• Replies 62 replies
  • Subscribers 14 subscribers
  • Views 8308 views
  • Users 0 members are here
Options
Related
Hints and tips
  • To quote someone's message, first select/highlight the relevant text, and then use the Quote button that appears
  • To "mention" someone, type @ followed by the start of the forum name, and choose from the list; that person will get a notification of being mentioned

“Trendy” diagnoses

Alien0n3arth

I’ve got some negative experience and also some thoughts. It’s about the self diagnosis in mental health conditions being not accepted mostly by professionals. 
There are various online tests - screening tools. AQ50, AQ10, RAADS, and many others. There are also tests for ADHD. These are screening tools, not designed to diagnose. When you fill out the test, you get the result. If your result is significantly high, you get a message- you might have xyz condition, it’s better to contact a mental health professional. What is the reality? If you fill out the test or even few of them and their results together point to this condition and you go to the professional, there is a high chance, that they will not take you seriously, there high risk of hearing the stupid  “trendy” comments about diagnoses that everyone wants to have, that you just want attention, you’re just lazy not willing to work on yourself, or laugh and question if you know it from TikTok. 
There is a huge ocean of information and also misinformation out there, we as non professionals often lack the ability to differentiate what is true, what is not, but it also depends on where do we look for the information. Social media is more likely to deliver us more misinformation than books, but it’s not all black and white. 
the truth is that we ourselves know best what we experience and a professional who questions that, who tells us “you are exaggerating, creating your problems yourself, or that “this is not a problem” erode our trust and make us more cautious about contacting them. I heard from a psychotherapist (psychiatrist and psychologist, with long experience, doctor, lecturer at a university) that lack of friends is not a problem when I told her it is. When I was a teenager, I was suicidal because of this. And then I heard such a thing. 
So I feel it like - if you think that xyz condition describes your problems and explains the why’s, better stay as you are and don’t dare self diagnosing or reaching out to professionals with your insignificant problems. I hope I will finally find someone treating me seriously. I hope others here have better experience. In my case I was told by few professionals that Im probably autistic, the first one - the lecturer gave me her “trendy” comment after I described her my problems. I haven’t even mentioned anything about autism. I will see if it leads me anywhere or I stay as I am trying to cope. At least the self dx helped me manage my life in a way that is a bit easier for me and recognize how to name actually my struggles and strength and weaknesses. I’m not sure why I’m sharing this, just want to share some thoughts and experience. Can anyone relate? Sorry for a long post

Parents

  • I've been thinking of this in the night. I think it is similar to when people talk about "the spirit of the law" and "the letter of the law".

    Following the letter of the law is robotic and can sometimes not help with what the original spirit of the law was trying to achieve.

    I think self realisation is more in line with the spirit of the law and a formal diagnosis is like the letter of the law.

    I've been diagnosed now, so I can say it. But I didn't really have the mental strength to do any of it at the time. It was my wife who nudged me and got me over the line. There must be lots of SpikeyMark equivalents out there who don't have the support and are therefore undiagnosed, but still as autistic as me.

    What helps people? Is it the certificate that says "Congratulations, you are deemed by experts to be autistic" that doesn't really do anything. Or is it the realisation that you are autistic that allows you to seek out people like yourself, coping methods and things like that? (Sadly, as Germany is more of a 'letter of the law' mentality, I know that more avenues are shut to you without the formal diagnosis - but I think that my point still stands overall)

Reply

  • I've been thinking of this in the night. I think it is similar to when people talk about "the spirit of the law" and "the letter of the law".

    Following the letter of the law is robotic and can sometimes not help with what the original spirit of the law was trying to achieve.

    I think self realisation is more in line with the spirit of the law and a formal diagnosis is like the letter of the law.

    I've been diagnosed now, so I can say it. But I didn't really have the mental strength to do any of it at the time. It was my wife who nudged me and got me over the line. There must be lots of SpikeyMark equivalents out there who don't have the support and are therefore undiagnosed, but still as autistic as me.

    What helps people? Is it the certificate that says "Congratulations, you are deemed by experts to be autistic" that doesn't really do anything. Or is it the realisation that you are autistic that allows you to seek out people like yourself, coping methods and things like that? (Sadly, as Germany is more of a 'letter of the law' mentality, I know that more avenues are shut to you without the formal diagnosis - but I think that my point still stands overall)

Children
No Data