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innovation-hacking2

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[ "The diagnosis process for a lot of psychiatric conditions are surveys and questionaires. You can go to a psychiatrist and ask if you're anxious and they'll give you multiple choice questions and diagnose off of that. Or you can just google the form yourself and self diagnose. A lot of psychiatric disorders are about how we feel and think. Not about sending off some blood sample to a lab and getting a positive result come back.\n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. For such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nWhat you're describing are all neuroses that could indicate some deeper psychiatric condition. Whether a person has a mental health condition or not, thinking of ourselves as weak victims is never helpful in any context, yet it's something we all feel from time to time.\nI'm a disability support worker, so when someone tells me they've got a self diagnosed condition, it's not offensive to me or any disabled person I know, it doesn't come across like they're invalidating anyone else's condition. However I do think everyone should talk to a doctor about any condition they feel they might have.", ">\n\nPiggybacking off of this: You’ve spent your whole entire life inside your own brain. A therapist will spend a period of hours with you and give you a diagnosis. Who do you think knows your personal reality better than yourself?", ">\n\nYeah exactly, especially with conditions such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, PTSD, and many other psychiatric conditions. These are things people know they have even before they get a diagnosis. The diagnosis stage is more about treatment and management.\nPeople might be unaware of how severe or mild their condition is, some people think they have only mild PTSD despite constant nightmares and suicidal ideation. Some people will think they have severe ADHD because they can't concentrate for long times on things that don't interest them. It's good to get some perspective from experts but ultimately people know when they are struggling to focus or to struggling to stop stressing all the time or struggling to not be miserable. Struggling with our thoughts and feelings is evidence enough to self diagnose.", ">\n\nI was recently diagnosed with ADHD as a woman so I find this viewpoint interesting.\nFirstly, autism is not a mental illness. An autistic person may have mental illness in conjunction with autism, but autism alone lies under the neurodivergent umbrella. Neurodivergency can include autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and other similar conditions.\nWhy women are often underdiagnosed\nThese are serious disabilities that can really impede a person's life, especially if they struggle to find help and acceptance in their community. A lot of women start their journey towards diagnosis later in life due to a number of factors such as:\n\nPoor diagnostic tools and inexperienced professionals\nA misunderstanding that autism and ADHD are more common in boys\nAdvanced masking techniques to cover their 'traits'\n\nWhy women are often diagnosed later in life.\nThe process for many women and men who are diagnosed later in life often includes a level of burnout or breakdown. After a while everything becomes too much, the mask begins to slip and your traits go into overdrive.\nWhy does self-diagnosing seem to be on the rise?\nA common way of finding out you could possibly be neurodivergent is through media and people who are aware of these traits appear.\nIn the past few years, I have seen an increasing awareness of neurodivergence in women pop up in the media. This is useful for people like myself who had no idea wtf was wrong with them for a very long time. For me, a GP actually suggested I seek a diagnosis due to some struggles I was going through.\nAs someone who went through this process self-diagnosing is commonly the first step as an adult. You might be directed to a questionnaire and are asked to evaluate yourself and your experiences thinking back to your childhood. If there's some merit in your experiences than you move to the next step which involves seeking a professional. Waitlists are often months to years long so many people live in limbo for a long time.\nMethods of living with ADHD can help everyone. And everyone experiences ADHD traits from time to time. Given a large amount of stress we have all suffered collectively, I don't doubt there are a lot of people with increased mental health issues that mirror neurodivergent traits. Some mental illnesses can get very severe and alter your brain chemistry and behaviour.\nMy takeaway from this is that the mental health systems set up to assist these people are a much larger issue and cause for serious concern than self-diagnosing.\nApologies for the spelling and grammar errors. Grammarly and Reddit don't play nice.", ">\n\nI think it's two things. One, people have identity crises, especially teenagers. We all know that type of person who tries on identities like hats. That's pretty embarrassing. You usually grow out of that.\nTwo, from personal experience, giving yourself a label or a diagnosis makes it feel more contained and easy to communicate. It's easier to tell someone that you have X and have them understand what you're going through rather than telling them you have these vague symptoms resembling what you imagine X is like. In that respect, it is pretty understandable, possibly good, and not embarrassing. There's something that is sort of reassuring if you can finally get a word to put on what you're experiencing.\nPeople often sympathize with the diagnosis but not with the symptoms. Tell people at work you're autistic and they will sympathize with you and possibly not attack you. Tell them you do not understand social cues and they will probably just make fun of you.", ">\n\nI understand the desire to put a label with a disease, and this is not necessarily bad, but the diagnosis needs to be correct. If you want to tell others that you are autistic or depressed; you must actually be those things. A person can almost never correctly assertion their disease, only their symptoms. People might better understand you if you say your autistic, but you may incorrectly understand and describe yourself. If one wishes to put a name with symptoms, they should find a doctor to pick the label", ">\n\nfor sure but unfortunately our medical system is a joke and even if you are experiencing very severe symptoms it can be nearly impossible to see a professional or take months on a waiting list.\nEven then a professional may be reluctant to slap a label on you for fear of what the consequences of that might be. I saw someone for a very long time who resisted any sort of actual diagnosis because the truth is that what I was experiencing didn't fit neatly into any of the boxes and pretty much belonged in this vague \"other\" category which isn't particularly helpful. Not to mention that misdiagnosis happens all the time even by professionals. \nI just think it is sort of understandable because I think a lot of stuff is kind of a spectrum anyway and just different levels of severity. Things can be really confusing and hard to nail down and thus communicate in a way that causes someone else to be understanding rather than judgemental.", ">\n\nAre you under the impression this is a new phenomenon? Because it's definitely not.\nPeople - especially young people! - crave identity. The world is a confusing place, knowing who you are makes it a little easier. Sometimes it's self-diagnosing mental illness or learning disabilities, or exploring sexual identity, or cliques, or subcultures. There's nothing embarrassing about it, it just is what it is.", ">\n\nIt’s ok to want to express individuality but not to the extent of totally destroying the definition of a real thing and making it hard for actual mentally Ill ppl to get a diagnosis. Why can’t people just accept that they’re different rather then giving themselves a label?", ">\n\npeople on TikTok claiming to have disorders that they don't doesn't affect the precision of psychiatrists diagnosing actual patients. There's no TikTok-said section in the DSM. Why do you think that it does?", ">\n\nIt just encourages more people to get diagnosed possibly skewing the meaning of the mental illness", ">\n\nSkewing it towards statistical accuracy? If people are actually diagnosed at higher rates, we have a better Guage of population-level mental illness, neurodivergency, etc. Better data is more usable, so that research actually means something actionable, ASIDE from the identity boost for young people.", ">\n\nI think what OP is driving at, but utterly failing to explain, is that they think that the fakers will be accommodated by the psychiatric system and diagnosed on the basis of fake symptoms. my sense is that isn't a problem but I don't have data.", ">\n\nDefinitely explained it a little better then I could lol", ">\n\nWhere do you see evidence of that? Any articles about fakers? How about a statistic? If not, it’s just a fear you seem to have.", ">\n\nI think the salient line here is this one:\n\nNeurologists were able to quickly determine that the subjects were not \nsuffering from Tourette's, but psychogenic tics driven by anxiety.", ">\n\nWomen are not born with less autism, but are much less likely to be diagnosed as children than boys. This is partly because boys generally have similar symptoms and behaviors. \nSo of course more women are self diagnosing autism, since their diagnoses were missed as children on a much higher rate.", ">\n\nAlright, I'm diagnosed OCD, PTSD, chronic depression. Diagnosed by a professional so I think I have some grounds to talk about this.\nFirst, let's tackle your women comment about autism. You see, I understand where you're coming from, but you lack the nuance of recognizing that mental illness, and illness in general, is heavily under-diagnosed in women. The medical culture is heavily favored towards men and is rampant with mysogyny, and that's not just me saying it as I've had medical professionals blatantly tell me it's a problem in the field when questioned about it. I've also had some tell me that it's just because women whine a lot, so yanno make of that statement what you will.\nNow that we've covered that let me address the self-diagnosing issue. So, do you want to know what my therapist thinks of self-diagnosing? Well, when I asked them about it they said that self-diagnosing is an important first step to seeking help. Psychiatrist said the same thing. It's normal, expected even, for people to self-diagnose their issues then seek help for them. You can't exactly just peer into someone's brain, no, that person has to tell you what they think is wrong and why they think it is. \nWhat you actually have a problem with is not self-diagnosis, but with people not seeking or not being able to get medical assistance and assuming they're right. You have a problem with people using these issues for attention, which I do too, but once again self-diagnosing is not the problem. Finally, you have a problem with the medical system that forces people into the position of trying to figure out their mental illnesses, but having no ability to get help for them.", ">\n\nI think I did it", ">\n\nSadly no lol, it was not done properly. Do you need a link to the rules?", ">\n\nI already read them i think I’ll figure it out in a bit sorry for the hold up", ">\n\nBecause everyone else is being aggressive: you have to comment with ∆ or !delta and then explain how your view has been changed", ">\n\nThis delta has been rejected. You can't award OP a delta.\nAllowing this would wrongly suggest that you can post here with the aim of convincing others.\nIf you were explaining when/how to award a delta, please use a reddit quote for the symbol next time.\n^Delta System Explained ^| ^Deltaboards", ">\n\nWhat gives you the authority or knowledge to know this is the problem?", ">\n\nYou don’t think it’s a problem that a lot of young ppl are willing to go to the extent of saying they are mentally Ill either for attention or to excuse their weirdness? Just accept that your different. It’s not wrong to believe you’re different without a label", ">\n\nYou did not even try to answer my question.", ">\n\nI’m sorry I was confused on what you meant", ">\n\nIf you are mad at people for self diagnosing themselves because they don't have the knowledge or authority to do so.... what gives you the knowledge or authority to diagnosis this as the problem behavior... basically are you just a kid that is annoyed, or is there some actual studies out there that is claiming this is a problem.", ">\n\nIf you don’t think that people consistently seeking attention for mental illness or craving a label so badly to justify themselves rather then being themselves. That just shows what your views are", ">\n\nDont you think we should leave the diagnosing to the professionals?", ">\n\nI mean yeah", ">\n\nWould you agree that you are diagnosing these people by saying that they are only seeking attention and do not have a real mental illness?", ">\n\nI’m assuming", ">\n\nThere may be some truth to people wanting to be different, however with mental illnesses being more accepted in today's society, many people are a lot more comfortable with being neurodivergent. Additionally, self diagnosis is common because the alternative is spending upwards to $1000-$2000 for a clinical diagnosis.", ">\n\nI know costs suck, but self diagnosis can be much more harmful. A web.md page that tells you your depressed when you may actually be bipolar can lead to really messed up results. I would even go as far as to say that no diagnosis at all is preferable to an uninformed one", ">\n\nWell.\n​\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad \n\nSo you already know why they're doing what they're doing in addition the fact that you know that they're not Autistic? If your claim is that they can't know and only a doctor can, what makes you more qualified? You start out your argument admitting that you have a bias.\n\nthey’re “neurodivergent.\n\nNeurodivergent is an umbrella that covers both Autism and ADHD, which sometimes get mistaken for each other. So if you're upset that they're self-diagnosing, this term should be more welcome than \"Autistic\" because it's more generalized.\n\nnd when you ask them how they know they’ll say “oh I have this weird tick when I uh laugh when someone says something funny “ or “I have a hyper fixation on this topic so I must be autistic\n\nHow else should they communicate it to you? The list of aspects of Autism, especially for how it presents in women, sounds a lot like this. You're not a doctor, they don't have to prove anything to you by going down the entire list of every possible part of their daily experience that might be on the spectrum.\n\nWomen statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nNope. Women are diagnosed less often than men because the original diagnostic criteria for Autism was for Autism as it presents in males. It presents differently for females and is harder to diagnose, especially at younger ages. \n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized\n\nTodays youth want to be victimized? Why would anyone want to be victimized? Something tells me you're missing the mark with this terminology.\n\nor have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. \n\nSo if someone is Autistic and that makes them weird, you'd rather them just be forced to not get to have a name for it, and get the therapeutic treatment that would help them?\n\nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really [are] without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nSome people are autistic. If they find out and it makes them feel good, that doesn't mean they're craving attention. And if they are craving attention, it's because they're normal people and everyone does. \nIf someone thinks they're autistic but it turns out they're actually not, chances are they suspected it for a reason. They might have ADHD, a personality disorder, a mental health issue, or simply a slightly different way of experiencing the world that feels unique to them and there's nothing wrong with that. \nYou seem to think that other people do things for you. People generally don't. They do things for themselves. This is especially true of people on the Autism Spectrum who may not be able to easily use other people's experiences to reference when constructing their view of the world, and can only use their own. Your interpretation wherein they do it to evoke a response from you says more about you than it does about them.", ">\n\nYou’re being deliberately obtuse. OP is completely correct. Most of the people these days who say “I’m ADHD” or “I’m autistic” or “I’m neurodivergent” are absolutely not diagnosed as such and are doing it to seem unique or get attention or as some excuse for why they did x y or z.", ">\n\nI'd like to point out that while some are perhaps attention seeking, many people self diagnose simply because they don't have access to free medical/psychological professionals to get proper diagnosis and help with their issues. I also know someone who doesn't want to get an official diagnosis because he's afrad it will affect his insurance rates or somehow come back to bite him if he's offically labeled with having a neurological disorder. \nThere is a wealth of knowledge on these subjects available online for those interested. And if they are truly interested in self diagnose they can likely do that accurately enough for all intents and purposes. Most of these people who search for the sake of better understanding themselves or their loved ones will openly admit that it's a self diagnoses, or say they THINK they have x,y, or z. But in some situations it's just as well to say they have it if they feel certain anyway, and it's just a passing comment, and not a discussion on the matter. \nIn other words, just because they self diagnose doesn't mean they're wrong, nor does it explain their motives. I also don't see how attention seeking (for those who ARE doing that) is really hurting anyone else. Fakers gonna be fake, that's more a \"them\" kind of problem. ANNOYING, but mostly harmless.", ">\n\nUnless you have a doctor's diagnosis you don't have the disorder. Even if you are broke there are programs to help with costs. \nAnd yes it does affect me when someone is treating me like shit and tries using the I have such and such as an excuse and then people get mad at ME for calling them in their bullshit.", ">\n\nNo. You have to have the disorder before you CAN be diagnosed, so obviously there are undiagnosed people who in fact \"have the disorder \". Your refusal to acknowledge an undiagnosed disorder does not mean they don't have it. Your personal experience with people supposedly using a fake diagnosis to treat you badly, sounds unusual. How do you know they DIDN'T have it? People who do lie and just want to be jerks will do that regardless of what methods they decide to try. The methods are irrelevant. And that motive is not typical of most self diagnosers .", ">\n\nSounds unusual? You must not get out a lot because it's become a pretty regular thing. Every single person I know (about 8) that have self diagnosed themselves as neurodivergent or with a mental illness like Bi-polar all use it to excuse their shitty ass behaviors. \nToo many disorders can mirror other ones. Just because they think they have 2/3 symptoms doesn't make them right by a long shot. Keep living in your bubble.", ">\n\nYou don't have to have a relationship with anyone. If they treat you badly, regardless of an official diagnosis or not, you don't have to tolerate them. It makes no difference what they have or don't have. What would it change if they got diagnosed and actually have it?", ">\n\nSelf diagnosing has been a thing forever\nAnd it's not a problem im 99% sure me or any other autistic person doesn't really give 2 fucks about people who wanna fake disorders. It doesn't stop us from getting help, we have doctors notes, medical files, sometimes even volunteers, you need those files to get into let's say a special education class, or a life skills course.\nSo unless you were diagnosed by a professional you're probably not gonna make it far faking it.\n(Excuse my shitty punctuation)", ">\n\nIt doesn’t bother you that they’re making others take the actual meaning away from what you were born with? I mean I’m sure autism hasn’t made your life easy and seeing ppl claim it for attention to be quirky probably has to annoy you a little right?", ">\n\nAt the end of the day I still have ADHD and I still need help with it. More people being diagnosed with it doesn’t change that fact. In fact I was diagnosed because I realized I related to so many tiktok memes, and I’m sure others are in my same boat. \nIn fact I think so many people talking about ADHD helps. It means more people who possibly have tips for me, people who are suffering who can’t afford treatment have an easy way to learn about how to improve their lives, and more people who are aware of my disorder.", ">\n\nI think people do diagnose themselves too often without seeking professional help. BUT mental illness is not the same as being neurodivergent.", ">\n\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad that they’ll go as far to say they’re “neurodivergent.”\n\nWhile this is the case, I don't really see how it's a \"problem\" per se. I guarantee that these people still make lifestyle decisions based on what they think is best, or based on what they want to do.\n\nbut it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women\n\nDo you have any statistics for that? I haven't experienced it that way in my own anecdotal experience, and I'd be curious to look into the data to see how much that truly does skew in that direction.\n\nwanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness \nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nI understand what you're trying to say here, but I don't really think these things are connected as much as you think they are. People see something wrong with themselves, so they either playfully or seriously consider the fact that it could be a condition that they have similar symptoms to. Not that it never happens, but just because someone categorizes themselves into a disability group that could potentially excuse their \"quirks\", doesn't mean they think that behavior is unacceptable in any way. People see a problem, and assume it's linked to this other issue that seems similar that they already know about.", ">\n\nI agree with the conclusion that self-diagnosis is a real issue, and I wouldn't be surprised if the data indicated it was on the rise. I wouldn't necessarily frame it as a simple desire to \"be victimized\" however. While it is purely speculation, I do believe there are a number of conditions which might lead towards a more frequent experience of symptoms associated with mental illness - a rising wealth gap, perpetual anxiety from a 24-hour news cycle, intensification of self-commodification, the student debt crisis in certain countries like the US, and so on. So people are experiencing symptoms like low energy, mood swings, etc. that can be associated with mental illness. The issue with self-diagnosis then becomes that it may correctly identify the symptom, but incorrectly identify the cause.\nThis video from the YouTuber HealthyGamerGG does a good job of explaining what some of the issues with self-diagnosis are, and for me it was a good starting place for thinking about this more. \nEDIT: I forgot this video literally starts with this same topic being brought up on this same subreddit lol", ">\n\nA great theory based on reasonable causes with an educational video from a psychologist(I assume) as evidence to back it up. I applaud you sir. 👏", ">\n\nWhy are you embarrassed by other people's issues?", ">\n\nI’m a 30yo male. If I had not first self diagnosed with ASD and OCD, I never would have found the language and resources to get a formal diagnosis and help.\nPrior generations have been so fixated on avoidance of diagnosing mental disorders, and research was previously so lacking that we are only just now (through those that do get diagnosed) realizing how common mental disorders are. That plus the lack of mental health resources for neurotypical and neurodivergent I think is how we end up in this situation of many recognizing their symptoms in the new discourse, but lacking the resources to overcome the barriers to proper diagnosis and treatment.", ">\n\nIt’s not the best thing, no. \nAs an adult FINALLY diagnosed (by a licensed therapist) at 41, I can tell you why ‘self diagnosis’ is so tempting. \nIn the US at least- mental health, and official medical diagnosis are almost completely inaccessible, especially as an adult. Most of us grew up before Autism was a spectrum, and ADHD was just boys who acted out in class. We felt like aliens. We couldn’t understand why we didn’t have many friends, or why we didn’t like the ‘right things’, and generally spend the bill of our lives feeling ‘wrong’, ‘broken’ or just simply like we didn’t belong. \nFinally understanding the WHY, and even better, finding tools to addresses our issues is a huge huge weight off the chest. The relief of having a name and a strategy- either therapy or medicine is such an amazing relief!!", ">\n\nI only kinda agree if I had not done my own research I would have never found out I have sjorgens syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis I know TikTok people tend to diagnose themselves and it makes it look cringe but when you live with a incurable illness sometimes you have to work to find a diagnosis", ">\n\nWell, what do you do of you absolutely know you're neurodivergent, but your parents decided not to get you checked? My mom once told me \"we knew you had something, we just didn't get you checked because they would have just put you on pills\". So I struggled with being different, socially unaware, impulsive, obnoxious, agressive, selfish, for the better part of my life without having the self awareness to understand why I was these things, and why people wouldn't want to be around me. \nIn my late 20''s I asked the question, what if I'm actually autistic? I looked up the symptoms, and 9/10 matched. As a child I couldn't handle loud noises, restrictive clothing, I didn't talk until I was 3. I would throw fits for seemingly no reason, I had obsessive interests. I've always really struggled with eye contact, and I never cared for conversation unless it was something I liked. I mean, when the final piece of a puzzle fits so incredibly well, it's really hard for it to be wrong. \nSelf diagnosing actually really helped me grow as aj individual. I became aware of all my divergent behaviors, and why it might be annoying for someone else to deal with. I came to the realization that I was the one who was different, therefore I needed to change. It's way harder to make everyone around you cater to your needs than to overcome the things that upset you. I'm at peace, I have good friends that I can connect with on a pretty deep level. I no longer smash coffee tables when I lose, I can now appreciate that if I lose it just means I have more to learn. I can keep my house clean, I can reasonably hold myself accountable. What exactly is the harm in all that?\nBesides, it would be pretty pointless for me to try and get a diagnosis now, I've put the effort in and largely come out the other side. Anyone diagnosing me would just say I was normal, but they wouldn't have the intimate knowledge of me that I do. I guess it doesn't matter if people don't believe me, I don't go around shouting that I'm autistic. I will say, it would be really nice if people appreciated the effort I put in to get to get to a place of normalcy, something others take for granted, but it's okay, we all have our struggles.", ">\n\nI feel you on all that. To play devil's advocate, mental healthcare in the U.S. is not cheap. Many people go to the internet and confirm their bias about their current health", ">\n\nI feel you on that too OP. I agree 100% with your entire statement.", ">\n\nIt's a problem, but not a new one. In the 1990s there was briefly a surge of people with a type of delusional parasitosis, that is, the false belief that they were infested with parasites. Except this one was supposedly an infestation with tiny fibres. They would come to doctors with a whole list of symptoms to back up their incorrect self-diagnosis.\nTo a certain extent, these are social contagions, which come and go, and often actually end up leading to people having real problems. Like, the young women you mention, a couple of decades ago may well have ended up with anorexia, or self-cutting. These days it might be a self-declaration of autism or a belief that they have gender dysphoria or that they have multiple systems living in their minds.", ">\n\nWow I did not know that. Maybe it’s just so prevalent today due to social media. Social media has only made these things worse imo", ">\n\nEven before it being self diagnosis of a mental illness it was always something. Remember all the emo and goth teenager?", ">\n\nIt depends on the context. For example, if they've done a substantial amount of research, can name a good amount of symptoms they have and reasons they have whatever mental illness and don't have access to the necessary tools to get a medical diagnosis, it's totally different. Some people don't have the money to go out and get a diagnosis, or sometimes it would be better to not get a medical diagnosis. I believe that the reason that a lot of people self diagnose themselves with things like Autism is because they want an explanation as to why they are different, and they could be right or wrong. I think the most important part is that if you go to a psychologist (or even two, I know a lot of people prefer getting second opinions) and they say you don't have it, that you need to admit you were wrong. It's ok to be wrong about your mental health, and the key is to keep looking and to not give up. I can completely understand the frustration in people completely missing how difficult it actually may be to have a mental illness. I was clinically diagnosed with Depression, Anxiety, and PTSD when I was seven, and I've had some experience with people faking mental disorders for attention, and more often then not, they have another mental disorder that needs attention. Recently I had a (now ex) boyfriend insist he had PTSD after being tested twice and the psychiatrist saying that he didn't have it. What he does have is Depression and Anxiety, but he absolutely insisted he has PTSD despite never exhibiting symptoms and the only evidence being a test he took online that was supposedly a \"real PTSD test.\" People faking mental illnesses only harms people who really have them, as these people tend to exaggerate symptoms and use their self diagnosis for attention. I believe that I am autistic, but I don't list it as a diagnosis because while I have read articles and taken the RAADS-r test, I don't have an official diagnosis, and I could very well be wrong. As for women faking illnesses more often, something I've noticed is that things like Autism, ADHD, ADD, etc are more often diagnosed in boys rather than girls- mostly because when they were first discovered, most of the research was done in boys. Autism shows up differently in girls, and can often be blown off as early puberty hormones. If their hyperfixations are those of stereotypical feminine things, it's just a girl liking whatever, and if they hyperfixate in stereotypical masculine interests, they tend to just be viewed as weird, but not autistic. It's normal for people to question, but I agree that to a certain point, self diagnosis can be harmful, but only if not done correctly.", ">\n\nFirst and foremost not a new problem at all, very common, we used to call it \"Being a hypochondriac\" until it aparrently became reconized which in it self is confusing and a bit contradictory.\nANYWAY\nIt isnt really a problem, no doctor is gonna write the perscription for medication without a diagnosis of some sort.\nAt most there is the vauge \"But what about those who actually have it who arent taken serious\" dont worry, we wouldnt have anyway. Thats kinda how invisible illnesses work.\nOverall the 101 hypochondriacs screaming about the symptoms they read in the ICD might help make the knowledge more common and help people better reconize if their colleagues or friends happen to show symptoms of something.", ">\n\nIt’s pretty expensive in the US to get diagnosed. Personally, I’ve self diagnosed myself out of frustration of the way I process things. I’ve always felt slow & my anxiety/depression was deep because of it, but I was raised in a family that doesn’t believe in mental illness. It was always “if you work hard enough, all your problems will go away”. Meanwhile, i was racking my brain on how to make myself think faster/smarter & it would result in psychotic episodes. I’ve gotten fired from jobs, dropped out of school. I started self harming because I hated myself and my brain & almost commit suicide bc I had no idea what was going on.\nThe relief I felt once I finally got a therapist who validated me & was the first to talk to me about mental Illness. It blew my mind and all of a sudden things actually made sense to me. I currently think I have ADD, and sometimes I’ll tell people that but will preface it by saying I’m not professionally diagnosed. Still, I use mental tools that help me get through the day and build my confidence. I’m a lot better at processing conversations, making lists that help me remember things, unmasking, slowing down my thoughts… etc. I’m less frustrated and can see the beauty in how I process things. I still want to get diagnosed but I have to get health insurance….. lol", ">\n\nSelf diagnosis, regardless of being factual is a process where the individual realizes that they might have a mental health issue. People who can do this are more likely to seek professional help compared to the people who think they are “fine”. Going to a professional, licensed psychologist or a psychiatrist will eventually diagnose them with the correct disorder from there, and professionals have the skills to communicate with them and they can together evaluate if the person’s complaint is the issue or not. There is nothing embarrassing about discovering one’s self. It would be a problem if people would identify with an issue and don’t have any willingness to seek help. Sometimes overreacting is better than not reacting.", ">\n\nThe majority of people who are self-diagnosed with autism have done extensive research into it to come to that conclusion. I personally went through the DSM criteria with a fine-tooth comb, made a list of all the ways I met it and discovered that there’s not a single criteria i don’t meet for autism. I didn’t read about anything else but autism for weeks, approaching it from all angles before coming to the conclusion that it’s highly unlikely I am not autistic. I’m waiting to hear back about an assessment, but I’m not waiting to go and be told something I already know before I start advocating for myself. \nOh, and I absolutely did not want to be ‘different’, in fact my life mission to just blend in and be average is the root cause of most of my problems, but here we are.", ">\n\nThis self diagnosing young people do isn’t the problem. The problem is that our society encourages it.\nOur culture is not set up to accommodate a wide spectrum of human needs. You may need things that I don’t. I may need things that you don’t. But in most business settings, academic settings, or even places like restaurants or leisure places, the world isn’t built to accommodate everyone. Our world and society is a “one size fits all” approach, and most people don’t fit snugly inside of that system. \nIf you can classify what is “wrong” or “different” about you into an easily digestible form, people are generally more able and more willing to accommodate you.\nFor example: if I tell my coworkers that I need to leave work early because of a headache, I’ll be shamed for it. And in some cases I’ll be told that “headaches aren’t that bad!” Or “You don’t need to leave.” Or “I have a headache too, just deal with it!”\nBut if I tell my workers that I need to leave due to a painful neurological condition that’s flaring up (I have chronic migraine, which is a neurological condition), they will respect it 100% of the time. It’s met with sympathy and not criticism.\nThis happens for all sorts of things. “Sorry Im late, I slept in.” Sounds a lot worse then, “sorry I’m late, my insomnia has been terrible lately.” \nOur culture forces us to use these labels even when they’re untrue just to receive sympathy or acceptance. The problem isn’t people who decide to use these labels, the root problem is that our society refuses to embrace and accommodate people who are outside of the “norm.”", ">\n\nSpeaking as someone who's had an autism diagnosis since age 7: if someone declares they're autistic when they're not, that's obnoxious at worst. If someone is told they're not autistic when they are, that can cause lifelong harm from denied care and understanding. I have seen this happen to a close friend of mine.\nTherefore, I'd much rather err on the side of acceptance. If you think you're defending me and others like me from impersonators, we'd rather not have your help.\n\nI know people will disagree but it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women. Women statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nCase in point: women are diagnosed with autism far less than men. Recent studies have pointed to decades of systematic misdiagnosis. The more visible autistic symptoms sometimes manifest differently in girls, the way they're socialized may help them hide it from a young age, and of course lots of doctors just say \"your daughter can't be autistic, that's a boy thing.\"\nWe're learning that there are hundreds of thousands of autistic women who slipped through the cracks and were denied the recognition and support they needed because of dismissive, gatekeeping attitudes just like yours.", ">\n\nThere’s a difference between having a disorder and relating to a disorder. If the tools or language associated with a disorder helps someone live better though then cool, it’s all still odd. Also autism presents differently in woman, and a majority of our research on it is on men. Best practice is probably to support them and encourage them to seek treatment.", ">\n\nAutism is severely misdiagnosed in women. Completely under diagnosed. Actually, plenty of things are. The actual problem that we have is parents refusing to let their children get professional help or a diagnosis. Most doctors will diagnose you with BPD as a woman(aka the new female hysteria of our century), maybe put you on some anti psychotics and send you your way. In most countries, a diagnosis/specialist is not readily available, or there is a long waiting list. Even so, the doctors are not know it all. I have seen plenty of doctors, I got different diagnosis almost each time. They ask you some general questions (about your mood, the way you sleep, if you can concentrate, if you harm yourself, if you have suicidal ideation, if you can socialize properly, if your parents were diagnosed with anything, if you have hallucinations or delusions, the works) and then based on that, they will give you a diagnosis. If you use your common sense and information on the internet (given you are knowledgeable on the subject), you can take a good guess on what's wrong. Obviously, some people will exaggerate like with anything (seeing the shadow dude once in your childhood is not a sign of psychosis, neither is hearing your name called when you are alone once in a blue moon), but if you have visual and auditory hallucinations, perhaps weird tactile feelings/hallucinations (spiders are crawling on me, etc), delusions, tend to be forgetful and out of teach with reality, there is a good chance you do have psychosis." ]

[ "The diagnosis process for a lot of psychiatric conditions are surveys and questionaires. You can go to a psychiatrist and ask if you're anxious and they'll give you multiple choice questions and diagnose off of that. Or you can just google the form yourself and self diagnose. A lot of psychiatric disorders are about how we feel and think. Not about sending off some blood sample to a lab and getting a positive result come back.\n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. For such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nWhat you're describing are all neuroses that could indicate some deeper psychiatric condition. Whether a person has a mental health condition or not, thinking of ourselves as weak victims is never helpful in any context, yet it's something we all feel from time to time.\nI'm a disability support worker, so when someone tells me they've got a self diagnosed condition, it's not offensive to me or any disabled person I know, it doesn't come across like they're invalidating anyone else's condition. However I do think everyone should talk to a doctor about any condition they feel they might have.", ">\n\nPiggybacking off of this: You’ve spent your whole entire life inside your own brain. A therapist will spend a period of hours with you and give you a diagnosis. Who do you think knows your personal reality better than yourself?", ">\n\nYeah exactly, especially with conditions such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, PTSD, and many other psychiatric conditions. These are things people know they have even before they get a diagnosis. The diagnosis stage is more about treatment and management.\nPeople might be unaware of how severe or mild their condition is, some people think they have only mild PTSD despite constant nightmares and suicidal ideation. Some people will think they have severe ADHD because they can't concentrate for long times on things that don't interest them. It's good to get some perspective from experts but ultimately people know when they are struggling to focus or to struggling to stop stressing all the time or struggling to not be miserable. Struggling with our thoughts and feelings is evidence enough to self diagnose.", ">\n\nI was recently diagnosed with ADHD as a woman so I find this viewpoint interesting.\nFirstly, autism is not a mental illness. An autistic person may have mental illness in conjunction with autism, but autism alone lies under the neurodivergent umbrella. Neurodivergency can include autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and other similar conditions.\nWhy women are often underdiagnosed\nThese are serious disabilities that can really impede a person's life, especially if they struggle to find help and acceptance in their community. A lot of women start their journey towards diagnosis later in life due to a number of factors such as:\n\nPoor diagnostic tools and inexperienced professionals\nA misunderstanding that autism and ADHD are more common in boys\nAdvanced masking techniques to cover their 'traits'\n\nWhy women are often diagnosed later in life.\nThe process for many women and men who are diagnosed later in life often includes a level of burnout or breakdown. After a while everything becomes too much, the mask begins to slip and your traits go into overdrive.\nWhy does self-diagnosing seem to be on the rise?\nA common way of finding out you could possibly be neurodivergent is through media and people who are aware of these traits appear.\nIn the past few years, I have seen an increasing awareness of neurodivergence in women pop up in the media. This is useful for people like myself who had no idea wtf was wrong with them for a very long time. For me, a GP actually suggested I seek a diagnosis due to some struggles I was going through.\nAs someone who went through this process self-diagnosing is commonly the first step as an adult. You might be directed to a questionnaire and are asked to evaluate yourself and your experiences thinking back to your childhood. If there's some merit in your experiences than you move to the next step which involves seeking a professional. Waitlists are often months to years long so many people live in limbo for a long time.\nMethods of living with ADHD can help everyone. And everyone experiences ADHD traits from time to time. Given a large amount of stress we have all suffered collectively, I don't doubt there are a lot of people with increased mental health issues that mirror neurodivergent traits. Some mental illnesses can get very severe and alter your brain chemistry and behaviour.\nMy takeaway from this is that the mental health systems set up to assist these people are a much larger issue and cause for serious concern than self-diagnosing.\nApologies for the spelling and grammar errors. Grammarly and Reddit don't play nice.", ">\n\nI think it's two things. One, people have identity crises, especially teenagers. We all know that type of person who tries on identities like hats. That's pretty embarrassing. You usually grow out of that.\nTwo, from personal experience, giving yourself a label or a diagnosis makes it feel more contained and easy to communicate. It's easier to tell someone that you have X and have them understand what you're going through rather than telling them you have these vague symptoms resembling what you imagine X is like. In that respect, it is pretty understandable, possibly good, and not embarrassing. There's something that is sort of reassuring if you can finally get a word to put on what you're experiencing.\nPeople often sympathize with the diagnosis but not with the symptoms. Tell people at work you're autistic and they will sympathize with you and possibly not attack you. Tell them you do not understand social cues and they will probably just make fun of you.", ">\n\nI understand the desire to put a label with a disease, and this is not necessarily bad, but the diagnosis needs to be correct. If you want to tell others that you are autistic or depressed; you must actually be those things. A person can almost never correctly assertion their disease, only their symptoms. People might better understand you if you say your autistic, but you may incorrectly understand and describe yourself. If one wishes to put a name with symptoms, they should find a doctor to pick the label", ">\n\nfor sure but unfortunately our medical system is a joke and even if you are experiencing very severe symptoms it can be nearly impossible to see a professional or take months on a waiting list.\nEven then a professional may be reluctant to slap a label on you for fear of what the consequences of that might be. I saw someone for a very long time who resisted any sort of actual diagnosis because the truth is that what I was experiencing didn't fit neatly into any of the boxes and pretty much belonged in this vague \"other\" category which isn't particularly helpful. Not to mention that misdiagnosis happens all the time even by professionals. \nI just think it is sort of understandable because I think a lot of stuff is kind of a spectrum anyway and just different levels of severity. Things can be really confusing and hard to nail down and thus communicate in a way that causes someone else to be understanding rather than judgemental.", ">\n\nAre you under the impression this is a new phenomenon? Because it's definitely not.\nPeople - especially young people! - crave identity. The world is a confusing place, knowing who you are makes it a little easier. Sometimes it's self-diagnosing mental illness or learning disabilities, or exploring sexual identity, or cliques, or subcultures. There's nothing embarrassing about it, it just is what it is.", ">\n\nIt’s ok to want to express individuality but not to the extent of totally destroying the definition of a real thing and making it hard for actual mentally Ill ppl to get a diagnosis. Why can’t people just accept that they’re different rather then giving themselves a label?", ">\n\npeople on TikTok claiming to have disorders that they don't doesn't affect the precision of psychiatrists diagnosing actual patients. There's no TikTok-said section in the DSM. Why do you think that it does?", ">\n\nIt just encourages more people to get diagnosed possibly skewing the meaning of the mental illness", ">\n\nSkewing it towards statistical accuracy? If people are actually diagnosed at higher rates, we have a better Guage of population-level mental illness, neurodivergency, etc. Better data is more usable, so that research actually means something actionable, ASIDE from the identity boost for young people.", ">\n\nI think what OP is driving at, but utterly failing to explain, is that they think that the fakers will be accommodated by the psychiatric system and diagnosed on the basis of fake symptoms. my sense is that isn't a problem but I don't have data.", ">\n\nDefinitely explained it a little better then I could lol", ">\n\nWhere do you see evidence of that? Any articles about fakers? How about a statistic? If not, it’s just a fear you seem to have.", ">\n\nI think the salient line here is this one:\n\nNeurologists were able to quickly determine that the subjects were not \nsuffering from Tourette's, but psychogenic tics driven by anxiety.", ">\n\nWomen are not born with less autism, but are much less likely to be diagnosed as children than boys. This is partly because boys generally have similar symptoms and behaviors. \nSo of course more women are self diagnosing autism, since their diagnoses were missed as children on a much higher rate.", ">\n\nAlright, I'm diagnosed OCD, PTSD, chronic depression. Diagnosed by a professional so I think I have some grounds to talk about this.\nFirst, let's tackle your women comment about autism. You see, I understand where you're coming from, but you lack the nuance of recognizing that mental illness, and illness in general, is heavily under-diagnosed in women. The medical culture is heavily favored towards men and is rampant with mysogyny, and that's not just me saying it as I've had medical professionals blatantly tell me it's a problem in the field when questioned about it. I've also had some tell me that it's just because women whine a lot, so yanno make of that statement what you will.\nNow that we've covered that let me address the self-diagnosing issue. So, do you want to know what my therapist thinks of self-diagnosing? Well, when I asked them about it they said that self-diagnosing is an important first step to seeking help. Psychiatrist said the same thing. It's normal, expected even, for people to self-diagnose their issues then seek help for them. You can't exactly just peer into someone's brain, no, that person has to tell you what they think is wrong and why they think it is. \nWhat you actually have a problem with is not self-diagnosis, but with people not seeking or not being able to get medical assistance and assuming they're right. You have a problem with people using these issues for attention, which I do too, but once again self-diagnosing is not the problem. Finally, you have a problem with the medical system that forces people into the position of trying to figure out their mental illnesses, but having no ability to get help for them.", ">\n\nI think I did it", ">\n\nSadly no lol, it was not done properly. Do you need a link to the rules?", ">\n\nI already read them i think I’ll figure it out in a bit sorry for the hold up", ">\n\nBecause everyone else is being aggressive: you have to comment with ∆ or !delta and then explain how your view has been changed", ">\n\nThis delta has been rejected. You can't award OP a delta.\nAllowing this would wrongly suggest that you can post here with the aim of convincing others.\nIf you were explaining when/how to award a delta, please use a reddit quote for the symbol next time.\n^Delta System Explained ^| ^Deltaboards", ">\n\nWhat gives you the authority or knowledge to know this is the problem?", ">\n\nYou don’t think it’s a problem that a lot of young ppl are willing to go to the extent of saying they are mentally Ill either for attention or to excuse their weirdness? Just accept that your different. It’s not wrong to believe you’re different without a label", ">\n\nYou did not even try to answer my question.", ">\n\nI’m sorry I was confused on what you meant", ">\n\nIf you are mad at people for self diagnosing themselves because they don't have the knowledge or authority to do so.... what gives you the knowledge or authority to diagnosis this as the problem behavior... basically are you just a kid that is annoyed, or is there some actual studies out there that is claiming this is a problem.", ">\n\nIf you don’t think that people consistently seeking attention for mental illness or craving a label so badly to justify themselves rather then being themselves. That just shows what your views are", ">\n\nDont you think we should leave the diagnosing to the professionals?", ">\n\nI mean yeah", ">\n\nWould you agree that you are diagnosing these people by saying that they are only seeking attention and do not have a real mental illness?", ">\n\nI’m assuming", ">\n\nThere may be some truth to people wanting to be different, however with mental illnesses being more accepted in today's society, many people are a lot more comfortable with being neurodivergent. Additionally, self diagnosis is common because the alternative is spending upwards to $1000-$2000 for a clinical diagnosis.", ">\n\nI know costs suck, but self diagnosis can be much more harmful. A web.md page that tells you your depressed when you may actually be bipolar can lead to really messed up results. I would even go as far as to say that no diagnosis at all is preferable to an uninformed one", ">\n\nWell.\n​\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad \n\nSo you already know why they're doing what they're doing in addition the fact that you know that they're not Autistic? If your claim is that they can't know and only a doctor can, what makes you more qualified? You start out your argument admitting that you have a bias.\n\nthey’re “neurodivergent.\n\nNeurodivergent is an umbrella that covers both Autism and ADHD, which sometimes get mistaken for each other. So if you're upset that they're self-diagnosing, this term should be more welcome than \"Autistic\" because it's more generalized.\n\nnd when you ask them how they know they’ll say “oh I have this weird tick when I uh laugh when someone says something funny “ or “I have a hyper fixation on this topic so I must be autistic\n\nHow else should they communicate it to you? The list of aspects of Autism, especially for how it presents in women, sounds a lot like this. You're not a doctor, they don't have to prove anything to you by going down the entire list of every possible part of their daily experience that might be on the spectrum.\n\nWomen statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nNope. Women are diagnosed less often than men because the original diagnostic criteria for Autism was for Autism as it presents in males. It presents differently for females and is harder to diagnose, especially at younger ages. \n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized\n\nTodays youth want to be victimized? Why would anyone want to be victimized? Something tells me you're missing the mark with this terminology.\n\nor have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. \n\nSo if someone is Autistic and that makes them weird, you'd rather them just be forced to not get to have a name for it, and get the therapeutic treatment that would help them?\n\nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really [are] without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nSome people are autistic. If they find out and it makes them feel good, that doesn't mean they're craving attention. And if they are craving attention, it's because they're normal people and everyone does. \nIf someone thinks they're autistic but it turns out they're actually not, chances are they suspected it for a reason. They might have ADHD, a personality disorder, a mental health issue, or simply a slightly different way of experiencing the world that feels unique to them and there's nothing wrong with that. \nYou seem to think that other people do things for you. People generally don't. They do things for themselves. This is especially true of people on the Autism Spectrum who may not be able to easily use other people's experiences to reference when constructing their view of the world, and can only use their own. Your interpretation wherein they do it to evoke a response from you says more about you than it does about them.", ">\n\nYou’re being deliberately obtuse. OP is completely correct. Most of the people these days who say “I’m ADHD” or “I’m autistic” or “I’m neurodivergent” are absolutely not diagnosed as such and are doing it to seem unique or get attention or as some excuse for why they did x y or z.", ">\n\nI'd like to point out that while some are perhaps attention seeking, many people self diagnose simply because they don't have access to free medical/psychological professionals to get proper diagnosis and help with their issues. I also know someone who doesn't want to get an official diagnosis because he's afrad it will affect his insurance rates or somehow come back to bite him if he's offically labeled with having a neurological disorder. \nThere is a wealth of knowledge on these subjects available online for those interested. And if they are truly interested in self diagnose they can likely do that accurately enough for all intents and purposes. Most of these people who search for the sake of better understanding themselves or their loved ones will openly admit that it's a self diagnoses, or say they THINK they have x,y, or z. But in some situations it's just as well to say they have it if they feel certain anyway, and it's just a passing comment, and not a discussion on the matter. \nIn other words, just because they self diagnose doesn't mean they're wrong, nor does it explain their motives. I also don't see how attention seeking (for those who ARE doing that) is really hurting anyone else. Fakers gonna be fake, that's more a \"them\" kind of problem. ANNOYING, but mostly harmless.", ">\n\nUnless you have a doctor's diagnosis you don't have the disorder. Even if you are broke there are programs to help with costs. \nAnd yes it does affect me when someone is treating me like shit and tries using the I have such and such as an excuse and then people get mad at ME for calling them in their bullshit.", ">\n\nNo. You have to have the disorder before you CAN be diagnosed, so obviously there are undiagnosed people who in fact \"have the disorder \". Your refusal to acknowledge an undiagnosed disorder does not mean they don't have it. Your personal experience with people supposedly using a fake diagnosis to treat you badly, sounds unusual. How do you know they DIDN'T have it? People who do lie and just want to be jerks will do that regardless of what methods they decide to try. The methods are irrelevant. And that motive is not typical of most self diagnosers .", ">\n\nSounds unusual? You must not get out a lot because it's become a pretty regular thing. Every single person I know (about 8) that have self diagnosed themselves as neurodivergent or with a mental illness like Bi-polar all use it to excuse their shitty ass behaviors. \nToo many disorders can mirror other ones. Just because they think they have 2/3 symptoms doesn't make them right by a long shot. Keep living in your bubble.", ">\n\nYou don't have to have a relationship with anyone. If they treat you badly, regardless of an official diagnosis or not, you don't have to tolerate them. It makes no difference what they have or don't have. What would it change if they got diagnosed and actually have it?", ">\n\nSelf diagnosing has been a thing forever\nAnd it's not a problem im 99% sure me or any other autistic person doesn't really give 2 fucks about people who wanna fake disorders. It doesn't stop us from getting help, we have doctors notes, medical files, sometimes even volunteers, you need those files to get into let's say a special education class, or a life skills course.\nSo unless you were diagnosed by a professional you're probably not gonna make it far faking it.\n(Excuse my shitty punctuation)", ">\n\nIt doesn’t bother you that they’re making others take the actual meaning away from what you were born with? I mean I’m sure autism hasn’t made your life easy and seeing ppl claim it for attention to be quirky probably has to annoy you a little right?", ">\n\nAt the end of the day I still have ADHD and I still need help with it. More people being diagnosed with it doesn’t change that fact. In fact I was diagnosed because I realized I related to so many tiktok memes, and I’m sure others are in my same boat. \nIn fact I think so many people talking about ADHD helps. It means more people who possibly have tips for me, people who are suffering who can’t afford treatment have an easy way to learn about how to improve their lives, and more people who are aware of my disorder.", ">\n\nI think people do diagnose themselves too often without seeking professional help. BUT mental illness is not the same as being neurodivergent.", ">\n\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad that they’ll go as far to say they’re “neurodivergent.”\n\nWhile this is the case, I don't really see how it's a \"problem\" per se. I guarantee that these people still make lifestyle decisions based on what they think is best, or based on what they want to do.\n\nbut it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women\n\nDo you have any statistics for that? I haven't experienced it that way in my own anecdotal experience, and I'd be curious to look into the data to see how much that truly does skew in that direction.\n\nwanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness \nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nI understand what you're trying to say here, but I don't really think these things are connected as much as you think they are. People see something wrong with themselves, so they either playfully or seriously consider the fact that it could be a condition that they have similar symptoms to. Not that it never happens, but just because someone categorizes themselves into a disability group that could potentially excuse their \"quirks\", doesn't mean they think that behavior is unacceptable in any way. People see a problem, and assume it's linked to this other issue that seems similar that they already know about.", ">\n\nI agree with the conclusion that self-diagnosis is a real issue, and I wouldn't be surprised if the data indicated it was on the rise. I wouldn't necessarily frame it as a simple desire to \"be victimized\" however. While it is purely speculation, I do believe there are a number of conditions which might lead towards a more frequent experience of symptoms associated with mental illness - a rising wealth gap, perpetual anxiety from a 24-hour news cycle, intensification of self-commodification, the student debt crisis in certain countries like the US, and so on. So people are experiencing symptoms like low energy, mood swings, etc. that can be associated with mental illness. The issue with self-diagnosis then becomes that it may correctly identify the symptom, but incorrectly identify the cause.\nThis video from the YouTuber HealthyGamerGG does a good job of explaining what some of the issues with self-diagnosis are, and for me it was a good starting place for thinking about this more. \nEDIT: I forgot this video literally starts with this same topic being brought up on this same subreddit lol", ">\n\nA great theory based on reasonable causes with an educational video from a psychologist(I assume) as evidence to back it up. I applaud you sir. 👏", ">\n\nWhy are you embarrassed by other people's issues?", ">\n\nI’m a 30yo male. If I had not first self diagnosed with ASD and OCD, I never would have found the language and resources to get a formal diagnosis and help.\nPrior generations have been so fixated on avoidance of diagnosing mental disorders, and research was previously so lacking that we are only just now (through those that do get diagnosed) realizing how common mental disorders are. That plus the lack of mental health resources for neurotypical and neurodivergent I think is how we end up in this situation of many recognizing their symptoms in the new discourse, but lacking the resources to overcome the barriers to proper diagnosis and treatment.", ">\n\nIt’s not the best thing, no. \nAs an adult FINALLY diagnosed (by a licensed therapist) at 41, I can tell you why ‘self diagnosis’ is so tempting. \nIn the US at least- mental health, and official medical diagnosis are almost completely inaccessible, especially as an adult. Most of us grew up before Autism was a spectrum, and ADHD was just boys who acted out in class. We felt like aliens. We couldn’t understand why we didn’t have many friends, or why we didn’t like the ‘right things’, and generally spend the bill of our lives feeling ‘wrong’, ‘broken’ or just simply like we didn’t belong. \nFinally understanding the WHY, and even better, finding tools to addresses our issues is a huge huge weight off the chest. The relief of having a name and a strategy- either therapy or medicine is such an amazing relief!!", ">\n\nI only kinda agree if I had not done my own research I would have never found out I have sjorgens syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis I know TikTok people tend to diagnose themselves and it makes it look cringe but when you live with a incurable illness sometimes you have to work to find a diagnosis", ">\n\nWell, what do you do of you absolutely know you're neurodivergent, but your parents decided not to get you checked? My mom once told me \"we knew you had something, we just didn't get you checked because they would have just put you on pills\". So I struggled with being different, socially unaware, impulsive, obnoxious, agressive, selfish, for the better part of my life without having the self awareness to understand why I was these things, and why people wouldn't want to be around me. \nIn my late 20''s I asked the question, what if I'm actually autistic? I looked up the symptoms, and 9/10 matched. As a child I couldn't handle loud noises, restrictive clothing, I didn't talk until I was 3. I would throw fits for seemingly no reason, I had obsessive interests. I've always really struggled with eye contact, and I never cared for conversation unless it was something I liked. I mean, when the final piece of a puzzle fits so incredibly well, it's really hard for it to be wrong. \nSelf diagnosing actually really helped me grow as aj individual. I became aware of all my divergent behaviors, and why it might be annoying for someone else to deal with. I came to the realization that I was the one who was different, therefore I needed to change. It's way harder to make everyone around you cater to your needs than to overcome the things that upset you. I'm at peace, I have good friends that I can connect with on a pretty deep level. I no longer smash coffee tables when I lose, I can now appreciate that if I lose it just means I have more to learn. I can keep my house clean, I can reasonably hold myself accountable. What exactly is the harm in all that?\nBesides, it would be pretty pointless for me to try and get a diagnosis now, I've put the effort in and largely come out the other side. Anyone diagnosing me would just say I was normal, but they wouldn't have the intimate knowledge of me that I do. I guess it doesn't matter if people don't believe me, I don't go around shouting that I'm autistic. I will say, it would be really nice if people appreciated the effort I put in to get to get to a place of normalcy, something others take for granted, but it's okay, we all have our struggles.", ">\n\nI feel you on all that. To play devil's advocate, mental healthcare in the U.S. is not cheap. Many people go to the internet and confirm their bias about their current health", ">\n\nI feel you on that too OP. I agree 100% with your entire statement.", ">\n\nIt's a problem, but not a new one. In the 1990s there was briefly a surge of people with a type of delusional parasitosis, that is, the false belief that they were infested with parasites. Except this one was supposedly an infestation with tiny fibres. They would come to doctors with a whole list of symptoms to back up their incorrect self-diagnosis.\nTo a certain extent, these are social contagions, which come and go, and often actually end up leading to people having real problems. Like, the young women you mention, a couple of decades ago may well have ended up with anorexia, or self-cutting. These days it might be a self-declaration of autism or a belief that they have gender dysphoria or that they have multiple systems living in their minds.", ">\n\nWow I did not know that. Maybe it’s just so prevalent today due to social media. Social media has only made these things worse imo", ">\n\nEven before it being self diagnosis of a mental illness it was always something. Remember all the emo and goth teenager?", ">\n\nIt depends on the context. For example, if they've done a substantial amount of research, can name a good amount of symptoms they have and reasons they have whatever mental illness and don't have access to the necessary tools to get a medical diagnosis, it's totally different. Some people don't have the money to go out and get a diagnosis, or sometimes it would be better to not get a medical diagnosis. I believe that the reason that a lot of people self diagnose themselves with things like Autism is because they want an explanation as to why they are different, and they could be right or wrong. I think the most important part is that if you go to a psychologist (or even two, I know a lot of people prefer getting second opinions) and they say you don't have it, that you need to admit you were wrong. It's ok to be wrong about your mental health, and the key is to keep looking and to not give up. I can completely understand the frustration in people completely missing how difficult it actually may be to have a mental illness. I was clinically diagnosed with Depression, Anxiety, and PTSD when I was seven, and I've had some experience with people faking mental disorders for attention, and more often then not, they have another mental disorder that needs attention. Recently I had a (now ex) boyfriend insist he had PTSD after being tested twice and the psychiatrist saying that he didn't have it. What he does have is Depression and Anxiety, but he absolutely insisted he has PTSD despite never exhibiting symptoms and the only evidence being a test he took online that was supposedly a \"real PTSD test.\" People faking mental illnesses only harms people who really have them, as these people tend to exaggerate symptoms and use their self diagnosis for attention. I believe that I am autistic, but I don't list it as a diagnosis because while I have read articles and taken the RAADS-r test, I don't have an official diagnosis, and I could very well be wrong. As for women faking illnesses more often, something I've noticed is that things like Autism, ADHD, ADD, etc are more often diagnosed in boys rather than girls- mostly because when they were first discovered, most of the research was done in boys. Autism shows up differently in girls, and can often be blown off as early puberty hormones. If their hyperfixations are those of stereotypical feminine things, it's just a girl liking whatever, and if they hyperfixate in stereotypical masculine interests, they tend to just be viewed as weird, but not autistic. It's normal for people to question, but I agree that to a certain point, self diagnosis can be harmful, but only if not done correctly.", ">\n\nFirst and foremost not a new problem at all, very common, we used to call it \"Being a hypochondriac\" until it aparrently became reconized which in it self is confusing and a bit contradictory.\nANYWAY\nIt isnt really a problem, no doctor is gonna write the perscription for medication without a diagnosis of some sort.\nAt most there is the vauge \"But what about those who actually have it who arent taken serious\" dont worry, we wouldnt have anyway. Thats kinda how invisible illnesses work.\nOverall the 101 hypochondriacs screaming about the symptoms they read in the ICD might help make the knowledge more common and help people better reconize if their colleagues or friends happen to show symptoms of something.", ">\n\nIt’s pretty expensive in the US to get diagnosed. Personally, I’ve self diagnosed myself out of frustration of the way I process things. I’ve always felt slow & my anxiety/depression was deep because of it, but I was raised in a family that doesn’t believe in mental illness. It was always “if you work hard enough, all your problems will go away”. Meanwhile, i was racking my brain on how to make myself think faster/smarter & it would result in psychotic episodes. I’ve gotten fired from jobs, dropped out of school. I started self harming because I hated myself and my brain & almost commit suicide bc I had no idea what was going on.\nThe relief I felt once I finally got a therapist who validated me & was the first to talk to me about mental Illness. It blew my mind and all of a sudden things actually made sense to me. I currently think I have ADD, and sometimes I’ll tell people that but will preface it by saying I’m not professionally diagnosed. Still, I use mental tools that help me get through the day and build my confidence. I’m a lot better at processing conversations, making lists that help me remember things, unmasking, slowing down my thoughts… etc. I’m less frustrated and can see the beauty in how I process things. I still want to get diagnosed but I have to get health insurance….. lol", ">\n\nSelf diagnosis, regardless of being factual is a process where the individual realizes that they might have a mental health issue. People who can do this are more likely to seek professional help compared to the people who think they are “fine”. Going to a professional, licensed psychologist or a psychiatrist will eventually diagnose them with the correct disorder from there, and professionals have the skills to communicate with them and they can together evaluate if the person’s complaint is the issue or not. There is nothing embarrassing about discovering one’s self. It would be a problem if people would identify with an issue and don’t have any willingness to seek help. Sometimes overreacting is better than not reacting.", ">\n\nThe majority of people who are self-diagnosed with autism have done extensive research into it to come to that conclusion. I personally went through the DSM criteria with a fine-tooth comb, made a list of all the ways I met it and discovered that there’s not a single criteria i don’t meet for autism. I didn’t read about anything else but autism for weeks, approaching it from all angles before coming to the conclusion that it’s highly unlikely I am not autistic. I’m waiting to hear back about an assessment, but I’m not waiting to go and be told something I already know before I start advocating for myself. \nOh, and I absolutely did not want to be ‘different’, in fact my life mission to just blend in and be average is the root cause of most of my problems, but here we are.", ">\n\nThis self diagnosing young people do isn’t the problem. The problem is that our society encourages it.\nOur culture is not set up to accommodate a wide spectrum of human needs. You may need things that I don’t. I may need things that you don’t. But in most business settings, academic settings, or even places like restaurants or leisure places, the world isn’t built to accommodate everyone. Our world and society is a “one size fits all” approach, and most people don’t fit snugly inside of that system. \nIf you can classify what is “wrong” or “different” about you into an easily digestible form, people are generally more able and more willing to accommodate you.\nFor example: if I tell my coworkers that I need to leave work early because of a headache, I’ll be shamed for it. And in some cases I’ll be told that “headaches aren’t that bad!” Or “You don’t need to leave.” Or “I have a headache too, just deal with it!”\nBut if I tell my workers that I need to leave due to a painful neurological condition that’s flaring up (I have chronic migraine, which is a neurological condition), they will respect it 100% of the time. It’s met with sympathy and not criticism.\nThis happens for all sorts of things. “Sorry Im late, I slept in.” Sounds a lot worse then, “sorry I’m late, my insomnia has been terrible lately.” \nOur culture forces us to use these labels even when they’re untrue just to receive sympathy or acceptance. The problem isn’t people who decide to use these labels, the root problem is that our society refuses to embrace and accommodate people who are outside of the “norm.”", ">\n\nSpeaking as someone who's had an autism diagnosis since age 7: if someone declares they're autistic when they're not, that's obnoxious at worst. If someone is told they're not autistic when they are, that can cause lifelong harm from denied care and understanding. I have seen this happen to a close friend of mine.\nTherefore, I'd much rather err on the side of acceptance. If you think you're defending me and others like me from impersonators, we'd rather not have your help.\n\nI know people will disagree but it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women. Women statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nCase in point: women are diagnosed with autism far less than men. Recent studies have pointed to decades of systematic misdiagnosis. The more visible autistic symptoms sometimes manifest differently in girls, the way they're socialized may help them hide it from a young age, and of course lots of doctors just say \"your daughter can't be autistic, that's a boy thing.\"\nWe're learning that there are hundreds of thousands of autistic women who slipped through the cracks and were denied the recognition and support they needed because of dismissive, gatekeeping attitudes just like yours.", ">\n\nThere’s a difference between having a disorder and relating to a disorder. If the tools or language associated with a disorder helps someone live better though then cool, it’s all still odd. Also autism presents differently in woman, and a majority of our research on it is on men. Best practice is probably to support them and encourage them to seek treatment.", ">\n\nAutism is severely misdiagnosed in women. Completely under diagnosed. Actually, plenty of things are. The actual problem that we have is parents refusing to let their children get professional help or a diagnosis. Most doctors will diagnose you with BPD as a woman(aka the new female hysteria of our century), maybe put you on some anti psychotics and send you your way. In most countries, a diagnosis/specialist is not readily available, or there is a long waiting list. Even so, the doctors are not know it all. I have seen plenty of doctors, I got different diagnosis almost each time. They ask you some general questions (about your mood, the way you sleep, if you can concentrate, if you harm yourself, if you have suicidal ideation, if you can socialize properly, if your parents were diagnosed with anything, if you have hallucinations or delusions, the works) and then based on that, they will give you a diagnosis. If you use your common sense and information on the internet (given you are knowledgeable on the subject), you can take a good guess on what's wrong. Obviously, some people will exaggerate like with anything (seeing the shadow dude once in your childhood is not a sign of psychosis, neither is hearing your name called when you are alone once in a blue moon), but if you have visual and auditory hallucinations, perhaps weird tactile feelings/hallucinations (spiders are crawling on me, etc), delusions, tend to be forgetful and out of teach with reality, there is a good chance you do have psychosis.", ">\n\nOkay, to start: what do you think autism and ADHD are? They aren't mental illnesses nor are they mental health conditions. \nTo address some of your other points; \nStudies have shown that autism has a gender expression of 1:1. The only reason that women are under diagnosed is because of misunderstandings towards autism, then the diagnosis is conducted incorrectly. Thus it ends up getting conflated with mental illness, E.G BPD, and is diagnosed as a psychiatric disorder instead. This is a detriment to the patient as the care regimes are black and white different. Often times this severely damages the woman.\nFrom data sets that I recall reading, malingering hasn't risen much, if at all, in recent times. I remember it being around 8% of the global population who are engaging in this behaviour, to different extents. I think what's happened is that social media has turned a torch onto it and it's risen in popularity in an algorithmic way. You see it more because it's pushed by the algorithm more because people are searching for it more. It isn't actually occurring any more or less than historically. Most of that attention is negative attention, I should add. \nSo there's two things to take away from that.\n1) The actual act of pretending to be mentally ill, or to have a disability, which is called malingering, is in fact a form of mental unwellness itself. It's a cry for help. The people who do these things are usually very unstable and should be treated with a degree of empathy. The dangerous types who are using mental illness to scam others, or to manipulate them, make up a very small percentage of the overall amount of people in that group and tend to abuse one on one. \n2) The predominant response to this is generally negative. There isn't really any reason to publicly malinger unless you're unstable, this is because a rational person would likely know this, and know the damage it would cause themselves. Self-diagnosis is a very long, and self-aware, process that takes place over years of the individuals life, and proceeds official diagnosis. \nNo one SDs and says \"Okay that's it now! Let me start a TikTok!\" You'd still want support, and you'd still seek support. So that would end up with a doctor, who would see that you're lying, and treat you for whatever was prompting you to malinger. Anyone who has made this commitment knows that keeping it private is a sensible thing to do in a world that isn't inclusive, and often very stigmatising. Sometimes official diagnosis can take YEARS. \nThis kind of propaganda has been going around for a long time in an effort to discredit disabled people and people with mental illnesses. It's not new. People said the same things back in the 90s. People will always be afraid, and dismissive, of things they do not understand. I invite you to try and understand." ]

[ "The diagnosis process for a lot of psychiatric conditions are surveys and questionaires. You can go to a psychiatrist and ask if you're anxious and they'll give you multiple choice questions and diagnose off of that. Or you can just google the form yourself and self diagnose. A lot of psychiatric disorders are about how we feel and think. Not about sending off some blood sample to a lab and getting a positive result come back.\n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. For such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nWhat you're describing are all neuroses that could indicate some deeper psychiatric condition. Whether a person has a mental health condition or not, thinking of ourselves as weak victims is never helpful in any context, yet it's something we all feel from time to time.\nI'm a disability support worker, so when someone tells me they've got a self diagnosed condition, it's not offensive to me or any disabled person I know, it doesn't come across like they're invalidating anyone else's condition. However I do think everyone should talk to a doctor about any condition they feel they might have.", ">\n\nPiggybacking off of this: You’ve spent your whole entire life inside your own brain. A therapist will spend a period of hours with you and give you a diagnosis. Who do you think knows your personal reality better than yourself?", ">\n\nYeah exactly, especially with conditions such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, PTSD, and many other psychiatric conditions. These are things people know they have even before they get a diagnosis. The diagnosis stage is more about treatment and management.\nPeople might be unaware of how severe or mild their condition is, some people think they have only mild PTSD despite constant nightmares and suicidal ideation. Some people will think they have severe ADHD because they can't concentrate for long times on things that don't interest them. It's good to get some perspective from experts but ultimately people know when they are struggling to focus or to struggling to stop stressing all the time or struggling to not be miserable. Struggling with our thoughts and feelings is evidence enough to self diagnose.", ">\n\nI was recently diagnosed with ADHD as a woman so I find this viewpoint interesting.\nFirstly, autism is not a mental illness. An autistic person may have mental illness in conjunction with autism, but autism alone lies under the neurodivergent umbrella. Neurodivergency can include autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and other similar conditions.\nWhy women are often underdiagnosed\nThese are serious disabilities that can really impede a person's life, especially if they struggle to find help and acceptance in their community. A lot of women start their journey towards diagnosis later in life due to a number of factors such as:\n\nPoor diagnostic tools and inexperienced professionals\nA misunderstanding that autism and ADHD are more common in boys\nAdvanced masking techniques to cover their 'traits'\n\nWhy women are often diagnosed later in life.\nThe process for many women and men who are diagnosed later in life often includes a level of burnout or breakdown. After a while everything becomes too much, the mask begins to slip and your traits go into overdrive.\nWhy does self-diagnosing seem to be on the rise?\nA common way of finding out you could possibly be neurodivergent is through media and people who are aware of these traits appear.\nIn the past few years, I have seen an increasing awareness of neurodivergence in women pop up in the media. This is useful for people like myself who had no idea wtf was wrong with them for a very long time. For me, a GP actually suggested I seek a diagnosis due to some struggles I was going through.\nAs someone who went through this process self-diagnosing is commonly the first step as an adult. You might be directed to a questionnaire and are asked to evaluate yourself and your experiences thinking back to your childhood. If there's some merit in your experiences than you move to the next step which involves seeking a professional. Waitlists are often months to years long so many people live in limbo for a long time.\nMethods of living with ADHD can help everyone. And everyone experiences ADHD traits from time to time. Given a large amount of stress we have all suffered collectively, I don't doubt there are a lot of people with increased mental health issues that mirror neurodivergent traits. Some mental illnesses can get very severe and alter your brain chemistry and behaviour.\nMy takeaway from this is that the mental health systems set up to assist these people are a much larger issue and cause for serious concern than self-diagnosing.\nApologies for the spelling and grammar errors. Grammarly and Reddit don't play nice.", ">\n\nI think it's two things. One, people have identity crises, especially teenagers. We all know that type of person who tries on identities like hats. That's pretty embarrassing. You usually grow out of that.\nTwo, from personal experience, giving yourself a label or a diagnosis makes it feel more contained and easy to communicate. It's easier to tell someone that you have X and have them understand what you're going through rather than telling them you have these vague symptoms resembling what you imagine X is like. In that respect, it is pretty understandable, possibly good, and not embarrassing. There's something that is sort of reassuring if you can finally get a word to put on what you're experiencing.\nPeople often sympathize with the diagnosis but not with the symptoms. Tell people at work you're autistic and they will sympathize with you and possibly not attack you. Tell them you do not understand social cues and they will probably just make fun of you.", ">\n\nI understand the desire to put a label with a disease, and this is not necessarily bad, but the diagnosis needs to be correct. If you want to tell others that you are autistic or depressed; you must actually be those things. A person can almost never correctly assertion their disease, only their symptoms. People might better understand you if you say your autistic, but you may incorrectly understand and describe yourself. If one wishes to put a name with symptoms, they should find a doctor to pick the label", ">\n\nfor sure but unfortunately our medical system is a joke and even if you are experiencing very severe symptoms it can be nearly impossible to see a professional or take months on a waiting list.\nEven then a professional may be reluctant to slap a label on you for fear of what the consequences of that might be. I saw someone for a very long time who resisted any sort of actual diagnosis because the truth is that what I was experiencing didn't fit neatly into any of the boxes and pretty much belonged in this vague \"other\" category which isn't particularly helpful. Not to mention that misdiagnosis happens all the time even by professionals. \nI just think it is sort of understandable because I think a lot of stuff is kind of a spectrum anyway and just different levels of severity. Things can be really confusing and hard to nail down and thus communicate in a way that causes someone else to be understanding rather than judgemental.", ">\n\nAre you under the impression this is a new phenomenon? Because it's definitely not.\nPeople - especially young people! - crave identity. The world is a confusing place, knowing who you are makes it a little easier. Sometimes it's self-diagnosing mental illness or learning disabilities, or exploring sexual identity, or cliques, or subcultures. There's nothing embarrassing about it, it just is what it is.", ">\n\nIt’s ok to want to express individuality but not to the extent of totally destroying the definition of a real thing and making it hard for actual mentally Ill ppl to get a diagnosis. Why can’t people just accept that they’re different rather then giving themselves a label?", ">\n\npeople on TikTok claiming to have disorders that they don't doesn't affect the precision of psychiatrists diagnosing actual patients. There's no TikTok-said section in the DSM. Why do you think that it does?", ">\n\nIt just encourages more people to get diagnosed possibly skewing the meaning of the mental illness", ">\n\nSkewing it towards statistical accuracy? If people are actually diagnosed at higher rates, we have a better Guage of population-level mental illness, neurodivergency, etc. Better data is more usable, so that research actually means something actionable, ASIDE from the identity boost for young people.", ">\n\nI think what OP is driving at, but utterly failing to explain, is that they think that the fakers will be accommodated by the psychiatric system and diagnosed on the basis of fake symptoms. my sense is that isn't a problem but I don't have data.", ">\n\nDefinitely explained it a little better then I could lol", ">\n\nWhere do you see evidence of that? Any articles about fakers? How about a statistic? If not, it’s just a fear you seem to have.", ">\n\nI think the salient line here is this one:\n\nNeurologists were able to quickly determine that the subjects were not \nsuffering from Tourette's, but psychogenic tics driven by anxiety.", ">\n\nWomen are not born with less autism, but are much less likely to be diagnosed as children than boys. This is partly because boys generally have similar symptoms and behaviors. \nSo of course more women are self diagnosing autism, since their diagnoses were missed as children on a much higher rate.", ">\n\nAlright, I'm diagnosed OCD, PTSD, chronic depression. Diagnosed by a professional so I think I have some grounds to talk about this.\nFirst, let's tackle your women comment about autism. You see, I understand where you're coming from, but you lack the nuance of recognizing that mental illness, and illness in general, is heavily under-diagnosed in women. The medical culture is heavily favored towards men and is rampant with mysogyny, and that's not just me saying it as I've had medical professionals blatantly tell me it's a problem in the field when questioned about it. I've also had some tell me that it's just because women whine a lot, so yanno make of that statement what you will.\nNow that we've covered that let me address the self-diagnosing issue. So, do you want to know what my therapist thinks of self-diagnosing? Well, when I asked them about it they said that self-diagnosing is an important first step to seeking help. Psychiatrist said the same thing. It's normal, expected even, for people to self-diagnose their issues then seek help for them. You can't exactly just peer into someone's brain, no, that person has to tell you what they think is wrong and why they think it is. \nWhat you actually have a problem with is not self-diagnosis, but with people not seeking or not being able to get medical assistance and assuming they're right. You have a problem with people using these issues for attention, which I do too, but once again self-diagnosing is not the problem. Finally, you have a problem with the medical system that forces people into the position of trying to figure out their mental illnesses, but having no ability to get help for them.", ">\n\nI think I did it", ">\n\nSadly no lol, it was not done properly. Do you need a link to the rules?", ">\n\nI already read them i think I’ll figure it out in a bit sorry for the hold up", ">\n\nBecause everyone else is being aggressive: you have to comment with ∆ or !delta and then explain how your view has been changed", ">\n\nThis delta has been rejected. You can't award OP a delta.\nAllowing this would wrongly suggest that you can post here with the aim of convincing others.\nIf you were explaining when/how to award a delta, please use a reddit quote for the symbol next time.\n^Delta System Explained ^| ^Deltaboards", ">\n\nWhat gives you the authority or knowledge to know this is the problem?", ">\n\nYou don’t think it’s a problem that a lot of young ppl are willing to go to the extent of saying they are mentally Ill either for attention or to excuse their weirdness? Just accept that your different. It’s not wrong to believe you’re different without a label", ">\n\nYou did not even try to answer my question.", ">\n\nI’m sorry I was confused on what you meant", ">\n\nIf you are mad at people for self diagnosing themselves because they don't have the knowledge or authority to do so.... what gives you the knowledge or authority to diagnosis this as the problem behavior... basically are you just a kid that is annoyed, or is there some actual studies out there that is claiming this is a problem.", ">\n\nIf you don’t think that people consistently seeking attention for mental illness or craving a label so badly to justify themselves rather then being themselves. That just shows what your views are", ">\n\nDont you think we should leave the diagnosing to the professionals?", ">\n\nI mean yeah", ">\n\nWould you agree that you are diagnosing these people by saying that they are only seeking attention and do not have a real mental illness?", ">\n\nI’m assuming", ">\n\nThere may be some truth to people wanting to be different, however with mental illnesses being more accepted in today's society, many people are a lot more comfortable with being neurodivergent. Additionally, self diagnosis is common because the alternative is spending upwards to $1000-$2000 for a clinical diagnosis.", ">\n\nI know costs suck, but self diagnosis can be much more harmful. A web.md page that tells you your depressed when you may actually be bipolar can lead to really messed up results. I would even go as far as to say that no diagnosis at all is preferable to an uninformed one", ">\n\nWell.\n​\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad \n\nSo you already know why they're doing what they're doing in addition the fact that you know that they're not Autistic? If your claim is that they can't know and only a doctor can, what makes you more qualified? You start out your argument admitting that you have a bias.\n\nthey’re “neurodivergent.\n\nNeurodivergent is an umbrella that covers both Autism and ADHD, which sometimes get mistaken for each other. So if you're upset that they're self-diagnosing, this term should be more welcome than \"Autistic\" because it's more generalized.\n\nnd when you ask them how they know they’ll say “oh I have this weird tick when I uh laugh when someone says something funny “ or “I have a hyper fixation on this topic so I must be autistic\n\nHow else should they communicate it to you? The list of aspects of Autism, especially for how it presents in women, sounds a lot like this. You're not a doctor, they don't have to prove anything to you by going down the entire list of every possible part of their daily experience that might be on the spectrum.\n\nWomen statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nNope. Women are diagnosed less often than men because the original diagnostic criteria for Autism was for Autism as it presents in males. It presents differently for females and is harder to diagnose, especially at younger ages. \n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized\n\nTodays youth want to be victimized? Why would anyone want to be victimized? Something tells me you're missing the mark with this terminology.\n\nor have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. \n\nSo if someone is Autistic and that makes them weird, you'd rather them just be forced to not get to have a name for it, and get the therapeutic treatment that would help them?\n\nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really [are] without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nSome people are autistic. If they find out and it makes them feel good, that doesn't mean they're craving attention. And if they are craving attention, it's because they're normal people and everyone does. \nIf someone thinks they're autistic but it turns out they're actually not, chances are they suspected it for a reason. They might have ADHD, a personality disorder, a mental health issue, or simply a slightly different way of experiencing the world that feels unique to them and there's nothing wrong with that. \nYou seem to think that other people do things for you. People generally don't. They do things for themselves. This is especially true of people on the Autism Spectrum who may not be able to easily use other people's experiences to reference when constructing their view of the world, and can only use their own. Your interpretation wherein they do it to evoke a response from you says more about you than it does about them.", ">\n\nYou’re being deliberately obtuse. OP is completely correct. Most of the people these days who say “I’m ADHD” or “I’m autistic” or “I’m neurodivergent” are absolutely not diagnosed as such and are doing it to seem unique or get attention or as some excuse for why they did x y or z.", ">\n\nI'd like to point out that while some are perhaps attention seeking, many people self diagnose simply because they don't have access to free medical/psychological professionals to get proper diagnosis and help with their issues. I also know someone who doesn't want to get an official diagnosis because he's afrad it will affect his insurance rates or somehow come back to bite him if he's offically labeled with having a neurological disorder. \nThere is a wealth of knowledge on these subjects available online for those interested. And if they are truly interested in self diagnose they can likely do that accurately enough for all intents and purposes. Most of these people who search for the sake of better understanding themselves or their loved ones will openly admit that it's a self diagnoses, or say they THINK they have x,y, or z. But in some situations it's just as well to say they have it if they feel certain anyway, and it's just a passing comment, and not a discussion on the matter. \nIn other words, just because they self diagnose doesn't mean they're wrong, nor does it explain their motives. I also don't see how attention seeking (for those who ARE doing that) is really hurting anyone else. Fakers gonna be fake, that's more a \"them\" kind of problem. ANNOYING, but mostly harmless.", ">\n\nUnless you have a doctor's diagnosis you don't have the disorder. Even if you are broke there are programs to help with costs. \nAnd yes it does affect me when someone is treating me like shit and tries using the I have such and such as an excuse and then people get mad at ME for calling them in their bullshit.", ">\n\nNo. You have to have the disorder before you CAN be diagnosed, so obviously there are undiagnosed people who in fact \"have the disorder \". Your refusal to acknowledge an undiagnosed disorder does not mean they don't have it. Your personal experience with people supposedly using a fake diagnosis to treat you badly, sounds unusual. How do you know they DIDN'T have it? People who do lie and just want to be jerks will do that regardless of what methods they decide to try. The methods are irrelevant. And that motive is not typical of most self diagnosers .", ">\n\nSounds unusual? You must not get out a lot because it's become a pretty regular thing. Every single person I know (about 8) that have self diagnosed themselves as neurodivergent or with a mental illness like Bi-polar all use it to excuse their shitty ass behaviors. \nToo many disorders can mirror other ones. Just because they think they have 2/3 symptoms doesn't make them right by a long shot. Keep living in your bubble.", ">\n\nYou don't have to have a relationship with anyone. If they treat you badly, regardless of an official diagnosis or not, you don't have to tolerate them. It makes no difference what they have or don't have. What would it change if they got diagnosed and actually have it?", ">\n\nSelf diagnosing has been a thing forever\nAnd it's not a problem im 99% sure me or any other autistic person doesn't really give 2 fucks about people who wanna fake disorders. It doesn't stop us from getting help, we have doctors notes, medical files, sometimes even volunteers, you need those files to get into let's say a special education class, or a life skills course.\nSo unless you were diagnosed by a professional you're probably not gonna make it far faking it.\n(Excuse my shitty punctuation)", ">\n\nIt doesn’t bother you that they’re making others take the actual meaning away from what you were born with? I mean I’m sure autism hasn’t made your life easy and seeing ppl claim it for attention to be quirky probably has to annoy you a little right?", ">\n\nAt the end of the day I still have ADHD and I still need help with it. More people being diagnosed with it doesn’t change that fact. In fact I was diagnosed because I realized I related to so many tiktok memes, and I’m sure others are in my same boat. \nIn fact I think so many people talking about ADHD helps. It means more people who possibly have tips for me, people who are suffering who can’t afford treatment have an easy way to learn about how to improve their lives, and more people who are aware of my disorder.", ">\n\nI think people do diagnose themselves too often without seeking professional help. BUT mental illness is not the same as being neurodivergent.", ">\n\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad that they’ll go as far to say they’re “neurodivergent.”\n\nWhile this is the case, I don't really see how it's a \"problem\" per se. I guarantee that these people still make lifestyle decisions based on what they think is best, or based on what they want to do.\n\nbut it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women\n\nDo you have any statistics for that? I haven't experienced it that way in my own anecdotal experience, and I'd be curious to look into the data to see how much that truly does skew in that direction.\n\nwanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness \nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nI understand what you're trying to say here, but I don't really think these things are connected as much as you think they are. People see something wrong with themselves, so they either playfully or seriously consider the fact that it could be a condition that they have similar symptoms to. Not that it never happens, but just because someone categorizes themselves into a disability group that could potentially excuse their \"quirks\", doesn't mean they think that behavior is unacceptable in any way. People see a problem, and assume it's linked to this other issue that seems similar that they already know about.", ">\n\nI agree with the conclusion that self-diagnosis is a real issue, and I wouldn't be surprised if the data indicated it was on the rise. I wouldn't necessarily frame it as a simple desire to \"be victimized\" however. While it is purely speculation, I do believe there are a number of conditions which might lead towards a more frequent experience of symptoms associated with mental illness - a rising wealth gap, perpetual anxiety from a 24-hour news cycle, intensification of self-commodification, the student debt crisis in certain countries like the US, and so on. So people are experiencing symptoms like low energy, mood swings, etc. that can be associated with mental illness. The issue with self-diagnosis then becomes that it may correctly identify the symptom, but incorrectly identify the cause.\nThis video from the YouTuber HealthyGamerGG does a good job of explaining what some of the issues with self-diagnosis are, and for me it was a good starting place for thinking about this more. \nEDIT: I forgot this video literally starts with this same topic being brought up on this same subreddit lol", ">\n\nA great theory based on reasonable causes with an educational video from a psychologist(I assume) as evidence to back it up. I applaud you sir. 👏", ">\n\nWhy are you embarrassed by other people's issues?", ">\n\nI’m a 30yo male. If I had not first self diagnosed with ASD and OCD, I never would have found the language and resources to get a formal diagnosis and help.\nPrior generations have been so fixated on avoidance of diagnosing mental disorders, and research was previously so lacking that we are only just now (through those that do get diagnosed) realizing how common mental disorders are. That plus the lack of mental health resources for neurotypical and neurodivergent I think is how we end up in this situation of many recognizing their symptoms in the new discourse, but lacking the resources to overcome the barriers to proper diagnosis and treatment.", ">\n\nIt’s not the best thing, no. \nAs an adult FINALLY diagnosed (by a licensed therapist) at 41, I can tell you why ‘self diagnosis’ is so tempting. \nIn the US at least- mental health, and official medical diagnosis are almost completely inaccessible, especially as an adult. Most of us grew up before Autism was a spectrum, and ADHD was just boys who acted out in class. We felt like aliens. We couldn’t understand why we didn’t have many friends, or why we didn’t like the ‘right things’, and generally spend the bill of our lives feeling ‘wrong’, ‘broken’ or just simply like we didn’t belong. \nFinally understanding the WHY, and even better, finding tools to addresses our issues is a huge huge weight off the chest. The relief of having a name and a strategy- either therapy or medicine is such an amazing relief!!", ">\n\nI only kinda agree if I had not done my own research I would have never found out I have sjorgens syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis I know TikTok people tend to diagnose themselves and it makes it look cringe but when you live with a incurable illness sometimes you have to work to find a diagnosis", ">\n\nWell, what do you do of you absolutely know you're neurodivergent, but your parents decided not to get you checked? My mom once told me \"we knew you had something, we just didn't get you checked because they would have just put you on pills\". So I struggled with being different, socially unaware, impulsive, obnoxious, agressive, selfish, for the better part of my life without having the self awareness to understand why I was these things, and why people wouldn't want to be around me. \nIn my late 20''s I asked the question, what if I'm actually autistic? I looked up the symptoms, and 9/10 matched. As a child I couldn't handle loud noises, restrictive clothing, I didn't talk until I was 3. I would throw fits for seemingly no reason, I had obsessive interests. I've always really struggled with eye contact, and I never cared for conversation unless it was something I liked. I mean, when the final piece of a puzzle fits so incredibly well, it's really hard for it to be wrong. \nSelf diagnosing actually really helped me grow as aj individual. I became aware of all my divergent behaviors, and why it might be annoying for someone else to deal with. I came to the realization that I was the one who was different, therefore I needed to change. It's way harder to make everyone around you cater to your needs than to overcome the things that upset you. I'm at peace, I have good friends that I can connect with on a pretty deep level. I no longer smash coffee tables when I lose, I can now appreciate that if I lose it just means I have more to learn. I can keep my house clean, I can reasonably hold myself accountable. What exactly is the harm in all that?\nBesides, it would be pretty pointless for me to try and get a diagnosis now, I've put the effort in and largely come out the other side. Anyone diagnosing me would just say I was normal, but they wouldn't have the intimate knowledge of me that I do. I guess it doesn't matter if people don't believe me, I don't go around shouting that I'm autistic. I will say, it would be really nice if people appreciated the effort I put in to get to get to a place of normalcy, something others take for granted, but it's okay, we all have our struggles.", ">\n\nI feel you on all that. To play devil's advocate, mental healthcare in the U.S. is not cheap. Many people go to the internet and confirm their bias about their current health", ">\n\nI feel you on that too OP. I agree 100% with your entire statement.", ">\n\nIt's a problem, but not a new one. In the 1990s there was briefly a surge of people with a type of delusional parasitosis, that is, the false belief that they were infested with parasites. Except this one was supposedly an infestation with tiny fibres. They would come to doctors with a whole list of symptoms to back up their incorrect self-diagnosis.\nTo a certain extent, these are social contagions, which come and go, and often actually end up leading to people having real problems. Like, the young women you mention, a couple of decades ago may well have ended up with anorexia, or self-cutting. These days it might be a self-declaration of autism or a belief that they have gender dysphoria or that they have multiple systems living in their minds.", ">\n\nWow I did not know that. Maybe it’s just so prevalent today due to social media. Social media has only made these things worse imo", ">\n\nEven before it being self diagnosis of a mental illness it was always something. Remember all the emo and goth teenager?", ">\n\nIt depends on the context. For example, if they've done a substantial amount of research, can name a good amount of symptoms they have and reasons they have whatever mental illness and don't have access to the necessary tools to get a medical diagnosis, it's totally different. Some people don't have the money to go out and get a diagnosis, or sometimes it would be better to not get a medical diagnosis. I believe that the reason that a lot of people self diagnose themselves with things like Autism is because they want an explanation as to why they are different, and they could be right or wrong. I think the most important part is that if you go to a psychologist (or even two, I know a lot of people prefer getting second opinions) and they say you don't have it, that you need to admit you were wrong. It's ok to be wrong about your mental health, and the key is to keep looking and to not give up. I can completely understand the frustration in people completely missing how difficult it actually may be to have a mental illness. I was clinically diagnosed with Depression, Anxiety, and PTSD when I was seven, and I've had some experience with people faking mental disorders for attention, and more often then not, they have another mental disorder that needs attention. Recently I had a (now ex) boyfriend insist he had PTSD after being tested twice and the psychiatrist saying that he didn't have it. What he does have is Depression and Anxiety, but he absolutely insisted he has PTSD despite never exhibiting symptoms and the only evidence being a test he took online that was supposedly a \"real PTSD test.\" People faking mental illnesses only harms people who really have them, as these people tend to exaggerate symptoms and use their self diagnosis for attention. I believe that I am autistic, but I don't list it as a diagnosis because while I have read articles and taken the RAADS-r test, I don't have an official diagnosis, and I could very well be wrong. As for women faking illnesses more often, something I've noticed is that things like Autism, ADHD, ADD, etc are more often diagnosed in boys rather than girls- mostly because when they were first discovered, most of the research was done in boys. Autism shows up differently in girls, and can often be blown off as early puberty hormones. If their hyperfixations are those of stereotypical feminine things, it's just a girl liking whatever, and if they hyperfixate in stereotypical masculine interests, they tend to just be viewed as weird, but not autistic. It's normal for people to question, but I agree that to a certain point, self diagnosis can be harmful, but only if not done correctly.", ">\n\nFirst and foremost not a new problem at all, very common, we used to call it \"Being a hypochondriac\" until it aparrently became reconized which in it self is confusing and a bit contradictory.\nANYWAY\nIt isnt really a problem, no doctor is gonna write the perscription for medication without a diagnosis of some sort.\nAt most there is the vauge \"But what about those who actually have it who arent taken serious\" dont worry, we wouldnt have anyway. Thats kinda how invisible illnesses work.\nOverall the 101 hypochondriacs screaming about the symptoms they read in the ICD might help make the knowledge more common and help people better reconize if their colleagues or friends happen to show symptoms of something.", ">\n\nIt’s pretty expensive in the US to get diagnosed. Personally, I’ve self diagnosed myself out of frustration of the way I process things. I’ve always felt slow & my anxiety/depression was deep because of it, but I was raised in a family that doesn’t believe in mental illness. It was always “if you work hard enough, all your problems will go away”. Meanwhile, i was racking my brain on how to make myself think faster/smarter & it would result in psychotic episodes. I’ve gotten fired from jobs, dropped out of school. I started self harming because I hated myself and my brain & almost commit suicide bc I had no idea what was going on.\nThe relief I felt once I finally got a therapist who validated me & was the first to talk to me about mental Illness. It blew my mind and all of a sudden things actually made sense to me. I currently think I have ADD, and sometimes I’ll tell people that but will preface it by saying I’m not professionally diagnosed. Still, I use mental tools that help me get through the day and build my confidence. I’m a lot better at processing conversations, making lists that help me remember things, unmasking, slowing down my thoughts… etc. I’m less frustrated and can see the beauty in how I process things. I still want to get diagnosed but I have to get health insurance….. lol", ">\n\nSelf diagnosis, regardless of being factual is a process where the individual realizes that they might have a mental health issue. People who can do this are more likely to seek professional help compared to the people who think they are “fine”. Going to a professional, licensed psychologist or a psychiatrist will eventually diagnose them with the correct disorder from there, and professionals have the skills to communicate with them and they can together evaluate if the person’s complaint is the issue or not. There is nothing embarrassing about discovering one’s self. It would be a problem if people would identify with an issue and don’t have any willingness to seek help. Sometimes overreacting is better than not reacting.", ">\n\nThe majority of people who are self-diagnosed with autism have done extensive research into it to come to that conclusion. I personally went through the DSM criteria with a fine-tooth comb, made a list of all the ways I met it and discovered that there’s not a single criteria i don’t meet for autism. I didn’t read about anything else but autism for weeks, approaching it from all angles before coming to the conclusion that it’s highly unlikely I am not autistic. I’m waiting to hear back about an assessment, but I’m not waiting to go and be told something I already know before I start advocating for myself. \nOh, and I absolutely did not want to be ‘different’, in fact my life mission to just blend in and be average is the root cause of most of my problems, but here we are.", ">\n\nThis self diagnosing young people do isn’t the problem. The problem is that our society encourages it.\nOur culture is not set up to accommodate a wide spectrum of human needs. You may need things that I don’t. I may need things that you don’t. But in most business settings, academic settings, or even places like restaurants or leisure places, the world isn’t built to accommodate everyone. Our world and society is a “one size fits all” approach, and most people don’t fit snugly inside of that system. \nIf you can classify what is “wrong” or “different” about you into an easily digestible form, people are generally more able and more willing to accommodate you.\nFor example: if I tell my coworkers that I need to leave work early because of a headache, I’ll be shamed for it. And in some cases I’ll be told that “headaches aren’t that bad!” Or “You don’t need to leave.” Or “I have a headache too, just deal with it!”\nBut if I tell my workers that I need to leave due to a painful neurological condition that’s flaring up (I have chronic migraine, which is a neurological condition), they will respect it 100% of the time. It’s met with sympathy and not criticism.\nThis happens for all sorts of things. “Sorry Im late, I slept in.” Sounds a lot worse then, “sorry I’m late, my insomnia has been terrible lately.” \nOur culture forces us to use these labels even when they’re untrue just to receive sympathy or acceptance. The problem isn’t people who decide to use these labels, the root problem is that our society refuses to embrace and accommodate people who are outside of the “norm.”", ">\n\nSpeaking as someone who's had an autism diagnosis since age 7: if someone declares they're autistic when they're not, that's obnoxious at worst. If someone is told they're not autistic when they are, that can cause lifelong harm from denied care and understanding. I have seen this happen to a close friend of mine.\nTherefore, I'd much rather err on the side of acceptance. If you think you're defending me and others like me from impersonators, we'd rather not have your help.\n\nI know people will disagree but it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women. Women statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nCase in point: women are diagnosed with autism far less than men. Recent studies have pointed to decades of systematic misdiagnosis. The more visible autistic symptoms sometimes manifest differently in girls, the way they're socialized may help them hide it from a young age, and of course lots of doctors just say \"your daughter can't be autistic, that's a boy thing.\"\nWe're learning that there are hundreds of thousands of autistic women who slipped through the cracks and were denied the recognition and support they needed because of dismissive, gatekeeping attitudes just like yours.", ">\n\nThere’s a difference between having a disorder and relating to a disorder. If the tools or language associated with a disorder helps someone live better though then cool, it’s all still odd. Also autism presents differently in woman, and a majority of our research on it is on men. Best practice is probably to support them and encourage them to seek treatment.", ">\n\nAutism is severely misdiagnosed in women. Completely under diagnosed. Actually, plenty of things are. The actual problem that we have is parents refusing to let their children get professional help or a diagnosis. Most doctors will diagnose you with BPD as a woman(aka the new female hysteria of our century), maybe put you on some anti psychotics and send you your way. In most countries, a diagnosis/specialist is not readily available, or there is a long waiting list. Even so, the doctors are not know it all. I have seen plenty of doctors, I got different diagnosis almost each time. They ask you some general questions (about your mood, the way you sleep, if you can concentrate, if you harm yourself, if you have suicidal ideation, if you can socialize properly, if your parents were diagnosed with anything, if you have hallucinations or delusions, the works) and then based on that, they will give you a diagnosis. If you use your common sense and information on the internet (given you are knowledgeable on the subject), you can take a good guess on what's wrong. Obviously, some people will exaggerate like with anything (seeing the shadow dude once in your childhood is not a sign of psychosis, neither is hearing your name called when you are alone once in a blue moon), but if you have visual and auditory hallucinations, perhaps weird tactile feelings/hallucinations (spiders are crawling on me, etc), delusions, tend to be forgetful and out of teach with reality, there is a good chance you do have psychosis.", ">\n\nOkay, to start: what do you think autism and ADHD are? They aren't mental illnesses nor are they mental health conditions. \nTo address some of your other points; \nStudies have shown that autism has a gender expression of 1:1. The only reason that women are under diagnosed is because of misunderstandings towards autism, then the diagnosis is conducted incorrectly. Thus it ends up getting conflated with mental illness, E.G BPD, and is diagnosed as a psychiatric disorder instead. This is a detriment to the patient as the care regimes are black and white different. Often times this severely damages the woman.\nFrom data sets that I recall reading, malingering hasn't risen much, if at all, in recent times. I remember it being around 8% of the global population who are engaging in this behaviour, to different extents. I think what's happened is that social media has turned a torch onto it and it's risen in popularity in an algorithmic way. You see it more because it's pushed by the algorithm more because people are searching for it more. It isn't actually occurring any more or less than historically. Most of that attention is negative attention, I should add. \nSo there's two things to take away from that.\n1) The actual act of pretending to be mentally ill, or to have a disability, which is called malingering, is in fact a form of mental unwellness itself. It's a cry for help. The people who do these things are usually very unstable and should be treated with a degree of empathy. The dangerous types who are using mental illness to scam others, or to manipulate them, make up a very small percentage of the overall amount of people in that group and tend to abuse one on one. \n2) The predominant response to this is generally negative. There isn't really any reason to publicly malinger unless you're unstable, this is because a rational person would likely know this, and know the damage it would cause themselves. Self-diagnosis is a very long, and self-aware, process that takes place over years of the individuals life, and proceeds official diagnosis. \nNo one SDs and says \"Okay that's it now! Let me start a TikTok!\" You'd still want support, and you'd still seek support. So that would end up with a doctor, who would see that you're lying, and treat you for whatever was prompting you to malinger. Anyone who has made this commitment knows that keeping it private is a sensible thing to do in a world that isn't inclusive, and often very stigmatising. Sometimes official diagnosis can take YEARS. \nThis kind of propaganda has been going around for a long time in an effort to discredit disabled people and people with mental illnesses. It's not new. People said the same things back in the 90s. People will always be afraid, and dismissive, of things they do not understand. I invite you to try and understand.", ">\n\nI self-diagnosed myself with endometriosis for 10 years before a doctor finally listened to me, opened me up, and found my insides littered with lesions all over my organs. I’m now not able to get pregnant and I might need to get part of my bowel taken out someday. This could’ve been avoided if someone had just listened to me when I was 16. \nSelf-diagnosing is a necessity in a misogynist world! No one takes us seriously! Especially medical professionals. \nThe best antidote for this is to listen to women who self-diagnose. Why do they think they have XYZ? Is it heavily interfering with their life? I think that’s a much larger problem." ]

