Silently diagnosing people

This is me to some degree as well. When I see people who look ill or hear them and they don't sound right my brain goes in to health speculation mode LOL and then suddenly my thoughts are racing with the what if's and trying to recall every health page I've ever visited. I suffer from a lot of brain fog now so this isn't always easy to remember, in fact my memory is very poor for a 20 yro but it doesn't stop me from over analysing.

You could always casually bring it up and see what their reactions are like. Unfortunately there's a lot of stigma attached to autism so not everyone likes it but I'm hoping over time this stigma will be lifted.

R said:

That disturbed me slightly but my brain was more thinking has he got lung cancer? Chest infection? Covid? He is looking rather pale...

This is so me lol  I'm like an encyclopedia when it comes to health illnesses and diseases. I would probably actually make an all right doctor but the way I observe people and obsess over people I'd probably be struck off lol.

I do it to family and to strangers but with family I'll actually tell them I think they need to see a doctor. I got it right as well with my mum in 2019, she was having a range of issues and it turned out to be her gallbladder.

One point to moi lol  

Roy said:

I have a friend who is almost certainly autistic, I have ‘dropped a few breadcrumbs’, he has as well. We seem to have a silent understanding. Neither of us are ready to ‘show our cards’ yet.

That's great and I hope so some point you will both be ready.

I'm almost certain my cousin is autistic, she's since gone home but we did exchange numbers and we've been messaging. It was her idea to swap numbers. So maybe she is also thinking she's autistic?

It excites me that there could be another of us in the family

Iain said:

A lot of my family have traits but if you try to raise the subject they just don't want to know.

This has been my own experience as well. Every time I broach the possibility no one wants to hear it, not even like I force it on anyone.

My cousin is a little younger than me she's just turned 17.

I have several friends who don't seem to have worked out that they are autistic yet and I wonder if I should tell them.

I do this as well. I believe it's a part of our tendency to over analyse everything. Before Xmas I found myself unfortunately in a queue at Tesco and a man was stood at a different queue by the counter and he was coughing his guts up, didn't cover his mouth either. That disturbed me slightly but my brain was more thinking has he got lung cancer? Chest infection? Covid? He is looking rather pale...

Honestly my brain is so freaking annoying when it goes off on one like that. I have enough health anxiety with my own self without worrying about strangers health as well LOL. I do it with my family as well. Silently diagnosing may well be a part of autism, though, at times I'm more vocal when it comes to diagnosing people which has had a tendency to annoy people. Unintentional on my part LOL.

Uhane said:

I find myself ding this too and for the similar reasons: They may be someone I could connect with. 

Identifying other autistics is sometimes colloquially referred to as ‘neuroscope’ or ‘autdar’.

I love the feeling of identifying other autistics, it feels great!’

I find myself ding this too and for the similar reasons: They may be someone I could connect with. 

How old is cousin?

I think from a personal perspective, it’s something i know I do, most of us will have family members who are autistic, even if they have never engaged with the idea.

Most autistic people are good at pattern recognition, I think that can be applied to peoples behaviour as well. 
I have a friend who is almost certainly autistic, I have ‘dropped a few breadcrumbs’, he has as well. We seem to have a silent understanding. Neither of us are ready to ‘show our cards’ yet.

Luna said:

And now my brain is trying to work out whether she has autism or whether I'm just seeing things that aren't really there

This is something I also do to an extent but I applied some logic to it and came to realise that because it is a spectrum condition, then there are probably loads of people with traits that are part of the spectrum but nowhere near all the ones you need to match a diagnosis.

A lot of my family have traits but if you try to raise the subject they just don't want to know. I suspect it has a lot of stigma and they don't want to consider themselves to be "deficient" or whatever their inaccurate perception of autism is.

I think the best thing to do it to leave them well alone - drop into conversation that you are autistic and there is a high probability of it being inherited but don't go further than that unless they are actually interested.

I do that as well, though it's usually with physical health but I'm not a doctor, so usually will lead to severe crippling anxiety where I worry myself sick that someone I know is dying lol.

I'm really bad for doing this too but with anything, not just autism. If there's something I've been researching in the mental health field i'll then see traits etc in almost everyone I meet. I try to keep myself in check though, I'm far from a professional and we never know the full picture of someone's whole self.