for your post. However, I disagree, as I hope more doctors who do not do their jobs properly are out of a job.

I'm sure we all concur with that. Of course not all doctors are reliable.

 

[When In Rome]

Good grief, who actually wants to be autistic?!

Take a trip to WrongPlanet and find out.

As for professionals, of course there infallabilities, nothing is perfect.

All I'm saying is, do try for a professional diagnosis in the first instance instead of taking some online test and declaring yourself something.

If you want to believe all you read online, carry on.