[ "The diagnosis process for a lot of psychiatric conditions are surveys and questionaires. You can go to a psychiatrist and ask if you're anxious and they'll give you multiple choice questions and diagnose off of that. Or you can just google the form yourself and self diagnose. A lot of psychiatric disorders are about how we feel and think. Not about sending off some blood sample to a lab and getting a positive result come back.\n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. For such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nWhat you're describing are all neuroses that could indicate some deeper psychiatric condition. Whether a person has a mental health condition or not, thinking of ourselves as weak victims is never helpful in any context, yet it's something we all feel from time to time.\nI'm a disability support worker, so when someone tells me they've got a self diagnosed condition, it's not offensive to me or any disabled person I know, it doesn't come across like they're invalidating anyone else's condition. However I do think everyone should talk to a doctor about any condition they feel they might have.", ">\n\nPiggybacking off of this: You’ve spent your whole entire life inside your own brain. A therapist will spend a period of hours with you and give you a diagnosis. Who do you think knows your personal reality better than yourself?", ">\n\nYeah exactly, especially with conditions such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, PTSD, and many other psychiatric conditions. These are things people know they have even before they get a diagnosis. The diagnosis stage is more about treatment and management.\nPeople might be unaware of how severe or mild their condition is, some people think they have only mild PTSD despite constant nightmares and suicidal ideation. Some people will think they have severe ADHD because they can't concentrate for long times on things that don't interest them. It's good to get some perspective from experts but ultimately people know when they are struggling to focus or to struggling to stop stressing all the time or struggling to not be miserable. Struggling with our thoughts and feelings is evidence enough to self diagnose.", ">\n\nI was recently diagnosed with ADHD as a woman so I find this viewpoint interesting.\nFirstly, autism is not a mental illness. An autistic person may have mental illness in conjunction with autism, but autism alone lies under the neurodivergent umbrella. Neurodivergency can include autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and other similar conditions.\nWhy women are often underdiagnosed\nThese are serious disabilities that can really impede a person's life, especially if they struggle to find help and acceptance in their community. A lot of women start their journey towards diagnosis later in life due to a number of factors such as:\n\nPoor diagnostic tools and inexperienced professionals\nA misunderstanding that autism and ADHD are more common in boys\nAdvanced masking techniques to cover their 'traits'\n\nWhy women are often diagnosed later in life.\nThe process for many women and men who are diagnosed later in life often includes a level of burnout or breakdown. After a while everything becomes too much, the mask begins to slip and your traits go into overdrive.\nWhy does self-diagnosing seem to be on the rise?\nA common way of finding out you could possibly be neurodivergent is through media and people who are aware of these traits appear.\nIn the past few years, I have seen an increasing awareness of neurodivergence in women pop up in the media. This is useful for people like myself who had no idea wtf was wrong with them for a very long time. For me, a GP actually suggested I seek a diagnosis due to some struggles I was going through.\nAs someone who went through this process self-diagnosing is commonly the first step as an adult. You might be directed to a questionnaire and are asked to evaluate yourself and your experiences thinking back to your childhood. If there's some merit in your experiences than you move to the next step which involves seeking a professional. Waitlists are often months to years long so many people live in limbo for a long time.\nMethods of living with ADHD can help everyone. And everyone experiences ADHD traits from time to time. Given a large amount of stress we have all suffered collectively, I don't doubt there are a lot of people with increased mental health issues that mirror neurodivergent traits. Some mental illnesses can get very severe and alter your brain chemistry and behaviour.\nMy takeaway from this is that the mental health systems set up to assist these people are a much larger issue and cause for serious concern than self-diagnosing.\nApologies for the spelling and grammar errors. Grammarly and Reddit don't play nice.", ">\n\nI think it's two things. One, people have identity crises, especially teenagers. We all know that type of person who tries on identities like hats. That's pretty embarrassing. You usually grow out of that.\nTwo, from personal experience, giving yourself a label or a diagnosis makes it feel more contained and easy to communicate. It's easier to tell someone that you have X and have them understand what you're going through rather than telling them you have these vague symptoms resembling what you imagine X is like. In that respect, it is pretty understandable, possibly good, and not embarrassing. There's something that is sort of reassuring if you can finally get a word to put on what you're experiencing.\nPeople often sympathize with the diagnosis but not with the symptoms. Tell people at work you're autistic and they will sympathize with you and possibly not attack you. Tell them you do not understand social cues and they will probably just make fun of you.", ">\n\nI understand the desire to put a label with a disease, and this is not necessarily bad, but the diagnosis needs to be correct. If you want to tell others that you are autistic or depressed; you must actually be those things. A person can almost never correctly assertion their disease, only their symptoms. People might better understand you if you say your autistic, but you may incorrectly understand and describe yourself. If one wishes to put a name with symptoms, they should find a doctor to pick the label", ">\n\nfor sure but unfortunately our medical system is a joke and even if you are experiencing very severe symptoms it can be nearly impossible to see a professional or take months on a waiting list.\nEven then a professional may be reluctant to slap a label on you for fear of what the consequences of that might be. I saw someone for a very long time who resisted any sort of actual diagnosis because the truth is that what I was experiencing didn't fit neatly into any of the boxes and pretty much belonged in this vague \"other\" category which isn't particularly helpful. Not to mention that misdiagnosis happens all the time even by professionals. \nI just think it is sort of understandable because I think a lot of stuff is kind of a spectrum anyway and just different levels of severity. Things can be really confusing and hard to nail down and thus communicate in a way that causes someone else to be understanding rather than judgemental.", ">\n\nAre you under the impression this is a new phenomenon? Because it's definitely not.\nPeople - especially young people! - crave identity. The world is a confusing place, knowing who you are makes it a little easier. Sometimes it's self-diagnosing mental illness or learning disabilities, or exploring sexual identity, or cliques, or subcultures. There's nothing embarrassing about it, it just is what it is.", ">\n\nIt’s ok to want to express individuality but not to the extent of totally destroying the definition of a real thing and making it hard for actual mentally Ill ppl to get a diagnosis. Why can’t people just accept that they’re different rather then giving themselves a label?", ">\n\npeople on TikTok claiming to have disorders that they don't doesn't affect the precision of psychiatrists diagnosing actual patients. There's no TikTok-said section in the DSM. Why do you think that it does?", ">\n\nIt just encourages more people to get diagnosed possibly skewing the meaning of the mental illness", ">\n\nSkewing it towards statistical accuracy? If people are actually diagnosed at higher rates, we have a better Guage of population-level mental illness, neurodivergency, etc. Better data is more usable, so that research actually means something actionable, ASIDE from the identity boost for young people.", ">\n\nI think what OP is driving at, but utterly failing to explain, is that they think that the fakers will be accommodated by the psychiatric system and diagnosed on the basis of fake symptoms. my sense is that isn't a problem but I don't have data.", ">\n\nDefinitely explained it a little better then I could lol", ">\n\nWhere do you see evidence of that? Any articles about fakers? How about a statistic? If not, it’s just a fear you seem to have.", ">\n\nI think the salient line here is this one:\n\nNeurologists were able to quickly determine that the subjects were not \nsuffering from Tourette's, but psychogenic tics driven by anxiety.", ">\n\nWomen are not born with less autism, but are much less likely to be diagnosed as children than boys. This is partly because boys generally have similar symptoms and behaviors. \nSo of course more women are self diagnosing autism, since their diagnoses were missed as children on a much higher rate.", ">\n\nAlright, I'm diagnosed OCD, PTSD, chronic depression. Diagnosed by a professional so I think I have some grounds to talk about this.\nFirst, let's tackle your women comment about autism. You see, I understand where you're coming from, but you lack the nuance of recognizing that mental illness, and illness in general, is heavily under-diagnosed in women. The medical culture is heavily favored towards men and is rampant with mysogyny, and that's not just me saying it as I've had medical professionals blatantly tell me it's a problem in the field when questioned about it. I've also had some tell me that it's just because women whine a lot, so yanno make of that statement what you will.\nNow that we've covered that let me address the self-diagnosing issue. So, do you want to know what my therapist thinks of self-diagnosing? Well, when I asked them about it they said that self-diagnosing is an important first step to seeking help. Psychiatrist said the same thing. It's normal, expected even, for people to self-diagnose their issues then seek help for them. You can't exactly just peer into someone's brain, no, that person has to tell you what they think is wrong and why they think it is. \nWhat you actually have a problem with is not self-diagnosis, but with people not seeking or not being able to get medical assistance and assuming they're right. You have a problem with people using these issues for attention, which I do too, but once again self-diagnosing is not the problem. Finally, you have a problem with the medical system that forces people into the position of trying to figure out their mental illnesses, but having no ability to get help for them.", ">\n\nI think I did it", ">\n\nSadly no lol, it was not done properly. Do you need a link to the rules?", ">\n\nI already read them i think I’ll figure it out in a bit sorry for the hold up", ">\n\nBecause everyone else is being aggressive: you have to comment with ∆ or !delta and then explain how your view has been changed", ">\n\nThis delta has been rejected. You can't award OP a delta.\nAllowing this would wrongly suggest that you can post here with the aim of convincing others.\nIf you were explaining when/how to award a delta, please use a reddit quote for the symbol next time.\n^Delta System Explained ^| ^Deltaboards", ">\n\nWhat gives you the authority or knowledge to know this is the problem?", ">\n\nYou don’t think it’s a problem that a lot of young ppl are willing to go to the extent of saying they are mentally Ill either for attention or to excuse their weirdness? Just accept that your different. It’s not wrong to believe you’re different without a label", ">\n\nYou did not even try to answer my question.", ">\n\nI’m sorry I was confused on what you meant", ">\n\nIf you are mad at people for self diagnosing themselves because they don't have the knowledge or authority to do so.... what gives you the knowledge or authority to diagnosis this as the problem behavior... basically are you just a kid that is annoyed, or is there some actual studies out there that is claiming this is a problem.", ">\n\nIf you don’t think that people consistently seeking attention for mental illness or craving a label so badly to justify themselves rather then being themselves. That just shows what your views are", ">\n\nDont you think we should leave the diagnosing to the professionals?", ">\n\nI mean yeah", ">\n\nWould you agree that you are diagnosing these people by saying that they are only seeking attention and do not have a real mental illness?", ">\n\nI’m assuming", ">\n\nThere may be some truth to people wanting to be different, however with mental illnesses being more accepted in today's society, many people are a lot more comfortable with being neurodivergent. Additionally, self diagnosis is common because the alternative is spending upwards to $1000-$2000 for a clinical diagnosis.", ">\n\nI know costs suck, but self diagnosis can be much more harmful. A web.md page that tells you your depressed when you may actually be bipolar can lead to really messed up results. I would even go as far as to say that no diagnosis at all is preferable to an uninformed one", ">\n\nWell.\n​\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad \n\nSo you already know why they're doing what they're doing in addition the fact that you know that they're not Autistic? If your claim is that they can't know and only a doctor can, what makes you more qualified? You start out your argument admitting that you have a bias.\n\nthey’re “neurodivergent.\n\nNeurodivergent is an umbrella that covers both Autism and ADHD, which sometimes get mistaken for each other. So if you're upset that they're self-diagnosing, this term should be more welcome than \"Autistic\" because it's more generalized.\n\nnd when you ask them how they know they’ll say “oh I have this weird tick when I uh laugh when someone says something funny “ or “I have a hyper fixation on this topic so I must be autistic\n\nHow else should they communicate it to you? The list of aspects of Autism, especially for how it presents in women, sounds a lot like this. You're not a doctor, they don't have to prove anything to you by going down the entire list of every possible part of their daily experience that might be on the spectrum.\n\nWomen statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nNope. Women are diagnosed less often than men because the original diagnostic criteria for Autism was for Autism as it presents in males. It presents differently for females and is harder to diagnose, especially at younger ages. \n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized\n\nTodays youth want to be victimized? Why would anyone want to be victimized? Something tells me you're missing the mark with this terminology.\n\nor have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. \n\nSo if someone is Autistic and that makes them weird, you'd rather them just be forced to not get to have a name for it, and get the therapeutic treatment that would help them?\n\nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really [are] without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nSome people are autistic. If they find out and it makes them feel good, that doesn't mean they're craving attention. And if they are craving attention, it's because they're normal people and everyone does. \nIf someone thinks they're autistic but it turns out they're actually not, chances are they suspected it for a reason. They might have ADHD, a personality disorder, a mental health issue, or simply a slightly different way of experiencing the world that feels unique to them and there's nothing wrong with that. \nYou seem to think that other people do things for you. People generally don't. They do things for themselves. This is especially true of people on the Autism Spectrum who may not be able to easily use other people's experiences to reference when constructing their view of the world, and can only use their own. Your interpretation wherein they do it to evoke a response from you says more about you than it does about them.", ">\n\nYou’re being deliberately obtuse. OP is completely correct. Most of the people these days who say “I’m ADHD” or “I’m autistic” or “I’m neurodivergent” are absolutely not diagnosed as such and are doing it to seem unique or get attention or as some excuse for why they did x y or z.", ">\n\nI'd like to point out that while some are perhaps attention seeking, many people self diagnose simply because they don't have access to free medical/psychological professionals to get proper diagnosis and help with their issues. I also know someone who doesn't want to get an official diagnosis because he's afrad it will affect his insurance rates or somehow come back to bite him if he's offically labeled with having a neurological disorder. \nThere is a wealth of knowledge on these subjects available online for those interested. And if they are truly interested in self diagnose they can likely do that accurately enough for all intents and purposes. Most of these people who search for the sake of better understanding themselves or their loved ones will openly admit that it's a self diagnoses, or say they THINK they have x,y, or z. But in some situations it's just as well to say they have it if they feel certain anyway, and it's just a passing comment, and not a discussion on the matter. \nIn other words, just because they self diagnose doesn't mean they're wrong, nor does it explain their motives. I also don't see how attention seeking (for those who ARE doing that) is really hurting anyone else. Fakers gonna be fake, that's more a \"them\" kind of problem. ANNOYING, but mostly harmless.", ">\n\nUnless you have a doctor's diagnosis you don't have the disorder. Even if you are broke there are programs to help with costs. \nAnd yes it does affect me when someone is treating me like shit and tries using the I have such and such as an excuse and then people get mad at ME for calling them in their bullshit.", ">\n\nNo. You have to have the disorder before you CAN be diagnosed, so obviously there are undiagnosed people who in fact \"have the disorder \". Your refusal to acknowledge an undiagnosed disorder does not mean they don't have it. Your personal experience with people supposedly using a fake diagnosis to treat you badly, sounds unusual. How do you know they DIDN'T have it? People who do lie and just want to be jerks will do that regardless of what methods they decide to try. The methods are irrelevant. And that motive is not typical of most self diagnosers .", ">\n\nSounds unusual? You must not get out a lot because it's become a pretty regular thing. Every single person I know (about 8) that have self diagnosed themselves as neurodivergent or with a mental illness like Bi-polar all use it to excuse their shitty ass behaviors. \nToo many disorders can mirror other ones. Just because they think they have 2/3 symptoms doesn't make them right by a long shot. Keep living in your bubble.", ">\n\nYou don't have to have a relationship with anyone. If they treat you badly, regardless of an official diagnosis or not, you don't have to tolerate them. It makes no difference what they have or don't have. What would it change if they got diagnosed and actually have it?", ">\n\nSelf diagnosing has been a thing forever\nAnd it's not a problem im 99% sure me or any other autistic person doesn't really give 2 fucks about people who wanna fake disorders. It doesn't stop us from getting help, we have doctors notes, medical files, sometimes even volunteers, you need those files to get into let's say a special education class, or a life skills course.\nSo unless you were diagnosed by a professional you're probably not gonna make it far faking it.\n(Excuse my shitty punctuation)", ">\n\nIt doesn’t bother you that they’re making others take the actual meaning away from what you were born with? I mean I’m sure autism hasn’t made your life easy and seeing ppl claim it for attention to be quirky probably has to annoy you a little right?", ">\n\nAt the end of the day I still have ADHD and I still need help with it. More people being diagnosed with it doesn’t change that fact. In fact I was diagnosed because I realized I related to so many tiktok memes, and I’m sure others are in my same boat. \nIn fact I think so many people talking about ADHD helps. It means more people who possibly have tips for me, people who are suffering who can’t afford treatment have an easy way to learn about how to improve their lives, and more people who are aware of my disorder.", ">\n\nI think people do diagnose themselves too often without seeking professional help. BUT mental illness is not the same as being neurodivergent.", ">\n\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad that they’ll go as far to say they’re “neurodivergent.”\n\nWhile this is the case, I don't really see how it's a \"problem\" per se. I guarantee that these people still make lifestyle decisions based on what they think is best, or based on what they want to do.\n\nbut it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women\n\nDo you have any statistics for that? I haven't experienced it that way in my own anecdotal experience, and I'd be curious to look into the data to see how much that truly does skew in that direction.\n\nwanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness \nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nI understand what you're trying to say here, but I don't really think these things are connected as much as you think they are. People see something wrong with themselves, so they either playfully or seriously consider the fact that it could be a condition that they have similar symptoms to. Not that it never happens, but just because someone categorizes themselves into a disability group that could potentially excuse their \"quirks\", doesn't mean they think that behavior is unacceptable in any way. People see a problem, and assume it's linked to this other issue that seems similar that they already know about.", ">\n\nI agree with the conclusion that self-diagnosis is a real issue, and I wouldn't be surprised if the data indicated it was on the rise. I wouldn't necessarily frame it as a simple desire to \"be victimized\" however. While it is purely speculation, I do believe there are a number of conditions which might lead towards a more frequent experience of symptoms associated with mental illness - a rising wealth gap, perpetual anxiety from a 24-hour news cycle, intensification of self-commodification, the student debt crisis in certain countries like the US, and so on. So people are experiencing symptoms like low energy, mood swings, etc. that can be associated with mental illness. The issue with self-diagnosis then becomes that it may correctly identify the symptom, but incorrectly identify the cause.\nThis video from the YouTuber HealthyGamerGG does a good job of explaining what some of the issues with self-diagnosis are, and for me it was a good starting place for thinking about this more. \nEDIT: I forgot this video literally starts with this same topic being brought up on this same subreddit lol", ">\n\nA great theory based on reasonable causes with an educational video from a psychologist(I assume) as evidence to back it up. I applaud you sir. 👏", ">\n\nWhy are you embarrassed by other people's issues?", ">\n\nI’m a 30yo male. If I had not first self diagnosed with ASD and OCD, I never would have found the language and resources to get a formal diagnosis and help.\nPrior generations have been so fixated on avoidance of diagnosing mental disorders, and research was previously so lacking that we are only just now (through those that do get diagnosed) realizing how common mental disorders are. That plus the lack of mental health resources for neurotypical and neurodivergent I think is how we end up in this situation of many recognizing their symptoms in the new discourse, but lacking the resources to overcome the barriers to proper diagnosis and treatment.", ">\n\nIt’s not the best thing, no. \nAs an adult FINALLY diagnosed (by a licensed therapist) at 41, I can tell you why ‘self diagnosis’ is so tempting. \nIn the US at least- mental health, and official medical diagnosis are almost completely inaccessible, especially as an adult. Most of us grew up before Autism was a spectrum, and ADHD was just boys who acted out in class. We felt like aliens. We couldn’t understand why we didn’t have many friends, or why we didn’t like the ‘right things’, and generally spend the bill of our lives feeling ‘wrong’, ‘broken’ or just simply like we didn’t belong. \nFinally understanding the WHY, and even better, finding tools to addresses our issues is a huge huge weight off the chest. The relief of having a name and a strategy- either therapy or medicine is such an amazing relief!!", ">\n\nI only kinda agree if I had not done my own research I would have never found out I have sjorgens syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis I know TikTok people tend to diagnose themselves and it makes it look cringe but when you live with a incurable illness sometimes you have to work to find a diagnosis", ">\n\nWell, what do you do of you absolutely know you're neurodivergent, but your parents decided not to get you checked? My mom once told me \"we knew you had something, we just didn't get you checked because they would have just put you on pills\". So I struggled with being different, socially unaware, impulsive, obnoxious, agressive, selfish, for the better part of my life without having the self awareness to understand why I was these things, and why people wouldn't want to be around me. \nIn my late 20''s I asked the question, what if I'm actually autistic? I looked up the symptoms, and 9/10 matched. As a child I couldn't handle loud noises, restrictive clothing, I didn't talk until I was 3. I would throw fits for seemingly no reason, I had obsessive interests. I've always really struggled with eye contact, and I never cared for conversation unless it was something I liked. I mean, when the final piece of a puzzle fits so incredibly well, it's really hard for it to be wrong. \nSelf diagnosing actually really helped me grow as aj individual. I became aware of all my divergent behaviors, and why it might be annoying for someone else to deal with. I came to the realization that I was the one who was different, therefore I needed to change. It's way harder to make everyone around you cater to your needs than to overcome the things that upset you. I'm at peace, I have good friends that I can connect with on a pretty deep level. I no longer smash coffee tables when I lose, I can now appreciate that if I lose it just means I have more to learn. I can keep my house clean, I can reasonably hold myself accountable. What exactly is the harm in all that?\nBesides, it would be pretty pointless for me to try and get a diagnosis now, I've put the effort in and largely come out the other side. Anyone diagnosing me would just say I was normal, but they wouldn't have the intimate knowledge of me that I do. I guess it doesn't matter if people don't believe me, I don't go around shouting that I'm autistic. I will say, it would be really nice if people appreciated the effort I put in to get to get to a place of normalcy, something others take for granted, but it's okay, we all have our struggles.", ">\n\nI feel you on all that. To play devil's advocate, mental healthcare in the U.S. is not cheap. Many people go to the internet and confirm their bias about their current health", ">\n\nI feel you on that too OP. I agree 100% with your entire statement.", ">\n\nIt's a problem, but not a new one. In the 1990s there was briefly a surge of people with a type of delusional parasitosis, that is, the false belief that they were infested with parasites. Except this one was supposedly an infestation with tiny fibres. They would come to doctors with a whole list of symptoms to back up their incorrect self-diagnosis.\nTo a certain extent, these are social contagions, which come and go, and often actually end up leading to people having real problems. Like, the young women you mention, a couple of decades ago may well have ended up with anorexia, or self-cutting. These days it might be a self-declaration of autism or a belief that they have gender dysphoria or that they have multiple systems living in their minds.", ">\n\nWow I did not know that. Maybe it’s just so prevalent today due to social media. Social media has only made these things worse imo", ">\n\nEven before it being self diagnosis of a mental illness it was always something. Remember all the emo and goth teenager?", ">\n\nIt depends on the context. For example, if they've done a substantial amount of research, can name a good amount of symptoms they have and reasons they have whatever mental illness and don't have access to the necessary tools to get a medical diagnosis, it's totally different. Some people don't have the money to go out and get a diagnosis, or sometimes it would be better to not get a medical diagnosis. I believe that the reason that a lot of people self diagnose themselves with things like Autism is because they want an explanation as to why they are different, and they could be right or wrong. I think the most important part is that if you go to a psychologist (or even two, I know a lot of people prefer getting second opinions) and they say you don't have it, that you need to admit you were wrong. It's ok to be wrong about your mental health, and the key is to keep looking and to not give up. I can completely understand the frustration in people completely missing how difficult it actually may be to have a mental illness. I was clinically diagnosed with Depression, Anxiety, and PTSD when I was seven, and I've had some experience with people faking mental disorders for attention, and more often then not, they have another mental disorder that needs attention. Recently I had a (now ex) boyfriend insist he had PTSD after being tested twice and the psychiatrist saying that he didn't have it. What he does have is Depression and Anxiety, but he absolutely insisted he has PTSD despite never exhibiting symptoms and the only evidence being a test he took online that was supposedly a \"real PTSD test.\" People faking mental illnesses only harms people who really have them, as these people tend to exaggerate symptoms and use their self diagnosis for attention. I believe that I am autistic, but I don't list it as a diagnosis because while I have read articles and taken the RAADS-r test, I don't have an official diagnosis, and I could very well be wrong. As for women faking illnesses more often, something I've noticed is that things like Autism, ADHD, ADD, etc are more often diagnosed in boys rather than girls- mostly because when they were first discovered, most of the research was done in boys. Autism shows up differently in girls, and can often be blown off as early puberty hormones. If their hyperfixations are those of stereotypical feminine things, it's just a girl liking whatever, and if they hyperfixate in stereotypical masculine interests, they tend to just be viewed as weird, but not autistic. It's normal for people to question, but I agree that to a certain point, self diagnosis can be harmful, but only if not done correctly.", ">\n\nFirst and foremost not a new problem at all, very common, we used to call it \"Being a hypochondriac\" until it aparrently became reconized which in it self is confusing and a bit contradictory.\nANYWAY\nIt isnt really a problem, no doctor is gonna write the perscription for medication without a diagnosis of some sort.\nAt most there is the vauge \"But what about those who actually have it who arent taken serious\" dont worry, we wouldnt have anyway. Thats kinda how invisible illnesses work.\nOverall the 101 hypochondriacs screaming about the symptoms they read in the ICD might help make the knowledge more common and help people better reconize if their colleagues or friends happen to show symptoms of something.", ">\n\nIt’s pretty expensive in the US to get diagnosed. Personally, I’ve self diagnosed myself out of frustration of the way I process things. I’ve always felt slow & my anxiety/depression was deep because of it, but I was raised in a family that doesn’t believe in mental illness. It was always “if you work hard enough, all your problems will go away”. Meanwhile, i was racking my brain on how to make myself think faster/smarter & it would result in psychotic episodes. I’ve gotten fired from jobs, dropped out of school. I started self harming because I hated myself and my brain & almost commit suicide bc I had no idea what was going on.\nThe relief I felt once I finally got a therapist who validated me & was the first to talk to me about mental Illness. It blew my mind and all of a sudden things actually made sense to me. I currently think I have ADD, and sometimes I’ll tell people that but will preface it by saying I’m not professionally diagnosed. Still, I use mental tools that help me get through the day and build my confidence. I’m a lot better at processing conversations, making lists that help me remember things, unmasking, slowing down my thoughts… etc. I’m less frustrated and can see the beauty in how I process things. I still want to get diagnosed but I have to get health insurance….. lol", ">\n\nSelf diagnosis, regardless of being factual is a process where the individual realizes that they might have a mental health issue. People who can do this are more likely to seek professional help compared to the people who think they are “fine”. Going to a professional, licensed psychologist or a psychiatrist will eventually diagnose them with the correct disorder from there, and professionals have the skills to communicate with them and they can together evaluate if the person’s complaint is the issue or not. There is nothing embarrassing about discovering one’s self. It would be a problem if people would identify with an issue and don’t have any willingness to seek help. Sometimes overreacting is better than not reacting.", ">\n\nThe majority of people who are self-diagnosed with autism have done extensive research into it to come to that conclusion. I personally went through the DSM criteria with a fine-tooth comb, made a list of all the ways I met it and discovered that there’s not a single criteria i don’t meet for autism. I didn’t read about anything else but autism for weeks, approaching it from all angles before coming to the conclusion that it’s highly unlikely I am not autistic. I’m waiting to hear back about an assessment, but I’m not waiting to go and be told something I already know before I start advocating for myself. \nOh, and I absolutely did not want to be ‘different’, in fact my life mission to just blend in and be average is the root cause of most of my problems, but here we are.", ">\n\nThis self diagnosing young people do isn’t the problem. The problem is that our society encourages it.\nOur culture is not set up to accommodate a wide spectrum of human needs. You may need things that I don’t. I may need things that you don’t. But in most business settings, academic settings, or even places like restaurants or leisure places, the world isn’t built to accommodate everyone. Our world and society is a “one size fits all” approach, and most people don’t fit snugly inside of that system. \nIf you can classify what is “wrong” or “different” about you into an easily digestible form, people are generally more able and more willing to accommodate you.\nFor example: if I tell my coworkers that I need to leave work early because of a headache, I’ll be shamed for it. And in some cases I’ll be told that “headaches aren’t that bad!” Or “You don’t need to leave.” Or “I have a headache too, just deal with it!”\nBut if I tell my workers that I need to leave due to a painful neurological condition that’s flaring up (I have chronic migraine, which is a neurological condition), they will respect it 100% of the time. It’s met with sympathy and not criticism.\nThis happens for all sorts of things. “Sorry Im late, I slept in.” Sounds a lot worse then, “sorry I’m late, my insomnia has been terrible lately.” \nOur culture forces us to use these labels even when they’re untrue just to receive sympathy or acceptance. The problem isn’t people who decide to use these labels, the root problem is that our society refuses to embrace and accommodate people who are outside of the “norm.”", ">\n\nSpeaking as someone who's had an autism diagnosis since age 7: if someone declares they're autistic when they're not, that's obnoxious at worst. If someone is told they're not autistic when they are, that can cause lifelong harm from denied care and understanding. I have seen this happen to a close friend of mine.\nTherefore, I'd much rather err on the side of acceptance. If you think you're defending me and others like me from impersonators, we'd rather not have your help.\n\nI know people will disagree but it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women. Women statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nCase in point: women are diagnosed with autism far less than men. Recent studies have pointed to decades of systematic misdiagnosis. The more visible autistic symptoms sometimes manifest differently in girls, the way they're socialized may help them hide it from a young age, and of course lots of doctors just say \"your daughter can't be autistic, that's a boy thing.\"\nWe're learning that there are hundreds of thousands of autistic women who slipped through the cracks and were denied the recognition and support they needed because of dismissive, gatekeeping attitudes just like yours.", ">\n\nThere’s a difference between having a disorder and relating to a disorder. If the tools or language associated with a disorder helps someone live better though then cool, it’s all still odd. Also autism presents differently in woman, and a majority of our research on it is on men. Best practice is probably to support them and encourage them to seek treatment.", ">\n\nAutism is severely misdiagnosed in women. Completely under diagnosed. Actually, plenty of things are. The actual problem that we have is parents refusing to let their children get professional help or a diagnosis. Most doctors will diagnose you with BPD as a woman(aka the new female hysteria of our century), maybe put you on some anti psychotics and send you your way. In most countries, a diagnosis/specialist is not readily available, or there is a long waiting list. Even so, the doctors are not know it all. I have seen plenty of doctors, I got different diagnosis almost each time. They ask you some general questions (about your mood, the way you sleep, if you can concentrate, if you harm yourself, if you have suicidal ideation, if you can socialize properly, if your parents were diagnosed with anything, if you have hallucinations or delusions, the works) and then based on that, they will give you a diagnosis. If you use your common sense and information on the internet (given you are knowledgeable on the subject), you can take a good guess on what's wrong. Obviously, some people will exaggerate like with anything (seeing the shadow dude once in your childhood is not a sign of psychosis, neither is hearing your name called when you are alone once in a blue moon), but if you have visual and auditory hallucinations, perhaps weird tactile feelings/hallucinations (spiders are crawling on me, etc), delusions, tend to be forgetful and out of teach with reality, there is a good chance you do have psychosis.", ">\n\nOkay, to start: what do you think autism and ADHD are? They aren't mental illnesses nor are they mental health conditions. \nTo address some of your other points; \nStudies have shown that autism has a gender expression of 1:1. The only reason that women are under diagnosed is because of misunderstandings towards autism, then the diagnosis is conducted incorrectly. Thus it ends up getting conflated with mental illness, E.G BPD, and is diagnosed as a psychiatric disorder instead. This is a detriment to the patient as the care regimes are black and white different. Often times this severely damages the woman.\nFrom data sets that I recall reading, malingering hasn't risen much, if at all, in recent times. I remember it being around 8% of the global population who are engaging in this behaviour, to different extents. I think what's happened is that social media has turned a torch onto it and it's risen in popularity in an algorithmic way. You see it more because it's pushed by the algorithm more because people are searching for it more. It isn't actually occurring any more or less than historically. Most of that attention is negative attention, I should add. \nSo there's two things to take away from that.\n1) The actual act of pretending to be mentally ill, or to have a disability, which is called malingering, is in fact a form of mental unwellness itself. It's a cry for help. The people who do these things are usually very unstable and should be treated with a degree of empathy. The dangerous types who are using mental illness to scam others, or to manipulate them, make up a very small percentage of the overall amount of people in that group and tend to abuse one on one. \n2) The predominant response to this is generally negative. There isn't really any reason to publicly malinger unless you're unstable, this is because a rational person would likely know this, and know the damage it would cause themselves. Self-diagnosis is a very long, and self-aware, process that takes place over years of the individuals life, and proceeds official diagnosis. \nNo one SDs and says \"Okay that's it now! Let me start a TikTok!\" You'd still want support, and you'd still seek support. So that would end up with a doctor, who would see that you're lying, and treat you for whatever was prompting you to malinger. Anyone who has made this commitment knows that keeping it private is a sensible thing to do in a world that isn't inclusive, and often very stigmatising. Sometimes official diagnosis can take YEARS. \nThis kind of propaganda has been going around for a long time in an effort to discredit disabled people and people with mental illnesses. It's not new. People said the same things back in the 90s. People will always be afraid, and dismissive, of things they do not understand. I invite you to try and understand.", ">\n\nI self-diagnosed myself with endometriosis for 10 years before a doctor finally listened to me, opened me up, and found my insides littered with lesions all over my organs. I’m now not able to get pregnant and I might need to get part of my bowel taken out someday. This could’ve been avoided if someone had just listened to me when I was 16. \nSelf-diagnosing is a necessity in a misogynist world! No one takes us seriously! Especially medical professionals. \nThe best antidote for this is to listen to women who self-diagnose. Why do they think they have XYZ? Is it heavily interfering with their life? I think that’s a much larger problem.", ">\n\nIts been proven that there is a bias to diagnose as opposed to not diagnose a mental illness in psychology. So op is actually kinda correct. The definition of a mental illness is in effect being stretched so far that people who are just kinda weird are being diagnosed with \"on the spectrum\". This is actually causing a problem in early learning because parents start treating their kids as essentially learning challenged when they're really not. So it is starting to become an excuse ..." ]

[ "The diagnosis process for a lot of psychiatric conditions are surveys and questionaires. You can go to a psychiatrist and ask if you're anxious and they'll give you multiple choice questions and diagnose off of that. Or you can just google the form yourself and self diagnose. A lot of psychiatric disorders are about how we feel and think. Not about sending off some blood sample to a lab and getting a positive result come back.\n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. For such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nWhat you're describing are all neuroses that could indicate some deeper psychiatric condition. Whether a person has a mental health condition or not, thinking of ourselves as weak victims is never helpful in any context, yet it's something we all feel from time to time.\nI'm a disability support worker, so when someone tells me they've got a self diagnosed condition, it's not offensive to me or any disabled person I know, it doesn't come across like they're invalidating anyone else's condition. However I do think everyone should talk to a doctor about any condition they feel they might have.", ">\n\nPiggybacking off of this: You’ve spent your whole entire life inside your own brain. A therapist will spend a period of hours with you and give you a diagnosis. Who do you think knows your personal reality better than yourself?", ">\n\nYeah exactly, especially with conditions such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, PTSD, and many other psychiatric conditions. These are things people know they have even before they get a diagnosis. The diagnosis stage is more about treatment and management.\nPeople might be unaware of how severe or mild their condition is, some people think they have only mild PTSD despite constant nightmares and suicidal ideation. Some people will think they have severe ADHD because they can't concentrate for long times on things that don't interest them. It's good to get some perspective from experts but ultimately people know when they are struggling to focus or to struggling to stop stressing all the time or struggling to not be miserable. Struggling with our thoughts and feelings is evidence enough to self diagnose.", ">\n\nI was recently diagnosed with ADHD as a woman so I find this viewpoint interesting.\nFirstly, autism is not a mental illness. An autistic person may have mental illness in conjunction with autism, but autism alone lies under the neurodivergent umbrella. Neurodivergency can include autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and other similar conditions.\nWhy women are often underdiagnosed\nThese are serious disabilities that can really impede a person's life, especially if they struggle to find help and acceptance in their community. A lot of women start their journey towards diagnosis later in life due to a number of factors such as:\n\nPoor diagnostic tools and inexperienced professionals\nA misunderstanding that autism and ADHD are more common in boys\nAdvanced masking techniques to cover their 'traits'\n\nWhy women are often diagnosed later in life.\nThe process for many women and men who are diagnosed later in life often includes a level of burnout or breakdown. After a while everything becomes too much, the mask begins to slip and your traits go into overdrive.\nWhy does self-diagnosing seem to be on the rise?\nA common way of finding out you could possibly be neurodivergent is through media and people who are aware of these traits appear.\nIn the past few years, I have seen an increasing awareness of neurodivergence in women pop up in the media. This is useful for people like myself who had no idea wtf was wrong with them for a very long time. For me, a GP actually suggested I seek a diagnosis due to some struggles I was going through.\nAs someone who went through this process self-diagnosing is commonly the first step as an adult. You might be directed to a questionnaire and are asked to evaluate yourself and your experiences thinking back to your childhood. If there's some merit in your experiences than you move to the next step which involves seeking a professional. Waitlists are often months to years long so many people live in limbo for a long time.\nMethods of living with ADHD can help everyone. And everyone experiences ADHD traits from time to time. Given a large amount of stress we have all suffered collectively, I don't doubt there are a lot of people with increased mental health issues that mirror neurodivergent traits. Some mental illnesses can get very severe and alter your brain chemistry and behaviour.\nMy takeaway from this is that the mental health systems set up to assist these people are a much larger issue and cause for serious concern than self-diagnosing.\nApologies for the spelling and grammar errors. Grammarly and Reddit don't play nice.", ">\n\nI think it's two things. One, people have identity crises, especially teenagers. We all know that type of person who tries on identities like hats. That's pretty embarrassing. You usually grow out of that.\nTwo, from personal experience, giving yourself a label or a diagnosis makes it feel more contained and easy to communicate. It's easier to tell someone that you have X and have them understand what you're going through rather than telling them you have these vague symptoms resembling what you imagine X is like. In that respect, it is pretty understandable, possibly good, and not embarrassing. There's something that is sort of reassuring if you can finally get a word to put on what you're experiencing.\nPeople often sympathize with the diagnosis but not with the symptoms. Tell people at work you're autistic and they will sympathize with you and possibly not attack you. Tell them you do not understand social cues and they will probably just make fun of you.", ">\n\nI understand the desire to put a label with a disease, and this is not necessarily bad, but the diagnosis needs to be correct. If you want to tell others that you are autistic or depressed; you must actually be those things. A person can almost never correctly assertion their disease, only their symptoms. People might better understand you if you say your autistic, but you may incorrectly understand and describe yourself. If one wishes to put a name with symptoms, they should find a doctor to pick the label", ">\n\nfor sure but unfortunately our medical system is a joke and even if you are experiencing very severe symptoms it can be nearly impossible to see a professional or take months on a waiting list.\nEven then a professional may be reluctant to slap a label on you for fear of what the consequences of that might be. I saw someone for a very long time who resisted any sort of actual diagnosis because the truth is that what I was experiencing didn't fit neatly into any of the boxes and pretty much belonged in this vague \"other\" category which isn't particularly helpful. Not to mention that misdiagnosis happens all the time even by professionals. \nI just think it is sort of understandable because I think a lot of stuff is kind of a spectrum anyway and just different levels of severity. Things can be really confusing and hard to nail down and thus communicate in a way that causes someone else to be understanding rather than judgemental.", ">\n\nAre you under the impression this is a new phenomenon? Because it's definitely not.\nPeople - especially young people! - crave identity. The world is a confusing place, knowing who you are makes it a little easier. Sometimes it's self-diagnosing mental illness or learning disabilities, or exploring sexual identity, or cliques, or subcultures. There's nothing embarrassing about it, it just is what it is.", ">\n\nIt’s ok to want to express individuality but not to the extent of totally destroying the definition of a real thing and making it hard for actual mentally Ill ppl to get a diagnosis. Why can’t people just accept that they’re different rather then giving themselves a label?", ">\n\npeople on TikTok claiming to have disorders that they don't doesn't affect the precision of psychiatrists diagnosing actual patients. There's no TikTok-said section in the DSM. Why do you think that it does?", ">\n\nIt just encourages more people to get diagnosed possibly skewing the meaning of the mental illness", ">\n\nSkewing it towards statistical accuracy? If people are actually diagnosed at higher rates, we have a better Guage of population-level mental illness, neurodivergency, etc. Better data is more usable, so that research actually means something actionable, ASIDE from the identity boost for young people.", ">\n\nI think what OP is driving at, but utterly failing to explain, is that they think that the fakers will be accommodated by the psychiatric system and diagnosed on the basis of fake symptoms. my sense is that isn't a problem but I don't have data.", ">\n\nDefinitely explained it a little better then I could lol", ">\n\nWhere do you see evidence of that? Any articles about fakers? How about a statistic? If not, it’s just a fear you seem to have.", ">\n\nI think the salient line here is this one:\n\nNeurologists were able to quickly determine that the subjects were not \nsuffering from Tourette's, but psychogenic tics driven by anxiety.", ">\n\nWomen are not born with less autism, but are much less likely to be diagnosed as children than boys. This is partly because boys generally have similar symptoms and behaviors. \nSo of course more women are self diagnosing autism, since their diagnoses were missed as children on a much higher rate.", ">\n\nAlright, I'm diagnosed OCD, PTSD, chronic depression. Diagnosed by a professional so I think I have some grounds to talk about this.\nFirst, let's tackle your women comment about autism. You see, I understand where you're coming from, but you lack the nuance of recognizing that mental illness, and illness in general, is heavily under-diagnosed in women. The medical culture is heavily favored towards men and is rampant with mysogyny, and that's not just me saying it as I've had medical professionals blatantly tell me it's a problem in the field when questioned about it. I've also had some tell me that it's just because women whine a lot, so yanno make of that statement what you will.\nNow that we've covered that let me address the self-diagnosing issue. So, do you want to know what my therapist thinks of self-diagnosing? Well, when I asked them about it they said that self-diagnosing is an important first step to seeking help. Psychiatrist said the same thing. It's normal, expected even, for people to self-diagnose their issues then seek help for them. You can't exactly just peer into someone's brain, no, that person has to tell you what they think is wrong and why they think it is. \nWhat you actually have a problem with is not self-diagnosis, but with people not seeking or not being able to get medical assistance and assuming they're right. You have a problem with people using these issues for attention, which I do too, but once again self-diagnosing is not the problem. Finally, you have a problem with the medical system that forces people into the position of trying to figure out their mental illnesses, but having no ability to get help for them.", ">\n\nI think I did it", ">\n\nSadly no lol, it was not done properly. Do you need a link to the rules?", ">\n\nI already read them i think I’ll figure it out in a bit sorry for the hold up", ">\n\nBecause everyone else is being aggressive: you have to comment with ∆ or !delta and then explain how your view has been changed", ">\n\nThis delta has been rejected. You can't award OP a delta.\nAllowing this would wrongly suggest that you can post here with the aim of convincing others.\nIf you were explaining when/how to award a delta, please use a reddit quote for the symbol next time.\n^Delta System Explained ^| ^Deltaboards", ">\n\nWhat gives you the authority or knowledge to know this is the problem?", ">\n\nYou don’t think it’s a problem that a lot of young ppl are willing to go to the extent of saying they are mentally Ill either for attention or to excuse their weirdness? Just accept that your different. It’s not wrong to believe you’re different without a label", ">\n\nYou did not even try to answer my question.", ">\n\nI’m sorry I was confused on what you meant", ">\n\nIf you are mad at people for self diagnosing themselves because they don't have the knowledge or authority to do so.... what gives you the knowledge or authority to diagnosis this as the problem behavior... basically are you just a kid that is annoyed, or is there some actual studies out there that is claiming this is a problem.", ">\n\nIf you don’t think that people consistently seeking attention for mental illness or craving a label so badly to justify themselves rather then being themselves. That just shows what your views are", ">\n\nDont you think we should leave the diagnosing to the professionals?", ">\n\nI mean yeah", ">\n\nWould you agree that you are diagnosing these people by saying that they are only seeking attention and do not have a real mental illness?", ">\n\nI’m assuming", ">\n\nThere may be some truth to people wanting to be different, however with mental illnesses being more accepted in today's society, many people are a lot more comfortable with being neurodivergent. Additionally, self diagnosis is common because the alternative is spending upwards to $1000-$2000 for a clinical diagnosis.", ">\n\nI know costs suck, but self diagnosis can be much more harmful. A web.md page that tells you your depressed when you may actually be bipolar can lead to really messed up results. I would even go as far as to say that no diagnosis at all is preferable to an uninformed one", ">\n\nWell.\n​\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad \n\nSo you already know why they're doing what they're doing in addition the fact that you know that they're not Autistic? If your claim is that they can't know and only a doctor can, what makes you more qualified? You start out your argument admitting that you have a bias.\n\nthey’re “neurodivergent.\n\nNeurodivergent is an umbrella that covers both Autism and ADHD, which sometimes get mistaken for each other. So if you're upset that they're self-diagnosing, this term should be more welcome than \"Autistic\" because it's more generalized.\n\nnd when you ask them how they know they’ll say “oh I have this weird tick when I uh laugh when someone says something funny “ or “I have a hyper fixation on this topic so I must be autistic\n\nHow else should they communicate it to you? The list of aspects of Autism, especially for how it presents in women, sounds a lot like this. You're not a doctor, they don't have to prove anything to you by going down the entire list of every possible part of their daily experience that might be on the spectrum.\n\nWomen statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nNope. Women are diagnosed less often than men because the original diagnostic criteria for Autism was for Autism as it presents in males. It presents differently for females and is harder to diagnose, especially at younger ages. \n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized\n\nTodays youth want to be victimized? Why would anyone want to be victimized? Something tells me you're missing the mark with this terminology.\n\nor have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. \n\nSo if someone is Autistic and that makes them weird, you'd rather them just be forced to not get to have a name for it, and get the therapeutic treatment that would help them?\n\nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really [are] without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nSome people are autistic. If they find out and it makes them feel good, that doesn't mean they're craving attention. And if they are craving attention, it's because they're normal people and everyone does. \nIf someone thinks they're autistic but it turns out they're actually not, chances are they suspected it for a reason. They might have ADHD, a personality disorder, a mental health issue, or simply a slightly different way of experiencing the world that feels unique to them and there's nothing wrong with that. \nYou seem to think that other people do things for you. People generally don't. They do things for themselves. This is especially true of people on the Autism Spectrum who may not be able to easily use other people's experiences to reference when constructing their view of the world, and can only use their own. Your interpretation wherein they do it to evoke a response from you says more about you than it does about them.", ">\n\nYou’re being deliberately obtuse. OP is completely correct. Most of the people these days who say “I’m ADHD” or “I’m autistic” or “I’m neurodivergent” are absolutely not diagnosed as such and are doing it to seem unique or get attention or as some excuse for why they did x y or z.", ">\n\nI'd like to point out that while some are perhaps attention seeking, many people self diagnose simply because they don't have access to free medical/psychological professionals to get proper diagnosis and help with their issues. I also know someone who doesn't want to get an official diagnosis because he's afrad it will affect his insurance rates or somehow come back to bite him if he's offically labeled with having a neurological disorder. \nThere is a wealth of knowledge on these subjects available online for those interested. And if they are truly interested in self diagnose they can likely do that accurately enough for all intents and purposes. Most of these people who search for the sake of better understanding themselves or their loved ones will openly admit that it's a self diagnoses, or say they THINK they have x,y, or z. But in some situations it's just as well to say they have it if they feel certain anyway, and it's just a passing comment, and not a discussion on the matter. \nIn other words, just because they self diagnose doesn't mean they're wrong, nor does it explain their motives. I also don't see how attention seeking (for those who ARE doing that) is really hurting anyone else. Fakers gonna be fake, that's more a \"them\" kind of problem. ANNOYING, but mostly harmless.", ">\n\nUnless you have a doctor's diagnosis you don't have the disorder. Even if you are broke there are programs to help with costs. \nAnd yes it does affect me when someone is treating me like shit and tries using the I have such and such as an excuse and then people get mad at ME for calling them in their bullshit.", ">\n\nNo. You have to have the disorder before you CAN be diagnosed, so obviously there are undiagnosed people who in fact \"have the disorder \". Your refusal to acknowledge an undiagnosed disorder does not mean they don't have it. Your personal experience with people supposedly using a fake diagnosis to treat you badly, sounds unusual. How do you know they DIDN'T have it? People who do lie and just want to be jerks will do that regardless of what methods they decide to try. The methods are irrelevant. And that motive is not typical of most self diagnosers .", ">\n\nSounds unusual? You must not get out a lot because it's become a pretty regular thing. Every single person I know (about 8) that have self diagnosed themselves as neurodivergent or with a mental illness like Bi-polar all use it to excuse their shitty ass behaviors. \nToo many disorders can mirror other ones. Just because they think they have 2/3 symptoms doesn't make them right by a long shot. Keep living in your bubble.", ">\n\nYou don't have to have a relationship with anyone. If they treat you badly, regardless of an official diagnosis or not, you don't have to tolerate them. It makes no difference what they have or don't have. What would it change if they got diagnosed and actually have it?", ">\n\nSelf diagnosing has been a thing forever\nAnd it's not a problem im 99% sure me or any other autistic person doesn't really give 2 fucks about people who wanna fake disorders. It doesn't stop us from getting help, we have doctors notes, medical files, sometimes even volunteers, you need those files to get into let's say a special education class, or a life skills course.\nSo unless you were diagnosed by a professional you're probably not gonna make it far faking it.\n(Excuse my shitty punctuation)", ">\n\nIt doesn’t bother you that they’re making others take the actual meaning away from what you were born with? I mean I’m sure autism hasn’t made your life easy and seeing ppl claim it for attention to be quirky probably has to annoy you a little right?", ">\n\nAt the end of the day I still have ADHD and I still need help with it. More people being diagnosed with it doesn’t change that fact. In fact I was diagnosed because I realized I related to so many tiktok memes, and I’m sure others are in my same boat. \nIn fact I think so many people talking about ADHD helps. It means more people who possibly have tips for me, people who are suffering who can’t afford treatment have an easy way to learn about how to improve their lives, and more people who are aware of my disorder.", ">\n\nI think people do diagnose themselves too often without seeking professional help. BUT mental illness is not the same as being neurodivergent.", ">\n\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad that they’ll go as far to say they’re “neurodivergent.”\n\nWhile this is the case, I don't really see how it's a \"problem\" per se. I guarantee that these people still make lifestyle decisions based on what they think is best, or based on what they want to do.\n\nbut it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women\n\nDo you have any statistics for that? I haven't experienced it that way in my own anecdotal experience, and I'd be curious to look into the data to see how much that truly does skew in that direction.\n\nwanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness \nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nI understand what you're trying to say here, but I don't really think these things are connected as much as you think they are. People see something wrong with themselves, so they either playfully or seriously consider the fact that it could be a condition that they have similar symptoms to. Not that it never happens, but just because someone categorizes themselves into a disability group that could potentially excuse their \"quirks\", doesn't mean they think that behavior is unacceptable in any way. People see a problem, and assume it's linked to this other issue that seems similar that they already know about.", ">\n\nI agree with the conclusion that self-diagnosis is a real issue, and I wouldn't be surprised if the data indicated it was on the rise. I wouldn't necessarily frame it as a simple desire to \"be victimized\" however. While it is purely speculation, I do believe there are a number of conditions which might lead towards a more frequent experience of symptoms associated with mental illness - a rising wealth gap, perpetual anxiety from a 24-hour news cycle, intensification of self-commodification, the student debt crisis in certain countries like the US, and so on. So people are experiencing symptoms like low energy, mood swings, etc. that can be associated with mental illness. The issue with self-diagnosis then becomes that it may correctly identify the symptom, but incorrectly identify the cause.\nThis video from the YouTuber HealthyGamerGG does a good job of explaining what some of the issues with self-diagnosis are, and for me it was a good starting place for thinking about this more. \nEDIT: I forgot this video literally starts with this same topic being brought up on this same subreddit lol", ">\n\nA great theory based on reasonable causes with an educational video from a psychologist(I assume) as evidence to back it up. I applaud you sir. 👏", ">\n\nWhy are you embarrassed by other people's issues?", ">\n\nI’m a 30yo male. If I had not first self diagnosed with ASD and OCD, I never would have found the language and resources to get a formal diagnosis and help.\nPrior generations have been so fixated on avoidance of diagnosing mental disorders, and research was previously so lacking that we are only just now (through those that do get diagnosed) realizing how common mental disorders are. That plus the lack of mental health resources for neurotypical and neurodivergent I think is how we end up in this situation of many recognizing their symptoms in the new discourse, but lacking the resources to overcome the barriers to proper diagnosis and treatment.", ">\n\nIt’s not the best thing, no. \nAs an adult FINALLY diagnosed (by a licensed therapist) at 41, I can tell you why ‘self diagnosis’ is so tempting. \nIn the US at least- mental health, and official medical diagnosis are almost completely inaccessible, especially as an adult. Most of us grew up before Autism was a spectrum, and ADHD was just boys who acted out in class. We felt like aliens. We couldn’t understand why we didn’t have many friends, or why we didn’t like the ‘right things’, and generally spend the bill of our lives feeling ‘wrong’, ‘broken’ or just simply like we didn’t belong. \nFinally understanding the WHY, and even better, finding tools to addresses our issues is a huge huge weight off the chest. The relief of having a name and a strategy- either therapy or medicine is such an amazing relief!!", ">\n\nI only kinda agree if I had not done my own research I would have never found out I have sjorgens syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis I know TikTok people tend to diagnose themselves and it makes it look cringe but when you live with a incurable illness sometimes you have to work to find a diagnosis", ">\n\nWell, what do you do of you absolutely know you're neurodivergent, but your parents decided not to get you checked? My mom once told me \"we knew you had something, we just didn't get you checked because they would have just put you on pills\". So I struggled with being different, socially unaware, impulsive, obnoxious, agressive, selfish, for the better part of my life without having the self awareness to understand why I was these things, and why people wouldn't want to be around me. \nIn my late 20''s I asked the question, what if I'm actually autistic? I looked up the symptoms, and 9/10 matched. As a child I couldn't handle loud noises, restrictive clothing, I didn't talk until I was 3. I would throw fits for seemingly no reason, I had obsessive interests. I've always really struggled with eye contact, and I never cared for conversation unless it was something I liked. I mean, when the final piece of a puzzle fits so incredibly well, it's really hard for it to be wrong. \nSelf diagnosing actually really helped me grow as aj individual. I became aware of all my divergent behaviors, and why it might be annoying for someone else to deal with. I came to the realization that I was the one who was different, therefore I needed to change. It's way harder to make everyone around you cater to your needs than to overcome the things that upset you. I'm at peace, I have good friends that I can connect with on a pretty deep level. I no longer smash coffee tables when I lose, I can now appreciate that if I lose it just means I have more to learn. I can keep my house clean, I can reasonably hold myself accountable. What exactly is the harm in all that?\nBesides, it would be pretty pointless for me to try and get a diagnosis now, I've put the effort in and largely come out the other side. Anyone diagnosing me would just say I was normal, but they wouldn't have the intimate knowledge of me that I do. I guess it doesn't matter if people don't believe me, I don't go around shouting that I'm autistic. I will say, it would be really nice if people appreciated the effort I put in to get to get to a place of normalcy, something others take for granted, but it's okay, we all have our struggles.", ">\n\nI feel you on all that. To play devil's advocate, mental healthcare in the U.S. is not cheap. Many people go to the internet and confirm their bias about their current health", ">\n\nI feel you on that too OP. I agree 100% with your entire statement.", ">\n\nIt's a problem, but not a new one. In the 1990s there was briefly a surge of people with a type of delusional parasitosis, that is, the false belief that they were infested with parasites. Except this one was supposedly an infestation with tiny fibres. They would come to doctors with a whole list of symptoms to back up their incorrect self-diagnosis.\nTo a certain extent, these are social contagions, which come and go, and often actually end up leading to people having real problems. Like, the young women you mention, a couple of decades ago may well have ended up with anorexia, or self-cutting. These days it might be a self-declaration of autism or a belief that they have gender dysphoria or that they have multiple systems living in their minds.", ">\n\nWow I did not know that. Maybe it’s just so prevalent today due to social media. Social media has only made these things worse imo", ">\n\nEven before it being self diagnosis of a mental illness it was always something. Remember all the emo and goth teenager?", ">\n\nIt depends on the context. For example, if they've done a substantial amount of research, can name a good amount of symptoms they have and reasons they have whatever mental illness and don't have access to the necessary tools to get a medical diagnosis, it's totally different. Some people don't have the money to go out and get a diagnosis, or sometimes it would be better to not get a medical diagnosis. I believe that the reason that a lot of people self diagnose themselves with things like Autism is because they want an explanation as to why they are different, and they could be right or wrong. I think the most important part is that if you go to a psychologist (or even two, I know a lot of people prefer getting second opinions) and they say you don't have it, that you need to admit you were wrong. It's ok to be wrong about your mental health, and the key is to keep looking and to not give up. I can completely understand the frustration in people completely missing how difficult it actually may be to have a mental illness. I was clinically diagnosed with Depression, Anxiety, and PTSD when I was seven, and I've had some experience with people faking mental disorders for attention, and more often then not, they have another mental disorder that needs attention. Recently I had a (now ex) boyfriend insist he had PTSD after being tested twice and the psychiatrist saying that he didn't have it. What he does have is Depression and Anxiety, but he absolutely insisted he has PTSD despite never exhibiting symptoms and the only evidence being a test he took online that was supposedly a \"real PTSD test.\" People faking mental illnesses only harms people who really have them, as these people tend to exaggerate symptoms and use their self diagnosis for attention. I believe that I am autistic, but I don't list it as a diagnosis because while I have read articles and taken the RAADS-r test, I don't have an official diagnosis, and I could very well be wrong. As for women faking illnesses more often, something I've noticed is that things like Autism, ADHD, ADD, etc are more often diagnosed in boys rather than girls- mostly because when they were first discovered, most of the research was done in boys. Autism shows up differently in girls, and can often be blown off as early puberty hormones. If their hyperfixations are those of stereotypical feminine things, it's just a girl liking whatever, and if they hyperfixate in stereotypical masculine interests, they tend to just be viewed as weird, but not autistic. It's normal for people to question, but I agree that to a certain point, self diagnosis can be harmful, but only if not done correctly.", ">\n\nFirst and foremost not a new problem at all, very common, we used to call it \"Being a hypochondriac\" until it aparrently became reconized which in it self is confusing and a bit contradictory.\nANYWAY\nIt isnt really a problem, no doctor is gonna write the perscription for medication without a diagnosis of some sort.\nAt most there is the vauge \"But what about those who actually have it who arent taken serious\" dont worry, we wouldnt have anyway. Thats kinda how invisible illnesses work.\nOverall the 101 hypochondriacs screaming about the symptoms they read in the ICD might help make the knowledge more common and help people better reconize if their colleagues or friends happen to show symptoms of something.", ">\n\nIt’s pretty expensive in the US to get diagnosed. Personally, I’ve self diagnosed myself out of frustration of the way I process things. I’ve always felt slow & my anxiety/depression was deep because of it, but I was raised in a family that doesn’t believe in mental illness. It was always “if you work hard enough, all your problems will go away”. Meanwhile, i was racking my brain on how to make myself think faster/smarter & it would result in psychotic episodes. I’ve gotten fired from jobs, dropped out of school. I started self harming because I hated myself and my brain & almost commit suicide bc I had no idea what was going on.\nThe relief I felt once I finally got a therapist who validated me & was the first to talk to me about mental Illness. It blew my mind and all of a sudden things actually made sense to me. I currently think I have ADD, and sometimes I’ll tell people that but will preface it by saying I’m not professionally diagnosed. Still, I use mental tools that help me get through the day and build my confidence. I’m a lot better at processing conversations, making lists that help me remember things, unmasking, slowing down my thoughts… etc. I’m less frustrated and can see the beauty in how I process things. I still want to get diagnosed but I have to get health insurance….. lol", ">\n\nSelf diagnosis, regardless of being factual is a process where the individual realizes that they might have a mental health issue. People who can do this are more likely to seek professional help compared to the people who think they are “fine”. Going to a professional, licensed psychologist or a psychiatrist will eventually diagnose them with the correct disorder from there, and professionals have the skills to communicate with them and they can together evaluate if the person’s complaint is the issue or not. There is nothing embarrassing about discovering one’s self. It would be a problem if people would identify with an issue and don’t have any willingness to seek help. Sometimes overreacting is better than not reacting.", ">\n\nThe majority of people who are self-diagnosed with autism have done extensive research into it to come to that conclusion. I personally went through the DSM criteria with a fine-tooth comb, made a list of all the ways I met it and discovered that there’s not a single criteria i don’t meet for autism. I didn’t read about anything else but autism for weeks, approaching it from all angles before coming to the conclusion that it’s highly unlikely I am not autistic. I’m waiting to hear back about an assessment, but I’m not waiting to go and be told something I already know before I start advocating for myself. \nOh, and I absolutely did not want to be ‘different’, in fact my life mission to just blend in and be average is the root cause of most of my problems, but here we are.", ">\n\nThis self diagnosing young people do isn’t the problem. The problem is that our society encourages it.\nOur culture is not set up to accommodate a wide spectrum of human needs. You may need things that I don’t. I may need things that you don’t. But in most business settings, academic settings, or even places like restaurants or leisure places, the world isn’t built to accommodate everyone. Our world and society is a “one size fits all” approach, and most people don’t fit snugly inside of that system. \nIf you can classify what is “wrong” or “different” about you into an easily digestible form, people are generally more able and more willing to accommodate you.\nFor example: if I tell my coworkers that I need to leave work early because of a headache, I’ll be shamed for it. And in some cases I’ll be told that “headaches aren’t that bad!” Or “You don’t need to leave.” Or “I have a headache too, just deal with it!”\nBut if I tell my workers that I need to leave due to a painful neurological condition that’s flaring up (I have chronic migraine, which is a neurological condition), they will respect it 100% of the time. It’s met with sympathy and not criticism.\nThis happens for all sorts of things. “Sorry Im late, I slept in.” Sounds a lot worse then, “sorry I’m late, my insomnia has been terrible lately.” \nOur culture forces us to use these labels even when they’re untrue just to receive sympathy or acceptance. The problem isn’t people who decide to use these labels, the root problem is that our society refuses to embrace and accommodate people who are outside of the “norm.”", ">\n\nSpeaking as someone who's had an autism diagnosis since age 7: if someone declares they're autistic when they're not, that's obnoxious at worst. If someone is told they're not autistic when they are, that can cause lifelong harm from denied care and understanding. I have seen this happen to a close friend of mine.\nTherefore, I'd much rather err on the side of acceptance. If you think you're defending me and others like me from impersonators, we'd rather not have your help.\n\nI know people will disagree but it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women. Women statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nCase in point: women are diagnosed with autism far less than men. Recent studies have pointed to decades of systematic misdiagnosis. The more visible autistic symptoms sometimes manifest differently in girls, the way they're socialized may help them hide it from a young age, and of course lots of doctors just say \"your daughter can't be autistic, that's a boy thing.\"\nWe're learning that there are hundreds of thousands of autistic women who slipped through the cracks and were denied the recognition and support they needed because of dismissive, gatekeeping attitudes just like yours.", ">\n\nThere’s a difference between having a disorder and relating to a disorder. If the tools or language associated with a disorder helps someone live better though then cool, it’s all still odd. Also autism presents differently in woman, and a majority of our research on it is on men. Best practice is probably to support them and encourage them to seek treatment.", ">\n\nAutism is severely misdiagnosed in women. Completely under diagnosed. Actually, plenty of things are. The actual problem that we have is parents refusing to let their children get professional help or a diagnosis. Most doctors will diagnose you with BPD as a woman(aka the new female hysteria of our century), maybe put you on some anti psychotics and send you your way. In most countries, a diagnosis/specialist is not readily available, or there is a long waiting list. Even so, the doctors are not know it all. I have seen plenty of doctors, I got different diagnosis almost each time. They ask you some general questions (about your mood, the way you sleep, if you can concentrate, if you harm yourself, if you have suicidal ideation, if you can socialize properly, if your parents were diagnosed with anything, if you have hallucinations or delusions, the works) and then based on that, they will give you a diagnosis. If you use your common sense and information on the internet (given you are knowledgeable on the subject), you can take a good guess on what's wrong. Obviously, some people will exaggerate like with anything (seeing the shadow dude once in your childhood is not a sign of psychosis, neither is hearing your name called when you are alone once in a blue moon), but if you have visual and auditory hallucinations, perhaps weird tactile feelings/hallucinations (spiders are crawling on me, etc), delusions, tend to be forgetful and out of teach with reality, there is a good chance you do have psychosis.", ">\n\nOkay, to start: what do you think autism and ADHD are? They aren't mental illnesses nor are they mental health conditions. \nTo address some of your other points; \nStudies have shown that autism has a gender expression of 1:1. The only reason that women are under diagnosed is because of misunderstandings towards autism, then the diagnosis is conducted incorrectly. Thus it ends up getting conflated with mental illness, E.G BPD, and is diagnosed as a psychiatric disorder instead. This is a detriment to the patient as the care regimes are black and white different. Often times this severely damages the woman.\nFrom data sets that I recall reading, malingering hasn't risen much, if at all, in recent times. I remember it being around 8% of the global population who are engaging in this behaviour, to different extents. I think what's happened is that social media has turned a torch onto it and it's risen in popularity in an algorithmic way. You see it more because it's pushed by the algorithm more because people are searching for it more. It isn't actually occurring any more or less than historically. Most of that attention is negative attention, I should add. \nSo there's two things to take away from that.\n1) The actual act of pretending to be mentally ill, or to have a disability, which is called malingering, is in fact a form of mental unwellness itself. It's a cry for help. The people who do these things are usually very unstable and should be treated with a degree of empathy. The dangerous types who are using mental illness to scam others, or to manipulate them, make up a very small percentage of the overall amount of people in that group and tend to abuse one on one. \n2) The predominant response to this is generally negative. There isn't really any reason to publicly malinger unless you're unstable, this is because a rational person would likely know this, and know the damage it would cause themselves. Self-diagnosis is a very long, and self-aware, process that takes place over years of the individuals life, and proceeds official diagnosis. \nNo one SDs and says \"Okay that's it now! Let me start a TikTok!\" You'd still want support, and you'd still seek support. So that would end up with a doctor, who would see that you're lying, and treat you for whatever was prompting you to malinger. Anyone who has made this commitment knows that keeping it private is a sensible thing to do in a world that isn't inclusive, and often very stigmatising. Sometimes official diagnosis can take YEARS. \nThis kind of propaganda has been going around for a long time in an effort to discredit disabled people and people with mental illnesses. It's not new. People said the same things back in the 90s. People will always be afraid, and dismissive, of things they do not understand. I invite you to try and understand.", ">\n\nI self-diagnosed myself with endometriosis for 10 years before a doctor finally listened to me, opened me up, and found my insides littered with lesions all over my organs. I’m now not able to get pregnant and I might need to get part of my bowel taken out someday. This could’ve been avoided if someone had just listened to me when I was 16. \nSelf-diagnosing is a necessity in a misogynist world! No one takes us seriously! Especially medical professionals. \nThe best antidote for this is to listen to women who self-diagnose. Why do they think they have XYZ? Is it heavily interfering with their life? I think that’s a much larger problem.", ">\n\nIts been proven that there is a bias to diagnose as opposed to not diagnose a mental illness in psychology. So op is actually kinda correct. The definition of a mental illness is in effect being stretched so far that people who are just kinda weird are being diagnosed with \"on the spectrum\". This is actually causing a problem in early learning because parents start treating their kids as essentially learning challenged when they're really not. So it is starting to become an excuse ...", ">\n\nWe live in a society that loves to medicate people. I know it’s different but Did ppl forget about the opioid epidemic? They’ll diagnose your ass with anything if they can" ]

