Self-diagnosis

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@AirelsSong

Again, the whole treatment would be wrong and quite frankly pointless. Why would I need 6 weeks off my toe when I only needed a week.

A lot of the harm comes from abusing the diagnoses of autism.

Let's say a person thinks their autistic but in reality they just have social phobia with OCD tendencies. This person self diagnoses them selfs. This person COULD receive treatment for social phobia and actually OVERCOME social anxiety with proper treatment. That's part of the harm.

And let's say a person IS autistic, is truly suffering and is self diagnosed, this person goes without treatment and therapy and continues to suffer.

Ohhhh ok I see, so it's completely fine to say you have any disease you want as long as it's not hurting anyone. Well I found a swollen lymph node, I've been tired for a few days, do I have cancer? You know I think I do. Yep, I have cancer.

My father has cancer, my friend's six year old has leukemia and I have friends and family members who have died of cancer. But your belief that you have cancer has no affect on me whatsoever. Why should it? You are not asking me to take care of you. If you believe that you have cancer, who am I to make that all about me? That is your business. I don't need to make it mine.

Last edited by skibum on 06 Jun 2016, 5:47 am, edited 1 time in total.

So you agree, a person can diagnose themselfs with WHATEVER they want as long as it's not hurting anyone.

You make excellent illustrative points, Zombie.

Would you accept someone who is "self-identified," and "strongly suspects" they have autism...

As quite likely autistic--or at least strongly able to identify with one with autism?

I agree. One should really not seek to diagnose themselves with such things as cancer.

I can understand self speculations. I can even understand saying "I'm a lot like an autistic person" but for me saying "I'm autistic" when they have no diagnoses makes no real sense, why would you want to self diagnose if you don't gain any assistance or treatment, what's the point?

If a person says they have cancer, and maybe hey do maybe they don't, saying you have cancer does NOTHING.

What I am saying is that if you choose to do that, it has no affect on me at all. It only affects me if it involves me directly. And it won't because if you ask me to take care of you I will just say no and walk away.

Indirectly it won't affect me because you will not be able to have access to any services without an official diagnosis so you will not be taking away services from anyone else that really needs them. And as far as people believing you if you choose to advocate, all people have to do is ask you to show your diagnosis and you won't be able to so no one will take you seriously. If they just believe you blindly that is their problem. Anyone can say anything about anything. Anyone can claim to know whatever they want about anything. You can choose to just believe them or you can choose to ask them to show proof that they are qualified. If you go to a court and say I did this because someone said that, the first thing the judge will ask if if you had proof of that person's qualifications. If you say you did not get proof, the judge will not be sympathetic to you.

As a person choosing have an illness or if a person is a hypochondriac, that person is most likely not trying to actively do that just for the specific purpose of deceiving the masses. He is most likely doing that for himself, because of personal reasons. It has no affect on me. If you believe you have cancer or anything else, how does that possibly affect me? How does that affect anyone other than you? All anyone has to do is say show me a diagnosis and they will know you don't have one. And even if you went so far as to produce a false one, I can still verify with the doctor whose name you put on it. But why should I care? I have my own life, why would I be so bothered by what you do in yours?

Last edited by skibum on 06 Jun 2016, 6:03 am, edited 2 times in total.

This person could also make believe other persons who do suffer from social phobia and OCD that in fact they do suffer from autism when presenting their problems and perceptions as autistic problems and perceptions, and another person with social phobia and OCD thinks that she's sharing this problems and perceptions and therefore must be autistic.

This person could also give false impressions about autism in public which can distort the public view on autism leading to too high expectations of an high functioning individual.

Please do remember: as others, including Skibum have stated, no self-respecting self-identified person would go out on a limb and say "I have autism."

However, I would say that those who conduct considerable research into autism, and have experienced (at least) autism-like symptoms, could understand autism enough to, perhaps, advocate for others.

It would be monstrous for somebody to claim benefits based upon a self-diagnosis. The government would think that as well, and would deny such a person's application for benefits.

Many white people advocated for black people during the Civil Rights Era despite the fact that they were not black.

Most rational people, if they were able financially, would seek the official diagnosis, and they would seek to find alternatives to autism.

But, as some other posters have stated, it can get quite expensive in the US--and even quite expensive for private diagnoses elsewhere. In places such as the UK, it seems as if it takes a year to even get an appointment with an autism diagnoser.

The reason they would want to self diagnose is because they are suffering and need answers. Even if they cannot get a single service, that does not matter. They need understanding. They need closure. They need peace in their own minds, hearts and bodies. It has nothing to do with anyone else. It's all about how they reconcile their own existence.

I agree with ZombieBrideXD,and with skibum.
I'll explain now.
I agree with ZombieBrideXD on the fact with self diagnosis one cannot be certain and you may have consequences like wrong treatment or unnecessary treatment.

I agree with skibum that it's not wrong to self diagnose,but don't go around with certainty telling people you are afflicted by that condition and saying you have a diagnosis when you do not.

(Pardon if I misunderstood something)
Just for the information:
Undiagnosed:
-Rundownshoe14 13 years of age,suspects autism.

I'm not talking about people who just suspect autism or even identify WITH people who are on the spectrum, I'm talking purely about people who self diagnose and refuse to seek a professional diagnoses.

Self diagnoses is not the same as self speculation.

Autism isn't label to provide comfort, it's a diagnoses of a neurological disability.

I think one of the reasons many self-diagnosers are so sure is the fact that autism has such a peculiar profile of impairments.

My initial reaction, after reading up on it was like "What!? Light sensitivity and black-and-white thinking are connected? Really? Really, really? Are they making this up? And failure to get jokes? And extreme procrastination? By golly! I never knew this existed!"

If you list all the impairments as separate disorders, you get a long menu consisting of OCD, social anxiety, executive functioning disorder,etc, etc. It seems a lot simpler to just call it autism.

I think that out of the small group of people who would not be interested in going for a diagnosis, there are a bunch of different reasons why, mostly having to do with their life situation.

First of all, if they are open and honest about not having a diagnosis how do they negatively affect you?

Secondly, if you had lived with disabling and debilitating symptoms for as long as some of us have without knowing what was causing them, I think you would have a very different perspective. The things I mentioned are not about just wanting a binky.

Self identified with autistic traits and only limited executive function impairment. I would not meet the level of impairment that is defined in the DSM. Still, I see in myself many of the traits and problems that effect people in this community.

Yes, social communications deficit
Yes, impair emotional/social understanding
Yes, sound, light, smell sensitivities
and the the list continues.

Some may say that is all depression and anxiety. To me, they are just symptoms of a life long problem. I do not want the drugs and regime of tests. I want is to find practical solutions to make my life easier.

I am a successful computer programmer living an isolated life. What is wrong with being self identified. You will notice, I do not provide a list of test scores. They are not good measure and are easily influenced by the person taking the test.

There is a country club mentality among certain people. You must have the proper level of impairment and the correct diagnostic pedigree to join the club. The same people complain about not being accepted and feel they are entitled to special treatment.

I have been blacked balled and excluded my whole life. That is a fact. Blaming others is a waste of time. I accept who I am, that is what an adult does in this world.