It’s not like you can prove that someone is autistic. It’s not like there’s a blood test, an x-ray, an MRI etc. that can be administered and the results be reproduced.
It’s diagnosed based on observed behavior and doesn’t really take into account what life feels like for the individual. So getting diagnosed can be very difficult for people who can mask well and on the whole don’t represent like a young boy. Those people can just go on and suffer further then in your opinion?
I’m going to repeat myself, I’m not talking about people who demand accommodations and attention. I’m talking about people who look for ways to make their life livable. Those people are not liars, they are suffering and searching for help.
searching for help
No I’m not saying they should suffer, I’m saying they should actually seek help.
Declaring you’re neurodivergent and associating with other people who claim the same is delusion.
Yes there are bad doctors. When you see a bad doctor you go to a different doctor. Otherwise all you’re successfully doing is ensuring people treat you differently. Which, in my opinion, is actually the point.
Well, I live in central Europe. In the second largest city in my country. There are two places that diagnose adult females. Waiting list says it takes 3-6 years to even start the process. I’m 42 and I’m not going to waste more years on fighting my brain until they finally have the time to diagnose me. And the most important thing is even when they do diagnose me there won’t be any help that I don’t have to find myself. It will simply be a note in my medical file.
I already know I’m neurodiverse. I’ve been diagnosed with ADHD last year and the neurologist who diagnosed me strongly suspected autism as well. She’s just not licensed to diagnose me officially.
So I went to look for resources, for books to help me understand why I might be the way that I am. For communities who might understand my struggles.
People in my life don’t treat me differently because I don’t demand accommodations. I might say that I need a short break to clear my mind, that I need some space or that I don’t really feel like talking but that’s it. I don’t demand they do anything differently, I simply learned more about myself and know how to react differently to things. And that’s what self diagnosis is about for me. Finding ways to make your life easier for yourself and not demanding others to accommodate you.
There are certainly people out there who claim to be neurodivergent or to have this or that mental health issue and demand to be treated differently. That is a problem and I acknowledge that. Especially with the rise of TikTok videos etc. it’s getting worse. There is a difference between those people and people who are just looking for ways to understand themselves better, finding ways to help themselves and taking the responsibility for doing that on themselves.
Criticizing the first group of people is one thing but telling the latter one their experiences are not valid is very hurtful and doesn’t help anyone.
Thank you for your patience in responding to hurtful and dismissive ignorance. The “it works for me so you’re lying!” attitude towards the medical system here is maddening.
I would wager that not everyone that claims to have diagnosed themselves has the capacity for understanding that you seem to.
You seem like you actually tried the system, then used it as a sort of guideline for defining yourself. I’m a little confused why you would continue to use their terminology, but I also accept that it’s not really my business what you call yourself.
I don’t know you, so I don’t use definitive terms. But I accept that there are merits to self-diagnosing, if you are truly seeking to understand yourself.
I’m sorry you’ve gone for so long without the help you need.