[ "The diagnosis process for a lot of psychiatric conditions are surveys and questionaires. You can go to a psychiatrist and ask if you're anxious and they'll give you multiple choice questions and diagnose off of that. Or you can just google the form yourself and self diagnose. A lot of psychiatric disorders are about how we feel and think. Not about sending off some blood sample to a lab and getting a positive result come back.\n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. For such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nWhat you're describing are all neuroses that could indicate some deeper psychiatric condition. Whether a person has a mental health condition or not, thinking of ourselves as weak victims is never helpful in any context, yet it's something we all feel from time to time.\nI'm a disability support worker, so when someone tells me they've got a self diagnosed condition, it's not offensive to me or any disabled person I know, it doesn't come across like they're invalidating anyone else's condition. However I do think everyone should talk to a doctor about any condition they feel they might have.", ">\n\nPiggybacking off of this: You’ve spent your whole entire life inside your own brain. A therapist will spend a period of hours with you and give you a diagnosis. Who do you think knows your personal reality better than yourself?", ">\n\nYeah exactly, especially with conditions such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, PTSD, and many other psychiatric conditions. These are things people know they have even before they get a diagnosis. The diagnosis stage is more about treatment and management.\nPeople might be unaware of how severe or mild their condition is, some people think they have only mild PTSD despite constant nightmares and suicidal ideation. Some people will think they have severe ADHD because they can't concentrate for long times on things that don't interest them. It's good to get some perspective from experts but ultimately people know when they are struggling to focus or to struggling to stop stressing all the time or struggling to not be miserable. Struggling with our thoughts and feelings is evidence enough to self diagnose.", ">\n\nI was recently diagnosed with ADHD as a woman so I find this viewpoint interesting.\nFirstly, autism is not a mental illness. An autistic person may have mental illness in conjunction with autism, but autism alone lies under the neurodivergent umbrella. Neurodivergency can include autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and other similar conditions.\nWhy women are often underdiagnosed\nThese are serious disabilities that can really impede a person's life, especially if they struggle to find help and acceptance in their community. A lot of women start their journey towards diagnosis later in life due to a number of factors such as:\n\nPoor diagnostic tools and inexperienced professionals\nA misunderstanding that autism and ADHD are more common in boys\nAdvanced masking techniques to cover their 'traits'\n\nWhy women are often diagnosed later in life.\nThe process for many women and men who are diagnosed later in life often includes a level of burnout or breakdown. After a while everything becomes too much, the mask begins to slip and your traits go into overdrive.\nWhy does self-diagnosing seem to be on the rise?\nA common way of finding out you could possibly be neurodivergent is through media and people who are aware of these traits appear.\nIn the past few years, I have seen an increasing awareness of neurodivergence in women pop up in the media. This is useful for people like myself who had no idea wtf was wrong with them for a very long time. For me, a GP actually suggested I seek a diagnosis due to some struggles I was going through.\nAs someone who went through this process self-diagnosing is commonly the first step as an adult. You might be directed to a questionnaire and are asked to evaluate yourself and your experiences thinking back to your childhood. If there's some merit in your experiences than you move to the next step which involves seeking a professional. Waitlists are often months to years long so many people live in limbo for a long time.\nMethods of living with ADHD can help everyone. And everyone experiences ADHD traits from time to time. Given a large amount of stress we have all suffered collectively, I don't doubt there are a lot of people with increased mental health issues that mirror neurodivergent traits. Some mental illnesses can get very severe and alter your brain chemistry and behaviour.\nMy takeaway from this is that the mental health systems set up to assist these people are a much larger issue and cause for serious concern than self-diagnosing.\nApologies for the spelling and grammar errors. Grammarly and Reddit don't play nice.", ">\n\nI think it's two things. One, people have identity crises, especially teenagers. We all know that type of person who tries on identities like hats. That's pretty embarrassing. You usually grow out of that.\nTwo, from personal experience, giving yourself a label or a diagnosis makes it feel more contained and easy to communicate. It's easier to tell someone that you have X and have them understand what you're going through rather than telling them you have these vague symptoms resembling what you imagine X is like. In that respect, it is pretty understandable, possibly good, and not embarrassing. There's something that is sort of reassuring if you can finally get a word to put on what you're experiencing.\nPeople often sympathize with the diagnosis but not with the symptoms. Tell people at work you're autistic and they will sympathize with you and possibly not attack you. Tell them you do not understand social cues and they will probably just make fun of you.", ">\n\nI understand the desire to put a label with a disease, and this is not necessarily bad, but the diagnosis needs to be correct. If you want to tell others that you are autistic or depressed; you must actually be those things. A person can almost never correctly assertion their disease, only their symptoms. People might better understand you if you say your autistic, but you may incorrectly understand and describe yourself. If one wishes to put a name with symptoms, they should find a doctor to pick the label", ">\n\nfor sure but unfortunately our medical system is a joke and even if you are experiencing very severe symptoms it can be nearly impossible to see a professional or take months on a waiting list.\nEven then a professional may be reluctant to slap a label on you for fear of what the consequences of that might be. I saw someone for a very long time who resisted any sort of actual diagnosis because the truth is that what I was experiencing didn't fit neatly into any of the boxes and pretty much belonged in this vague \"other\" category which isn't particularly helpful. Not to mention that misdiagnosis happens all the time even by professionals. \nI just think it is sort of understandable because I think a lot of stuff is kind of a spectrum anyway and just different levels of severity. Things can be really confusing and hard to nail down and thus communicate in a way that causes someone else to be understanding rather than judgemental.", ">\n\nAre you under the impression this is a new phenomenon? Because it's definitely not.\nPeople - especially young people! - crave identity. The world is a confusing place, knowing who you are makes it a little easier. Sometimes it's self-diagnosing mental illness or learning disabilities, or exploring sexual identity, or cliques, or subcultures. There's nothing embarrassing about it, it just is what it is.", ">\n\nIt’s ok to want to express individuality but not to the extent of totally destroying the definition of a real thing and making it hard for actual mentally Ill ppl to get a diagnosis. Why can’t people just accept that they’re different rather then giving themselves a label?", ">\n\npeople on TikTok claiming to have disorders that they don't doesn't affect the precision of psychiatrists diagnosing actual patients. There's no TikTok-said section in the DSM. Why do you think that it does?", ">\n\nIt just encourages more people to get diagnosed possibly skewing the meaning of the mental illness", ">\n\nSkewing it towards statistical accuracy? If people are actually diagnosed at higher rates, we have a better Guage of population-level mental illness, neurodivergency, etc. Better data is more usable, so that research actually means something actionable, ASIDE from the identity boost for young people.", ">\n\nI think what OP is driving at, but utterly failing to explain, is that they think that the fakers will be accommodated by the psychiatric system and diagnosed on the basis of fake symptoms. my sense is that isn't a problem but I don't have data.", ">\n\nDefinitely explained it a little better then I could lol", ">\n\nWhere do you see evidence of that? Any articles about fakers? How about a statistic? If not, it’s just a fear you seem to have.", ">\n\nI think the salient line here is this one:\n\nNeurologists were able to quickly determine that the subjects were not \nsuffering from Tourette's, but psychogenic tics driven by anxiety.", ">\n\nWomen are not born with less autism, but are much less likely to be diagnosed as children than boys. This is partly because boys generally have similar symptoms and behaviors. \nSo of course more women are self diagnosing autism, since their diagnoses were missed as children on a much higher rate.", ">\n\nAlright, I'm diagnosed OCD, PTSD, chronic depression. Diagnosed by a professional so I think I have some grounds to talk about this.\nFirst, let's tackle your women comment about autism. You see, I understand where you're coming from, but you lack the nuance of recognizing that mental illness, and illness in general, is heavily under-diagnosed in women. The medical culture is heavily favored towards men and is rampant with mysogyny, and that's not just me saying it as I've had medical professionals blatantly tell me it's a problem in the field when questioned about it. I've also had some tell me that it's just because women whine a lot, so yanno make of that statement what you will.\nNow that we've covered that let me address the self-diagnosing issue. So, do you want to know what my therapist thinks of self-diagnosing? Well, when I asked them about it they said that self-diagnosing is an important first step to seeking help. Psychiatrist said the same thing. It's normal, expected even, for people to self-diagnose their issues then seek help for them. You can't exactly just peer into someone's brain, no, that person has to tell you what they think is wrong and why they think it is. \nWhat you actually have a problem with is not self-diagnosis, but with people not seeking or not being able to get medical assistance and assuming they're right. You have a problem with people using these issues for attention, which I do too, but once again self-diagnosing is not the problem. Finally, you have a problem with the medical system that forces people into the position of trying to figure out their mental illnesses, but having no ability to get help for them.", ">\n\nI think I did it", ">\n\nSadly no lol, it was not done properly. Do you need a link to the rules?", ">\n\nI already read them i think I’ll figure it out in a bit sorry for the hold up", ">\n\nBecause everyone else is being aggressive: you have to comment with ∆ or !delta and then explain how your view has been changed", ">\n\nThis delta has been rejected. You can't award OP a delta.\nAllowing this would wrongly suggest that you can post here with the aim of convincing others.\nIf you were explaining when/how to award a delta, please use a reddit quote for the symbol next time.\n^Delta System Explained ^| ^Deltaboards", ">\n\nWhat gives you the authority or knowledge to know this is the problem?", ">\n\nYou don’t think it’s a problem that a lot of young ppl are willing to go to the extent of saying they are mentally Ill either for attention or to excuse their weirdness? Just accept that your different. It’s not wrong to believe you’re different without a label", ">\n\nYou did not even try to answer my question.", ">\n\nI’m sorry I was confused on what you meant", ">\n\nIf you are mad at people for self diagnosing themselves because they don't have the knowledge or authority to do so.... what gives you the knowledge or authority to diagnosis this as the problem behavior... basically are you just a kid that is annoyed, or is there some actual studies out there that is claiming this is a problem.", ">\n\nIf you don’t think that people consistently seeking attention for mental illness or craving a label so badly to justify themselves rather then being themselves. That just shows what your views are", ">\n\nDont you think we should leave the diagnosing to the professionals?", ">\n\nI mean yeah", ">\n\nWould you agree that you are diagnosing these people by saying that they are only seeking attention and do not have a real mental illness?", ">\n\nI’m assuming", ">\n\nThere may be some truth to people wanting to be different, however with mental illnesses being more accepted in today's society, many people are a lot more comfortable with being neurodivergent. Additionally, self diagnosis is common because the alternative is spending upwards to $1000-$2000 for a clinical diagnosis.", ">\n\nI know costs suck, but self diagnosis can be much more harmful. A web.md page that tells you your depressed when you may actually be bipolar can lead to really messed up results. I would even go as far as to say that no diagnosis at all is preferable to an uninformed one", ">\n\nWell.\n​\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad \n\nSo you already know why they're doing what they're doing in addition the fact that you know that they're not Autistic? If your claim is that they can't know and only a doctor can, what makes you more qualified? You start out your argument admitting that you have a bias.\n\nthey’re “neurodivergent.\n\nNeurodivergent is an umbrella that covers both Autism and ADHD, which sometimes get mistaken for each other. So if you're upset that they're self-diagnosing, this term should be more welcome than \"Autistic\" because it's more generalized.\n\nnd when you ask them how they know they’ll say “oh I have this weird tick when I uh laugh when someone says something funny “ or “I have a hyper fixation on this topic so I must be autistic\n\nHow else should they communicate it to you? The list of aspects of Autism, especially for how it presents in women, sounds a lot like this. You're not a doctor, they don't have to prove anything to you by going down the entire list of every possible part of their daily experience that might be on the spectrum.\n\nWomen statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nNope. Women are diagnosed less often than men because the original diagnostic criteria for Autism was for Autism as it presents in males. It presents differently for females and is harder to diagnose, especially at younger ages. \n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized\n\nTodays youth want to be victimized? Why would anyone want to be victimized? Something tells me you're missing the mark with this terminology.\n\nor have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. \n\nSo if someone is Autistic and that makes them weird, you'd rather them just be forced to not get to have a name for it, and get the therapeutic treatment that would help them?\n\nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really [are] without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nSome people are autistic. If they find out and it makes them feel good, that doesn't mean they're craving attention. And if they are craving attention, it's because they're normal people and everyone does. \nIf someone thinks they're autistic but it turns out they're actually not, chances are they suspected it for a reason. They might have ADHD, a personality disorder, a mental health issue, or simply a slightly different way of experiencing the world that feels unique to them and there's nothing wrong with that. \nYou seem to think that other people do things for you. People generally don't. They do things for themselves. This is especially true of people on the Autism Spectrum who may not be able to easily use other people's experiences to reference when constructing their view of the world, and can only use their own. Your interpretation wherein they do it to evoke a response from you says more about you than it does about them.", ">\n\nYou’re being deliberately obtuse. OP is completely correct. Most of the people these days who say “I’m ADHD” or “I’m autistic” or “I’m neurodivergent” are absolutely not diagnosed as such and are doing it to seem unique or get attention or as some excuse for why they did x y or z.", ">\n\nI'd like to point out that while some are perhaps attention seeking, many people self diagnose simply because they don't have access to free medical/psychological professionals to get proper diagnosis and help with their issues. I also know someone who doesn't want to get an official diagnosis because he's afrad it will affect his insurance rates or somehow come back to bite him if he's offically labeled with having a neurological disorder. \nThere is a wealth of knowledge on these subjects available online for those interested. And if they are truly interested in self diagnose they can likely do that accurately enough for all intents and purposes. Most of these people who search for the sake of better understanding themselves or their loved ones will openly admit that it's a self diagnoses, or say they THINK they have x,y, or z. But in some situations it's just as well to say they have it if they feel certain anyway, and it's just a passing comment, and not a discussion on the matter. \nIn other words, just because they self diagnose doesn't mean they're wrong, nor does it explain their motives. I also don't see how attention seeking (for those who ARE doing that) is really hurting anyone else. Fakers gonna be fake, that's more a \"them\" kind of problem. ANNOYING, but mostly harmless.", ">\n\nUnless you have a doctor's diagnosis you don't have the disorder. Even if you are broke there are programs to help with costs. \nAnd yes it does affect me when someone is treating me like shit and tries using the I have such and such as an excuse and then people get mad at ME for calling them in their bullshit.", ">\n\nNo. You have to have the disorder before you CAN be diagnosed, so obviously there are undiagnosed people who in fact \"have the disorder \". Your refusal to acknowledge an undiagnosed disorder does not mean they don't have it. Your personal experience with people supposedly using a fake diagnosis to treat you badly, sounds unusual. How do you know they DIDN'T have it? People who do lie and just want to be jerks will do that regardless of what methods they decide to try. The methods are irrelevant. And that motive is not typical of most self diagnosers .", ">\n\nSounds unusual? You must not get out a lot because it's become a pretty regular thing. Every single person I know (about 8) that have self diagnosed themselves as neurodivergent or with a mental illness like Bi-polar all use it to excuse their shitty ass behaviors. \nToo many disorders can mirror other ones. Just because they think they have 2/3 symptoms doesn't make them right by a long shot. Keep living in your bubble.", ">\n\nYou don't have to have a relationship with anyone. If they treat you badly, regardless of an official diagnosis or not, you don't have to tolerate them. It makes no difference what they have or don't have. What would it change if they got diagnosed and actually have it?", ">\n\nSelf diagnosing has been a thing forever\nAnd it's not a problem im 99% sure me or any other autistic person doesn't really give 2 fucks about people who wanna fake disorders. It doesn't stop us from getting help, we have doctors notes, medical files, sometimes even volunteers, you need those files to get into let's say a special education class, or a life skills course.\nSo unless you were diagnosed by a professional you're probably not gonna make it far faking it.\n(Excuse my shitty punctuation)", ">\n\nIt doesn’t bother you that they’re making others take the actual meaning away from what you were born with? I mean I’m sure autism hasn’t made your life easy and seeing ppl claim it for attention to be quirky probably has to annoy you a little right?", ">\n\nAt the end of the day I still have ADHD and I still need help with it. More people being diagnosed with it doesn’t change that fact. In fact I was diagnosed because I realized I related to so many tiktok memes, and I’m sure others are in my same boat. \nIn fact I think so many people talking about ADHD helps. It means more people who possibly have tips for me, people who are suffering who can’t afford treatment have an easy way to learn about how to improve their lives, and more people who are aware of my disorder.", ">\n\nI think people do diagnose themselves too often without seeking professional help. BUT mental illness is not the same as being neurodivergent.", ">\n\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad that they’ll go as far to say they’re “neurodivergent.”\n\nWhile this is the case, I don't really see how it's a \"problem\" per se. I guarantee that these people still make lifestyle decisions based on what they think is best, or based on what they want to do.\n\nbut it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women\n\nDo you have any statistics for that? I haven't experienced it that way in my own anecdotal experience, and I'd be curious to look into the data to see how much that truly does skew in that direction.\n\nwanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness \nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nI understand what you're trying to say here, but I don't really think these things are connected as much as you think they are. People see something wrong with themselves, so they either playfully or seriously consider the fact that it could be a condition that they have similar symptoms to. Not that it never happens, but just because someone categorizes themselves into a disability group that could potentially excuse their \"quirks\", doesn't mean they think that behavior is unacceptable in any way. People see a problem, and assume it's linked to this other issue that seems similar that they already know about.", ">\n\nI agree with the conclusion that self-diagnosis is a real issue, and I wouldn't be surprised if the data indicated it was on the rise. I wouldn't necessarily frame it as a simple desire to \"be victimized\" however. While it is purely speculation, I do believe there are a number of conditions which might lead towards a more frequent experience of symptoms associated with mental illness - a rising wealth gap, perpetual anxiety from a 24-hour news cycle, intensification of self-commodification, the student debt crisis in certain countries like the US, and so on. So people are experiencing symptoms like low energy, mood swings, etc. that can be associated with mental illness. The issue with self-diagnosis then becomes that it may correctly identify the symptom, but incorrectly identify the cause.\nThis video from the YouTuber HealthyGamerGG does a good job of explaining what some of the issues with self-diagnosis are, and for me it was a good starting place for thinking about this more. \nEDIT: I forgot this video literally starts with this same topic being brought up on this same subreddit lol", ">\n\nA great theory based on reasonable causes with an educational video from a psychologist(I assume) as evidence to back it up. I applaud you sir. 👏", ">\n\nWhy are you embarrassed by other people's issues?", ">\n\nI’m a 30yo male. If I had not first self diagnosed with ASD and OCD, I never would have found the language and resources to get a formal diagnosis and help.\nPrior generations have been so fixated on avoidance of diagnosing mental disorders, and research was previously so lacking that we are only just now (through those that do get diagnosed) realizing how common mental disorders are. That plus the lack of mental health resources for neurotypical and neurodivergent I think is how we end up in this situation of many recognizing their symptoms in the new discourse, but lacking the resources to overcome the barriers to proper diagnosis and treatment.", ">\n\nIt’s not the best thing, no. \nAs an adult FINALLY diagnosed (by a licensed therapist) at 41, I can tell you why ‘self diagnosis’ is so tempting. \nIn the US at least- mental health, and official medical diagnosis are almost completely inaccessible, especially as an adult. Most of us grew up before Autism was a spectrum, and ADHD was just boys who acted out in class. We felt like aliens. We couldn’t understand why we didn’t have many friends, or why we didn’t like the ‘right things’, and generally spend the bill of our lives feeling ‘wrong’, ‘broken’ or just simply like we didn’t belong. \nFinally understanding the WHY, and even better, finding tools to addresses our issues is a huge huge weight off the chest. The relief of having a name and a strategy- either therapy or medicine is such an amazing relief!!", ">\n\nI only kinda agree if I had not done my own research I would have never found out I have sjorgens syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis I know TikTok people tend to diagnose themselves and it makes it look cringe but when you live with a incurable illness sometimes you have to work to find a diagnosis", ">\n\nWell, what do you do of you absolutely know you're neurodivergent, but your parents decided not to get you checked? My mom once told me \"we knew you had something, we just didn't get you checked because they would have just put you on pills\". So I struggled with being different, socially unaware, impulsive, obnoxious, agressive, selfish, for the better part of my life without having the self awareness to understand why I was these things, and why people wouldn't want to be around me. \nIn my late 20''s I asked the question, what if I'm actually autistic? I looked up the symptoms, and 9/10 matched. As a child I couldn't handle loud noises, restrictive clothing, I didn't talk until I was 3. I would throw fits for seemingly no reason, I had obsessive interests. I've always really struggled with eye contact, and I never cared for conversation unless it was something I liked. I mean, when the final piece of a puzzle fits so incredibly well, it's really hard for it to be wrong. \nSelf diagnosing actually really helped me grow as aj individual. I became aware of all my divergent behaviors, and why it might be annoying for someone else to deal with. I came to the realization that I was the one who was different, therefore I needed to change. It's way harder to make everyone around you cater to your needs than to overcome the things that upset you. I'm at peace, I have good friends that I can connect with on a pretty deep level. I no longer smash coffee tables when I lose, I can now appreciate that if I lose it just means I have more to learn. I can keep my house clean, I can reasonably hold myself accountable. What exactly is the harm in all that?\nBesides, it would be pretty pointless for me to try and get a diagnosis now, I've put the effort in and largely come out the other side. Anyone diagnosing me would just say I was normal, but they wouldn't have the intimate knowledge of me that I do. I guess it doesn't matter if people don't believe me, I don't go around shouting that I'm autistic. I will say, it would be really nice if people appreciated the effort I put in to get to get to a place of normalcy, something others take for granted, but it's okay, we all have our struggles.", ">\n\nI feel you on all that. To play devil's advocate, mental healthcare in the U.S. is not cheap. Many people go to the internet and confirm their bias about their current health", ">\n\nI feel you on that too OP. I agree 100% with your entire statement.", ">\n\nIt's a problem, but not a new one. In the 1990s there was briefly a surge of people with a type of delusional parasitosis, that is, the false belief that they were infested with parasites. Except this one was supposedly an infestation with tiny fibres. They would come to doctors with a whole list of symptoms to back up their incorrect self-diagnosis.\nTo a certain extent, these are social contagions, which come and go, and often actually end up leading to people having real problems. Like, the young women you mention, a couple of decades ago may well have ended up with anorexia, or self-cutting. These days it might be a self-declaration of autism or a belief that they have gender dysphoria or that they have multiple systems living in their minds.", ">\n\nWow I did not know that. Maybe it’s just so prevalent today due to social media. Social media has only made these things worse imo", ">\n\nEven before it being self diagnosis of a mental illness it was always something. Remember all the emo and goth teenager?", ">\n\nIt depends on the context. For example, if they've done a substantial amount of research, can name a good amount of symptoms they have and reasons they have whatever mental illness and don't have access to the necessary tools to get a medical diagnosis, it's totally different. Some people don't have the money to go out and get a diagnosis, or sometimes it would be better to not get a medical diagnosis. I believe that the reason that a lot of people self diagnose themselves with things like Autism is because they want an explanation as to why they are different, and they could be right or wrong. I think the most important part is that if you go to a psychologist (or even two, I know a lot of people prefer getting second opinions) and they say you don't have it, that you need to admit you were wrong. It's ok to be wrong about your mental health, and the key is to keep looking and to not give up. I can completely understand the frustration in people completely missing how difficult it actually may be to have a mental illness. I was clinically diagnosed with Depression, Anxiety, and PTSD when I was seven, and I've had some experience with people faking mental disorders for attention, and more often then not, they have another mental disorder that needs attention. Recently I had a (now ex) boyfriend insist he had PTSD after being tested twice and the psychiatrist saying that he didn't have it. What he does have is Depression and Anxiety, but he absolutely insisted he has PTSD despite never exhibiting symptoms and the only evidence being a test he took online that was supposedly a \"real PTSD test.\" People faking mental illnesses only harms people who really have them, as these people tend to exaggerate symptoms and use their self diagnosis for attention. I believe that I am autistic, but I don't list it as a diagnosis because while I have read articles and taken the RAADS-r test, I don't have an official diagnosis, and I could very well be wrong. As for women faking illnesses more often, something I've noticed is that things like Autism, ADHD, ADD, etc are more often diagnosed in boys rather than girls- mostly because when they were first discovered, most of the research was done in boys. Autism shows up differently in girls, and can often be blown off as early puberty hormones. If their hyperfixations are those of stereotypical feminine things, it's just a girl liking whatever, and if they hyperfixate in stereotypical masculine interests, they tend to just be viewed as weird, but not autistic. It's normal for people to question, but I agree that to a certain point, self diagnosis can be harmful, but only if not done correctly.", ">\n\nFirst and foremost not a new problem at all, very common, we used to call it \"Being a hypochondriac\" until it aparrently became reconized which in it self is confusing and a bit contradictory.\nANYWAY\nIt isnt really a problem, no doctor is gonna write the perscription for medication without a diagnosis of some sort.\nAt most there is the vauge \"But what about those who actually have it who arent taken serious\" dont worry, we wouldnt have anyway. Thats kinda how invisible illnesses work.\nOverall the 101 hypochondriacs screaming about the symptoms they read in the ICD might help make the knowledge more common and help people better reconize if their colleagues or friends happen to show symptoms of something.", ">\n\nIt’s pretty expensive in the US to get diagnosed. Personally, I’ve self diagnosed myself out of frustration of the way I process things. I’ve always felt slow & my anxiety/depression was deep because of it, but I was raised in a family that doesn’t believe in mental illness. It was always “if you work hard enough, all your problems will go away”. Meanwhile, i was racking my brain on how to make myself think faster/smarter & it would result in psychotic episodes. I’ve gotten fired from jobs, dropped out of school. I started self harming because I hated myself and my brain & almost commit suicide bc I had no idea what was going on.\nThe relief I felt once I finally got a therapist who validated me & was the first to talk to me about mental Illness. It blew my mind and all of a sudden things actually made sense to me. I currently think I have ADD, and sometimes I’ll tell people that but will preface it by saying I’m not professionally diagnosed. Still, I use mental tools that help me get through the day and build my confidence. I’m a lot better at processing conversations, making lists that help me remember things, unmasking, slowing down my thoughts… etc. I’m less frustrated and can see the beauty in how I process things. I still want to get diagnosed but I have to get health insurance….. lol", ">\n\nSelf diagnosis, regardless of being factual is a process where the individual realizes that they might have a mental health issue. People who can do this are more likely to seek professional help compared to the people who think they are “fine”. Going to a professional, licensed psychologist or a psychiatrist will eventually diagnose them with the correct disorder from there, and professionals have the skills to communicate with them and they can together evaluate if the person’s complaint is the issue or not. There is nothing embarrassing about discovering one’s self. It would be a problem if people would identify with an issue and don’t have any willingness to seek help. Sometimes overreacting is better than not reacting.", ">\n\nThe majority of people who are self-diagnosed with autism have done extensive research into it to come to that conclusion. I personally went through the DSM criteria with a fine-tooth comb, made a list of all the ways I met it and discovered that there’s not a single criteria i don’t meet for autism. I didn’t read about anything else but autism for weeks, approaching it from all angles before coming to the conclusion that it’s highly unlikely I am not autistic. I’m waiting to hear back about an assessment, but I’m not waiting to go and be told something I already know before I start advocating for myself. \nOh, and I absolutely did not want to be ‘different’, in fact my life mission to just blend in and be average is the root cause of most of my problems, but here we are.", ">\n\nThis self diagnosing young people do isn’t the problem. The problem is that our society encourages it.\nOur culture is not set up to accommodate a wide spectrum of human needs. You may need things that I don’t. I may need things that you don’t. But in most business settings, academic settings, or even places like restaurants or leisure places, the world isn’t built to accommodate everyone. Our world and society is a “one size fits all” approach, and most people don’t fit snugly inside of that system. \nIf you can classify what is “wrong” or “different” about you into an easily digestible form, people are generally more able and more willing to accommodate you.\nFor example: if I tell my coworkers that I need to leave work early because of a headache, I’ll be shamed for it. And in some cases I’ll be told that “headaches aren’t that bad!” Or “You don’t need to leave.” Or “I have a headache too, just deal with it!”\nBut if I tell my workers that I need to leave due to a painful neurological condition that’s flaring up (I have chronic migraine, which is a neurological condition), they will respect it 100% of the time. It’s met with sympathy and not criticism.\nThis happens for all sorts of things. “Sorry Im late, I slept in.” Sounds a lot worse then, “sorry I’m late, my insomnia has been terrible lately.” \nOur culture forces us to use these labels even when they’re untrue just to receive sympathy or acceptance. The problem isn’t people who decide to use these labels, the root problem is that our society refuses to embrace and accommodate people who are outside of the “norm.”", ">\n\nSpeaking as someone who's had an autism diagnosis since age 7: if someone declares they're autistic when they're not, that's obnoxious at worst. If someone is told they're not autistic when they are, that can cause lifelong harm from denied care and understanding. I have seen this happen to a close friend of mine.\nTherefore, I'd much rather err on the side of acceptance. If you think you're defending me and others like me from impersonators, we'd rather not have your help.\n\nI know people will disagree but it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women. Women statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nCase in point: women are diagnosed with autism far less than men. Recent studies have pointed to decades of systematic misdiagnosis. The more visible autistic symptoms sometimes manifest differently in girls, the way they're socialized may help them hide it from a young age, and of course lots of doctors just say \"your daughter can't be autistic, that's a boy thing.\"\nWe're learning that there are hundreds of thousands of autistic women who slipped through the cracks and were denied the recognition and support they needed because of dismissive, gatekeeping attitudes just like yours.", ">\n\nThere’s a difference between having a disorder and relating to a disorder. If the tools or language associated with a disorder helps someone live better though then cool, it’s all still odd. Also autism presents differently in woman, and a majority of our research on it is on men. Best practice is probably to support them and encourage them to seek treatment.", ">\n\nAutism is severely misdiagnosed in women. Completely under diagnosed. Actually, plenty of things are. The actual problem that we have is parents refusing to let their children get professional help or a diagnosis. Most doctors will diagnose you with BPD as a woman(aka the new female hysteria of our century), maybe put you on some anti psychotics and send you your way. In most countries, a diagnosis/specialist is not readily available, or there is a long waiting list. Even so, the doctors are not know it all. I have seen plenty of doctors, I got different diagnosis almost each time. They ask you some general questions (about your mood, the way you sleep, if you can concentrate, if you harm yourself, if you have suicidal ideation, if you can socialize properly, if your parents were diagnosed with anything, if you have hallucinations or delusions, the works) and then based on that, they will give you a diagnosis. If you use your common sense and information on the internet (given you are knowledgeable on the subject), you can take a good guess on what's wrong. Obviously, some people will exaggerate like with anything (seeing the shadow dude once in your childhood is not a sign of psychosis, neither is hearing your name called when you are alone once in a blue moon), but if you have visual and auditory hallucinations, perhaps weird tactile feelings/hallucinations (spiders are crawling on me, etc), delusions, tend to be forgetful and out of teach with reality, there is a good chance you do have psychosis.", ">\n\nOkay, to start: what do you think autism and ADHD are? They aren't mental illnesses nor are they mental health conditions. \nTo address some of your other points; \nStudies have shown that autism has a gender expression of 1:1. The only reason that women are under diagnosed is because of misunderstandings towards autism, then the diagnosis is conducted incorrectly. Thus it ends up getting conflated with mental illness, E.G BPD, and is diagnosed as a psychiatric disorder instead. This is a detriment to the patient as the care regimes are black and white different. Often times this severely damages the woman.\nFrom data sets that I recall reading, malingering hasn't risen much, if at all, in recent times. I remember it being around 8% of the global population who are engaging in this behaviour, to different extents. I think what's happened is that social media has turned a torch onto it and it's risen in popularity in an algorithmic way. You see it more because it's pushed by the algorithm more because people are searching for it more. It isn't actually occurring any more or less than historically. Most of that attention is negative attention, I should add. \nSo there's two things to take away from that.\n1) The actual act of pretending to be mentally ill, or to have a disability, which is called malingering, is in fact a form of mental unwellness itself. It's a cry for help. The people who do these things are usually very unstable and should be treated with a degree of empathy. The dangerous types who are using mental illness to scam others, or to manipulate them, make up a very small percentage of the overall amount of people in that group and tend to abuse one on one. \n2) The predominant response to this is generally negative. There isn't really any reason to publicly malinger unless you're unstable, this is because a rational person would likely know this, and know the damage it would cause themselves. Self-diagnosis is a very long, and self-aware, process that takes place over years of the individuals life, and proceeds official diagnosis. \nNo one SDs and says \"Okay that's it now! Let me start a TikTok!\" You'd still want support, and you'd still seek support. So that would end up with a doctor, who would see that you're lying, and treat you for whatever was prompting you to malinger. Anyone who has made this commitment knows that keeping it private is a sensible thing to do in a world that isn't inclusive, and often very stigmatising. Sometimes official diagnosis can take YEARS. \nThis kind of propaganda has been going around for a long time in an effort to discredit disabled people and people with mental illnesses. It's not new. People said the same things back in the 90s. People will always be afraid, and dismissive, of things they do not understand. I invite you to try and understand.", ">\n\nI self-diagnosed myself with endometriosis for 10 years before a doctor finally listened to me, opened me up, and found my insides littered with lesions all over my organs. I’m now not able to get pregnant and I might need to get part of my bowel taken out someday. This could’ve been avoided if someone had just listened to me when I was 16. \nSelf-diagnosing is a necessity in a misogynist world! No one takes us seriously! Especially medical professionals. \nThe best antidote for this is to listen to women who self-diagnose. Why do they think they have XYZ? Is it heavily interfering with their life? I think that’s a much larger problem.", ">\n\nIts been proven that there is a bias to diagnose as opposed to not diagnose a mental illness in psychology. So op is actually kinda correct. The definition of a mental illness is in effect being stretched so far that people who are just kinda weird are being diagnosed with \"on the spectrum\". This is actually causing a problem in early learning because parents start treating their kids as essentially learning challenged when they're really not. So it is starting to become an excuse ...", ">\n\nWe live in a society that loves to medicate people. I know it’s different but Did ppl forget about the opioid epidemic? They’ll diagnose your ass with anything if they can", ">\n\nYa I tend to agree. And no one is really saying so I will I guess, but id wager that 50% of psychologist \"professionals\" are totally full of shit. The actual number of psychologists that are are doing real research and clinical studies is EXTREMELY small compared to how many \"psychologists\" are out there. Just like chiropractors, half of them are hacks.." ]

[ "The diagnosis process for a lot of psychiatric conditions are surveys and questionaires. You can go to a psychiatrist and ask if you're anxious and they'll give you multiple choice questions and diagnose off of that. Or you can just google the form yourself and self diagnose. A lot of psychiatric disorders are about how we feel and think. Not about sending off some blood sample to a lab and getting a positive result come back.\n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. For such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nWhat you're describing are all neuroses that could indicate some deeper psychiatric condition. Whether a person has a mental health condition or not, thinking of ourselves as weak victims is never helpful in any context, yet it's something we all feel from time to time.\nI'm a disability support worker, so when someone tells me they've got a self diagnosed condition, it's not offensive to me or any disabled person I know, it doesn't come across like they're invalidating anyone else's condition. However I do think everyone should talk to a doctor about any condition they feel they might have.", ">\n\nPiggybacking off of this: You’ve spent your whole entire life inside your own brain. A therapist will spend a period of hours with you and give you a diagnosis. Who do you think knows your personal reality better than yourself?", ">\n\nYeah exactly, especially with conditions such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, PTSD, and many other psychiatric conditions. These are things people know they have even before they get a diagnosis. The diagnosis stage is more about treatment and management.\nPeople might be unaware of how severe or mild their condition is, some people think they have only mild PTSD despite constant nightmares and suicidal ideation. Some people will think they have severe ADHD because they can't concentrate for long times on things that don't interest them. It's good to get some perspective from experts but ultimately people know when they are struggling to focus or to struggling to stop stressing all the time or struggling to not be miserable. Struggling with our thoughts and feelings is evidence enough to self diagnose.", ">\n\nI was recently diagnosed with ADHD as a woman so I find this viewpoint interesting.\nFirstly, autism is not a mental illness. An autistic person may have mental illness in conjunction with autism, but autism alone lies under the neurodivergent umbrella. Neurodivergency can include autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and other similar conditions.\nWhy women are often underdiagnosed\nThese are serious disabilities that can really impede a person's life, especially if they struggle to find help and acceptance in their community. A lot of women start their journey towards diagnosis later in life due to a number of factors such as:\n\nPoor diagnostic tools and inexperienced professionals\nA misunderstanding that autism and ADHD are more common in boys\nAdvanced masking techniques to cover their 'traits'\n\nWhy women are often diagnosed later in life.\nThe process for many women and men who are diagnosed later in life often includes a level of burnout or breakdown. After a while everything becomes too much, the mask begins to slip and your traits go into overdrive.\nWhy does self-diagnosing seem to be on the rise?\nA common way of finding out you could possibly be neurodivergent is through media and people who are aware of these traits appear.\nIn the past few years, I have seen an increasing awareness of neurodivergence in women pop up in the media. This is useful for people like myself who had no idea wtf was wrong with them for a very long time. For me, a GP actually suggested I seek a diagnosis due to some struggles I was going through.\nAs someone who went through this process self-diagnosing is commonly the first step as an adult. You might be directed to a questionnaire and are asked to evaluate yourself and your experiences thinking back to your childhood. If there's some merit in your experiences than you move to the next step which involves seeking a professional. Waitlists are often months to years long so many people live in limbo for a long time.\nMethods of living with ADHD can help everyone. And everyone experiences ADHD traits from time to time. Given a large amount of stress we have all suffered collectively, I don't doubt there are a lot of people with increased mental health issues that mirror neurodivergent traits. Some mental illnesses can get very severe and alter your brain chemistry and behaviour.\nMy takeaway from this is that the mental health systems set up to assist these people are a much larger issue and cause for serious concern than self-diagnosing.\nApologies for the spelling and grammar errors. Grammarly and Reddit don't play nice.", ">\n\nI think it's two things. One, people have identity crises, especially teenagers. We all know that type of person who tries on identities like hats. That's pretty embarrassing. You usually grow out of that.\nTwo, from personal experience, giving yourself a label or a diagnosis makes it feel more contained and easy to communicate. It's easier to tell someone that you have X and have them understand what you're going through rather than telling them you have these vague symptoms resembling what you imagine X is like. In that respect, it is pretty understandable, possibly good, and not embarrassing. There's something that is sort of reassuring if you can finally get a word to put on what you're experiencing.\nPeople often sympathize with the diagnosis but not with the symptoms. Tell people at work you're autistic and they will sympathize with you and possibly not attack you. Tell them you do not understand social cues and they will probably just make fun of you.", ">\n\nI understand the desire to put a label with a disease, and this is not necessarily bad, but the diagnosis needs to be correct. If you want to tell others that you are autistic or depressed; you must actually be those things. A person can almost never correctly assertion their disease, only their symptoms. People might better understand you if you say your autistic, but you may incorrectly understand and describe yourself. If one wishes to put a name with symptoms, they should find a doctor to pick the label", ">\n\nfor sure but unfortunately our medical system is a joke and even if you are experiencing very severe symptoms it can be nearly impossible to see a professional or take months on a waiting list.\nEven then a professional may be reluctant to slap a label on you for fear of what the consequences of that might be. I saw someone for a very long time who resisted any sort of actual diagnosis because the truth is that what I was experiencing didn't fit neatly into any of the boxes and pretty much belonged in this vague \"other\" category which isn't particularly helpful. Not to mention that misdiagnosis happens all the time even by professionals. \nI just think it is sort of understandable because I think a lot of stuff is kind of a spectrum anyway and just different levels of severity. Things can be really confusing and hard to nail down and thus communicate in a way that causes someone else to be understanding rather than judgemental.", ">\n\nAre you under the impression this is a new phenomenon? Because it's definitely not.\nPeople - especially young people! - crave identity. The world is a confusing place, knowing who you are makes it a little easier. Sometimes it's self-diagnosing mental illness or learning disabilities, or exploring sexual identity, or cliques, or subcultures. There's nothing embarrassing about it, it just is what it is.", ">\n\nIt’s ok to want to express individuality but not to the extent of totally destroying the definition of a real thing and making it hard for actual mentally Ill ppl to get a diagnosis. Why can’t people just accept that they’re different rather then giving themselves a label?", ">\n\npeople on TikTok claiming to have disorders that they don't doesn't affect the precision of psychiatrists diagnosing actual patients. There's no TikTok-said section in the DSM. Why do you think that it does?", ">\n\nIt just encourages more people to get diagnosed possibly skewing the meaning of the mental illness", ">\n\nSkewing it towards statistical accuracy? If people are actually diagnosed at higher rates, we have a better Guage of population-level mental illness, neurodivergency, etc. Better data is more usable, so that research actually means something actionable, ASIDE from the identity boost for young people.", ">\n\nI think what OP is driving at, but utterly failing to explain, is that they think that the fakers will be accommodated by the psychiatric system and diagnosed on the basis of fake symptoms. my sense is that isn't a problem but I don't have data.", ">\n\nDefinitely explained it a little better then I could lol", ">\n\nWhere do you see evidence of that? Any articles about fakers? How about a statistic? If not, it’s just a fear you seem to have.", ">\n\nI think the salient line here is this one:\n\nNeurologists were able to quickly determine that the subjects were not \nsuffering from Tourette's, but psychogenic tics driven by anxiety.", ">\n\nWomen are not born with less autism, but are much less likely to be diagnosed as children than boys. This is partly because boys generally have similar symptoms and behaviors. \nSo of course more women are self diagnosing autism, since their diagnoses were missed as children on a much higher rate.", ">\n\nAlright, I'm diagnosed OCD, PTSD, chronic depression. Diagnosed by a professional so I think I have some grounds to talk about this.\nFirst, let's tackle your women comment about autism. You see, I understand where you're coming from, but you lack the nuance of recognizing that mental illness, and illness in general, is heavily under-diagnosed in women. The medical culture is heavily favored towards men and is rampant with mysogyny, and that's not just me saying it as I've had medical professionals blatantly tell me it's a problem in the field when questioned about it. I've also had some tell me that it's just because women whine a lot, so yanno make of that statement what you will.\nNow that we've covered that let me address the self-diagnosing issue. So, do you want to know what my therapist thinks of self-diagnosing? Well, when I asked them about it they said that self-diagnosing is an important first step to seeking help. Psychiatrist said the same thing. It's normal, expected even, for people to self-diagnose their issues then seek help for them. You can't exactly just peer into someone's brain, no, that person has to tell you what they think is wrong and why they think it is. \nWhat you actually have a problem with is not self-diagnosis, but with people not seeking or not being able to get medical assistance and assuming they're right. You have a problem with people using these issues for attention, which I do too, but once again self-diagnosing is not the problem. Finally, you have a problem with the medical system that forces people into the position of trying to figure out their mental illnesses, but having no ability to get help for them.", ">\n\nI think I did it", ">\n\nSadly no lol, it was not done properly. Do you need a link to the rules?", ">\n\nI already read them i think I’ll figure it out in a bit sorry for the hold up", ">\n\nBecause everyone else is being aggressive: you have to comment with ∆ or !delta and then explain how your view has been changed", ">\n\nThis delta has been rejected. You can't award OP a delta.\nAllowing this would wrongly suggest that you can post here with the aim of convincing others.\nIf you were explaining when/how to award a delta, please use a reddit quote for the symbol next time.\n^Delta System Explained ^| ^Deltaboards", ">\n\nWhat gives you the authority or knowledge to know this is the problem?", ">\n\nYou don’t think it’s a problem that a lot of young ppl are willing to go to the extent of saying they are mentally Ill either for attention or to excuse their weirdness? Just accept that your different. It’s not wrong to believe you’re different without a label", ">\n\nYou did not even try to answer my question.", ">\n\nI’m sorry I was confused on what you meant", ">\n\nIf you are mad at people for self diagnosing themselves because they don't have the knowledge or authority to do so.... what gives you the knowledge or authority to diagnosis this as the problem behavior... basically are you just a kid that is annoyed, or is there some actual studies out there that is claiming this is a problem.", ">\n\nIf you don’t think that people consistently seeking attention for mental illness or craving a label so badly to justify themselves rather then being themselves. That just shows what your views are", ">\n\nDont you think we should leave the diagnosing to the professionals?", ">\n\nI mean yeah", ">\n\nWould you agree that you are diagnosing these people by saying that they are only seeking attention and do not have a real mental illness?", ">\n\nI’m assuming", ">\n\nThere may be some truth to people wanting to be different, however with mental illnesses being more accepted in today's society, many people are a lot more comfortable with being neurodivergent. Additionally, self diagnosis is common because the alternative is spending upwards to $1000-$2000 for a clinical diagnosis.", ">\n\nI know costs suck, but self diagnosis can be much more harmful. A web.md page that tells you your depressed when you may actually be bipolar can lead to really messed up results. I would even go as far as to say that no diagnosis at all is preferable to an uninformed one", ">\n\nWell.\n​\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad \n\nSo you already know why they're doing what they're doing in addition the fact that you know that they're not Autistic? If your claim is that they can't know and only a doctor can, what makes you more qualified? You start out your argument admitting that you have a bias.\n\nthey’re “neurodivergent.\n\nNeurodivergent is an umbrella that covers both Autism and ADHD, which sometimes get mistaken for each other. So if you're upset that they're self-diagnosing, this term should be more welcome than \"Autistic\" because it's more generalized.\n\nnd when you ask them how they know they’ll say “oh I have this weird tick when I uh laugh when someone says something funny “ or “I have a hyper fixation on this topic so I must be autistic\n\nHow else should they communicate it to you? The list of aspects of Autism, especially for how it presents in women, sounds a lot like this. You're not a doctor, they don't have to prove anything to you by going down the entire list of every possible part of their daily experience that might be on the spectrum.\n\nWomen statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nNope. Women are diagnosed less often than men because the original diagnostic criteria for Autism was for Autism as it presents in males. It presents differently for females and is harder to diagnose, especially at younger ages. \n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized\n\nTodays youth want to be victimized? Why would anyone want to be victimized? Something tells me you're missing the mark with this terminology.\n\nor have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. \n\nSo if someone is Autistic and that makes them weird, you'd rather them just be forced to not get to have a name for it, and get the therapeutic treatment that would help them?\n\nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really [are] without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nSome people are autistic. If they find out and it makes them feel good, that doesn't mean they're craving attention. And if they are craving attention, it's because they're normal people and everyone does. \nIf someone thinks they're autistic but it turns out they're actually not, chances are they suspected it for a reason. They might have ADHD, a personality disorder, a mental health issue, or simply a slightly different way of experiencing the world that feels unique to them and there's nothing wrong with that. \nYou seem to think that other people do things for you. People generally don't. They do things for themselves. This is especially true of people on the Autism Spectrum who may not be able to easily use other people's experiences to reference when constructing their view of the world, and can only use their own. Your interpretation wherein they do it to evoke a response from you says more about you than it does about them.", ">\n\nYou’re being deliberately obtuse. OP is completely correct. Most of the people these days who say “I’m ADHD” or “I’m autistic” or “I’m neurodivergent” are absolutely not diagnosed as such and are doing it to seem unique or get attention or as some excuse for why they did x y or z.", ">\n\nI'd like to point out that while some are perhaps attention seeking, many people self diagnose simply because they don't have access to free medical/psychological professionals to get proper diagnosis and help with their issues. I also know someone who doesn't want to get an official diagnosis because he's afrad it will affect his insurance rates or somehow come back to bite him if he's offically labeled with having a neurological disorder. \nThere is a wealth of knowledge on these subjects available online for those interested. And if they are truly interested in self diagnose they can likely do that accurately enough for all intents and purposes. Most of these people who search for the sake of better understanding themselves or their loved ones will openly admit that it's a self diagnoses, or say they THINK they have x,y, or z. But in some situations it's just as well to say they have it if they feel certain anyway, and it's just a passing comment, and not a discussion on the matter. \nIn other words, just because they self diagnose doesn't mean they're wrong, nor does it explain their motives. I also don't see how attention seeking (for those who ARE doing that) is really hurting anyone else. Fakers gonna be fake, that's more a \"them\" kind of problem. ANNOYING, but mostly harmless.", ">\n\nUnless you have a doctor's diagnosis you don't have the disorder. Even if you are broke there are programs to help with costs. \nAnd yes it does affect me when someone is treating me like shit and tries using the I have such and such as an excuse and then people get mad at ME for calling them in their bullshit.", ">\n\nNo. You have to have the disorder before you CAN be diagnosed, so obviously there are undiagnosed people who in fact \"have the disorder \". Your refusal to acknowledge an undiagnosed disorder does not mean they don't have it. Your personal experience with people supposedly using a fake diagnosis to treat you badly, sounds unusual. How do you know they DIDN'T have it? People who do lie and just want to be jerks will do that regardless of what methods they decide to try. The methods are irrelevant. And that motive is not typical of most self diagnosers .", ">\n\nSounds unusual? You must not get out a lot because it's become a pretty regular thing. Every single person I know (about 8) that have self diagnosed themselves as neurodivergent or with a mental illness like Bi-polar all use it to excuse their shitty ass behaviors. \nToo many disorders can mirror other ones. Just because they think they have 2/3 symptoms doesn't make them right by a long shot. Keep living in your bubble.", ">\n\nYou don't have to have a relationship with anyone. If they treat you badly, regardless of an official diagnosis or not, you don't have to tolerate them. It makes no difference what they have or don't have. What would it change if they got diagnosed and actually have it?", ">\n\nSelf diagnosing has been a thing forever\nAnd it's not a problem im 99% sure me or any other autistic person doesn't really give 2 fucks about people who wanna fake disorders. It doesn't stop us from getting help, we have doctors notes, medical files, sometimes even volunteers, you need those files to get into let's say a special education class, or a life skills course.\nSo unless you were diagnosed by a professional you're probably not gonna make it far faking it.\n(Excuse my shitty punctuation)", ">\n\nIt doesn’t bother you that they’re making others take the actual meaning away from what you were born with? I mean I’m sure autism hasn’t made your life easy and seeing ppl claim it for attention to be quirky probably has to annoy you a little right?", ">\n\nAt the end of the day I still have ADHD and I still need help with it. More people being diagnosed with it doesn’t change that fact. In fact I was diagnosed because I realized I related to so many tiktok memes, and I’m sure others are in my same boat. \nIn fact I think so many people talking about ADHD helps. It means more people who possibly have tips for me, people who are suffering who can’t afford treatment have an easy way to learn about how to improve their lives, and more people who are aware of my disorder.", ">\n\nI think people do diagnose themselves too often without seeking professional help. BUT mental illness is not the same as being neurodivergent.", ">\n\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad that they’ll go as far to say they’re “neurodivergent.”\n\nWhile this is the case, I don't really see how it's a \"problem\" per se. I guarantee that these people still make lifestyle decisions based on what they think is best, or based on what they want to do.\n\nbut it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women\n\nDo you have any statistics for that? I haven't experienced it that way in my own anecdotal experience, and I'd be curious to look into the data to see how much that truly does skew in that direction.\n\nwanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness \nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nI understand what you're trying to say here, but I don't really think these things are connected as much as you think they are. People see something wrong with themselves, so they either playfully or seriously consider the fact that it could be a condition that they have similar symptoms to. Not that it never happens, but just because someone categorizes themselves into a disability group that could potentially excuse their \"quirks\", doesn't mean they think that behavior is unacceptable in any way. People see a problem, and assume it's linked to this other issue that seems similar that they already know about.", ">\n\nI agree with the conclusion that self-diagnosis is a real issue, and I wouldn't be surprised if the data indicated it was on the rise. I wouldn't necessarily frame it as a simple desire to \"be victimized\" however. While it is purely speculation, I do believe there are a number of conditions which might lead towards a more frequent experience of symptoms associated with mental illness - a rising wealth gap, perpetual anxiety from a 24-hour news cycle, intensification of self-commodification, the student debt crisis in certain countries like the US, and so on. So people are experiencing symptoms like low energy, mood swings, etc. that can be associated with mental illness. The issue with self-diagnosis then becomes that it may correctly identify the symptom, but incorrectly identify the cause.\nThis video from the YouTuber HealthyGamerGG does a good job of explaining what some of the issues with self-diagnosis are, and for me it was a good starting place for thinking about this more. \nEDIT: I forgot this video literally starts with this same topic being brought up on this same subreddit lol", ">\n\nA great theory based on reasonable causes with an educational video from a psychologist(I assume) as evidence to back it up. I applaud you sir. 👏", ">\n\nWhy are you embarrassed by other people's issues?", ">\n\nI’m a 30yo male. If I had not first self diagnosed with ASD and OCD, I never would have found the language and resources to get a formal diagnosis and help.\nPrior generations have been so fixated on avoidance of diagnosing mental disorders, and research was previously so lacking that we are only just now (through those that do get diagnosed) realizing how common mental disorders are. That plus the lack of mental health resources for neurotypical and neurodivergent I think is how we end up in this situation of many recognizing their symptoms in the new discourse, but lacking the resources to overcome the barriers to proper diagnosis and treatment.", ">\n\nIt’s not the best thing, no. \nAs an adult FINALLY diagnosed (by a licensed therapist) at 41, I can tell you why ‘self diagnosis’ is so tempting. \nIn the US at least- mental health, and official medical diagnosis are almost completely inaccessible, especially as an adult. Most of us grew up before Autism was a spectrum, and ADHD was just boys who acted out in class. We felt like aliens. We couldn’t understand why we didn’t have many friends, or why we didn’t like the ‘right things’, and generally spend the bill of our lives feeling ‘wrong’, ‘broken’ or just simply like we didn’t belong. \nFinally understanding the WHY, and even better, finding tools to addresses our issues is a huge huge weight off the chest. The relief of having a name and a strategy- either therapy or medicine is such an amazing relief!!", ">\n\nI only kinda agree if I had not done my own research I would have never found out I have sjorgens syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis I know TikTok people tend to diagnose themselves and it makes it look cringe but when you live with a incurable illness sometimes you have to work to find a diagnosis", ">\n\nWell, what do you do of you absolutely know you're neurodivergent, but your parents decided not to get you checked? My mom once told me \"we knew you had something, we just didn't get you checked because they would have just put you on pills\". So I struggled with being different, socially unaware, impulsive, obnoxious, agressive, selfish, for the better part of my life without having the self awareness to understand why I was these things, and why people wouldn't want to be around me. \nIn my late 20''s I asked the question, what if I'm actually autistic? I looked up the symptoms, and 9/10 matched. As a child I couldn't handle loud noises, restrictive clothing, I didn't talk until I was 3. I would throw fits for seemingly no reason, I had obsessive interests. I've always really struggled with eye contact, and I never cared for conversation unless it was something I liked. I mean, when the final piece of a puzzle fits so incredibly well, it's really hard for it to be wrong. \nSelf diagnosing actually really helped me grow as aj individual. I became aware of all my divergent behaviors, and why it might be annoying for someone else to deal with. I came to the realization that I was the one who was different, therefore I needed to change. It's way harder to make everyone around you cater to your needs than to overcome the things that upset you. I'm at peace, I have good friends that I can connect with on a pretty deep level. I no longer smash coffee tables when I lose, I can now appreciate that if I lose it just means I have more to learn. I can keep my house clean, I can reasonably hold myself accountable. What exactly is the harm in all that?\nBesides, it would be pretty pointless for me to try and get a diagnosis now, I've put the effort in and largely come out the other side. Anyone diagnosing me would just say I was normal, but they wouldn't have the intimate knowledge of me that I do. I guess it doesn't matter if people don't believe me, I don't go around shouting that I'm autistic. I will say, it would be really nice if people appreciated the effort I put in to get to get to a place of normalcy, something others take for granted, but it's okay, we all have our struggles.", ">\n\nI feel you on all that. To play devil's advocate, mental healthcare in the U.S. is not cheap. Many people go to the internet and confirm their bias about their current health", ">\n\nI feel you on that too OP. I agree 100% with your entire statement.", ">\n\nIt's a problem, but not a new one. In the 1990s there was briefly a surge of people with a type of delusional parasitosis, that is, the false belief that they were infested with parasites. Except this one was supposedly an infestation with tiny fibres. They would come to doctors with a whole list of symptoms to back up their incorrect self-diagnosis.\nTo a certain extent, these are social contagions, which come and go, and often actually end up leading to people having real problems. Like, the young women you mention, a couple of decades ago may well have ended up with anorexia, or self-cutting. These days it might be a self-declaration of autism or a belief that they have gender dysphoria or that they have multiple systems living in their minds.", ">\n\nWow I did not know that. Maybe it’s just so prevalent today due to social media. Social media has only made these things worse imo", ">\n\nEven before it being self diagnosis of a mental illness it was always something. Remember all the emo and goth teenager?", ">\n\nIt depends on the context. For example, if they've done a substantial amount of research, can name a good amount of symptoms they have and reasons they have whatever mental illness and don't have access to the necessary tools to get a medical diagnosis, it's totally different. Some people don't have the money to go out and get a diagnosis, or sometimes it would be better to not get a medical diagnosis. I believe that the reason that a lot of people self diagnose themselves with things like Autism is because they want an explanation as to why they are different, and they could be right or wrong. I think the most important part is that if you go to a psychologist (or even two, I know a lot of people prefer getting second opinions) and they say you don't have it, that you need to admit you were wrong. It's ok to be wrong about your mental health, and the key is to keep looking and to not give up. I can completely understand the frustration in people completely missing how difficult it actually may be to have a mental illness. I was clinically diagnosed with Depression, Anxiety, and PTSD when I was seven, and I've had some experience with people faking mental disorders for attention, and more often then not, they have another mental disorder that needs attention. Recently I had a (now ex) boyfriend insist he had PTSD after being tested twice and the psychiatrist saying that he didn't have it. What he does have is Depression and Anxiety, but he absolutely insisted he has PTSD despite never exhibiting symptoms and the only evidence being a test he took online that was supposedly a \"real PTSD test.\" People faking mental illnesses only harms people who really have them, as these people tend to exaggerate symptoms and use their self diagnosis for attention. I believe that I am autistic, but I don't list it as a diagnosis because while I have read articles and taken the RAADS-r test, I don't have an official diagnosis, and I could very well be wrong. As for women faking illnesses more often, something I've noticed is that things like Autism, ADHD, ADD, etc are more often diagnosed in boys rather than girls- mostly because when they were first discovered, most of the research was done in boys. Autism shows up differently in girls, and can often be blown off as early puberty hormones. If their hyperfixations are those of stereotypical feminine things, it's just a girl liking whatever, and if they hyperfixate in stereotypical masculine interests, they tend to just be viewed as weird, but not autistic. It's normal for people to question, but I agree that to a certain point, self diagnosis can be harmful, but only if not done correctly.", ">\n\nFirst and foremost not a new problem at all, very common, we used to call it \"Being a hypochondriac\" until it aparrently became reconized which in it self is confusing and a bit contradictory.\nANYWAY\nIt isnt really a problem, no doctor is gonna write the perscription for medication without a diagnosis of some sort.\nAt most there is the vauge \"But what about those who actually have it who arent taken serious\" dont worry, we wouldnt have anyway. Thats kinda how invisible illnesses work.\nOverall the 101 hypochondriacs screaming about the symptoms they read in the ICD might help make the knowledge more common and help people better reconize if their colleagues or friends happen to show symptoms of something.", ">\n\nIt’s pretty expensive in the US to get diagnosed. Personally, I’ve self diagnosed myself out of frustration of the way I process things. I’ve always felt slow & my anxiety/depression was deep because of it, but I was raised in a family that doesn’t believe in mental illness. It was always “if you work hard enough, all your problems will go away”. Meanwhile, i was racking my brain on how to make myself think faster/smarter & it would result in psychotic episodes. I’ve gotten fired from jobs, dropped out of school. I started self harming because I hated myself and my brain & almost commit suicide bc I had no idea what was going on.\nThe relief I felt once I finally got a therapist who validated me & was the first to talk to me about mental Illness. It blew my mind and all of a sudden things actually made sense to me. I currently think I have ADD, and sometimes I’ll tell people that but will preface it by saying I’m not professionally diagnosed. Still, I use mental tools that help me get through the day and build my confidence. I’m a lot better at processing conversations, making lists that help me remember things, unmasking, slowing down my thoughts… etc. I’m less frustrated and can see the beauty in how I process things. I still want to get diagnosed but I have to get health insurance….. lol", ">\n\nSelf diagnosis, regardless of being factual is a process where the individual realizes that they might have a mental health issue. People who can do this are more likely to seek professional help compared to the people who think they are “fine”. Going to a professional, licensed psychologist or a psychiatrist will eventually diagnose them with the correct disorder from there, and professionals have the skills to communicate with them and they can together evaluate if the person’s complaint is the issue or not. There is nothing embarrassing about discovering one’s self. It would be a problem if people would identify with an issue and don’t have any willingness to seek help. Sometimes overreacting is better than not reacting.", ">\n\nThe majority of people who are self-diagnosed with autism have done extensive research into it to come to that conclusion. I personally went through the DSM criteria with a fine-tooth comb, made a list of all the ways I met it and discovered that there’s not a single criteria i don’t meet for autism. I didn’t read about anything else but autism for weeks, approaching it from all angles before coming to the conclusion that it’s highly unlikely I am not autistic. I’m waiting to hear back about an assessment, but I’m not waiting to go and be told something I already know before I start advocating for myself. \nOh, and I absolutely did not want to be ‘different’, in fact my life mission to just blend in and be average is the root cause of most of my problems, but here we are.", ">\n\nThis self diagnosing young people do isn’t the problem. The problem is that our society encourages it.\nOur culture is not set up to accommodate a wide spectrum of human needs. You may need things that I don’t. I may need things that you don’t. But in most business settings, academic settings, or even places like restaurants or leisure places, the world isn’t built to accommodate everyone. Our world and society is a “one size fits all” approach, and most people don’t fit snugly inside of that system. \nIf you can classify what is “wrong” or “different” about you into an easily digestible form, people are generally more able and more willing to accommodate you.\nFor example: if I tell my coworkers that I need to leave work early because of a headache, I’ll be shamed for it. And in some cases I’ll be told that “headaches aren’t that bad!” Or “You don’t need to leave.” Or “I have a headache too, just deal with it!”\nBut if I tell my workers that I need to leave due to a painful neurological condition that’s flaring up (I have chronic migraine, which is a neurological condition), they will respect it 100% of the time. It’s met with sympathy and not criticism.\nThis happens for all sorts of things. “Sorry Im late, I slept in.” Sounds a lot worse then, “sorry I’m late, my insomnia has been terrible lately.” \nOur culture forces us to use these labels even when they’re untrue just to receive sympathy or acceptance. The problem isn’t people who decide to use these labels, the root problem is that our society refuses to embrace and accommodate people who are outside of the “norm.”", ">\n\nSpeaking as someone who's had an autism diagnosis since age 7: if someone declares they're autistic when they're not, that's obnoxious at worst. If someone is told they're not autistic when they are, that can cause lifelong harm from denied care and understanding. I have seen this happen to a close friend of mine.\nTherefore, I'd much rather err on the side of acceptance. If you think you're defending me and others like me from impersonators, we'd rather not have your help.\n\nI know people will disagree but it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women. Women statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nCase in point: women are diagnosed with autism far less than men. Recent studies have pointed to decades of systematic misdiagnosis. The more visible autistic symptoms sometimes manifest differently in girls, the way they're socialized may help them hide it from a young age, and of course lots of doctors just say \"your daughter can't be autistic, that's a boy thing.\"\nWe're learning that there are hundreds of thousands of autistic women who slipped through the cracks and were denied the recognition and support they needed because of dismissive, gatekeeping attitudes just like yours.", ">\n\nThere’s a difference between having a disorder and relating to a disorder. If the tools or language associated with a disorder helps someone live better though then cool, it’s all still odd. Also autism presents differently in woman, and a majority of our research on it is on men. Best practice is probably to support them and encourage them to seek treatment.", ">\n\nAutism is severely misdiagnosed in women. Completely under diagnosed. Actually, plenty of things are. The actual problem that we have is parents refusing to let their children get professional help or a diagnosis. Most doctors will diagnose you with BPD as a woman(aka the new female hysteria of our century), maybe put you on some anti psychotics and send you your way. In most countries, a diagnosis/specialist is not readily available, or there is a long waiting list. Even so, the doctors are not know it all. I have seen plenty of doctors, I got different diagnosis almost each time. They ask you some general questions (about your mood, the way you sleep, if you can concentrate, if you harm yourself, if you have suicidal ideation, if you can socialize properly, if your parents were diagnosed with anything, if you have hallucinations or delusions, the works) and then based on that, they will give you a diagnosis. If you use your common sense and information on the internet (given you are knowledgeable on the subject), you can take a good guess on what's wrong. Obviously, some people will exaggerate like with anything (seeing the shadow dude once in your childhood is not a sign of psychosis, neither is hearing your name called when you are alone once in a blue moon), but if you have visual and auditory hallucinations, perhaps weird tactile feelings/hallucinations (spiders are crawling on me, etc), delusions, tend to be forgetful and out of teach with reality, there is a good chance you do have psychosis.", ">\n\nOkay, to start: what do you think autism and ADHD are? They aren't mental illnesses nor are they mental health conditions. \nTo address some of your other points; \nStudies have shown that autism has a gender expression of 1:1. The only reason that women are under diagnosed is because of misunderstandings towards autism, then the diagnosis is conducted incorrectly. Thus it ends up getting conflated with mental illness, E.G BPD, and is diagnosed as a psychiatric disorder instead. This is a detriment to the patient as the care regimes are black and white different. Often times this severely damages the woman.\nFrom data sets that I recall reading, malingering hasn't risen much, if at all, in recent times. I remember it being around 8% of the global population who are engaging in this behaviour, to different extents. I think what's happened is that social media has turned a torch onto it and it's risen in popularity in an algorithmic way. You see it more because it's pushed by the algorithm more because people are searching for it more. It isn't actually occurring any more or less than historically. Most of that attention is negative attention, I should add. \nSo there's two things to take away from that.\n1) The actual act of pretending to be mentally ill, or to have a disability, which is called malingering, is in fact a form of mental unwellness itself. It's a cry for help. The people who do these things are usually very unstable and should be treated with a degree of empathy. The dangerous types who are using mental illness to scam others, or to manipulate them, make up a very small percentage of the overall amount of people in that group and tend to abuse one on one. \n2) The predominant response to this is generally negative. There isn't really any reason to publicly malinger unless you're unstable, this is because a rational person would likely know this, and know the damage it would cause themselves. Self-diagnosis is a very long, and self-aware, process that takes place over years of the individuals life, and proceeds official diagnosis. \nNo one SDs and says \"Okay that's it now! Let me start a TikTok!\" You'd still want support, and you'd still seek support. So that would end up with a doctor, who would see that you're lying, and treat you for whatever was prompting you to malinger. Anyone who has made this commitment knows that keeping it private is a sensible thing to do in a world that isn't inclusive, and often very stigmatising. Sometimes official diagnosis can take YEARS. \nThis kind of propaganda has been going around for a long time in an effort to discredit disabled people and people with mental illnesses. It's not new. People said the same things back in the 90s. People will always be afraid, and dismissive, of things they do not understand. I invite you to try and understand.", ">\n\nI self-diagnosed myself with endometriosis for 10 years before a doctor finally listened to me, opened me up, and found my insides littered with lesions all over my organs. I’m now not able to get pregnant and I might need to get part of my bowel taken out someday. This could’ve been avoided if someone had just listened to me when I was 16. \nSelf-diagnosing is a necessity in a misogynist world! No one takes us seriously! Especially medical professionals. \nThe best antidote for this is to listen to women who self-diagnose. Why do they think they have XYZ? Is it heavily interfering with their life? I think that’s a much larger problem.", ">\n\nIts been proven that there is a bias to diagnose as opposed to not diagnose a mental illness in psychology. So op is actually kinda correct. The definition of a mental illness is in effect being stretched so far that people who are just kinda weird are being diagnosed with \"on the spectrum\". This is actually causing a problem in early learning because parents start treating their kids as essentially learning challenged when they're really not. So it is starting to become an excuse ...", ">\n\nWe live in a society that loves to medicate people. I know it’s different but Did ppl forget about the opioid epidemic? They’ll diagnose your ass with anything if they can", ">\n\nYa I tend to agree. And no one is really saying so I will I guess, but id wager that 50% of psychologist \"professionals\" are totally full of shit. The actual number of psychologists that are are doing real research and clinical studies is EXTREMELY small compared to how many \"psychologists\" are out there. Just like chiropractors, half of them are hacks..", ">\n\nAnd ill say one more thing, though it is anecdotal, but i have direct family that works in special education for young children, and that system is fucked with a capital F. Thay are constantly fighting against parents and programs who try to box kids in the \"autistic\" zone, when they are just really quite or shy, or have pee problems. But parents want an excuse and reason for their behavior, and reduce them to a sub standard education and treatment for the rest of their lives. It's heart breaking. Especially in public schools." ]

[ "The diagnosis process for a lot of psychiatric conditions are surveys and questionaires. You can go to a psychiatrist and ask if you're anxious and they'll give you multiple choice questions and diagnose off of that. Or you can just google the form yourself and self diagnose. A lot of psychiatric disorders are about how we feel and think. Not about sending off some blood sample to a lab and getting a positive result come back.\n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. For such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nWhat you're describing are all neuroses that could indicate some deeper psychiatric condition. Whether a person has a mental health condition or not, thinking of ourselves as weak victims is never helpful in any context, yet it's something we all feel from time to time.\nI'm a disability support worker, so when someone tells me they've got a self diagnosed condition, it's not offensive to me or any disabled person I know, it doesn't come across like they're invalidating anyone else's condition. However I do think everyone should talk to a doctor about any condition they feel they might have.", ">\n\nPiggybacking off of this: You’ve spent your whole entire life inside your own brain. A therapist will spend a period of hours with you and give you a diagnosis. Who do you think knows your personal reality better than yourself?", ">\n\nYeah exactly, especially with conditions such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, PTSD, and many other psychiatric conditions. These are things people know they have even before they get a diagnosis. The diagnosis stage is more about treatment and management.\nPeople might be unaware of how severe or mild their condition is, some people think they have only mild PTSD despite constant nightmares and suicidal ideation. Some people will think they have severe ADHD because they can't concentrate for long times on things that don't interest them. It's good to get some perspective from experts but ultimately people know when they are struggling to focus or to struggling to stop stressing all the time or struggling to not be miserable. Struggling with our thoughts and feelings is evidence enough to self diagnose.", ">\n\nI was recently diagnosed with ADHD as a woman so I find this viewpoint interesting.\nFirstly, autism is not a mental illness. An autistic person may have mental illness in conjunction with autism, but autism alone lies under the neurodivergent umbrella. Neurodivergency can include autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and other similar conditions.\nWhy women are often underdiagnosed\nThese are serious disabilities that can really impede a person's life, especially if they struggle to find help and acceptance in their community. A lot of women start their journey towards diagnosis later in life due to a number of factors such as:\n\nPoor diagnostic tools and inexperienced professionals\nA misunderstanding that autism and ADHD are more common in boys\nAdvanced masking techniques to cover their 'traits'\n\nWhy women are often diagnosed later in life.\nThe process for many women and men who are diagnosed later in life often includes a level of burnout or breakdown. After a while everything becomes too much, the mask begins to slip and your traits go into overdrive.\nWhy does self-diagnosing seem to be on the rise?\nA common way of finding out you could possibly be neurodivergent is through media and people who are aware of these traits appear.\nIn the past few years, I have seen an increasing awareness of neurodivergence in women pop up in the media. This is useful for people like myself who had no idea wtf was wrong with them for a very long time. For me, a GP actually suggested I seek a diagnosis due to some struggles I was going through.\nAs someone who went through this process self-diagnosing is commonly the first step as an adult. You might be directed to a questionnaire and are asked to evaluate yourself and your experiences thinking back to your childhood. If there's some merit in your experiences than you move to the next step which involves seeking a professional. Waitlists are often months to years long so many people live in limbo for a long time.\nMethods of living with ADHD can help everyone. And everyone experiences ADHD traits from time to time. Given a large amount of stress we have all suffered collectively, I don't doubt there are a lot of people with increased mental health issues that mirror neurodivergent traits. Some mental illnesses can get very severe and alter your brain chemistry and behaviour.\nMy takeaway from this is that the mental health systems set up to assist these people are a much larger issue and cause for serious concern than self-diagnosing.\nApologies for the spelling and grammar errors. Grammarly and Reddit don't play nice.", ">\n\nI think it's two things. One, people have identity crises, especially teenagers. We all know that type of person who tries on identities like hats. That's pretty embarrassing. You usually grow out of that.\nTwo, from personal experience, giving yourself a label or a diagnosis makes it feel more contained and easy to communicate. It's easier to tell someone that you have X and have them understand what you're going through rather than telling them you have these vague symptoms resembling what you imagine X is like. In that respect, it is pretty understandable, possibly good, and not embarrassing. There's something that is sort of reassuring if you can finally get a word to put on what you're experiencing.\nPeople often sympathize with the diagnosis but not with the symptoms. Tell people at work you're autistic and they will sympathize with you and possibly not attack you. Tell them you do not understand social cues and they will probably just make fun of you.", ">\n\nI understand the desire to put a label with a disease, and this is not necessarily bad, but the diagnosis needs to be correct. If you want to tell others that you are autistic or depressed; you must actually be those things. A person can almost never correctly assertion their disease, only their symptoms. People might better understand you if you say your autistic, but you may incorrectly understand and describe yourself. If one wishes to put a name with symptoms, they should find a doctor to pick the label", ">\n\nfor sure but unfortunately our medical system is a joke and even if you are experiencing very severe symptoms it can be nearly impossible to see a professional or take months on a waiting list.\nEven then a professional may be reluctant to slap a label on you for fear of what the consequences of that might be. I saw someone for a very long time who resisted any sort of actual diagnosis because the truth is that what I was experiencing didn't fit neatly into any of the boxes and pretty much belonged in this vague \"other\" category which isn't particularly helpful. Not to mention that misdiagnosis happens all the time even by professionals. \nI just think it is sort of understandable because I think a lot of stuff is kind of a spectrum anyway and just different levels of severity. Things can be really confusing and hard to nail down and thus communicate in a way that causes someone else to be understanding rather than judgemental.", ">\n\nAre you under the impression this is a new phenomenon? Because it's definitely not.\nPeople - especially young people! - crave identity. The world is a confusing place, knowing who you are makes it a little easier. Sometimes it's self-diagnosing mental illness or learning disabilities, or exploring sexual identity, or cliques, or subcultures. There's nothing embarrassing about it, it just is what it is.", ">\n\nIt’s ok to want to express individuality but not to the extent of totally destroying the definition of a real thing and making it hard for actual mentally Ill ppl to get a diagnosis. Why can’t people just accept that they’re different rather then giving themselves a label?", ">\n\npeople on TikTok claiming to have disorders that they don't doesn't affect the precision of psychiatrists diagnosing actual patients. There's no TikTok-said section in the DSM. Why do you think that it does?", ">\n\nIt just encourages more people to get diagnosed possibly skewing the meaning of the mental illness", ">\n\nSkewing it towards statistical accuracy? If people are actually diagnosed at higher rates, we have a better Guage of population-level mental illness, neurodivergency, etc. Better data is more usable, so that research actually means something actionable, ASIDE from the identity boost for young people.", ">\n\nI think what OP is driving at, but utterly failing to explain, is that they think that the fakers will be accommodated by the psychiatric system and diagnosed on the basis of fake symptoms. my sense is that isn't a problem but I don't have data.", ">\n\nDefinitely explained it a little better then I could lol", ">\n\nWhere do you see evidence of that? Any articles about fakers? How about a statistic? If not, it’s just a fear you seem to have.", ">\n\nI think the salient line here is this one:\n\nNeurologists were able to quickly determine that the subjects were not \nsuffering from Tourette's, but psychogenic tics driven by anxiety.", ">\n\nWomen are not born with less autism, but are much less likely to be diagnosed as children than boys. This is partly because boys generally have similar symptoms and behaviors. \nSo of course more women are self diagnosing autism, since their diagnoses were missed as children on a much higher rate.", ">\n\nAlright, I'm diagnosed OCD, PTSD, chronic depression. Diagnosed by a professional so I think I have some grounds to talk about this.\nFirst, let's tackle your women comment about autism. You see, I understand where you're coming from, but you lack the nuance of recognizing that mental illness, and illness in general, is heavily under-diagnosed in women. The medical culture is heavily favored towards men and is rampant with mysogyny, and that's not just me saying it as I've had medical professionals blatantly tell me it's a problem in the field when questioned about it. I've also had some tell me that it's just because women whine a lot, so yanno make of that statement what you will.\nNow that we've covered that let me address the self-diagnosing issue. So, do you want to know what my therapist thinks of self-diagnosing? Well, when I asked them about it they said that self-diagnosing is an important first step to seeking help. Psychiatrist said the same thing. It's normal, expected even, for people to self-diagnose their issues then seek help for them. You can't exactly just peer into someone's brain, no, that person has to tell you what they think is wrong and why they think it is. \nWhat you actually have a problem with is not self-diagnosis, but with people not seeking or not being able to get medical assistance and assuming they're right. You have a problem with people using these issues for attention, which I do too, but once again self-diagnosing is not the problem. Finally, you have a problem with the medical system that forces people into the position of trying to figure out their mental illnesses, but having no ability to get help for them.", ">\n\nI think I did it", ">\n\nSadly no lol, it was not done properly. Do you need a link to the rules?", ">\n\nI already read them i think I’ll figure it out in a bit sorry for the hold up", ">\n\nBecause everyone else is being aggressive: you have to comment with ∆ or !delta and then explain how your view has been changed", ">\n\nThis delta has been rejected. You can't award OP a delta.\nAllowing this would wrongly suggest that you can post here with the aim of convincing others.\nIf you were explaining when/how to award a delta, please use a reddit quote for the symbol next time.\n^Delta System Explained ^| ^Deltaboards", ">\n\nWhat gives you the authority or knowledge to know this is the problem?", ">\n\nYou don’t think it’s a problem that a lot of young ppl are willing to go to the extent of saying they are mentally Ill either for attention or to excuse their weirdness? Just accept that your different. It’s not wrong to believe you’re different without a label", ">\n\nYou did not even try to answer my question.", ">\n\nI’m sorry I was confused on what you meant", ">\n\nIf you are mad at people for self diagnosing themselves because they don't have the knowledge or authority to do so.... what gives you the knowledge or authority to diagnosis this as the problem behavior... basically are you just a kid that is annoyed, or is there some actual studies out there that is claiming this is a problem.", ">\n\nIf you don’t think that people consistently seeking attention for mental illness or craving a label so badly to justify themselves rather then being themselves. That just shows what your views are", ">\n\nDont you think we should leave the diagnosing to the professionals?", ">\n\nI mean yeah", ">\n\nWould you agree that you are diagnosing these people by saying that they are only seeking attention and do not have a real mental illness?", ">\n\nI’m assuming", ">\n\nThere may be some truth to people wanting to be different, however with mental illnesses being more accepted in today's society, many people are a lot more comfortable with being neurodivergent. Additionally, self diagnosis is common because the alternative is spending upwards to $1000-$2000 for a clinical diagnosis.", ">\n\nI know costs suck, but self diagnosis can be much more harmful. A web.md page that tells you your depressed when you may actually be bipolar can lead to really messed up results. I would even go as far as to say that no diagnosis at all is preferable to an uninformed one", ">\n\nWell.\n​\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad \n\nSo you already know why they're doing what they're doing in addition the fact that you know that they're not Autistic? If your claim is that they can't know and only a doctor can, what makes you more qualified? You start out your argument admitting that you have a bias.\n\nthey’re “neurodivergent.\n\nNeurodivergent is an umbrella that covers both Autism and ADHD, which sometimes get mistaken for each other. So if you're upset that they're self-diagnosing, this term should be more welcome than \"Autistic\" because it's more generalized.\n\nnd when you ask them how they know they’ll say “oh I have this weird tick when I uh laugh when someone says something funny “ or “I have a hyper fixation on this topic so I must be autistic\n\nHow else should they communicate it to you? The list of aspects of Autism, especially for how it presents in women, sounds a lot like this. You're not a doctor, they don't have to prove anything to you by going down the entire list of every possible part of their daily experience that might be on the spectrum.\n\nWomen statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nNope. Women are diagnosed less often than men because the original diagnostic criteria for Autism was for Autism as it presents in males. It presents differently for females and is harder to diagnose, especially at younger ages. \n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized\n\nTodays youth want to be victimized? Why would anyone want to be victimized? Something tells me you're missing the mark with this terminology.\n\nor have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. \n\nSo if someone is Autistic and that makes them weird, you'd rather them just be forced to not get to have a name for it, and get the therapeutic treatment that would help them?\n\nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really [are] without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nSome people are autistic. If they find out and it makes them feel good, that doesn't mean they're craving attention. And if they are craving attention, it's because they're normal people and everyone does. \nIf someone thinks they're autistic but it turns out they're actually not, chances are they suspected it for a reason. They might have ADHD, a personality disorder, a mental health issue, or simply a slightly different way of experiencing the world that feels unique to them and there's nothing wrong with that. \nYou seem to think that other people do things for you. People generally don't. They do things for themselves. This is especially true of people on the Autism Spectrum who may not be able to easily use other people's experiences to reference when constructing their view of the world, and can only use their own. Your interpretation wherein they do it to evoke a response from you says more about you than it does about them.", ">\n\nYou’re being deliberately obtuse. OP is completely correct. Most of the people these days who say “I’m ADHD” or “I’m autistic” or “I’m neurodivergent” are absolutely not diagnosed as such and are doing it to seem unique or get attention or as some excuse for why they did x y or z.", ">\n\nI'd like to point out that while some are perhaps attention seeking, many people self diagnose simply because they don't have access to free medical/psychological professionals to get proper diagnosis and help with their issues. I also know someone who doesn't want to get an official diagnosis because he's afrad it will affect his insurance rates or somehow come back to bite him if he's offically labeled with having a neurological disorder. \nThere is a wealth of knowledge on these subjects available online for those interested. And if they are truly interested in self diagnose they can likely do that accurately enough for all intents and purposes. Most of these people who search for the sake of better understanding themselves or their loved ones will openly admit that it's a self diagnoses, or say they THINK they have x,y, or z. But in some situations it's just as well to say they have it if they feel certain anyway, and it's just a passing comment, and not a discussion on the matter. \nIn other words, just because they self diagnose doesn't mean they're wrong, nor does it explain their motives. I also don't see how attention seeking (for those who ARE doing that) is really hurting anyone else. Fakers gonna be fake, that's more a \"them\" kind of problem. ANNOYING, but mostly harmless.", ">\n\nUnless you have a doctor's diagnosis you don't have the disorder. Even if you are broke there are programs to help with costs. \nAnd yes it does affect me when someone is treating me like shit and tries using the I have such and such as an excuse and then people get mad at ME for calling them in their bullshit.", ">\n\nNo. You have to have the disorder before you CAN be diagnosed, so obviously there are undiagnosed people who in fact \"have the disorder \". Your refusal to acknowledge an undiagnosed disorder does not mean they don't have it. Your personal experience with people supposedly using a fake diagnosis to treat you badly, sounds unusual. How do you know they DIDN'T have it? People who do lie and just want to be jerks will do that regardless of what methods they decide to try. The methods are irrelevant. And that motive is not typical of most self diagnosers .", ">\n\nSounds unusual? You must not get out a lot because it's become a pretty regular thing. Every single person I know (about 8) that have self diagnosed themselves as neurodivergent or with a mental illness like Bi-polar all use it to excuse their shitty ass behaviors. \nToo many disorders can mirror other ones. Just because they think they have 2/3 symptoms doesn't make them right by a long shot. Keep living in your bubble.", ">\n\nYou don't have to have a relationship with anyone. If they treat you badly, regardless of an official diagnosis or not, you don't have to tolerate them. It makes no difference what they have or don't have. What would it change if they got diagnosed and actually have it?", ">\n\nSelf diagnosing has been a thing forever\nAnd it's not a problem im 99% sure me or any other autistic person doesn't really give 2 fucks about people who wanna fake disorders. It doesn't stop us from getting help, we have doctors notes, medical files, sometimes even volunteers, you need those files to get into let's say a special education class, or a life skills course.\nSo unless you were diagnosed by a professional you're probably not gonna make it far faking it.\n(Excuse my shitty punctuation)", ">\n\nIt doesn’t bother you that they’re making others take the actual meaning away from what you were born with? I mean I’m sure autism hasn’t made your life easy and seeing ppl claim it for attention to be quirky probably has to annoy you a little right?", ">\n\nAt the end of the day I still have ADHD and I still need help with it. More people being diagnosed with it doesn’t change that fact. In fact I was diagnosed because I realized I related to so many tiktok memes, and I’m sure others are in my same boat. \nIn fact I think so many people talking about ADHD helps. It means more people who possibly have tips for me, people who are suffering who can’t afford treatment have an easy way to learn about how to improve their lives, and more people who are aware of my disorder.", ">\n\nI think people do diagnose themselves too often without seeking professional help. BUT mental illness is not the same as being neurodivergent.", ">\n\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad that they’ll go as far to say they’re “neurodivergent.”\n\nWhile this is the case, I don't really see how it's a \"problem\" per se. I guarantee that these people still make lifestyle decisions based on what they think is best, or based on what they want to do.\n\nbut it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women\n\nDo you have any statistics for that? I haven't experienced it that way in my own anecdotal experience, and I'd be curious to look into the data to see how much that truly does skew in that direction.\n\nwanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness \nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nI understand what you're trying to say here, but I don't really think these things are connected as much as you think they are. People see something wrong with themselves, so they either playfully or seriously consider the fact that it could be a condition that they have similar symptoms to. Not that it never happens, but just because someone categorizes themselves into a disability group that could potentially excuse their \"quirks\", doesn't mean they think that behavior is unacceptable in any way. People see a problem, and assume it's linked to this other issue that seems similar that they already know about.", ">\n\nI agree with the conclusion that self-diagnosis is a real issue, and I wouldn't be surprised if the data indicated it was on the rise. I wouldn't necessarily frame it as a simple desire to \"be victimized\" however. While it is purely speculation, I do believe there are a number of conditions which might lead towards a more frequent experience of symptoms associated with mental illness - a rising wealth gap, perpetual anxiety from a 24-hour news cycle, intensification of self-commodification, the student debt crisis in certain countries like the US, and so on. So people are experiencing symptoms like low energy, mood swings, etc. that can be associated with mental illness. The issue with self-diagnosis then becomes that it may correctly identify the symptom, but incorrectly identify the cause.\nThis video from the YouTuber HealthyGamerGG does a good job of explaining what some of the issues with self-diagnosis are, and for me it was a good starting place for thinking about this more. \nEDIT: I forgot this video literally starts with this same topic being brought up on this same subreddit lol", ">\n\nA great theory based on reasonable causes with an educational video from a psychologist(I assume) as evidence to back it up. I applaud you sir. 👏", ">\n\nWhy are you embarrassed by other people's issues?", ">\n\nI’m a 30yo male. If I had not first self diagnosed with ASD and OCD, I never would have found the language and resources to get a formal diagnosis and help.\nPrior generations have been so fixated on avoidance of diagnosing mental disorders, and research was previously so lacking that we are only just now (through those that do get diagnosed) realizing how common mental disorders are. That plus the lack of mental health resources for neurotypical and neurodivergent I think is how we end up in this situation of many recognizing their symptoms in the new discourse, but lacking the resources to overcome the barriers to proper diagnosis and treatment.", ">\n\nIt’s not the best thing, no. \nAs an adult FINALLY diagnosed (by a licensed therapist) at 41, I can tell you why ‘self diagnosis’ is so tempting. \nIn the US at least- mental health, and official medical diagnosis are almost completely inaccessible, especially as an adult. Most of us grew up before Autism was a spectrum, and ADHD was just boys who acted out in class. We felt like aliens. We couldn’t understand why we didn’t have many friends, or why we didn’t like the ‘right things’, and generally spend the bill of our lives feeling ‘wrong’, ‘broken’ or just simply like we didn’t belong. \nFinally understanding the WHY, and even better, finding tools to addresses our issues is a huge huge weight off the chest. The relief of having a name and a strategy- either therapy or medicine is such an amazing relief!!", ">\n\nI only kinda agree if I had not done my own research I would have never found out I have sjorgens syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis I know TikTok people tend to diagnose themselves and it makes it look cringe but when you live with a incurable illness sometimes you have to work to find a diagnosis", ">\n\nWell, what do you do of you absolutely know you're neurodivergent, but your parents decided not to get you checked? My mom once told me \"we knew you had something, we just didn't get you checked because they would have just put you on pills\". So I struggled with being different, socially unaware, impulsive, obnoxious, agressive, selfish, for the better part of my life without having the self awareness to understand why I was these things, and why people wouldn't want to be around me. \nIn my late 20''s I asked the question, what if I'm actually autistic? I looked up the symptoms, and 9/10 matched. As a child I couldn't handle loud noises, restrictive clothing, I didn't talk until I was 3. I would throw fits for seemingly no reason, I had obsessive interests. I've always really struggled with eye contact, and I never cared for conversation unless it was something I liked. I mean, when the final piece of a puzzle fits so incredibly well, it's really hard for it to be wrong. \nSelf diagnosing actually really helped me grow as aj individual. I became aware of all my divergent behaviors, and why it might be annoying for someone else to deal with. I came to the realization that I was the one who was different, therefore I needed to change. It's way harder to make everyone around you cater to your needs than to overcome the things that upset you. I'm at peace, I have good friends that I can connect with on a pretty deep level. I no longer smash coffee tables when I lose, I can now appreciate that if I lose it just means I have more to learn. I can keep my house clean, I can reasonably hold myself accountable. What exactly is the harm in all that?\nBesides, it would be pretty pointless for me to try and get a diagnosis now, I've put the effort in and largely come out the other side. Anyone diagnosing me would just say I was normal, but they wouldn't have the intimate knowledge of me that I do. I guess it doesn't matter if people don't believe me, I don't go around shouting that I'm autistic. I will say, it would be really nice if people appreciated the effort I put in to get to get to a place of normalcy, something others take for granted, but it's okay, we all have our struggles.", ">\n\nI feel you on all that. To play devil's advocate, mental healthcare in the U.S. is not cheap. Many people go to the internet and confirm their bias about their current health", ">\n\nI feel you on that too OP. I agree 100% with your entire statement.", ">\n\nIt's a problem, but not a new one. In the 1990s there was briefly a surge of people with a type of delusional parasitosis, that is, the false belief that they were infested with parasites. Except this one was supposedly an infestation with tiny fibres. They would come to doctors with a whole list of symptoms to back up their incorrect self-diagnosis.\nTo a certain extent, these are social contagions, which come and go, and often actually end up leading to people having real problems. Like, the young women you mention, a couple of decades ago may well have ended up with anorexia, or self-cutting. These days it might be a self-declaration of autism or a belief that they have gender dysphoria or that they have multiple systems living in their minds.", ">\n\nWow I did not know that. Maybe it’s just so prevalent today due to social media. Social media has only made these things worse imo", ">\n\nEven before it being self diagnosis of a mental illness it was always something. Remember all the emo and goth teenager?", ">\n\nIt depends on the context. For example, if they've done a substantial amount of research, can name a good amount of symptoms they have and reasons they have whatever mental illness and don't have access to the necessary tools to get a medical diagnosis, it's totally different. Some people don't have the money to go out and get a diagnosis, or sometimes it would be better to not get a medical diagnosis. I believe that the reason that a lot of people self diagnose themselves with things like Autism is because they want an explanation as to why they are different, and they could be right or wrong. I think the most important part is that if you go to a psychologist (or even two, I know a lot of people prefer getting second opinions) and they say you don't have it, that you need to admit you were wrong. It's ok to be wrong about your mental health, and the key is to keep looking and to not give up. I can completely understand the frustration in people completely missing how difficult it actually may be to have a mental illness. I was clinically diagnosed with Depression, Anxiety, and PTSD when I was seven, and I've had some experience with people faking mental disorders for attention, and more often then not, they have another mental disorder that needs attention. Recently I had a (now ex) boyfriend insist he had PTSD after being tested twice and the psychiatrist saying that he didn't have it. What he does have is Depression and Anxiety, but he absolutely insisted he has PTSD despite never exhibiting symptoms and the only evidence being a test he took online that was supposedly a \"real PTSD test.\" People faking mental illnesses only harms people who really have them, as these people tend to exaggerate symptoms and use their self diagnosis for attention. I believe that I am autistic, but I don't list it as a diagnosis because while I have read articles and taken the RAADS-r test, I don't have an official diagnosis, and I could very well be wrong. As for women faking illnesses more often, something I've noticed is that things like Autism, ADHD, ADD, etc are more often diagnosed in boys rather than girls- mostly because when they were first discovered, most of the research was done in boys. Autism shows up differently in girls, and can often be blown off as early puberty hormones. If their hyperfixations are those of stereotypical feminine things, it's just a girl liking whatever, and if they hyperfixate in stereotypical masculine interests, they tend to just be viewed as weird, but not autistic. It's normal for people to question, but I agree that to a certain point, self diagnosis can be harmful, but only if not done correctly.", ">\n\nFirst and foremost not a new problem at all, very common, we used to call it \"Being a hypochondriac\" until it aparrently became reconized which in it self is confusing and a bit contradictory.\nANYWAY\nIt isnt really a problem, no doctor is gonna write the perscription for medication without a diagnosis of some sort.\nAt most there is the vauge \"But what about those who actually have it who arent taken serious\" dont worry, we wouldnt have anyway. Thats kinda how invisible illnesses work.\nOverall the 101 hypochondriacs screaming about the symptoms they read in the ICD might help make the knowledge more common and help people better reconize if their colleagues or friends happen to show symptoms of something.", ">\n\nIt’s pretty expensive in the US to get diagnosed. Personally, I’ve self diagnosed myself out of frustration of the way I process things. I’ve always felt slow & my anxiety/depression was deep because of it, but I was raised in a family that doesn’t believe in mental illness. It was always “if you work hard enough, all your problems will go away”. Meanwhile, i was racking my brain on how to make myself think faster/smarter & it would result in psychotic episodes. I’ve gotten fired from jobs, dropped out of school. I started self harming because I hated myself and my brain & almost commit suicide bc I had no idea what was going on.\nThe relief I felt once I finally got a therapist who validated me & was the first to talk to me about mental Illness. It blew my mind and all of a sudden things actually made sense to me. I currently think I have ADD, and sometimes I’ll tell people that but will preface it by saying I’m not professionally diagnosed. Still, I use mental tools that help me get through the day and build my confidence. I’m a lot better at processing conversations, making lists that help me remember things, unmasking, slowing down my thoughts… etc. I’m less frustrated and can see the beauty in how I process things. I still want to get diagnosed but I have to get health insurance….. lol", ">\n\nSelf diagnosis, regardless of being factual is a process where the individual realizes that they might have a mental health issue. People who can do this are more likely to seek professional help compared to the people who think they are “fine”. Going to a professional, licensed psychologist or a psychiatrist will eventually diagnose them with the correct disorder from there, and professionals have the skills to communicate with them and they can together evaluate if the person’s complaint is the issue or not. There is nothing embarrassing about discovering one’s self. It would be a problem if people would identify with an issue and don’t have any willingness to seek help. Sometimes overreacting is better than not reacting.", ">\n\nThe majority of people who are self-diagnosed with autism have done extensive research into it to come to that conclusion. I personally went through the DSM criteria with a fine-tooth comb, made a list of all the ways I met it and discovered that there’s not a single criteria i don’t meet for autism. I didn’t read about anything else but autism for weeks, approaching it from all angles before coming to the conclusion that it’s highly unlikely I am not autistic. I’m waiting to hear back about an assessment, but I’m not waiting to go and be told something I already know before I start advocating for myself. \nOh, and I absolutely did not want to be ‘different’, in fact my life mission to just blend in and be average is the root cause of most of my problems, but here we are.", ">\n\nThis self diagnosing young people do isn’t the problem. The problem is that our society encourages it.\nOur culture is not set up to accommodate a wide spectrum of human needs. You may need things that I don’t. I may need things that you don’t. But in most business settings, academic settings, or even places like restaurants or leisure places, the world isn’t built to accommodate everyone. Our world and society is a “one size fits all” approach, and most people don’t fit snugly inside of that system. \nIf you can classify what is “wrong” or “different” about you into an easily digestible form, people are generally more able and more willing to accommodate you.\nFor example: if I tell my coworkers that I need to leave work early because of a headache, I’ll be shamed for it. And in some cases I’ll be told that “headaches aren’t that bad!” Or “You don’t need to leave.” Or “I have a headache too, just deal with it!”\nBut if I tell my workers that I need to leave due to a painful neurological condition that’s flaring up (I have chronic migraine, which is a neurological condition), they will respect it 100% of the time. It’s met with sympathy and not criticism.\nThis happens for all sorts of things. “Sorry Im late, I slept in.” Sounds a lot worse then, “sorry I’m late, my insomnia has been terrible lately.” \nOur culture forces us to use these labels even when they’re untrue just to receive sympathy or acceptance. The problem isn’t people who decide to use these labels, the root problem is that our society refuses to embrace and accommodate people who are outside of the “norm.”", ">\n\nSpeaking as someone who's had an autism diagnosis since age 7: if someone declares they're autistic when they're not, that's obnoxious at worst. If someone is told they're not autistic when they are, that can cause lifelong harm from denied care and understanding. I have seen this happen to a close friend of mine.\nTherefore, I'd much rather err on the side of acceptance. If you think you're defending me and others like me from impersonators, we'd rather not have your help.\n\nI know people will disagree but it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women. Women statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nCase in point: women are diagnosed with autism far less than men. Recent studies have pointed to decades of systematic misdiagnosis. The more visible autistic symptoms sometimes manifest differently in girls, the way they're socialized may help them hide it from a young age, and of course lots of doctors just say \"your daughter can't be autistic, that's a boy thing.\"\nWe're learning that there are hundreds of thousands of autistic women who slipped through the cracks and were denied the recognition and support they needed because of dismissive, gatekeeping attitudes just like yours.", ">\n\nThere’s a difference between having a disorder and relating to a disorder. If the tools or language associated with a disorder helps someone live better though then cool, it’s all still odd. Also autism presents differently in woman, and a majority of our research on it is on men. Best practice is probably to support them and encourage them to seek treatment.", ">\n\nAutism is severely misdiagnosed in women. Completely under diagnosed. Actually, plenty of things are. The actual problem that we have is parents refusing to let their children get professional help or a diagnosis. Most doctors will diagnose you with BPD as a woman(aka the new female hysteria of our century), maybe put you on some anti psychotics and send you your way. In most countries, a diagnosis/specialist is not readily available, or there is a long waiting list. Even so, the doctors are not know it all. I have seen plenty of doctors, I got different diagnosis almost each time. They ask you some general questions (about your mood, the way you sleep, if you can concentrate, if you harm yourself, if you have suicidal ideation, if you can socialize properly, if your parents were diagnosed with anything, if you have hallucinations or delusions, the works) and then based on that, they will give you a diagnosis. If you use your common sense and information on the internet (given you are knowledgeable on the subject), you can take a good guess on what's wrong. Obviously, some people will exaggerate like with anything (seeing the shadow dude once in your childhood is not a sign of psychosis, neither is hearing your name called when you are alone once in a blue moon), but if you have visual and auditory hallucinations, perhaps weird tactile feelings/hallucinations (spiders are crawling on me, etc), delusions, tend to be forgetful and out of teach with reality, there is a good chance you do have psychosis.", ">\n\nOkay, to start: what do you think autism and ADHD are? They aren't mental illnesses nor are they mental health conditions. \nTo address some of your other points; \nStudies have shown that autism has a gender expression of 1:1. The only reason that women are under diagnosed is because of misunderstandings towards autism, then the diagnosis is conducted incorrectly. Thus it ends up getting conflated with mental illness, E.G BPD, and is diagnosed as a psychiatric disorder instead. This is a detriment to the patient as the care regimes are black and white different. Often times this severely damages the woman.\nFrom data sets that I recall reading, malingering hasn't risen much, if at all, in recent times. I remember it being around 8% of the global population who are engaging in this behaviour, to different extents. I think what's happened is that social media has turned a torch onto it and it's risen in popularity in an algorithmic way. You see it more because it's pushed by the algorithm more because people are searching for it more. It isn't actually occurring any more or less than historically. Most of that attention is negative attention, I should add. \nSo there's two things to take away from that.\n1) The actual act of pretending to be mentally ill, or to have a disability, which is called malingering, is in fact a form of mental unwellness itself. It's a cry for help. The people who do these things are usually very unstable and should be treated with a degree of empathy. The dangerous types who are using mental illness to scam others, or to manipulate them, make up a very small percentage of the overall amount of people in that group and tend to abuse one on one. \n2) The predominant response to this is generally negative. There isn't really any reason to publicly malinger unless you're unstable, this is because a rational person would likely know this, and know the damage it would cause themselves. Self-diagnosis is a very long, and self-aware, process that takes place over years of the individuals life, and proceeds official diagnosis. \nNo one SDs and says \"Okay that's it now! Let me start a TikTok!\" You'd still want support, and you'd still seek support. So that would end up with a doctor, who would see that you're lying, and treat you for whatever was prompting you to malinger. Anyone who has made this commitment knows that keeping it private is a sensible thing to do in a world that isn't inclusive, and often very stigmatising. Sometimes official diagnosis can take YEARS. \nThis kind of propaganda has been going around for a long time in an effort to discredit disabled people and people with mental illnesses. It's not new. People said the same things back in the 90s. People will always be afraid, and dismissive, of things they do not understand. I invite you to try and understand.", ">\n\nI self-diagnosed myself with endometriosis for 10 years before a doctor finally listened to me, opened me up, and found my insides littered with lesions all over my organs. I’m now not able to get pregnant and I might need to get part of my bowel taken out someday. This could’ve been avoided if someone had just listened to me when I was 16. \nSelf-diagnosing is a necessity in a misogynist world! No one takes us seriously! Especially medical professionals. \nThe best antidote for this is to listen to women who self-diagnose. Why do they think they have XYZ? Is it heavily interfering with their life? I think that’s a much larger problem.", ">\n\nIts been proven that there is a bias to diagnose as opposed to not diagnose a mental illness in psychology. So op is actually kinda correct. The definition of a mental illness is in effect being stretched so far that people who are just kinda weird are being diagnosed with \"on the spectrum\". This is actually causing a problem in early learning because parents start treating their kids as essentially learning challenged when they're really not. So it is starting to become an excuse ...", ">\n\nWe live in a society that loves to medicate people. I know it’s different but Did ppl forget about the opioid epidemic? They’ll diagnose your ass with anything if they can", ">\n\nYa I tend to agree. And no one is really saying so I will I guess, but id wager that 50% of psychologist \"professionals\" are totally full of shit. The actual number of psychologists that are are doing real research and clinical studies is EXTREMELY small compared to how many \"psychologists\" are out there. Just like chiropractors, half of them are hacks..", ">\n\nAnd ill say one more thing, though it is anecdotal, but i have direct family that works in special education for young children, and that system is fucked with a capital F. Thay are constantly fighting against parents and programs who try to box kids in the \"autistic\" zone, when they are just really quite or shy, or have pee problems. But parents want an excuse and reason for their behavior, and reduce them to a sub standard education and treatment for the rest of their lives. It's heart breaking. Especially in public schools.", ">\n\nI’m 32 years old. \nI didn’t self diagnose for attention although I remember the days of tumblr where everyone self diagnosed for clout.\nIt took me a decade to realize what is really happening. During the decade before I realized what may have been happening I was told the following:\nI’m rude\nI’m bossy\nI have a RBF/I look mad\nI also only managed to make my first real friend at age 27.\nWhat I was really displaying was:\nBeing overly blunt and just trying to get my point across came off rude when I didn’t intend it to be that way\nTrying to have things done at a certain time and way that no one else thought was important to follow\nUnmasking\nNoticed other things too that I just thought was me being weird:\nVocal stimming\nOral stimming-chewing, smoking, vaping\nRepetitive motions\nRocking\nEasily overwhelmed by too much sensory input\nHigh startle reflex \nInability to regulate my body’s needs-I don’t know I’m hungry until I’m ravenous; don’t recognize the need to use the bathroom until it’s causing me to rush off, don’t realize I’m cold until I’m shaking\nI could go on.\nI want an assessment so bad. But assessments for adults are EXTREMELY hard to setup, if you can even set them up at all. Some states don’t even offer them. I’ve been looking but they are only for children and seem to look for severe cases.\n14 years of thinking I was just a bitch who couldn’t make friends because I was too weird…turns out it might be autism. And turns out I’ll most likely never get a true diagnosis. But the RAADS test gave me a 127 score so that might be the closest I’ll ever get." ]

[ "The diagnosis process for a lot of psychiatric conditions are surveys and questionaires. You can go to a psychiatrist and ask if you're anxious and they'll give you multiple choice questions and diagnose off of that. Or you can just google the form yourself and self diagnose. A lot of psychiatric disorders are about how we feel and think. Not about sending off some blood sample to a lab and getting a positive result come back.\n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. For such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nWhat you're describing are all neuroses that could indicate some deeper psychiatric condition. Whether a person has a mental health condition or not, thinking of ourselves as weak victims is never helpful in any context, yet it's something we all feel from time to time.\nI'm a disability support worker, so when someone tells me they've got a self diagnosed condition, it's not offensive to me or any disabled person I know, it doesn't come across like they're invalidating anyone else's condition. However I do think everyone should talk to a doctor about any condition they feel they might have.", ">\n\nPiggybacking off of this: You’ve spent your whole entire life inside your own brain. A therapist will spend a period of hours with you and give you a diagnosis. Who do you think knows your personal reality better than yourself?", ">\n\nYeah exactly, especially with conditions such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, PTSD, and many other psychiatric conditions. These are things people know they have even before they get a diagnosis. The diagnosis stage is more about treatment and management.\nPeople might be unaware of how severe or mild their condition is, some people think they have only mild PTSD despite constant nightmares and suicidal ideation. Some people will think they have severe ADHD because they can't concentrate for long times on things that don't interest them. It's good to get some perspective from experts but ultimately people know when they are struggling to focus or to struggling to stop stressing all the time or struggling to not be miserable. Struggling with our thoughts and feelings is evidence enough to self diagnose.", ">\n\nI was recently diagnosed with ADHD as a woman so I find this viewpoint interesting.\nFirstly, autism is not a mental illness. An autistic person may have mental illness in conjunction with autism, but autism alone lies under the neurodivergent umbrella. Neurodivergency can include autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and other similar conditions.\nWhy women are often underdiagnosed\nThese are serious disabilities that can really impede a person's life, especially if they struggle to find help and acceptance in their community. A lot of women start their journey towards diagnosis later in life due to a number of factors such as:\n\nPoor diagnostic tools and inexperienced professionals\nA misunderstanding that autism and ADHD are more common in boys\nAdvanced masking techniques to cover their 'traits'\n\nWhy women are often diagnosed later in life.\nThe process for many women and men who are diagnosed later in life often includes a level of burnout or breakdown. After a while everything becomes too much, the mask begins to slip and your traits go into overdrive.\nWhy does self-diagnosing seem to be on the rise?\nA common way of finding out you could possibly be neurodivergent is through media and people who are aware of these traits appear.\nIn the past few years, I have seen an increasing awareness of neurodivergence in women pop up in the media. This is useful for people like myself who had no idea wtf was wrong with them for a very long time. For me, a GP actually suggested I seek a diagnosis due to some struggles I was going through.\nAs someone who went through this process self-diagnosing is commonly the first step as an adult. You might be directed to a questionnaire and are asked to evaluate yourself and your experiences thinking back to your childhood. If there's some merit in your experiences than you move to the next step which involves seeking a professional. Waitlists are often months to years long so many people live in limbo for a long time.\nMethods of living with ADHD can help everyone. And everyone experiences ADHD traits from time to time. Given a large amount of stress we have all suffered collectively, I don't doubt there are a lot of people with increased mental health issues that mirror neurodivergent traits. Some mental illnesses can get very severe and alter your brain chemistry and behaviour.\nMy takeaway from this is that the mental health systems set up to assist these people are a much larger issue and cause for serious concern than self-diagnosing.\nApologies for the spelling and grammar errors. Grammarly and Reddit don't play nice.", ">\n\nI think it's two things. One, people have identity crises, especially teenagers. We all know that type of person who tries on identities like hats. That's pretty embarrassing. You usually grow out of that.\nTwo, from personal experience, giving yourself a label or a diagnosis makes it feel more contained and easy to communicate. It's easier to tell someone that you have X and have them understand what you're going through rather than telling them you have these vague symptoms resembling what you imagine X is like. In that respect, it is pretty understandable, possibly good, and not embarrassing. There's something that is sort of reassuring if you can finally get a word to put on what you're experiencing.\nPeople often sympathize with the diagnosis but not with the symptoms. Tell people at work you're autistic and they will sympathize with you and possibly not attack you. Tell them you do not understand social cues and they will probably just make fun of you.", ">\n\nI understand the desire to put a label with a disease, and this is not necessarily bad, but the diagnosis needs to be correct. If you want to tell others that you are autistic or depressed; you must actually be those things. A person can almost never correctly assertion their disease, only their symptoms. People might better understand you if you say your autistic, but you may incorrectly understand and describe yourself. If one wishes to put a name with symptoms, they should find a doctor to pick the label", ">\n\nfor sure but unfortunately our medical system is a joke and even if you are experiencing very severe symptoms it can be nearly impossible to see a professional or take months on a waiting list.\nEven then a professional may be reluctant to slap a label on you for fear of what the consequences of that might be. I saw someone for a very long time who resisted any sort of actual diagnosis because the truth is that what I was experiencing didn't fit neatly into any of the boxes and pretty much belonged in this vague \"other\" category which isn't particularly helpful. Not to mention that misdiagnosis happens all the time even by professionals. \nI just think it is sort of understandable because I think a lot of stuff is kind of a spectrum anyway and just different levels of severity. Things can be really confusing and hard to nail down and thus communicate in a way that causes someone else to be understanding rather than judgemental.", ">\n\nAre you under the impression this is a new phenomenon? Because it's definitely not.\nPeople - especially young people! - crave identity. The world is a confusing place, knowing who you are makes it a little easier. Sometimes it's self-diagnosing mental illness or learning disabilities, or exploring sexual identity, or cliques, or subcultures. There's nothing embarrassing about it, it just is what it is.", ">\n\nIt’s ok to want to express individuality but not to the extent of totally destroying the definition of a real thing and making it hard for actual mentally Ill ppl to get a diagnosis. Why can’t people just accept that they’re different rather then giving themselves a label?", ">\n\npeople on TikTok claiming to have disorders that they don't doesn't affect the precision of psychiatrists diagnosing actual patients. There's no TikTok-said section in the DSM. Why do you think that it does?", ">\n\nIt just encourages more people to get diagnosed possibly skewing the meaning of the mental illness", ">\n\nSkewing it towards statistical accuracy? If people are actually diagnosed at higher rates, we have a better Guage of population-level mental illness, neurodivergency, etc. Better data is more usable, so that research actually means something actionable, ASIDE from the identity boost for young people.", ">\n\nI think what OP is driving at, but utterly failing to explain, is that they think that the fakers will be accommodated by the psychiatric system and diagnosed on the basis of fake symptoms. my sense is that isn't a problem but I don't have data.", ">\n\nDefinitely explained it a little better then I could lol", ">\n\nWhere do you see evidence of that? Any articles about fakers? How about a statistic? If not, it’s just a fear you seem to have.", ">\n\nI think the salient line here is this one:\n\nNeurologists were able to quickly determine that the subjects were not \nsuffering from Tourette's, but psychogenic tics driven by anxiety.", ">\n\nWomen are not born with less autism, but are much less likely to be diagnosed as children than boys. This is partly because boys generally have similar symptoms and behaviors. \nSo of course more women are self diagnosing autism, since their diagnoses were missed as children on a much higher rate.", ">\n\nAlright, I'm diagnosed OCD, PTSD, chronic depression. Diagnosed by a professional so I think I have some grounds to talk about this.\nFirst, let's tackle your women comment about autism. You see, I understand where you're coming from, but you lack the nuance of recognizing that mental illness, and illness in general, is heavily under-diagnosed in women. The medical culture is heavily favored towards men and is rampant with mysogyny, and that's not just me saying it as I've had medical professionals blatantly tell me it's a problem in the field when questioned about it. I've also had some tell me that it's just because women whine a lot, so yanno make of that statement what you will.\nNow that we've covered that let me address the self-diagnosing issue. So, do you want to know what my therapist thinks of self-diagnosing? Well, when I asked them about it they said that self-diagnosing is an important first step to seeking help. Psychiatrist said the same thing. It's normal, expected even, for people to self-diagnose their issues then seek help for them. You can't exactly just peer into someone's brain, no, that person has to tell you what they think is wrong and why they think it is. \nWhat you actually have a problem with is not self-diagnosis, but with people not seeking or not being able to get medical assistance and assuming they're right. You have a problem with people using these issues for attention, which I do too, but once again self-diagnosing is not the problem. Finally, you have a problem with the medical system that forces people into the position of trying to figure out their mental illnesses, but having no ability to get help for them.", ">\n\nI think I did it", ">\n\nSadly no lol, it was not done properly. Do you need a link to the rules?", ">\n\nI already read them i think I’ll figure it out in a bit sorry for the hold up", ">\n\nBecause everyone else is being aggressive: you have to comment with ∆ or !delta and then explain how your view has been changed", ">\n\nThis delta has been rejected. You can't award OP a delta.\nAllowing this would wrongly suggest that you can post here with the aim of convincing others.\nIf you were explaining when/how to award a delta, please use a reddit quote for the symbol next time.\n^Delta System Explained ^| ^Deltaboards", ">\n\nWhat gives you the authority or knowledge to know this is the problem?", ">\n\nYou don’t think it’s a problem that a lot of young ppl are willing to go to the extent of saying they are mentally Ill either for attention or to excuse their weirdness? Just accept that your different. It’s not wrong to believe you’re different without a label", ">\n\nYou did not even try to answer my question.", ">\n\nI’m sorry I was confused on what you meant", ">\n\nIf you are mad at people for self diagnosing themselves because they don't have the knowledge or authority to do so.... what gives you the knowledge or authority to diagnosis this as the problem behavior... basically are you just a kid that is annoyed, or is there some actual studies out there that is claiming this is a problem.", ">\n\nIf you don’t think that people consistently seeking attention for mental illness or craving a label so badly to justify themselves rather then being themselves. That just shows what your views are", ">\n\nDont you think we should leave the diagnosing to the professionals?", ">\n\nI mean yeah", ">\n\nWould you agree that you are diagnosing these people by saying that they are only seeking attention and do not have a real mental illness?", ">\n\nI’m assuming", ">\n\nThere may be some truth to people wanting to be different, however with mental illnesses being more accepted in today's society, many people are a lot more comfortable with being neurodivergent. Additionally, self diagnosis is common because the alternative is spending upwards to $1000-$2000 for a clinical diagnosis.", ">\n\nI know costs suck, but self diagnosis can be much more harmful. A web.md page that tells you your depressed when you may actually be bipolar can lead to really messed up results. I would even go as far as to say that no diagnosis at all is preferable to an uninformed one", ">\n\nWell.\n​\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad \n\nSo you already know why they're doing what they're doing in addition the fact that you know that they're not Autistic? If your claim is that they can't know and only a doctor can, what makes you more qualified? You start out your argument admitting that you have a bias.\n\nthey’re “neurodivergent.\n\nNeurodivergent is an umbrella that covers both Autism and ADHD, which sometimes get mistaken for each other. So if you're upset that they're self-diagnosing, this term should be more welcome than \"Autistic\" because it's more generalized.\n\nnd when you ask them how they know they’ll say “oh I have this weird tick when I uh laugh when someone says something funny “ or “I have a hyper fixation on this topic so I must be autistic\n\nHow else should they communicate it to you? The list of aspects of Autism, especially for how it presents in women, sounds a lot like this. You're not a doctor, they don't have to prove anything to you by going down the entire list of every possible part of their daily experience that might be on the spectrum.\n\nWomen statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nNope. Women are diagnosed less often than men because the original diagnostic criteria for Autism was for Autism as it presents in males. It presents differently for females and is harder to diagnose, especially at younger ages. \n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized\n\nTodays youth want to be victimized? Why would anyone want to be victimized? Something tells me you're missing the mark with this terminology.\n\nor have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. \n\nSo if someone is Autistic and that makes them weird, you'd rather them just be forced to not get to have a name for it, and get the therapeutic treatment that would help them?\n\nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really [are] without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nSome people are autistic. If they find out and it makes them feel good, that doesn't mean they're craving attention. And if they are craving attention, it's because they're normal people and everyone does. \nIf someone thinks they're autistic but it turns out they're actually not, chances are they suspected it for a reason. They might have ADHD, a personality disorder, a mental health issue, or simply a slightly different way of experiencing the world that feels unique to them and there's nothing wrong with that. \nYou seem to think that other people do things for you. People generally don't. They do things for themselves. This is especially true of people on the Autism Spectrum who may not be able to easily use other people's experiences to reference when constructing their view of the world, and can only use their own. Your interpretation wherein they do it to evoke a response from you says more about you than it does about them.", ">\n\nYou’re being deliberately obtuse. OP is completely correct. Most of the people these days who say “I’m ADHD” or “I’m autistic” or “I’m neurodivergent” are absolutely not diagnosed as such and are doing it to seem unique or get attention or as some excuse for why they did x y or z.", ">\n\nI'd like to point out that while some are perhaps attention seeking, many people self diagnose simply because they don't have access to free medical/psychological professionals to get proper diagnosis and help with their issues. I also know someone who doesn't want to get an official diagnosis because he's afrad it will affect his insurance rates or somehow come back to bite him if he's offically labeled with having a neurological disorder. \nThere is a wealth of knowledge on these subjects available online for those interested. And if they are truly interested in self diagnose they can likely do that accurately enough for all intents and purposes. Most of these people who search for the sake of better understanding themselves or their loved ones will openly admit that it's a self diagnoses, or say they THINK they have x,y, or z. But in some situations it's just as well to say they have it if they feel certain anyway, and it's just a passing comment, and not a discussion on the matter. \nIn other words, just because they self diagnose doesn't mean they're wrong, nor does it explain their motives. I also don't see how attention seeking (for those who ARE doing that) is really hurting anyone else. Fakers gonna be fake, that's more a \"them\" kind of problem. ANNOYING, but mostly harmless.", ">\n\nUnless you have a doctor's diagnosis you don't have the disorder. Even if you are broke there are programs to help with costs. \nAnd yes it does affect me when someone is treating me like shit and tries using the I have such and such as an excuse and then people get mad at ME for calling them in their bullshit.", ">\n\nNo. You have to have the disorder before you CAN be diagnosed, so obviously there are undiagnosed people who in fact \"have the disorder \". Your refusal to acknowledge an undiagnosed disorder does not mean they don't have it. Your personal experience with people supposedly using a fake diagnosis to treat you badly, sounds unusual. How do you know they DIDN'T have it? People who do lie and just want to be jerks will do that regardless of what methods they decide to try. The methods are irrelevant. And that motive is not typical of most self diagnosers .", ">\n\nSounds unusual? You must not get out a lot because it's become a pretty regular thing. Every single person I know (about 8) that have self diagnosed themselves as neurodivergent or with a mental illness like Bi-polar all use it to excuse their shitty ass behaviors. \nToo many disorders can mirror other ones. Just because they think they have 2/3 symptoms doesn't make them right by a long shot. Keep living in your bubble.", ">\n\nYou don't have to have a relationship with anyone. If they treat you badly, regardless of an official diagnosis or not, you don't have to tolerate them. It makes no difference what they have or don't have. What would it change if they got diagnosed and actually have it?", ">\n\nSelf diagnosing has been a thing forever\nAnd it's not a problem im 99% sure me or any other autistic person doesn't really give 2 fucks about people who wanna fake disorders. It doesn't stop us from getting help, we have doctors notes, medical files, sometimes even volunteers, you need those files to get into let's say a special education class, or a life skills course.\nSo unless you were diagnosed by a professional you're probably not gonna make it far faking it.\n(Excuse my shitty punctuation)", ">\n\nIt doesn’t bother you that they’re making others take the actual meaning away from what you were born with? I mean I’m sure autism hasn’t made your life easy and seeing ppl claim it for attention to be quirky probably has to annoy you a little right?", ">\n\nAt the end of the day I still have ADHD and I still need help with it. More people being diagnosed with it doesn’t change that fact. In fact I was diagnosed because I realized I related to so many tiktok memes, and I’m sure others are in my same boat. \nIn fact I think so many people talking about ADHD helps. It means more people who possibly have tips for me, people who are suffering who can’t afford treatment have an easy way to learn about how to improve their lives, and more people who are aware of my disorder.", ">\n\nI think people do diagnose themselves too often without seeking professional help. BUT mental illness is not the same as being neurodivergent.", ">\n\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad that they’ll go as far to say they’re “neurodivergent.”\n\nWhile this is the case, I don't really see how it's a \"problem\" per se. I guarantee that these people still make lifestyle decisions based on what they think is best, or based on what they want to do.\n\nbut it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women\n\nDo you have any statistics for that? I haven't experienced it that way in my own anecdotal experience, and I'd be curious to look into the data to see how much that truly does skew in that direction.\n\nwanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness \nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nI understand what you're trying to say here, but I don't really think these things are connected as much as you think they are. People see something wrong with themselves, so they either playfully or seriously consider the fact that it could be a condition that they have similar symptoms to. Not that it never happens, but just because someone categorizes themselves into a disability group that could potentially excuse their \"quirks\", doesn't mean they think that behavior is unacceptable in any way. People see a problem, and assume it's linked to this other issue that seems similar that they already know about.", ">\n\nI agree with the conclusion that self-diagnosis is a real issue, and I wouldn't be surprised if the data indicated it was on the rise. I wouldn't necessarily frame it as a simple desire to \"be victimized\" however. While it is purely speculation, I do believe there are a number of conditions which might lead towards a more frequent experience of symptoms associated with mental illness - a rising wealth gap, perpetual anxiety from a 24-hour news cycle, intensification of self-commodification, the student debt crisis in certain countries like the US, and so on. So people are experiencing symptoms like low energy, mood swings, etc. that can be associated with mental illness. The issue with self-diagnosis then becomes that it may correctly identify the symptom, but incorrectly identify the cause.\nThis video from the YouTuber HealthyGamerGG does a good job of explaining what some of the issues with self-diagnosis are, and for me it was a good starting place for thinking about this more. \nEDIT: I forgot this video literally starts with this same topic being brought up on this same subreddit lol", ">\n\nA great theory based on reasonable causes with an educational video from a psychologist(I assume) as evidence to back it up. I applaud you sir. 👏", ">\n\nWhy are you embarrassed by other people's issues?", ">\n\nI’m a 30yo male. If I had not first self diagnosed with ASD and OCD, I never would have found the language and resources to get a formal diagnosis and help.\nPrior generations have been so fixated on avoidance of diagnosing mental disorders, and research was previously so lacking that we are only just now (through those that do get diagnosed) realizing how common mental disorders are. That plus the lack of mental health resources for neurotypical and neurodivergent I think is how we end up in this situation of many recognizing their symptoms in the new discourse, but lacking the resources to overcome the barriers to proper diagnosis and treatment.", ">\n\nIt’s not the best thing, no. \nAs an adult FINALLY diagnosed (by a licensed therapist) at 41, I can tell you why ‘self diagnosis’ is so tempting. \nIn the US at least- mental health, and official medical diagnosis are almost completely inaccessible, especially as an adult. Most of us grew up before Autism was a spectrum, and ADHD was just boys who acted out in class. We felt like aliens. We couldn’t understand why we didn’t have many friends, or why we didn’t like the ‘right things’, and generally spend the bill of our lives feeling ‘wrong’, ‘broken’ or just simply like we didn’t belong. \nFinally understanding the WHY, and even better, finding tools to addresses our issues is a huge huge weight off the chest. The relief of having a name and a strategy- either therapy or medicine is such an amazing relief!!", ">\n\nI only kinda agree if I had not done my own research I would have never found out I have sjorgens syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis I know TikTok people tend to diagnose themselves and it makes it look cringe but when you live with a incurable illness sometimes you have to work to find a diagnosis", ">\n\nWell, what do you do of you absolutely know you're neurodivergent, but your parents decided not to get you checked? My mom once told me \"we knew you had something, we just didn't get you checked because they would have just put you on pills\". So I struggled with being different, socially unaware, impulsive, obnoxious, agressive, selfish, for the better part of my life without having the self awareness to understand why I was these things, and why people wouldn't want to be around me. \nIn my late 20''s I asked the question, what if I'm actually autistic? I looked up the symptoms, and 9/10 matched. As a child I couldn't handle loud noises, restrictive clothing, I didn't talk until I was 3. I would throw fits for seemingly no reason, I had obsessive interests. I've always really struggled with eye contact, and I never cared for conversation unless it was something I liked. I mean, when the final piece of a puzzle fits so incredibly well, it's really hard for it to be wrong. \nSelf diagnosing actually really helped me grow as aj individual. I became aware of all my divergent behaviors, and why it might be annoying for someone else to deal with. I came to the realization that I was the one who was different, therefore I needed to change. It's way harder to make everyone around you cater to your needs than to overcome the things that upset you. I'm at peace, I have good friends that I can connect with on a pretty deep level. I no longer smash coffee tables when I lose, I can now appreciate that if I lose it just means I have more to learn. I can keep my house clean, I can reasonably hold myself accountable. What exactly is the harm in all that?\nBesides, it would be pretty pointless for me to try and get a diagnosis now, I've put the effort in and largely come out the other side. Anyone diagnosing me would just say I was normal, but they wouldn't have the intimate knowledge of me that I do. I guess it doesn't matter if people don't believe me, I don't go around shouting that I'm autistic. I will say, it would be really nice if people appreciated the effort I put in to get to get to a place of normalcy, something others take for granted, but it's okay, we all have our struggles.", ">\n\nI feel you on all that. To play devil's advocate, mental healthcare in the U.S. is not cheap. Many people go to the internet and confirm their bias about their current health", ">\n\nI feel you on that too OP. I agree 100% with your entire statement.", ">\n\nIt's a problem, but not a new one. In the 1990s there was briefly a surge of people with a type of delusional parasitosis, that is, the false belief that they were infested with parasites. Except this one was supposedly an infestation with tiny fibres. They would come to doctors with a whole list of symptoms to back up their incorrect self-diagnosis.\nTo a certain extent, these are social contagions, which come and go, and often actually end up leading to people having real problems. Like, the young women you mention, a couple of decades ago may well have ended up with anorexia, or self-cutting. These days it might be a self-declaration of autism or a belief that they have gender dysphoria or that they have multiple systems living in their minds.", ">\n\nWow I did not know that. Maybe it’s just so prevalent today due to social media. Social media has only made these things worse imo", ">\n\nEven before it being self diagnosis of a mental illness it was always something. Remember all the emo and goth teenager?", ">\n\nIt depends on the context. For example, if they've done a substantial amount of research, can name a good amount of symptoms they have and reasons they have whatever mental illness and don't have access to the necessary tools to get a medical diagnosis, it's totally different. Some people don't have the money to go out and get a diagnosis, or sometimes it would be better to not get a medical diagnosis. I believe that the reason that a lot of people self diagnose themselves with things like Autism is because they want an explanation as to why they are different, and they could be right or wrong. I think the most important part is that if you go to a psychologist (or even two, I know a lot of people prefer getting second opinions) and they say you don't have it, that you need to admit you were wrong. It's ok to be wrong about your mental health, and the key is to keep looking and to not give up. I can completely understand the frustration in people completely missing how difficult it actually may be to have a mental illness. I was clinically diagnosed with Depression, Anxiety, and PTSD when I was seven, and I've had some experience with people faking mental disorders for attention, and more often then not, they have another mental disorder that needs attention. Recently I had a (now ex) boyfriend insist he had PTSD after being tested twice and the psychiatrist saying that he didn't have it. What he does have is Depression and Anxiety, but he absolutely insisted he has PTSD despite never exhibiting symptoms and the only evidence being a test he took online that was supposedly a \"real PTSD test.\" People faking mental illnesses only harms people who really have them, as these people tend to exaggerate symptoms and use their self diagnosis for attention. I believe that I am autistic, but I don't list it as a diagnosis because while I have read articles and taken the RAADS-r test, I don't have an official diagnosis, and I could very well be wrong. As for women faking illnesses more often, something I've noticed is that things like Autism, ADHD, ADD, etc are more often diagnosed in boys rather than girls- mostly because when they were first discovered, most of the research was done in boys. Autism shows up differently in girls, and can often be blown off as early puberty hormones. If their hyperfixations are those of stereotypical feminine things, it's just a girl liking whatever, and if they hyperfixate in stereotypical masculine interests, they tend to just be viewed as weird, but not autistic. It's normal for people to question, but I agree that to a certain point, self diagnosis can be harmful, but only if not done correctly.", ">\n\nFirst and foremost not a new problem at all, very common, we used to call it \"Being a hypochondriac\" until it aparrently became reconized which in it self is confusing and a bit contradictory.\nANYWAY\nIt isnt really a problem, no doctor is gonna write the perscription for medication without a diagnosis of some sort.\nAt most there is the vauge \"But what about those who actually have it who arent taken serious\" dont worry, we wouldnt have anyway. Thats kinda how invisible illnesses work.\nOverall the 101 hypochondriacs screaming about the symptoms they read in the ICD might help make the knowledge more common and help people better reconize if their colleagues or friends happen to show symptoms of something.", ">\n\nIt’s pretty expensive in the US to get diagnosed. Personally, I’ve self diagnosed myself out of frustration of the way I process things. I’ve always felt slow & my anxiety/depression was deep because of it, but I was raised in a family that doesn’t believe in mental illness. It was always “if you work hard enough, all your problems will go away”. Meanwhile, i was racking my brain on how to make myself think faster/smarter & it would result in psychotic episodes. I’ve gotten fired from jobs, dropped out of school. I started self harming because I hated myself and my brain & almost commit suicide bc I had no idea what was going on.\nThe relief I felt once I finally got a therapist who validated me & was the first to talk to me about mental Illness. It blew my mind and all of a sudden things actually made sense to me. I currently think I have ADD, and sometimes I’ll tell people that but will preface it by saying I’m not professionally diagnosed. Still, I use mental tools that help me get through the day and build my confidence. I’m a lot better at processing conversations, making lists that help me remember things, unmasking, slowing down my thoughts… etc. I’m less frustrated and can see the beauty in how I process things. I still want to get diagnosed but I have to get health insurance….. lol", ">\n\nSelf diagnosis, regardless of being factual is a process where the individual realizes that they might have a mental health issue. People who can do this are more likely to seek professional help compared to the people who think they are “fine”. Going to a professional, licensed psychologist or a psychiatrist will eventually diagnose them with the correct disorder from there, and professionals have the skills to communicate with them and they can together evaluate if the person’s complaint is the issue or not. There is nothing embarrassing about discovering one’s self. It would be a problem if people would identify with an issue and don’t have any willingness to seek help. Sometimes overreacting is better than not reacting.", ">\n\nThe majority of people who are self-diagnosed with autism have done extensive research into it to come to that conclusion. I personally went through the DSM criteria with a fine-tooth comb, made a list of all the ways I met it and discovered that there’s not a single criteria i don’t meet for autism. I didn’t read about anything else but autism for weeks, approaching it from all angles before coming to the conclusion that it’s highly unlikely I am not autistic. I’m waiting to hear back about an assessment, but I’m not waiting to go and be told something I already know before I start advocating for myself. \nOh, and I absolutely did not want to be ‘different’, in fact my life mission to just blend in and be average is the root cause of most of my problems, but here we are.", ">\n\nThis self diagnosing young people do isn’t the problem. The problem is that our society encourages it.\nOur culture is not set up to accommodate a wide spectrum of human needs. You may need things that I don’t. I may need things that you don’t. But in most business settings, academic settings, or even places like restaurants or leisure places, the world isn’t built to accommodate everyone. Our world and society is a “one size fits all” approach, and most people don’t fit snugly inside of that system. \nIf you can classify what is “wrong” or “different” about you into an easily digestible form, people are generally more able and more willing to accommodate you.\nFor example: if I tell my coworkers that I need to leave work early because of a headache, I’ll be shamed for it. And in some cases I’ll be told that “headaches aren’t that bad!” Or “You don’t need to leave.” Or “I have a headache too, just deal with it!”\nBut if I tell my workers that I need to leave due to a painful neurological condition that’s flaring up (I have chronic migraine, which is a neurological condition), they will respect it 100% of the time. It’s met with sympathy and not criticism.\nThis happens for all sorts of things. “Sorry Im late, I slept in.” Sounds a lot worse then, “sorry I’m late, my insomnia has been terrible lately.” \nOur culture forces us to use these labels even when they’re untrue just to receive sympathy or acceptance. The problem isn’t people who decide to use these labels, the root problem is that our society refuses to embrace and accommodate people who are outside of the “norm.”", ">\n\nSpeaking as someone who's had an autism diagnosis since age 7: if someone declares they're autistic when they're not, that's obnoxious at worst. If someone is told they're not autistic when they are, that can cause lifelong harm from denied care and understanding. I have seen this happen to a close friend of mine.\nTherefore, I'd much rather err on the side of acceptance. If you think you're defending me and others like me from impersonators, we'd rather not have your help.\n\nI know people will disagree but it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women. Women statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nCase in point: women are diagnosed with autism far less than men. Recent studies have pointed to decades of systematic misdiagnosis. The more visible autistic symptoms sometimes manifest differently in girls, the way they're socialized may help them hide it from a young age, and of course lots of doctors just say \"your daughter can't be autistic, that's a boy thing.\"\nWe're learning that there are hundreds of thousands of autistic women who slipped through the cracks and were denied the recognition and support they needed because of dismissive, gatekeeping attitudes just like yours.", ">\n\nThere’s a difference between having a disorder and relating to a disorder. If the tools or language associated with a disorder helps someone live better though then cool, it’s all still odd. Also autism presents differently in woman, and a majority of our research on it is on men. Best practice is probably to support them and encourage them to seek treatment.", ">\n\nAutism is severely misdiagnosed in women. Completely under diagnosed. Actually, plenty of things are. The actual problem that we have is parents refusing to let their children get professional help or a diagnosis. Most doctors will diagnose you with BPD as a woman(aka the new female hysteria of our century), maybe put you on some anti psychotics and send you your way. In most countries, a diagnosis/specialist is not readily available, or there is a long waiting list. Even so, the doctors are not know it all. I have seen plenty of doctors, I got different diagnosis almost each time. They ask you some general questions (about your mood, the way you sleep, if you can concentrate, if you harm yourself, if you have suicidal ideation, if you can socialize properly, if your parents were diagnosed with anything, if you have hallucinations or delusions, the works) and then based on that, they will give you a diagnosis. If you use your common sense and information on the internet (given you are knowledgeable on the subject), you can take a good guess on what's wrong. Obviously, some people will exaggerate like with anything (seeing the shadow dude once in your childhood is not a sign of psychosis, neither is hearing your name called when you are alone once in a blue moon), but if you have visual and auditory hallucinations, perhaps weird tactile feelings/hallucinations (spiders are crawling on me, etc), delusions, tend to be forgetful and out of teach with reality, there is a good chance you do have psychosis.", ">\n\nOkay, to start: what do you think autism and ADHD are? They aren't mental illnesses nor are they mental health conditions. \nTo address some of your other points; \nStudies have shown that autism has a gender expression of 1:1. The only reason that women are under diagnosed is because of misunderstandings towards autism, then the diagnosis is conducted incorrectly. Thus it ends up getting conflated with mental illness, E.G BPD, and is diagnosed as a psychiatric disorder instead. This is a detriment to the patient as the care regimes are black and white different. Often times this severely damages the woman.\nFrom data sets that I recall reading, malingering hasn't risen much, if at all, in recent times. I remember it being around 8% of the global population who are engaging in this behaviour, to different extents. I think what's happened is that social media has turned a torch onto it and it's risen in popularity in an algorithmic way. You see it more because it's pushed by the algorithm more because people are searching for it more. It isn't actually occurring any more or less than historically. Most of that attention is negative attention, I should add. \nSo there's two things to take away from that.\n1) The actual act of pretending to be mentally ill, or to have a disability, which is called malingering, is in fact a form of mental unwellness itself. It's a cry for help. The people who do these things are usually very unstable and should be treated with a degree of empathy. The dangerous types who are using mental illness to scam others, or to manipulate them, make up a very small percentage of the overall amount of people in that group and tend to abuse one on one. \n2) The predominant response to this is generally negative. There isn't really any reason to publicly malinger unless you're unstable, this is because a rational person would likely know this, and know the damage it would cause themselves. Self-diagnosis is a very long, and self-aware, process that takes place over years of the individuals life, and proceeds official diagnosis. \nNo one SDs and says \"Okay that's it now! Let me start a TikTok!\" You'd still want support, and you'd still seek support. So that would end up with a doctor, who would see that you're lying, and treat you for whatever was prompting you to malinger. Anyone who has made this commitment knows that keeping it private is a sensible thing to do in a world that isn't inclusive, and often very stigmatising. Sometimes official diagnosis can take YEARS. \nThis kind of propaganda has been going around for a long time in an effort to discredit disabled people and people with mental illnesses. It's not new. People said the same things back in the 90s. People will always be afraid, and dismissive, of things they do not understand. I invite you to try and understand.", ">\n\nI self-diagnosed myself with endometriosis for 10 years before a doctor finally listened to me, opened me up, and found my insides littered with lesions all over my organs. I’m now not able to get pregnant and I might need to get part of my bowel taken out someday. This could’ve been avoided if someone had just listened to me when I was 16. \nSelf-diagnosing is a necessity in a misogynist world! No one takes us seriously! Especially medical professionals. \nThe best antidote for this is to listen to women who self-diagnose. Why do they think they have XYZ? Is it heavily interfering with their life? I think that’s a much larger problem.", ">\n\nIts been proven that there is a bias to diagnose as opposed to not diagnose a mental illness in psychology. So op is actually kinda correct. The definition of a mental illness is in effect being stretched so far that people who are just kinda weird are being diagnosed with \"on the spectrum\". This is actually causing a problem in early learning because parents start treating their kids as essentially learning challenged when they're really not. So it is starting to become an excuse ...", ">\n\nWe live in a society that loves to medicate people. I know it’s different but Did ppl forget about the opioid epidemic? They’ll diagnose your ass with anything if they can", ">\n\nYa I tend to agree. And no one is really saying so I will I guess, but id wager that 50% of psychologist \"professionals\" are totally full of shit. The actual number of psychologists that are are doing real research and clinical studies is EXTREMELY small compared to how many \"psychologists\" are out there. Just like chiropractors, half of them are hacks..", ">\n\nAnd ill say one more thing, though it is anecdotal, but i have direct family that works in special education for young children, and that system is fucked with a capital F. Thay are constantly fighting against parents and programs who try to box kids in the \"autistic\" zone, when they are just really quite or shy, or have pee problems. But parents want an excuse and reason for their behavior, and reduce them to a sub standard education and treatment for the rest of their lives. It's heart breaking. Especially in public schools.", ">\n\nI’m 32 years old. \nI didn’t self diagnose for attention although I remember the days of tumblr where everyone self diagnosed for clout.\nIt took me a decade to realize what is really happening. During the decade before I realized what may have been happening I was told the following:\nI’m rude\nI’m bossy\nI have a RBF/I look mad\nI also only managed to make my first real friend at age 27.\nWhat I was really displaying was:\nBeing overly blunt and just trying to get my point across came off rude when I didn’t intend it to be that way\nTrying to have things done at a certain time and way that no one else thought was important to follow\nUnmasking\nNoticed other things too that I just thought was me being weird:\nVocal stimming\nOral stimming-chewing, smoking, vaping\nRepetitive motions\nRocking\nEasily overwhelmed by too much sensory input\nHigh startle reflex \nInability to regulate my body’s needs-I don’t know I’m hungry until I’m ravenous; don’t recognize the need to use the bathroom until it’s causing me to rush off, don’t realize I’m cold until I’m shaking\nI could go on.\nI want an assessment so bad. But assessments for adults are EXTREMELY hard to setup, if you can even set them up at all. Some states don’t even offer them. I’ve been looking but they are only for children and seem to look for severe cases.\n14 years of thinking I was just a bitch who couldn’t make friends because I was too weird…turns out it might be autism. And turns out I’ll most likely never get a true diagnosis. But the RAADS test gave me a 127 score so that might be the closest I’ll ever get.", ">\n\ni kind of self diagnosed autism? i’ve been to many psychiatrists and therapists for years and they always see adhd in the half an hour and prescribe meds for that, which makes me not go there again. if they dug a little deeper they could have seen autism, i spoke to my current psychiatrist about if its possible i have it, she didn’t want to confirm or deny as i was moving out of state from friends and family and am at an age where i can have kids in the next 10 years since she doesn’t want me being concerned for them. \nI think there’s still lots of stigma around autism even with professionals and especially when identifying it in women. \nI don’t want to be autistic, but i can recognise a lot of different patterns comparing myself and others. I’ve researched it a ton especially in how it shows in women compared to men and in all the articles i found myself relating.\nNow i don’t say im autistic, i say im a little sus of being it tho lmao. and try pass it off casually. I find it’s a lot easier for me to understand and embrace my differences compared to trying to hide it and try be like everyone else or wonder why im not like everyone else. \nBeing older i can also recognise how a lot of my family on one side have suffered mentally and because of obvious neurodivergence. so im pretty sure, like the rest of my mentally challenged brain, has been inherited genetically through that side. \nAll that being said. I self diagnosed when i was about 12 that im highly likely to be depressed and anxious in attempt to get my mom to believe me i needed help, and now 8 years later i can identify that this has been an issue forever for me and that i likely cannot go off my meds because i will just go back to how i used to be. Im still ocd with all my meds, but its better than being anxious and depressed all the time, Having ocd throughout the day is like heaven to me in comparison to how i used to be. obviously the ocd isnt new, just a lot more heard in my brain now." ]

[ "The diagnosis process for a lot of psychiatric conditions are surveys and questionaires. You can go to a psychiatrist and ask if you're anxious and they'll give you multiple choice questions and diagnose off of that. Or you can just google the form yourself and self diagnose. A lot of psychiatric disorders are about how we feel and think. Not about sending off some blood sample to a lab and getting a positive result come back.\n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. For such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nWhat you're describing are all neuroses that could indicate some deeper psychiatric condition. Whether a person has a mental health condition or not, thinking of ourselves as weak victims is never helpful in any context, yet it's something we all feel from time to time.\nI'm a disability support worker, so when someone tells me they've got a self diagnosed condition, it's not offensive to me or any disabled person I know, it doesn't come across like they're invalidating anyone else's condition. However I do think everyone should talk to a doctor about any condition they feel they might have.", ">\n\nPiggybacking off of this: You’ve spent your whole entire life inside your own brain. A therapist will spend a period of hours with you and give you a diagnosis. Who do you think knows your personal reality better than yourself?", ">\n\nYeah exactly, especially with conditions such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, PTSD, and many other psychiatric conditions. These are things people know they have even before they get a diagnosis. The diagnosis stage is more about treatment and management.\nPeople might be unaware of how severe or mild their condition is, some people think they have only mild PTSD despite constant nightmares and suicidal ideation. Some people will think they have severe ADHD because they can't concentrate for long times on things that don't interest them. It's good to get some perspective from experts but ultimately people know when they are struggling to focus or to struggling to stop stressing all the time or struggling to not be miserable. Struggling with our thoughts and feelings is evidence enough to self diagnose.", ">\n\nI was recently diagnosed with ADHD as a woman so I find this viewpoint interesting.\nFirstly, autism is not a mental illness. An autistic person may have mental illness in conjunction with autism, but autism alone lies under the neurodivergent umbrella. Neurodivergency can include autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and other similar conditions.\nWhy women are often underdiagnosed\nThese are serious disabilities that can really impede a person's life, especially if they struggle to find help and acceptance in their community. A lot of women start their journey towards diagnosis later in life due to a number of factors such as:\n\nPoor diagnostic tools and inexperienced professionals\nA misunderstanding that autism and ADHD are more common in boys\nAdvanced masking techniques to cover their 'traits'\n\nWhy women are often diagnosed later in life.\nThe process for many women and men who are diagnosed later in life often includes a level of burnout or breakdown. After a while everything becomes too much, the mask begins to slip and your traits go into overdrive.\nWhy does self-diagnosing seem to be on the rise?\nA common way of finding out you could possibly be neurodivergent is through media and people who are aware of these traits appear.\nIn the past few years, I have seen an increasing awareness of neurodivergence in women pop up in the media. This is useful for people like myself who had no idea wtf was wrong with them for a very long time. For me, a GP actually suggested I seek a diagnosis due to some struggles I was going through.\nAs someone who went through this process self-diagnosing is commonly the first step as an adult. You might be directed to a questionnaire and are asked to evaluate yourself and your experiences thinking back to your childhood. If there's some merit in your experiences than you move to the next step which involves seeking a professional. Waitlists are often months to years long so many people live in limbo for a long time.\nMethods of living with ADHD can help everyone. And everyone experiences ADHD traits from time to time. Given a large amount of stress we have all suffered collectively, I don't doubt there are a lot of people with increased mental health issues that mirror neurodivergent traits. Some mental illnesses can get very severe and alter your brain chemistry and behaviour.\nMy takeaway from this is that the mental health systems set up to assist these people are a much larger issue and cause for serious concern than self-diagnosing.\nApologies for the spelling and grammar errors. Grammarly and Reddit don't play nice.", ">\n\nI think it's two things. One, people have identity crises, especially teenagers. We all know that type of person who tries on identities like hats. That's pretty embarrassing. You usually grow out of that.\nTwo, from personal experience, giving yourself a label or a diagnosis makes it feel more contained and easy to communicate. It's easier to tell someone that you have X and have them understand what you're going through rather than telling them you have these vague symptoms resembling what you imagine X is like. In that respect, it is pretty understandable, possibly good, and not embarrassing. There's something that is sort of reassuring if you can finally get a word to put on what you're experiencing.\nPeople often sympathize with the diagnosis but not with the symptoms. Tell people at work you're autistic and they will sympathize with you and possibly not attack you. Tell them you do not understand social cues and they will probably just make fun of you.", ">\n\nI understand the desire to put a label with a disease, and this is not necessarily bad, but the diagnosis needs to be correct. If you want to tell others that you are autistic or depressed; you must actually be those things. A person can almost never correctly assertion their disease, only their symptoms. People might better understand you if you say your autistic, but you may incorrectly understand and describe yourself. If one wishes to put a name with symptoms, they should find a doctor to pick the label", ">\n\nfor sure but unfortunately our medical system is a joke and even if you are experiencing very severe symptoms it can be nearly impossible to see a professional or take months on a waiting list.\nEven then a professional may be reluctant to slap a label on you for fear of what the consequences of that might be. I saw someone for a very long time who resisted any sort of actual diagnosis because the truth is that what I was experiencing didn't fit neatly into any of the boxes and pretty much belonged in this vague \"other\" category which isn't particularly helpful. Not to mention that misdiagnosis happens all the time even by professionals. \nI just think it is sort of understandable because I think a lot of stuff is kind of a spectrum anyway and just different levels of severity. Things can be really confusing and hard to nail down and thus communicate in a way that causes someone else to be understanding rather than judgemental.", ">\n\nAre you under the impression this is a new phenomenon? Because it's definitely not.\nPeople - especially young people! - crave identity. The world is a confusing place, knowing who you are makes it a little easier. Sometimes it's self-diagnosing mental illness or learning disabilities, or exploring sexual identity, or cliques, or subcultures. There's nothing embarrassing about it, it just is what it is.", ">\n\nIt’s ok to want to express individuality but not to the extent of totally destroying the definition of a real thing and making it hard for actual mentally Ill ppl to get a diagnosis. Why can’t people just accept that they’re different rather then giving themselves a label?", ">\n\npeople on TikTok claiming to have disorders that they don't doesn't affect the precision of psychiatrists diagnosing actual patients. There's no TikTok-said section in the DSM. Why do you think that it does?", ">\n\nIt just encourages more people to get diagnosed possibly skewing the meaning of the mental illness", ">\n\nSkewing it towards statistical accuracy? If people are actually diagnosed at higher rates, we have a better Guage of population-level mental illness, neurodivergency, etc. Better data is more usable, so that research actually means something actionable, ASIDE from the identity boost for young people.", ">\n\nI think what OP is driving at, but utterly failing to explain, is that they think that the fakers will be accommodated by the psychiatric system and diagnosed on the basis of fake symptoms. my sense is that isn't a problem but I don't have data.", ">\n\nDefinitely explained it a little better then I could lol", ">\n\nWhere do you see evidence of that? Any articles about fakers? How about a statistic? If not, it’s just a fear you seem to have.", ">\n\nI think the salient line here is this one:\n\nNeurologists were able to quickly determine that the subjects were not \nsuffering from Tourette's, but psychogenic tics driven by anxiety.", ">\n\nWomen are not born with less autism, but are much less likely to be diagnosed as children than boys. This is partly because boys generally have similar symptoms and behaviors. \nSo of course more women are self diagnosing autism, since their diagnoses were missed as children on a much higher rate.", ">\n\nAlright, I'm diagnosed OCD, PTSD, chronic depression. Diagnosed by a professional so I think I have some grounds to talk about this.\nFirst, let's tackle your women comment about autism. You see, I understand where you're coming from, but you lack the nuance of recognizing that mental illness, and illness in general, is heavily under-diagnosed in women. The medical culture is heavily favored towards men and is rampant with mysogyny, and that's not just me saying it as I've had medical professionals blatantly tell me it's a problem in the field when questioned about it. I've also had some tell me that it's just because women whine a lot, so yanno make of that statement what you will.\nNow that we've covered that let me address the self-diagnosing issue. So, do you want to know what my therapist thinks of self-diagnosing? Well, when I asked them about it they said that self-diagnosing is an important first step to seeking help. Psychiatrist said the same thing. It's normal, expected even, for people to self-diagnose their issues then seek help for them. You can't exactly just peer into someone's brain, no, that person has to tell you what they think is wrong and why they think it is. \nWhat you actually have a problem with is not self-diagnosis, but with people not seeking or not being able to get medical assistance and assuming they're right. You have a problem with people using these issues for attention, which I do too, but once again self-diagnosing is not the problem. Finally, you have a problem with the medical system that forces people into the position of trying to figure out their mental illnesses, but having no ability to get help for them.", ">\n\nI think I did it", ">\n\nSadly no lol, it was not done properly. Do you need a link to the rules?", ">\n\nI already read them i think I’ll figure it out in a bit sorry for the hold up", ">\n\nBecause everyone else is being aggressive: you have to comment with ∆ or !delta and then explain how your view has been changed", ">\n\nThis delta has been rejected. You can't award OP a delta.\nAllowing this would wrongly suggest that you can post here with the aim of convincing others.\nIf you were explaining when/how to award a delta, please use a reddit quote for the symbol next time.\n^Delta System Explained ^| ^Deltaboards", ">\n\nWhat gives you the authority or knowledge to know this is the problem?", ">\n\nYou don’t think it’s a problem that a lot of young ppl are willing to go to the extent of saying they are mentally Ill either for attention or to excuse their weirdness? Just accept that your different. It’s not wrong to believe you’re different without a label", ">\n\nYou did not even try to answer my question.", ">\n\nI’m sorry I was confused on what you meant", ">\n\nIf you are mad at people for self diagnosing themselves because they don't have the knowledge or authority to do so.... what gives you the knowledge or authority to diagnosis this as the problem behavior... basically are you just a kid that is annoyed, or is there some actual studies out there that is claiming this is a problem.", ">\n\nIf you don’t think that people consistently seeking attention for mental illness or craving a label so badly to justify themselves rather then being themselves. That just shows what your views are", ">\n\nDont you think we should leave the diagnosing to the professionals?", ">\n\nI mean yeah", ">\n\nWould you agree that you are diagnosing these people by saying that they are only seeking attention and do not have a real mental illness?", ">\n\nI’m assuming", ">\n\nThere may be some truth to people wanting to be different, however with mental illnesses being more accepted in today's society, many people are a lot more comfortable with being neurodivergent. Additionally, self diagnosis is common because the alternative is spending upwards to $1000-$2000 for a clinical diagnosis.", ">\n\nI know costs suck, but self diagnosis can be much more harmful. A web.md page that tells you your depressed when you may actually be bipolar can lead to really messed up results. I would even go as far as to say that no diagnosis at all is preferable to an uninformed one", ">\n\nWell.\n​\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad \n\nSo you already know why they're doing what they're doing in addition the fact that you know that they're not Autistic? If your claim is that they can't know and only a doctor can, what makes you more qualified? You start out your argument admitting that you have a bias.\n\nthey’re “neurodivergent.\n\nNeurodivergent is an umbrella that covers both Autism and ADHD, which sometimes get mistaken for each other. So if you're upset that they're self-diagnosing, this term should be more welcome than \"Autistic\" because it's more generalized.\n\nnd when you ask them how they know they’ll say “oh I have this weird tick when I uh laugh when someone says something funny “ or “I have a hyper fixation on this topic so I must be autistic\n\nHow else should they communicate it to you? The list of aspects of Autism, especially for how it presents in women, sounds a lot like this. You're not a doctor, they don't have to prove anything to you by going down the entire list of every possible part of their daily experience that might be on the spectrum.\n\nWomen statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nNope. Women are diagnosed less often than men because the original diagnostic criteria for Autism was for Autism as it presents in males. It presents differently for females and is harder to diagnose, especially at younger ages. \n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized\n\nTodays youth want to be victimized? Why would anyone want to be victimized? Something tells me you're missing the mark with this terminology.\n\nor have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. \n\nSo if someone is Autistic and that makes them weird, you'd rather them just be forced to not get to have a name for it, and get the therapeutic treatment that would help them?\n\nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really [are] without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nSome people are autistic. If they find out and it makes them feel good, that doesn't mean they're craving attention. And if they are craving attention, it's because they're normal people and everyone does. \nIf someone thinks they're autistic but it turns out they're actually not, chances are they suspected it for a reason. They might have ADHD, a personality disorder, a mental health issue, or simply a slightly different way of experiencing the world that feels unique to them and there's nothing wrong with that. \nYou seem to think that other people do things for you. People generally don't. They do things for themselves. This is especially true of people on the Autism Spectrum who may not be able to easily use other people's experiences to reference when constructing their view of the world, and can only use their own. Your interpretation wherein they do it to evoke a response from you says more about you than it does about them.", ">\n\nYou’re being deliberately obtuse. OP is completely correct. Most of the people these days who say “I’m ADHD” or “I’m autistic” or “I’m neurodivergent” are absolutely not diagnosed as such and are doing it to seem unique or get attention or as some excuse for why they did x y or z.", ">\n\nI'd like to point out that while some are perhaps attention seeking, many people self diagnose simply because they don't have access to free medical/psychological professionals to get proper diagnosis and help with their issues. I also know someone who doesn't want to get an official diagnosis because he's afrad it will affect his insurance rates or somehow come back to bite him if he's offically labeled with having a neurological disorder. \nThere is a wealth of knowledge on these subjects available online for those interested. And if they are truly interested in self diagnose they can likely do that accurately enough for all intents and purposes. Most of these people who search for the sake of better understanding themselves or their loved ones will openly admit that it's a self diagnoses, or say they THINK they have x,y, or z. But in some situations it's just as well to say they have it if they feel certain anyway, and it's just a passing comment, and not a discussion on the matter. \nIn other words, just because they self diagnose doesn't mean they're wrong, nor does it explain their motives. I also don't see how attention seeking (for those who ARE doing that) is really hurting anyone else. Fakers gonna be fake, that's more a \"them\" kind of problem. ANNOYING, but mostly harmless.", ">\n\nUnless you have a doctor's diagnosis you don't have the disorder. Even if you are broke there are programs to help with costs. \nAnd yes it does affect me when someone is treating me like shit and tries using the I have such and such as an excuse and then people get mad at ME for calling them in their bullshit.", ">\n\nNo. You have to have the disorder before you CAN be diagnosed, so obviously there are undiagnosed people who in fact \"have the disorder \". Your refusal to acknowledge an undiagnosed disorder does not mean they don't have it. Your personal experience with people supposedly using a fake diagnosis to treat you badly, sounds unusual. How do you know they DIDN'T have it? People who do lie and just want to be jerks will do that regardless of what methods they decide to try. The methods are irrelevant. And that motive is not typical of most self diagnosers .", ">\n\nSounds unusual? You must not get out a lot because it's become a pretty regular thing. Every single person I know (about 8) that have self diagnosed themselves as neurodivergent or with a mental illness like Bi-polar all use it to excuse their shitty ass behaviors. \nToo many disorders can mirror other ones. Just because they think they have 2/3 symptoms doesn't make them right by a long shot. Keep living in your bubble.", ">\n\nYou don't have to have a relationship with anyone. If they treat you badly, regardless of an official diagnosis or not, you don't have to tolerate them. It makes no difference what they have or don't have. What would it change if they got diagnosed and actually have it?", ">\n\nSelf diagnosing has been a thing forever\nAnd it's not a problem im 99% sure me or any other autistic person doesn't really give 2 fucks about people who wanna fake disorders. It doesn't stop us from getting help, we have doctors notes, medical files, sometimes even volunteers, you need those files to get into let's say a special education class, or a life skills course.\nSo unless you were diagnosed by a professional you're probably not gonna make it far faking it.\n(Excuse my shitty punctuation)", ">\n\nIt doesn’t bother you that they’re making others take the actual meaning away from what you were born with? I mean I’m sure autism hasn’t made your life easy and seeing ppl claim it for attention to be quirky probably has to annoy you a little right?", ">\n\nAt the end of the day I still have ADHD and I still need help with it. More people being diagnosed with it doesn’t change that fact. In fact I was diagnosed because I realized I related to so many tiktok memes, and I’m sure others are in my same boat. \nIn fact I think so many people talking about ADHD helps. It means more people who possibly have tips for me, people who are suffering who can’t afford treatment have an easy way to learn about how to improve their lives, and more people who are aware of my disorder.", ">\n\nI think people do diagnose themselves too often without seeking professional help. BUT mental illness is not the same as being neurodivergent.", ">\n\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad that they’ll go as far to say they’re “neurodivergent.”\n\nWhile this is the case, I don't really see how it's a \"problem\" per se. I guarantee that these people still make lifestyle decisions based on what they think is best, or based on what they want to do.\n\nbut it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women\n\nDo you have any statistics for that? I haven't experienced it that way in my own anecdotal experience, and I'd be curious to look into the data to see how much that truly does skew in that direction.\n\nwanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness \nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nI understand what you're trying to say here, but I don't really think these things are connected as much as you think they are. People see something wrong with themselves, so they either playfully or seriously consider the fact that it could be a condition that they have similar symptoms to. Not that it never happens, but just because someone categorizes themselves into a disability group that could potentially excuse their \"quirks\", doesn't mean they think that behavior is unacceptable in any way. People see a problem, and assume it's linked to this other issue that seems similar that they already know about.", ">\n\nI agree with the conclusion that self-diagnosis is a real issue, and I wouldn't be surprised if the data indicated it was on the rise. I wouldn't necessarily frame it as a simple desire to \"be victimized\" however. While it is purely speculation, I do believe there are a number of conditions which might lead towards a more frequent experience of symptoms associated with mental illness - a rising wealth gap, perpetual anxiety from a 24-hour news cycle, intensification of self-commodification, the student debt crisis in certain countries like the US, and so on. So people are experiencing symptoms like low energy, mood swings, etc. that can be associated with mental illness. The issue with self-diagnosis then becomes that it may correctly identify the symptom, but incorrectly identify the cause.\nThis video from the YouTuber HealthyGamerGG does a good job of explaining what some of the issues with self-diagnosis are, and for me it was a good starting place for thinking about this more. \nEDIT: I forgot this video literally starts with this same topic being brought up on this same subreddit lol", ">\n\nA great theory based on reasonable causes with an educational video from a psychologist(I assume) as evidence to back it up. I applaud you sir. 👏", ">\n\nWhy are you embarrassed by other people's issues?", ">\n\nI’m a 30yo male. If I had not first self diagnosed with ASD and OCD, I never would have found the language and resources to get a formal diagnosis and help.\nPrior generations have been so fixated on avoidance of diagnosing mental disorders, and research was previously so lacking that we are only just now (through those that do get diagnosed) realizing how common mental disorders are. That plus the lack of mental health resources for neurotypical and neurodivergent I think is how we end up in this situation of many recognizing their symptoms in the new discourse, but lacking the resources to overcome the barriers to proper diagnosis and treatment.", ">\n\nIt’s not the best thing, no. \nAs an adult FINALLY diagnosed (by a licensed therapist) at 41, I can tell you why ‘self diagnosis’ is so tempting. \nIn the US at least- mental health, and official medical diagnosis are almost completely inaccessible, especially as an adult. Most of us grew up before Autism was a spectrum, and ADHD was just boys who acted out in class. We felt like aliens. We couldn’t understand why we didn’t have many friends, or why we didn’t like the ‘right things’, and generally spend the bill of our lives feeling ‘wrong’, ‘broken’ or just simply like we didn’t belong. \nFinally understanding the WHY, and even better, finding tools to addresses our issues is a huge huge weight off the chest. The relief of having a name and a strategy- either therapy or medicine is such an amazing relief!!", ">\n\nI only kinda agree if I had not done my own research I would have never found out I have sjorgens syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis I know TikTok people tend to diagnose themselves and it makes it look cringe but when you live with a incurable illness sometimes you have to work to find a diagnosis", ">\n\nWell, what do you do of you absolutely know you're neurodivergent, but your parents decided not to get you checked? My mom once told me \"we knew you had something, we just didn't get you checked because they would have just put you on pills\". So I struggled with being different, socially unaware, impulsive, obnoxious, agressive, selfish, for the better part of my life without having the self awareness to understand why I was these things, and why people wouldn't want to be around me. \nIn my late 20''s I asked the question, what if I'm actually autistic? I looked up the symptoms, and 9/10 matched. As a child I couldn't handle loud noises, restrictive clothing, I didn't talk until I was 3. I would throw fits for seemingly no reason, I had obsessive interests. I've always really struggled with eye contact, and I never cared for conversation unless it was something I liked. I mean, when the final piece of a puzzle fits so incredibly well, it's really hard for it to be wrong. \nSelf diagnosing actually really helped me grow as aj individual. I became aware of all my divergent behaviors, and why it might be annoying for someone else to deal with. I came to the realization that I was the one who was different, therefore I needed to change. It's way harder to make everyone around you cater to your needs than to overcome the things that upset you. I'm at peace, I have good friends that I can connect with on a pretty deep level. I no longer smash coffee tables when I lose, I can now appreciate that if I lose it just means I have more to learn. I can keep my house clean, I can reasonably hold myself accountable. What exactly is the harm in all that?\nBesides, it would be pretty pointless for me to try and get a diagnosis now, I've put the effort in and largely come out the other side. Anyone diagnosing me would just say I was normal, but they wouldn't have the intimate knowledge of me that I do. I guess it doesn't matter if people don't believe me, I don't go around shouting that I'm autistic. I will say, it would be really nice if people appreciated the effort I put in to get to get to a place of normalcy, something others take for granted, but it's okay, we all have our struggles.", ">\n\nI feel you on all that. To play devil's advocate, mental healthcare in the U.S. is not cheap. Many people go to the internet and confirm their bias about their current health", ">\n\nI feel you on that too OP. I agree 100% with your entire statement.", ">\n\nIt's a problem, but not a new one. In the 1990s there was briefly a surge of people with a type of delusional parasitosis, that is, the false belief that they were infested with parasites. Except this one was supposedly an infestation with tiny fibres. They would come to doctors with a whole list of symptoms to back up their incorrect self-diagnosis.\nTo a certain extent, these are social contagions, which come and go, and often actually end up leading to people having real problems. Like, the young women you mention, a couple of decades ago may well have ended up with anorexia, or self-cutting. These days it might be a self-declaration of autism or a belief that they have gender dysphoria or that they have multiple systems living in their minds.", ">\n\nWow I did not know that. Maybe it’s just so prevalent today due to social media. Social media has only made these things worse imo", ">\n\nEven before it being self diagnosis of a mental illness it was always something. Remember all the emo and goth teenager?", ">\n\nIt depends on the context. For example, if they've done a substantial amount of research, can name a good amount of symptoms they have and reasons they have whatever mental illness and don't have access to the necessary tools to get a medical diagnosis, it's totally different. Some people don't have the money to go out and get a diagnosis, or sometimes it would be better to not get a medical diagnosis. I believe that the reason that a lot of people self diagnose themselves with things like Autism is because they want an explanation as to why they are different, and they could be right or wrong. I think the most important part is that if you go to a psychologist (or even two, I know a lot of people prefer getting second opinions) and they say you don't have it, that you need to admit you were wrong. It's ok to be wrong about your mental health, and the key is to keep looking and to not give up. I can completely understand the frustration in people completely missing how difficult it actually may be to have a mental illness. I was clinically diagnosed with Depression, Anxiety, and PTSD when I was seven, and I've had some experience with people faking mental disorders for attention, and more often then not, they have another mental disorder that needs attention. Recently I had a (now ex) boyfriend insist he had PTSD after being tested twice and the psychiatrist saying that he didn't have it. What he does have is Depression and Anxiety, but he absolutely insisted he has PTSD despite never exhibiting symptoms and the only evidence being a test he took online that was supposedly a \"real PTSD test.\" People faking mental illnesses only harms people who really have them, as these people tend to exaggerate symptoms and use their self diagnosis for attention. I believe that I am autistic, but I don't list it as a diagnosis because while I have read articles and taken the RAADS-r test, I don't have an official diagnosis, and I could very well be wrong. As for women faking illnesses more often, something I've noticed is that things like Autism, ADHD, ADD, etc are more often diagnosed in boys rather than girls- mostly because when they were first discovered, most of the research was done in boys. Autism shows up differently in girls, and can often be blown off as early puberty hormones. If their hyperfixations are those of stereotypical feminine things, it's just a girl liking whatever, and if they hyperfixate in stereotypical masculine interests, they tend to just be viewed as weird, but not autistic. It's normal for people to question, but I agree that to a certain point, self diagnosis can be harmful, but only if not done correctly.", ">\n\nFirst and foremost not a new problem at all, very common, we used to call it \"Being a hypochondriac\" until it aparrently became reconized which in it self is confusing and a bit contradictory.\nANYWAY\nIt isnt really a problem, no doctor is gonna write the perscription for medication without a diagnosis of some sort.\nAt most there is the vauge \"But what about those who actually have it who arent taken serious\" dont worry, we wouldnt have anyway. Thats kinda how invisible illnesses work.\nOverall the 101 hypochondriacs screaming about the symptoms they read in the ICD might help make the knowledge more common and help people better reconize if their colleagues or friends happen to show symptoms of something.", ">\n\nIt’s pretty expensive in the US to get diagnosed. Personally, I’ve self diagnosed myself out of frustration of the way I process things. I’ve always felt slow & my anxiety/depression was deep because of it, but I was raised in a family that doesn’t believe in mental illness. It was always “if you work hard enough, all your problems will go away”. Meanwhile, i was racking my brain on how to make myself think faster/smarter & it would result in psychotic episodes. I’ve gotten fired from jobs, dropped out of school. I started self harming because I hated myself and my brain & almost commit suicide bc I had no idea what was going on.\nThe relief I felt once I finally got a therapist who validated me & was the first to talk to me about mental Illness. It blew my mind and all of a sudden things actually made sense to me. I currently think I have ADD, and sometimes I’ll tell people that but will preface it by saying I’m not professionally diagnosed. Still, I use mental tools that help me get through the day and build my confidence. I’m a lot better at processing conversations, making lists that help me remember things, unmasking, slowing down my thoughts… etc. I’m less frustrated and can see the beauty in how I process things. I still want to get diagnosed but I have to get health insurance….. lol", ">\n\nSelf diagnosis, regardless of being factual is a process where the individual realizes that they might have a mental health issue. People who can do this are more likely to seek professional help compared to the people who think they are “fine”. Going to a professional, licensed psychologist or a psychiatrist will eventually diagnose them with the correct disorder from there, and professionals have the skills to communicate with them and they can together evaluate if the person’s complaint is the issue or not. There is nothing embarrassing about discovering one’s self. It would be a problem if people would identify with an issue and don’t have any willingness to seek help. Sometimes overreacting is better than not reacting.", ">\n\nThe majority of people who are self-diagnosed with autism have done extensive research into it to come to that conclusion. I personally went through the DSM criteria with a fine-tooth comb, made a list of all the ways I met it and discovered that there’s not a single criteria i don’t meet for autism. I didn’t read about anything else but autism for weeks, approaching it from all angles before coming to the conclusion that it’s highly unlikely I am not autistic. I’m waiting to hear back about an assessment, but I’m not waiting to go and be told something I already know before I start advocating for myself. \nOh, and I absolutely did not want to be ‘different’, in fact my life mission to just blend in and be average is the root cause of most of my problems, but here we are.", ">\n\nThis self diagnosing young people do isn’t the problem. The problem is that our society encourages it.\nOur culture is not set up to accommodate a wide spectrum of human needs. You may need things that I don’t. I may need things that you don’t. But in most business settings, academic settings, or even places like restaurants or leisure places, the world isn’t built to accommodate everyone. Our world and society is a “one size fits all” approach, and most people don’t fit snugly inside of that system. \nIf you can classify what is “wrong” or “different” about you into an easily digestible form, people are generally more able and more willing to accommodate you.\nFor example: if I tell my coworkers that I need to leave work early because of a headache, I’ll be shamed for it. And in some cases I’ll be told that “headaches aren’t that bad!” Or “You don’t need to leave.” Or “I have a headache too, just deal with it!”\nBut if I tell my workers that I need to leave due to a painful neurological condition that’s flaring up (I have chronic migraine, which is a neurological condition), they will respect it 100% of the time. It’s met with sympathy and not criticism.\nThis happens for all sorts of things. “Sorry Im late, I slept in.” Sounds a lot worse then, “sorry I’m late, my insomnia has been terrible lately.” \nOur culture forces us to use these labels even when they’re untrue just to receive sympathy or acceptance. The problem isn’t people who decide to use these labels, the root problem is that our society refuses to embrace and accommodate people who are outside of the “norm.”", ">\n\nSpeaking as someone who's had an autism diagnosis since age 7: if someone declares they're autistic when they're not, that's obnoxious at worst. If someone is told they're not autistic when they are, that can cause lifelong harm from denied care and understanding. I have seen this happen to a close friend of mine.\nTherefore, I'd much rather err on the side of acceptance. If you think you're defending me and others like me from impersonators, we'd rather not have your help.\n\nI know people will disagree but it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women. Women statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nCase in point: women are diagnosed with autism far less than men. Recent studies have pointed to decades of systematic misdiagnosis. The more visible autistic symptoms sometimes manifest differently in girls, the way they're socialized may help them hide it from a young age, and of course lots of doctors just say \"your daughter can't be autistic, that's a boy thing.\"\nWe're learning that there are hundreds of thousands of autistic women who slipped through the cracks and were denied the recognition and support they needed because of dismissive, gatekeeping attitudes just like yours.", ">\n\nThere’s a difference between having a disorder and relating to a disorder. If the tools or language associated with a disorder helps someone live better though then cool, it’s all still odd. Also autism presents differently in woman, and a majority of our research on it is on men. Best practice is probably to support them and encourage them to seek treatment.", ">\n\nAutism is severely misdiagnosed in women. Completely under diagnosed. Actually, plenty of things are. The actual problem that we have is parents refusing to let their children get professional help or a diagnosis. Most doctors will diagnose you with BPD as a woman(aka the new female hysteria of our century), maybe put you on some anti psychotics and send you your way. In most countries, a diagnosis/specialist is not readily available, or there is a long waiting list. Even so, the doctors are not know it all. I have seen plenty of doctors, I got different diagnosis almost each time. They ask you some general questions (about your mood, the way you sleep, if you can concentrate, if you harm yourself, if you have suicidal ideation, if you can socialize properly, if your parents were diagnosed with anything, if you have hallucinations or delusions, the works) and then based on that, they will give you a diagnosis. If you use your common sense and information on the internet (given you are knowledgeable on the subject), you can take a good guess on what's wrong. Obviously, some people will exaggerate like with anything (seeing the shadow dude once in your childhood is not a sign of psychosis, neither is hearing your name called when you are alone once in a blue moon), but if you have visual and auditory hallucinations, perhaps weird tactile feelings/hallucinations (spiders are crawling on me, etc), delusions, tend to be forgetful and out of teach with reality, there is a good chance you do have psychosis.", ">\n\nOkay, to start: what do you think autism and ADHD are? They aren't mental illnesses nor are they mental health conditions. \nTo address some of your other points; \nStudies have shown that autism has a gender expression of 1:1. The only reason that women are under diagnosed is because of misunderstandings towards autism, then the diagnosis is conducted incorrectly. Thus it ends up getting conflated with mental illness, E.G BPD, and is diagnosed as a psychiatric disorder instead. This is a detriment to the patient as the care regimes are black and white different. Often times this severely damages the woman.\nFrom data sets that I recall reading, malingering hasn't risen much, if at all, in recent times. I remember it being around 8% of the global population who are engaging in this behaviour, to different extents. I think what's happened is that social media has turned a torch onto it and it's risen in popularity in an algorithmic way. You see it more because it's pushed by the algorithm more because people are searching for it more. It isn't actually occurring any more or less than historically. Most of that attention is negative attention, I should add. \nSo there's two things to take away from that.\n1) The actual act of pretending to be mentally ill, or to have a disability, which is called malingering, is in fact a form of mental unwellness itself. It's a cry for help. The people who do these things are usually very unstable and should be treated with a degree of empathy. The dangerous types who are using mental illness to scam others, or to manipulate them, make up a very small percentage of the overall amount of people in that group and tend to abuse one on one. \n2) The predominant response to this is generally negative. There isn't really any reason to publicly malinger unless you're unstable, this is because a rational person would likely know this, and know the damage it would cause themselves. Self-diagnosis is a very long, and self-aware, process that takes place over years of the individuals life, and proceeds official diagnosis. \nNo one SDs and says \"Okay that's it now! Let me start a TikTok!\" You'd still want support, and you'd still seek support. So that would end up with a doctor, who would see that you're lying, and treat you for whatever was prompting you to malinger. Anyone who has made this commitment knows that keeping it private is a sensible thing to do in a world that isn't inclusive, and often very stigmatising. Sometimes official diagnosis can take YEARS. \nThis kind of propaganda has been going around for a long time in an effort to discredit disabled people and people with mental illnesses. It's not new. People said the same things back in the 90s. People will always be afraid, and dismissive, of things they do not understand. I invite you to try and understand.", ">\n\nI self-diagnosed myself with endometriosis for 10 years before a doctor finally listened to me, opened me up, and found my insides littered with lesions all over my organs. I’m now not able to get pregnant and I might need to get part of my bowel taken out someday. This could’ve been avoided if someone had just listened to me when I was 16. \nSelf-diagnosing is a necessity in a misogynist world! No one takes us seriously! Especially medical professionals. \nThe best antidote for this is to listen to women who self-diagnose. Why do they think they have XYZ? Is it heavily interfering with their life? I think that’s a much larger problem.", ">\n\nIts been proven that there is a bias to diagnose as opposed to not diagnose a mental illness in psychology. So op is actually kinda correct. The definition of a mental illness is in effect being stretched so far that people who are just kinda weird are being diagnosed with \"on the spectrum\". This is actually causing a problem in early learning because parents start treating their kids as essentially learning challenged when they're really not. So it is starting to become an excuse ...", ">\n\nWe live in a society that loves to medicate people. I know it’s different but Did ppl forget about the opioid epidemic? They’ll diagnose your ass with anything if they can", ">\n\nYa I tend to agree. And no one is really saying so I will I guess, but id wager that 50% of psychologist \"professionals\" are totally full of shit. The actual number of psychologists that are are doing real research and clinical studies is EXTREMELY small compared to how many \"psychologists\" are out there. Just like chiropractors, half of them are hacks..", ">\n\nAnd ill say one more thing, though it is anecdotal, but i have direct family that works in special education for young children, and that system is fucked with a capital F. Thay are constantly fighting against parents and programs who try to box kids in the \"autistic\" zone, when they are just really quite or shy, or have pee problems. But parents want an excuse and reason for their behavior, and reduce them to a sub standard education and treatment for the rest of their lives. It's heart breaking. Especially in public schools.", ">\n\nI’m 32 years old. \nI didn’t self diagnose for attention although I remember the days of tumblr where everyone self diagnosed for clout.\nIt took me a decade to realize what is really happening. During the decade before I realized what may have been happening I was told the following:\nI’m rude\nI’m bossy\nI have a RBF/I look mad\nI also only managed to make my first real friend at age 27.\nWhat I was really displaying was:\nBeing overly blunt and just trying to get my point across came off rude when I didn’t intend it to be that way\nTrying to have things done at a certain time and way that no one else thought was important to follow\nUnmasking\nNoticed other things too that I just thought was me being weird:\nVocal stimming\nOral stimming-chewing, smoking, vaping\nRepetitive motions\nRocking\nEasily overwhelmed by too much sensory input\nHigh startle reflex \nInability to regulate my body’s needs-I don’t know I’m hungry until I’m ravenous; don’t recognize the need to use the bathroom until it’s causing me to rush off, don’t realize I’m cold until I’m shaking\nI could go on.\nI want an assessment so bad. But assessments for adults are EXTREMELY hard to setup, if you can even set them up at all. Some states don’t even offer them. I’ve been looking but they are only for children and seem to look for severe cases.\n14 years of thinking I was just a bitch who couldn’t make friends because I was too weird…turns out it might be autism. And turns out I’ll most likely never get a true diagnosis. But the RAADS test gave me a 127 score so that might be the closest I’ll ever get.", ">\n\ni kind of self diagnosed autism? i’ve been to many psychiatrists and therapists for years and they always see adhd in the half an hour and prescribe meds for that, which makes me not go there again. if they dug a little deeper they could have seen autism, i spoke to my current psychiatrist about if its possible i have it, she didn’t want to confirm or deny as i was moving out of state from friends and family and am at an age where i can have kids in the next 10 years since she doesn’t want me being concerned for them. \nI think there’s still lots of stigma around autism even with professionals and especially when identifying it in women. \nI don’t want to be autistic, but i can recognise a lot of different patterns comparing myself and others. I’ve researched it a ton especially in how it shows in women compared to men and in all the articles i found myself relating.\nNow i don’t say im autistic, i say im a little sus of being it tho lmao. and try pass it off casually. I find it’s a lot easier for me to understand and embrace my differences compared to trying to hide it and try be like everyone else or wonder why im not like everyone else. \nBeing older i can also recognise how a lot of my family on one side have suffered mentally and because of obvious neurodivergence. so im pretty sure, like the rest of my mentally challenged brain, has been inherited genetically through that side. \nAll that being said. I self diagnosed when i was about 12 that im highly likely to be depressed and anxious in attempt to get my mom to believe me i needed help, and now 8 years later i can identify that this has been an issue forever for me and that i likely cannot go off my meds because i will just go back to how i used to be. Im still ocd with all my meds, but its better than being anxious and depressed all the time, Having ocd throughout the day is like heaven to me in comparison to how i used to be. obviously the ocd isnt new, just a lot more heard in my brain now.", ">\n\nOk, I know some people self diagnoze themselves with [insert some mental illness here] out of attention or whatever, and that's totally not ok.\nHowever, if you read all the symptoms and do proper research on a mental illness and everything clicks in to you, I'd say you can be fairly confident on a self diagnosis (although, it might be worth it to double check with a professional, especially if you want any sort of treatment). But also for some people, it might not be affordable to go to a professional..." ]

[ "The diagnosis process for a lot of psychiatric conditions are surveys and questionaires. You can go to a psychiatrist and ask if you're anxious and they'll give you multiple choice questions and diagnose off of that. Or you can just google the form yourself and self diagnose. A lot of psychiatric disorders are about how we feel and think. Not about sending off some blood sample to a lab and getting a positive result come back.\n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. For such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nWhat you're describing are all neuroses that could indicate some deeper psychiatric condition. Whether a person has a mental health condition or not, thinking of ourselves as weak victims is never helpful in any context, yet it's something we all feel from time to time.\nI'm a disability support worker, so when someone tells me they've got a self diagnosed condition, it's not offensive to me or any disabled person I know, it doesn't come across like they're invalidating anyone else's condition. However I do think everyone should talk to a doctor about any condition they feel they might have.", ">\n\nPiggybacking off of this: You’ve spent your whole entire life inside your own brain. A therapist will spend a period of hours with you and give you a diagnosis. Who do you think knows your personal reality better than yourself?", ">\n\nYeah exactly, especially with conditions such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, PTSD, and many other psychiatric conditions. These are things people know they have even before they get a diagnosis. The diagnosis stage is more about treatment and management.\nPeople might be unaware of how severe or mild their condition is, some people think they have only mild PTSD despite constant nightmares and suicidal ideation. Some people will think they have severe ADHD because they can't concentrate for long times on things that don't interest them. It's good to get some perspective from experts but ultimately people know when they are struggling to focus or to struggling to stop stressing all the time or struggling to not be miserable. Struggling with our thoughts and feelings is evidence enough to self diagnose.", ">\n\nI was recently diagnosed with ADHD as a woman so I find this viewpoint interesting.\nFirstly, autism is not a mental illness. An autistic person may have mental illness in conjunction with autism, but autism alone lies under the neurodivergent umbrella. Neurodivergency can include autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and other similar conditions.\nWhy women are often underdiagnosed\nThese are serious disabilities that can really impede a person's life, especially if they struggle to find help and acceptance in their community. A lot of women start their journey towards diagnosis later in life due to a number of factors such as:\n\nPoor diagnostic tools and inexperienced professionals\nA misunderstanding that autism and ADHD are more common in boys\nAdvanced masking techniques to cover their 'traits'\n\nWhy women are often diagnosed later in life.\nThe process for many women and men who are diagnosed later in life often includes a level of burnout or breakdown. After a while everything becomes too much, the mask begins to slip and your traits go into overdrive.\nWhy does self-diagnosing seem to be on the rise?\nA common way of finding out you could possibly be neurodivergent is through media and people who are aware of these traits appear.\nIn the past few years, I have seen an increasing awareness of neurodivergence in women pop up in the media. This is useful for people like myself who had no idea wtf was wrong with them for a very long time. For me, a GP actually suggested I seek a diagnosis due to some struggles I was going through.\nAs someone who went through this process self-diagnosing is commonly the first step as an adult. You might be directed to a questionnaire and are asked to evaluate yourself and your experiences thinking back to your childhood. If there's some merit in your experiences than you move to the next step which involves seeking a professional. Waitlists are often months to years long so many people live in limbo for a long time.\nMethods of living with ADHD can help everyone. And everyone experiences ADHD traits from time to time. Given a large amount of stress we have all suffered collectively, I don't doubt there are a lot of people with increased mental health issues that mirror neurodivergent traits. Some mental illnesses can get very severe and alter your brain chemistry and behaviour.\nMy takeaway from this is that the mental health systems set up to assist these people are a much larger issue and cause for serious concern than self-diagnosing.\nApologies for the spelling and grammar errors. Grammarly and Reddit don't play nice.", ">\n\nI think it's two things. One, people have identity crises, especially teenagers. We all know that type of person who tries on identities like hats. That's pretty embarrassing. You usually grow out of that.\nTwo, from personal experience, giving yourself a label or a diagnosis makes it feel more contained and easy to communicate. It's easier to tell someone that you have X and have them understand what you're going through rather than telling them you have these vague symptoms resembling what you imagine X is like. In that respect, it is pretty understandable, possibly good, and not embarrassing. There's something that is sort of reassuring if you can finally get a word to put on what you're experiencing.\nPeople often sympathize with the diagnosis but not with the symptoms. Tell people at work you're autistic and they will sympathize with you and possibly not attack you. Tell them you do not understand social cues and they will probably just make fun of you.", ">\n\nI understand the desire to put a label with a disease, and this is not necessarily bad, but the diagnosis needs to be correct. If you want to tell others that you are autistic or depressed; you must actually be those things. A person can almost never correctly assertion their disease, only their symptoms. People might better understand you if you say your autistic, but you may incorrectly understand and describe yourself. If one wishes to put a name with symptoms, they should find a doctor to pick the label", ">\n\nfor sure but unfortunately our medical system is a joke and even if you are experiencing very severe symptoms it can be nearly impossible to see a professional or take months on a waiting list.\nEven then a professional may be reluctant to slap a label on you for fear of what the consequences of that might be. I saw someone for a very long time who resisted any sort of actual diagnosis because the truth is that what I was experiencing didn't fit neatly into any of the boxes and pretty much belonged in this vague \"other\" category which isn't particularly helpful. Not to mention that misdiagnosis happens all the time even by professionals. \nI just think it is sort of understandable because I think a lot of stuff is kind of a spectrum anyway and just different levels of severity. Things can be really confusing and hard to nail down and thus communicate in a way that causes someone else to be understanding rather than judgemental.", ">\n\nAre you under the impression this is a new phenomenon? Because it's definitely not.\nPeople - especially young people! - crave identity. The world is a confusing place, knowing who you are makes it a little easier. Sometimes it's self-diagnosing mental illness or learning disabilities, or exploring sexual identity, or cliques, or subcultures. There's nothing embarrassing about it, it just is what it is.", ">\n\nIt’s ok to want to express individuality but not to the extent of totally destroying the definition of a real thing and making it hard for actual mentally Ill ppl to get a diagnosis. Why can’t people just accept that they’re different rather then giving themselves a label?", ">\n\npeople on TikTok claiming to have disorders that they don't doesn't affect the precision of psychiatrists diagnosing actual patients. There's no TikTok-said section in the DSM. Why do you think that it does?", ">\n\nIt just encourages more people to get diagnosed possibly skewing the meaning of the mental illness", ">\n\nSkewing it towards statistical accuracy? If people are actually diagnosed at higher rates, we have a better Guage of population-level mental illness, neurodivergency, etc. Better data is more usable, so that research actually means something actionable, ASIDE from the identity boost for young people.", ">\n\nI think what OP is driving at, but utterly failing to explain, is that they think that the fakers will be accommodated by the psychiatric system and diagnosed on the basis of fake symptoms. my sense is that isn't a problem but I don't have data.", ">\n\nDefinitely explained it a little better then I could lol", ">\n\nWhere do you see evidence of that? Any articles about fakers? How about a statistic? If not, it’s just a fear you seem to have.", ">\n\nI think the salient line here is this one:\n\nNeurologists were able to quickly determine that the subjects were not \nsuffering from Tourette's, but psychogenic tics driven by anxiety.", ">\n\nWomen are not born with less autism, but are much less likely to be diagnosed as children than boys. This is partly because boys generally have similar symptoms and behaviors. \nSo of course more women are self diagnosing autism, since their diagnoses were missed as children on a much higher rate.", ">\n\nAlright, I'm diagnosed OCD, PTSD, chronic depression. Diagnosed by a professional so I think I have some grounds to talk about this.\nFirst, let's tackle your women comment about autism. You see, I understand where you're coming from, but you lack the nuance of recognizing that mental illness, and illness in general, is heavily under-diagnosed in women. The medical culture is heavily favored towards men and is rampant with mysogyny, and that's not just me saying it as I've had medical professionals blatantly tell me it's a problem in the field when questioned about it. I've also had some tell me that it's just because women whine a lot, so yanno make of that statement what you will.\nNow that we've covered that let me address the self-diagnosing issue. So, do you want to know what my therapist thinks of self-diagnosing? Well, when I asked them about it they said that self-diagnosing is an important first step to seeking help. Psychiatrist said the same thing. It's normal, expected even, for people to self-diagnose their issues then seek help for them. You can't exactly just peer into someone's brain, no, that person has to tell you what they think is wrong and why they think it is. \nWhat you actually have a problem with is not self-diagnosis, but with people not seeking or not being able to get medical assistance and assuming they're right. You have a problem with people using these issues for attention, which I do too, but once again self-diagnosing is not the problem. Finally, you have a problem with the medical system that forces people into the position of trying to figure out their mental illnesses, but having no ability to get help for them.", ">\n\nI think I did it", ">\n\nSadly no lol, it was not done properly. Do you need a link to the rules?", ">\n\nI already read them i think I’ll figure it out in a bit sorry for the hold up", ">\n\nBecause everyone else is being aggressive: you have to comment with ∆ or !delta and then explain how your view has been changed", ">\n\nThis delta has been rejected. You can't award OP a delta.\nAllowing this would wrongly suggest that you can post here with the aim of convincing others.\nIf you were explaining when/how to award a delta, please use a reddit quote for the symbol next time.\n^Delta System Explained ^| ^Deltaboards", ">\n\nWhat gives you the authority or knowledge to know this is the problem?", ">\n\nYou don’t think it’s a problem that a lot of young ppl are willing to go to the extent of saying they are mentally Ill either for attention or to excuse their weirdness? Just accept that your different. It’s not wrong to believe you’re different without a label", ">\n\nYou did not even try to answer my question.", ">\n\nI’m sorry I was confused on what you meant", ">\n\nIf you are mad at people for self diagnosing themselves because they don't have the knowledge or authority to do so.... what gives you the knowledge or authority to diagnosis this as the problem behavior... basically are you just a kid that is annoyed, or is there some actual studies out there that is claiming this is a problem.", ">\n\nIf you don’t think that people consistently seeking attention for mental illness or craving a label so badly to justify themselves rather then being themselves. That just shows what your views are", ">\n\nDont you think we should leave the diagnosing to the professionals?", ">\n\nI mean yeah", ">\n\nWould you agree that you are diagnosing these people by saying that they are only seeking attention and do not have a real mental illness?", ">\n\nI’m assuming", ">\n\nThere may be some truth to people wanting to be different, however with mental illnesses being more accepted in today's society, many people are a lot more comfortable with being neurodivergent. Additionally, self diagnosis is common because the alternative is spending upwards to $1000-$2000 for a clinical diagnosis.", ">\n\nI know costs suck, but self diagnosis can be much more harmful. A web.md page that tells you your depressed when you may actually be bipolar can lead to really messed up results. I would even go as far as to say that no diagnosis at all is preferable to an uninformed one", ">\n\nWell.\n​\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad \n\nSo you already know why they're doing what they're doing in addition the fact that you know that they're not Autistic? If your claim is that they can't know and only a doctor can, what makes you more qualified? You start out your argument admitting that you have a bias.\n\nthey’re “neurodivergent.\n\nNeurodivergent is an umbrella that covers both Autism and ADHD, which sometimes get mistaken for each other. So if you're upset that they're self-diagnosing, this term should be more welcome than \"Autistic\" because it's more generalized.\n\nnd when you ask them how they know they’ll say “oh I have this weird tick when I uh laugh when someone says something funny “ or “I have a hyper fixation on this topic so I must be autistic\n\nHow else should they communicate it to you? The list of aspects of Autism, especially for how it presents in women, sounds a lot like this. You're not a doctor, they don't have to prove anything to you by going down the entire list of every possible part of their daily experience that might be on the spectrum.\n\nWomen statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nNope. Women are diagnosed less often than men because the original diagnostic criteria for Autism was for Autism as it presents in males. It presents differently for females and is harder to diagnose, especially at younger ages. \n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized\n\nTodays youth want to be victimized? Why would anyone want to be victimized? Something tells me you're missing the mark with this terminology.\n\nor have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. \n\nSo if someone is Autistic and that makes them weird, you'd rather them just be forced to not get to have a name for it, and get the therapeutic treatment that would help them?\n\nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really [are] without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nSome people are autistic. If they find out and it makes them feel good, that doesn't mean they're craving attention. And if they are craving attention, it's because they're normal people and everyone does. \nIf someone thinks they're autistic but it turns out they're actually not, chances are they suspected it for a reason. They might have ADHD, a personality disorder, a mental health issue, or simply a slightly different way of experiencing the world that feels unique to them and there's nothing wrong with that. \nYou seem to think that other people do things for you. People generally don't. They do things for themselves. This is especially true of people on the Autism Spectrum who may not be able to easily use other people's experiences to reference when constructing their view of the world, and can only use their own. Your interpretation wherein they do it to evoke a response from you says more about you than it does about them.", ">\n\nYou’re being deliberately obtuse. OP is completely correct. Most of the people these days who say “I’m ADHD” or “I’m autistic” or “I’m neurodivergent” are absolutely not diagnosed as such and are doing it to seem unique or get attention or as some excuse for why they did x y or z.", ">\n\nI'd like to point out that while some are perhaps attention seeking, many people self diagnose simply because they don't have access to free medical/psychological professionals to get proper diagnosis and help with their issues. I also know someone who doesn't want to get an official diagnosis because he's afrad it will affect his insurance rates or somehow come back to bite him if he's offically labeled with having a neurological disorder. \nThere is a wealth of knowledge on these subjects available online for those interested. And if they are truly interested in self diagnose they can likely do that accurately enough for all intents and purposes. Most of these people who search for the sake of better understanding themselves or their loved ones will openly admit that it's a self diagnoses, or say they THINK they have x,y, or z. But in some situations it's just as well to say they have it if they feel certain anyway, and it's just a passing comment, and not a discussion on the matter. \nIn other words, just because they self diagnose doesn't mean they're wrong, nor does it explain their motives. I also don't see how attention seeking (for those who ARE doing that) is really hurting anyone else. Fakers gonna be fake, that's more a \"them\" kind of problem. ANNOYING, but mostly harmless.", ">\n\nUnless you have a doctor's diagnosis you don't have the disorder. Even if you are broke there are programs to help with costs. \nAnd yes it does affect me when someone is treating me like shit and tries using the I have such and such as an excuse and then people get mad at ME for calling them in their bullshit.", ">\n\nNo. You have to have the disorder before you CAN be diagnosed, so obviously there are undiagnosed people who in fact \"have the disorder \". Your refusal to acknowledge an undiagnosed disorder does not mean they don't have it. Your personal experience with people supposedly using a fake diagnosis to treat you badly, sounds unusual. How do you know they DIDN'T have it? People who do lie and just want to be jerks will do that regardless of what methods they decide to try. The methods are irrelevant. And that motive is not typical of most self diagnosers .", ">\n\nSounds unusual? You must not get out a lot because it's become a pretty regular thing. Every single person I know (about 8) that have self diagnosed themselves as neurodivergent or with a mental illness like Bi-polar all use it to excuse their shitty ass behaviors. \nToo many disorders can mirror other ones. Just because they think they have 2/3 symptoms doesn't make them right by a long shot. Keep living in your bubble.", ">\n\nYou don't have to have a relationship with anyone. If they treat you badly, regardless of an official diagnosis or not, you don't have to tolerate them. It makes no difference what they have or don't have. What would it change if they got diagnosed and actually have it?", ">\n\nSelf diagnosing has been a thing forever\nAnd it's not a problem im 99% sure me or any other autistic person doesn't really give 2 fucks about people who wanna fake disorders. It doesn't stop us from getting help, we have doctors notes, medical files, sometimes even volunteers, you need those files to get into let's say a special education class, or a life skills course.\nSo unless you were diagnosed by a professional you're probably not gonna make it far faking it.\n(Excuse my shitty punctuation)", ">\n\nIt doesn’t bother you that they’re making others take the actual meaning away from what you were born with? I mean I’m sure autism hasn’t made your life easy and seeing ppl claim it for attention to be quirky probably has to annoy you a little right?", ">\n\nAt the end of the day I still have ADHD and I still need help with it. More people being diagnosed with it doesn’t change that fact. In fact I was diagnosed because I realized I related to so many tiktok memes, and I’m sure others are in my same boat. \nIn fact I think so many people talking about ADHD helps. It means more people who possibly have tips for me, people who are suffering who can’t afford treatment have an easy way to learn about how to improve their lives, and more people who are aware of my disorder.", ">\n\nI think people do diagnose themselves too often without seeking professional help. BUT mental illness is not the same as being neurodivergent.", ">\n\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad that they’ll go as far to say they’re “neurodivergent.”\n\nWhile this is the case, I don't really see how it's a \"problem\" per se. I guarantee that these people still make lifestyle decisions based on what they think is best, or based on what they want to do.\n\nbut it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women\n\nDo you have any statistics for that? I haven't experienced it that way in my own anecdotal experience, and I'd be curious to look into the data to see how much that truly does skew in that direction.\n\nwanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness \nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nI understand what you're trying to say here, but I don't really think these things are connected as much as you think they are. People see something wrong with themselves, so they either playfully or seriously consider the fact that it could be a condition that they have similar symptoms to. Not that it never happens, but just because someone categorizes themselves into a disability group that could potentially excuse their \"quirks\", doesn't mean they think that behavior is unacceptable in any way. People see a problem, and assume it's linked to this other issue that seems similar that they already know about.", ">\n\nI agree with the conclusion that self-diagnosis is a real issue, and I wouldn't be surprised if the data indicated it was on the rise. I wouldn't necessarily frame it as a simple desire to \"be victimized\" however. While it is purely speculation, I do believe there are a number of conditions which might lead towards a more frequent experience of symptoms associated with mental illness - a rising wealth gap, perpetual anxiety from a 24-hour news cycle, intensification of self-commodification, the student debt crisis in certain countries like the US, and so on. So people are experiencing symptoms like low energy, mood swings, etc. that can be associated with mental illness. The issue with self-diagnosis then becomes that it may correctly identify the symptom, but incorrectly identify the cause.\nThis video from the YouTuber HealthyGamerGG does a good job of explaining what some of the issues with self-diagnosis are, and for me it was a good starting place for thinking about this more. \nEDIT: I forgot this video literally starts with this same topic being brought up on this same subreddit lol", ">\n\nA great theory based on reasonable causes with an educational video from a psychologist(I assume) as evidence to back it up. I applaud you sir. 👏", ">\n\nWhy are you embarrassed by other people's issues?", ">\n\nI’m a 30yo male. If I had not first self diagnosed with ASD and OCD, I never would have found the language and resources to get a formal diagnosis and help.\nPrior generations have been so fixated on avoidance of diagnosing mental disorders, and research was previously so lacking that we are only just now (through those that do get diagnosed) realizing how common mental disorders are. That plus the lack of mental health resources for neurotypical and neurodivergent I think is how we end up in this situation of many recognizing their symptoms in the new discourse, but lacking the resources to overcome the barriers to proper diagnosis and treatment.", ">\n\nIt’s not the best thing, no. \nAs an adult FINALLY diagnosed (by a licensed therapist) at 41, I can tell you why ‘self diagnosis’ is so tempting. \nIn the US at least- mental health, and official medical diagnosis are almost completely inaccessible, especially as an adult. Most of us grew up before Autism was a spectrum, and ADHD was just boys who acted out in class. We felt like aliens. We couldn’t understand why we didn’t have many friends, or why we didn’t like the ‘right things’, and generally spend the bill of our lives feeling ‘wrong’, ‘broken’ or just simply like we didn’t belong. \nFinally understanding the WHY, and even better, finding tools to addresses our issues is a huge huge weight off the chest. The relief of having a name and a strategy- either therapy or medicine is such an amazing relief!!", ">\n\nI only kinda agree if I had not done my own research I would have never found out I have sjorgens syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis I know TikTok people tend to diagnose themselves and it makes it look cringe but when you live with a incurable illness sometimes you have to work to find a diagnosis", ">\n\nWell, what do you do of you absolutely know you're neurodivergent, but your parents decided not to get you checked? My mom once told me \"we knew you had something, we just didn't get you checked because they would have just put you on pills\". So I struggled with being different, socially unaware, impulsive, obnoxious, agressive, selfish, for the better part of my life without having the self awareness to understand why I was these things, and why people wouldn't want to be around me. \nIn my late 20''s I asked the question, what if I'm actually autistic? I looked up the symptoms, and 9/10 matched. As a child I couldn't handle loud noises, restrictive clothing, I didn't talk until I was 3. I would throw fits for seemingly no reason, I had obsessive interests. I've always really struggled with eye contact, and I never cared for conversation unless it was something I liked. I mean, when the final piece of a puzzle fits so incredibly well, it's really hard for it to be wrong. \nSelf diagnosing actually really helped me grow as aj individual. I became aware of all my divergent behaviors, and why it might be annoying for someone else to deal with. I came to the realization that I was the one who was different, therefore I needed to change. It's way harder to make everyone around you cater to your needs than to overcome the things that upset you. I'm at peace, I have good friends that I can connect with on a pretty deep level. I no longer smash coffee tables when I lose, I can now appreciate that if I lose it just means I have more to learn. I can keep my house clean, I can reasonably hold myself accountable. What exactly is the harm in all that?\nBesides, it would be pretty pointless for me to try and get a diagnosis now, I've put the effort in and largely come out the other side. Anyone diagnosing me would just say I was normal, but they wouldn't have the intimate knowledge of me that I do. I guess it doesn't matter if people don't believe me, I don't go around shouting that I'm autistic. I will say, it would be really nice if people appreciated the effort I put in to get to get to a place of normalcy, something others take for granted, but it's okay, we all have our struggles.", ">\n\nI feel you on all that. To play devil's advocate, mental healthcare in the U.S. is not cheap. Many people go to the internet and confirm their bias about their current health", ">\n\nI feel you on that too OP. I agree 100% with your entire statement.", ">\n\nIt's a problem, but not a new one. In the 1990s there was briefly a surge of people with a type of delusional parasitosis, that is, the false belief that they were infested with parasites. Except this one was supposedly an infestation with tiny fibres. They would come to doctors with a whole list of symptoms to back up their incorrect self-diagnosis.\nTo a certain extent, these are social contagions, which come and go, and often actually end up leading to people having real problems. Like, the young women you mention, a couple of decades ago may well have ended up with anorexia, or self-cutting. These days it might be a self-declaration of autism or a belief that they have gender dysphoria or that they have multiple systems living in their minds.", ">\n\nWow I did not know that. Maybe it’s just so prevalent today due to social media. Social media has only made these things worse imo", ">\n\nEven before it being self diagnosis of a mental illness it was always something. Remember all the emo and goth teenager?", ">\n\nIt depends on the context. For example, if they've done a substantial amount of research, can name a good amount of symptoms they have and reasons they have whatever mental illness and don't have access to the necessary tools to get a medical diagnosis, it's totally different. Some people don't have the money to go out and get a diagnosis, or sometimes it would be better to not get a medical diagnosis. I believe that the reason that a lot of people self diagnose themselves with things like Autism is because they want an explanation as to why they are different, and they could be right or wrong. I think the most important part is that if you go to a psychologist (or even two, I know a lot of people prefer getting second opinions) and they say you don't have it, that you need to admit you were wrong. It's ok to be wrong about your mental health, and the key is to keep looking and to not give up. I can completely understand the frustration in people completely missing how difficult it actually may be to have a mental illness. I was clinically diagnosed with Depression, Anxiety, and PTSD when I was seven, and I've had some experience with people faking mental disorders for attention, and more often then not, they have another mental disorder that needs attention. Recently I had a (now ex) boyfriend insist he had PTSD after being tested twice and the psychiatrist saying that he didn't have it. What he does have is Depression and Anxiety, but he absolutely insisted he has PTSD despite never exhibiting symptoms and the only evidence being a test he took online that was supposedly a \"real PTSD test.\" People faking mental illnesses only harms people who really have them, as these people tend to exaggerate symptoms and use their self diagnosis for attention. I believe that I am autistic, but I don't list it as a diagnosis because while I have read articles and taken the RAADS-r test, I don't have an official diagnosis, and I could very well be wrong. As for women faking illnesses more often, something I've noticed is that things like Autism, ADHD, ADD, etc are more often diagnosed in boys rather than girls- mostly because when they were first discovered, most of the research was done in boys. Autism shows up differently in girls, and can often be blown off as early puberty hormones. If their hyperfixations are those of stereotypical feminine things, it's just a girl liking whatever, and if they hyperfixate in stereotypical masculine interests, they tend to just be viewed as weird, but not autistic. It's normal for people to question, but I agree that to a certain point, self diagnosis can be harmful, but only if not done correctly.", ">\n\nFirst and foremost not a new problem at all, very common, we used to call it \"Being a hypochondriac\" until it aparrently became reconized which in it self is confusing and a bit contradictory.\nANYWAY\nIt isnt really a problem, no doctor is gonna write the perscription for medication without a diagnosis of some sort.\nAt most there is the vauge \"But what about those who actually have it who arent taken serious\" dont worry, we wouldnt have anyway. Thats kinda how invisible illnesses work.\nOverall the 101 hypochondriacs screaming about the symptoms they read in the ICD might help make the knowledge more common and help people better reconize if their colleagues or friends happen to show symptoms of something.", ">\n\nIt’s pretty expensive in the US to get diagnosed. Personally, I’ve self diagnosed myself out of frustration of the way I process things. I’ve always felt slow & my anxiety/depression was deep because of it, but I was raised in a family that doesn’t believe in mental illness. It was always “if you work hard enough, all your problems will go away”. Meanwhile, i was racking my brain on how to make myself think faster/smarter & it would result in psychotic episodes. I’ve gotten fired from jobs, dropped out of school. I started self harming because I hated myself and my brain & almost commit suicide bc I had no idea what was going on.\nThe relief I felt once I finally got a therapist who validated me & was the first to talk to me about mental Illness. It blew my mind and all of a sudden things actually made sense to me. I currently think I have ADD, and sometimes I’ll tell people that but will preface it by saying I’m not professionally diagnosed. Still, I use mental tools that help me get through the day and build my confidence. I’m a lot better at processing conversations, making lists that help me remember things, unmasking, slowing down my thoughts… etc. I’m less frustrated and can see the beauty in how I process things. I still want to get diagnosed but I have to get health insurance….. lol", ">\n\nSelf diagnosis, regardless of being factual is a process where the individual realizes that they might have a mental health issue. People who can do this are more likely to seek professional help compared to the people who think they are “fine”. Going to a professional, licensed psychologist or a psychiatrist will eventually diagnose them with the correct disorder from there, and professionals have the skills to communicate with them and they can together evaluate if the person’s complaint is the issue or not. There is nothing embarrassing about discovering one’s self. It would be a problem if people would identify with an issue and don’t have any willingness to seek help. Sometimes overreacting is better than not reacting.", ">\n\nThe majority of people who are self-diagnosed with autism have done extensive research into it to come to that conclusion. I personally went through the DSM criteria with a fine-tooth comb, made a list of all the ways I met it and discovered that there’s not a single criteria i don’t meet for autism. I didn’t read about anything else but autism for weeks, approaching it from all angles before coming to the conclusion that it’s highly unlikely I am not autistic. I’m waiting to hear back about an assessment, but I’m not waiting to go and be told something I already know before I start advocating for myself. \nOh, and I absolutely did not want to be ‘different’, in fact my life mission to just blend in and be average is the root cause of most of my problems, but here we are.", ">\n\nThis self diagnosing young people do isn’t the problem. The problem is that our society encourages it.\nOur culture is not set up to accommodate a wide spectrum of human needs. You may need things that I don’t. I may need things that you don’t. But in most business settings, academic settings, or even places like restaurants or leisure places, the world isn’t built to accommodate everyone. Our world and society is a “one size fits all” approach, and most people don’t fit snugly inside of that system. \nIf you can classify what is “wrong” or “different” about you into an easily digestible form, people are generally more able and more willing to accommodate you.\nFor example: if I tell my coworkers that I need to leave work early because of a headache, I’ll be shamed for it. And in some cases I’ll be told that “headaches aren’t that bad!” Or “You don’t need to leave.” Or “I have a headache too, just deal with it!”\nBut if I tell my workers that I need to leave due to a painful neurological condition that’s flaring up (I have chronic migraine, which is a neurological condition), they will respect it 100% of the time. It’s met with sympathy and not criticism.\nThis happens for all sorts of things. “Sorry Im late, I slept in.” Sounds a lot worse then, “sorry I’m late, my insomnia has been terrible lately.” \nOur culture forces us to use these labels even when they’re untrue just to receive sympathy or acceptance. The problem isn’t people who decide to use these labels, the root problem is that our society refuses to embrace and accommodate people who are outside of the “norm.”", ">\n\nSpeaking as someone who's had an autism diagnosis since age 7: if someone declares they're autistic when they're not, that's obnoxious at worst. If someone is told they're not autistic when they are, that can cause lifelong harm from denied care and understanding. I have seen this happen to a close friend of mine.\nTherefore, I'd much rather err on the side of acceptance. If you think you're defending me and others like me from impersonators, we'd rather not have your help.\n\nI know people will disagree but it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women. Women statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nCase in point: women are diagnosed with autism far less than men. Recent studies have pointed to decades of systematic misdiagnosis. The more visible autistic symptoms sometimes manifest differently in girls, the way they're socialized may help them hide it from a young age, and of course lots of doctors just say \"your daughter can't be autistic, that's a boy thing.\"\nWe're learning that there are hundreds of thousands of autistic women who slipped through the cracks and were denied the recognition and support they needed because of dismissive, gatekeeping attitudes just like yours.", ">\n\nThere’s a difference between having a disorder and relating to a disorder. If the tools or language associated with a disorder helps someone live better though then cool, it’s all still odd. Also autism presents differently in woman, and a majority of our research on it is on men. Best practice is probably to support them and encourage them to seek treatment.", ">\n\nAutism is severely misdiagnosed in women. Completely under diagnosed. Actually, plenty of things are. The actual problem that we have is parents refusing to let their children get professional help or a diagnosis. Most doctors will diagnose you with BPD as a woman(aka the new female hysteria of our century), maybe put you on some anti psychotics and send you your way. In most countries, a diagnosis/specialist is not readily available, or there is a long waiting list. Even so, the doctors are not know it all. I have seen plenty of doctors, I got different diagnosis almost each time. They ask you some general questions (about your mood, the way you sleep, if you can concentrate, if you harm yourself, if you have suicidal ideation, if you can socialize properly, if your parents were diagnosed with anything, if you have hallucinations or delusions, the works) and then based on that, they will give you a diagnosis. If you use your common sense and information on the internet (given you are knowledgeable on the subject), you can take a good guess on what's wrong. Obviously, some people will exaggerate like with anything (seeing the shadow dude once in your childhood is not a sign of psychosis, neither is hearing your name called when you are alone once in a blue moon), but if you have visual and auditory hallucinations, perhaps weird tactile feelings/hallucinations (spiders are crawling on me, etc), delusions, tend to be forgetful and out of teach with reality, there is a good chance you do have psychosis.", ">\n\nOkay, to start: what do you think autism and ADHD are? They aren't mental illnesses nor are they mental health conditions. \nTo address some of your other points; \nStudies have shown that autism has a gender expression of 1:1. The only reason that women are under diagnosed is because of misunderstandings towards autism, then the diagnosis is conducted incorrectly. Thus it ends up getting conflated with mental illness, E.G BPD, and is diagnosed as a psychiatric disorder instead. This is a detriment to the patient as the care regimes are black and white different. Often times this severely damages the woman.\nFrom data sets that I recall reading, malingering hasn't risen much, if at all, in recent times. I remember it being around 8% of the global population who are engaging in this behaviour, to different extents. I think what's happened is that social media has turned a torch onto it and it's risen in popularity in an algorithmic way. You see it more because it's pushed by the algorithm more because people are searching for it more. It isn't actually occurring any more or less than historically. Most of that attention is negative attention, I should add. \nSo there's two things to take away from that.\n1) The actual act of pretending to be mentally ill, or to have a disability, which is called malingering, is in fact a form of mental unwellness itself. It's a cry for help. The people who do these things are usually very unstable and should be treated with a degree of empathy. The dangerous types who are using mental illness to scam others, or to manipulate them, make up a very small percentage of the overall amount of people in that group and tend to abuse one on one. \n2) The predominant response to this is generally negative. There isn't really any reason to publicly malinger unless you're unstable, this is because a rational person would likely know this, and know the damage it would cause themselves. Self-diagnosis is a very long, and self-aware, process that takes place over years of the individuals life, and proceeds official diagnosis. \nNo one SDs and says \"Okay that's it now! Let me start a TikTok!\" You'd still want support, and you'd still seek support. So that would end up with a doctor, who would see that you're lying, and treat you for whatever was prompting you to malinger. Anyone who has made this commitment knows that keeping it private is a sensible thing to do in a world that isn't inclusive, and often very stigmatising. Sometimes official diagnosis can take YEARS. \nThis kind of propaganda has been going around for a long time in an effort to discredit disabled people and people with mental illnesses. It's not new. People said the same things back in the 90s. People will always be afraid, and dismissive, of things they do not understand. I invite you to try and understand.", ">\n\nI self-diagnosed myself with endometriosis for 10 years before a doctor finally listened to me, opened me up, and found my insides littered with lesions all over my organs. I’m now not able to get pregnant and I might need to get part of my bowel taken out someday. This could’ve been avoided if someone had just listened to me when I was 16. \nSelf-diagnosing is a necessity in a misogynist world! No one takes us seriously! Especially medical professionals. \nThe best antidote for this is to listen to women who self-diagnose. Why do they think they have XYZ? Is it heavily interfering with their life? I think that’s a much larger problem.", ">\n\nIts been proven that there is a bias to diagnose as opposed to not diagnose a mental illness in psychology. So op is actually kinda correct. The definition of a mental illness is in effect being stretched so far that people who are just kinda weird are being diagnosed with \"on the spectrum\". This is actually causing a problem in early learning because parents start treating their kids as essentially learning challenged when they're really not. So it is starting to become an excuse ...", ">\n\nWe live in a society that loves to medicate people. I know it’s different but Did ppl forget about the opioid epidemic? They’ll diagnose your ass with anything if they can", ">\n\nYa I tend to agree. And no one is really saying so I will I guess, but id wager that 50% of psychologist \"professionals\" are totally full of shit. The actual number of psychologists that are are doing real research and clinical studies is EXTREMELY small compared to how many \"psychologists\" are out there. Just like chiropractors, half of them are hacks..", ">\n\nAnd ill say one more thing, though it is anecdotal, but i have direct family that works in special education for young children, and that system is fucked with a capital F. Thay are constantly fighting against parents and programs who try to box kids in the \"autistic\" zone, when they are just really quite or shy, or have pee problems. But parents want an excuse and reason for their behavior, and reduce them to a sub standard education and treatment for the rest of their lives. It's heart breaking. Especially in public schools.", ">\n\nI’m 32 years old. \nI didn’t self diagnose for attention although I remember the days of tumblr where everyone self diagnosed for clout.\nIt took me a decade to realize what is really happening. During the decade before I realized what may have been happening I was told the following:\nI’m rude\nI’m bossy\nI have a RBF/I look mad\nI also only managed to make my first real friend at age 27.\nWhat I was really displaying was:\nBeing overly blunt and just trying to get my point across came off rude when I didn’t intend it to be that way\nTrying to have things done at a certain time and way that no one else thought was important to follow\nUnmasking\nNoticed other things too that I just thought was me being weird:\nVocal stimming\nOral stimming-chewing, smoking, vaping\nRepetitive motions\nRocking\nEasily overwhelmed by too much sensory input\nHigh startle reflex \nInability to regulate my body’s needs-I don’t know I’m hungry until I’m ravenous; don’t recognize the need to use the bathroom until it’s causing me to rush off, don’t realize I’m cold until I’m shaking\nI could go on.\nI want an assessment so bad. But assessments for adults are EXTREMELY hard to setup, if you can even set them up at all. Some states don’t even offer them. I’ve been looking but they are only for children and seem to look for severe cases.\n14 years of thinking I was just a bitch who couldn’t make friends because I was too weird…turns out it might be autism. And turns out I’ll most likely never get a true diagnosis. But the RAADS test gave me a 127 score so that might be the closest I’ll ever get.", ">\n\ni kind of self diagnosed autism? i’ve been to many psychiatrists and therapists for years and they always see adhd in the half an hour and prescribe meds for that, which makes me not go there again. if they dug a little deeper they could have seen autism, i spoke to my current psychiatrist about if its possible i have it, she didn’t want to confirm or deny as i was moving out of state from friends and family and am at an age where i can have kids in the next 10 years since she doesn’t want me being concerned for them. \nI think there’s still lots of stigma around autism even with professionals and especially when identifying it in women. \nI don’t want to be autistic, but i can recognise a lot of different patterns comparing myself and others. I’ve researched it a ton especially in how it shows in women compared to men and in all the articles i found myself relating.\nNow i don’t say im autistic, i say im a little sus of being it tho lmao. and try pass it off casually. I find it’s a lot easier for me to understand and embrace my differences compared to trying to hide it and try be like everyone else or wonder why im not like everyone else. \nBeing older i can also recognise how a lot of my family on one side have suffered mentally and because of obvious neurodivergence. so im pretty sure, like the rest of my mentally challenged brain, has been inherited genetically through that side. \nAll that being said. I self diagnosed when i was about 12 that im highly likely to be depressed and anxious in attempt to get my mom to believe me i needed help, and now 8 years later i can identify that this has been an issue forever for me and that i likely cannot go off my meds because i will just go back to how i used to be. Im still ocd with all my meds, but its better than being anxious and depressed all the time, Having ocd throughout the day is like heaven to me in comparison to how i used to be. obviously the ocd isnt new, just a lot more heard in my brain now.", ">\n\nOk, I know some people self diagnoze themselves with [insert some mental illness here] out of attention or whatever, and that's totally not ok.\nHowever, if you read all the symptoms and do proper research on a mental illness and everything clicks in to you, I'd say you can be fairly confident on a self diagnosis (although, it might be worth it to double check with a professional, especially if you want any sort of treatment). But also for some people, it might not be affordable to go to a professional...", ">\n\nI live in Canada, I've engaged with the medical system, doctors don't care and just want you out, ERs are a 8 hour wait for someone to ignore one thing and won't even entertain other issues even if they are related. Self-diagnosis is really the only way to get any kind of proper treatment at all. \nThe doctors will rubber stamp just about anything you ask for except pain killers but in terms of diagnosis you're way better off doing it yourself, sure you don't have 8 years of medical school but the doctors won't give you 5 mins of their time, they are not better than google and you give a lot more of a shit than they will and at the end of the day it's your body." ]

[ "The diagnosis process for a lot of psychiatric conditions are surveys and questionaires. You can go to a psychiatrist and ask if you're anxious and they'll give you multiple choice questions and diagnose off of that. Or you can just google the form yourself and self diagnose. A lot of psychiatric disorders are about how we feel and think. Not about sending off some blood sample to a lab and getting a positive result come back.\n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. For such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nWhat you're describing are all neuroses that could indicate some deeper psychiatric condition. Whether a person has a mental health condition or not, thinking of ourselves as weak victims is never helpful in any context, yet it's something we all feel from time to time.\nI'm a disability support worker, so when someone tells me they've got a self diagnosed condition, it's not offensive to me or any disabled person I know, it doesn't come across like they're invalidating anyone else's condition. However I do think everyone should talk to a doctor about any condition they feel they might have.", ">\n\nPiggybacking off of this: You’ve spent your whole entire life inside your own brain. A therapist will spend a period of hours with you and give you a diagnosis. Who do you think knows your personal reality better than yourself?", ">\n\nYeah exactly, especially with conditions such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, PTSD, and many other psychiatric conditions. These are things people know they have even before they get a diagnosis. The diagnosis stage is more about treatment and management.\nPeople might be unaware of how severe or mild their condition is, some people think they have only mild PTSD despite constant nightmares and suicidal ideation. Some people will think they have severe ADHD because they can't concentrate for long times on things that don't interest them. It's good to get some perspective from experts but ultimately people know when they are struggling to focus or to struggling to stop stressing all the time or struggling to not be miserable. Struggling with our thoughts and feelings is evidence enough to self diagnose.", ">\n\nI was recently diagnosed with ADHD as a woman so I find this viewpoint interesting.\nFirstly, autism is not a mental illness. An autistic person may have mental illness in conjunction with autism, but autism alone lies under the neurodivergent umbrella. Neurodivergency can include autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and other similar conditions.\nWhy women are often underdiagnosed\nThese are serious disabilities that can really impede a person's life, especially if they struggle to find help and acceptance in their community. A lot of women start their journey towards diagnosis later in life due to a number of factors such as:\n\nPoor diagnostic tools and inexperienced professionals\nA misunderstanding that autism and ADHD are more common in boys\nAdvanced masking techniques to cover their 'traits'\n\nWhy women are often diagnosed later in life.\nThe process for many women and men who are diagnosed later in life often includes a level of burnout or breakdown. After a while everything becomes too much, the mask begins to slip and your traits go into overdrive.\nWhy does self-diagnosing seem to be on the rise?\nA common way of finding out you could possibly be neurodivergent is through media and people who are aware of these traits appear.\nIn the past few years, I have seen an increasing awareness of neurodivergence in women pop up in the media. This is useful for people like myself who had no idea wtf was wrong with them for a very long time. For me, a GP actually suggested I seek a diagnosis due to some struggles I was going through.\nAs someone who went through this process self-diagnosing is commonly the first step as an adult. You might be directed to a questionnaire and are asked to evaluate yourself and your experiences thinking back to your childhood. If there's some merit in your experiences than you move to the next step which involves seeking a professional. Waitlists are often months to years long so many people live in limbo for a long time.\nMethods of living with ADHD can help everyone. And everyone experiences ADHD traits from time to time. Given a large amount of stress we have all suffered collectively, I don't doubt there are a lot of people with increased mental health issues that mirror neurodivergent traits. Some mental illnesses can get very severe and alter your brain chemistry and behaviour.\nMy takeaway from this is that the mental health systems set up to assist these people are a much larger issue and cause for serious concern than self-diagnosing.\nApologies for the spelling and grammar errors. Grammarly and Reddit don't play nice.", ">\n\nI think it's two things. One, people have identity crises, especially teenagers. We all know that type of person who tries on identities like hats. That's pretty embarrassing. You usually grow out of that.\nTwo, from personal experience, giving yourself a label or a diagnosis makes it feel more contained and easy to communicate. It's easier to tell someone that you have X and have them understand what you're going through rather than telling them you have these vague symptoms resembling what you imagine X is like. In that respect, it is pretty understandable, possibly good, and not embarrassing. There's something that is sort of reassuring if you can finally get a word to put on what you're experiencing.\nPeople often sympathize with the diagnosis but not with the symptoms. Tell people at work you're autistic and they will sympathize with you and possibly not attack you. Tell them you do not understand social cues and they will probably just make fun of you.", ">\n\nI understand the desire to put a label with a disease, and this is not necessarily bad, but the diagnosis needs to be correct. If you want to tell others that you are autistic or depressed; you must actually be those things. A person can almost never correctly assertion their disease, only their symptoms. People might better understand you if you say your autistic, but you may incorrectly understand and describe yourself. If one wishes to put a name with symptoms, they should find a doctor to pick the label", ">\n\nfor sure but unfortunately our medical system is a joke and even if you are experiencing very severe symptoms it can be nearly impossible to see a professional or take months on a waiting list.\nEven then a professional may be reluctant to slap a label on you for fear of what the consequences of that might be. I saw someone for a very long time who resisted any sort of actual diagnosis because the truth is that what I was experiencing didn't fit neatly into any of the boxes and pretty much belonged in this vague \"other\" category which isn't particularly helpful. Not to mention that misdiagnosis happens all the time even by professionals. \nI just think it is sort of understandable because I think a lot of stuff is kind of a spectrum anyway and just different levels of severity. Things can be really confusing and hard to nail down and thus communicate in a way that causes someone else to be understanding rather than judgemental.", ">\n\nAre you under the impression this is a new phenomenon? Because it's definitely not.\nPeople - especially young people! - crave identity. The world is a confusing place, knowing who you are makes it a little easier. Sometimes it's self-diagnosing mental illness or learning disabilities, or exploring sexual identity, or cliques, or subcultures. There's nothing embarrassing about it, it just is what it is.", ">\n\nIt’s ok to want to express individuality but not to the extent of totally destroying the definition of a real thing and making it hard for actual mentally Ill ppl to get a diagnosis. Why can’t people just accept that they’re different rather then giving themselves a label?", ">\n\npeople on TikTok claiming to have disorders that they don't doesn't affect the precision of psychiatrists diagnosing actual patients. There's no TikTok-said section in the DSM. Why do you think that it does?", ">\n\nIt just encourages more people to get diagnosed possibly skewing the meaning of the mental illness", ">\n\nSkewing it towards statistical accuracy? If people are actually diagnosed at higher rates, we have a better Guage of population-level mental illness, neurodivergency, etc. Better data is more usable, so that research actually means something actionable, ASIDE from the identity boost for young people.", ">\n\nI think what OP is driving at, but utterly failing to explain, is that they think that the fakers will be accommodated by the psychiatric system and diagnosed on the basis of fake symptoms. my sense is that isn't a problem but I don't have data.", ">\n\nDefinitely explained it a little better then I could lol", ">\n\nWhere do you see evidence of that? Any articles about fakers? How about a statistic? If not, it’s just a fear you seem to have.", ">\n\nI think the salient line here is this one:\n\nNeurologists were able to quickly determine that the subjects were not \nsuffering from Tourette's, but psychogenic tics driven by anxiety.", ">\n\nWomen are not born with less autism, but are much less likely to be diagnosed as children than boys. This is partly because boys generally have similar symptoms and behaviors. \nSo of course more women are self diagnosing autism, since their diagnoses were missed as children on a much higher rate.", ">\n\nAlright, I'm diagnosed OCD, PTSD, chronic depression. Diagnosed by a professional so I think I have some grounds to talk about this.\nFirst, let's tackle your women comment about autism. You see, I understand where you're coming from, but you lack the nuance of recognizing that mental illness, and illness in general, is heavily under-diagnosed in women. The medical culture is heavily favored towards men and is rampant with mysogyny, and that's not just me saying it as I've had medical professionals blatantly tell me it's a problem in the field when questioned about it. I've also had some tell me that it's just because women whine a lot, so yanno make of that statement what you will.\nNow that we've covered that let me address the self-diagnosing issue. So, do you want to know what my therapist thinks of self-diagnosing? Well, when I asked them about it they said that self-diagnosing is an important first step to seeking help. Psychiatrist said the same thing. It's normal, expected even, for people to self-diagnose their issues then seek help for them. You can't exactly just peer into someone's brain, no, that person has to tell you what they think is wrong and why they think it is. \nWhat you actually have a problem with is not self-diagnosis, but with people not seeking or not being able to get medical assistance and assuming they're right. You have a problem with people using these issues for attention, which I do too, but once again self-diagnosing is not the problem. Finally, you have a problem with the medical system that forces people into the position of trying to figure out their mental illnesses, but having no ability to get help for them.", ">\n\nI think I did it", ">\n\nSadly no lol, it was not done properly. Do you need a link to the rules?", ">\n\nI already read them i think I’ll figure it out in a bit sorry for the hold up", ">\n\nBecause everyone else is being aggressive: you have to comment with ∆ or !delta and then explain how your view has been changed", ">\n\nThis delta has been rejected. You can't award OP a delta.\nAllowing this would wrongly suggest that you can post here with the aim of convincing others.\nIf you were explaining when/how to award a delta, please use a reddit quote for the symbol next time.\n^Delta System Explained ^| ^Deltaboards", ">\n\nWhat gives you the authority or knowledge to know this is the problem?", ">\n\nYou don’t think it’s a problem that a lot of young ppl are willing to go to the extent of saying they are mentally Ill either for attention or to excuse their weirdness? Just accept that your different. It’s not wrong to believe you’re different without a label", ">\n\nYou did not even try to answer my question.", ">\n\nI’m sorry I was confused on what you meant", ">\n\nIf you are mad at people for self diagnosing themselves because they don't have the knowledge or authority to do so.... what gives you the knowledge or authority to diagnosis this as the problem behavior... basically are you just a kid that is annoyed, or is there some actual studies out there that is claiming this is a problem.", ">\n\nIf you don’t think that people consistently seeking attention for mental illness or craving a label so badly to justify themselves rather then being themselves. That just shows what your views are", ">\n\nDont you think we should leave the diagnosing to the professionals?", ">\n\nI mean yeah", ">\n\nWould you agree that you are diagnosing these people by saying that they are only seeking attention and do not have a real mental illness?", ">\n\nI’m assuming", ">\n\nThere may be some truth to people wanting to be different, however with mental illnesses being more accepted in today's society, many people are a lot more comfortable with being neurodivergent. Additionally, self diagnosis is common because the alternative is spending upwards to $1000-$2000 for a clinical diagnosis.", ">\n\nI know costs suck, but self diagnosis can be much more harmful. A web.md page that tells you your depressed when you may actually be bipolar can lead to really messed up results. I would even go as far as to say that no diagnosis at all is preferable to an uninformed one", ">\n\nWell.\n​\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad \n\nSo you already know why they're doing what they're doing in addition the fact that you know that they're not Autistic? If your claim is that they can't know and only a doctor can, what makes you more qualified? You start out your argument admitting that you have a bias.\n\nthey’re “neurodivergent.\n\nNeurodivergent is an umbrella that covers both Autism and ADHD, which sometimes get mistaken for each other. So if you're upset that they're self-diagnosing, this term should be more welcome than \"Autistic\" because it's more generalized.\n\nnd when you ask them how they know they’ll say “oh I have this weird tick when I uh laugh when someone says something funny “ or “I have a hyper fixation on this topic so I must be autistic\n\nHow else should they communicate it to you? The list of aspects of Autism, especially for how it presents in women, sounds a lot like this. You're not a doctor, they don't have to prove anything to you by going down the entire list of every possible part of their daily experience that might be on the spectrum.\n\nWomen statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nNope. Women are diagnosed less often than men because the original diagnostic criteria for Autism was for Autism as it presents in males. It presents differently for females and is harder to diagnose, especially at younger ages. \n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized\n\nTodays youth want to be victimized? Why would anyone want to be victimized? Something tells me you're missing the mark with this terminology.\n\nor have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. \n\nSo if someone is Autistic and that makes them weird, you'd rather them just be forced to not get to have a name for it, and get the therapeutic treatment that would help them?\n\nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really [are] without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nSome people are autistic. If they find out and it makes them feel good, that doesn't mean they're craving attention. And if they are craving attention, it's because they're normal people and everyone does. \nIf someone thinks they're autistic but it turns out they're actually not, chances are they suspected it for a reason. They might have ADHD, a personality disorder, a mental health issue, or simply a slightly different way of experiencing the world that feels unique to them and there's nothing wrong with that. \nYou seem to think that other people do things for you. People generally don't. They do things for themselves. This is especially true of people on the Autism Spectrum who may not be able to easily use other people's experiences to reference when constructing their view of the world, and can only use their own. Your interpretation wherein they do it to evoke a response from you says more about you than it does about them.", ">\n\nYou’re being deliberately obtuse. OP is completely correct. Most of the people these days who say “I’m ADHD” or “I’m autistic” or “I’m neurodivergent” are absolutely not diagnosed as such and are doing it to seem unique or get attention or as some excuse for why they did x y or z.", ">\n\nI'd like to point out that while some are perhaps attention seeking, many people self diagnose simply because they don't have access to free medical/psychological professionals to get proper diagnosis and help with their issues. I also know someone who doesn't want to get an official diagnosis because he's afrad it will affect his insurance rates or somehow come back to bite him if he's offically labeled with having a neurological disorder. \nThere is a wealth of knowledge on these subjects available online for those interested. And if they are truly interested in self diagnose they can likely do that accurately enough for all intents and purposes. Most of these people who search for the sake of better understanding themselves or their loved ones will openly admit that it's a self diagnoses, or say they THINK they have x,y, or z. But in some situations it's just as well to say they have it if they feel certain anyway, and it's just a passing comment, and not a discussion on the matter. \nIn other words, just because they self diagnose doesn't mean they're wrong, nor does it explain their motives. I also don't see how attention seeking (for those who ARE doing that) is really hurting anyone else. Fakers gonna be fake, that's more a \"them\" kind of problem. ANNOYING, but mostly harmless.", ">\n\nUnless you have a doctor's diagnosis you don't have the disorder. Even if you are broke there are programs to help with costs. \nAnd yes it does affect me when someone is treating me like shit and tries using the I have such and such as an excuse and then people get mad at ME for calling them in their bullshit.", ">\n\nNo. You have to have the disorder before you CAN be diagnosed, so obviously there are undiagnosed people who in fact \"have the disorder \". Your refusal to acknowledge an undiagnosed disorder does not mean they don't have it. Your personal experience with people supposedly using a fake diagnosis to treat you badly, sounds unusual. How do you know they DIDN'T have it? People who do lie and just want to be jerks will do that regardless of what methods they decide to try. The methods are irrelevant. And that motive is not typical of most self diagnosers .", ">\n\nSounds unusual? You must not get out a lot because it's become a pretty regular thing. Every single person I know (about 8) that have self diagnosed themselves as neurodivergent or with a mental illness like Bi-polar all use it to excuse their shitty ass behaviors. \nToo many disorders can mirror other ones. Just because they think they have 2/3 symptoms doesn't make them right by a long shot. Keep living in your bubble.", ">\n\nYou don't have to have a relationship with anyone. If they treat you badly, regardless of an official diagnosis or not, you don't have to tolerate them. It makes no difference what they have or don't have. What would it change if they got diagnosed and actually have it?", ">\n\nSelf diagnosing has been a thing forever\nAnd it's not a problem im 99% sure me or any other autistic person doesn't really give 2 fucks about people who wanna fake disorders. It doesn't stop us from getting help, we have doctors notes, medical files, sometimes even volunteers, you need those files to get into let's say a special education class, or a life skills course.\nSo unless you were diagnosed by a professional you're probably not gonna make it far faking it.\n(Excuse my shitty punctuation)", ">\n\nIt doesn’t bother you that they’re making others take the actual meaning away from what you were born with? I mean I’m sure autism hasn’t made your life easy and seeing ppl claim it for attention to be quirky probably has to annoy you a little right?", ">\n\nAt the end of the day I still have ADHD and I still need help with it. More people being diagnosed with it doesn’t change that fact. In fact I was diagnosed because I realized I related to so many tiktok memes, and I’m sure others are in my same boat. \nIn fact I think so many people talking about ADHD helps. It means more people who possibly have tips for me, people who are suffering who can’t afford treatment have an easy way to learn about how to improve their lives, and more people who are aware of my disorder.", ">\n\nI think people do diagnose themselves too often without seeking professional help. BUT mental illness is not the same as being neurodivergent.", ">\n\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad that they’ll go as far to say they’re “neurodivergent.”\n\nWhile this is the case, I don't really see how it's a \"problem\" per se. I guarantee that these people still make lifestyle decisions based on what they think is best, or based on what they want to do.\n\nbut it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women\n\nDo you have any statistics for that? I haven't experienced it that way in my own anecdotal experience, and I'd be curious to look into the data to see how much that truly does skew in that direction.\n\nwanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness \nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nI understand what you're trying to say here, but I don't really think these things are connected as much as you think they are. People see something wrong with themselves, so they either playfully or seriously consider the fact that it could be a condition that they have similar symptoms to. Not that it never happens, but just because someone categorizes themselves into a disability group that could potentially excuse their \"quirks\", doesn't mean they think that behavior is unacceptable in any way. People see a problem, and assume it's linked to this other issue that seems similar that they already know about.", ">\n\nI agree with the conclusion that self-diagnosis is a real issue, and I wouldn't be surprised if the data indicated it was on the rise. I wouldn't necessarily frame it as a simple desire to \"be victimized\" however. While it is purely speculation, I do believe there are a number of conditions which might lead towards a more frequent experience of symptoms associated with mental illness - a rising wealth gap, perpetual anxiety from a 24-hour news cycle, intensification of self-commodification, the student debt crisis in certain countries like the US, and so on. So people are experiencing symptoms like low energy, mood swings, etc. that can be associated with mental illness. The issue with self-diagnosis then becomes that it may correctly identify the symptom, but incorrectly identify the cause.\nThis video from the YouTuber HealthyGamerGG does a good job of explaining what some of the issues with self-diagnosis are, and for me it was a good starting place for thinking about this more. \nEDIT: I forgot this video literally starts with this same topic being brought up on this same subreddit lol", ">\n\nA great theory based on reasonable causes with an educational video from a psychologist(I assume) as evidence to back it up. I applaud you sir. 👏", ">\n\nWhy are you embarrassed by other people's issues?", ">\n\nI’m a 30yo male. If I had not first self diagnosed with ASD and OCD, I never would have found the language and resources to get a formal diagnosis and help.\nPrior generations have been so fixated on avoidance of diagnosing mental disorders, and research was previously so lacking that we are only just now (through those that do get diagnosed) realizing how common mental disorders are. That plus the lack of mental health resources for neurotypical and neurodivergent I think is how we end up in this situation of many recognizing their symptoms in the new discourse, but lacking the resources to overcome the barriers to proper diagnosis and treatment.", ">\n\nIt’s not the best thing, no. \nAs an adult FINALLY diagnosed (by a licensed therapist) at 41, I can tell you why ‘self diagnosis’ is so tempting. \nIn the US at least- mental health, and official medical diagnosis are almost completely inaccessible, especially as an adult. Most of us grew up before Autism was a spectrum, and ADHD was just boys who acted out in class. We felt like aliens. We couldn’t understand why we didn’t have many friends, or why we didn’t like the ‘right things’, and generally spend the bill of our lives feeling ‘wrong’, ‘broken’ or just simply like we didn’t belong. \nFinally understanding the WHY, and even better, finding tools to addresses our issues is a huge huge weight off the chest. The relief of having a name and a strategy- either therapy or medicine is such an amazing relief!!", ">\n\nI only kinda agree if I had not done my own research I would have never found out I have sjorgens syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis I know TikTok people tend to diagnose themselves and it makes it look cringe but when you live with a incurable illness sometimes you have to work to find a diagnosis", ">\n\nWell, what do you do of you absolutely know you're neurodivergent, but your parents decided not to get you checked? My mom once told me \"we knew you had something, we just didn't get you checked because they would have just put you on pills\". So I struggled with being different, socially unaware, impulsive, obnoxious, agressive, selfish, for the better part of my life without having the self awareness to understand why I was these things, and why people wouldn't want to be around me. \nIn my late 20''s I asked the question, what if I'm actually autistic? I looked up the symptoms, and 9/10 matched. As a child I couldn't handle loud noises, restrictive clothing, I didn't talk until I was 3. I would throw fits for seemingly no reason, I had obsessive interests. I've always really struggled with eye contact, and I never cared for conversation unless it was something I liked. I mean, when the final piece of a puzzle fits so incredibly well, it's really hard for it to be wrong. \nSelf diagnosing actually really helped me grow as aj individual. I became aware of all my divergent behaviors, and why it might be annoying for someone else to deal with. I came to the realization that I was the one who was different, therefore I needed to change. It's way harder to make everyone around you cater to your needs than to overcome the things that upset you. I'm at peace, I have good friends that I can connect with on a pretty deep level. I no longer smash coffee tables when I lose, I can now appreciate that if I lose it just means I have more to learn. I can keep my house clean, I can reasonably hold myself accountable. What exactly is the harm in all that?\nBesides, it would be pretty pointless for me to try and get a diagnosis now, I've put the effort in and largely come out the other side. Anyone diagnosing me would just say I was normal, but they wouldn't have the intimate knowledge of me that I do. I guess it doesn't matter if people don't believe me, I don't go around shouting that I'm autistic. I will say, it would be really nice if people appreciated the effort I put in to get to get to a place of normalcy, something others take for granted, but it's okay, we all have our struggles.", ">\n\nI feel you on all that. To play devil's advocate, mental healthcare in the U.S. is not cheap. Many people go to the internet and confirm their bias about their current health", ">\n\nI feel you on that too OP. I agree 100% with your entire statement.", ">\n\nIt's a problem, but not a new one. In the 1990s there was briefly a surge of people with a type of delusional parasitosis, that is, the false belief that they were infested with parasites. Except this one was supposedly an infestation with tiny fibres. They would come to doctors with a whole list of symptoms to back up their incorrect self-diagnosis.\nTo a certain extent, these are social contagions, which come and go, and often actually end up leading to people having real problems. Like, the young women you mention, a couple of decades ago may well have ended up with anorexia, or self-cutting. These days it might be a self-declaration of autism or a belief that they have gender dysphoria or that they have multiple systems living in their minds.", ">\n\nWow I did not know that. Maybe it’s just so prevalent today due to social media. Social media has only made these things worse imo", ">\n\nEven before it being self diagnosis of a mental illness it was always something. Remember all the emo and goth teenager?", ">\n\nIt depends on the context. For example, if they've done a substantial amount of research, can name a good amount of symptoms they have and reasons they have whatever mental illness and don't have access to the necessary tools to get a medical diagnosis, it's totally different. Some people don't have the money to go out and get a diagnosis, or sometimes it would be better to not get a medical diagnosis. I believe that the reason that a lot of people self diagnose themselves with things like Autism is because they want an explanation as to why they are different, and they could be right or wrong. I think the most important part is that if you go to a psychologist (or even two, I know a lot of people prefer getting second opinions) and they say you don't have it, that you need to admit you were wrong. It's ok to be wrong about your mental health, and the key is to keep looking and to not give up. I can completely understand the frustration in people completely missing how difficult it actually may be to have a mental illness. I was clinically diagnosed with Depression, Anxiety, and PTSD when I was seven, and I've had some experience with people faking mental disorders for attention, and more often then not, they have another mental disorder that needs attention. Recently I had a (now ex) boyfriend insist he had PTSD after being tested twice and the psychiatrist saying that he didn't have it. What he does have is Depression and Anxiety, but he absolutely insisted he has PTSD despite never exhibiting symptoms and the only evidence being a test he took online that was supposedly a \"real PTSD test.\" People faking mental illnesses only harms people who really have them, as these people tend to exaggerate symptoms and use their self diagnosis for attention. I believe that I am autistic, but I don't list it as a diagnosis because while I have read articles and taken the RAADS-r test, I don't have an official diagnosis, and I could very well be wrong. As for women faking illnesses more often, something I've noticed is that things like Autism, ADHD, ADD, etc are more often diagnosed in boys rather than girls- mostly because when they were first discovered, most of the research was done in boys. Autism shows up differently in girls, and can often be blown off as early puberty hormones. If their hyperfixations are those of stereotypical feminine things, it's just a girl liking whatever, and if they hyperfixate in stereotypical masculine interests, they tend to just be viewed as weird, but not autistic. It's normal for people to question, but I agree that to a certain point, self diagnosis can be harmful, but only if not done correctly.", ">\n\nFirst and foremost not a new problem at all, very common, we used to call it \"Being a hypochondriac\" until it aparrently became reconized which in it self is confusing and a bit contradictory.\nANYWAY\nIt isnt really a problem, no doctor is gonna write the perscription for medication without a diagnosis of some sort.\nAt most there is the vauge \"But what about those who actually have it who arent taken serious\" dont worry, we wouldnt have anyway. Thats kinda how invisible illnesses work.\nOverall the 101 hypochondriacs screaming about the symptoms they read in the ICD might help make the knowledge more common and help people better reconize if their colleagues or friends happen to show symptoms of something.", ">\n\nIt’s pretty expensive in the US to get diagnosed. Personally, I’ve self diagnosed myself out of frustration of the way I process things. I’ve always felt slow & my anxiety/depression was deep because of it, but I was raised in a family that doesn’t believe in mental illness. It was always “if you work hard enough, all your problems will go away”. Meanwhile, i was racking my brain on how to make myself think faster/smarter & it would result in psychotic episodes. I’ve gotten fired from jobs, dropped out of school. I started self harming because I hated myself and my brain & almost commit suicide bc I had no idea what was going on.\nThe relief I felt once I finally got a therapist who validated me & was the first to talk to me about mental Illness. It blew my mind and all of a sudden things actually made sense to me. I currently think I have ADD, and sometimes I’ll tell people that but will preface it by saying I’m not professionally diagnosed. Still, I use mental tools that help me get through the day and build my confidence. I’m a lot better at processing conversations, making lists that help me remember things, unmasking, slowing down my thoughts… etc. I’m less frustrated and can see the beauty in how I process things. I still want to get diagnosed but I have to get health insurance….. lol", ">\n\nSelf diagnosis, regardless of being factual is a process where the individual realizes that they might have a mental health issue. People who can do this are more likely to seek professional help compared to the people who think they are “fine”. Going to a professional, licensed psychologist or a psychiatrist will eventually diagnose them with the correct disorder from there, and professionals have the skills to communicate with them and they can together evaluate if the person’s complaint is the issue or not. There is nothing embarrassing about discovering one’s self. It would be a problem if people would identify with an issue and don’t have any willingness to seek help. Sometimes overreacting is better than not reacting.", ">\n\nThe majority of people who are self-diagnosed with autism have done extensive research into it to come to that conclusion. I personally went through the DSM criteria with a fine-tooth comb, made a list of all the ways I met it and discovered that there’s not a single criteria i don’t meet for autism. I didn’t read about anything else but autism for weeks, approaching it from all angles before coming to the conclusion that it’s highly unlikely I am not autistic. I’m waiting to hear back about an assessment, but I’m not waiting to go and be told something I already know before I start advocating for myself. \nOh, and I absolutely did not want to be ‘different’, in fact my life mission to just blend in and be average is the root cause of most of my problems, but here we are.", ">\n\nThis self diagnosing young people do isn’t the problem. The problem is that our society encourages it.\nOur culture is not set up to accommodate a wide spectrum of human needs. You may need things that I don’t. I may need things that you don’t. But in most business settings, academic settings, or even places like restaurants or leisure places, the world isn’t built to accommodate everyone. Our world and society is a “one size fits all” approach, and most people don’t fit snugly inside of that system. \nIf you can classify what is “wrong” or “different” about you into an easily digestible form, people are generally more able and more willing to accommodate you.\nFor example: if I tell my coworkers that I need to leave work early because of a headache, I’ll be shamed for it. And in some cases I’ll be told that “headaches aren’t that bad!” Or “You don’t need to leave.” Or “I have a headache too, just deal with it!”\nBut if I tell my workers that I need to leave due to a painful neurological condition that’s flaring up (I have chronic migraine, which is a neurological condition), they will respect it 100% of the time. It’s met with sympathy and not criticism.\nThis happens for all sorts of things. “Sorry Im late, I slept in.” Sounds a lot worse then, “sorry I’m late, my insomnia has been terrible lately.” \nOur culture forces us to use these labels even when they’re untrue just to receive sympathy or acceptance. The problem isn’t people who decide to use these labels, the root problem is that our society refuses to embrace and accommodate people who are outside of the “norm.”", ">\n\nSpeaking as someone who's had an autism diagnosis since age 7: if someone declares they're autistic when they're not, that's obnoxious at worst. If someone is told they're not autistic when they are, that can cause lifelong harm from denied care and understanding. I have seen this happen to a close friend of mine.\nTherefore, I'd much rather err on the side of acceptance. If you think you're defending me and others like me from impersonators, we'd rather not have your help.\n\nI know people will disagree but it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women. Women statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nCase in point: women are diagnosed with autism far less than men. Recent studies have pointed to decades of systematic misdiagnosis. The more visible autistic symptoms sometimes manifest differently in girls, the way they're socialized may help them hide it from a young age, and of course lots of doctors just say \"your daughter can't be autistic, that's a boy thing.\"\nWe're learning that there are hundreds of thousands of autistic women who slipped through the cracks and were denied the recognition and support they needed because of dismissive, gatekeeping attitudes just like yours.", ">\n\nThere’s a difference between having a disorder and relating to a disorder. If the tools or language associated with a disorder helps someone live better though then cool, it’s all still odd. Also autism presents differently in woman, and a majority of our research on it is on men. Best practice is probably to support them and encourage them to seek treatment.", ">\n\nAutism is severely misdiagnosed in women. Completely under diagnosed. Actually, plenty of things are. The actual problem that we have is parents refusing to let their children get professional help or a diagnosis. Most doctors will diagnose you with BPD as a woman(aka the new female hysteria of our century), maybe put you on some anti psychotics and send you your way. In most countries, a diagnosis/specialist is not readily available, or there is a long waiting list. Even so, the doctors are not know it all. I have seen plenty of doctors, I got different diagnosis almost each time. They ask you some general questions (about your mood, the way you sleep, if you can concentrate, if you harm yourself, if you have suicidal ideation, if you can socialize properly, if your parents were diagnosed with anything, if you have hallucinations or delusions, the works) and then based on that, they will give you a diagnosis. If you use your common sense and information on the internet (given you are knowledgeable on the subject), you can take a good guess on what's wrong. Obviously, some people will exaggerate like with anything (seeing the shadow dude once in your childhood is not a sign of psychosis, neither is hearing your name called when you are alone once in a blue moon), but if you have visual and auditory hallucinations, perhaps weird tactile feelings/hallucinations (spiders are crawling on me, etc), delusions, tend to be forgetful and out of teach with reality, there is a good chance you do have psychosis.", ">\n\nOkay, to start: what do you think autism and ADHD are? They aren't mental illnesses nor are they mental health conditions. \nTo address some of your other points; \nStudies have shown that autism has a gender expression of 1:1. The only reason that women are under diagnosed is because of misunderstandings towards autism, then the diagnosis is conducted incorrectly. Thus it ends up getting conflated with mental illness, E.G BPD, and is diagnosed as a psychiatric disorder instead. This is a detriment to the patient as the care regimes are black and white different. Often times this severely damages the woman.\nFrom data sets that I recall reading, malingering hasn't risen much, if at all, in recent times. I remember it being around 8% of the global population who are engaging in this behaviour, to different extents. I think what's happened is that social media has turned a torch onto it and it's risen in popularity in an algorithmic way. You see it more because it's pushed by the algorithm more because people are searching for it more. It isn't actually occurring any more or less than historically. Most of that attention is negative attention, I should add. \nSo there's two things to take away from that.\n1) The actual act of pretending to be mentally ill, or to have a disability, which is called malingering, is in fact a form of mental unwellness itself. It's a cry for help. The people who do these things are usually very unstable and should be treated with a degree of empathy. The dangerous types who are using mental illness to scam others, or to manipulate them, make up a very small percentage of the overall amount of people in that group and tend to abuse one on one. \n2) The predominant response to this is generally negative. There isn't really any reason to publicly malinger unless you're unstable, this is because a rational person would likely know this, and know the damage it would cause themselves. Self-diagnosis is a very long, and self-aware, process that takes place over years of the individuals life, and proceeds official diagnosis. \nNo one SDs and says \"Okay that's it now! Let me start a TikTok!\" You'd still want support, and you'd still seek support. So that would end up with a doctor, who would see that you're lying, and treat you for whatever was prompting you to malinger. Anyone who has made this commitment knows that keeping it private is a sensible thing to do in a world that isn't inclusive, and often very stigmatising. Sometimes official diagnosis can take YEARS. \nThis kind of propaganda has been going around for a long time in an effort to discredit disabled people and people with mental illnesses. It's not new. People said the same things back in the 90s. People will always be afraid, and dismissive, of things they do not understand. I invite you to try and understand.", ">\n\nI self-diagnosed myself with endometriosis for 10 years before a doctor finally listened to me, opened me up, and found my insides littered with lesions all over my organs. I’m now not able to get pregnant and I might need to get part of my bowel taken out someday. This could’ve been avoided if someone had just listened to me when I was 16. \nSelf-diagnosing is a necessity in a misogynist world! No one takes us seriously! Especially medical professionals. \nThe best antidote for this is to listen to women who self-diagnose. Why do they think they have XYZ? Is it heavily interfering with their life? I think that’s a much larger problem.", ">\n\nIts been proven that there is a bias to diagnose as opposed to not diagnose a mental illness in psychology. So op is actually kinda correct. The definition of a mental illness is in effect being stretched so far that people who are just kinda weird are being diagnosed with \"on the spectrum\". This is actually causing a problem in early learning because parents start treating their kids as essentially learning challenged when they're really not. So it is starting to become an excuse ...", ">\n\nWe live in a society that loves to medicate people. I know it’s different but Did ppl forget about the opioid epidemic? They’ll diagnose your ass with anything if they can", ">\n\nYa I tend to agree. And no one is really saying so I will I guess, but id wager that 50% of psychologist \"professionals\" are totally full of shit. The actual number of psychologists that are are doing real research and clinical studies is EXTREMELY small compared to how many \"psychologists\" are out there. Just like chiropractors, half of them are hacks..", ">\n\nAnd ill say one more thing, though it is anecdotal, but i have direct family that works in special education for young children, and that system is fucked with a capital F. Thay are constantly fighting against parents and programs who try to box kids in the \"autistic\" zone, when they are just really quite or shy, or have pee problems. But parents want an excuse and reason for their behavior, and reduce them to a sub standard education and treatment for the rest of their lives. It's heart breaking. Especially in public schools.", ">\n\nI’m 32 years old. \nI didn’t self diagnose for attention although I remember the days of tumblr where everyone self diagnosed for clout.\nIt took me a decade to realize what is really happening. During the decade before I realized what may have been happening I was told the following:\nI’m rude\nI’m bossy\nI have a RBF/I look mad\nI also only managed to make my first real friend at age 27.\nWhat I was really displaying was:\nBeing overly blunt and just trying to get my point across came off rude when I didn’t intend it to be that way\nTrying to have things done at a certain time and way that no one else thought was important to follow\nUnmasking\nNoticed other things too that I just thought was me being weird:\nVocal stimming\nOral stimming-chewing, smoking, vaping\nRepetitive motions\nRocking\nEasily overwhelmed by too much sensory input\nHigh startle reflex \nInability to regulate my body’s needs-I don’t know I’m hungry until I’m ravenous; don’t recognize the need to use the bathroom until it’s causing me to rush off, don’t realize I’m cold until I’m shaking\nI could go on.\nI want an assessment so bad. But assessments for adults are EXTREMELY hard to setup, if you can even set them up at all. Some states don’t even offer them. I’ve been looking but they are only for children and seem to look for severe cases.\n14 years of thinking I was just a bitch who couldn’t make friends because I was too weird…turns out it might be autism. And turns out I’ll most likely never get a true diagnosis. But the RAADS test gave me a 127 score so that might be the closest I’ll ever get.", ">\n\ni kind of self diagnosed autism? i’ve been to many psychiatrists and therapists for years and they always see adhd in the half an hour and prescribe meds for that, which makes me not go there again. if they dug a little deeper they could have seen autism, i spoke to my current psychiatrist about if its possible i have it, she didn’t want to confirm or deny as i was moving out of state from friends and family and am at an age where i can have kids in the next 10 years since she doesn’t want me being concerned for them. \nI think there’s still lots of stigma around autism even with professionals and especially when identifying it in women. \nI don’t want to be autistic, but i can recognise a lot of different patterns comparing myself and others. I’ve researched it a ton especially in how it shows in women compared to men and in all the articles i found myself relating.\nNow i don’t say im autistic, i say im a little sus of being it tho lmao. and try pass it off casually. I find it’s a lot easier for me to understand and embrace my differences compared to trying to hide it and try be like everyone else or wonder why im not like everyone else. \nBeing older i can also recognise how a lot of my family on one side have suffered mentally and because of obvious neurodivergence. so im pretty sure, like the rest of my mentally challenged brain, has been inherited genetically through that side. \nAll that being said. I self diagnosed when i was about 12 that im highly likely to be depressed and anxious in attempt to get my mom to believe me i needed help, and now 8 years later i can identify that this has been an issue forever for me and that i likely cannot go off my meds because i will just go back to how i used to be. Im still ocd with all my meds, but its better than being anxious and depressed all the time, Having ocd throughout the day is like heaven to me in comparison to how i used to be. obviously the ocd isnt new, just a lot more heard in my brain now.", ">\n\nOk, I know some people self diagnoze themselves with [insert some mental illness here] out of attention or whatever, and that's totally not ok.\nHowever, if you read all the symptoms and do proper research on a mental illness and everything clicks in to you, I'd say you can be fairly confident on a self diagnosis (although, it might be worth it to double check with a professional, especially if you want any sort of treatment). But also for some people, it might not be affordable to go to a professional...", ">\n\nI live in Canada, I've engaged with the medical system, doctors don't care and just want you out, ERs are a 8 hour wait for someone to ignore one thing and won't even entertain other issues even if they are related. Self-diagnosis is really the only way to get any kind of proper treatment at all. \nThe doctors will rubber stamp just about anything you ask for except pain killers but in terms of diagnosis you're way better off doing it yourself, sure you don't have 8 years of medical school but the doctors won't give you 5 mins of their time, they are not better than google and you give a lot more of a shit than they will and at the end of the day it's your body.", ">\n\nBack in the 90s when I was a teenager, the kids/teenagers/young adults who wanted attention, and wanted to be different, adopted the goth lifestyle. Dressing up in all black. White foundation with black lipstick and eyeshadow. It was the trendy way to be different, to be viewed as outcasts of society. To not fit in. \nThe goth lifestyle of the 2020s is self diagnosis. Same shit, different day.\nWhenever someone claims autism, or somewhere on the spectrum, I just roll my eyes and imagine that person just sucks at life." ]

[ "The diagnosis process for a lot of psychiatric conditions are surveys and questionaires. You can go to a psychiatrist and ask if you're anxious and they'll give you multiple choice questions and diagnose off of that. Or you can just google the form yourself and self diagnose. A lot of psychiatric disorders are about how we feel and think. Not about sending off some blood sample to a lab and getting a positive result come back.\n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. For such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nWhat you're describing are all neuroses that could indicate some deeper psychiatric condition. Whether a person has a mental health condition or not, thinking of ourselves as weak victims is never helpful in any context, yet it's something we all feel from time to time.\nI'm a disability support worker, so when someone tells me they've got a self diagnosed condition, it's not offensive to me or any disabled person I know, it doesn't come across like they're invalidating anyone else's condition. However I do think everyone should talk to a doctor about any condition they feel they might have.", ">\n\nPiggybacking off of this: You’ve spent your whole entire life inside your own brain. A therapist will spend a period of hours with you and give you a diagnosis. Who do you think knows your personal reality better than yourself?", ">\n\nYeah exactly, especially with conditions such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, PTSD, and many other psychiatric conditions. These are things people know they have even before they get a diagnosis. The diagnosis stage is more about treatment and management.\nPeople might be unaware of how severe or mild their condition is, some people think they have only mild PTSD despite constant nightmares and suicidal ideation. Some people will think they have severe ADHD because they can't concentrate for long times on things that don't interest them. It's good to get some perspective from experts but ultimately people know when they are struggling to focus or to struggling to stop stressing all the time or struggling to not be miserable. Struggling with our thoughts and feelings is evidence enough to self diagnose.", ">\n\nI was recently diagnosed with ADHD as a woman so I find this viewpoint interesting.\nFirstly, autism is not a mental illness. An autistic person may have mental illness in conjunction with autism, but autism alone lies under the neurodivergent umbrella. Neurodivergency can include autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and other similar conditions.\nWhy women are often underdiagnosed\nThese are serious disabilities that can really impede a person's life, especially if they struggle to find help and acceptance in their community. A lot of women start their journey towards diagnosis later in life due to a number of factors such as:\n\nPoor diagnostic tools and inexperienced professionals\nA misunderstanding that autism and ADHD are more common in boys\nAdvanced masking techniques to cover their 'traits'\n\nWhy women are often diagnosed later in life.\nThe process for many women and men who are diagnosed later in life often includes a level of burnout or breakdown. After a while everything becomes too much, the mask begins to slip and your traits go into overdrive.\nWhy does self-diagnosing seem to be on the rise?\nA common way of finding out you could possibly be neurodivergent is through media and people who are aware of these traits appear.\nIn the past few years, I have seen an increasing awareness of neurodivergence in women pop up in the media. This is useful for people like myself who had no idea wtf was wrong with them for a very long time. For me, a GP actually suggested I seek a diagnosis due to some struggles I was going through.\nAs someone who went through this process self-diagnosing is commonly the first step as an adult. You might be directed to a questionnaire and are asked to evaluate yourself and your experiences thinking back to your childhood. If there's some merit in your experiences than you move to the next step which involves seeking a professional. Waitlists are often months to years long so many people live in limbo for a long time.\nMethods of living with ADHD can help everyone. And everyone experiences ADHD traits from time to time. Given a large amount of stress we have all suffered collectively, I don't doubt there are a lot of people with increased mental health issues that mirror neurodivergent traits. Some mental illnesses can get very severe and alter your brain chemistry and behaviour.\nMy takeaway from this is that the mental health systems set up to assist these people are a much larger issue and cause for serious concern than self-diagnosing.\nApologies for the spelling and grammar errors. Grammarly and Reddit don't play nice.", ">\n\nI think it's two things. One, people have identity crises, especially teenagers. We all know that type of person who tries on identities like hats. That's pretty embarrassing. You usually grow out of that.\nTwo, from personal experience, giving yourself a label or a diagnosis makes it feel more contained and easy to communicate. It's easier to tell someone that you have X and have them understand what you're going through rather than telling them you have these vague symptoms resembling what you imagine X is like. In that respect, it is pretty understandable, possibly good, and not embarrassing. There's something that is sort of reassuring if you can finally get a word to put on what you're experiencing.\nPeople often sympathize with the diagnosis but not with the symptoms. Tell people at work you're autistic and they will sympathize with you and possibly not attack you. Tell them you do not understand social cues and they will probably just make fun of you.", ">\n\nI understand the desire to put a label with a disease, and this is not necessarily bad, but the diagnosis needs to be correct. If you want to tell others that you are autistic or depressed; you must actually be those things. A person can almost never correctly assertion their disease, only their symptoms. People might better understand you if you say your autistic, but you may incorrectly understand and describe yourself. If one wishes to put a name with symptoms, they should find a doctor to pick the label", ">\n\nfor sure but unfortunately our medical system is a joke and even if you are experiencing very severe symptoms it can be nearly impossible to see a professional or take months on a waiting list.\nEven then a professional may be reluctant to slap a label on you for fear of what the consequences of that might be. I saw someone for a very long time who resisted any sort of actual diagnosis because the truth is that what I was experiencing didn't fit neatly into any of the boxes and pretty much belonged in this vague \"other\" category which isn't particularly helpful. Not to mention that misdiagnosis happens all the time even by professionals. \nI just think it is sort of understandable because I think a lot of stuff is kind of a spectrum anyway and just different levels of severity. Things can be really confusing and hard to nail down and thus communicate in a way that causes someone else to be understanding rather than judgemental.", ">\n\nAre you under the impression this is a new phenomenon? Because it's definitely not.\nPeople - especially young people! - crave identity. The world is a confusing place, knowing who you are makes it a little easier. Sometimes it's self-diagnosing mental illness or learning disabilities, or exploring sexual identity, or cliques, or subcultures. There's nothing embarrassing about it, it just is what it is.", ">\n\nIt’s ok to want to express individuality but not to the extent of totally destroying the definition of a real thing and making it hard for actual mentally Ill ppl to get a diagnosis. Why can’t people just accept that they’re different rather then giving themselves a label?", ">\n\npeople on TikTok claiming to have disorders that they don't doesn't affect the precision of psychiatrists diagnosing actual patients. There's no TikTok-said section in the DSM. Why do you think that it does?", ">\n\nIt just encourages more people to get diagnosed possibly skewing the meaning of the mental illness", ">\n\nSkewing it towards statistical accuracy? If people are actually diagnosed at higher rates, we have a better Guage of population-level mental illness, neurodivergency, etc. Better data is more usable, so that research actually means something actionable, ASIDE from the identity boost for young people.", ">\n\nI think what OP is driving at, but utterly failing to explain, is that they think that the fakers will be accommodated by the psychiatric system and diagnosed on the basis of fake symptoms. my sense is that isn't a problem but I don't have data.", ">\n\nDefinitely explained it a little better then I could lol", ">\n\nWhere do you see evidence of that? Any articles about fakers? How about a statistic? If not, it’s just a fear you seem to have.", ">\n\nI think the salient line here is this one:\n\nNeurologists were able to quickly determine that the subjects were not \nsuffering from Tourette's, but psychogenic tics driven by anxiety.", ">\n\nWomen are not born with less autism, but are much less likely to be diagnosed as children than boys. This is partly because boys generally have similar symptoms and behaviors. \nSo of course more women are self diagnosing autism, since their diagnoses were missed as children on a much higher rate.", ">\n\nAlright, I'm diagnosed OCD, PTSD, chronic depression. Diagnosed by a professional so I think I have some grounds to talk about this.\nFirst, let's tackle your women comment about autism. You see, I understand where you're coming from, but you lack the nuance of recognizing that mental illness, and illness in general, is heavily under-diagnosed in women. The medical culture is heavily favored towards men and is rampant with mysogyny, and that's not just me saying it as I've had medical professionals blatantly tell me it's a problem in the field when questioned about it. I've also had some tell me that it's just because women whine a lot, so yanno make of that statement what you will.\nNow that we've covered that let me address the self-diagnosing issue. So, do you want to know what my therapist thinks of self-diagnosing? Well, when I asked them about it they said that self-diagnosing is an important first step to seeking help. Psychiatrist said the same thing. It's normal, expected even, for people to self-diagnose their issues then seek help for them. You can't exactly just peer into someone's brain, no, that person has to tell you what they think is wrong and why they think it is. \nWhat you actually have a problem with is not self-diagnosis, but with people not seeking or not being able to get medical assistance and assuming they're right. You have a problem with people using these issues for attention, which I do too, but once again self-diagnosing is not the problem. Finally, you have a problem with the medical system that forces people into the position of trying to figure out their mental illnesses, but having no ability to get help for them.", ">\n\nI think I did it", ">\n\nSadly no lol, it was not done properly. Do you need a link to the rules?", ">\n\nI already read them i think I’ll figure it out in a bit sorry for the hold up", ">\n\nBecause everyone else is being aggressive: you have to comment with ∆ or !delta and then explain how your view has been changed", ">\n\nThis delta has been rejected. You can't award OP a delta.\nAllowing this would wrongly suggest that you can post here with the aim of convincing others.\nIf you were explaining when/how to award a delta, please use a reddit quote for the symbol next time.\n^Delta System Explained ^| ^Deltaboards", ">\n\nWhat gives you the authority or knowledge to know this is the problem?", ">\n\nYou don’t think it’s a problem that a lot of young ppl are willing to go to the extent of saying they are mentally Ill either for attention or to excuse their weirdness? Just accept that your different. It’s not wrong to believe you’re different without a label", ">\n\nYou did not even try to answer my question.", ">\n\nI’m sorry I was confused on what you meant", ">\n\nIf you are mad at people for self diagnosing themselves because they don't have the knowledge or authority to do so.... what gives you the knowledge or authority to diagnosis this as the problem behavior... basically are you just a kid that is annoyed, or is there some actual studies out there that is claiming this is a problem.", ">\n\nIf you don’t think that people consistently seeking attention for mental illness or craving a label so badly to justify themselves rather then being themselves. That just shows what your views are", ">\n\nDont you think we should leave the diagnosing to the professionals?", ">\n\nI mean yeah", ">\n\nWould you agree that you are diagnosing these people by saying that they are only seeking attention and do not have a real mental illness?", ">\n\nI’m assuming", ">\n\nThere may be some truth to people wanting to be different, however with mental illnesses being more accepted in today's society, many people are a lot more comfortable with being neurodivergent. Additionally, self diagnosis is common because the alternative is spending upwards to $1000-$2000 for a clinical diagnosis.", ">\n\nI know costs suck, but self diagnosis can be much more harmful. A web.md page that tells you your depressed when you may actually be bipolar can lead to really messed up results. I would even go as far as to say that no diagnosis at all is preferable to an uninformed one", ">\n\nWell.\n​\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad \n\nSo you already know why they're doing what they're doing in addition the fact that you know that they're not Autistic? If your claim is that they can't know and only a doctor can, what makes you more qualified? You start out your argument admitting that you have a bias.\n\nthey’re “neurodivergent.\n\nNeurodivergent is an umbrella that covers both Autism and ADHD, which sometimes get mistaken for each other. So if you're upset that they're self-diagnosing, this term should be more welcome than \"Autistic\" because it's more generalized.\n\nnd when you ask them how they know they’ll say “oh I have this weird tick when I uh laugh when someone says something funny “ or “I have a hyper fixation on this topic so I must be autistic\n\nHow else should they communicate it to you? The list of aspects of Autism, especially for how it presents in women, sounds a lot like this. You're not a doctor, they don't have to prove anything to you by going down the entire list of every possible part of their daily experience that might be on the spectrum.\n\nWomen statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nNope. Women are diagnosed less often than men because the original diagnostic criteria for Autism was for Autism as it presents in males. It presents differently for females and is harder to diagnose, especially at younger ages. \n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized\n\nTodays youth want to be victimized? Why would anyone want to be victimized? Something tells me you're missing the mark with this terminology.\n\nor have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. \n\nSo if someone is Autistic and that makes them weird, you'd rather them just be forced to not get to have a name for it, and get the therapeutic treatment that would help them?\n\nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really [are] without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nSome people are autistic. If they find out and it makes them feel good, that doesn't mean they're craving attention. And if they are craving attention, it's because they're normal people and everyone does. \nIf someone thinks they're autistic but it turns out they're actually not, chances are they suspected it for a reason. They might have ADHD, a personality disorder, a mental health issue, or simply a slightly different way of experiencing the world that feels unique to them and there's nothing wrong with that. \nYou seem to think that other people do things for you. People generally don't. They do things for themselves. This is especially true of people on the Autism Spectrum who may not be able to easily use other people's experiences to reference when constructing their view of the world, and can only use their own. Your interpretation wherein they do it to evoke a response from you says more about you than it does about them.", ">\n\nYou’re being deliberately obtuse. OP is completely correct. Most of the people these days who say “I’m ADHD” or “I’m autistic” or “I’m neurodivergent” are absolutely not diagnosed as such and are doing it to seem unique or get attention or as some excuse for why they did x y or z.", ">\n\nI'd like to point out that while some are perhaps attention seeking, many people self diagnose simply because they don't have access to free medical/psychological professionals to get proper diagnosis and help with their issues. I also know someone who doesn't want to get an official diagnosis because he's afrad it will affect his insurance rates or somehow come back to bite him if he's offically labeled with having a neurological disorder. \nThere is a wealth of knowledge on these subjects available online for those interested. And if they are truly interested in self diagnose they can likely do that accurately enough for all intents and purposes. Most of these people who search for the sake of better understanding themselves or their loved ones will openly admit that it's a self diagnoses, or say they THINK they have x,y, or z. But in some situations it's just as well to say they have it if they feel certain anyway, and it's just a passing comment, and not a discussion on the matter. \nIn other words, just because they self diagnose doesn't mean they're wrong, nor does it explain their motives. I also don't see how attention seeking (for those who ARE doing that) is really hurting anyone else. Fakers gonna be fake, that's more a \"them\" kind of problem. ANNOYING, but mostly harmless.", ">\n\nUnless you have a doctor's diagnosis you don't have the disorder. Even if you are broke there are programs to help with costs. \nAnd yes it does affect me when someone is treating me like shit and tries using the I have such and such as an excuse and then people get mad at ME for calling them in their bullshit.", ">\n\nNo. You have to have the disorder before you CAN be diagnosed, so obviously there are undiagnosed people who in fact \"have the disorder \". Your refusal to acknowledge an undiagnosed disorder does not mean they don't have it. Your personal experience with people supposedly using a fake diagnosis to treat you badly, sounds unusual. How do you know they DIDN'T have it? People who do lie and just want to be jerks will do that regardless of what methods they decide to try. The methods are irrelevant. And that motive is not typical of most self diagnosers .", ">\n\nSounds unusual? You must not get out a lot because it's become a pretty regular thing. Every single person I know (about 8) that have self diagnosed themselves as neurodivergent or with a mental illness like Bi-polar all use it to excuse their shitty ass behaviors. \nToo many disorders can mirror other ones. Just because they think they have 2/3 symptoms doesn't make them right by a long shot. Keep living in your bubble.", ">\n\nYou don't have to have a relationship with anyone. If they treat you badly, regardless of an official diagnosis or not, you don't have to tolerate them. It makes no difference what they have or don't have. What would it change if they got diagnosed and actually have it?", ">\n\nSelf diagnosing has been a thing forever\nAnd it's not a problem im 99% sure me or any other autistic person doesn't really give 2 fucks about people who wanna fake disorders. It doesn't stop us from getting help, we have doctors notes, medical files, sometimes even volunteers, you need those files to get into let's say a special education class, or a life skills course.\nSo unless you were diagnosed by a professional you're probably not gonna make it far faking it.\n(Excuse my shitty punctuation)", ">\n\nIt doesn’t bother you that they’re making others take the actual meaning away from what you were born with? I mean I’m sure autism hasn’t made your life easy and seeing ppl claim it for attention to be quirky probably has to annoy you a little right?", ">\n\nAt the end of the day I still have ADHD and I still need help with it. More people being diagnosed with it doesn’t change that fact. In fact I was diagnosed because I realized I related to so many tiktok memes, and I’m sure others are in my same boat. \nIn fact I think so many people talking about ADHD helps. It means more people who possibly have tips for me, people who are suffering who can’t afford treatment have an easy way to learn about how to improve their lives, and more people who are aware of my disorder.", ">\n\nI think people do diagnose themselves too often without seeking professional help. BUT mental illness is not the same as being neurodivergent.", ">\n\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad that they’ll go as far to say they’re “neurodivergent.”\n\nWhile this is the case, I don't really see how it's a \"problem\" per se. I guarantee that these people still make lifestyle decisions based on what they think is best, or based on what they want to do.\n\nbut it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women\n\nDo you have any statistics for that? I haven't experienced it that way in my own anecdotal experience, and I'd be curious to look into the data to see how much that truly does skew in that direction.\n\nwanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness \nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nI understand what you're trying to say here, but I don't really think these things are connected as much as you think they are. People see something wrong with themselves, so they either playfully or seriously consider the fact that it could be a condition that they have similar symptoms to. Not that it never happens, but just because someone categorizes themselves into a disability group that could potentially excuse their \"quirks\", doesn't mean they think that behavior is unacceptable in any way. People see a problem, and assume it's linked to this other issue that seems similar that they already know about.", ">\n\nI agree with the conclusion that self-diagnosis is a real issue, and I wouldn't be surprised if the data indicated it was on the rise. I wouldn't necessarily frame it as a simple desire to \"be victimized\" however. While it is purely speculation, I do believe there are a number of conditions which might lead towards a more frequent experience of symptoms associated with mental illness - a rising wealth gap, perpetual anxiety from a 24-hour news cycle, intensification of self-commodification, the student debt crisis in certain countries like the US, and so on. So people are experiencing symptoms like low energy, mood swings, etc. that can be associated with mental illness. The issue with self-diagnosis then becomes that it may correctly identify the symptom, but incorrectly identify the cause.\nThis video from the YouTuber HealthyGamerGG does a good job of explaining what some of the issues with self-diagnosis are, and for me it was a good starting place for thinking about this more. \nEDIT: I forgot this video literally starts with this same topic being brought up on this same subreddit lol", ">\n\nA great theory based on reasonable causes with an educational video from a psychologist(I assume) as evidence to back it up. I applaud you sir. 👏", ">\n\nWhy are you embarrassed by other people's issues?", ">\n\nI’m a 30yo male. If I had not first self diagnosed with ASD and OCD, I never would have found the language and resources to get a formal diagnosis and help.\nPrior generations have been so fixated on avoidance of diagnosing mental disorders, and research was previously so lacking that we are only just now (through those that do get diagnosed) realizing how common mental disorders are. That plus the lack of mental health resources for neurotypical and neurodivergent I think is how we end up in this situation of many recognizing their symptoms in the new discourse, but lacking the resources to overcome the barriers to proper diagnosis and treatment.", ">\n\nIt’s not the best thing, no. \nAs an adult FINALLY diagnosed (by a licensed therapist) at 41, I can tell you why ‘self diagnosis’ is so tempting. \nIn the US at least- mental health, and official medical diagnosis are almost completely inaccessible, especially as an adult. Most of us grew up before Autism was a spectrum, and ADHD was just boys who acted out in class. We felt like aliens. We couldn’t understand why we didn’t have many friends, or why we didn’t like the ‘right things’, and generally spend the bill of our lives feeling ‘wrong’, ‘broken’ or just simply like we didn’t belong. \nFinally understanding the WHY, and even better, finding tools to addresses our issues is a huge huge weight off the chest. The relief of having a name and a strategy- either therapy or medicine is such an amazing relief!!", ">\n\nI only kinda agree if I had not done my own research I would have never found out I have sjorgens syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis I know TikTok people tend to diagnose themselves and it makes it look cringe but when you live with a incurable illness sometimes you have to work to find a diagnosis", ">\n\nWell, what do you do of you absolutely know you're neurodivergent, but your parents decided not to get you checked? My mom once told me \"we knew you had something, we just didn't get you checked because they would have just put you on pills\". So I struggled with being different, socially unaware, impulsive, obnoxious, agressive, selfish, for the better part of my life without having the self awareness to understand why I was these things, and why people wouldn't want to be around me. \nIn my late 20''s I asked the question, what if I'm actually autistic? I looked up the symptoms, and 9/10 matched. As a child I couldn't handle loud noises, restrictive clothing, I didn't talk until I was 3. I would throw fits for seemingly no reason, I had obsessive interests. I've always really struggled with eye contact, and I never cared for conversation unless it was something I liked. I mean, when the final piece of a puzzle fits so incredibly well, it's really hard for it to be wrong. \nSelf diagnosing actually really helped me grow as aj individual. I became aware of all my divergent behaviors, and why it might be annoying for someone else to deal with. I came to the realization that I was the one who was different, therefore I needed to change. It's way harder to make everyone around you cater to your needs than to overcome the things that upset you. I'm at peace, I have good friends that I can connect with on a pretty deep level. I no longer smash coffee tables when I lose, I can now appreciate that if I lose it just means I have more to learn. I can keep my house clean, I can reasonably hold myself accountable. What exactly is the harm in all that?\nBesides, it would be pretty pointless for me to try and get a diagnosis now, I've put the effort in and largely come out the other side. Anyone diagnosing me would just say I was normal, but they wouldn't have the intimate knowledge of me that I do. I guess it doesn't matter if people don't believe me, I don't go around shouting that I'm autistic. I will say, it would be really nice if people appreciated the effort I put in to get to get to a place of normalcy, something others take for granted, but it's okay, we all have our struggles.", ">\n\nI feel you on all that. To play devil's advocate, mental healthcare in the U.S. is not cheap. Many people go to the internet and confirm their bias about their current health", ">\n\nI feel you on that too OP. I agree 100% with your entire statement.", ">\n\nIt's a problem, but not a new one. In the 1990s there was briefly a surge of people with a type of delusional parasitosis, that is, the false belief that they were infested with parasites. Except this one was supposedly an infestation with tiny fibres. They would come to doctors with a whole list of symptoms to back up their incorrect self-diagnosis.\nTo a certain extent, these are social contagions, which come and go, and often actually end up leading to people having real problems. Like, the young women you mention, a couple of decades ago may well have ended up with anorexia, or self-cutting. These days it might be a self-declaration of autism or a belief that they have gender dysphoria or that they have multiple systems living in their minds.", ">\n\nWow I did not know that. Maybe it’s just so prevalent today due to social media. Social media has only made these things worse imo", ">\n\nEven before it being self diagnosis of a mental illness it was always something. Remember all the emo and goth teenager?", ">\n\nIt depends on the context. For example, if they've done a substantial amount of research, can name a good amount of symptoms they have and reasons they have whatever mental illness and don't have access to the necessary tools to get a medical diagnosis, it's totally different. Some people don't have the money to go out and get a diagnosis, or sometimes it would be better to not get a medical diagnosis. I believe that the reason that a lot of people self diagnose themselves with things like Autism is because they want an explanation as to why they are different, and they could be right or wrong. I think the most important part is that if you go to a psychologist (or even two, I know a lot of people prefer getting second opinions) and they say you don't have it, that you need to admit you were wrong. It's ok to be wrong about your mental health, and the key is to keep looking and to not give up. I can completely understand the frustration in people completely missing how difficult it actually may be to have a mental illness. I was clinically diagnosed with Depression, Anxiety, and PTSD when I was seven, and I've had some experience with people faking mental disorders for attention, and more often then not, they have another mental disorder that needs attention. Recently I had a (now ex) boyfriend insist he had PTSD after being tested twice and the psychiatrist saying that he didn't have it. What he does have is Depression and Anxiety, but he absolutely insisted he has PTSD despite never exhibiting symptoms and the only evidence being a test he took online that was supposedly a \"real PTSD test.\" People faking mental illnesses only harms people who really have them, as these people tend to exaggerate symptoms and use their self diagnosis for attention. I believe that I am autistic, but I don't list it as a diagnosis because while I have read articles and taken the RAADS-r test, I don't have an official diagnosis, and I could very well be wrong. As for women faking illnesses more often, something I've noticed is that things like Autism, ADHD, ADD, etc are more often diagnosed in boys rather than girls- mostly because when they were first discovered, most of the research was done in boys. Autism shows up differently in girls, and can often be blown off as early puberty hormones. If their hyperfixations are those of stereotypical feminine things, it's just a girl liking whatever, and if they hyperfixate in stereotypical masculine interests, they tend to just be viewed as weird, but not autistic. It's normal for people to question, but I agree that to a certain point, self diagnosis can be harmful, but only if not done correctly.", ">\n\nFirst and foremost not a new problem at all, very common, we used to call it \"Being a hypochondriac\" until it aparrently became reconized which in it self is confusing and a bit contradictory.\nANYWAY\nIt isnt really a problem, no doctor is gonna write the perscription for medication without a diagnosis of some sort.\nAt most there is the vauge \"But what about those who actually have it who arent taken serious\" dont worry, we wouldnt have anyway. Thats kinda how invisible illnesses work.\nOverall the 101 hypochondriacs screaming about the symptoms they read in the ICD might help make the knowledge more common and help people better reconize if their colleagues or friends happen to show symptoms of something.", ">\n\nIt’s pretty expensive in the US to get diagnosed. Personally, I’ve self diagnosed myself out of frustration of the way I process things. I’ve always felt slow & my anxiety/depression was deep because of it, but I was raised in a family that doesn’t believe in mental illness. It was always “if you work hard enough, all your problems will go away”. Meanwhile, i was racking my brain on how to make myself think faster/smarter & it would result in psychotic episodes. I’ve gotten fired from jobs, dropped out of school. I started self harming because I hated myself and my brain & almost commit suicide bc I had no idea what was going on.\nThe relief I felt once I finally got a therapist who validated me & was the first to talk to me about mental Illness. It blew my mind and all of a sudden things actually made sense to me. I currently think I have ADD, and sometimes I’ll tell people that but will preface it by saying I’m not professionally diagnosed. Still, I use mental tools that help me get through the day and build my confidence. I’m a lot better at processing conversations, making lists that help me remember things, unmasking, slowing down my thoughts… etc. I’m less frustrated and can see the beauty in how I process things. I still want to get diagnosed but I have to get health insurance….. lol", ">\n\nSelf diagnosis, regardless of being factual is a process where the individual realizes that they might have a mental health issue. People who can do this are more likely to seek professional help compared to the people who think they are “fine”. Going to a professional, licensed psychologist or a psychiatrist will eventually diagnose them with the correct disorder from there, and professionals have the skills to communicate with them and they can together evaluate if the person’s complaint is the issue or not. There is nothing embarrassing about discovering one’s self. It would be a problem if people would identify with an issue and don’t have any willingness to seek help. Sometimes overreacting is better than not reacting.", ">\n\nThe majority of people who are self-diagnosed with autism have done extensive research into it to come to that conclusion. I personally went through the DSM criteria with a fine-tooth comb, made a list of all the ways I met it and discovered that there’s not a single criteria i don’t meet for autism. I didn’t read about anything else but autism for weeks, approaching it from all angles before coming to the conclusion that it’s highly unlikely I am not autistic. I’m waiting to hear back about an assessment, but I’m not waiting to go and be told something I already know before I start advocating for myself. \nOh, and I absolutely did not want to be ‘different’, in fact my life mission to just blend in and be average is the root cause of most of my problems, but here we are.", ">\n\nThis self diagnosing young people do isn’t the problem. The problem is that our society encourages it.\nOur culture is not set up to accommodate a wide spectrum of human needs. You may need things that I don’t. I may need things that you don’t. But in most business settings, academic settings, or even places like restaurants or leisure places, the world isn’t built to accommodate everyone. Our world and society is a “one size fits all” approach, and most people don’t fit snugly inside of that system. \nIf you can classify what is “wrong” or “different” about you into an easily digestible form, people are generally more able and more willing to accommodate you.\nFor example: if I tell my coworkers that I need to leave work early because of a headache, I’ll be shamed for it. And in some cases I’ll be told that “headaches aren’t that bad!” Or “You don’t need to leave.” Or “I have a headache too, just deal with it!”\nBut if I tell my workers that I need to leave due to a painful neurological condition that’s flaring up (I have chronic migraine, which is a neurological condition), they will respect it 100% of the time. It’s met with sympathy and not criticism.\nThis happens for all sorts of things. “Sorry Im late, I slept in.” Sounds a lot worse then, “sorry I’m late, my insomnia has been terrible lately.” \nOur culture forces us to use these labels even when they’re untrue just to receive sympathy or acceptance. The problem isn’t people who decide to use these labels, the root problem is that our society refuses to embrace and accommodate people who are outside of the “norm.”", ">\n\nSpeaking as someone who's had an autism diagnosis since age 7: if someone declares they're autistic when they're not, that's obnoxious at worst. If someone is told they're not autistic when they are, that can cause lifelong harm from denied care and understanding. I have seen this happen to a close friend of mine.\nTherefore, I'd much rather err on the side of acceptance. If you think you're defending me and others like me from impersonators, we'd rather not have your help.\n\nI know people will disagree but it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women. Women statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nCase in point: women are diagnosed with autism far less than men. Recent studies have pointed to decades of systematic misdiagnosis. The more visible autistic symptoms sometimes manifest differently in girls, the way they're socialized may help them hide it from a young age, and of course lots of doctors just say \"your daughter can't be autistic, that's a boy thing.\"\nWe're learning that there are hundreds of thousands of autistic women who slipped through the cracks and were denied the recognition and support they needed because of dismissive, gatekeeping attitudes just like yours.", ">\n\nThere’s a difference between having a disorder and relating to a disorder. If the tools or language associated with a disorder helps someone live better though then cool, it’s all still odd. Also autism presents differently in woman, and a majority of our research on it is on men. Best practice is probably to support them and encourage them to seek treatment.", ">\n\nAutism is severely misdiagnosed in women. Completely under diagnosed. Actually, plenty of things are. The actual problem that we have is parents refusing to let their children get professional help or a diagnosis. Most doctors will diagnose you with BPD as a woman(aka the new female hysteria of our century), maybe put you on some anti psychotics and send you your way. In most countries, a diagnosis/specialist is not readily available, or there is a long waiting list. Even so, the doctors are not know it all. I have seen plenty of doctors, I got different diagnosis almost each time. They ask you some general questions (about your mood, the way you sleep, if you can concentrate, if you harm yourself, if you have suicidal ideation, if you can socialize properly, if your parents were diagnosed with anything, if you have hallucinations or delusions, the works) and then based on that, they will give you a diagnosis. If you use your common sense and information on the internet (given you are knowledgeable on the subject), you can take a good guess on what's wrong. Obviously, some people will exaggerate like with anything (seeing the shadow dude once in your childhood is not a sign of psychosis, neither is hearing your name called when you are alone once in a blue moon), but if you have visual and auditory hallucinations, perhaps weird tactile feelings/hallucinations (spiders are crawling on me, etc), delusions, tend to be forgetful and out of teach with reality, there is a good chance you do have psychosis.", ">\n\nOkay, to start: what do you think autism and ADHD are? They aren't mental illnesses nor are they mental health conditions. \nTo address some of your other points; \nStudies have shown that autism has a gender expression of 1:1. The only reason that women are under diagnosed is because of misunderstandings towards autism, then the diagnosis is conducted incorrectly. Thus it ends up getting conflated with mental illness, E.G BPD, and is diagnosed as a psychiatric disorder instead. This is a detriment to the patient as the care regimes are black and white different. Often times this severely damages the woman.\nFrom data sets that I recall reading, malingering hasn't risen much, if at all, in recent times. I remember it being around 8% of the global population who are engaging in this behaviour, to different extents. I think what's happened is that social media has turned a torch onto it and it's risen in popularity in an algorithmic way. You see it more because it's pushed by the algorithm more because people are searching for it more. It isn't actually occurring any more or less than historically. Most of that attention is negative attention, I should add. \nSo there's two things to take away from that.\n1) The actual act of pretending to be mentally ill, or to have a disability, which is called malingering, is in fact a form of mental unwellness itself. It's a cry for help. The people who do these things are usually very unstable and should be treated with a degree of empathy. The dangerous types who are using mental illness to scam others, or to manipulate them, make up a very small percentage of the overall amount of people in that group and tend to abuse one on one. \n2) The predominant response to this is generally negative. There isn't really any reason to publicly malinger unless you're unstable, this is because a rational person would likely know this, and know the damage it would cause themselves. Self-diagnosis is a very long, and self-aware, process that takes place over years of the individuals life, and proceeds official diagnosis. \nNo one SDs and says \"Okay that's it now! Let me start a TikTok!\" You'd still want support, and you'd still seek support. So that would end up with a doctor, who would see that you're lying, and treat you for whatever was prompting you to malinger. Anyone who has made this commitment knows that keeping it private is a sensible thing to do in a world that isn't inclusive, and often very stigmatising. Sometimes official diagnosis can take YEARS. \nThis kind of propaganda has been going around for a long time in an effort to discredit disabled people and people with mental illnesses. It's not new. People said the same things back in the 90s. People will always be afraid, and dismissive, of things they do not understand. I invite you to try and understand.", ">\n\nI self-diagnosed myself with endometriosis for 10 years before a doctor finally listened to me, opened me up, and found my insides littered with lesions all over my organs. I’m now not able to get pregnant and I might need to get part of my bowel taken out someday. This could’ve been avoided if someone had just listened to me when I was 16. \nSelf-diagnosing is a necessity in a misogynist world! No one takes us seriously! Especially medical professionals. \nThe best antidote for this is to listen to women who self-diagnose. Why do they think they have XYZ? Is it heavily interfering with their life? I think that’s a much larger problem.", ">\n\nIts been proven that there is a bias to diagnose as opposed to not diagnose a mental illness in psychology. So op is actually kinda correct. The definition of a mental illness is in effect being stretched so far that people who are just kinda weird are being diagnosed with \"on the spectrum\". This is actually causing a problem in early learning because parents start treating their kids as essentially learning challenged when they're really not. So it is starting to become an excuse ...", ">\n\nWe live in a society that loves to medicate people. I know it’s different but Did ppl forget about the opioid epidemic? They’ll diagnose your ass with anything if they can", ">\n\nYa I tend to agree. And no one is really saying so I will I guess, but id wager that 50% of psychologist \"professionals\" are totally full of shit. The actual number of psychologists that are are doing real research and clinical studies is EXTREMELY small compared to how many \"psychologists\" are out there. Just like chiropractors, half of them are hacks..", ">\n\nAnd ill say one more thing, though it is anecdotal, but i have direct family that works in special education for young children, and that system is fucked with a capital F. Thay are constantly fighting against parents and programs who try to box kids in the \"autistic\" zone, when they are just really quite or shy, or have pee problems. But parents want an excuse and reason for their behavior, and reduce them to a sub standard education and treatment for the rest of their lives. It's heart breaking. Especially in public schools.", ">\n\nI’m 32 years old. \nI didn’t self diagnose for attention although I remember the days of tumblr where everyone self diagnosed for clout.\nIt took me a decade to realize what is really happening. During the decade before I realized what may have been happening I was told the following:\nI’m rude\nI’m bossy\nI have a RBF/I look mad\nI also only managed to make my first real friend at age 27.\nWhat I was really displaying was:\nBeing overly blunt and just trying to get my point across came off rude when I didn’t intend it to be that way\nTrying to have things done at a certain time and way that no one else thought was important to follow\nUnmasking\nNoticed other things too that I just thought was me being weird:\nVocal stimming\nOral stimming-chewing, smoking, vaping\nRepetitive motions\nRocking\nEasily overwhelmed by too much sensory input\nHigh startle reflex \nInability to regulate my body’s needs-I don’t know I’m hungry until I’m ravenous; don’t recognize the need to use the bathroom until it’s causing me to rush off, don’t realize I’m cold until I’m shaking\nI could go on.\nI want an assessment so bad. But assessments for adults are EXTREMELY hard to setup, if you can even set them up at all. Some states don’t even offer them. I’ve been looking but they are only for children and seem to look for severe cases.\n14 years of thinking I was just a bitch who couldn’t make friends because I was too weird…turns out it might be autism. And turns out I’ll most likely never get a true diagnosis. But the RAADS test gave me a 127 score so that might be the closest I’ll ever get.", ">\n\ni kind of self diagnosed autism? i’ve been to many psychiatrists and therapists for years and they always see adhd in the half an hour and prescribe meds for that, which makes me not go there again. if they dug a little deeper they could have seen autism, i spoke to my current psychiatrist about if its possible i have it, she didn’t want to confirm or deny as i was moving out of state from friends and family and am at an age where i can have kids in the next 10 years since she doesn’t want me being concerned for them. \nI think there’s still lots of stigma around autism even with professionals and especially when identifying it in women. \nI don’t want to be autistic, but i can recognise a lot of different patterns comparing myself and others. I’ve researched it a ton especially in how it shows in women compared to men and in all the articles i found myself relating.\nNow i don’t say im autistic, i say im a little sus of being it tho lmao. and try pass it off casually. I find it’s a lot easier for me to understand and embrace my differences compared to trying to hide it and try be like everyone else or wonder why im not like everyone else. \nBeing older i can also recognise how a lot of my family on one side have suffered mentally and because of obvious neurodivergence. so im pretty sure, like the rest of my mentally challenged brain, has been inherited genetically through that side. \nAll that being said. I self diagnosed when i was about 12 that im highly likely to be depressed and anxious in attempt to get my mom to believe me i needed help, and now 8 years later i can identify that this has been an issue forever for me and that i likely cannot go off my meds because i will just go back to how i used to be. Im still ocd with all my meds, but its better than being anxious and depressed all the time, Having ocd throughout the day is like heaven to me in comparison to how i used to be. obviously the ocd isnt new, just a lot more heard in my brain now.", ">\n\nOk, I know some people self diagnoze themselves with [insert some mental illness here] out of attention or whatever, and that's totally not ok.\nHowever, if you read all the symptoms and do proper research on a mental illness and everything clicks in to you, I'd say you can be fairly confident on a self diagnosis (although, it might be worth it to double check with a professional, especially if you want any sort of treatment). But also for some people, it might not be affordable to go to a professional...", ">\n\nI live in Canada, I've engaged with the medical system, doctors don't care and just want you out, ERs are a 8 hour wait for someone to ignore one thing and won't even entertain other issues even if they are related. Self-diagnosis is really the only way to get any kind of proper treatment at all. \nThe doctors will rubber stamp just about anything you ask for except pain killers but in terms of diagnosis you're way better off doing it yourself, sure you don't have 8 years of medical school but the doctors won't give you 5 mins of their time, they are not better than google and you give a lot more of a shit than they will and at the end of the day it's your body.", ">\n\nBack in the 90s when I was a teenager, the kids/teenagers/young adults who wanted attention, and wanted to be different, adopted the goth lifestyle. Dressing up in all black. White foundation with black lipstick and eyeshadow. It was the trendy way to be different, to be viewed as outcasts of society. To not fit in. \nThe goth lifestyle of the 2020s is self diagnosis. Same shit, different day.\nWhenever someone claims autism, or somewhere on the spectrum, I just roll my eyes and imagine that person just sucks at life.", ">\n\nI just think it’s a little more harmful nowadays due to the prevalence of social media. Ppl get sucked into groups and mindsets before they even have a real life chance. Then they hyper fixate on that they might be mentally Ill rather then just trying to live life to the fullest" ]

[ "The diagnosis process for a lot of psychiatric conditions are surveys and questionaires. You can go to a psychiatrist and ask if you're anxious and they'll give you multiple choice questions and diagnose off of that. Or you can just google the form yourself and self diagnose. A lot of psychiatric disorders are about how we feel and think. Not about sending off some blood sample to a lab and getting a positive result come back.\n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. For such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nWhat you're describing are all neuroses that could indicate some deeper psychiatric condition. Whether a person has a mental health condition or not, thinking of ourselves as weak victims is never helpful in any context, yet it's something we all feel from time to time.\nI'm a disability support worker, so when someone tells me they've got a self diagnosed condition, it's not offensive to me or any disabled person I know, it doesn't come across like they're invalidating anyone else's condition. However I do think everyone should talk to a doctor about any condition they feel they might have.", ">\n\nPiggybacking off of this: You’ve spent your whole entire life inside your own brain. A therapist will spend a period of hours with you and give you a diagnosis. Who do you think knows your personal reality better than yourself?", ">\n\nYeah exactly, especially with conditions such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, PTSD, and many other psychiatric conditions. These are things people know they have even before they get a diagnosis. The diagnosis stage is more about treatment and management.\nPeople might be unaware of how severe or mild their condition is, some people think they have only mild PTSD despite constant nightmares and suicidal ideation. Some people will think they have severe ADHD because they can't concentrate for long times on things that don't interest them. It's good to get some perspective from experts but ultimately people know when they are struggling to focus or to struggling to stop stressing all the time or struggling to not be miserable. Struggling with our thoughts and feelings is evidence enough to self diagnose.", ">\n\nI was recently diagnosed with ADHD as a woman so I find this viewpoint interesting.\nFirstly, autism is not a mental illness. An autistic person may have mental illness in conjunction with autism, but autism alone lies under the neurodivergent umbrella. Neurodivergency can include autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and other similar conditions.\nWhy women are often underdiagnosed\nThese are serious disabilities that can really impede a person's life, especially if they struggle to find help and acceptance in their community. A lot of women start their journey towards diagnosis later in life due to a number of factors such as:\n\nPoor diagnostic tools and inexperienced professionals\nA misunderstanding that autism and ADHD are more common in boys\nAdvanced masking techniques to cover their 'traits'\n\nWhy women are often diagnosed later in life.\nThe process for many women and men who are diagnosed later in life often includes a level of burnout or breakdown. After a while everything becomes too much, the mask begins to slip and your traits go into overdrive.\nWhy does self-diagnosing seem to be on the rise?\nA common way of finding out you could possibly be neurodivergent is through media and people who are aware of these traits appear.\nIn the past few years, I have seen an increasing awareness of neurodivergence in women pop up in the media. This is useful for people like myself who had no idea wtf was wrong with them for a very long time. For me, a GP actually suggested I seek a diagnosis due to some struggles I was going through.\nAs someone who went through this process self-diagnosing is commonly the first step as an adult. You might be directed to a questionnaire and are asked to evaluate yourself and your experiences thinking back to your childhood. If there's some merit in your experiences than you move to the next step which involves seeking a professional. Waitlists are often months to years long so many people live in limbo for a long time.\nMethods of living with ADHD can help everyone. And everyone experiences ADHD traits from time to time. Given a large amount of stress we have all suffered collectively, I don't doubt there are a lot of people with increased mental health issues that mirror neurodivergent traits. Some mental illnesses can get very severe and alter your brain chemistry and behaviour.\nMy takeaway from this is that the mental health systems set up to assist these people are a much larger issue and cause for serious concern than self-diagnosing.\nApologies for the spelling and grammar errors. Grammarly and Reddit don't play nice.", ">\n\nI think it's two things. One, people have identity crises, especially teenagers. We all know that type of person who tries on identities like hats. That's pretty embarrassing. You usually grow out of that.\nTwo, from personal experience, giving yourself a label or a diagnosis makes it feel more contained and easy to communicate. It's easier to tell someone that you have X and have them understand what you're going through rather than telling them you have these vague symptoms resembling what you imagine X is like. In that respect, it is pretty understandable, possibly good, and not embarrassing. There's something that is sort of reassuring if you can finally get a word to put on what you're experiencing.\nPeople often sympathize with the diagnosis but not with the symptoms. Tell people at work you're autistic and they will sympathize with you and possibly not attack you. Tell them you do not understand social cues and they will probably just make fun of you.", ">\n\nI understand the desire to put a label with a disease, and this is not necessarily bad, but the diagnosis needs to be correct. If you want to tell others that you are autistic or depressed; you must actually be those things. A person can almost never correctly assertion their disease, only their symptoms. People might better understand you if you say your autistic, but you may incorrectly understand and describe yourself. If one wishes to put a name with symptoms, they should find a doctor to pick the label", ">\n\nfor sure but unfortunately our medical system is a joke and even if you are experiencing very severe symptoms it can be nearly impossible to see a professional or take months on a waiting list.\nEven then a professional may be reluctant to slap a label on you for fear of what the consequences of that might be. I saw someone for a very long time who resisted any sort of actual diagnosis because the truth is that what I was experiencing didn't fit neatly into any of the boxes and pretty much belonged in this vague \"other\" category which isn't particularly helpful. Not to mention that misdiagnosis happens all the time even by professionals. \nI just think it is sort of understandable because I think a lot of stuff is kind of a spectrum anyway and just different levels of severity. Things can be really confusing and hard to nail down and thus communicate in a way that causes someone else to be understanding rather than judgemental.", ">\n\nAre you under the impression this is a new phenomenon? Because it's definitely not.\nPeople - especially young people! - crave identity. The world is a confusing place, knowing who you are makes it a little easier. Sometimes it's self-diagnosing mental illness or learning disabilities, or exploring sexual identity, or cliques, or subcultures. There's nothing embarrassing about it, it just is what it is.", ">\n\nIt’s ok to want to express individuality but not to the extent of totally destroying the definition of a real thing and making it hard for actual mentally Ill ppl to get a diagnosis. Why can’t people just accept that they’re different rather then giving themselves a label?", ">\n\npeople on TikTok claiming to have disorders that they don't doesn't affect the precision of psychiatrists diagnosing actual patients. There's no TikTok-said section in the DSM. Why do you think that it does?", ">\n\nIt just encourages more people to get diagnosed possibly skewing the meaning of the mental illness", ">\n\nSkewing it towards statistical accuracy? If people are actually diagnosed at higher rates, we have a better Guage of population-level mental illness, neurodivergency, etc. Better data is more usable, so that research actually means something actionable, ASIDE from the identity boost for young people.", ">\n\nI think what OP is driving at, but utterly failing to explain, is that they think that the fakers will be accommodated by the psychiatric system and diagnosed on the basis of fake symptoms. my sense is that isn't a problem but I don't have data.", ">\n\nDefinitely explained it a little better then I could lol", ">\n\nWhere do you see evidence of that? Any articles about fakers? How about a statistic? If not, it’s just a fear you seem to have.", ">\n\nI think the salient line here is this one:\n\nNeurologists were able to quickly determine that the subjects were not \nsuffering from Tourette's, but psychogenic tics driven by anxiety.", ">\n\nWomen are not born with less autism, but are much less likely to be diagnosed as children than boys. This is partly because boys generally have similar symptoms and behaviors. \nSo of course more women are self diagnosing autism, since their diagnoses were missed as children on a much higher rate.", ">\n\nAlright, I'm diagnosed OCD, PTSD, chronic depression. Diagnosed by a professional so I think I have some grounds to talk about this.\nFirst, let's tackle your women comment about autism. You see, I understand where you're coming from, but you lack the nuance of recognizing that mental illness, and illness in general, is heavily under-diagnosed in women. The medical culture is heavily favored towards men and is rampant with mysogyny, and that's not just me saying it as I've had medical professionals blatantly tell me it's a problem in the field when questioned about it. I've also had some tell me that it's just because women whine a lot, so yanno make of that statement what you will.\nNow that we've covered that let me address the self-diagnosing issue. So, do you want to know what my therapist thinks of self-diagnosing? Well, when I asked them about it they said that self-diagnosing is an important first step to seeking help. Psychiatrist said the same thing. It's normal, expected even, for people to self-diagnose their issues then seek help for them. You can't exactly just peer into someone's brain, no, that person has to tell you what they think is wrong and why they think it is. \nWhat you actually have a problem with is not self-diagnosis, but with people not seeking or not being able to get medical assistance and assuming they're right. You have a problem with people using these issues for attention, which I do too, but once again self-diagnosing is not the problem. Finally, you have a problem with the medical system that forces people into the position of trying to figure out their mental illnesses, but having no ability to get help for them.", ">\n\nI think I did it", ">\n\nSadly no lol, it was not done properly. Do you need a link to the rules?", ">\n\nI already read them i think I’ll figure it out in a bit sorry for the hold up", ">\n\nBecause everyone else is being aggressive: you have to comment with ∆ or !delta and then explain how your view has been changed", ">\n\nThis delta has been rejected. You can't award OP a delta.\nAllowing this would wrongly suggest that you can post here with the aim of convincing others.\nIf you were explaining when/how to award a delta, please use a reddit quote for the symbol next time.\n^Delta System Explained ^| ^Deltaboards", ">\n\nWhat gives you the authority or knowledge to know this is the problem?", ">\n\nYou don’t think it’s a problem that a lot of young ppl are willing to go to the extent of saying they are mentally Ill either for attention or to excuse their weirdness? Just accept that your different. It’s not wrong to believe you’re different without a label", ">\n\nYou did not even try to answer my question.", ">\n\nI’m sorry I was confused on what you meant", ">\n\nIf you are mad at people for self diagnosing themselves because they don't have the knowledge or authority to do so.... what gives you the knowledge or authority to diagnosis this as the problem behavior... basically are you just a kid that is annoyed, or is there some actual studies out there that is claiming this is a problem.", ">\n\nIf you don’t think that people consistently seeking attention for mental illness or craving a label so badly to justify themselves rather then being themselves. That just shows what your views are", ">\n\nDont you think we should leave the diagnosing to the professionals?", ">\n\nI mean yeah", ">\n\nWould you agree that you are diagnosing these people by saying that they are only seeking attention and do not have a real mental illness?", ">\n\nI’m assuming", ">\n\nThere may be some truth to people wanting to be different, however with mental illnesses being more accepted in today's society, many people are a lot more comfortable with being neurodivergent. Additionally, self diagnosis is common because the alternative is spending upwards to $1000-$2000 for a clinical diagnosis.", ">\n\nI know costs suck, but self diagnosis can be much more harmful. A web.md page that tells you your depressed when you may actually be bipolar can lead to really messed up results. I would even go as far as to say that no diagnosis at all is preferable to an uninformed one", ">\n\nWell.\n​\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad \n\nSo you already know why they're doing what they're doing in addition the fact that you know that they're not Autistic? If your claim is that they can't know and only a doctor can, what makes you more qualified? You start out your argument admitting that you have a bias.\n\nthey’re “neurodivergent.\n\nNeurodivergent is an umbrella that covers both Autism and ADHD, which sometimes get mistaken for each other. So if you're upset that they're self-diagnosing, this term should be more welcome than \"Autistic\" because it's more generalized.\n\nnd when you ask them how they know they’ll say “oh I have this weird tick when I uh laugh when someone says something funny “ or “I have a hyper fixation on this topic so I must be autistic\n\nHow else should they communicate it to you? The list of aspects of Autism, especially for how it presents in women, sounds a lot like this. You're not a doctor, they don't have to prove anything to you by going down the entire list of every possible part of their daily experience that might be on the spectrum.\n\nWomen statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nNope. Women are diagnosed less often than men because the original diagnostic criteria for Autism was for Autism as it presents in males. It presents differently for females and is harder to diagnose, especially at younger ages. \n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized\n\nTodays youth want to be victimized? Why would anyone want to be victimized? Something tells me you're missing the mark with this terminology.\n\nor have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. \n\nSo if someone is Autistic and that makes them weird, you'd rather them just be forced to not get to have a name for it, and get the therapeutic treatment that would help them?\n\nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really [are] without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nSome people are autistic. If they find out and it makes them feel good, that doesn't mean they're craving attention. And if they are craving attention, it's because they're normal people and everyone does. \nIf someone thinks they're autistic but it turns out they're actually not, chances are they suspected it for a reason. They might have ADHD, a personality disorder, a mental health issue, or simply a slightly different way of experiencing the world that feels unique to them and there's nothing wrong with that. \nYou seem to think that other people do things for you. People generally don't. They do things for themselves. This is especially true of people on the Autism Spectrum who may not be able to easily use other people's experiences to reference when constructing their view of the world, and can only use their own. Your interpretation wherein they do it to evoke a response from you says more about you than it does about them.", ">\n\nYou’re being deliberately obtuse. OP is completely correct. Most of the people these days who say “I’m ADHD” or “I’m autistic” or “I’m neurodivergent” are absolutely not diagnosed as such and are doing it to seem unique or get attention or as some excuse for why they did x y or z.", ">\n\nI'd like to point out that while some are perhaps attention seeking, many people self diagnose simply because they don't have access to free medical/psychological professionals to get proper diagnosis and help with their issues. I also know someone who doesn't want to get an official diagnosis because he's afrad it will affect his insurance rates or somehow come back to bite him if he's offically labeled with having a neurological disorder. \nThere is a wealth of knowledge on these subjects available online for those interested. And if they are truly interested in self diagnose they can likely do that accurately enough for all intents and purposes. Most of these people who search for the sake of better understanding themselves or their loved ones will openly admit that it's a self diagnoses, or say they THINK they have x,y, or z. But in some situations it's just as well to say they have it if they feel certain anyway, and it's just a passing comment, and not a discussion on the matter. \nIn other words, just because they self diagnose doesn't mean they're wrong, nor does it explain their motives. I also don't see how attention seeking (for those who ARE doing that) is really hurting anyone else. Fakers gonna be fake, that's more a \"them\" kind of problem. ANNOYING, but mostly harmless.", ">\n\nUnless you have a doctor's diagnosis you don't have the disorder. Even if you are broke there are programs to help with costs. \nAnd yes it does affect me when someone is treating me like shit and tries using the I have such and such as an excuse and then people get mad at ME for calling them in their bullshit.", ">\n\nNo. You have to have the disorder before you CAN be diagnosed, so obviously there are undiagnosed people who in fact \"have the disorder \". Your refusal to acknowledge an undiagnosed disorder does not mean they don't have it. Your personal experience with people supposedly using a fake diagnosis to treat you badly, sounds unusual. How do you know they DIDN'T have it? People who do lie and just want to be jerks will do that regardless of what methods they decide to try. The methods are irrelevant. And that motive is not typical of most self diagnosers .", ">\n\nSounds unusual? You must not get out a lot because it's become a pretty regular thing. Every single person I know (about 8) that have self diagnosed themselves as neurodivergent or with a mental illness like Bi-polar all use it to excuse their shitty ass behaviors. \nToo many disorders can mirror other ones. Just because they think they have 2/3 symptoms doesn't make them right by a long shot. Keep living in your bubble.", ">\n\nYou don't have to have a relationship with anyone. If they treat you badly, regardless of an official diagnosis or not, you don't have to tolerate them. It makes no difference what they have or don't have. What would it change if they got diagnosed and actually have it?", ">\n\nSelf diagnosing has been a thing forever\nAnd it's not a problem im 99% sure me or any other autistic person doesn't really give 2 fucks about people who wanna fake disorders. It doesn't stop us from getting help, we have doctors notes, medical files, sometimes even volunteers, you need those files to get into let's say a special education class, or a life skills course.\nSo unless you were diagnosed by a professional you're probably not gonna make it far faking it.\n(Excuse my shitty punctuation)", ">\n\nIt doesn’t bother you that they’re making others take the actual meaning away from what you were born with? I mean I’m sure autism hasn’t made your life easy and seeing ppl claim it for attention to be quirky probably has to annoy you a little right?", ">\n\nAt the end of the day I still have ADHD and I still need help with it. More people being diagnosed with it doesn’t change that fact. In fact I was diagnosed because I realized I related to so many tiktok memes, and I’m sure others are in my same boat. \nIn fact I think so many people talking about ADHD helps. It means more people who possibly have tips for me, people who are suffering who can’t afford treatment have an easy way to learn about how to improve their lives, and more people who are aware of my disorder.", ">\n\nI think people do diagnose themselves too often without seeking professional help. BUT mental illness is not the same as being neurodivergent.", ">\n\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad that they’ll go as far to say they’re “neurodivergent.”\n\nWhile this is the case, I don't really see how it's a \"problem\" per se. I guarantee that these people still make lifestyle decisions based on what they think is best, or based on what they want to do.\n\nbut it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women\n\nDo you have any statistics for that? I haven't experienced it that way in my own anecdotal experience, and I'd be curious to look into the data to see how much that truly does skew in that direction.\n\nwanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness \nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nI understand what you're trying to say here, but I don't really think these things are connected as much as you think they are. People see something wrong with themselves, so they either playfully or seriously consider the fact that it could be a condition that they have similar symptoms to. Not that it never happens, but just because someone categorizes themselves into a disability group that could potentially excuse their \"quirks\", doesn't mean they think that behavior is unacceptable in any way. People see a problem, and assume it's linked to this other issue that seems similar that they already know about.", ">\n\nI agree with the conclusion that self-diagnosis is a real issue, and I wouldn't be surprised if the data indicated it was on the rise. I wouldn't necessarily frame it as a simple desire to \"be victimized\" however. While it is purely speculation, I do believe there are a number of conditions which might lead towards a more frequent experience of symptoms associated with mental illness - a rising wealth gap, perpetual anxiety from a 24-hour news cycle, intensification of self-commodification, the student debt crisis in certain countries like the US, and so on. So people are experiencing symptoms like low energy, mood swings, etc. that can be associated with mental illness. The issue with self-diagnosis then becomes that it may correctly identify the symptom, but incorrectly identify the cause.\nThis video from the YouTuber HealthyGamerGG does a good job of explaining what some of the issues with self-diagnosis are, and for me it was a good starting place for thinking about this more. \nEDIT: I forgot this video literally starts with this same topic being brought up on this same subreddit lol", ">\n\nA great theory based on reasonable causes with an educational video from a psychologist(I assume) as evidence to back it up. I applaud you sir. 👏", ">\n\nWhy are you embarrassed by other people's issues?", ">\n\nI’m a 30yo male. If I had not first self diagnosed with ASD and OCD, I never would have found the language and resources to get a formal diagnosis and help.\nPrior generations have been so fixated on avoidance of diagnosing mental disorders, and research was previously so lacking that we are only just now (through those that do get diagnosed) realizing how common mental disorders are. That plus the lack of mental health resources for neurotypical and neurodivergent I think is how we end up in this situation of many recognizing their symptoms in the new discourse, but lacking the resources to overcome the barriers to proper diagnosis and treatment.", ">\n\nIt’s not the best thing, no. \nAs an adult FINALLY diagnosed (by a licensed therapist) at 41, I can tell you why ‘self diagnosis’ is so tempting. \nIn the US at least- mental health, and official medical diagnosis are almost completely inaccessible, especially as an adult. Most of us grew up before Autism was a spectrum, and ADHD was just boys who acted out in class. We felt like aliens. We couldn’t understand why we didn’t have many friends, or why we didn’t like the ‘right things’, and generally spend the bill of our lives feeling ‘wrong’, ‘broken’ or just simply like we didn’t belong. \nFinally understanding the WHY, and even better, finding tools to addresses our issues is a huge huge weight off the chest. The relief of having a name and a strategy- either therapy or medicine is such an amazing relief!!", ">\n\nI only kinda agree if I had not done my own research I would have never found out I have sjorgens syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis I know TikTok people tend to diagnose themselves and it makes it look cringe but when you live with a incurable illness sometimes you have to work to find a diagnosis", ">\n\nWell, what do you do of you absolutely know you're neurodivergent, but your parents decided not to get you checked? My mom once told me \"we knew you had something, we just didn't get you checked because they would have just put you on pills\". So I struggled with being different, socially unaware, impulsive, obnoxious, agressive, selfish, for the better part of my life without having the self awareness to understand why I was these things, and why people wouldn't want to be around me. \nIn my late 20''s I asked the question, what if I'm actually autistic? I looked up the symptoms, and 9/10 matched. As a child I couldn't handle loud noises, restrictive clothing, I didn't talk until I was 3. I would throw fits for seemingly no reason, I had obsessive interests. I've always really struggled with eye contact, and I never cared for conversation unless it was something I liked. I mean, when the final piece of a puzzle fits so incredibly well, it's really hard for it to be wrong. \nSelf diagnosing actually really helped me grow as aj individual. I became aware of all my divergent behaviors, and why it might be annoying for someone else to deal with. I came to the realization that I was the one who was different, therefore I needed to change. It's way harder to make everyone around you cater to your needs than to overcome the things that upset you. I'm at peace, I have good friends that I can connect with on a pretty deep level. I no longer smash coffee tables when I lose, I can now appreciate that if I lose it just means I have more to learn. I can keep my house clean, I can reasonably hold myself accountable. What exactly is the harm in all that?\nBesides, it would be pretty pointless for me to try and get a diagnosis now, I've put the effort in and largely come out the other side. Anyone diagnosing me would just say I was normal, but they wouldn't have the intimate knowledge of me that I do. I guess it doesn't matter if people don't believe me, I don't go around shouting that I'm autistic. I will say, it would be really nice if people appreciated the effort I put in to get to get to a place of normalcy, something others take for granted, but it's okay, we all have our struggles.", ">\n\nI feel you on all that. To play devil's advocate, mental healthcare in the U.S. is not cheap. Many people go to the internet and confirm their bias about their current health", ">\n\nI feel you on that too OP. I agree 100% with your entire statement.", ">\n\nIt's a problem, but not a new one. In the 1990s there was briefly a surge of people with a type of delusional parasitosis, that is, the false belief that they were infested with parasites. Except this one was supposedly an infestation with tiny fibres. They would come to doctors with a whole list of symptoms to back up their incorrect self-diagnosis.\nTo a certain extent, these are social contagions, which come and go, and often actually end up leading to people having real problems. Like, the young women you mention, a couple of decades ago may well have ended up with anorexia, or self-cutting. These days it might be a self-declaration of autism or a belief that they have gender dysphoria or that they have multiple systems living in their minds.", ">\n\nWow I did not know that. Maybe it’s just so prevalent today due to social media. Social media has only made these things worse imo", ">\n\nEven before it being self diagnosis of a mental illness it was always something. Remember all the emo and goth teenager?", ">\n\nIt depends on the context. For example, if they've done a substantial amount of research, can name a good amount of symptoms they have and reasons they have whatever mental illness and don't have access to the necessary tools to get a medical diagnosis, it's totally different. Some people don't have the money to go out and get a diagnosis, or sometimes it would be better to not get a medical diagnosis. I believe that the reason that a lot of people self diagnose themselves with things like Autism is because they want an explanation as to why they are different, and they could be right or wrong. I think the most important part is that if you go to a psychologist (or even two, I know a lot of people prefer getting second opinions) and they say you don't have it, that you need to admit you were wrong. It's ok to be wrong about your mental health, and the key is to keep looking and to not give up. I can completely understand the frustration in people completely missing how difficult it actually may be to have a mental illness. I was clinically diagnosed with Depression, Anxiety, and PTSD when I was seven, and I've had some experience with people faking mental disorders for attention, and more often then not, they have another mental disorder that needs attention. Recently I had a (now ex) boyfriend insist he had PTSD after being tested twice and the psychiatrist saying that he didn't have it. What he does have is Depression and Anxiety, but he absolutely insisted he has PTSD despite never exhibiting symptoms and the only evidence being a test he took online that was supposedly a \"real PTSD test.\" People faking mental illnesses only harms people who really have them, as these people tend to exaggerate symptoms and use their self diagnosis for attention. I believe that I am autistic, but I don't list it as a diagnosis because while I have read articles and taken the RAADS-r test, I don't have an official diagnosis, and I could very well be wrong. As for women faking illnesses more often, something I've noticed is that things like Autism, ADHD, ADD, etc are more often diagnosed in boys rather than girls- mostly because when they were first discovered, most of the research was done in boys. Autism shows up differently in girls, and can often be blown off as early puberty hormones. If their hyperfixations are those of stereotypical feminine things, it's just a girl liking whatever, and if they hyperfixate in stereotypical masculine interests, they tend to just be viewed as weird, but not autistic. It's normal for people to question, but I agree that to a certain point, self diagnosis can be harmful, but only if not done correctly.", ">\n\nFirst and foremost not a new problem at all, very common, we used to call it \"Being a hypochondriac\" until it aparrently became reconized which in it self is confusing and a bit contradictory.\nANYWAY\nIt isnt really a problem, no doctor is gonna write the perscription for medication without a diagnosis of some sort.\nAt most there is the vauge \"But what about those who actually have it who arent taken serious\" dont worry, we wouldnt have anyway. Thats kinda how invisible illnesses work.\nOverall the 101 hypochondriacs screaming about the symptoms they read in the ICD might help make the knowledge more common and help people better reconize if their colleagues or friends happen to show symptoms of something.", ">\n\nIt’s pretty expensive in the US to get diagnosed. Personally, I’ve self diagnosed myself out of frustration of the way I process things. I’ve always felt slow & my anxiety/depression was deep because of it, but I was raised in a family that doesn’t believe in mental illness. It was always “if you work hard enough, all your problems will go away”. Meanwhile, i was racking my brain on how to make myself think faster/smarter & it would result in psychotic episodes. I’ve gotten fired from jobs, dropped out of school. I started self harming because I hated myself and my brain & almost commit suicide bc I had no idea what was going on.\nThe relief I felt once I finally got a therapist who validated me & was the first to talk to me about mental Illness. It blew my mind and all of a sudden things actually made sense to me. I currently think I have ADD, and sometimes I’ll tell people that but will preface it by saying I’m not professionally diagnosed. Still, I use mental tools that help me get through the day and build my confidence. I’m a lot better at processing conversations, making lists that help me remember things, unmasking, slowing down my thoughts… etc. I’m less frustrated and can see the beauty in how I process things. I still want to get diagnosed but I have to get health insurance….. lol", ">\n\nSelf diagnosis, regardless of being factual is a process where the individual realizes that they might have a mental health issue. People who can do this are more likely to seek professional help compared to the people who think they are “fine”. Going to a professional, licensed psychologist or a psychiatrist will eventually diagnose them with the correct disorder from there, and professionals have the skills to communicate with them and they can together evaluate if the person’s complaint is the issue or not. There is nothing embarrassing about discovering one’s self. It would be a problem if people would identify with an issue and don’t have any willingness to seek help. Sometimes overreacting is better than not reacting.", ">\n\nThe majority of people who are self-diagnosed with autism have done extensive research into it to come to that conclusion. I personally went through the DSM criteria with a fine-tooth comb, made a list of all the ways I met it and discovered that there’s not a single criteria i don’t meet for autism. I didn’t read about anything else but autism for weeks, approaching it from all angles before coming to the conclusion that it’s highly unlikely I am not autistic. I’m waiting to hear back about an assessment, but I’m not waiting to go and be told something I already know before I start advocating for myself. \nOh, and I absolutely did not want to be ‘different’, in fact my life mission to just blend in and be average is the root cause of most of my problems, but here we are.", ">\n\nThis self diagnosing young people do isn’t the problem. The problem is that our society encourages it.\nOur culture is not set up to accommodate a wide spectrum of human needs. You may need things that I don’t. I may need things that you don’t. But in most business settings, academic settings, or even places like restaurants or leisure places, the world isn’t built to accommodate everyone. Our world and society is a “one size fits all” approach, and most people don’t fit snugly inside of that system. \nIf you can classify what is “wrong” or “different” about you into an easily digestible form, people are generally more able and more willing to accommodate you.\nFor example: if I tell my coworkers that I need to leave work early because of a headache, I’ll be shamed for it. And in some cases I’ll be told that “headaches aren’t that bad!” Or “You don’t need to leave.” Or “I have a headache too, just deal with it!”\nBut if I tell my workers that I need to leave due to a painful neurological condition that’s flaring up (I have chronic migraine, which is a neurological condition), they will respect it 100% of the time. It’s met with sympathy and not criticism.\nThis happens for all sorts of things. “Sorry Im late, I slept in.” Sounds a lot worse then, “sorry I’m late, my insomnia has been terrible lately.” \nOur culture forces us to use these labels even when they’re untrue just to receive sympathy or acceptance. The problem isn’t people who decide to use these labels, the root problem is that our society refuses to embrace and accommodate people who are outside of the “norm.”", ">\n\nSpeaking as someone who's had an autism diagnosis since age 7: if someone declares they're autistic when they're not, that's obnoxious at worst. If someone is told they're not autistic when they are, that can cause lifelong harm from denied care and understanding. I have seen this happen to a close friend of mine.\nTherefore, I'd much rather err on the side of acceptance. If you think you're defending me and others like me from impersonators, we'd rather not have your help.\n\nI know people will disagree but it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women. Women statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nCase in point: women are diagnosed with autism far less than men. Recent studies have pointed to decades of systematic misdiagnosis. The more visible autistic symptoms sometimes manifest differently in girls, the way they're socialized may help them hide it from a young age, and of course lots of doctors just say \"your daughter can't be autistic, that's a boy thing.\"\nWe're learning that there are hundreds of thousands of autistic women who slipped through the cracks and were denied the recognition and support they needed because of dismissive, gatekeeping attitudes just like yours.", ">\n\nThere’s a difference between having a disorder and relating to a disorder. If the tools or language associated with a disorder helps someone live better though then cool, it’s all still odd. Also autism presents differently in woman, and a majority of our research on it is on men. Best practice is probably to support them and encourage them to seek treatment.", ">\n\nAutism is severely misdiagnosed in women. Completely under diagnosed. Actually, plenty of things are. The actual problem that we have is parents refusing to let their children get professional help or a diagnosis. Most doctors will diagnose you with BPD as a woman(aka the new female hysteria of our century), maybe put you on some anti psychotics and send you your way. In most countries, a diagnosis/specialist is not readily available, or there is a long waiting list. Even so, the doctors are not know it all. I have seen plenty of doctors, I got different diagnosis almost each time. They ask you some general questions (about your mood, the way you sleep, if you can concentrate, if you harm yourself, if you have suicidal ideation, if you can socialize properly, if your parents were diagnosed with anything, if you have hallucinations or delusions, the works) and then based on that, they will give you a diagnosis. If you use your common sense and information on the internet (given you are knowledgeable on the subject), you can take a good guess on what's wrong. Obviously, some people will exaggerate like with anything (seeing the shadow dude once in your childhood is not a sign of psychosis, neither is hearing your name called when you are alone once in a blue moon), but if you have visual and auditory hallucinations, perhaps weird tactile feelings/hallucinations (spiders are crawling on me, etc), delusions, tend to be forgetful and out of teach with reality, there is a good chance you do have psychosis.", ">\n\nOkay, to start: what do you think autism and ADHD are? They aren't mental illnesses nor are they mental health conditions. \nTo address some of your other points; \nStudies have shown that autism has a gender expression of 1:1. The only reason that women are under diagnosed is because of misunderstandings towards autism, then the diagnosis is conducted incorrectly. Thus it ends up getting conflated with mental illness, E.G BPD, and is diagnosed as a psychiatric disorder instead. This is a detriment to the patient as the care regimes are black and white different. Often times this severely damages the woman.\nFrom data sets that I recall reading, malingering hasn't risen much, if at all, in recent times. I remember it being around 8% of the global population who are engaging in this behaviour, to different extents. I think what's happened is that social media has turned a torch onto it and it's risen in popularity in an algorithmic way. You see it more because it's pushed by the algorithm more because people are searching for it more. It isn't actually occurring any more or less than historically. Most of that attention is negative attention, I should add. \nSo there's two things to take away from that.\n1) The actual act of pretending to be mentally ill, or to have a disability, which is called malingering, is in fact a form of mental unwellness itself. It's a cry for help. The people who do these things are usually very unstable and should be treated with a degree of empathy. The dangerous types who are using mental illness to scam others, or to manipulate them, make up a very small percentage of the overall amount of people in that group and tend to abuse one on one. \n2) The predominant response to this is generally negative. There isn't really any reason to publicly malinger unless you're unstable, this is because a rational person would likely know this, and know the damage it would cause themselves. Self-diagnosis is a very long, and self-aware, process that takes place over years of the individuals life, and proceeds official diagnosis. \nNo one SDs and says \"Okay that's it now! Let me start a TikTok!\" You'd still want support, and you'd still seek support. So that would end up with a doctor, who would see that you're lying, and treat you for whatever was prompting you to malinger. Anyone who has made this commitment knows that keeping it private is a sensible thing to do in a world that isn't inclusive, and often very stigmatising. Sometimes official diagnosis can take YEARS. \nThis kind of propaganda has been going around for a long time in an effort to discredit disabled people and people with mental illnesses. It's not new. People said the same things back in the 90s. People will always be afraid, and dismissive, of things they do not understand. I invite you to try and understand.", ">\n\nI self-diagnosed myself with endometriosis for 10 years before a doctor finally listened to me, opened me up, and found my insides littered with lesions all over my organs. I’m now not able to get pregnant and I might need to get part of my bowel taken out someday. This could’ve been avoided if someone had just listened to me when I was 16. \nSelf-diagnosing is a necessity in a misogynist world! No one takes us seriously! Especially medical professionals. \nThe best antidote for this is to listen to women who self-diagnose. Why do they think they have XYZ? Is it heavily interfering with their life? I think that’s a much larger problem.", ">\n\nIts been proven that there is a bias to diagnose as opposed to not diagnose a mental illness in psychology. So op is actually kinda correct. The definition of a mental illness is in effect being stretched so far that people who are just kinda weird are being diagnosed with \"on the spectrum\". This is actually causing a problem in early learning because parents start treating their kids as essentially learning challenged when they're really not. So it is starting to become an excuse ...", ">\n\nWe live in a society that loves to medicate people. I know it’s different but Did ppl forget about the opioid epidemic? They’ll diagnose your ass with anything if they can", ">\n\nYa I tend to agree. And no one is really saying so I will I guess, but id wager that 50% of psychologist \"professionals\" are totally full of shit. The actual number of psychologists that are are doing real research and clinical studies is EXTREMELY small compared to how many \"psychologists\" are out there. Just like chiropractors, half of them are hacks..", ">\n\nAnd ill say one more thing, though it is anecdotal, but i have direct family that works in special education for young children, and that system is fucked with a capital F. Thay are constantly fighting against parents and programs who try to box kids in the \"autistic\" zone, when they are just really quite or shy, or have pee problems. But parents want an excuse and reason for their behavior, and reduce them to a sub standard education and treatment for the rest of their lives. It's heart breaking. Especially in public schools.", ">\n\nI’m 32 years old. \nI didn’t self diagnose for attention although I remember the days of tumblr where everyone self diagnosed for clout.\nIt took me a decade to realize what is really happening. During the decade before I realized what may have been happening I was told the following:\nI’m rude\nI’m bossy\nI have a RBF/I look mad\nI also only managed to make my first real friend at age 27.\nWhat I was really displaying was:\nBeing overly blunt and just trying to get my point across came off rude when I didn’t intend it to be that way\nTrying to have things done at a certain time and way that no one else thought was important to follow\nUnmasking\nNoticed other things too that I just thought was me being weird:\nVocal stimming\nOral stimming-chewing, smoking, vaping\nRepetitive motions\nRocking\nEasily overwhelmed by too much sensory input\nHigh startle reflex \nInability to regulate my body’s needs-I don’t know I’m hungry until I’m ravenous; don’t recognize the need to use the bathroom until it’s causing me to rush off, don’t realize I’m cold until I’m shaking\nI could go on.\nI want an assessment so bad. But assessments for adults are EXTREMELY hard to setup, if you can even set them up at all. Some states don’t even offer them. I’ve been looking but they are only for children and seem to look for severe cases.\n14 years of thinking I was just a bitch who couldn’t make friends because I was too weird…turns out it might be autism. And turns out I’ll most likely never get a true diagnosis. But the RAADS test gave me a 127 score so that might be the closest I’ll ever get.", ">\n\ni kind of self diagnosed autism? i’ve been to many psychiatrists and therapists for years and they always see adhd in the half an hour and prescribe meds for that, which makes me not go there again. if they dug a little deeper they could have seen autism, i spoke to my current psychiatrist about if its possible i have it, she didn’t want to confirm or deny as i was moving out of state from friends and family and am at an age where i can have kids in the next 10 years since she doesn’t want me being concerned for them. \nI think there’s still lots of stigma around autism even with professionals and especially when identifying it in women. \nI don’t want to be autistic, but i can recognise a lot of different patterns comparing myself and others. I’ve researched it a ton especially in how it shows in women compared to men and in all the articles i found myself relating.\nNow i don’t say im autistic, i say im a little sus of being it tho lmao. and try pass it off casually. I find it’s a lot easier for me to understand and embrace my differences compared to trying to hide it and try be like everyone else or wonder why im not like everyone else. \nBeing older i can also recognise how a lot of my family on one side have suffered mentally and because of obvious neurodivergence. so im pretty sure, like the rest of my mentally challenged brain, has been inherited genetically through that side. \nAll that being said. I self diagnosed when i was about 12 that im highly likely to be depressed and anxious in attempt to get my mom to believe me i needed help, and now 8 years later i can identify that this has been an issue forever for me and that i likely cannot go off my meds because i will just go back to how i used to be. Im still ocd with all my meds, but its better than being anxious and depressed all the time, Having ocd throughout the day is like heaven to me in comparison to how i used to be. obviously the ocd isnt new, just a lot more heard in my brain now.", ">\n\nOk, I know some people self diagnoze themselves with [insert some mental illness here] out of attention or whatever, and that's totally not ok.\nHowever, if you read all the symptoms and do proper research on a mental illness and everything clicks in to you, I'd say you can be fairly confident on a self diagnosis (although, it might be worth it to double check with a professional, especially if you want any sort of treatment). But also for some people, it might not be affordable to go to a professional...", ">\n\nI live in Canada, I've engaged with the medical system, doctors don't care and just want you out, ERs are a 8 hour wait for someone to ignore one thing and won't even entertain other issues even if they are related. Self-diagnosis is really the only way to get any kind of proper treatment at all. \nThe doctors will rubber stamp just about anything you ask for except pain killers but in terms of diagnosis you're way better off doing it yourself, sure you don't have 8 years of medical school but the doctors won't give you 5 mins of their time, they are not better than google and you give a lot more of a shit than they will and at the end of the day it's your body.", ">\n\nBack in the 90s when I was a teenager, the kids/teenagers/young adults who wanted attention, and wanted to be different, adopted the goth lifestyle. Dressing up in all black. White foundation with black lipstick and eyeshadow. It was the trendy way to be different, to be viewed as outcasts of society. To not fit in. \nThe goth lifestyle of the 2020s is self diagnosis. Same shit, different day.\nWhenever someone claims autism, or somewhere on the spectrum, I just roll my eyes and imagine that person just sucks at life.", ">\n\nI just think it’s a little more harmful nowadays due to the prevalence of social media. Ppl get sucked into groups and mindsets before they even have a real life chance. Then they hyper fixate on that they might be mentally Ill rather then just trying to live life to the fullest", ">\n\nI 100% agree with you" ]

[ "The diagnosis process for a lot of psychiatric conditions are surveys and questionaires. You can go to a psychiatrist and ask if you're anxious and they'll give you multiple choice questions and diagnose off of that. Or you can just google the form yourself and self diagnose. A lot of psychiatric disorders are about how we feel and think. Not about sending off some blood sample to a lab and getting a positive result come back.\n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. For such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nWhat you're describing are all neuroses that could indicate some deeper psychiatric condition. Whether a person has a mental health condition or not, thinking of ourselves as weak victims is never helpful in any context, yet it's something we all feel from time to time.\nI'm a disability support worker, so when someone tells me they've got a self diagnosed condition, it's not offensive to me or any disabled person I know, it doesn't come across like they're invalidating anyone else's condition. However I do think everyone should talk to a doctor about any condition they feel they might have.", ">\n\nPiggybacking off of this: You’ve spent your whole entire life inside your own brain. A therapist will spend a period of hours with you and give you a diagnosis. Who do you think knows your personal reality better than yourself?", ">\n\nYeah exactly, especially with conditions such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, PTSD, and many other psychiatric conditions. These are things people know they have even before they get a diagnosis. The diagnosis stage is more about treatment and management.\nPeople might be unaware of how severe or mild their condition is, some people think they have only mild PTSD despite constant nightmares and suicidal ideation. Some people will think they have severe ADHD because they can't concentrate for long times on things that don't interest them. It's good to get some perspective from experts but ultimately people know when they are struggling to focus or to struggling to stop stressing all the time or struggling to not be miserable. Struggling with our thoughts and feelings is evidence enough to self diagnose.", ">\n\nI was recently diagnosed with ADHD as a woman so I find this viewpoint interesting.\nFirstly, autism is not a mental illness. An autistic person may have mental illness in conjunction with autism, but autism alone lies under the neurodivergent umbrella. Neurodivergency can include autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and other similar conditions.\nWhy women are often underdiagnosed\nThese are serious disabilities that can really impede a person's life, especially if they struggle to find help and acceptance in their community. A lot of women start their journey towards diagnosis later in life due to a number of factors such as:\n\nPoor diagnostic tools and inexperienced professionals\nA misunderstanding that autism and ADHD are more common in boys\nAdvanced masking techniques to cover their 'traits'\n\nWhy women are often diagnosed later in life.\nThe process for many women and men who are diagnosed later in life often includes a level of burnout or breakdown. After a while everything becomes too much, the mask begins to slip and your traits go into overdrive.\nWhy does self-diagnosing seem to be on the rise?\nA common way of finding out you could possibly be neurodivergent is through media and people who are aware of these traits appear.\nIn the past few years, I have seen an increasing awareness of neurodivergence in women pop up in the media. This is useful for people like myself who had no idea wtf was wrong with them for a very long time. For me, a GP actually suggested I seek a diagnosis due to some struggles I was going through.\nAs someone who went through this process self-diagnosing is commonly the first step as an adult. You might be directed to a questionnaire and are asked to evaluate yourself and your experiences thinking back to your childhood. If there's some merit in your experiences than you move to the next step which involves seeking a professional. Waitlists are often months to years long so many people live in limbo for a long time.\nMethods of living with ADHD can help everyone. And everyone experiences ADHD traits from time to time. Given a large amount of stress we have all suffered collectively, I don't doubt there are a lot of people with increased mental health issues that mirror neurodivergent traits. Some mental illnesses can get very severe and alter your brain chemistry and behaviour.\nMy takeaway from this is that the mental health systems set up to assist these people are a much larger issue and cause for serious concern than self-diagnosing.\nApologies for the spelling and grammar errors. Grammarly and Reddit don't play nice.", ">\n\nI think it's two things. One, people have identity crises, especially teenagers. We all know that type of person who tries on identities like hats. That's pretty embarrassing. You usually grow out of that.\nTwo, from personal experience, giving yourself a label or a diagnosis makes it feel more contained and easy to communicate. It's easier to tell someone that you have X and have them understand what you're going through rather than telling them you have these vague symptoms resembling what you imagine X is like. In that respect, it is pretty understandable, possibly good, and not embarrassing. There's something that is sort of reassuring if you can finally get a word to put on what you're experiencing.\nPeople often sympathize with the diagnosis but not with the symptoms. Tell people at work you're autistic and they will sympathize with you and possibly not attack you. Tell them you do not understand social cues and they will probably just make fun of you.", ">\n\nI understand the desire to put a label with a disease, and this is not necessarily bad, but the diagnosis needs to be correct. If you want to tell others that you are autistic or depressed; you must actually be those things. A person can almost never correctly assertion their disease, only their symptoms. People might better understand you if you say your autistic, but you may incorrectly understand and describe yourself. If one wishes to put a name with symptoms, they should find a doctor to pick the label", ">\n\nfor sure but unfortunately our medical system is a joke and even if you are experiencing very severe symptoms it can be nearly impossible to see a professional or take months on a waiting list.\nEven then a professional may be reluctant to slap a label on you for fear of what the consequences of that might be. I saw someone for a very long time who resisted any sort of actual diagnosis because the truth is that what I was experiencing didn't fit neatly into any of the boxes and pretty much belonged in this vague \"other\" category which isn't particularly helpful. Not to mention that misdiagnosis happens all the time even by professionals. \nI just think it is sort of understandable because I think a lot of stuff is kind of a spectrum anyway and just different levels of severity. Things can be really confusing and hard to nail down and thus communicate in a way that causes someone else to be understanding rather than judgemental.", ">\n\nAre you under the impression this is a new phenomenon? Because it's definitely not.\nPeople - especially young people! - crave identity. The world is a confusing place, knowing who you are makes it a little easier. Sometimes it's self-diagnosing mental illness or learning disabilities, or exploring sexual identity, or cliques, or subcultures. There's nothing embarrassing about it, it just is what it is.", ">\n\nIt’s ok to want to express individuality but not to the extent of totally destroying the definition of a real thing and making it hard for actual mentally Ill ppl to get a diagnosis. Why can’t people just accept that they’re different rather then giving themselves a label?", ">\n\npeople on TikTok claiming to have disorders that they don't doesn't affect the precision of psychiatrists diagnosing actual patients. There's no TikTok-said section in the DSM. Why do you think that it does?", ">\n\nIt just encourages more people to get diagnosed possibly skewing the meaning of the mental illness", ">\n\nSkewing it towards statistical accuracy? If people are actually diagnosed at higher rates, we have a better Guage of population-level mental illness, neurodivergency, etc. Better data is more usable, so that research actually means something actionable, ASIDE from the identity boost for young people.", ">\n\nI think what OP is driving at, but utterly failing to explain, is that they think that the fakers will be accommodated by the psychiatric system and diagnosed on the basis of fake symptoms. my sense is that isn't a problem but I don't have data.", ">\n\nDefinitely explained it a little better then I could lol", ">\n\nWhere do you see evidence of that? Any articles about fakers? How about a statistic? If not, it’s just a fear you seem to have.", ">\n\nI think the salient line here is this one:\n\nNeurologists were able to quickly determine that the subjects were not \nsuffering from Tourette's, but psychogenic tics driven by anxiety.", ">\n\nWomen are not born with less autism, but are much less likely to be diagnosed as children than boys. This is partly because boys generally have similar symptoms and behaviors. \nSo of course more women are self diagnosing autism, since their diagnoses were missed as children on a much higher rate.", ">\n\nAlright, I'm diagnosed OCD, PTSD, chronic depression. Diagnosed by a professional so I think I have some grounds to talk about this.\nFirst, let's tackle your women comment about autism. You see, I understand where you're coming from, but you lack the nuance of recognizing that mental illness, and illness in general, is heavily under-diagnosed in women. The medical culture is heavily favored towards men and is rampant with mysogyny, and that's not just me saying it as I've had medical professionals blatantly tell me it's a problem in the field when questioned about it. I've also had some tell me that it's just because women whine a lot, so yanno make of that statement what you will.\nNow that we've covered that let me address the self-diagnosing issue. So, do you want to know what my therapist thinks of self-diagnosing? Well, when I asked them about it they said that self-diagnosing is an important first step to seeking help. Psychiatrist said the same thing. It's normal, expected even, for people to self-diagnose their issues then seek help for them. You can't exactly just peer into someone's brain, no, that person has to tell you what they think is wrong and why they think it is. \nWhat you actually have a problem with is not self-diagnosis, but with people not seeking or not being able to get medical assistance and assuming they're right. You have a problem with people using these issues for attention, which I do too, but once again self-diagnosing is not the problem. Finally, you have a problem with the medical system that forces people into the position of trying to figure out their mental illnesses, but having no ability to get help for them.", ">\n\nI think I did it", ">\n\nSadly no lol, it was not done properly. Do you need a link to the rules?", ">\n\nI already read them i think I’ll figure it out in a bit sorry for the hold up", ">\n\nBecause everyone else is being aggressive: you have to comment with ∆ or !delta and then explain how your view has been changed", ">\n\nThis delta has been rejected. You can't award OP a delta.\nAllowing this would wrongly suggest that you can post here with the aim of convincing others.\nIf you were explaining when/how to award a delta, please use a reddit quote for the symbol next time.\n^Delta System Explained ^| ^Deltaboards", ">\n\nWhat gives you the authority or knowledge to know this is the problem?", ">\n\nYou don’t think it’s a problem that a lot of young ppl are willing to go to the extent of saying they are mentally Ill either for attention or to excuse their weirdness? Just accept that your different. It’s not wrong to believe you’re different without a label", ">\n\nYou did not even try to answer my question.", ">\n\nI’m sorry I was confused on what you meant", ">\n\nIf you are mad at people for self diagnosing themselves because they don't have the knowledge or authority to do so.... what gives you the knowledge or authority to diagnosis this as the problem behavior... basically are you just a kid that is annoyed, or is there some actual studies out there that is claiming this is a problem.", ">\n\nIf you don’t think that people consistently seeking attention for mental illness or craving a label so badly to justify themselves rather then being themselves. That just shows what your views are", ">\n\nDont you think we should leave the diagnosing to the professionals?", ">\n\nI mean yeah", ">\n\nWould you agree that you are diagnosing these people by saying that they are only seeking attention and do not have a real mental illness?", ">\n\nI’m assuming", ">\n\nThere may be some truth to people wanting to be different, however with mental illnesses being more accepted in today's society, many people are a lot more comfortable with being neurodivergent. Additionally, self diagnosis is common because the alternative is spending upwards to $1000-$2000 for a clinical diagnosis.", ">\n\nI know costs suck, but self diagnosis can be much more harmful. A web.md page that tells you your depressed when you may actually be bipolar can lead to really messed up results. I would even go as far as to say that no diagnosis at all is preferable to an uninformed one", ">\n\nWell.\n​\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad \n\nSo you already know why they're doing what they're doing in addition the fact that you know that they're not Autistic? If your claim is that they can't know and only a doctor can, what makes you more qualified? You start out your argument admitting that you have a bias.\n\nthey’re “neurodivergent.\n\nNeurodivergent is an umbrella that covers both Autism and ADHD, which sometimes get mistaken for each other. So if you're upset that they're self-diagnosing, this term should be more welcome than \"Autistic\" because it's more generalized.\n\nnd when you ask them how they know they’ll say “oh I have this weird tick when I uh laugh when someone says something funny “ or “I have a hyper fixation on this topic so I must be autistic\n\nHow else should they communicate it to you? The list of aspects of Autism, especially for how it presents in women, sounds a lot like this. You're not a doctor, they don't have to prove anything to you by going down the entire list of every possible part of their daily experience that might be on the spectrum.\n\nWomen statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nNope. Women are diagnosed less often than men because the original diagnostic criteria for Autism was for Autism as it presents in males. It presents differently for females and is harder to diagnose, especially at younger ages. \n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized\n\nTodays youth want to be victimized? Why would anyone want to be victimized? Something tells me you're missing the mark with this terminology.\n\nor have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. \n\nSo if someone is Autistic and that makes them weird, you'd rather them just be forced to not get to have a name for it, and get the therapeutic treatment that would help them?\n\nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really [are] without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nSome people are autistic. If they find out and it makes them feel good, that doesn't mean they're craving attention. And if they are craving attention, it's because they're normal people and everyone does. \nIf someone thinks they're autistic but it turns out they're actually not, chances are they suspected it for a reason. They might have ADHD, a personality disorder, a mental health issue, or simply a slightly different way of experiencing the world that feels unique to them and there's nothing wrong with that. \nYou seem to think that other people do things for you. People generally don't. They do things for themselves. This is especially true of people on the Autism Spectrum who may not be able to easily use other people's experiences to reference when constructing their view of the world, and can only use their own. Your interpretation wherein they do it to evoke a response from you says more about you than it does about them.", ">\n\nYou’re being deliberately obtuse. OP is completely correct. Most of the people these days who say “I’m ADHD” or “I’m autistic” or “I’m neurodivergent” are absolutely not diagnosed as such and are doing it to seem unique or get attention or as some excuse for why they did x y or z.", ">\n\nI'd like to point out that while some are perhaps attention seeking, many people self diagnose simply because they don't have access to free medical/psychological professionals to get proper diagnosis and help with their issues. I also know someone who doesn't want to get an official diagnosis because he's afrad it will affect his insurance rates or somehow come back to bite him if he's offically labeled with having a neurological disorder. \nThere is a wealth of knowledge on these subjects available online for those interested. And if they are truly interested in self diagnose they can likely do that accurately enough for all intents and purposes. Most of these people who search for the sake of better understanding themselves or their loved ones will openly admit that it's a self diagnoses, or say they THINK they have x,y, or z. But in some situations it's just as well to say they have it if they feel certain anyway, and it's just a passing comment, and not a discussion on the matter. \nIn other words, just because they self diagnose doesn't mean they're wrong, nor does it explain their motives. I also don't see how attention seeking (for those who ARE doing that) is really hurting anyone else. Fakers gonna be fake, that's more a \"them\" kind of problem. ANNOYING, but mostly harmless.", ">\n\nUnless you have a doctor's diagnosis you don't have the disorder. Even if you are broke there are programs to help with costs. \nAnd yes it does affect me when someone is treating me like shit and tries using the I have such and such as an excuse and then people get mad at ME for calling them in their bullshit.", ">\n\nNo. You have to have the disorder before you CAN be diagnosed, so obviously there are undiagnosed people who in fact \"have the disorder \". Your refusal to acknowledge an undiagnosed disorder does not mean they don't have it. Your personal experience with people supposedly using a fake diagnosis to treat you badly, sounds unusual. How do you know they DIDN'T have it? People who do lie and just want to be jerks will do that regardless of what methods they decide to try. The methods are irrelevant. And that motive is not typical of most self diagnosers .", ">\n\nSounds unusual? You must not get out a lot because it's become a pretty regular thing. Every single person I know (about 8) that have self diagnosed themselves as neurodivergent or with a mental illness like Bi-polar all use it to excuse their shitty ass behaviors. \nToo many disorders can mirror other ones. Just because they think they have 2/3 symptoms doesn't make them right by a long shot. Keep living in your bubble.", ">\n\nYou don't have to have a relationship with anyone. If they treat you badly, regardless of an official diagnosis or not, you don't have to tolerate them. It makes no difference what they have or don't have. What would it change if they got diagnosed and actually have it?", ">\n\nSelf diagnosing has been a thing forever\nAnd it's not a problem im 99% sure me or any other autistic person doesn't really give 2 fucks about people who wanna fake disorders. It doesn't stop us from getting help, we have doctors notes, medical files, sometimes even volunteers, you need those files to get into let's say a special education class, or a life skills course.\nSo unless you were diagnosed by a professional you're probably not gonna make it far faking it.\n(Excuse my shitty punctuation)", ">\n\nIt doesn’t bother you that they’re making others take the actual meaning away from what you were born with? I mean I’m sure autism hasn’t made your life easy and seeing ppl claim it for attention to be quirky probably has to annoy you a little right?", ">\n\nAt the end of the day I still have ADHD and I still need help with it. More people being diagnosed with it doesn’t change that fact. In fact I was diagnosed because I realized I related to so many tiktok memes, and I’m sure others are in my same boat. \nIn fact I think so many people talking about ADHD helps. It means more people who possibly have tips for me, people who are suffering who can’t afford treatment have an easy way to learn about how to improve their lives, and more people who are aware of my disorder.", ">\n\nI think people do diagnose themselves too often without seeking professional help. BUT mental illness is not the same as being neurodivergent.", ">\n\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad that they’ll go as far to say they’re “neurodivergent.”\n\nWhile this is the case, I don't really see how it's a \"problem\" per se. I guarantee that these people still make lifestyle decisions based on what they think is best, or based on what they want to do.\n\nbut it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women\n\nDo you have any statistics for that? I haven't experienced it that way in my own anecdotal experience, and I'd be curious to look into the data to see how much that truly does skew in that direction.\n\nwanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness \nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nI understand what you're trying to say here, but I don't really think these things are connected as much as you think they are. People see something wrong with themselves, so they either playfully or seriously consider the fact that it could be a condition that they have similar symptoms to. Not that it never happens, but just because someone categorizes themselves into a disability group that could potentially excuse their \"quirks\", doesn't mean they think that behavior is unacceptable in any way. People see a problem, and assume it's linked to this other issue that seems similar that they already know about.", ">\n\nI agree with the conclusion that self-diagnosis is a real issue, and I wouldn't be surprised if the data indicated it was on the rise. I wouldn't necessarily frame it as a simple desire to \"be victimized\" however. While it is purely speculation, I do believe there are a number of conditions which might lead towards a more frequent experience of symptoms associated with mental illness - a rising wealth gap, perpetual anxiety from a 24-hour news cycle, intensification of self-commodification, the student debt crisis in certain countries like the US, and so on. So people are experiencing symptoms like low energy, mood swings, etc. that can be associated with mental illness. The issue with self-diagnosis then becomes that it may correctly identify the symptom, but incorrectly identify the cause.\nThis video from the YouTuber HealthyGamerGG does a good job of explaining what some of the issues with self-diagnosis are, and for me it was a good starting place for thinking about this more. \nEDIT: I forgot this video literally starts with this same topic being brought up on this same subreddit lol", ">\n\nA great theory based on reasonable causes with an educational video from a psychologist(I assume) as evidence to back it up. I applaud you sir. 👏", ">\n\nWhy are you embarrassed by other people's issues?", ">\n\nI’m a 30yo male. If I had not first self diagnosed with ASD and OCD, I never would have found the language and resources to get a formal diagnosis and help.\nPrior generations have been so fixated on avoidance of diagnosing mental disorders, and research was previously so lacking that we are only just now (through those that do get diagnosed) realizing how common mental disorders are. That plus the lack of mental health resources for neurotypical and neurodivergent I think is how we end up in this situation of many recognizing their symptoms in the new discourse, but lacking the resources to overcome the barriers to proper diagnosis and treatment.", ">\n\nIt’s not the best thing, no. \nAs an adult FINALLY diagnosed (by a licensed therapist) at 41, I can tell you why ‘self diagnosis’ is so tempting. \nIn the US at least- mental health, and official medical diagnosis are almost completely inaccessible, especially as an adult. Most of us grew up before Autism was a spectrum, and ADHD was just boys who acted out in class. We felt like aliens. We couldn’t understand why we didn’t have many friends, or why we didn’t like the ‘right things’, and generally spend the bill of our lives feeling ‘wrong’, ‘broken’ or just simply like we didn’t belong. \nFinally understanding the WHY, and even better, finding tools to addresses our issues is a huge huge weight off the chest. The relief of having a name and a strategy- either therapy or medicine is such an amazing relief!!", ">\n\nI only kinda agree if I had not done my own research I would have never found out I have sjorgens syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis I know TikTok people tend to diagnose themselves and it makes it look cringe but when you live with a incurable illness sometimes you have to work to find a diagnosis", ">\n\nWell, what do you do of you absolutely know you're neurodivergent, but your parents decided not to get you checked? My mom once told me \"we knew you had something, we just didn't get you checked because they would have just put you on pills\". So I struggled with being different, socially unaware, impulsive, obnoxious, agressive, selfish, for the better part of my life without having the self awareness to understand why I was these things, and why people wouldn't want to be around me. \nIn my late 20''s I asked the question, what if I'm actually autistic? I looked up the symptoms, and 9/10 matched. As a child I couldn't handle loud noises, restrictive clothing, I didn't talk until I was 3. I would throw fits for seemingly no reason, I had obsessive interests. I've always really struggled with eye contact, and I never cared for conversation unless it was something I liked. I mean, when the final piece of a puzzle fits so incredibly well, it's really hard for it to be wrong. \nSelf diagnosing actually really helped me grow as aj individual. I became aware of all my divergent behaviors, and why it might be annoying for someone else to deal with. I came to the realization that I was the one who was different, therefore I needed to change. It's way harder to make everyone around you cater to your needs than to overcome the things that upset you. I'm at peace, I have good friends that I can connect with on a pretty deep level. I no longer smash coffee tables when I lose, I can now appreciate that if I lose it just means I have more to learn. I can keep my house clean, I can reasonably hold myself accountable. What exactly is the harm in all that?\nBesides, it would be pretty pointless for me to try and get a diagnosis now, I've put the effort in and largely come out the other side. Anyone diagnosing me would just say I was normal, but they wouldn't have the intimate knowledge of me that I do. I guess it doesn't matter if people don't believe me, I don't go around shouting that I'm autistic. I will say, it would be really nice if people appreciated the effort I put in to get to get to a place of normalcy, something others take for granted, but it's okay, we all have our struggles.", ">\n\nI feel you on all that. To play devil's advocate, mental healthcare in the U.S. is not cheap. Many people go to the internet and confirm their bias about their current health", ">\n\nI feel you on that too OP. I agree 100% with your entire statement.", ">\n\nIt's a problem, but not a new one. In the 1990s there was briefly a surge of people with a type of delusional parasitosis, that is, the false belief that they were infested with parasites. Except this one was supposedly an infestation with tiny fibres. They would come to doctors with a whole list of symptoms to back up their incorrect self-diagnosis.\nTo a certain extent, these are social contagions, which come and go, and often actually end up leading to people having real problems. Like, the young women you mention, a couple of decades ago may well have ended up with anorexia, or self-cutting. These days it might be a self-declaration of autism or a belief that they have gender dysphoria or that they have multiple systems living in their minds.", ">\n\nWow I did not know that. Maybe it’s just so prevalent today due to social media. Social media has only made these things worse imo", ">\n\nEven before it being self diagnosis of a mental illness it was always something. Remember all the emo and goth teenager?", ">\n\nIt depends on the context. For example, if they've done a substantial amount of research, can name a good amount of symptoms they have and reasons they have whatever mental illness and don't have access to the necessary tools to get a medical diagnosis, it's totally different. Some people don't have the money to go out and get a diagnosis, or sometimes it would be better to not get a medical diagnosis. I believe that the reason that a lot of people self diagnose themselves with things like Autism is because they want an explanation as to why they are different, and they could be right or wrong. I think the most important part is that if you go to a psychologist (or even two, I know a lot of people prefer getting second opinions) and they say you don't have it, that you need to admit you were wrong. It's ok to be wrong about your mental health, and the key is to keep looking and to not give up. I can completely understand the frustration in people completely missing how difficult it actually may be to have a mental illness. I was clinically diagnosed with Depression, Anxiety, and PTSD when I was seven, and I've had some experience with people faking mental disorders for attention, and more often then not, they have another mental disorder that needs attention. Recently I had a (now ex) boyfriend insist he had PTSD after being tested twice and the psychiatrist saying that he didn't have it. What he does have is Depression and Anxiety, but he absolutely insisted he has PTSD despite never exhibiting symptoms and the only evidence being a test he took online that was supposedly a \"real PTSD test.\" People faking mental illnesses only harms people who really have them, as these people tend to exaggerate symptoms and use their self diagnosis for attention. I believe that I am autistic, but I don't list it as a diagnosis because while I have read articles and taken the RAADS-r test, I don't have an official diagnosis, and I could very well be wrong. As for women faking illnesses more often, something I've noticed is that things like Autism, ADHD, ADD, etc are more often diagnosed in boys rather than girls- mostly because when they were first discovered, most of the research was done in boys. Autism shows up differently in girls, and can often be blown off as early puberty hormones. If their hyperfixations are those of stereotypical feminine things, it's just a girl liking whatever, and if they hyperfixate in stereotypical masculine interests, they tend to just be viewed as weird, but not autistic. It's normal for people to question, but I agree that to a certain point, self diagnosis can be harmful, but only if not done correctly.", ">\n\nFirst and foremost not a new problem at all, very common, we used to call it \"Being a hypochondriac\" until it aparrently became reconized which in it self is confusing and a bit contradictory.\nANYWAY\nIt isnt really a problem, no doctor is gonna write the perscription for medication without a diagnosis of some sort.\nAt most there is the vauge \"But what about those who actually have it who arent taken serious\" dont worry, we wouldnt have anyway. Thats kinda how invisible illnesses work.\nOverall the 101 hypochondriacs screaming about the symptoms they read in the ICD might help make the knowledge more common and help people better reconize if their colleagues or friends happen to show symptoms of something.", ">\n\nIt’s pretty expensive in the US to get diagnosed. Personally, I’ve self diagnosed myself out of frustration of the way I process things. I’ve always felt slow & my anxiety/depression was deep because of it, but I was raised in a family that doesn’t believe in mental illness. It was always “if you work hard enough, all your problems will go away”. Meanwhile, i was racking my brain on how to make myself think faster/smarter & it would result in psychotic episodes. I’ve gotten fired from jobs, dropped out of school. I started self harming because I hated myself and my brain & almost commit suicide bc I had no idea what was going on.\nThe relief I felt once I finally got a therapist who validated me & was the first to talk to me about mental Illness. It blew my mind and all of a sudden things actually made sense to me. I currently think I have ADD, and sometimes I’ll tell people that but will preface it by saying I’m not professionally diagnosed. Still, I use mental tools that help me get through the day and build my confidence. I’m a lot better at processing conversations, making lists that help me remember things, unmasking, slowing down my thoughts… etc. I’m less frustrated and can see the beauty in how I process things. I still want to get diagnosed but I have to get health insurance….. lol", ">\n\nSelf diagnosis, regardless of being factual is a process where the individual realizes that they might have a mental health issue. People who can do this are more likely to seek professional help compared to the people who think they are “fine”. Going to a professional, licensed psychologist or a psychiatrist will eventually diagnose them with the correct disorder from there, and professionals have the skills to communicate with them and they can together evaluate if the person’s complaint is the issue or not. There is nothing embarrassing about discovering one’s self. It would be a problem if people would identify with an issue and don’t have any willingness to seek help. Sometimes overreacting is better than not reacting.", ">\n\nThe majority of people who are self-diagnosed with autism have done extensive research into it to come to that conclusion. I personally went through the DSM criteria with a fine-tooth comb, made a list of all the ways I met it and discovered that there’s not a single criteria i don’t meet for autism. I didn’t read about anything else but autism for weeks, approaching it from all angles before coming to the conclusion that it’s highly unlikely I am not autistic. I’m waiting to hear back about an assessment, but I’m not waiting to go and be told something I already know before I start advocating for myself. \nOh, and I absolutely did not want to be ‘different’, in fact my life mission to just blend in and be average is the root cause of most of my problems, but here we are.", ">\n\nThis self diagnosing young people do isn’t the problem. The problem is that our society encourages it.\nOur culture is not set up to accommodate a wide spectrum of human needs. You may need things that I don’t. I may need things that you don’t. But in most business settings, academic settings, or even places like restaurants or leisure places, the world isn’t built to accommodate everyone. Our world and society is a “one size fits all” approach, and most people don’t fit snugly inside of that system. \nIf you can classify what is “wrong” or “different” about you into an easily digestible form, people are generally more able and more willing to accommodate you.\nFor example: if I tell my coworkers that I need to leave work early because of a headache, I’ll be shamed for it. And in some cases I’ll be told that “headaches aren’t that bad!” Or “You don’t need to leave.” Or “I have a headache too, just deal with it!”\nBut if I tell my workers that I need to leave due to a painful neurological condition that’s flaring up (I have chronic migraine, which is a neurological condition), they will respect it 100% of the time. It’s met with sympathy and not criticism.\nThis happens for all sorts of things. “Sorry Im late, I slept in.” Sounds a lot worse then, “sorry I’m late, my insomnia has been terrible lately.” \nOur culture forces us to use these labels even when they’re untrue just to receive sympathy or acceptance. The problem isn’t people who decide to use these labels, the root problem is that our society refuses to embrace and accommodate people who are outside of the “norm.”", ">\n\nSpeaking as someone who's had an autism diagnosis since age 7: if someone declares they're autistic when they're not, that's obnoxious at worst. If someone is told they're not autistic when they are, that can cause lifelong harm from denied care and understanding. I have seen this happen to a close friend of mine.\nTherefore, I'd much rather err on the side of acceptance. If you think you're defending me and others like me from impersonators, we'd rather not have your help.\n\nI know people will disagree but it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women. Women statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nCase in point: women are diagnosed with autism far less than men. Recent studies have pointed to decades of systematic misdiagnosis. The more visible autistic symptoms sometimes manifest differently in girls, the way they're socialized may help them hide it from a young age, and of course lots of doctors just say \"your daughter can't be autistic, that's a boy thing.\"\nWe're learning that there are hundreds of thousands of autistic women who slipped through the cracks and were denied the recognition and support they needed because of dismissive, gatekeeping attitudes just like yours.", ">\n\nThere’s a difference between having a disorder and relating to a disorder. If the tools or language associated with a disorder helps someone live better though then cool, it’s all still odd. Also autism presents differently in woman, and a majority of our research on it is on men. Best practice is probably to support them and encourage them to seek treatment.", ">\n\nAutism is severely misdiagnosed in women. Completely under diagnosed. Actually, plenty of things are. The actual problem that we have is parents refusing to let their children get professional help or a diagnosis. Most doctors will diagnose you with BPD as a woman(aka the new female hysteria of our century), maybe put you on some anti psychotics and send you your way. In most countries, a diagnosis/specialist is not readily available, or there is a long waiting list. Even so, the doctors are not know it all. I have seen plenty of doctors, I got different diagnosis almost each time. They ask you some general questions (about your mood, the way you sleep, if you can concentrate, if you harm yourself, if you have suicidal ideation, if you can socialize properly, if your parents were diagnosed with anything, if you have hallucinations or delusions, the works) and then based on that, they will give you a diagnosis. If you use your common sense and information on the internet (given you are knowledgeable on the subject), you can take a good guess on what's wrong. Obviously, some people will exaggerate like with anything (seeing the shadow dude once in your childhood is not a sign of psychosis, neither is hearing your name called when you are alone once in a blue moon), but if you have visual and auditory hallucinations, perhaps weird tactile feelings/hallucinations (spiders are crawling on me, etc), delusions, tend to be forgetful and out of teach with reality, there is a good chance you do have psychosis.", ">\n\nOkay, to start: what do you think autism and ADHD are? They aren't mental illnesses nor are they mental health conditions. \nTo address some of your other points; \nStudies have shown that autism has a gender expression of 1:1. The only reason that women are under diagnosed is because of misunderstandings towards autism, then the diagnosis is conducted incorrectly. Thus it ends up getting conflated with mental illness, E.G BPD, and is diagnosed as a psychiatric disorder instead. This is a detriment to the patient as the care regimes are black and white different. Often times this severely damages the woman.\nFrom data sets that I recall reading, malingering hasn't risen much, if at all, in recent times. I remember it being around 8% of the global population who are engaging in this behaviour, to different extents. I think what's happened is that social media has turned a torch onto it and it's risen in popularity in an algorithmic way. You see it more because it's pushed by the algorithm more because people are searching for it more. It isn't actually occurring any more or less than historically. Most of that attention is negative attention, I should add. \nSo there's two things to take away from that.\n1) The actual act of pretending to be mentally ill, or to have a disability, which is called malingering, is in fact a form of mental unwellness itself. It's a cry for help. The people who do these things are usually very unstable and should be treated with a degree of empathy. The dangerous types who are using mental illness to scam others, or to manipulate them, make up a very small percentage of the overall amount of people in that group and tend to abuse one on one. \n2) The predominant response to this is generally negative. There isn't really any reason to publicly malinger unless you're unstable, this is because a rational person would likely know this, and know the damage it would cause themselves. Self-diagnosis is a very long, and self-aware, process that takes place over years of the individuals life, and proceeds official diagnosis. \nNo one SDs and says \"Okay that's it now! Let me start a TikTok!\" You'd still want support, and you'd still seek support. So that would end up with a doctor, who would see that you're lying, and treat you for whatever was prompting you to malinger. Anyone who has made this commitment knows that keeping it private is a sensible thing to do in a world that isn't inclusive, and often very stigmatising. Sometimes official diagnosis can take YEARS. \nThis kind of propaganda has been going around for a long time in an effort to discredit disabled people and people with mental illnesses. It's not new. People said the same things back in the 90s. People will always be afraid, and dismissive, of things they do not understand. I invite you to try and understand.", ">\n\nI self-diagnosed myself with endometriosis for 10 years before a doctor finally listened to me, opened me up, and found my insides littered with lesions all over my organs. I’m now not able to get pregnant and I might need to get part of my bowel taken out someday. This could’ve been avoided if someone had just listened to me when I was 16. \nSelf-diagnosing is a necessity in a misogynist world! No one takes us seriously! Especially medical professionals. \nThe best antidote for this is to listen to women who self-diagnose. Why do they think they have XYZ? Is it heavily interfering with their life? I think that’s a much larger problem.", ">\n\nIts been proven that there is a bias to diagnose as opposed to not diagnose a mental illness in psychology. So op is actually kinda correct. The definition of a mental illness is in effect being stretched so far that people who are just kinda weird are being diagnosed with \"on the spectrum\". This is actually causing a problem in early learning because parents start treating their kids as essentially learning challenged when they're really not. So it is starting to become an excuse ...", ">\n\nWe live in a society that loves to medicate people. I know it’s different but Did ppl forget about the opioid epidemic? They’ll diagnose your ass with anything if they can", ">\n\nYa I tend to agree. And no one is really saying so I will I guess, but id wager that 50% of psychologist \"professionals\" are totally full of shit. The actual number of psychologists that are are doing real research and clinical studies is EXTREMELY small compared to how many \"psychologists\" are out there. Just like chiropractors, half of them are hacks..", ">\n\nAnd ill say one more thing, though it is anecdotal, but i have direct family that works in special education for young children, and that system is fucked with a capital F. Thay are constantly fighting against parents and programs who try to box kids in the \"autistic\" zone, when they are just really quite or shy, or have pee problems. But parents want an excuse and reason for their behavior, and reduce them to a sub standard education and treatment for the rest of their lives. It's heart breaking. Especially in public schools.", ">\n\nI’m 32 years old. \nI didn’t self diagnose for attention although I remember the days of tumblr where everyone self diagnosed for clout.\nIt took me a decade to realize what is really happening. During the decade before I realized what may have been happening I was told the following:\nI’m rude\nI’m bossy\nI have a RBF/I look mad\nI also only managed to make my first real friend at age 27.\nWhat I was really displaying was:\nBeing overly blunt and just trying to get my point across came off rude when I didn’t intend it to be that way\nTrying to have things done at a certain time and way that no one else thought was important to follow\nUnmasking\nNoticed other things too that I just thought was me being weird:\nVocal stimming\nOral stimming-chewing, smoking, vaping\nRepetitive motions\nRocking\nEasily overwhelmed by too much sensory input\nHigh startle reflex \nInability to regulate my body’s needs-I don’t know I’m hungry until I’m ravenous; don’t recognize the need to use the bathroom until it’s causing me to rush off, don’t realize I’m cold until I’m shaking\nI could go on.\nI want an assessment so bad. But assessments for adults are EXTREMELY hard to setup, if you can even set them up at all. Some states don’t even offer them. I’ve been looking but they are only for children and seem to look for severe cases.\n14 years of thinking I was just a bitch who couldn’t make friends because I was too weird…turns out it might be autism. And turns out I’ll most likely never get a true diagnosis. But the RAADS test gave me a 127 score so that might be the closest I’ll ever get.", ">\n\ni kind of self diagnosed autism? i’ve been to many psychiatrists and therapists for years and they always see adhd in the half an hour and prescribe meds for that, which makes me not go there again. if they dug a little deeper they could have seen autism, i spoke to my current psychiatrist about if its possible i have it, she didn’t want to confirm or deny as i was moving out of state from friends and family and am at an age where i can have kids in the next 10 years since she doesn’t want me being concerned for them. \nI think there’s still lots of stigma around autism even with professionals and especially when identifying it in women. \nI don’t want to be autistic, but i can recognise a lot of different patterns comparing myself and others. I’ve researched it a ton especially in how it shows in women compared to men and in all the articles i found myself relating.\nNow i don’t say im autistic, i say im a little sus of being it tho lmao. and try pass it off casually. I find it’s a lot easier for me to understand and embrace my differences compared to trying to hide it and try be like everyone else or wonder why im not like everyone else. \nBeing older i can also recognise how a lot of my family on one side have suffered mentally and because of obvious neurodivergence. so im pretty sure, like the rest of my mentally challenged brain, has been inherited genetically through that side. \nAll that being said. I self diagnosed when i was about 12 that im highly likely to be depressed and anxious in attempt to get my mom to believe me i needed help, and now 8 years later i can identify that this has been an issue forever for me and that i likely cannot go off my meds because i will just go back to how i used to be. Im still ocd with all my meds, but its better than being anxious and depressed all the time, Having ocd throughout the day is like heaven to me in comparison to how i used to be. obviously the ocd isnt new, just a lot more heard in my brain now.", ">\n\nOk, I know some people self diagnoze themselves with [insert some mental illness here] out of attention or whatever, and that's totally not ok.\nHowever, if you read all the symptoms and do proper research on a mental illness and everything clicks in to you, I'd say you can be fairly confident on a self diagnosis (although, it might be worth it to double check with a professional, especially if you want any sort of treatment). But also for some people, it might not be affordable to go to a professional...", ">\n\nI live in Canada, I've engaged with the medical system, doctors don't care and just want you out, ERs are a 8 hour wait for someone to ignore one thing and won't even entertain other issues even if they are related. Self-diagnosis is really the only way to get any kind of proper treatment at all. \nThe doctors will rubber stamp just about anything you ask for except pain killers but in terms of diagnosis you're way better off doing it yourself, sure you don't have 8 years of medical school but the doctors won't give you 5 mins of their time, they are not better than google and you give a lot more of a shit than they will and at the end of the day it's your body.", ">\n\nBack in the 90s when I was a teenager, the kids/teenagers/young adults who wanted attention, and wanted to be different, adopted the goth lifestyle. Dressing up in all black. White foundation with black lipstick and eyeshadow. It was the trendy way to be different, to be viewed as outcasts of society. To not fit in. \nThe goth lifestyle of the 2020s is self diagnosis. Same shit, different day.\nWhenever someone claims autism, or somewhere on the spectrum, I just roll my eyes and imagine that person just sucks at life.", ">\n\nI just think it’s a little more harmful nowadays due to the prevalence of social media. Ppl get sucked into groups and mindsets before they even have a real life chance. Then they hyper fixate on that they might be mentally Ill rather then just trying to live life to the fullest", ">\n\nI 100% agree with you", ">\n\nBecause it's the age of spin this generation has something for everybody. And all of them are Google doctors. Lol" ]

[ "The diagnosis process for a lot of psychiatric conditions are surveys and questionaires. You can go to a psychiatrist and ask if you're anxious and they'll give you multiple choice questions and diagnose off of that. Or you can just google the form yourself and self diagnose. A lot of psychiatric disorders are about how we feel and think. Not about sending off some blood sample to a lab and getting a positive result come back.\n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. For such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nWhat you're describing are all neuroses that could indicate some deeper psychiatric condition. Whether a person has a mental health condition or not, thinking of ourselves as weak victims is never helpful in any context, yet it's something we all feel from time to time.\nI'm a disability support worker, so when someone tells me they've got a self diagnosed condition, it's not offensive to me or any disabled person I know, it doesn't come across like they're invalidating anyone else's condition. However I do think everyone should talk to a doctor about any condition they feel they might have.", ">\n\nPiggybacking off of this: You’ve spent your whole entire life inside your own brain. A therapist will spend a period of hours with you and give you a diagnosis. Who do you think knows your personal reality better than yourself?", ">\n\nYeah exactly, especially with conditions such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, PTSD, and many other psychiatric conditions. These are things people know they have even before they get a diagnosis. The diagnosis stage is more about treatment and management.\nPeople might be unaware of how severe or mild their condition is, some people think they have only mild PTSD despite constant nightmares and suicidal ideation. Some people will think they have severe ADHD because they can't concentrate for long times on things that don't interest them. It's good to get some perspective from experts but ultimately people know when they are struggling to focus or to struggling to stop stressing all the time or struggling to not be miserable. Struggling with our thoughts and feelings is evidence enough to self diagnose.", ">\n\nI was recently diagnosed with ADHD as a woman so I find this viewpoint interesting.\nFirstly, autism is not a mental illness. An autistic person may have mental illness in conjunction with autism, but autism alone lies under the neurodivergent umbrella. Neurodivergency can include autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and other similar conditions.\nWhy women are often underdiagnosed\nThese are serious disabilities that can really impede a person's life, especially if they struggle to find help and acceptance in their community. A lot of women start their journey towards diagnosis later in life due to a number of factors such as:\n\nPoor diagnostic tools and inexperienced professionals\nA misunderstanding that autism and ADHD are more common in boys\nAdvanced masking techniques to cover their 'traits'\n\nWhy women are often diagnosed later in life.\nThe process for many women and men who are diagnosed later in life often includes a level of burnout or breakdown. After a while everything becomes too much, the mask begins to slip and your traits go into overdrive.\nWhy does self-diagnosing seem to be on the rise?\nA common way of finding out you could possibly be neurodivergent is through media and people who are aware of these traits appear.\nIn the past few years, I have seen an increasing awareness of neurodivergence in women pop up in the media. This is useful for people like myself who had no idea wtf was wrong with them for a very long time. For me, a GP actually suggested I seek a diagnosis due to some struggles I was going through.\nAs someone who went through this process self-diagnosing is commonly the first step as an adult. You might be directed to a questionnaire and are asked to evaluate yourself and your experiences thinking back to your childhood. If there's some merit in your experiences than you move to the next step which involves seeking a professional. Waitlists are often months to years long so many people live in limbo for a long time.\nMethods of living with ADHD can help everyone. And everyone experiences ADHD traits from time to time. Given a large amount of stress we have all suffered collectively, I don't doubt there are a lot of people with increased mental health issues that mirror neurodivergent traits. Some mental illnesses can get very severe and alter your brain chemistry and behaviour.\nMy takeaway from this is that the mental health systems set up to assist these people are a much larger issue and cause for serious concern than self-diagnosing.\nApologies for the spelling and grammar errors. Grammarly and Reddit don't play nice.", ">\n\nI think it's two things. One, people have identity crises, especially teenagers. We all know that type of person who tries on identities like hats. That's pretty embarrassing. You usually grow out of that.\nTwo, from personal experience, giving yourself a label or a diagnosis makes it feel more contained and easy to communicate. It's easier to tell someone that you have X and have them understand what you're going through rather than telling them you have these vague symptoms resembling what you imagine X is like. In that respect, it is pretty understandable, possibly good, and not embarrassing. There's something that is sort of reassuring if you can finally get a word to put on what you're experiencing.\nPeople often sympathize with the diagnosis but not with the symptoms. Tell people at work you're autistic and they will sympathize with you and possibly not attack you. Tell them you do not understand social cues and they will probably just make fun of you.", ">\n\nI understand the desire to put a label with a disease, and this is not necessarily bad, but the diagnosis needs to be correct. If you want to tell others that you are autistic or depressed; you must actually be those things. A person can almost never correctly assertion their disease, only their symptoms. People might better understand you if you say your autistic, but you may incorrectly understand and describe yourself. If one wishes to put a name with symptoms, they should find a doctor to pick the label", ">\n\nfor sure but unfortunately our medical system is a joke and even if you are experiencing very severe symptoms it can be nearly impossible to see a professional or take months on a waiting list.\nEven then a professional may be reluctant to slap a label on you for fear of what the consequences of that might be. I saw someone for a very long time who resisted any sort of actual diagnosis because the truth is that what I was experiencing didn't fit neatly into any of the boxes and pretty much belonged in this vague \"other\" category which isn't particularly helpful. Not to mention that misdiagnosis happens all the time even by professionals. \nI just think it is sort of understandable because I think a lot of stuff is kind of a spectrum anyway and just different levels of severity. Things can be really confusing and hard to nail down and thus communicate in a way that causes someone else to be understanding rather than judgemental.", ">\n\nAre you under the impression this is a new phenomenon? Because it's definitely not.\nPeople - especially young people! - crave identity. The world is a confusing place, knowing who you are makes it a little easier. Sometimes it's self-diagnosing mental illness or learning disabilities, or exploring sexual identity, or cliques, or subcultures. There's nothing embarrassing about it, it just is what it is.", ">\n\nIt’s ok to want to express individuality but not to the extent of totally destroying the definition of a real thing and making it hard for actual mentally Ill ppl to get a diagnosis. Why can’t people just accept that they’re different rather then giving themselves a label?", ">\n\npeople on TikTok claiming to have disorders that they don't doesn't affect the precision of psychiatrists diagnosing actual patients. There's no TikTok-said section in the DSM. Why do you think that it does?", ">\n\nIt just encourages more people to get diagnosed possibly skewing the meaning of the mental illness", ">\n\nSkewing it towards statistical accuracy? If people are actually diagnosed at higher rates, we have a better Guage of population-level mental illness, neurodivergency, etc. Better data is more usable, so that research actually means something actionable, ASIDE from the identity boost for young people.", ">\n\nI think what OP is driving at, but utterly failing to explain, is that they think that the fakers will be accommodated by the psychiatric system and diagnosed on the basis of fake symptoms. my sense is that isn't a problem but I don't have data.", ">\n\nDefinitely explained it a little better then I could lol", ">\n\nWhere do you see evidence of that? Any articles about fakers? How about a statistic? If not, it’s just a fear you seem to have.", ">\n\nI think the salient line here is this one:\n\nNeurologists were able to quickly determine that the subjects were not \nsuffering from Tourette's, but psychogenic tics driven by anxiety.", ">\n\nWomen are not born with less autism, but are much less likely to be diagnosed as children than boys. This is partly because boys generally have similar symptoms and behaviors. \nSo of course more women are self diagnosing autism, since their diagnoses were missed as children on a much higher rate.", ">\n\nAlright, I'm diagnosed OCD, PTSD, chronic depression. Diagnosed by a professional so I think I have some grounds to talk about this.\nFirst, let's tackle your women comment about autism. You see, I understand where you're coming from, but you lack the nuance of recognizing that mental illness, and illness in general, is heavily under-diagnosed in women. The medical culture is heavily favored towards men and is rampant with mysogyny, and that's not just me saying it as I've had medical professionals blatantly tell me it's a problem in the field when questioned about it. I've also had some tell me that it's just because women whine a lot, so yanno make of that statement what you will.\nNow that we've covered that let me address the self-diagnosing issue. So, do you want to know what my therapist thinks of self-diagnosing? Well, when I asked them about it they said that self-diagnosing is an important first step to seeking help. Psychiatrist said the same thing. It's normal, expected even, for people to self-diagnose their issues then seek help for them. You can't exactly just peer into someone's brain, no, that person has to tell you what they think is wrong and why they think it is. \nWhat you actually have a problem with is not self-diagnosis, but with people not seeking or not being able to get medical assistance and assuming they're right. You have a problem with people using these issues for attention, which I do too, but once again self-diagnosing is not the problem. Finally, you have a problem with the medical system that forces people into the position of trying to figure out their mental illnesses, but having no ability to get help for them.", ">\n\nI think I did it", ">\n\nSadly no lol, it was not done properly. Do you need a link to the rules?", ">\n\nI already read them i think I’ll figure it out in a bit sorry for the hold up", ">\n\nBecause everyone else is being aggressive: you have to comment with ∆ or !delta and then explain how your view has been changed", ">\n\nThis delta has been rejected. You can't award OP a delta.\nAllowing this would wrongly suggest that you can post here with the aim of convincing others.\nIf you were explaining when/how to award a delta, please use a reddit quote for the symbol next time.\n^Delta System Explained ^| ^Deltaboards", ">\n\nWhat gives you the authority or knowledge to know this is the problem?", ">\n\nYou don’t think it’s a problem that a lot of young ppl are willing to go to the extent of saying they are mentally Ill either for attention or to excuse their weirdness? Just accept that your different. It’s not wrong to believe you’re different without a label", ">\n\nYou did not even try to answer my question.", ">\n\nI’m sorry I was confused on what you meant", ">\n\nIf you are mad at people for self diagnosing themselves because they don't have the knowledge or authority to do so.... what gives you the knowledge or authority to diagnosis this as the problem behavior... basically are you just a kid that is annoyed, or is there some actual studies out there that is claiming this is a problem.", ">\n\nIf you don’t think that people consistently seeking attention for mental illness or craving a label so badly to justify themselves rather then being themselves. That just shows what your views are", ">\n\nDont you think we should leave the diagnosing to the professionals?", ">\n\nI mean yeah", ">\n\nWould you agree that you are diagnosing these people by saying that they are only seeking attention and do not have a real mental illness?", ">\n\nI’m assuming", ">\n\nThere may be some truth to people wanting to be different, however with mental illnesses being more accepted in today's society, many people are a lot more comfortable with being neurodivergent. Additionally, self diagnosis is common because the alternative is spending upwards to $1000-$2000 for a clinical diagnosis.", ">\n\nI know costs suck, but self diagnosis can be much more harmful. A web.md page that tells you your depressed when you may actually be bipolar can lead to really messed up results. I would even go as far as to say that no diagnosis at all is preferable to an uninformed one", ">\n\nWell.\n​\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad \n\nSo you already know why they're doing what they're doing in addition the fact that you know that they're not Autistic? If your claim is that they can't know and only a doctor can, what makes you more qualified? You start out your argument admitting that you have a bias.\n\nthey’re “neurodivergent.\n\nNeurodivergent is an umbrella that covers both Autism and ADHD, which sometimes get mistaken for each other. So if you're upset that they're self-diagnosing, this term should be more welcome than \"Autistic\" because it's more generalized.\n\nnd when you ask them how they know they’ll say “oh I have this weird tick when I uh laugh when someone says something funny “ or “I have a hyper fixation on this topic so I must be autistic\n\nHow else should they communicate it to you? The list of aspects of Autism, especially for how it presents in women, sounds a lot like this. You're not a doctor, they don't have to prove anything to you by going down the entire list of every possible part of their daily experience that might be on the spectrum.\n\nWomen statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nNope. Women are diagnosed less often than men because the original diagnostic criteria for Autism was for Autism as it presents in males. It presents differently for females and is harder to diagnose, especially at younger ages. \n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized\n\nTodays youth want to be victimized? Why would anyone want to be victimized? Something tells me you're missing the mark with this terminology.\n\nor have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. \n\nSo if someone is Autistic and that makes them weird, you'd rather them just be forced to not get to have a name for it, and get the therapeutic treatment that would help them?\n\nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really [are] without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nSome people are autistic. If they find out and it makes them feel good, that doesn't mean they're craving attention. And if they are craving attention, it's because they're normal people and everyone does. \nIf someone thinks they're autistic but it turns out they're actually not, chances are they suspected it for a reason. They might have ADHD, a personality disorder, a mental health issue, or simply a slightly different way of experiencing the world that feels unique to them and there's nothing wrong with that. \nYou seem to think that other people do things for you. People generally don't. They do things for themselves. This is especially true of people on the Autism Spectrum who may not be able to easily use other people's experiences to reference when constructing their view of the world, and can only use their own. Your interpretation wherein they do it to evoke a response from you says more about you than it does about them.", ">\n\nYou’re being deliberately obtuse. OP is completely correct. Most of the people these days who say “I’m ADHD” or “I’m autistic” or “I’m neurodivergent” are absolutely not diagnosed as such and are doing it to seem unique or get attention or as some excuse for why they did x y or z.", ">\n\nI'd like to point out that while some are perhaps attention seeking, many people self diagnose simply because they don't have access to free medical/psychological professionals to get proper diagnosis and help with their issues. I also know someone who doesn't want to get an official diagnosis because he's afrad it will affect his insurance rates or somehow come back to bite him if he's offically labeled with having a neurological disorder. \nThere is a wealth of knowledge on these subjects available online for those interested. And if they are truly interested in self diagnose they can likely do that accurately enough for all intents and purposes. Most of these people who search for the sake of better understanding themselves or their loved ones will openly admit that it's a self diagnoses, or say they THINK they have x,y, or z. But in some situations it's just as well to say they have it if they feel certain anyway, and it's just a passing comment, and not a discussion on the matter. \nIn other words, just because they self diagnose doesn't mean they're wrong, nor does it explain their motives. I also don't see how attention seeking (for those who ARE doing that) is really hurting anyone else. Fakers gonna be fake, that's more a \"them\" kind of problem. ANNOYING, but mostly harmless.", ">\n\nUnless you have a doctor's diagnosis you don't have the disorder. Even if you are broke there are programs to help with costs. \nAnd yes it does affect me when someone is treating me like shit and tries using the I have such and such as an excuse and then people get mad at ME for calling them in their bullshit.", ">\n\nNo. You have to have the disorder before you CAN be diagnosed, so obviously there are undiagnosed people who in fact \"have the disorder \". Your refusal to acknowledge an undiagnosed disorder does not mean they don't have it. Your personal experience with people supposedly using a fake diagnosis to treat you badly, sounds unusual. How do you know they DIDN'T have it? People who do lie and just want to be jerks will do that regardless of what methods they decide to try. The methods are irrelevant. And that motive is not typical of most self diagnosers .", ">\n\nSounds unusual? You must not get out a lot because it's become a pretty regular thing. Every single person I know (about 8) that have self diagnosed themselves as neurodivergent or with a mental illness like Bi-polar all use it to excuse their shitty ass behaviors. \nToo many disorders can mirror other ones. Just because they think they have 2/3 symptoms doesn't make them right by a long shot. Keep living in your bubble.", ">\n\nYou don't have to have a relationship with anyone. If they treat you badly, regardless of an official diagnosis or not, you don't have to tolerate them. It makes no difference what they have or don't have. What would it change if they got diagnosed and actually have it?", ">\n\nSelf diagnosing has been a thing forever\nAnd it's not a problem im 99% sure me or any other autistic person doesn't really give 2 fucks about people who wanna fake disorders. It doesn't stop us from getting help, we have doctors notes, medical files, sometimes even volunteers, you need those files to get into let's say a special education class, or a life skills course.\nSo unless you were diagnosed by a professional you're probably not gonna make it far faking it.\n(Excuse my shitty punctuation)", ">\n\nIt doesn’t bother you that they’re making others take the actual meaning away from what you were born with? I mean I’m sure autism hasn’t made your life easy and seeing ppl claim it for attention to be quirky probably has to annoy you a little right?", ">\n\nAt the end of the day I still have ADHD and I still need help with it. More people being diagnosed with it doesn’t change that fact. In fact I was diagnosed because I realized I related to so many tiktok memes, and I’m sure others are in my same boat. \nIn fact I think so many people talking about ADHD helps. It means more people who possibly have tips for me, people who are suffering who can’t afford treatment have an easy way to learn about how to improve their lives, and more people who are aware of my disorder.", ">\n\nI think people do diagnose themselves too often without seeking professional help. BUT mental illness is not the same as being neurodivergent.", ">\n\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad that they’ll go as far to say they’re “neurodivergent.”\n\nWhile this is the case, I don't really see how it's a \"problem\" per se. I guarantee that these people still make lifestyle decisions based on what they think is best, or based on what they want to do.\n\nbut it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women\n\nDo you have any statistics for that? I haven't experienced it that way in my own anecdotal experience, and I'd be curious to look into the data to see how much that truly does skew in that direction.\n\nwanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness \nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nI understand what you're trying to say here, but I don't really think these things are connected as much as you think they are. People see something wrong with themselves, so they either playfully or seriously consider the fact that it could be a condition that they have similar symptoms to. Not that it never happens, but just because someone categorizes themselves into a disability group that could potentially excuse their \"quirks\", doesn't mean they think that behavior is unacceptable in any way. People see a problem, and assume it's linked to this other issue that seems similar that they already know about.", ">\n\nI agree with the conclusion that self-diagnosis is a real issue, and I wouldn't be surprised if the data indicated it was on the rise. I wouldn't necessarily frame it as a simple desire to \"be victimized\" however. While it is purely speculation, I do believe there are a number of conditions which might lead towards a more frequent experience of symptoms associated with mental illness - a rising wealth gap, perpetual anxiety from a 24-hour news cycle, intensification of self-commodification, the student debt crisis in certain countries like the US, and so on. So people are experiencing symptoms like low energy, mood swings, etc. that can be associated with mental illness. The issue with self-diagnosis then becomes that it may correctly identify the symptom, but incorrectly identify the cause.\nThis video from the YouTuber HealthyGamerGG does a good job of explaining what some of the issues with self-diagnosis are, and for me it was a good starting place for thinking about this more. \nEDIT: I forgot this video literally starts with this same topic being brought up on this same subreddit lol", ">\n\nA great theory based on reasonable causes with an educational video from a psychologist(I assume) as evidence to back it up. I applaud you sir. 👏", ">\n\nWhy are you embarrassed by other people's issues?", ">\n\nI’m a 30yo male. If I had not first self diagnosed with ASD and OCD, I never would have found the language and resources to get a formal diagnosis and help.\nPrior generations have been so fixated on avoidance of diagnosing mental disorders, and research was previously so lacking that we are only just now (through those that do get diagnosed) realizing how common mental disorders are. That plus the lack of mental health resources for neurotypical and neurodivergent I think is how we end up in this situation of many recognizing their symptoms in the new discourse, but lacking the resources to overcome the barriers to proper diagnosis and treatment.", ">\n\nIt’s not the best thing, no. \nAs an adult FINALLY diagnosed (by a licensed therapist) at 41, I can tell you why ‘self diagnosis’ is so tempting. \nIn the US at least- mental health, and official medical diagnosis are almost completely inaccessible, especially as an adult. Most of us grew up before Autism was a spectrum, and ADHD was just boys who acted out in class. We felt like aliens. We couldn’t understand why we didn’t have many friends, or why we didn’t like the ‘right things’, and generally spend the bill of our lives feeling ‘wrong’, ‘broken’ or just simply like we didn’t belong. \nFinally understanding the WHY, and even better, finding tools to addresses our issues is a huge huge weight off the chest. The relief of having a name and a strategy- either therapy or medicine is such an amazing relief!!", ">\n\nI only kinda agree if I had not done my own research I would have never found out I have sjorgens syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis I know TikTok people tend to diagnose themselves and it makes it look cringe but when you live with a incurable illness sometimes you have to work to find a diagnosis", ">\n\nWell, what do you do of you absolutely know you're neurodivergent, but your parents decided not to get you checked? My mom once told me \"we knew you had something, we just didn't get you checked because they would have just put you on pills\". So I struggled with being different, socially unaware, impulsive, obnoxious, agressive, selfish, for the better part of my life without having the self awareness to understand why I was these things, and why people wouldn't want to be around me. \nIn my late 20''s I asked the question, what if I'm actually autistic? I looked up the symptoms, and 9/10 matched. As a child I couldn't handle loud noises, restrictive clothing, I didn't talk until I was 3. I would throw fits for seemingly no reason, I had obsessive interests. I've always really struggled with eye contact, and I never cared for conversation unless it was something I liked. I mean, when the final piece of a puzzle fits so incredibly well, it's really hard for it to be wrong. \nSelf diagnosing actually really helped me grow as aj individual. I became aware of all my divergent behaviors, and why it might be annoying for someone else to deal with. I came to the realization that I was the one who was different, therefore I needed to change. It's way harder to make everyone around you cater to your needs than to overcome the things that upset you. I'm at peace, I have good friends that I can connect with on a pretty deep level. I no longer smash coffee tables when I lose, I can now appreciate that if I lose it just means I have more to learn. I can keep my house clean, I can reasonably hold myself accountable. What exactly is the harm in all that?\nBesides, it would be pretty pointless for me to try and get a diagnosis now, I've put the effort in and largely come out the other side. Anyone diagnosing me would just say I was normal, but they wouldn't have the intimate knowledge of me that I do. I guess it doesn't matter if people don't believe me, I don't go around shouting that I'm autistic. I will say, it would be really nice if people appreciated the effort I put in to get to get to a place of normalcy, something others take for granted, but it's okay, we all have our struggles.", ">\n\nI feel you on all that. To play devil's advocate, mental healthcare in the U.S. is not cheap. Many people go to the internet and confirm their bias about their current health", ">\n\nI feel you on that too OP. I agree 100% with your entire statement.", ">\n\nIt's a problem, but not a new one. In the 1990s there was briefly a surge of people with a type of delusional parasitosis, that is, the false belief that they were infested with parasites. Except this one was supposedly an infestation with tiny fibres. They would come to doctors with a whole list of symptoms to back up their incorrect self-diagnosis.\nTo a certain extent, these are social contagions, which come and go, and often actually end up leading to people having real problems. Like, the young women you mention, a couple of decades ago may well have ended up with anorexia, or self-cutting. These days it might be a self-declaration of autism or a belief that they have gender dysphoria or that they have multiple systems living in their minds.", ">\n\nWow I did not know that. Maybe it’s just so prevalent today due to social media. Social media has only made these things worse imo", ">\n\nEven before it being self diagnosis of a mental illness it was always something. Remember all the emo and goth teenager?", ">\n\nIt depends on the context. For example, if they've done a substantial amount of research, can name a good amount of symptoms they have and reasons they have whatever mental illness and don't have access to the necessary tools to get a medical diagnosis, it's totally different. Some people don't have the money to go out and get a diagnosis, or sometimes it would be better to not get a medical diagnosis. I believe that the reason that a lot of people self diagnose themselves with things like Autism is because they want an explanation as to why they are different, and they could be right or wrong. I think the most important part is that if you go to a psychologist (or even two, I know a lot of people prefer getting second opinions) and they say you don't have it, that you need to admit you were wrong. It's ok to be wrong about your mental health, and the key is to keep looking and to not give up. I can completely understand the frustration in people completely missing how difficult it actually may be to have a mental illness. I was clinically diagnosed with Depression, Anxiety, and PTSD when I was seven, and I've had some experience with people faking mental disorders for attention, and more often then not, they have another mental disorder that needs attention. Recently I had a (now ex) boyfriend insist he had PTSD after being tested twice and the psychiatrist saying that he didn't have it. What he does have is Depression and Anxiety, but he absolutely insisted he has PTSD despite never exhibiting symptoms and the only evidence being a test he took online that was supposedly a \"real PTSD test.\" People faking mental illnesses only harms people who really have them, as these people tend to exaggerate symptoms and use their self diagnosis for attention. I believe that I am autistic, but I don't list it as a diagnosis because while I have read articles and taken the RAADS-r test, I don't have an official diagnosis, and I could very well be wrong. As for women faking illnesses more often, something I've noticed is that things like Autism, ADHD, ADD, etc are more often diagnosed in boys rather than girls- mostly because when they were first discovered, most of the research was done in boys. Autism shows up differently in girls, and can often be blown off as early puberty hormones. If their hyperfixations are those of stereotypical feminine things, it's just a girl liking whatever, and if they hyperfixate in stereotypical masculine interests, they tend to just be viewed as weird, but not autistic. It's normal for people to question, but I agree that to a certain point, self diagnosis can be harmful, but only if not done correctly.", ">\n\nFirst and foremost not a new problem at all, very common, we used to call it \"Being a hypochondriac\" until it aparrently became reconized which in it self is confusing and a bit contradictory.\nANYWAY\nIt isnt really a problem, no doctor is gonna write the perscription for medication without a diagnosis of some sort.\nAt most there is the vauge \"But what about those who actually have it who arent taken serious\" dont worry, we wouldnt have anyway. Thats kinda how invisible illnesses work.\nOverall the 101 hypochondriacs screaming about the symptoms they read in the ICD might help make the knowledge more common and help people better reconize if their colleagues or friends happen to show symptoms of something.", ">\n\nIt’s pretty expensive in the US to get diagnosed. Personally, I’ve self diagnosed myself out of frustration of the way I process things. I’ve always felt slow & my anxiety/depression was deep because of it, but I was raised in a family that doesn’t believe in mental illness. It was always “if you work hard enough, all your problems will go away”. Meanwhile, i was racking my brain on how to make myself think faster/smarter & it would result in psychotic episodes. I’ve gotten fired from jobs, dropped out of school. I started self harming because I hated myself and my brain & almost commit suicide bc I had no idea what was going on.\nThe relief I felt once I finally got a therapist who validated me & was the first to talk to me about mental Illness. It blew my mind and all of a sudden things actually made sense to me. I currently think I have ADD, and sometimes I’ll tell people that but will preface it by saying I’m not professionally diagnosed. Still, I use mental tools that help me get through the day and build my confidence. I’m a lot better at processing conversations, making lists that help me remember things, unmasking, slowing down my thoughts… etc. I’m less frustrated and can see the beauty in how I process things. I still want to get diagnosed but I have to get health insurance….. lol", ">\n\nSelf diagnosis, regardless of being factual is a process where the individual realizes that they might have a mental health issue. People who can do this are more likely to seek professional help compared to the people who think they are “fine”. Going to a professional, licensed psychologist or a psychiatrist will eventually diagnose them with the correct disorder from there, and professionals have the skills to communicate with them and they can together evaluate if the person’s complaint is the issue or not. There is nothing embarrassing about discovering one’s self. It would be a problem if people would identify with an issue and don’t have any willingness to seek help. Sometimes overreacting is better than not reacting.", ">\n\nThe majority of people who are self-diagnosed with autism have done extensive research into it to come to that conclusion. I personally went through the DSM criteria with a fine-tooth comb, made a list of all the ways I met it and discovered that there’s not a single criteria i don’t meet for autism. I didn’t read about anything else but autism for weeks, approaching it from all angles before coming to the conclusion that it’s highly unlikely I am not autistic. I’m waiting to hear back about an assessment, but I’m not waiting to go and be told something I already know before I start advocating for myself. \nOh, and I absolutely did not want to be ‘different’, in fact my life mission to just blend in and be average is the root cause of most of my problems, but here we are.", ">\n\nThis self diagnosing young people do isn’t the problem. The problem is that our society encourages it.\nOur culture is not set up to accommodate a wide spectrum of human needs. You may need things that I don’t. I may need things that you don’t. But in most business settings, academic settings, or even places like restaurants or leisure places, the world isn’t built to accommodate everyone. Our world and society is a “one size fits all” approach, and most people don’t fit snugly inside of that system. \nIf you can classify what is “wrong” or “different” about you into an easily digestible form, people are generally more able and more willing to accommodate you.\nFor example: if I tell my coworkers that I need to leave work early because of a headache, I’ll be shamed for it. And in some cases I’ll be told that “headaches aren’t that bad!” Or “You don’t need to leave.” Or “I have a headache too, just deal with it!”\nBut if I tell my workers that I need to leave due to a painful neurological condition that’s flaring up (I have chronic migraine, which is a neurological condition), they will respect it 100% of the time. It’s met with sympathy and not criticism.\nThis happens for all sorts of things. “Sorry Im late, I slept in.” Sounds a lot worse then, “sorry I’m late, my insomnia has been terrible lately.” \nOur culture forces us to use these labels even when they’re untrue just to receive sympathy or acceptance. The problem isn’t people who decide to use these labels, the root problem is that our society refuses to embrace and accommodate people who are outside of the “norm.”", ">\n\nSpeaking as someone who's had an autism diagnosis since age 7: if someone declares they're autistic when they're not, that's obnoxious at worst. If someone is told they're not autistic when they are, that can cause lifelong harm from denied care and understanding. I have seen this happen to a close friend of mine.\nTherefore, I'd much rather err on the side of acceptance. If you think you're defending me and others like me from impersonators, we'd rather not have your help.\n\nI know people will disagree but it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women. Women statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nCase in point: women are diagnosed with autism far less than men. Recent studies have pointed to decades of systematic misdiagnosis. The more visible autistic symptoms sometimes manifest differently in girls, the way they're socialized may help them hide it from a young age, and of course lots of doctors just say \"your daughter can't be autistic, that's a boy thing.\"\nWe're learning that there are hundreds of thousands of autistic women who slipped through the cracks and were denied the recognition and support they needed because of dismissive, gatekeeping attitudes just like yours.", ">\n\nThere’s a difference between having a disorder and relating to a disorder. If the tools or language associated with a disorder helps someone live better though then cool, it’s all still odd. Also autism presents differently in woman, and a majority of our research on it is on men. Best practice is probably to support them and encourage them to seek treatment.", ">\n\nAutism is severely misdiagnosed in women. Completely under diagnosed. Actually, plenty of things are. The actual problem that we have is parents refusing to let their children get professional help or a diagnosis. Most doctors will diagnose you with BPD as a woman(aka the new female hysteria of our century), maybe put you on some anti psychotics and send you your way. In most countries, a diagnosis/specialist is not readily available, or there is a long waiting list. Even so, the doctors are not know it all. I have seen plenty of doctors, I got different diagnosis almost each time. They ask you some general questions (about your mood, the way you sleep, if you can concentrate, if you harm yourself, if you have suicidal ideation, if you can socialize properly, if your parents were diagnosed with anything, if you have hallucinations or delusions, the works) and then based on that, they will give you a diagnosis. If you use your common sense and information on the internet (given you are knowledgeable on the subject), you can take a good guess on what's wrong. Obviously, some people will exaggerate like with anything (seeing the shadow dude once in your childhood is not a sign of psychosis, neither is hearing your name called when you are alone once in a blue moon), but if you have visual and auditory hallucinations, perhaps weird tactile feelings/hallucinations (spiders are crawling on me, etc), delusions, tend to be forgetful and out of teach with reality, there is a good chance you do have psychosis.", ">\n\nOkay, to start: what do you think autism and ADHD are? They aren't mental illnesses nor are they mental health conditions. \nTo address some of your other points; \nStudies have shown that autism has a gender expression of 1:1. The only reason that women are under diagnosed is because of misunderstandings towards autism, then the diagnosis is conducted incorrectly. Thus it ends up getting conflated with mental illness, E.G BPD, and is diagnosed as a psychiatric disorder instead. This is a detriment to the patient as the care regimes are black and white different. Often times this severely damages the woman.\nFrom data sets that I recall reading, malingering hasn't risen much, if at all, in recent times. I remember it being around 8% of the global population who are engaging in this behaviour, to different extents. I think what's happened is that social media has turned a torch onto it and it's risen in popularity in an algorithmic way. You see it more because it's pushed by the algorithm more because people are searching for it more. It isn't actually occurring any more or less than historically. Most of that attention is negative attention, I should add. \nSo there's two things to take away from that.\n1) The actual act of pretending to be mentally ill, or to have a disability, which is called malingering, is in fact a form of mental unwellness itself. It's a cry for help. The people who do these things are usually very unstable and should be treated with a degree of empathy. The dangerous types who are using mental illness to scam others, or to manipulate them, make up a very small percentage of the overall amount of people in that group and tend to abuse one on one. \n2) The predominant response to this is generally negative. There isn't really any reason to publicly malinger unless you're unstable, this is because a rational person would likely know this, and know the damage it would cause themselves. Self-diagnosis is a very long, and self-aware, process that takes place over years of the individuals life, and proceeds official diagnosis. \nNo one SDs and says \"Okay that's it now! Let me start a TikTok!\" You'd still want support, and you'd still seek support. So that would end up with a doctor, who would see that you're lying, and treat you for whatever was prompting you to malinger. Anyone who has made this commitment knows that keeping it private is a sensible thing to do in a world that isn't inclusive, and often very stigmatising. Sometimes official diagnosis can take YEARS. \nThis kind of propaganda has been going around for a long time in an effort to discredit disabled people and people with mental illnesses. It's not new. People said the same things back in the 90s. People will always be afraid, and dismissive, of things they do not understand. I invite you to try and understand.", ">\n\nI self-diagnosed myself with endometriosis for 10 years before a doctor finally listened to me, opened me up, and found my insides littered with lesions all over my organs. I’m now not able to get pregnant and I might need to get part of my bowel taken out someday. This could’ve been avoided if someone had just listened to me when I was 16. \nSelf-diagnosing is a necessity in a misogynist world! No one takes us seriously! Especially medical professionals. \nThe best antidote for this is to listen to women who self-diagnose. Why do they think they have XYZ? Is it heavily interfering with their life? I think that’s a much larger problem.", ">\n\nIts been proven that there is a bias to diagnose as opposed to not diagnose a mental illness in psychology. So op is actually kinda correct. The definition of a mental illness is in effect being stretched so far that people who are just kinda weird are being diagnosed with \"on the spectrum\". This is actually causing a problem in early learning because parents start treating their kids as essentially learning challenged when they're really not. So it is starting to become an excuse ...", ">\n\nWe live in a society that loves to medicate people. I know it’s different but Did ppl forget about the opioid epidemic? They’ll diagnose your ass with anything if they can", ">\n\nYa I tend to agree. And no one is really saying so I will I guess, but id wager that 50% of psychologist \"professionals\" are totally full of shit. The actual number of psychologists that are are doing real research and clinical studies is EXTREMELY small compared to how many \"psychologists\" are out there. Just like chiropractors, half of them are hacks..", ">\n\nAnd ill say one more thing, though it is anecdotal, but i have direct family that works in special education for young children, and that system is fucked with a capital F. Thay are constantly fighting against parents and programs who try to box kids in the \"autistic\" zone, when they are just really quite or shy, or have pee problems. But parents want an excuse and reason for their behavior, and reduce them to a sub standard education and treatment for the rest of their lives. It's heart breaking. Especially in public schools.", ">\n\nI’m 32 years old. \nI didn’t self diagnose for attention although I remember the days of tumblr where everyone self diagnosed for clout.\nIt took me a decade to realize what is really happening. During the decade before I realized what may have been happening I was told the following:\nI’m rude\nI’m bossy\nI have a RBF/I look mad\nI also only managed to make my first real friend at age 27.\nWhat I was really displaying was:\nBeing overly blunt and just trying to get my point across came off rude when I didn’t intend it to be that way\nTrying to have things done at a certain time and way that no one else thought was important to follow\nUnmasking\nNoticed other things too that I just thought was me being weird:\nVocal stimming\nOral stimming-chewing, smoking, vaping\nRepetitive motions\nRocking\nEasily overwhelmed by too much sensory input\nHigh startle reflex \nInability to regulate my body’s needs-I don’t know I’m hungry until I’m ravenous; don’t recognize the need to use the bathroom until it’s causing me to rush off, don’t realize I’m cold until I’m shaking\nI could go on.\nI want an assessment so bad. But assessments for adults are EXTREMELY hard to setup, if you can even set them up at all. Some states don’t even offer them. I’ve been looking but they are only for children and seem to look for severe cases.\n14 years of thinking I was just a bitch who couldn’t make friends because I was too weird…turns out it might be autism. And turns out I’ll most likely never get a true diagnosis. But the RAADS test gave me a 127 score so that might be the closest I’ll ever get.", ">\n\ni kind of self diagnosed autism? i’ve been to many psychiatrists and therapists for years and they always see adhd in the half an hour and prescribe meds for that, which makes me not go there again. if they dug a little deeper they could have seen autism, i spoke to my current psychiatrist about if its possible i have it, she didn’t want to confirm or deny as i was moving out of state from friends and family and am at an age where i can have kids in the next 10 years since she doesn’t want me being concerned for them. \nI think there’s still lots of stigma around autism even with professionals and especially when identifying it in women. \nI don’t want to be autistic, but i can recognise a lot of different patterns comparing myself and others. I’ve researched it a ton especially in how it shows in women compared to men and in all the articles i found myself relating.\nNow i don’t say im autistic, i say im a little sus of being it tho lmao. and try pass it off casually. I find it’s a lot easier for me to understand and embrace my differences compared to trying to hide it and try be like everyone else or wonder why im not like everyone else. \nBeing older i can also recognise how a lot of my family on one side have suffered mentally and because of obvious neurodivergence. so im pretty sure, like the rest of my mentally challenged brain, has been inherited genetically through that side. \nAll that being said. I self diagnosed when i was about 12 that im highly likely to be depressed and anxious in attempt to get my mom to believe me i needed help, and now 8 years later i can identify that this has been an issue forever for me and that i likely cannot go off my meds because i will just go back to how i used to be. Im still ocd with all my meds, but its better than being anxious and depressed all the time, Having ocd throughout the day is like heaven to me in comparison to how i used to be. obviously the ocd isnt new, just a lot more heard in my brain now.", ">\n\nOk, I know some people self diagnoze themselves with [insert some mental illness here] out of attention or whatever, and that's totally not ok.\nHowever, if you read all the symptoms and do proper research on a mental illness and everything clicks in to you, I'd say you can be fairly confident on a self diagnosis (although, it might be worth it to double check with a professional, especially if you want any sort of treatment). But also for some people, it might not be affordable to go to a professional...", ">\n\nI live in Canada, I've engaged with the medical system, doctors don't care and just want you out, ERs are a 8 hour wait for someone to ignore one thing and won't even entertain other issues even if they are related. Self-diagnosis is really the only way to get any kind of proper treatment at all. \nThe doctors will rubber stamp just about anything you ask for except pain killers but in terms of diagnosis you're way better off doing it yourself, sure you don't have 8 years of medical school but the doctors won't give you 5 mins of their time, they are not better than google and you give a lot more of a shit than they will and at the end of the day it's your body.", ">\n\nBack in the 90s when I was a teenager, the kids/teenagers/young adults who wanted attention, and wanted to be different, adopted the goth lifestyle. Dressing up in all black. White foundation with black lipstick and eyeshadow. It was the trendy way to be different, to be viewed as outcasts of society. To not fit in. \nThe goth lifestyle of the 2020s is self diagnosis. Same shit, different day.\nWhenever someone claims autism, or somewhere on the spectrum, I just roll my eyes and imagine that person just sucks at life.", ">\n\nI just think it’s a little more harmful nowadays due to the prevalence of social media. Ppl get sucked into groups and mindsets before they even have a real life chance. Then they hyper fixate on that they might be mentally Ill rather then just trying to live life to the fullest", ">\n\nI 100% agree with you", ">\n\nBecause it's the age of spin this generation has something for everybody. And all of them are Google doctors. Lol", ">\n\nTook my uncle till he was 38 even thought it was apparent to everyone. Hell he got expelled from two schools" ]

[ "The diagnosis process for a lot of psychiatric conditions are surveys and questionaires. You can go to a psychiatrist and ask if you're anxious and they'll give you multiple choice questions and diagnose off of that. Or you can just google the form yourself and self diagnose. A lot of psychiatric disorders are about how we feel and think. Not about sending off some blood sample to a lab and getting a positive result come back.\n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. For such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nWhat you're describing are all neuroses that could indicate some deeper psychiatric condition. Whether a person has a mental health condition or not, thinking of ourselves as weak victims is never helpful in any context, yet it's something we all feel from time to time.\nI'm a disability support worker, so when someone tells me they've got a self diagnosed condition, it's not offensive to me or any disabled person I know, it doesn't come across like they're invalidating anyone else's condition. However I do think everyone should talk to a doctor about any condition they feel they might have.", ">\n\nPiggybacking off of this: You’ve spent your whole entire life inside your own brain. A therapist will spend a period of hours with you and give you a diagnosis. Who do you think knows your personal reality better than yourself?", ">\n\nYeah exactly, especially with conditions such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, PTSD, and many other psychiatric conditions. These are things people know they have even before they get a diagnosis. The diagnosis stage is more about treatment and management.\nPeople might be unaware of how severe or mild their condition is, some people think they have only mild PTSD despite constant nightmares and suicidal ideation. Some people will think they have severe ADHD because they can't concentrate for long times on things that don't interest them. It's good to get some perspective from experts but ultimately people know when they are struggling to focus or to struggling to stop stressing all the time or struggling to not be miserable. Struggling with our thoughts and feelings is evidence enough to self diagnose.", ">\n\nI was recently diagnosed with ADHD as a woman so I find this viewpoint interesting.\nFirstly, autism is not a mental illness. An autistic person may have mental illness in conjunction with autism, but autism alone lies under the neurodivergent umbrella. Neurodivergency can include autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and other similar conditions.\nWhy women are often underdiagnosed\nThese are serious disabilities that can really impede a person's life, especially if they struggle to find help and acceptance in their community. A lot of women start their journey towards diagnosis later in life due to a number of factors such as:\n\nPoor diagnostic tools and inexperienced professionals\nA misunderstanding that autism and ADHD are more common in boys\nAdvanced masking techniques to cover their 'traits'\n\nWhy women are often diagnosed later in life.\nThe process for many women and men who are diagnosed later in life often includes a level of burnout or breakdown. After a while everything becomes too much, the mask begins to slip and your traits go into overdrive.\nWhy does self-diagnosing seem to be on the rise?\nA common way of finding out you could possibly be neurodivergent is through media and people who are aware of these traits appear.\nIn the past few years, I have seen an increasing awareness of neurodivergence in women pop up in the media. This is useful for people like myself who had no idea wtf was wrong with them for a very long time. For me, a GP actually suggested I seek a diagnosis due to some struggles I was going through.\nAs someone who went through this process self-diagnosing is commonly the first step as an adult. You might be directed to a questionnaire and are asked to evaluate yourself and your experiences thinking back to your childhood. If there's some merit in your experiences than you move to the next step which involves seeking a professional. Waitlists are often months to years long so many people live in limbo for a long time.\nMethods of living with ADHD can help everyone. And everyone experiences ADHD traits from time to time. Given a large amount of stress we have all suffered collectively, I don't doubt there are a lot of people with increased mental health issues that mirror neurodivergent traits. Some mental illnesses can get very severe and alter your brain chemistry and behaviour.\nMy takeaway from this is that the mental health systems set up to assist these people are a much larger issue and cause for serious concern than self-diagnosing.\nApologies for the spelling and grammar errors. Grammarly and Reddit don't play nice.", ">\n\nI think it's two things. One, people have identity crises, especially teenagers. We all know that type of person who tries on identities like hats. That's pretty embarrassing. You usually grow out of that.\nTwo, from personal experience, giving yourself a label or a diagnosis makes it feel more contained and easy to communicate. It's easier to tell someone that you have X and have them understand what you're going through rather than telling them you have these vague symptoms resembling what you imagine X is like. In that respect, it is pretty understandable, possibly good, and not embarrassing. There's something that is sort of reassuring if you can finally get a word to put on what you're experiencing.\nPeople often sympathize with the diagnosis but not with the symptoms. Tell people at work you're autistic and they will sympathize with you and possibly not attack you. Tell them you do not understand social cues and they will probably just make fun of you.", ">\n\nI understand the desire to put a label with a disease, and this is not necessarily bad, but the diagnosis needs to be correct. If you want to tell others that you are autistic or depressed; you must actually be those things. A person can almost never correctly assertion their disease, only their symptoms. People might better understand you if you say your autistic, but you may incorrectly understand and describe yourself. If one wishes to put a name with symptoms, they should find a doctor to pick the label", ">\n\nfor sure but unfortunately our medical system is a joke and even if you are experiencing very severe symptoms it can be nearly impossible to see a professional or take months on a waiting list.\nEven then a professional may be reluctant to slap a label on you for fear of what the consequences of that might be. I saw someone for a very long time who resisted any sort of actual diagnosis because the truth is that what I was experiencing didn't fit neatly into any of the boxes and pretty much belonged in this vague \"other\" category which isn't particularly helpful. Not to mention that misdiagnosis happens all the time even by professionals. \nI just think it is sort of understandable because I think a lot of stuff is kind of a spectrum anyway and just different levels of severity. Things can be really confusing and hard to nail down and thus communicate in a way that causes someone else to be understanding rather than judgemental.", ">\n\nAre you under the impression this is a new phenomenon? Because it's definitely not.\nPeople - especially young people! - crave identity. The world is a confusing place, knowing who you are makes it a little easier. Sometimes it's self-diagnosing mental illness or learning disabilities, or exploring sexual identity, or cliques, or subcultures. There's nothing embarrassing about it, it just is what it is.", ">\n\nIt’s ok to want to express individuality but not to the extent of totally destroying the definition of a real thing and making it hard for actual mentally Ill ppl to get a diagnosis. Why can’t people just accept that they’re different rather then giving themselves a label?", ">\n\npeople on TikTok claiming to have disorders that they don't doesn't affect the precision of psychiatrists diagnosing actual patients. There's no TikTok-said section in the DSM. Why do you think that it does?", ">\n\nIt just encourages more people to get diagnosed possibly skewing the meaning of the mental illness", ">\n\nSkewing it towards statistical accuracy? If people are actually diagnosed at higher rates, we have a better Guage of population-level mental illness, neurodivergency, etc. Better data is more usable, so that research actually means something actionable, ASIDE from the identity boost for young people.", ">\n\nI think what OP is driving at, but utterly failing to explain, is that they think that the fakers will be accommodated by the psychiatric system and diagnosed on the basis of fake symptoms. my sense is that isn't a problem but I don't have data.", ">\n\nDefinitely explained it a little better then I could lol", ">\n\nWhere do you see evidence of that? Any articles about fakers? How about a statistic? If not, it’s just a fear you seem to have.", ">\n\nI think the salient line here is this one:\n\nNeurologists were able to quickly determine that the subjects were not \nsuffering from Tourette's, but psychogenic tics driven by anxiety.", ">\n\nWomen are not born with less autism, but are much less likely to be diagnosed as children than boys. This is partly because boys generally have similar symptoms and behaviors. \nSo of course more women are self diagnosing autism, since their diagnoses were missed as children on a much higher rate.", ">\n\nAlright, I'm diagnosed OCD, PTSD, chronic depression. Diagnosed by a professional so I think I have some grounds to talk about this.\nFirst, let's tackle your women comment about autism. You see, I understand where you're coming from, but you lack the nuance of recognizing that mental illness, and illness in general, is heavily under-diagnosed in women. The medical culture is heavily favored towards men and is rampant with mysogyny, and that's not just me saying it as I've had medical professionals blatantly tell me it's a problem in the field when questioned about it. I've also had some tell me that it's just because women whine a lot, so yanno make of that statement what you will.\nNow that we've covered that let me address the self-diagnosing issue. So, do you want to know what my therapist thinks of self-diagnosing? Well, when I asked them about it they said that self-diagnosing is an important first step to seeking help. Psychiatrist said the same thing. It's normal, expected even, for people to self-diagnose their issues then seek help for them. You can't exactly just peer into someone's brain, no, that person has to tell you what they think is wrong and why they think it is. \nWhat you actually have a problem with is not self-diagnosis, but with people not seeking or not being able to get medical assistance and assuming they're right. You have a problem with people using these issues for attention, which I do too, but once again self-diagnosing is not the problem. Finally, you have a problem with the medical system that forces people into the position of trying to figure out their mental illnesses, but having no ability to get help for them.", ">\n\nI think I did it", ">\n\nSadly no lol, it was not done properly. Do you need a link to the rules?", ">\n\nI already read them i think I’ll figure it out in a bit sorry for the hold up", ">\n\nBecause everyone else is being aggressive: you have to comment with ∆ or !delta and then explain how your view has been changed", ">\n\nThis delta has been rejected. You can't award OP a delta.\nAllowing this would wrongly suggest that you can post here with the aim of convincing others.\nIf you were explaining when/how to award a delta, please use a reddit quote for the symbol next time.\n^Delta System Explained ^| ^Deltaboards", ">\n\nWhat gives you the authority or knowledge to know this is the problem?", ">\n\nYou don’t think it’s a problem that a lot of young ppl are willing to go to the extent of saying they are mentally Ill either for attention or to excuse their weirdness? Just accept that your different. It’s not wrong to believe you’re different without a label", ">\n\nYou did not even try to answer my question.", ">\n\nI’m sorry I was confused on what you meant", ">\n\nIf you are mad at people for self diagnosing themselves because they don't have the knowledge or authority to do so.... what gives you the knowledge or authority to diagnosis this as the problem behavior... basically are you just a kid that is annoyed, or is there some actual studies out there that is claiming this is a problem.", ">\n\nIf you don’t think that people consistently seeking attention for mental illness or craving a label so badly to justify themselves rather then being themselves. That just shows what your views are", ">\n\nDont you think we should leave the diagnosing to the professionals?", ">\n\nI mean yeah", ">\n\nWould you agree that you are diagnosing these people by saying that they are only seeking attention and do not have a real mental illness?", ">\n\nI’m assuming", ">\n\nThere may be some truth to people wanting to be different, however with mental illnesses being more accepted in today's society, many people are a lot more comfortable with being neurodivergent. Additionally, self diagnosis is common because the alternative is spending upwards to $1000-$2000 for a clinical diagnosis.", ">\n\nI know costs suck, but self diagnosis can be much more harmful. A web.md page that tells you your depressed when you may actually be bipolar can lead to really messed up results. I would even go as far as to say that no diagnosis at all is preferable to an uninformed one", ">\n\nWell.\n​\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad \n\nSo you already know why they're doing what they're doing in addition the fact that you know that they're not Autistic? If your claim is that they can't know and only a doctor can, what makes you more qualified? You start out your argument admitting that you have a bias.\n\nthey’re “neurodivergent.\n\nNeurodivergent is an umbrella that covers both Autism and ADHD, which sometimes get mistaken for each other. So if you're upset that they're self-diagnosing, this term should be more welcome than \"Autistic\" because it's more generalized.\n\nnd when you ask them how they know they’ll say “oh I have this weird tick when I uh laugh when someone says something funny “ or “I have a hyper fixation on this topic so I must be autistic\n\nHow else should they communicate it to you? The list of aspects of Autism, especially for how it presents in women, sounds a lot like this. You're not a doctor, they don't have to prove anything to you by going down the entire list of every possible part of their daily experience that might be on the spectrum.\n\nWomen statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nNope. Women are diagnosed less often than men because the original diagnostic criteria for Autism was for Autism as it presents in males. It presents differently for females and is harder to diagnose, especially at younger ages. \n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized\n\nTodays youth want to be victimized? Why would anyone want to be victimized? Something tells me you're missing the mark with this terminology.\n\nor have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. \n\nSo if someone is Autistic and that makes them weird, you'd rather them just be forced to not get to have a name for it, and get the therapeutic treatment that would help them?\n\nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really [are] without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nSome people are autistic. If they find out and it makes them feel good, that doesn't mean they're craving attention. And if they are craving attention, it's because they're normal people and everyone does. \nIf someone thinks they're autistic but it turns out they're actually not, chances are they suspected it for a reason. They might have ADHD, a personality disorder, a mental health issue, or simply a slightly different way of experiencing the world that feels unique to them and there's nothing wrong with that. \nYou seem to think that other people do things for you. People generally don't. They do things for themselves. This is especially true of people on the Autism Spectrum who may not be able to easily use other people's experiences to reference when constructing their view of the world, and can only use their own. Your interpretation wherein they do it to evoke a response from you says more about you than it does about them.", ">\n\nYou’re being deliberately obtuse. OP is completely correct. Most of the people these days who say “I’m ADHD” or “I’m autistic” or “I’m neurodivergent” are absolutely not diagnosed as such and are doing it to seem unique or get attention or as some excuse for why they did x y or z.", ">\n\nI'd like to point out that while some are perhaps attention seeking, many people self diagnose simply because they don't have access to free medical/psychological professionals to get proper diagnosis and help with their issues. I also know someone who doesn't want to get an official diagnosis because he's afrad it will affect his insurance rates or somehow come back to bite him if he's offically labeled with having a neurological disorder. \nThere is a wealth of knowledge on these subjects available online for those interested. And if they are truly interested in self diagnose they can likely do that accurately enough for all intents and purposes. Most of these people who search for the sake of better understanding themselves or their loved ones will openly admit that it's a self diagnoses, or say they THINK they have x,y, or z. But in some situations it's just as well to say they have it if they feel certain anyway, and it's just a passing comment, and not a discussion on the matter. \nIn other words, just because they self diagnose doesn't mean they're wrong, nor does it explain their motives. I also don't see how attention seeking (for those who ARE doing that) is really hurting anyone else. Fakers gonna be fake, that's more a \"them\" kind of problem. ANNOYING, but mostly harmless.", ">\n\nUnless you have a doctor's diagnosis you don't have the disorder. Even if you are broke there are programs to help with costs. \nAnd yes it does affect me when someone is treating me like shit and tries using the I have such and such as an excuse and then people get mad at ME for calling them in their bullshit.", ">\n\nNo. You have to have the disorder before you CAN be diagnosed, so obviously there are undiagnosed people who in fact \"have the disorder \". Your refusal to acknowledge an undiagnosed disorder does not mean they don't have it. Your personal experience with people supposedly using a fake diagnosis to treat you badly, sounds unusual. How do you know they DIDN'T have it? People who do lie and just want to be jerks will do that regardless of what methods they decide to try. The methods are irrelevant. And that motive is not typical of most self diagnosers .", ">\n\nSounds unusual? You must not get out a lot because it's become a pretty regular thing. Every single person I know (about 8) that have self diagnosed themselves as neurodivergent or with a mental illness like Bi-polar all use it to excuse their shitty ass behaviors. \nToo many disorders can mirror other ones. Just because they think they have 2/3 symptoms doesn't make them right by a long shot. Keep living in your bubble.", ">\n\nYou don't have to have a relationship with anyone. If they treat you badly, regardless of an official diagnosis or not, you don't have to tolerate them. It makes no difference what they have or don't have. What would it change if they got diagnosed and actually have it?", ">\n\nSelf diagnosing has been a thing forever\nAnd it's not a problem im 99% sure me or any other autistic person doesn't really give 2 fucks about people who wanna fake disorders. It doesn't stop us from getting help, we have doctors notes, medical files, sometimes even volunteers, you need those files to get into let's say a special education class, or a life skills course.\nSo unless you were diagnosed by a professional you're probably not gonna make it far faking it.\n(Excuse my shitty punctuation)", ">\n\nIt doesn’t bother you that they’re making others take the actual meaning away from what you were born with? I mean I’m sure autism hasn’t made your life easy and seeing ppl claim it for attention to be quirky probably has to annoy you a little right?", ">\n\nAt the end of the day I still have ADHD and I still need help with it. More people being diagnosed with it doesn’t change that fact. In fact I was diagnosed because I realized I related to so many tiktok memes, and I’m sure others are in my same boat. \nIn fact I think so many people talking about ADHD helps. It means more people who possibly have tips for me, people who are suffering who can’t afford treatment have an easy way to learn about how to improve their lives, and more people who are aware of my disorder.", ">\n\nI think people do diagnose themselves too often without seeking professional help. BUT mental illness is not the same as being neurodivergent.", ">\n\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad that they’ll go as far to say they’re “neurodivergent.”\n\nWhile this is the case, I don't really see how it's a \"problem\" per se. I guarantee that these people still make lifestyle decisions based on what they think is best, or based on what they want to do.\n\nbut it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women\n\nDo you have any statistics for that? I haven't experienced it that way in my own anecdotal experience, and I'd be curious to look into the data to see how much that truly does skew in that direction.\n\nwanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness \nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nI understand what you're trying to say here, but I don't really think these things are connected as much as you think they are. People see something wrong with themselves, so they either playfully or seriously consider the fact that it could be a condition that they have similar symptoms to. Not that it never happens, but just because someone categorizes themselves into a disability group that could potentially excuse their \"quirks\", doesn't mean they think that behavior is unacceptable in any way. People see a problem, and assume it's linked to this other issue that seems similar that they already know about.", ">\n\nI agree with the conclusion that self-diagnosis is a real issue, and I wouldn't be surprised if the data indicated it was on the rise. I wouldn't necessarily frame it as a simple desire to \"be victimized\" however. While it is purely speculation, I do believe there are a number of conditions which might lead towards a more frequent experience of symptoms associated with mental illness - a rising wealth gap, perpetual anxiety from a 24-hour news cycle, intensification of self-commodification, the student debt crisis in certain countries like the US, and so on. So people are experiencing symptoms like low energy, mood swings, etc. that can be associated with mental illness. The issue with self-diagnosis then becomes that it may correctly identify the symptom, but incorrectly identify the cause.\nThis video from the YouTuber HealthyGamerGG does a good job of explaining what some of the issues with self-diagnosis are, and for me it was a good starting place for thinking about this more. \nEDIT: I forgot this video literally starts with this same topic being brought up on this same subreddit lol", ">\n\nA great theory based on reasonable causes with an educational video from a psychologist(I assume) as evidence to back it up. I applaud you sir. 👏", ">\n\nWhy are you embarrassed by other people's issues?", ">\n\nI’m a 30yo male. If I had not first self diagnosed with ASD and OCD, I never would have found the language and resources to get a formal diagnosis and help.\nPrior generations have been so fixated on avoidance of diagnosing mental disorders, and research was previously so lacking that we are only just now (through those that do get diagnosed) realizing how common mental disorders are. That plus the lack of mental health resources for neurotypical and neurodivergent I think is how we end up in this situation of many recognizing their symptoms in the new discourse, but lacking the resources to overcome the barriers to proper diagnosis and treatment.", ">\n\nIt’s not the best thing, no. \nAs an adult FINALLY diagnosed (by a licensed therapist) at 41, I can tell you why ‘self diagnosis’ is so tempting. \nIn the US at least- mental health, and official medical diagnosis are almost completely inaccessible, especially as an adult. Most of us grew up before Autism was a spectrum, and ADHD was just boys who acted out in class. We felt like aliens. We couldn’t understand why we didn’t have many friends, or why we didn’t like the ‘right things’, and generally spend the bill of our lives feeling ‘wrong’, ‘broken’ or just simply like we didn’t belong. \nFinally understanding the WHY, and even better, finding tools to addresses our issues is a huge huge weight off the chest. The relief of having a name and a strategy- either therapy or medicine is such an amazing relief!!", ">\n\nI only kinda agree if I had not done my own research I would have never found out I have sjorgens syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis I know TikTok people tend to diagnose themselves and it makes it look cringe but when you live with a incurable illness sometimes you have to work to find a diagnosis", ">\n\nWell, what do you do of you absolutely know you're neurodivergent, but your parents decided not to get you checked? My mom once told me \"we knew you had something, we just didn't get you checked because they would have just put you on pills\". So I struggled with being different, socially unaware, impulsive, obnoxious, agressive, selfish, for the better part of my life without having the self awareness to understand why I was these things, and why people wouldn't want to be around me. \nIn my late 20''s I asked the question, what if I'm actually autistic? I looked up the symptoms, and 9/10 matched. As a child I couldn't handle loud noises, restrictive clothing, I didn't talk until I was 3. I would throw fits for seemingly no reason, I had obsessive interests. I've always really struggled with eye contact, and I never cared for conversation unless it was something I liked. I mean, when the final piece of a puzzle fits so incredibly well, it's really hard for it to be wrong. \nSelf diagnosing actually really helped me grow as aj individual. I became aware of all my divergent behaviors, and why it might be annoying for someone else to deal with. I came to the realization that I was the one who was different, therefore I needed to change. It's way harder to make everyone around you cater to your needs than to overcome the things that upset you. I'm at peace, I have good friends that I can connect with on a pretty deep level. I no longer smash coffee tables when I lose, I can now appreciate that if I lose it just means I have more to learn. I can keep my house clean, I can reasonably hold myself accountable. What exactly is the harm in all that?\nBesides, it would be pretty pointless for me to try and get a diagnosis now, I've put the effort in and largely come out the other side. Anyone diagnosing me would just say I was normal, but they wouldn't have the intimate knowledge of me that I do. I guess it doesn't matter if people don't believe me, I don't go around shouting that I'm autistic. I will say, it would be really nice if people appreciated the effort I put in to get to get to a place of normalcy, something others take for granted, but it's okay, we all have our struggles.", ">\n\nI feel you on all that. To play devil's advocate, mental healthcare in the U.S. is not cheap. Many people go to the internet and confirm their bias about their current health", ">\n\nI feel you on that too OP. I agree 100% with your entire statement.", ">\n\nIt's a problem, but not a new one. In the 1990s there was briefly a surge of people with a type of delusional parasitosis, that is, the false belief that they were infested with parasites. Except this one was supposedly an infestation with tiny fibres. They would come to doctors with a whole list of symptoms to back up their incorrect self-diagnosis.\nTo a certain extent, these are social contagions, which come and go, and often actually end up leading to people having real problems. Like, the young women you mention, a couple of decades ago may well have ended up with anorexia, or self-cutting. These days it might be a self-declaration of autism or a belief that they have gender dysphoria or that they have multiple systems living in their minds.", ">\n\nWow I did not know that. Maybe it’s just so prevalent today due to social media. Social media has only made these things worse imo", ">\n\nEven before it being self diagnosis of a mental illness it was always something. Remember all the emo and goth teenager?", ">\n\nIt depends on the context. For example, if they've done a substantial amount of research, can name a good amount of symptoms they have and reasons they have whatever mental illness and don't have access to the necessary tools to get a medical diagnosis, it's totally different. Some people don't have the money to go out and get a diagnosis, or sometimes it would be better to not get a medical diagnosis. I believe that the reason that a lot of people self diagnose themselves with things like Autism is because they want an explanation as to why they are different, and they could be right or wrong. I think the most important part is that if you go to a psychologist (or even two, I know a lot of people prefer getting second opinions) and they say you don't have it, that you need to admit you were wrong. It's ok to be wrong about your mental health, and the key is to keep looking and to not give up. I can completely understand the frustration in people completely missing how difficult it actually may be to have a mental illness. I was clinically diagnosed with Depression, Anxiety, and PTSD when I was seven, and I've had some experience with people faking mental disorders for attention, and more often then not, they have another mental disorder that needs attention. Recently I had a (now ex) boyfriend insist he had PTSD after being tested twice and the psychiatrist saying that he didn't have it. What he does have is Depression and Anxiety, but he absolutely insisted he has PTSD despite never exhibiting symptoms and the only evidence being a test he took online that was supposedly a \"real PTSD test.\" People faking mental illnesses only harms people who really have them, as these people tend to exaggerate symptoms and use their self diagnosis for attention. I believe that I am autistic, but I don't list it as a diagnosis because while I have read articles and taken the RAADS-r test, I don't have an official diagnosis, and I could very well be wrong. As for women faking illnesses more often, something I've noticed is that things like Autism, ADHD, ADD, etc are more often diagnosed in boys rather than girls- mostly because when they were first discovered, most of the research was done in boys. Autism shows up differently in girls, and can often be blown off as early puberty hormones. If their hyperfixations are those of stereotypical feminine things, it's just a girl liking whatever, and if they hyperfixate in stereotypical masculine interests, they tend to just be viewed as weird, but not autistic. It's normal for people to question, but I agree that to a certain point, self diagnosis can be harmful, but only if not done correctly.", ">\n\nFirst and foremost not a new problem at all, very common, we used to call it \"Being a hypochondriac\" until it aparrently became reconized which in it self is confusing and a bit contradictory.\nANYWAY\nIt isnt really a problem, no doctor is gonna write the perscription for medication without a diagnosis of some sort.\nAt most there is the vauge \"But what about those who actually have it who arent taken serious\" dont worry, we wouldnt have anyway. Thats kinda how invisible illnesses work.\nOverall the 101 hypochondriacs screaming about the symptoms they read in the ICD might help make the knowledge more common and help people better reconize if their colleagues or friends happen to show symptoms of something.", ">\n\nIt’s pretty expensive in the US to get diagnosed. Personally, I’ve self diagnosed myself out of frustration of the way I process things. I’ve always felt slow & my anxiety/depression was deep because of it, but I was raised in a family that doesn’t believe in mental illness. It was always “if you work hard enough, all your problems will go away”. Meanwhile, i was racking my brain on how to make myself think faster/smarter & it would result in psychotic episodes. I’ve gotten fired from jobs, dropped out of school. I started self harming because I hated myself and my brain & almost commit suicide bc I had no idea what was going on.\nThe relief I felt once I finally got a therapist who validated me & was the first to talk to me about mental Illness. It blew my mind and all of a sudden things actually made sense to me. I currently think I have ADD, and sometimes I’ll tell people that but will preface it by saying I’m not professionally diagnosed. Still, I use mental tools that help me get through the day and build my confidence. I’m a lot better at processing conversations, making lists that help me remember things, unmasking, slowing down my thoughts… etc. I’m less frustrated and can see the beauty in how I process things. I still want to get diagnosed but I have to get health insurance….. lol", ">\n\nSelf diagnosis, regardless of being factual is a process where the individual realizes that they might have a mental health issue. People who can do this are more likely to seek professional help compared to the people who think they are “fine”. Going to a professional, licensed psychologist or a psychiatrist will eventually diagnose them with the correct disorder from there, and professionals have the skills to communicate with them and they can together evaluate if the person’s complaint is the issue or not. There is nothing embarrassing about discovering one’s self. It would be a problem if people would identify with an issue and don’t have any willingness to seek help. Sometimes overreacting is better than not reacting.", ">\n\nThe majority of people who are self-diagnosed with autism have done extensive research into it to come to that conclusion. I personally went through the DSM criteria with a fine-tooth comb, made a list of all the ways I met it and discovered that there’s not a single criteria i don’t meet for autism. I didn’t read about anything else but autism for weeks, approaching it from all angles before coming to the conclusion that it’s highly unlikely I am not autistic. I’m waiting to hear back about an assessment, but I’m not waiting to go and be told something I already know before I start advocating for myself. \nOh, and I absolutely did not want to be ‘different’, in fact my life mission to just blend in and be average is the root cause of most of my problems, but here we are.", ">\n\nThis self diagnosing young people do isn’t the problem. The problem is that our society encourages it.\nOur culture is not set up to accommodate a wide spectrum of human needs. You may need things that I don’t. I may need things that you don’t. But in most business settings, academic settings, or even places like restaurants or leisure places, the world isn’t built to accommodate everyone. Our world and society is a “one size fits all” approach, and most people don’t fit snugly inside of that system. \nIf you can classify what is “wrong” or “different” about you into an easily digestible form, people are generally more able and more willing to accommodate you.\nFor example: if I tell my coworkers that I need to leave work early because of a headache, I’ll be shamed for it. And in some cases I’ll be told that “headaches aren’t that bad!” Or “You don’t need to leave.” Or “I have a headache too, just deal with it!”\nBut if I tell my workers that I need to leave due to a painful neurological condition that’s flaring up (I have chronic migraine, which is a neurological condition), they will respect it 100% of the time. It’s met with sympathy and not criticism.\nThis happens for all sorts of things. “Sorry Im late, I slept in.” Sounds a lot worse then, “sorry I’m late, my insomnia has been terrible lately.” \nOur culture forces us to use these labels even when they’re untrue just to receive sympathy or acceptance. The problem isn’t people who decide to use these labels, the root problem is that our society refuses to embrace and accommodate people who are outside of the “norm.”", ">\n\nSpeaking as someone who's had an autism diagnosis since age 7: if someone declares they're autistic when they're not, that's obnoxious at worst. If someone is told they're not autistic when they are, that can cause lifelong harm from denied care and understanding. I have seen this happen to a close friend of mine.\nTherefore, I'd much rather err on the side of acceptance. If you think you're defending me and others like me from impersonators, we'd rather not have your help.\n\nI know people will disagree but it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women. Women statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nCase in point: women are diagnosed with autism far less than men. Recent studies have pointed to decades of systematic misdiagnosis. The more visible autistic symptoms sometimes manifest differently in girls, the way they're socialized may help them hide it from a young age, and of course lots of doctors just say \"your daughter can't be autistic, that's a boy thing.\"\nWe're learning that there are hundreds of thousands of autistic women who slipped through the cracks and were denied the recognition and support they needed because of dismissive, gatekeeping attitudes just like yours.", ">\n\nThere’s a difference between having a disorder and relating to a disorder. If the tools or language associated with a disorder helps someone live better though then cool, it’s all still odd. Also autism presents differently in woman, and a majority of our research on it is on men. Best practice is probably to support them and encourage them to seek treatment.", ">\n\nAutism is severely misdiagnosed in women. Completely under diagnosed. Actually, plenty of things are. The actual problem that we have is parents refusing to let their children get professional help or a diagnosis. Most doctors will diagnose you with BPD as a woman(aka the new female hysteria of our century), maybe put you on some anti psychotics and send you your way. In most countries, a diagnosis/specialist is not readily available, or there is a long waiting list. Even so, the doctors are not know it all. I have seen plenty of doctors, I got different diagnosis almost each time. They ask you some general questions (about your mood, the way you sleep, if you can concentrate, if you harm yourself, if you have suicidal ideation, if you can socialize properly, if your parents were diagnosed with anything, if you have hallucinations or delusions, the works) and then based on that, they will give you a diagnosis. If you use your common sense and information on the internet (given you are knowledgeable on the subject), you can take a good guess on what's wrong. Obviously, some people will exaggerate like with anything (seeing the shadow dude once in your childhood is not a sign of psychosis, neither is hearing your name called when you are alone once in a blue moon), but if you have visual and auditory hallucinations, perhaps weird tactile feelings/hallucinations (spiders are crawling on me, etc), delusions, tend to be forgetful and out of teach with reality, there is a good chance you do have psychosis.", ">\n\nOkay, to start: what do you think autism and ADHD are? They aren't mental illnesses nor are they mental health conditions. \nTo address some of your other points; \nStudies have shown that autism has a gender expression of 1:1. The only reason that women are under diagnosed is because of misunderstandings towards autism, then the diagnosis is conducted incorrectly. Thus it ends up getting conflated with mental illness, E.G BPD, and is diagnosed as a psychiatric disorder instead. This is a detriment to the patient as the care regimes are black and white different. Often times this severely damages the woman.\nFrom data sets that I recall reading, malingering hasn't risen much, if at all, in recent times. I remember it being around 8% of the global population who are engaging in this behaviour, to different extents. I think what's happened is that social media has turned a torch onto it and it's risen in popularity in an algorithmic way. You see it more because it's pushed by the algorithm more because people are searching for it more. It isn't actually occurring any more or less than historically. Most of that attention is negative attention, I should add. \nSo there's two things to take away from that.\n1) The actual act of pretending to be mentally ill, or to have a disability, which is called malingering, is in fact a form of mental unwellness itself. It's a cry for help. The people who do these things are usually very unstable and should be treated with a degree of empathy. The dangerous types who are using mental illness to scam others, or to manipulate them, make up a very small percentage of the overall amount of people in that group and tend to abuse one on one. \n2) The predominant response to this is generally negative. There isn't really any reason to publicly malinger unless you're unstable, this is because a rational person would likely know this, and know the damage it would cause themselves. Self-diagnosis is a very long, and self-aware, process that takes place over years of the individuals life, and proceeds official diagnosis. \nNo one SDs and says \"Okay that's it now! Let me start a TikTok!\" You'd still want support, and you'd still seek support. So that would end up with a doctor, who would see that you're lying, and treat you for whatever was prompting you to malinger. Anyone who has made this commitment knows that keeping it private is a sensible thing to do in a world that isn't inclusive, and often very stigmatising. Sometimes official diagnosis can take YEARS. \nThis kind of propaganda has been going around for a long time in an effort to discredit disabled people and people with mental illnesses. It's not new. People said the same things back in the 90s. People will always be afraid, and dismissive, of things they do not understand. I invite you to try and understand.", ">\n\nI self-diagnosed myself with endometriosis for 10 years before a doctor finally listened to me, opened me up, and found my insides littered with lesions all over my organs. I’m now not able to get pregnant and I might need to get part of my bowel taken out someday. This could’ve been avoided if someone had just listened to me when I was 16. \nSelf-diagnosing is a necessity in a misogynist world! No one takes us seriously! Especially medical professionals. \nThe best antidote for this is to listen to women who self-diagnose. Why do they think they have XYZ? Is it heavily interfering with their life? I think that’s a much larger problem.", ">\n\nIts been proven that there is a bias to diagnose as opposed to not diagnose a mental illness in psychology. So op is actually kinda correct. The definition of a mental illness is in effect being stretched so far that people who are just kinda weird are being diagnosed with \"on the spectrum\". This is actually causing a problem in early learning because parents start treating their kids as essentially learning challenged when they're really not. So it is starting to become an excuse ...", ">\n\nWe live in a society that loves to medicate people. I know it’s different but Did ppl forget about the opioid epidemic? They’ll diagnose your ass with anything if they can", ">\n\nYa I tend to agree. And no one is really saying so I will I guess, but id wager that 50% of psychologist \"professionals\" are totally full of shit. The actual number of psychologists that are are doing real research and clinical studies is EXTREMELY small compared to how many \"psychologists\" are out there. Just like chiropractors, half of them are hacks..", ">\n\nAnd ill say one more thing, though it is anecdotal, but i have direct family that works in special education for young children, and that system is fucked with a capital F. Thay are constantly fighting against parents and programs who try to box kids in the \"autistic\" zone, when they are just really quite or shy, or have pee problems. But parents want an excuse and reason for their behavior, and reduce them to a sub standard education and treatment for the rest of their lives. It's heart breaking. Especially in public schools.", ">\n\nI’m 32 years old. \nI didn’t self diagnose for attention although I remember the days of tumblr where everyone self diagnosed for clout.\nIt took me a decade to realize what is really happening. During the decade before I realized what may have been happening I was told the following:\nI’m rude\nI’m bossy\nI have a RBF/I look mad\nI also only managed to make my first real friend at age 27.\nWhat I was really displaying was:\nBeing overly blunt and just trying to get my point across came off rude when I didn’t intend it to be that way\nTrying to have things done at a certain time and way that no one else thought was important to follow\nUnmasking\nNoticed other things too that I just thought was me being weird:\nVocal stimming\nOral stimming-chewing, smoking, vaping\nRepetitive motions\nRocking\nEasily overwhelmed by too much sensory input\nHigh startle reflex \nInability to regulate my body’s needs-I don’t know I’m hungry until I’m ravenous; don’t recognize the need to use the bathroom until it’s causing me to rush off, don’t realize I’m cold until I’m shaking\nI could go on.\nI want an assessment so bad. But assessments for adults are EXTREMELY hard to setup, if you can even set them up at all. Some states don’t even offer them. I’ve been looking but they are only for children and seem to look for severe cases.\n14 years of thinking I was just a bitch who couldn’t make friends because I was too weird…turns out it might be autism. And turns out I’ll most likely never get a true diagnosis. But the RAADS test gave me a 127 score so that might be the closest I’ll ever get.", ">\n\ni kind of self diagnosed autism? i’ve been to many psychiatrists and therapists for years and they always see adhd in the half an hour and prescribe meds for that, which makes me not go there again. if they dug a little deeper they could have seen autism, i spoke to my current psychiatrist about if its possible i have it, she didn’t want to confirm or deny as i was moving out of state from friends and family and am at an age where i can have kids in the next 10 years since she doesn’t want me being concerned for them. \nI think there’s still lots of stigma around autism even with professionals and especially when identifying it in women. \nI don’t want to be autistic, but i can recognise a lot of different patterns comparing myself and others. I’ve researched it a ton especially in how it shows in women compared to men and in all the articles i found myself relating.\nNow i don’t say im autistic, i say im a little sus of being it tho lmao. and try pass it off casually. I find it’s a lot easier for me to understand and embrace my differences compared to trying to hide it and try be like everyone else or wonder why im not like everyone else. \nBeing older i can also recognise how a lot of my family on one side have suffered mentally and because of obvious neurodivergence. so im pretty sure, like the rest of my mentally challenged brain, has been inherited genetically through that side. \nAll that being said. I self diagnosed when i was about 12 that im highly likely to be depressed and anxious in attempt to get my mom to believe me i needed help, and now 8 years later i can identify that this has been an issue forever for me and that i likely cannot go off my meds because i will just go back to how i used to be. Im still ocd with all my meds, but its better than being anxious and depressed all the time, Having ocd throughout the day is like heaven to me in comparison to how i used to be. obviously the ocd isnt new, just a lot more heard in my brain now.", ">\n\nOk, I know some people self diagnoze themselves with [insert some mental illness here] out of attention or whatever, and that's totally not ok.\nHowever, if you read all the symptoms and do proper research on a mental illness and everything clicks in to you, I'd say you can be fairly confident on a self diagnosis (although, it might be worth it to double check with a professional, especially if you want any sort of treatment). But also for some people, it might not be affordable to go to a professional...", ">\n\nI live in Canada, I've engaged with the medical system, doctors don't care and just want you out, ERs are a 8 hour wait for someone to ignore one thing and won't even entertain other issues even if they are related. Self-diagnosis is really the only way to get any kind of proper treatment at all. \nThe doctors will rubber stamp just about anything you ask for except pain killers but in terms of diagnosis you're way better off doing it yourself, sure you don't have 8 years of medical school but the doctors won't give you 5 mins of their time, they are not better than google and you give a lot more of a shit than they will and at the end of the day it's your body.", ">\n\nBack in the 90s when I was a teenager, the kids/teenagers/young adults who wanted attention, and wanted to be different, adopted the goth lifestyle. Dressing up in all black. White foundation with black lipstick and eyeshadow. It was the trendy way to be different, to be viewed as outcasts of society. To not fit in. \nThe goth lifestyle of the 2020s is self diagnosis. Same shit, different day.\nWhenever someone claims autism, or somewhere on the spectrum, I just roll my eyes and imagine that person just sucks at life.", ">\n\nI just think it’s a little more harmful nowadays due to the prevalence of social media. Ppl get sucked into groups and mindsets before they even have a real life chance. Then they hyper fixate on that they might be mentally Ill rather then just trying to live life to the fullest", ">\n\nI 100% agree with you", ">\n\nBecause it's the age of spin this generation has something for everybody. And all of them are Google doctors. Lol", ">\n\nTook my uncle till he was 38 even thought it was apparent to everyone. Hell he got expelled from two schools", ">\n\nI get what you're saying. I frankly find it weird that more people don't find this weird. People self-diagnosing themselves as all kinds of things not only completely misrepresents the actual conditions, thereby making people even more confused as to what they actually are and how they present, but also leads people to run to a psychiatrist claiming false symptoms and getting medication for something they don't have, which is NOT a good thing. People should never be taking medication unless it is necessary. We are a heavily over-medicated society and this is a big factor in that. Caffeine to wake up in the morning, \"immuno-boosters\" and mood stabilizers during the day, sleeping pills to sleep at night. The caffeine and sleeping pills are addictive and can really mess up your circadian rhythm, and the mood stabilizers can really fuck you up if you don't need them. Instead of rushing to diagnose and medicate everyone, we need to educate them on human behavior and show them that their \"mental health\" problems are completely normal.\nOh, so you get nervous right before you make huge life decisions? That's not Anxiety Disorder, it's just anxiety.\nOh, you are really sad because your cat died? That's not Clinical Depression, you are just grieving.\nOh, you went from really happy to really sad when you were previously happy and something really shitty happened to you and soured your mood? That's not Bipolar Disorder, that's just life.\nOh, you like to be more organized than the people around you? That's not Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, you just like to be organized.\nPeople really misunderstand the nature of these conditions and it hinders our collective progress in treating them, like dramatically inflating the number of actual conditions in the population, making it increasingly more difficult to determine how common and how varied they are. After all, in most cases it is not the psychiatrist or psychologist who makes you better, you make you better. Medication can help and other people can show you the path to success, but the problem will never get solved unless you play an active role in the treatment. Some conditions can never be solved, only lessened, while others are virtually untreatable. We need to stop making these conditions seem cool. They aren't. They are serious and need to be taken seriously." ]

[ "The diagnosis process for a lot of psychiatric conditions are surveys and questionaires. You can go to a psychiatrist and ask if you're anxious and they'll give you multiple choice questions and diagnose off of that. Or you can just google the form yourself and self diagnose. A lot of psychiatric disorders are about how we feel and think. Not about sending off some blood sample to a lab and getting a positive result come back.\n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. For such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nWhat you're describing are all neuroses that could indicate some deeper psychiatric condition. Whether a person has a mental health condition or not, thinking of ourselves as weak victims is never helpful in any context, yet it's something we all feel from time to time.\nI'm a disability support worker, so when someone tells me they've got a self diagnosed condition, it's not offensive to me or any disabled person I know, it doesn't come across like they're invalidating anyone else's condition. However I do think everyone should talk to a doctor about any condition they feel they might have.", ">\n\nPiggybacking off of this: You’ve spent your whole entire life inside your own brain. A therapist will spend a period of hours with you and give you a diagnosis. Who do you think knows your personal reality better than yourself?", ">\n\nYeah exactly, especially with conditions such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, PTSD, and many other psychiatric conditions. These are things people know they have even before they get a diagnosis. The diagnosis stage is more about treatment and management.\nPeople might be unaware of how severe or mild their condition is, some people think they have only mild PTSD despite constant nightmares and suicidal ideation. Some people will think they have severe ADHD because they can't concentrate for long times on things that don't interest them. It's good to get some perspective from experts but ultimately people know when they are struggling to focus or to struggling to stop stressing all the time or struggling to not be miserable. Struggling with our thoughts and feelings is evidence enough to self diagnose.", ">\n\nI was recently diagnosed with ADHD as a woman so I find this viewpoint interesting.\nFirstly, autism is not a mental illness. An autistic person may have mental illness in conjunction with autism, but autism alone lies under the neurodivergent umbrella. Neurodivergency can include autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and other similar conditions.\nWhy women are often underdiagnosed\nThese are serious disabilities that can really impede a person's life, especially if they struggle to find help and acceptance in their community. A lot of women start their journey towards diagnosis later in life due to a number of factors such as:\n\nPoor diagnostic tools and inexperienced professionals\nA misunderstanding that autism and ADHD are more common in boys\nAdvanced masking techniques to cover their 'traits'\n\nWhy women are often diagnosed later in life.\nThe process for many women and men who are diagnosed later in life often includes a level of burnout or breakdown. After a while everything becomes too much, the mask begins to slip and your traits go into overdrive.\nWhy does self-diagnosing seem to be on the rise?\nA common way of finding out you could possibly be neurodivergent is through media and people who are aware of these traits appear.\nIn the past few years, I have seen an increasing awareness of neurodivergence in women pop up in the media. This is useful for people like myself who had no idea wtf was wrong with them for a very long time. For me, a GP actually suggested I seek a diagnosis due to some struggles I was going through.\nAs someone who went through this process self-diagnosing is commonly the first step as an adult. You might be directed to a questionnaire and are asked to evaluate yourself and your experiences thinking back to your childhood. If there's some merit in your experiences than you move to the next step which involves seeking a professional. Waitlists are often months to years long so many people live in limbo for a long time.\nMethods of living with ADHD can help everyone. And everyone experiences ADHD traits from time to time. Given a large amount of stress we have all suffered collectively, I don't doubt there are a lot of people with increased mental health issues that mirror neurodivergent traits. Some mental illnesses can get very severe and alter your brain chemistry and behaviour.\nMy takeaway from this is that the mental health systems set up to assist these people are a much larger issue and cause for serious concern than self-diagnosing.\nApologies for the spelling and grammar errors. Grammarly and Reddit don't play nice.", ">\n\nI think it's two things. One, people have identity crises, especially teenagers. We all know that type of person who tries on identities like hats. That's pretty embarrassing. You usually grow out of that.\nTwo, from personal experience, giving yourself a label or a diagnosis makes it feel more contained and easy to communicate. It's easier to tell someone that you have X and have them understand what you're going through rather than telling them you have these vague symptoms resembling what you imagine X is like. In that respect, it is pretty understandable, possibly good, and not embarrassing. There's something that is sort of reassuring if you can finally get a word to put on what you're experiencing.\nPeople often sympathize with the diagnosis but not with the symptoms. Tell people at work you're autistic and they will sympathize with you and possibly not attack you. Tell them you do not understand social cues and they will probably just make fun of you.", ">\n\nI understand the desire to put a label with a disease, and this is not necessarily bad, but the diagnosis needs to be correct. If you want to tell others that you are autistic or depressed; you must actually be those things. A person can almost never correctly assertion their disease, only their symptoms. People might better understand you if you say your autistic, but you may incorrectly understand and describe yourself. If one wishes to put a name with symptoms, they should find a doctor to pick the label", ">\n\nfor sure but unfortunately our medical system is a joke and even if you are experiencing very severe symptoms it can be nearly impossible to see a professional or take months on a waiting list.\nEven then a professional may be reluctant to slap a label on you for fear of what the consequences of that might be. I saw someone for a very long time who resisted any sort of actual diagnosis because the truth is that what I was experiencing didn't fit neatly into any of the boxes and pretty much belonged in this vague \"other\" category which isn't particularly helpful. Not to mention that misdiagnosis happens all the time even by professionals. \nI just think it is sort of understandable because I think a lot of stuff is kind of a spectrum anyway and just different levels of severity. Things can be really confusing and hard to nail down and thus communicate in a way that causes someone else to be understanding rather than judgemental.", ">\n\nAre you under the impression this is a new phenomenon? Because it's definitely not.\nPeople - especially young people! - crave identity. The world is a confusing place, knowing who you are makes it a little easier. Sometimes it's self-diagnosing mental illness or learning disabilities, or exploring sexual identity, or cliques, or subcultures. There's nothing embarrassing about it, it just is what it is.", ">\n\nIt’s ok to want to express individuality but not to the extent of totally destroying the definition of a real thing and making it hard for actual mentally Ill ppl to get a diagnosis. Why can’t people just accept that they’re different rather then giving themselves a label?", ">\n\npeople on TikTok claiming to have disorders that they don't doesn't affect the precision of psychiatrists diagnosing actual patients. There's no TikTok-said section in the DSM. Why do you think that it does?", ">\n\nIt just encourages more people to get diagnosed possibly skewing the meaning of the mental illness", ">\n\nSkewing it towards statistical accuracy? If people are actually diagnosed at higher rates, we have a better Guage of population-level mental illness, neurodivergency, etc. Better data is more usable, so that research actually means something actionable, ASIDE from the identity boost for young people.", ">\n\nI think what OP is driving at, but utterly failing to explain, is that they think that the fakers will be accommodated by the psychiatric system and diagnosed on the basis of fake symptoms. my sense is that isn't a problem but I don't have data.", ">\n\nDefinitely explained it a little better then I could lol", ">\n\nWhere do you see evidence of that? Any articles about fakers? How about a statistic? If not, it’s just a fear you seem to have.", ">\n\nI think the salient line here is this one:\n\nNeurologists were able to quickly determine that the subjects were not \nsuffering from Tourette's, but psychogenic tics driven by anxiety.", ">\n\nWomen are not born with less autism, but are much less likely to be diagnosed as children than boys. This is partly because boys generally have similar symptoms and behaviors. \nSo of course more women are self diagnosing autism, since their diagnoses were missed as children on a much higher rate.", ">\n\nAlright, I'm diagnosed OCD, PTSD, chronic depression. Diagnosed by a professional so I think I have some grounds to talk about this.\nFirst, let's tackle your women comment about autism. You see, I understand where you're coming from, but you lack the nuance of recognizing that mental illness, and illness in general, is heavily under-diagnosed in women. The medical culture is heavily favored towards men and is rampant with mysogyny, and that's not just me saying it as I've had medical professionals blatantly tell me it's a problem in the field when questioned about it. I've also had some tell me that it's just because women whine a lot, so yanno make of that statement what you will.\nNow that we've covered that let me address the self-diagnosing issue. So, do you want to know what my therapist thinks of self-diagnosing? Well, when I asked them about it they said that self-diagnosing is an important first step to seeking help. Psychiatrist said the same thing. It's normal, expected even, for people to self-diagnose their issues then seek help for them. You can't exactly just peer into someone's brain, no, that person has to tell you what they think is wrong and why they think it is. \nWhat you actually have a problem with is not self-diagnosis, but with people not seeking or not being able to get medical assistance and assuming they're right. You have a problem with people using these issues for attention, which I do too, but once again self-diagnosing is not the problem. Finally, you have a problem with the medical system that forces people into the position of trying to figure out their mental illnesses, but having no ability to get help for them.", ">\n\nI think I did it", ">\n\nSadly no lol, it was not done properly. Do you need a link to the rules?", ">\n\nI already read them i think I’ll figure it out in a bit sorry for the hold up", ">\n\nBecause everyone else is being aggressive: you have to comment with ∆ or !delta and then explain how your view has been changed", ">\n\nThis delta has been rejected. You can't award OP a delta.\nAllowing this would wrongly suggest that you can post here with the aim of convincing others.\nIf you were explaining when/how to award a delta, please use a reddit quote for the symbol next time.\n^Delta System Explained ^| ^Deltaboards", ">\n\nWhat gives you the authority or knowledge to know this is the problem?", ">\n\nYou don’t think it’s a problem that a lot of young ppl are willing to go to the extent of saying they are mentally Ill either for attention or to excuse their weirdness? Just accept that your different. It’s not wrong to believe you’re different without a label", ">\n\nYou did not even try to answer my question.", ">\n\nI’m sorry I was confused on what you meant", ">\n\nIf you are mad at people for self diagnosing themselves because they don't have the knowledge or authority to do so.... what gives you the knowledge or authority to diagnosis this as the problem behavior... basically are you just a kid that is annoyed, or is there some actual studies out there that is claiming this is a problem.", ">\n\nIf you don’t think that people consistently seeking attention for mental illness or craving a label so badly to justify themselves rather then being themselves. That just shows what your views are", ">\n\nDont you think we should leave the diagnosing to the professionals?", ">\n\nI mean yeah", ">\n\nWould you agree that you are diagnosing these people by saying that they are only seeking attention and do not have a real mental illness?", ">\n\nI’m assuming", ">\n\nThere may be some truth to people wanting to be different, however with mental illnesses being more accepted in today's society, many people are a lot more comfortable with being neurodivergent. Additionally, self diagnosis is common because the alternative is spending upwards to $1000-$2000 for a clinical diagnosis.", ">\n\nI know costs suck, but self diagnosis can be much more harmful. A web.md page that tells you your depressed when you may actually be bipolar can lead to really messed up results. I would even go as far as to say that no diagnosis at all is preferable to an uninformed one", ">\n\nWell.\n​\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad \n\nSo you already know why they're doing what they're doing in addition the fact that you know that they're not Autistic? If your claim is that they can't know and only a doctor can, what makes you more qualified? You start out your argument admitting that you have a bias.\n\nthey’re “neurodivergent.\n\nNeurodivergent is an umbrella that covers both Autism and ADHD, which sometimes get mistaken for each other. So if you're upset that they're self-diagnosing, this term should be more welcome than \"Autistic\" because it's more generalized.\n\nnd when you ask them how they know they’ll say “oh I have this weird tick when I uh laugh when someone says something funny “ or “I have a hyper fixation on this topic so I must be autistic\n\nHow else should they communicate it to you? The list of aspects of Autism, especially for how it presents in women, sounds a lot like this. You're not a doctor, they don't have to prove anything to you by going down the entire list of every possible part of their daily experience that might be on the spectrum.\n\nWomen statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nNope. Women are diagnosed less often than men because the original diagnostic criteria for Autism was for Autism as it presents in males. It presents differently for females and is harder to diagnose, especially at younger ages. \n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized\n\nTodays youth want to be victimized? Why would anyone want to be victimized? Something tells me you're missing the mark with this terminology.\n\nor have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. \n\nSo if someone is Autistic and that makes them weird, you'd rather them just be forced to not get to have a name for it, and get the therapeutic treatment that would help them?\n\nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really [are] without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nSome people are autistic. If they find out and it makes them feel good, that doesn't mean they're craving attention. And if they are craving attention, it's because they're normal people and everyone does. \nIf someone thinks they're autistic but it turns out they're actually not, chances are they suspected it for a reason. They might have ADHD, a personality disorder, a mental health issue, or simply a slightly different way of experiencing the world that feels unique to them and there's nothing wrong with that. \nYou seem to think that other people do things for you. People generally don't. They do things for themselves. This is especially true of people on the Autism Spectrum who may not be able to easily use other people's experiences to reference when constructing their view of the world, and can only use their own. Your interpretation wherein they do it to evoke a response from you says more about you than it does about them.", ">\n\nYou’re being deliberately obtuse. OP is completely correct. Most of the people these days who say “I’m ADHD” or “I’m autistic” or “I’m neurodivergent” are absolutely not diagnosed as such and are doing it to seem unique or get attention or as some excuse for why they did x y or z.", ">\n\nI'd like to point out that while some are perhaps attention seeking, many people self diagnose simply because they don't have access to free medical/psychological professionals to get proper diagnosis and help with their issues. I also know someone who doesn't want to get an official diagnosis because he's afrad it will affect his insurance rates or somehow come back to bite him if he's offically labeled with having a neurological disorder. \nThere is a wealth of knowledge on these subjects available online for those interested. And if they are truly interested in self diagnose they can likely do that accurately enough for all intents and purposes. Most of these people who search for the sake of better understanding themselves or their loved ones will openly admit that it's a self diagnoses, or say they THINK they have x,y, or z. But in some situations it's just as well to say they have it if they feel certain anyway, and it's just a passing comment, and not a discussion on the matter. \nIn other words, just because they self diagnose doesn't mean they're wrong, nor does it explain their motives. I also don't see how attention seeking (for those who ARE doing that) is really hurting anyone else. Fakers gonna be fake, that's more a \"them\" kind of problem. ANNOYING, but mostly harmless.", ">\n\nUnless you have a doctor's diagnosis you don't have the disorder. Even if you are broke there are programs to help with costs. \nAnd yes it does affect me when someone is treating me like shit and tries using the I have such and such as an excuse and then people get mad at ME for calling them in their bullshit.", ">\n\nNo. You have to have the disorder before you CAN be diagnosed, so obviously there are undiagnosed people who in fact \"have the disorder \". Your refusal to acknowledge an undiagnosed disorder does not mean they don't have it. Your personal experience with people supposedly using a fake diagnosis to treat you badly, sounds unusual. How do you know they DIDN'T have it? People who do lie and just want to be jerks will do that regardless of what methods they decide to try. The methods are irrelevant. And that motive is not typical of most self diagnosers .", ">\n\nSounds unusual? You must not get out a lot because it's become a pretty regular thing. Every single person I know (about 8) that have self diagnosed themselves as neurodivergent or with a mental illness like Bi-polar all use it to excuse their shitty ass behaviors. \nToo many disorders can mirror other ones. Just because they think they have 2/3 symptoms doesn't make them right by a long shot. Keep living in your bubble.", ">\n\nYou don't have to have a relationship with anyone. If they treat you badly, regardless of an official diagnosis or not, you don't have to tolerate them. It makes no difference what they have or don't have. What would it change if they got diagnosed and actually have it?", ">\n\nSelf diagnosing has been a thing forever\nAnd it's not a problem im 99% sure me or any other autistic person doesn't really give 2 fucks about people who wanna fake disorders. It doesn't stop us from getting help, we have doctors notes, medical files, sometimes even volunteers, you need those files to get into let's say a special education class, or a life skills course.\nSo unless you were diagnosed by a professional you're probably not gonna make it far faking it.\n(Excuse my shitty punctuation)", ">\n\nIt doesn’t bother you that they’re making others take the actual meaning away from what you were born with? I mean I’m sure autism hasn’t made your life easy and seeing ppl claim it for attention to be quirky probably has to annoy you a little right?", ">\n\nAt the end of the day I still have ADHD and I still need help with it. More people being diagnosed with it doesn’t change that fact. In fact I was diagnosed because I realized I related to so many tiktok memes, and I’m sure others are in my same boat. \nIn fact I think so many people talking about ADHD helps. It means more people who possibly have tips for me, people who are suffering who can’t afford treatment have an easy way to learn about how to improve their lives, and more people who are aware of my disorder.", ">\n\nI think people do diagnose themselves too often without seeking professional help. BUT mental illness is not the same as being neurodivergent.", ">\n\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad that they’ll go as far to say they’re “neurodivergent.”\n\nWhile this is the case, I don't really see how it's a \"problem\" per se. I guarantee that these people still make lifestyle decisions based on what they think is best, or based on what they want to do.\n\nbut it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women\n\nDo you have any statistics for that? I haven't experienced it that way in my own anecdotal experience, and I'd be curious to look into the data to see how much that truly does skew in that direction.\n\nwanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness \nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nI understand what you're trying to say here, but I don't really think these things are connected as much as you think they are. People see something wrong with themselves, so they either playfully or seriously consider the fact that it could be a condition that they have similar symptoms to. Not that it never happens, but just because someone categorizes themselves into a disability group that could potentially excuse their \"quirks\", doesn't mean they think that behavior is unacceptable in any way. People see a problem, and assume it's linked to this other issue that seems similar that they already know about.", ">\n\nI agree with the conclusion that self-diagnosis is a real issue, and I wouldn't be surprised if the data indicated it was on the rise. I wouldn't necessarily frame it as a simple desire to \"be victimized\" however. While it is purely speculation, I do believe there are a number of conditions which might lead towards a more frequent experience of symptoms associated with mental illness - a rising wealth gap, perpetual anxiety from a 24-hour news cycle, intensification of self-commodification, the student debt crisis in certain countries like the US, and so on. So people are experiencing symptoms like low energy, mood swings, etc. that can be associated with mental illness. The issue with self-diagnosis then becomes that it may correctly identify the symptom, but incorrectly identify the cause.\nThis video from the YouTuber HealthyGamerGG does a good job of explaining what some of the issues with self-diagnosis are, and for me it was a good starting place for thinking about this more. \nEDIT: I forgot this video literally starts with this same topic being brought up on this same subreddit lol", ">\n\nA great theory based on reasonable causes with an educational video from a psychologist(I assume) as evidence to back it up. I applaud you sir. 👏", ">\n\nWhy are you embarrassed by other people's issues?", ">\n\nI’m a 30yo male. If I had not first self diagnosed with ASD and OCD, I never would have found the language and resources to get a formal diagnosis and help.\nPrior generations have been so fixated on avoidance of diagnosing mental disorders, and research was previously so lacking that we are only just now (through those that do get diagnosed) realizing how common mental disorders are. That plus the lack of mental health resources for neurotypical and neurodivergent I think is how we end up in this situation of many recognizing their symptoms in the new discourse, but lacking the resources to overcome the barriers to proper diagnosis and treatment.", ">\n\nIt’s not the best thing, no. \nAs an adult FINALLY diagnosed (by a licensed therapist) at 41, I can tell you why ‘self diagnosis’ is so tempting. \nIn the US at least- mental health, and official medical diagnosis are almost completely inaccessible, especially as an adult. Most of us grew up before Autism was a spectrum, and ADHD was just boys who acted out in class. We felt like aliens. We couldn’t understand why we didn’t have many friends, or why we didn’t like the ‘right things’, and generally spend the bill of our lives feeling ‘wrong’, ‘broken’ or just simply like we didn’t belong. \nFinally understanding the WHY, and even better, finding tools to addresses our issues is a huge huge weight off the chest. The relief of having a name and a strategy- either therapy or medicine is such an amazing relief!!", ">\n\nI only kinda agree if I had not done my own research I would have never found out I have sjorgens syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis I know TikTok people tend to diagnose themselves and it makes it look cringe but when you live with a incurable illness sometimes you have to work to find a diagnosis", ">\n\nWell, what do you do of you absolutely know you're neurodivergent, but your parents decided not to get you checked? My mom once told me \"we knew you had something, we just didn't get you checked because they would have just put you on pills\". So I struggled with being different, socially unaware, impulsive, obnoxious, agressive, selfish, for the better part of my life without having the self awareness to understand why I was these things, and why people wouldn't want to be around me. \nIn my late 20''s I asked the question, what if I'm actually autistic? I looked up the symptoms, and 9/10 matched. As a child I couldn't handle loud noises, restrictive clothing, I didn't talk until I was 3. I would throw fits for seemingly no reason, I had obsessive interests. I've always really struggled with eye contact, and I never cared for conversation unless it was something I liked. I mean, when the final piece of a puzzle fits so incredibly well, it's really hard for it to be wrong. \nSelf diagnosing actually really helped me grow as aj individual. I became aware of all my divergent behaviors, and why it might be annoying for someone else to deal with. I came to the realization that I was the one who was different, therefore I needed to change. It's way harder to make everyone around you cater to your needs than to overcome the things that upset you. I'm at peace, I have good friends that I can connect with on a pretty deep level. I no longer smash coffee tables when I lose, I can now appreciate that if I lose it just means I have more to learn. I can keep my house clean, I can reasonably hold myself accountable. What exactly is the harm in all that?\nBesides, it would be pretty pointless for me to try and get a diagnosis now, I've put the effort in and largely come out the other side. Anyone diagnosing me would just say I was normal, but they wouldn't have the intimate knowledge of me that I do. I guess it doesn't matter if people don't believe me, I don't go around shouting that I'm autistic. I will say, it would be really nice if people appreciated the effort I put in to get to get to a place of normalcy, something others take for granted, but it's okay, we all have our struggles.", ">\n\nI feel you on all that. To play devil's advocate, mental healthcare in the U.S. is not cheap. Many people go to the internet and confirm their bias about their current health", ">\n\nI feel you on that too OP. I agree 100% with your entire statement.", ">\n\nIt's a problem, but not a new one. In the 1990s there was briefly a surge of people with a type of delusional parasitosis, that is, the false belief that they were infested with parasites. Except this one was supposedly an infestation with tiny fibres. They would come to doctors with a whole list of symptoms to back up their incorrect self-diagnosis.\nTo a certain extent, these are social contagions, which come and go, and often actually end up leading to people having real problems. Like, the young women you mention, a couple of decades ago may well have ended up with anorexia, or self-cutting. These days it might be a self-declaration of autism or a belief that they have gender dysphoria or that they have multiple systems living in their minds.", ">\n\nWow I did not know that. Maybe it’s just so prevalent today due to social media. Social media has only made these things worse imo", ">\n\nEven before it being self diagnosis of a mental illness it was always something. Remember all the emo and goth teenager?", ">\n\nIt depends on the context. For example, if they've done a substantial amount of research, can name a good amount of symptoms they have and reasons they have whatever mental illness and don't have access to the necessary tools to get a medical diagnosis, it's totally different. Some people don't have the money to go out and get a diagnosis, or sometimes it would be better to not get a medical diagnosis. I believe that the reason that a lot of people self diagnose themselves with things like Autism is because they want an explanation as to why they are different, and they could be right or wrong. I think the most important part is that if you go to a psychologist (or even two, I know a lot of people prefer getting second opinions) and they say you don't have it, that you need to admit you were wrong. It's ok to be wrong about your mental health, and the key is to keep looking and to not give up. I can completely understand the frustration in people completely missing how difficult it actually may be to have a mental illness. I was clinically diagnosed with Depression, Anxiety, and PTSD when I was seven, and I've had some experience with people faking mental disorders for attention, and more often then not, they have another mental disorder that needs attention. Recently I had a (now ex) boyfriend insist he had PTSD after being tested twice and the psychiatrist saying that he didn't have it. What he does have is Depression and Anxiety, but he absolutely insisted he has PTSD despite never exhibiting symptoms and the only evidence being a test he took online that was supposedly a \"real PTSD test.\" People faking mental illnesses only harms people who really have them, as these people tend to exaggerate symptoms and use their self diagnosis for attention. I believe that I am autistic, but I don't list it as a diagnosis because while I have read articles and taken the RAADS-r test, I don't have an official diagnosis, and I could very well be wrong. As for women faking illnesses more often, something I've noticed is that things like Autism, ADHD, ADD, etc are more often diagnosed in boys rather than girls- mostly because when they were first discovered, most of the research was done in boys. Autism shows up differently in girls, and can often be blown off as early puberty hormones. If their hyperfixations are those of stereotypical feminine things, it's just a girl liking whatever, and if they hyperfixate in stereotypical masculine interests, they tend to just be viewed as weird, but not autistic. It's normal for people to question, but I agree that to a certain point, self diagnosis can be harmful, but only if not done correctly.", ">\n\nFirst and foremost not a new problem at all, very common, we used to call it \"Being a hypochondriac\" until it aparrently became reconized which in it self is confusing and a bit contradictory.\nANYWAY\nIt isnt really a problem, no doctor is gonna write the perscription for medication without a diagnosis of some sort.\nAt most there is the vauge \"But what about those who actually have it who arent taken serious\" dont worry, we wouldnt have anyway. Thats kinda how invisible illnesses work.\nOverall the 101 hypochondriacs screaming about the symptoms they read in the ICD might help make the knowledge more common and help people better reconize if their colleagues or friends happen to show symptoms of something.", ">\n\nIt’s pretty expensive in the US to get diagnosed. Personally, I’ve self diagnosed myself out of frustration of the way I process things. I’ve always felt slow & my anxiety/depression was deep because of it, but I was raised in a family that doesn’t believe in mental illness. It was always “if you work hard enough, all your problems will go away”. Meanwhile, i was racking my brain on how to make myself think faster/smarter & it would result in psychotic episodes. I’ve gotten fired from jobs, dropped out of school. I started self harming because I hated myself and my brain & almost commit suicide bc I had no idea what was going on.\nThe relief I felt once I finally got a therapist who validated me & was the first to talk to me about mental Illness. It blew my mind and all of a sudden things actually made sense to me. I currently think I have ADD, and sometimes I’ll tell people that but will preface it by saying I’m not professionally diagnosed. Still, I use mental tools that help me get through the day and build my confidence. I’m a lot better at processing conversations, making lists that help me remember things, unmasking, slowing down my thoughts… etc. I’m less frustrated and can see the beauty in how I process things. I still want to get diagnosed but I have to get health insurance….. lol", ">\n\nSelf diagnosis, regardless of being factual is a process where the individual realizes that they might have a mental health issue. People who can do this are more likely to seek professional help compared to the people who think they are “fine”. Going to a professional, licensed psychologist or a psychiatrist will eventually diagnose them with the correct disorder from there, and professionals have the skills to communicate with them and they can together evaluate if the person’s complaint is the issue or not. There is nothing embarrassing about discovering one’s self. It would be a problem if people would identify with an issue and don’t have any willingness to seek help. Sometimes overreacting is better than not reacting.", ">\n\nThe majority of people who are self-diagnosed with autism have done extensive research into it to come to that conclusion. I personally went through the DSM criteria with a fine-tooth comb, made a list of all the ways I met it and discovered that there’s not a single criteria i don’t meet for autism. I didn’t read about anything else but autism for weeks, approaching it from all angles before coming to the conclusion that it’s highly unlikely I am not autistic. I’m waiting to hear back about an assessment, but I’m not waiting to go and be told something I already know before I start advocating for myself. \nOh, and I absolutely did not want to be ‘different’, in fact my life mission to just blend in and be average is the root cause of most of my problems, but here we are.", ">\n\nThis self diagnosing young people do isn’t the problem. The problem is that our society encourages it.\nOur culture is not set up to accommodate a wide spectrum of human needs. You may need things that I don’t. I may need things that you don’t. But in most business settings, academic settings, or even places like restaurants or leisure places, the world isn’t built to accommodate everyone. Our world and society is a “one size fits all” approach, and most people don’t fit snugly inside of that system. \nIf you can classify what is “wrong” or “different” about you into an easily digestible form, people are generally more able and more willing to accommodate you.\nFor example: if I tell my coworkers that I need to leave work early because of a headache, I’ll be shamed for it. And in some cases I’ll be told that “headaches aren’t that bad!” Or “You don’t need to leave.” Or “I have a headache too, just deal with it!”\nBut if I tell my workers that I need to leave due to a painful neurological condition that’s flaring up (I have chronic migraine, which is a neurological condition), they will respect it 100% of the time. It’s met with sympathy and not criticism.\nThis happens for all sorts of things. “Sorry Im late, I slept in.” Sounds a lot worse then, “sorry I’m late, my insomnia has been terrible lately.” \nOur culture forces us to use these labels even when they’re untrue just to receive sympathy or acceptance. The problem isn’t people who decide to use these labels, the root problem is that our society refuses to embrace and accommodate people who are outside of the “norm.”", ">\n\nSpeaking as someone who's had an autism diagnosis since age 7: if someone declares they're autistic when they're not, that's obnoxious at worst. If someone is told they're not autistic when they are, that can cause lifelong harm from denied care and understanding. I have seen this happen to a close friend of mine.\nTherefore, I'd much rather err on the side of acceptance. If you think you're defending me and others like me from impersonators, we'd rather not have your help.\n\nI know people will disagree but it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women. Women statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nCase in point: women are diagnosed with autism far less than men. Recent studies have pointed to decades of systematic misdiagnosis. The more visible autistic symptoms sometimes manifest differently in girls, the way they're socialized may help them hide it from a young age, and of course lots of doctors just say \"your daughter can't be autistic, that's a boy thing.\"\nWe're learning that there are hundreds of thousands of autistic women who slipped through the cracks and were denied the recognition and support they needed because of dismissive, gatekeeping attitudes just like yours.", ">\n\nThere’s a difference between having a disorder and relating to a disorder. If the tools or language associated with a disorder helps someone live better though then cool, it’s all still odd. Also autism presents differently in woman, and a majority of our research on it is on men. Best practice is probably to support them and encourage them to seek treatment.", ">\n\nAutism is severely misdiagnosed in women. Completely under diagnosed. Actually, plenty of things are. The actual problem that we have is parents refusing to let their children get professional help or a diagnosis. Most doctors will diagnose you with BPD as a woman(aka the new female hysteria of our century), maybe put you on some anti psychotics and send you your way. In most countries, a diagnosis/specialist is not readily available, or there is a long waiting list. Even so, the doctors are not know it all. I have seen plenty of doctors, I got different diagnosis almost each time. They ask you some general questions (about your mood, the way you sleep, if you can concentrate, if you harm yourself, if you have suicidal ideation, if you can socialize properly, if your parents were diagnosed with anything, if you have hallucinations or delusions, the works) and then based on that, they will give you a diagnosis. If you use your common sense and information on the internet (given you are knowledgeable on the subject), you can take a good guess on what's wrong. Obviously, some people will exaggerate like with anything (seeing the shadow dude once in your childhood is not a sign of psychosis, neither is hearing your name called when you are alone once in a blue moon), but if you have visual and auditory hallucinations, perhaps weird tactile feelings/hallucinations (spiders are crawling on me, etc), delusions, tend to be forgetful and out of teach with reality, there is a good chance you do have psychosis.", ">\n\nOkay, to start: what do you think autism and ADHD are? They aren't mental illnesses nor are they mental health conditions. \nTo address some of your other points; \nStudies have shown that autism has a gender expression of 1:1. The only reason that women are under diagnosed is because of misunderstandings towards autism, then the diagnosis is conducted incorrectly. Thus it ends up getting conflated with mental illness, E.G BPD, and is diagnosed as a psychiatric disorder instead. This is a detriment to the patient as the care regimes are black and white different. Often times this severely damages the woman.\nFrom data sets that I recall reading, malingering hasn't risen much, if at all, in recent times. I remember it being around 8% of the global population who are engaging in this behaviour, to different extents. I think what's happened is that social media has turned a torch onto it and it's risen in popularity in an algorithmic way. You see it more because it's pushed by the algorithm more because people are searching for it more. It isn't actually occurring any more or less than historically. Most of that attention is negative attention, I should add. \nSo there's two things to take away from that.\n1) The actual act of pretending to be mentally ill, or to have a disability, which is called malingering, is in fact a form of mental unwellness itself. It's a cry for help. The people who do these things are usually very unstable and should be treated with a degree of empathy. The dangerous types who are using mental illness to scam others, or to manipulate them, make up a very small percentage of the overall amount of people in that group and tend to abuse one on one. \n2) The predominant response to this is generally negative. There isn't really any reason to publicly malinger unless you're unstable, this is because a rational person would likely know this, and know the damage it would cause themselves. Self-diagnosis is a very long, and self-aware, process that takes place over years of the individuals life, and proceeds official diagnosis. \nNo one SDs and says \"Okay that's it now! Let me start a TikTok!\" You'd still want support, and you'd still seek support. So that would end up with a doctor, who would see that you're lying, and treat you for whatever was prompting you to malinger. Anyone who has made this commitment knows that keeping it private is a sensible thing to do in a world that isn't inclusive, and often very stigmatising. Sometimes official diagnosis can take YEARS. \nThis kind of propaganda has been going around for a long time in an effort to discredit disabled people and people with mental illnesses. It's not new. People said the same things back in the 90s. People will always be afraid, and dismissive, of things they do not understand. I invite you to try and understand.", ">\n\nI self-diagnosed myself with endometriosis for 10 years before a doctor finally listened to me, opened me up, and found my insides littered with lesions all over my organs. I’m now not able to get pregnant and I might need to get part of my bowel taken out someday. This could’ve been avoided if someone had just listened to me when I was 16. \nSelf-diagnosing is a necessity in a misogynist world! No one takes us seriously! Especially medical professionals. \nThe best antidote for this is to listen to women who self-diagnose. Why do they think they have XYZ? Is it heavily interfering with their life? I think that’s a much larger problem.", ">\n\nIts been proven that there is a bias to diagnose as opposed to not diagnose a mental illness in psychology. So op is actually kinda correct. The definition of a mental illness is in effect being stretched so far that people who are just kinda weird are being diagnosed with \"on the spectrum\". This is actually causing a problem in early learning because parents start treating their kids as essentially learning challenged when they're really not. So it is starting to become an excuse ...", ">\n\nWe live in a society that loves to medicate people. I know it’s different but Did ppl forget about the opioid epidemic? They’ll diagnose your ass with anything if they can", ">\n\nYa I tend to agree. And no one is really saying so I will I guess, but id wager that 50% of psychologist \"professionals\" are totally full of shit. The actual number of psychologists that are are doing real research and clinical studies is EXTREMELY small compared to how many \"psychologists\" are out there. Just like chiropractors, half of them are hacks..", ">\n\nAnd ill say one more thing, though it is anecdotal, but i have direct family that works in special education for young children, and that system is fucked with a capital F. Thay are constantly fighting against parents and programs who try to box kids in the \"autistic\" zone, when they are just really quite or shy, or have pee problems. But parents want an excuse and reason for their behavior, and reduce them to a sub standard education and treatment for the rest of their lives. It's heart breaking. Especially in public schools.", ">\n\nI’m 32 years old. \nI didn’t self diagnose for attention although I remember the days of tumblr where everyone self diagnosed for clout.\nIt took me a decade to realize what is really happening. During the decade before I realized what may have been happening I was told the following:\nI’m rude\nI’m bossy\nI have a RBF/I look mad\nI also only managed to make my first real friend at age 27.\nWhat I was really displaying was:\nBeing overly blunt and just trying to get my point across came off rude when I didn’t intend it to be that way\nTrying to have things done at a certain time and way that no one else thought was important to follow\nUnmasking\nNoticed other things too that I just thought was me being weird:\nVocal stimming\nOral stimming-chewing, smoking, vaping\nRepetitive motions\nRocking\nEasily overwhelmed by too much sensory input\nHigh startle reflex \nInability to regulate my body’s needs-I don’t know I’m hungry until I’m ravenous; don’t recognize the need to use the bathroom until it’s causing me to rush off, don’t realize I’m cold until I’m shaking\nI could go on.\nI want an assessment so bad. But assessments for adults are EXTREMELY hard to setup, if you can even set them up at all. Some states don’t even offer them. I’ve been looking but they are only for children and seem to look for severe cases.\n14 years of thinking I was just a bitch who couldn’t make friends because I was too weird…turns out it might be autism. And turns out I’ll most likely never get a true diagnosis. But the RAADS test gave me a 127 score so that might be the closest I’ll ever get.", ">\n\ni kind of self diagnosed autism? i’ve been to many psychiatrists and therapists for years and they always see adhd in the half an hour and prescribe meds for that, which makes me not go there again. if they dug a little deeper they could have seen autism, i spoke to my current psychiatrist about if its possible i have it, she didn’t want to confirm or deny as i was moving out of state from friends and family and am at an age where i can have kids in the next 10 years since she doesn’t want me being concerned for them. \nI think there’s still lots of stigma around autism even with professionals and especially when identifying it in women. \nI don’t want to be autistic, but i can recognise a lot of different patterns comparing myself and others. I’ve researched it a ton especially in how it shows in women compared to men and in all the articles i found myself relating.\nNow i don’t say im autistic, i say im a little sus of being it tho lmao. and try pass it off casually. I find it’s a lot easier for me to understand and embrace my differences compared to trying to hide it and try be like everyone else or wonder why im not like everyone else. \nBeing older i can also recognise how a lot of my family on one side have suffered mentally and because of obvious neurodivergence. so im pretty sure, like the rest of my mentally challenged brain, has been inherited genetically through that side. \nAll that being said. I self diagnosed when i was about 12 that im highly likely to be depressed and anxious in attempt to get my mom to believe me i needed help, and now 8 years later i can identify that this has been an issue forever for me and that i likely cannot go off my meds because i will just go back to how i used to be. Im still ocd with all my meds, but its better than being anxious and depressed all the time, Having ocd throughout the day is like heaven to me in comparison to how i used to be. obviously the ocd isnt new, just a lot more heard in my brain now.", ">\n\nOk, I know some people self diagnoze themselves with [insert some mental illness here] out of attention or whatever, and that's totally not ok.\nHowever, if you read all the symptoms and do proper research on a mental illness and everything clicks in to you, I'd say you can be fairly confident on a self diagnosis (although, it might be worth it to double check with a professional, especially if you want any sort of treatment). But also for some people, it might not be affordable to go to a professional...", ">\n\nI live in Canada, I've engaged with the medical system, doctors don't care and just want you out, ERs are a 8 hour wait for someone to ignore one thing and won't even entertain other issues even if they are related. Self-diagnosis is really the only way to get any kind of proper treatment at all. \nThe doctors will rubber stamp just about anything you ask for except pain killers but in terms of diagnosis you're way better off doing it yourself, sure you don't have 8 years of medical school but the doctors won't give you 5 mins of their time, they are not better than google and you give a lot more of a shit than they will and at the end of the day it's your body.", ">\n\nBack in the 90s when I was a teenager, the kids/teenagers/young adults who wanted attention, and wanted to be different, adopted the goth lifestyle. Dressing up in all black. White foundation with black lipstick and eyeshadow. It was the trendy way to be different, to be viewed as outcasts of society. To not fit in. \nThe goth lifestyle of the 2020s is self diagnosis. Same shit, different day.\nWhenever someone claims autism, or somewhere on the spectrum, I just roll my eyes and imagine that person just sucks at life.", ">\n\nI just think it’s a little more harmful nowadays due to the prevalence of social media. Ppl get sucked into groups and mindsets before they even have a real life chance. Then they hyper fixate on that they might be mentally Ill rather then just trying to live life to the fullest", ">\n\nI 100% agree with you", ">\n\nBecause it's the age of spin this generation has something for everybody. And all of them are Google doctors. Lol", ">\n\nTook my uncle till he was 38 even thought it was apparent to everyone. Hell he got expelled from two schools", ">\n\nI get what you're saying. I frankly find it weird that more people don't find this weird. People self-diagnosing themselves as all kinds of things not only completely misrepresents the actual conditions, thereby making people even more confused as to what they actually are and how they present, but also leads people to run to a psychiatrist claiming false symptoms and getting medication for something they don't have, which is NOT a good thing. People should never be taking medication unless it is necessary. We are a heavily over-medicated society and this is a big factor in that. Caffeine to wake up in the morning, \"immuno-boosters\" and mood stabilizers during the day, sleeping pills to sleep at night. The caffeine and sleeping pills are addictive and can really mess up your circadian rhythm, and the mood stabilizers can really fuck you up if you don't need them. Instead of rushing to diagnose and medicate everyone, we need to educate them on human behavior and show them that their \"mental health\" problems are completely normal.\nOh, so you get nervous right before you make huge life decisions? That's not Anxiety Disorder, it's just anxiety.\nOh, you are really sad because your cat died? That's not Clinical Depression, you are just grieving.\nOh, you went from really happy to really sad when you were previously happy and something really shitty happened to you and soured your mood? That's not Bipolar Disorder, that's just life.\nOh, you like to be more organized than the people around you? That's not Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, you just like to be organized.\nPeople really misunderstand the nature of these conditions and it hinders our collective progress in treating them, like dramatically inflating the number of actual conditions in the population, making it increasingly more difficult to determine how common and how varied they are. After all, in most cases it is not the psychiatrist or psychologist who makes you better, you make you better. Medication can help and other people can show you the path to success, but the problem will never get solved unless you play an active role in the treatment. Some conditions can never be solved, only lessened, while others are virtually untreatable. We need to stop making these conditions seem cool. They aren't. They are serious and need to be taken seriously.", ">\n\nHeavily agree and I appreciate how well this comment is worded. Wish I coulda worded mine a little better" ]

[ "The diagnosis process for a lot of psychiatric conditions are surveys and questionaires. You can go to a psychiatrist and ask if you're anxious and they'll give you multiple choice questions and diagnose off of that. Or you can just google the form yourself and self diagnose. A lot of psychiatric disorders are about how we feel and think. Not about sending off some blood sample to a lab and getting a positive result come back.\n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. For such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nWhat you're describing are all neuroses that could indicate some deeper psychiatric condition. Whether a person has a mental health condition or not, thinking of ourselves as weak victims is never helpful in any context, yet it's something we all feel from time to time.\nI'm a disability support worker, so when someone tells me they've got a self diagnosed condition, it's not offensive to me or any disabled person I know, it doesn't come across like they're invalidating anyone else's condition. However I do think everyone should talk to a doctor about any condition they feel they might have.", ">\n\nPiggybacking off of this: You’ve spent your whole entire life inside your own brain. A therapist will spend a period of hours with you and give you a diagnosis. Who do you think knows your personal reality better than yourself?", ">\n\nYeah exactly, especially with conditions such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, PTSD, and many other psychiatric conditions. These are things people know they have even before they get a diagnosis. The diagnosis stage is more about treatment and management.\nPeople might be unaware of how severe or mild their condition is, some people think they have only mild PTSD despite constant nightmares and suicidal ideation. Some people will think they have severe ADHD because they can't concentrate for long times on things that don't interest them. It's good to get some perspective from experts but ultimately people know when they are struggling to focus or to struggling to stop stressing all the time or struggling to not be miserable. Struggling with our thoughts and feelings is evidence enough to self diagnose.", ">\n\nI was recently diagnosed with ADHD as a woman so I find this viewpoint interesting.\nFirstly, autism is not a mental illness. An autistic person may have mental illness in conjunction with autism, but autism alone lies under the neurodivergent umbrella. Neurodivergency can include autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and other similar conditions.\nWhy women are often underdiagnosed\nThese are serious disabilities that can really impede a person's life, especially if they struggle to find help and acceptance in their community. A lot of women start their journey towards diagnosis later in life due to a number of factors such as:\n\nPoor diagnostic tools and inexperienced professionals\nA misunderstanding that autism and ADHD are more common in boys\nAdvanced masking techniques to cover their 'traits'\n\nWhy women are often diagnosed later in life.\nThe process for many women and men who are diagnosed later in life often includes a level of burnout or breakdown. After a while everything becomes too much, the mask begins to slip and your traits go into overdrive.\nWhy does self-diagnosing seem to be on the rise?\nA common way of finding out you could possibly be neurodivergent is through media and people who are aware of these traits appear.\nIn the past few years, I have seen an increasing awareness of neurodivergence in women pop up in the media. This is useful for people like myself who had no idea wtf was wrong with them for a very long time. For me, a GP actually suggested I seek a diagnosis due to some struggles I was going through.\nAs someone who went through this process self-diagnosing is commonly the first step as an adult. You might be directed to a questionnaire and are asked to evaluate yourself and your experiences thinking back to your childhood. If there's some merit in your experiences than you move to the next step which involves seeking a professional. Waitlists are often months to years long so many people live in limbo for a long time.\nMethods of living with ADHD can help everyone. And everyone experiences ADHD traits from time to time. Given a large amount of stress we have all suffered collectively, I don't doubt there are a lot of people with increased mental health issues that mirror neurodivergent traits. Some mental illnesses can get very severe and alter your brain chemistry and behaviour.\nMy takeaway from this is that the mental health systems set up to assist these people are a much larger issue and cause for serious concern than self-diagnosing.\nApologies for the spelling and grammar errors. Grammarly and Reddit don't play nice.", ">\n\nI think it's two things. One, people have identity crises, especially teenagers. We all know that type of person who tries on identities like hats. That's pretty embarrassing. You usually grow out of that.\nTwo, from personal experience, giving yourself a label or a diagnosis makes it feel more contained and easy to communicate. It's easier to tell someone that you have X and have them understand what you're going through rather than telling them you have these vague symptoms resembling what you imagine X is like. In that respect, it is pretty understandable, possibly good, and not embarrassing. There's something that is sort of reassuring if you can finally get a word to put on what you're experiencing.\nPeople often sympathize with the diagnosis but not with the symptoms. Tell people at work you're autistic and they will sympathize with you and possibly not attack you. Tell them you do not understand social cues and they will probably just make fun of you.", ">\n\nI understand the desire to put a label with a disease, and this is not necessarily bad, but the diagnosis needs to be correct. If you want to tell others that you are autistic or depressed; you must actually be those things. A person can almost never correctly assertion their disease, only their symptoms. People might better understand you if you say your autistic, but you may incorrectly understand and describe yourself. If one wishes to put a name with symptoms, they should find a doctor to pick the label", ">\n\nfor sure but unfortunately our medical system is a joke and even if you are experiencing very severe symptoms it can be nearly impossible to see a professional or take months on a waiting list.\nEven then a professional may be reluctant to slap a label on you for fear of what the consequences of that might be. I saw someone for a very long time who resisted any sort of actual diagnosis because the truth is that what I was experiencing didn't fit neatly into any of the boxes and pretty much belonged in this vague \"other\" category which isn't particularly helpful. Not to mention that misdiagnosis happens all the time even by professionals. \nI just think it is sort of understandable because I think a lot of stuff is kind of a spectrum anyway and just different levels of severity. Things can be really confusing and hard to nail down and thus communicate in a way that causes someone else to be understanding rather than judgemental.", ">\n\nAre you under the impression this is a new phenomenon? Because it's definitely not.\nPeople - especially young people! - crave identity. The world is a confusing place, knowing who you are makes it a little easier. Sometimes it's self-diagnosing mental illness or learning disabilities, or exploring sexual identity, or cliques, or subcultures. There's nothing embarrassing about it, it just is what it is.", ">\n\nIt’s ok to want to express individuality but not to the extent of totally destroying the definition of a real thing and making it hard for actual mentally Ill ppl to get a diagnosis. Why can’t people just accept that they’re different rather then giving themselves a label?", ">\n\npeople on TikTok claiming to have disorders that they don't doesn't affect the precision of psychiatrists diagnosing actual patients. There's no TikTok-said section in the DSM. Why do you think that it does?", ">\n\nIt just encourages more people to get diagnosed possibly skewing the meaning of the mental illness", ">\n\nSkewing it towards statistical accuracy? If people are actually diagnosed at higher rates, we have a better Guage of population-level mental illness, neurodivergency, etc. Better data is more usable, so that research actually means something actionable, ASIDE from the identity boost for young people.", ">\n\nI think what OP is driving at, but utterly failing to explain, is that they think that the fakers will be accommodated by the psychiatric system and diagnosed on the basis of fake symptoms. my sense is that isn't a problem but I don't have data.", ">\n\nDefinitely explained it a little better then I could lol", ">\n\nWhere do you see evidence of that? Any articles about fakers? How about a statistic? If not, it’s just a fear you seem to have.", ">\n\nI think the salient line here is this one:\n\nNeurologists were able to quickly determine that the subjects were not \nsuffering from Tourette's, but psychogenic tics driven by anxiety.", ">\n\nWomen are not born with less autism, but are much less likely to be diagnosed as children than boys. This is partly because boys generally have similar symptoms and behaviors. \nSo of course more women are self diagnosing autism, since their diagnoses were missed as children on a much higher rate.", ">\n\nAlright, I'm diagnosed OCD, PTSD, chronic depression. Diagnosed by a professional so I think I have some grounds to talk about this.\nFirst, let's tackle your women comment about autism. You see, I understand where you're coming from, but you lack the nuance of recognizing that mental illness, and illness in general, is heavily under-diagnosed in women. The medical culture is heavily favored towards men and is rampant with mysogyny, and that's not just me saying it as I've had medical professionals blatantly tell me it's a problem in the field when questioned about it. I've also had some tell me that it's just because women whine a lot, so yanno make of that statement what you will.\nNow that we've covered that let me address the self-diagnosing issue. So, do you want to know what my therapist thinks of self-diagnosing? Well, when I asked them about it they said that self-diagnosing is an important first step to seeking help. Psychiatrist said the same thing. It's normal, expected even, for people to self-diagnose their issues then seek help for them. You can't exactly just peer into someone's brain, no, that person has to tell you what they think is wrong and why they think it is. \nWhat you actually have a problem with is not self-diagnosis, but with people not seeking or not being able to get medical assistance and assuming they're right. You have a problem with people using these issues for attention, which I do too, but once again self-diagnosing is not the problem. Finally, you have a problem with the medical system that forces people into the position of trying to figure out their mental illnesses, but having no ability to get help for them.", ">\n\nI think I did it", ">\n\nSadly no lol, it was not done properly. Do you need a link to the rules?", ">\n\nI already read them i think I’ll figure it out in a bit sorry for the hold up", ">\n\nBecause everyone else is being aggressive: you have to comment with ∆ or !delta and then explain how your view has been changed", ">\n\nThis delta has been rejected. You can't award OP a delta.\nAllowing this would wrongly suggest that you can post here with the aim of convincing others.\nIf you were explaining when/how to award a delta, please use a reddit quote for the symbol next time.\n^Delta System Explained ^| ^Deltaboards", ">\n\nWhat gives you the authority or knowledge to know this is the problem?", ">\n\nYou don’t think it’s a problem that a lot of young ppl are willing to go to the extent of saying they are mentally Ill either for attention or to excuse their weirdness? Just accept that your different. It’s not wrong to believe you’re different without a label", ">\n\nYou did not even try to answer my question.", ">\n\nI’m sorry I was confused on what you meant", ">\n\nIf you are mad at people for self diagnosing themselves because they don't have the knowledge or authority to do so.... what gives you the knowledge or authority to diagnosis this as the problem behavior... basically are you just a kid that is annoyed, or is there some actual studies out there that is claiming this is a problem.", ">\n\nIf you don’t think that people consistently seeking attention for mental illness or craving a label so badly to justify themselves rather then being themselves. That just shows what your views are", ">\n\nDont you think we should leave the diagnosing to the professionals?", ">\n\nI mean yeah", ">\n\nWould you agree that you are diagnosing these people by saying that they are only seeking attention and do not have a real mental illness?", ">\n\nI’m assuming", ">\n\nThere may be some truth to people wanting to be different, however with mental illnesses being more accepted in today's society, many people are a lot more comfortable with being neurodivergent. Additionally, self diagnosis is common because the alternative is spending upwards to $1000-$2000 for a clinical diagnosis.", ">\n\nI know costs suck, but self diagnosis can be much more harmful. A web.md page that tells you your depressed when you may actually be bipolar can lead to really messed up results. I would even go as far as to say that no diagnosis at all is preferable to an uninformed one", ">\n\nWell.\n​\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad \n\nSo you already know why they're doing what they're doing in addition the fact that you know that they're not Autistic? If your claim is that they can't know and only a doctor can, what makes you more qualified? You start out your argument admitting that you have a bias.\n\nthey’re “neurodivergent.\n\nNeurodivergent is an umbrella that covers both Autism and ADHD, which sometimes get mistaken for each other. So if you're upset that they're self-diagnosing, this term should be more welcome than \"Autistic\" because it's more generalized.\n\nnd when you ask them how they know they’ll say “oh I have this weird tick when I uh laugh when someone says something funny “ or “I have a hyper fixation on this topic so I must be autistic\n\nHow else should they communicate it to you? The list of aspects of Autism, especially for how it presents in women, sounds a lot like this. You're not a doctor, they don't have to prove anything to you by going down the entire list of every possible part of their daily experience that might be on the spectrum.\n\nWomen statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nNope. Women are diagnosed less often than men because the original diagnostic criteria for Autism was for Autism as it presents in males. It presents differently for females and is harder to diagnose, especially at younger ages. \n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized\n\nTodays youth want to be victimized? Why would anyone want to be victimized? Something tells me you're missing the mark with this terminology.\n\nor have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. \n\nSo if someone is Autistic and that makes them weird, you'd rather them just be forced to not get to have a name for it, and get the therapeutic treatment that would help them?\n\nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really [are] without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nSome people are autistic. If they find out and it makes them feel good, that doesn't mean they're craving attention. And if they are craving attention, it's because they're normal people and everyone does. \nIf someone thinks they're autistic but it turns out they're actually not, chances are they suspected it for a reason. They might have ADHD, a personality disorder, a mental health issue, or simply a slightly different way of experiencing the world that feels unique to them and there's nothing wrong with that. \nYou seem to think that other people do things for you. People generally don't. They do things for themselves. This is especially true of people on the Autism Spectrum who may not be able to easily use other people's experiences to reference when constructing their view of the world, and can only use their own. Your interpretation wherein they do it to evoke a response from you says more about you than it does about them.", ">\n\nYou’re being deliberately obtuse. OP is completely correct. Most of the people these days who say “I’m ADHD” or “I’m autistic” or “I’m neurodivergent” are absolutely not diagnosed as such and are doing it to seem unique or get attention or as some excuse for why they did x y or z.", ">\n\nI'd like to point out that while some are perhaps attention seeking, many people self diagnose simply because they don't have access to free medical/psychological professionals to get proper diagnosis and help with their issues. I also know someone who doesn't want to get an official diagnosis because he's afrad it will affect his insurance rates or somehow come back to bite him if he's offically labeled with having a neurological disorder. \nThere is a wealth of knowledge on these subjects available online for those interested. And if they are truly interested in self diagnose they can likely do that accurately enough for all intents and purposes. Most of these people who search for the sake of better understanding themselves or their loved ones will openly admit that it's a self diagnoses, or say they THINK they have x,y, or z. But in some situations it's just as well to say they have it if they feel certain anyway, and it's just a passing comment, and not a discussion on the matter. \nIn other words, just because they self diagnose doesn't mean they're wrong, nor does it explain their motives. I also don't see how attention seeking (for those who ARE doing that) is really hurting anyone else. Fakers gonna be fake, that's more a \"them\" kind of problem. ANNOYING, but mostly harmless.", ">\n\nUnless you have a doctor's diagnosis you don't have the disorder. Even if you are broke there are programs to help with costs. \nAnd yes it does affect me when someone is treating me like shit and tries using the I have such and such as an excuse and then people get mad at ME for calling them in their bullshit.", ">\n\nNo. You have to have the disorder before you CAN be diagnosed, so obviously there are undiagnosed people who in fact \"have the disorder \". Your refusal to acknowledge an undiagnosed disorder does not mean they don't have it. Your personal experience with people supposedly using a fake diagnosis to treat you badly, sounds unusual. How do you know they DIDN'T have it? People who do lie and just want to be jerks will do that regardless of what methods they decide to try. The methods are irrelevant. And that motive is not typical of most self diagnosers .", ">\n\nSounds unusual? You must not get out a lot because it's become a pretty regular thing. Every single person I know (about 8) that have self diagnosed themselves as neurodivergent or with a mental illness like Bi-polar all use it to excuse their shitty ass behaviors. \nToo many disorders can mirror other ones. Just because they think they have 2/3 symptoms doesn't make them right by a long shot. Keep living in your bubble.", ">\n\nYou don't have to have a relationship with anyone. If they treat you badly, regardless of an official diagnosis or not, you don't have to tolerate them. It makes no difference what they have or don't have. What would it change if they got diagnosed and actually have it?", ">\n\nSelf diagnosing has been a thing forever\nAnd it's not a problem im 99% sure me or any other autistic person doesn't really give 2 fucks about people who wanna fake disorders. It doesn't stop us from getting help, we have doctors notes, medical files, sometimes even volunteers, you need those files to get into let's say a special education class, or a life skills course.\nSo unless you were diagnosed by a professional you're probably not gonna make it far faking it.\n(Excuse my shitty punctuation)", ">\n\nIt doesn’t bother you that they’re making others take the actual meaning away from what you were born with? I mean I’m sure autism hasn’t made your life easy and seeing ppl claim it for attention to be quirky probably has to annoy you a little right?", ">\n\nAt the end of the day I still have ADHD and I still need help with it. More people being diagnosed with it doesn’t change that fact. In fact I was diagnosed because I realized I related to so many tiktok memes, and I’m sure others are in my same boat. \nIn fact I think so many people talking about ADHD helps. It means more people who possibly have tips for me, people who are suffering who can’t afford treatment have an easy way to learn about how to improve their lives, and more people who are aware of my disorder.", ">\n\nI think people do diagnose themselves too often without seeking professional help. BUT mental illness is not the same as being neurodivergent.", ">\n\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad that they’ll go as far to say they’re “neurodivergent.”\n\nWhile this is the case, I don't really see how it's a \"problem\" per se. I guarantee that these people still make lifestyle decisions based on what they think is best, or based on what they want to do.\n\nbut it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women\n\nDo you have any statistics for that? I haven't experienced it that way in my own anecdotal experience, and I'd be curious to look into the data to see how much that truly does skew in that direction.\n\nwanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness \nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nI understand what you're trying to say here, but I don't really think these things are connected as much as you think they are. People see something wrong with themselves, so they either playfully or seriously consider the fact that it could be a condition that they have similar symptoms to. Not that it never happens, but just because someone categorizes themselves into a disability group that could potentially excuse their \"quirks\", doesn't mean they think that behavior is unacceptable in any way. People see a problem, and assume it's linked to this other issue that seems similar that they already know about.", ">\n\nI agree with the conclusion that self-diagnosis is a real issue, and I wouldn't be surprised if the data indicated it was on the rise. I wouldn't necessarily frame it as a simple desire to \"be victimized\" however. While it is purely speculation, I do believe there are a number of conditions which might lead towards a more frequent experience of symptoms associated with mental illness - a rising wealth gap, perpetual anxiety from a 24-hour news cycle, intensification of self-commodification, the student debt crisis in certain countries like the US, and so on. So people are experiencing symptoms like low energy, mood swings, etc. that can be associated with mental illness. The issue with self-diagnosis then becomes that it may correctly identify the symptom, but incorrectly identify the cause.\nThis video from the YouTuber HealthyGamerGG does a good job of explaining what some of the issues with self-diagnosis are, and for me it was a good starting place for thinking about this more. \nEDIT: I forgot this video literally starts with this same topic being brought up on this same subreddit lol", ">\n\nA great theory based on reasonable causes with an educational video from a psychologist(I assume) as evidence to back it up. I applaud you sir. 👏", ">\n\nWhy are you embarrassed by other people's issues?", ">\n\nI’m a 30yo male. If I had not first self diagnosed with ASD and OCD, I never would have found the language and resources to get a formal diagnosis and help.\nPrior generations have been so fixated on avoidance of diagnosing mental disorders, and research was previously so lacking that we are only just now (through those that do get diagnosed) realizing how common mental disorders are. That plus the lack of mental health resources for neurotypical and neurodivergent I think is how we end up in this situation of many recognizing their symptoms in the new discourse, but lacking the resources to overcome the barriers to proper diagnosis and treatment.", ">\n\nIt’s not the best thing, no. \nAs an adult FINALLY diagnosed (by a licensed therapist) at 41, I can tell you why ‘self diagnosis’ is so tempting. \nIn the US at least- mental health, and official medical diagnosis are almost completely inaccessible, especially as an adult. Most of us grew up before Autism was a spectrum, and ADHD was just boys who acted out in class. We felt like aliens. We couldn’t understand why we didn’t have many friends, or why we didn’t like the ‘right things’, and generally spend the bill of our lives feeling ‘wrong’, ‘broken’ or just simply like we didn’t belong. \nFinally understanding the WHY, and even better, finding tools to addresses our issues is a huge huge weight off the chest. The relief of having a name and a strategy- either therapy or medicine is such an amazing relief!!", ">\n\nI only kinda agree if I had not done my own research I would have never found out I have sjorgens syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis I know TikTok people tend to diagnose themselves and it makes it look cringe but when you live with a incurable illness sometimes you have to work to find a diagnosis", ">\n\nWell, what do you do of you absolutely know you're neurodivergent, but your parents decided not to get you checked? My mom once told me \"we knew you had something, we just didn't get you checked because they would have just put you on pills\". So I struggled with being different, socially unaware, impulsive, obnoxious, agressive, selfish, for the better part of my life without having the self awareness to understand why I was these things, and why people wouldn't want to be around me. \nIn my late 20''s I asked the question, what if I'm actually autistic? I looked up the symptoms, and 9/10 matched. As a child I couldn't handle loud noises, restrictive clothing, I didn't talk until I was 3. I would throw fits for seemingly no reason, I had obsessive interests. I've always really struggled with eye contact, and I never cared for conversation unless it was something I liked. I mean, when the final piece of a puzzle fits so incredibly well, it's really hard for it to be wrong. \nSelf diagnosing actually really helped me grow as aj individual. I became aware of all my divergent behaviors, and why it might be annoying for someone else to deal with. I came to the realization that I was the one who was different, therefore I needed to change. It's way harder to make everyone around you cater to your needs than to overcome the things that upset you. I'm at peace, I have good friends that I can connect with on a pretty deep level. I no longer smash coffee tables when I lose, I can now appreciate that if I lose it just means I have more to learn. I can keep my house clean, I can reasonably hold myself accountable. What exactly is the harm in all that?\nBesides, it would be pretty pointless for me to try and get a diagnosis now, I've put the effort in and largely come out the other side. Anyone diagnosing me would just say I was normal, but they wouldn't have the intimate knowledge of me that I do. I guess it doesn't matter if people don't believe me, I don't go around shouting that I'm autistic. I will say, it would be really nice if people appreciated the effort I put in to get to get to a place of normalcy, something others take for granted, but it's okay, we all have our struggles.", ">\n\nI feel you on all that. To play devil's advocate, mental healthcare in the U.S. is not cheap. Many people go to the internet and confirm their bias about their current health", ">\n\nI feel you on that too OP. I agree 100% with your entire statement.", ">\n\nIt's a problem, but not a new one. In the 1990s there was briefly a surge of people with a type of delusional parasitosis, that is, the false belief that they were infested with parasites. Except this one was supposedly an infestation with tiny fibres. They would come to doctors with a whole list of symptoms to back up their incorrect self-diagnosis.\nTo a certain extent, these are social contagions, which come and go, and often actually end up leading to people having real problems. Like, the young women you mention, a couple of decades ago may well have ended up with anorexia, or self-cutting. These days it might be a self-declaration of autism or a belief that they have gender dysphoria or that they have multiple systems living in their minds.", ">\n\nWow I did not know that. Maybe it’s just so prevalent today due to social media. Social media has only made these things worse imo", ">\n\nEven before it being self diagnosis of a mental illness it was always something. Remember all the emo and goth teenager?", ">\n\nIt depends on the context. For example, if they've done a substantial amount of research, can name a good amount of symptoms they have and reasons they have whatever mental illness and don't have access to the necessary tools to get a medical diagnosis, it's totally different. Some people don't have the money to go out and get a diagnosis, or sometimes it would be better to not get a medical diagnosis. I believe that the reason that a lot of people self diagnose themselves with things like Autism is because they want an explanation as to why they are different, and they could be right or wrong. I think the most important part is that if you go to a psychologist (or even two, I know a lot of people prefer getting second opinions) and they say you don't have it, that you need to admit you were wrong. It's ok to be wrong about your mental health, and the key is to keep looking and to not give up. I can completely understand the frustration in people completely missing how difficult it actually may be to have a mental illness. I was clinically diagnosed with Depression, Anxiety, and PTSD when I was seven, and I've had some experience with people faking mental disorders for attention, and more often then not, they have another mental disorder that needs attention. Recently I had a (now ex) boyfriend insist he had PTSD after being tested twice and the psychiatrist saying that he didn't have it. What he does have is Depression and Anxiety, but he absolutely insisted he has PTSD despite never exhibiting symptoms and the only evidence being a test he took online that was supposedly a \"real PTSD test.\" People faking mental illnesses only harms people who really have them, as these people tend to exaggerate symptoms and use their self diagnosis for attention. I believe that I am autistic, but I don't list it as a diagnosis because while I have read articles and taken the RAADS-r test, I don't have an official diagnosis, and I could very well be wrong. As for women faking illnesses more often, something I've noticed is that things like Autism, ADHD, ADD, etc are more often diagnosed in boys rather than girls- mostly because when they were first discovered, most of the research was done in boys. Autism shows up differently in girls, and can often be blown off as early puberty hormones. If their hyperfixations are those of stereotypical feminine things, it's just a girl liking whatever, and if they hyperfixate in stereotypical masculine interests, they tend to just be viewed as weird, but not autistic. It's normal for people to question, but I agree that to a certain point, self diagnosis can be harmful, but only if not done correctly.", ">\n\nFirst and foremost not a new problem at all, very common, we used to call it \"Being a hypochondriac\" until it aparrently became reconized which in it self is confusing and a bit contradictory.\nANYWAY\nIt isnt really a problem, no doctor is gonna write the perscription for medication without a diagnosis of some sort.\nAt most there is the vauge \"But what about those who actually have it who arent taken serious\" dont worry, we wouldnt have anyway. Thats kinda how invisible illnesses work.\nOverall the 101 hypochondriacs screaming about the symptoms they read in the ICD might help make the knowledge more common and help people better reconize if their colleagues or friends happen to show symptoms of something.", ">\n\nIt’s pretty expensive in the US to get diagnosed. Personally, I’ve self diagnosed myself out of frustration of the way I process things. I’ve always felt slow & my anxiety/depression was deep because of it, but I was raised in a family that doesn’t believe in mental illness. It was always “if you work hard enough, all your problems will go away”. Meanwhile, i was racking my brain on how to make myself think faster/smarter & it would result in psychotic episodes. I’ve gotten fired from jobs, dropped out of school. I started self harming because I hated myself and my brain & almost commit suicide bc I had no idea what was going on.\nThe relief I felt once I finally got a therapist who validated me & was the first to talk to me about mental Illness. It blew my mind and all of a sudden things actually made sense to me. I currently think I have ADD, and sometimes I’ll tell people that but will preface it by saying I’m not professionally diagnosed. Still, I use mental tools that help me get through the day and build my confidence. I’m a lot better at processing conversations, making lists that help me remember things, unmasking, slowing down my thoughts… etc. I’m less frustrated and can see the beauty in how I process things. I still want to get diagnosed but I have to get health insurance….. lol", ">\n\nSelf diagnosis, regardless of being factual is a process where the individual realizes that they might have a mental health issue. People who can do this are more likely to seek professional help compared to the people who think they are “fine”. Going to a professional, licensed psychologist or a psychiatrist will eventually diagnose them with the correct disorder from there, and professionals have the skills to communicate with them and they can together evaluate if the person’s complaint is the issue or not. There is nothing embarrassing about discovering one’s self. It would be a problem if people would identify with an issue and don’t have any willingness to seek help. Sometimes overreacting is better than not reacting.", ">\n\nThe majority of people who are self-diagnosed with autism have done extensive research into it to come to that conclusion. I personally went through the DSM criteria with a fine-tooth comb, made a list of all the ways I met it and discovered that there’s not a single criteria i don’t meet for autism. I didn’t read about anything else but autism for weeks, approaching it from all angles before coming to the conclusion that it’s highly unlikely I am not autistic. I’m waiting to hear back about an assessment, but I’m not waiting to go and be told something I already know before I start advocating for myself. \nOh, and I absolutely did not want to be ‘different’, in fact my life mission to just blend in and be average is the root cause of most of my problems, but here we are.", ">\n\nThis self diagnosing young people do isn’t the problem. The problem is that our society encourages it.\nOur culture is not set up to accommodate a wide spectrum of human needs. You may need things that I don’t. I may need things that you don’t. But in most business settings, academic settings, or even places like restaurants or leisure places, the world isn’t built to accommodate everyone. Our world and society is a “one size fits all” approach, and most people don’t fit snugly inside of that system. \nIf you can classify what is “wrong” or “different” about you into an easily digestible form, people are generally more able and more willing to accommodate you.\nFor example: if I tell my coworkers that I need to leave work early because of a headache, I’ll be shamed for it. And in some cases I’ll be told that “headaches aren’t that bad!” Or “You don’t need to leave.” Or “I have a headache too, just deal with it!”\nBut if I tell my workers that I need to leave due to a painful neurological condition that’s flaring up (I have chronic migraine, which is a neurological condition), they will respect it 100% of the time. It’s met with sympathy and not criticism.\nThis happens for all sorts of things. “Sorry Im late, I slept in.” Sounds a lot worse then, “sorry I’m late, my insomnia has been terrible lately.” \nOur culture forces us to use these labels even when they’re untrue just to receive sympathy or acceptance. The problem isn’t people who decide to use these labels, the root problem is that our society refuses to embrace and accommodate people who are outside of the “norm.”", ">\n\nSpeaking as someone who's had an autism diagnosis since age 7: if someone declares they're autistic when they're not, that's obnoxious at worst. If someone is told they're not autistic when they are, that can cause lifelong harm from denied care and understanding. I have seen this happen to a close friend of mine.\nTherefore, I'd much rather err on the side of acceptance. If you think you're defending me and others like me from impersonators, we'd rather not have your help.\n\nI know people will disagree but it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women. Women statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nCase in point: women are diagnosed with autism far less than men. Recent studies have pointed to decades of systematic misdiagnosis. The more visible autistic symptoms sometimes manifest differently in girls, the way they're socialized may help them hide it from a young age, and of course lots of doctors just say \"your daughter can't be autistic, that's a boy thing.\"\nWe're learning that there are hundreds of thousands of autistic women who slipped through the cracks and were denied the recognition and support they needed because of dismissive, gatekeeping attitudes just like yours.", ">\n\nThere’s a difference between having a disorder and relating to a disorder. If the tools or language associated with a disorder helps someone live better though then cool, it’s all still odd. Also autism presents differently in woman, and a majority of our research on it is on men. Best practice is probably to support them and encourage them to seek treatment.", ">\n\nAutism is severely misdiagnosed in women. Completely under diagnosed. Actually, plenty of things are. The actual problem that we have is parents refusing to let their children get professional help or a diagnosis. Most doctors will diagnose you with BPD as a woman(aka the new female hysteria of our century), maybe put you on some anti psychotics and send you your way. In most countries, a diagnosis/specialist is not readily available, or there is a long waiting list. Even so, the doctors are not know it all. I have seen plenty of doctors, I got different diagnosis almost each time. They ask you some general questions (about your mood, the way you sleep, if you can concentrate, if you harm yourself, if you have suicidal ideation, if you can socialize properly, if your parents were diagnosed with anything, if you have hallucinations or delusions, the works) and then based on that, they will give you a diagnosis. If you use your common sense and information on the internet (given you are knowledgeable on the subject), you can take a good guess on what's wrong. Obviously, some people will exaggerate like with anything (seeing the shadow dude once in your childhood is not a sign of psychosis, neither is hearing your name called when you are alone once in a blue moon), but if you have visual and auditory hallucinations, perhaps weird tactile feelings/hallucinations (spiders are crawling on me, etc), delusions, tend to be forgetful and out of teach with reality, there is a good chance you do have psychosis.", ">\n\nOkay, to start: what do you think autism and ADHD are? They aren't mental illnesses nor are they mental health conditions. \nTo address some of your other points; \nStudies have shown that autism has a gender expression of 1:1. The only reason that women are under diagnosed is because of misunderstandings towards autism, then the diagnosis is conducted incorrectly. Thus it ends up getting conflated with mental illness, E.G BPD, and is diagnosed as a psychiatric disorder instead. This is a detriment to the patient as the care regimes are black and white different. Often times this severely damages the woman.\nFrom data sets that I recall reading, malingering hasn't risen much, if at all, in recent times. I remember it being around 8% of the global population who are engaging in this behaviour, to different extents. I think what's happened is that social media has turned a torch onto it and it's risen in popularity in an algorithmic way. You see it more because it's pushed by the algorithm more because people are searching for it more. It isn't actually occurring any more or less than historically. Most of that attention is negative attention, I should add. \nSo there's two things to take away from that.\n1) The actual act of pretending to be mentally ill, or to have a disability, which is called malingering, is in fact a form of mental unwellness itself. It's a cry for help. The people who do these things are usually very unstable and should be treated with a degree of empathy. The dangerous types who are using mental illness to scam others, or to manipulate them, make up a very small percentage of the overall amount of people in that group and tend to abuse one on one. \n2) The predominant response to this is generally negative. There isn't really any reason to publicly malinger unless you're unstable, this is because a rational person would likely know this, and know the damage it would cause themselves. Self-diagnosis is a very long, and self-aware, process that takes place over years of the individuals life, and proceeds official diagnosis. \nNo one SDs and says \"Okay that's it now! Let me start a TikTok!\" You'd still want support, and you'd still seek support. So that would end up with a doctor, who would see that you're lying, and treat you for whatever was prompting you to malinger. Anyone who has made this commitment knows that keeping it private is a sensible thing to do in a world that isn't inclusive, and often very stigmatising. Sometimes official diagnosis can take YEARS. \nThis kind of propaganda has been going around for a long time in an effort to discredit disabled people and people with mental illnesses. It's not new. People said the same things back in the 90s. People will always be afraid, and dismissive, of things they do not understand. I invite you to try and understand.", ">\n\nI self-diagnosed myself with endometriosis for 10 years before a doctor finally listened to me, opened me up, and found my insides littered with lesions all over my organs. I’m now not able to get pregnant and I might need to get part of my bowel taken out someday. This could’ve been avoided if someone had just listened to me when I was 16. \nSelf-diagnosing is a necessity in a misogynist world! No one takes us seriously! Especially medical professionals. \nThe best antidote for this is to listen to women who self-diagnose. Why do they think they have XYZ? Is it heavily interfering with their life? I think that’s a much larger problem.", ">\n\nIts been proven that there is a bias to diagnose as opposed to not diagnose a mental illness in psychology. So op is actually kinda correct. The definition of a mental illness is in effect being stretched so far that people who are just kinda weird are being diagnosed with \"on the spectrum\". This is actually causing a problem in early learning because parents start treating their kids as essentially learning challenged when they're really not. So it is starting to become an excuse ...", ">\n\nWe live in a society that loves to medicate people. I know it’s different but Did ppl forget about the opioid epidemic? They’ll diagnose your ass with anything if they can", ">\n\nYa I tend to agree. And no one is really saying so I will I guess, but id wager that 50% of psychologist \"professionals\" are totally full of shit. The actual number of psychologists that are are doing real research and clinical studies is EXTREMELY small compared to how many \"psychologists\" are out there. Just like chiropractors, half of them are hacks..", ">\n\nAnd ill say one more thing, though it is anecdotal, but i have direct family that works in special education for young children, and that system is fucked with a capital F. Thay are constantly fighting against parents and programs who try to box kids in the \"autistic\" zone, when they are just really quite or shy, or have pee problems. But parents want an excuse and reason for their behavior, and reduce them to a sub standard education and treatment for the rest of their lives. It's heart breaking. Especially in public schools.", ">\n\nI’m 32 years old. \nI didn’t self diagnose for attention although I remember the days of tumblr where everyone self diagnosed for clout.\nIt took me a decade to realize what is really happening. During the decade before I realized what may have been happening I was told the following:\nI’m rude\nI’m bossy\nI have a RBF/I look mad\nI also only managed to make my first real friend at age 27.\nWhat I was really displaying was:\nBeing overly blunt and just trying to get my point across came off rude when I didn’t intend it to be that way\nTrying to have things done at a certain time and way that no one else thought was important to follow\nUnmasking\nNoticed other things too that I just thought was me being weird:\nVocal stimming\nOral stimming-chewing, smoking, vaping\nRepetitive motions\nRocking\nEasily overwhelmed by too much sensory input\nHigh startle reflex \nInability to regulate my body’s needs-I don’t know I’m hungry until I’m ravenous; don’t recognize the need to use the bathroom until it’s causing me to rush off, don’t realize I’m cold until I’m shaking\nI could go on.\nI want an assessment so bad. But assessments for adults are EXTREMELY hard to setup, if you can even set them up at all. Some states don’t even offer them. I’ve been looking but they are only for children and seem to look for severe cases.\n14 years of thinking I was just a bitch who couldn’t make friends because I was too weird…turns out it might be autism. And turns out I’ll most likely never get a true diagnosis. But the RAADS test gave me a 127 score so that might be the closest I’ll ever get.", ">\n\ni kind of self diagnosed autism? i’ve been to many psychiatrists and therapists for years and they always see adhd in the half an hour and prescribe meds for that, which makes me not go there again. if they dug a little deeper they could have seen autism, i spoke to my current psychiatrist about if its possible i have it, she didn’t want to confirm or deny as i was moving out of state from friends and family and am at an age where i can have kids in the next 10 years since she doesn’t want me being concerned for them. \nI think there’s still lots of stigma around autism even with professionals and especially when identifying it in women. \nI don’t want to be autistic, but i can recognise a lot of different patterns comparing myself and others. I’ve researched it a ton especially in how it shows in women compared to men and in all the articles i found myself relating.\nNow i don’t say im autistic, i say im a little sus of being it tho lmao. and try pass it off casually. I find it’s a lot easier for me to understand and embrace my differences compared to trying to hide it and try be like everyone else or wonder why im not like everyone else. \nBeing older i can also recognise how a lot of my family on one side have suffered mentally and because of obvious neurodivergence. so im pretty sure, like the rest of my mentally challenged brain, has been inherited genetically through that side. \nAll that being said. I self diagnosed when i was about 12 that im highly likely to be depressed and anxious in attempt to get my mom to believe me i needed help, and now 8 years later i can identify that this has been an issue forever for me and that i likely cannot go off my meds because i will just go back to how i used to be. Im still ocd with all my meds, but its better than being anxious and depressed all the time, Having ocd throughout the day is like heaven to me in comparison to how i used to be. obviously the ocd isnt new, just a lot more heard in my brain now.", ">\n\nOk, I know some people self diagnoze themselves with [insert some mental illness here] out of attention or whatever, and that's totally not ok.\nHowever, if you read all the symptoms and do proper research on a mental illness and everything clicks in to you, I'd say you can be fairly confident on a self diagnosis (although, it might be worth it to double check with a professional, especially if you want any sort of treatment). But also for some people, it might not be affordable to go to a professional...", ">\n\nI live in Canada, I've engaged with the medical system, doctors don't care and just want you out, ERs are a 8 hour wait for someone to ignore one thing and won't even entertain other issues even if they are related. Self-diagnosis is really the only way to get any kind of proper treatment at all. \nThe doctors will rubber stamp just about anything you ask for except pain killers but in terms of diagnosis you're way better off doing it yourself, sure you don't have 8 years of medical school but the doctors won't give you 5 mins of their time, they are not better than google and you give a lot more of a shit than they will and at the end of the day it's your body.", ">\n\nBack in the 90s when I was a teenager, the kids/teenagers/young adults who wanted attention, and wanted to be different, adopted the goth lifestyle. Dressing up in all black. White foundation with black lipstick and eyeshadow. It was the trendy way to be different, to be viewed as outcasts of society. To not fit in. \nThe goth lifestyle of the 2020s is self diagnosis. Same shit, different day.\nWhenever someone claims autism, or somewhere on the spectrum, I just roll my eyes and imagine that person just sucks at life.", ">\n\nI just think it’s a little more harmful nowadays due to the prevalence of social media. Ppl get sucked into groups and mindsets before they even have a real life chance. Then they hyper fixate on that they might be mentally Ill rather then just trying to live life to the fullest", ">\n\nI 100% agree with you", ">\n\nBecause it's the age of spin this generation has something for everybody. And all of them are Google doctors. Lol", ">\n\nTook my uncle till he was 38 even thought it was apparent to everyone. Hell he got expelled from two schools", ">\n\nI get what you're saying. I frankly find it weird that more people don't find this weird. People self-diagnosing themselves as all kinds of things not only completely misrepresents the actual conditions, thereby making people even more confused as to what they actually are and how they present, but also leads people to run to a psychiatrist claiming false symptoms and getting medication for something they don't have, which is NOT a good thing. People should never be taking medication unless it is necessary. We are a heavily over-medicated society and this is a big factor in that. Caffeine to wake up in the morning, \"immuno-boosters\" and mood stabilizers during the day, sleeping pills to sleep at night. The caffeine and sleeping pills are addictive and can really mess up your circadian rhythm, and the mood stabilizers can really fuck you up if you don't need them. Instead of rushing to diagnose and medicate everyone, we need to educate them on human behavior and show them that their \"mental health\" problems are completely normal.\nOh, so you get nervous right before you make huge life decisions? That's not Anxiety Disorder, it's just anxiety.\nOh, you are really sad because your cat died? That's not Clinical Depression, you are just grieving.\nOh, you went from really happy to really sad when you were previously happy and something really shitty happened to you and soured your mood? That's not Bipolar Disorder, that's just life.\nOh, you like to be more organized than the people around you? That's not Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, you just like to be organized.\nPeople really misunderstand the nature of these conditions and it hinders our collective progress in treating them, like dramatically inflating the number of actual conditions in the population, making it increasingly more difficult to determine how common and how varied they are. After all, in most cases it is not the psychiatrist or psychologist who makes you better, you make you better. Medication can help and other people can show you the path to success, but the problem will never get solved unless you play an active role in the treatment. Some conditions can never be solved, only lessened, while others are virtually untreatable. We need to stop making these conditions seem cool. They aren't. They are serious and need to be taken seriously.", ">\n\nHeavily agree and I appreciate how well this comment is worded. Wish I coulda worded mine a little better", ">\n\nYa I saw you getting shredded in the comments and figured I'd sum it up for you. 🤣" ]

[ "The diagnosis process for a lot of psychiatric conditions are surveys and questionaires. You can go to a psychiatrist and ask if you're anxious and they'll give you multiple choice questions and diagnose off of that. Or you can just google the form yourself and self diagnose. A lot of psychiatric disorders are about how we feel and think. Not about sending off some blood sample to a lab and getting a positive result come back.\n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. For such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nWhat you're describing are all neuroses that could indicate some deeper psychiatric condition. Whether a person has a mental health condition or not, thinking of ourselves as weak victims is never helpful in any context, yet it's something we all feel from time to time.\nI'm a disability support worker, so when someone tells me they've got a self diagnosed condition, it's not offensive to me or any disabled person I know, it doesn't come across like they're invalidating anyone else's condition. However I do think everyone should talk to a doctor about any condition they feel they might have.", ">\n\nPiggybacking off of this: You’ve spent your whole entire life inside your own brain. A therapist will spend a period of hours with you and give you a diagnosis. Who do you think knows your personal reality better than yourself?", ">\n\nYeah exactly, especially with conditions such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, PTSD, and many other psychiatric conditions. These are things people know they have even before they get a diagnosis. The diagnosis stage is more about treatment and management.\nPeople might be unaware of how severe or mild their condition is, some people think they have only mild PTSD despite constant nightmares and suicidal ideation. Some people will think they have severe ADHD because they can't concentrate for long times on things that don't interest them. It's good to get some perspective from experts but ultimately people know when they are struggling to focus or to struggling to stop stressing all the time or struggling to not be miserable. Struggling with our thoughts and feelings is evidence enough to self diagnose.", ">\n\nI was recently diagnosed with ADHD as a woman so I find this viewpoint interesting.\nFirstly, autism is not a mental illness. An autistic person may have mental illness in conjunction with autism, but autism alone lies under the neurodivergent umbrella. Neurodivergency can include autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and other similar conditions.\nWhy women are often underdiagnosed\nThese are serious disabilities that can really impede a person's life, especially if they struggle to find help and acceptance in their community. A lot of women start their journey towards diagnosis later in life due to a number of factors such as:\n\nPoor diagnostic tools and inexperienced professionals\nA misunderstanding that autism and ADHD are more common in boys\nAdvanced masking techniques to cover their 'traits'\n\nWhy women are often diagnosed later in life.\nThe process for many women and men who are diagnosed later in life often includes a level of burnout or breakdown. After a while everything becomes too much, the mask begins to slip and your traits go into overdrive.\nWhy does self-diagnosing seem to be on the rise?\nA common way of finding out you could possibly be neurodivergent is through media and people who are aware of these traits appear.\nIn the past few years, I have seen an increasing awareness of neurodivergence in women pop up in the media. This is useful for people like myself who had no idea wtf was wrong with them for a very long time. For me, a GP actually suggested I seek a diagnosis due to some struggles I was going through.\nAs someone who went through this process self-diagnosing is commonly the first step as an adult. You might be directed to a questionnaire and are asked to evaluate yourself and your experiences thinking back to your childhood. If there's some merit in your experiences than you move to the next step which involves seeking a professional. Waitlists are often months to years long so many people live in limbo for a long time.\nMethods of living with ADHD can help everyone. And everyone experiences ADHD traits from time to time. Given a large amount of stress we have all suffered collectively, I don't doubt there are a lot of people with increased mental health issues that mirror neurodivergent traits. Some mental illnesses can get very severe and alter your brain chemistry and behaviour.\nMy takeaway from this is that the mental health systems set up to assist these people are a much larger issue and cause for serious concern than self-diagnosing.\nApologies for the spelling and grammar errors. Grammarly and Reddit don't play nice.", ">\n\nI think it's two things. One, people have identity crises, especially teenagers. We all know that type of person who tries on identities like hats. That's pretty embarrassing. You usually grow out of that.\nTwo, from personal experience, giving yourself a label or a diagnosis makes it feel more contained and easy to communicate. It's easier to tell someone that you have X and have them understand what you're going through rather than telling them you have these vague symptoms resembling what you imagine X is like. In that respect, it is pretty understandable, possibly good, and not embarrassing. There's something that is sort of reassuring if you can finally get a word to put on what you're experiencing.\nPeople often sympathize with the diagnosis but not with the symptoms. Tell people at work you're autistic and they will sympathize with you and possibly not attack you. Tell them you do not understand social cues and they will probably just make fun of you.", ">\n\nI understand the desire to put a label with a disease, and this is not necessarily bad, but the diagnosis needs to be correct. If you want to tell others that you are autistic or depressed; you must actually be those things. A person can almost never correctly assertion their disease, only their symptoms. People might better understand you if you say your autistic, but you may incorrectly understand and describe yourself. If one wishes to put a name with symptoms, they should find a doctor to pick the label", ">\n\nfor sure but unfortunately our medical system is a joke and even if you are experiencing very severe symptoms it can be nearly impossible to see a professional or take months on a waiting list.\nEven then a professional may be reluctant to slap a label on you for fear of what the consequences of that might be. I saw someone for a very long time who resisted any sort of actual diagnosis because the truth is that what I was experiencing didn't fit neatly into any of the boxes and pretty much belonged in this vague \"other\" category which isn't particularly helpful. Not to mention that misdiagnosis happens all the time even by professionals. \nI just think it is sort of understandable because I think a lot of stuff is kind of a spectrum anyway and just different levels of severity. Things can be really confusing and hard to nail down and thus communicate in a way that causes someone else to be understanding rather than judgemental.", ">\n\nAre you under the impression this is a new phenomenon? Because it's definitely not.\nPeople - especially young people! - crave identity. The world is a confusing place, knowing who you are makes it a little easier. Sometimes it's self-diagnosing mental illness or learning disabilities, or exploring sexual identity, or cliques, or subcultures. There's nothing embarrassing about it, it just is what it is.", ">\n\nIt’s ok to want to express individuality but not to the extent of totally destroying the definition of a real thing and making it hard for actual mentally Ill ppl to get a diagnosis. Why can’t people just accept that they’re different rather then giving themselves a label?", ">\n\npeople on TikTok claiming to have disorders that they don't doesn't affect the precision of psychiatrists diagnosing actual patients. There's no TikTok-said section in the DSM. Why do you think that it does?", ">\n\nIt just encourages more people to get diagnosed possibly skewing the meaning of the mental illness", ">\n\nSkewing it towards statistical accuracy? If people are actually diagnosed at higher rates, we have a better Guage of population-level mental illness, neurodivergency, etc. Better data is more usable, so that research actually means something actionable, ASIDE from the identity boost for young people.", ">\n\nI think what OP is driving at, but utterly failing to explain, is that they think that the fakers will be accommodated by the psychiatric system and diagnosed on the basis of fake symptoms. my sense is that isn't a problem but I don't have data.", ">\n\nDefinitely explained it a little better then I could lol", ">\n\nWhere do you see evidence of that? Any articles about fakers? How about a statistic? If not, it’s just a fear you seem to have.", ">\n\nI think the salient line here is this one:\n\nNeurologists were able to quickly determine that the subjects were not \nsuffering from Tourette's, but psychogenic tics driven by anxiety.", ">\n\nWomen are not born with less autism, but are much less likely to be diagnosed as children than boys. This is partly because boys generally have similar symptoms and behaviors. \nSo of course more women are self diagnosing autism, since their diagnoses were missed as children on a much higher rate.", ">\n\nAlright, I'm diagnosed OCD, PTSD, chronic depression. Diagnosed by a professional so I think I have some grounds to talk about this.\nFirst, let's tackle your women comment about autism. You see, I understand where you're coming from, but you lack the nuance of recognizing that mental illness, and illness in general, is heavily under-diagnosed in women. The medical culture is heavily favored towards men and is rampant with mysogyny, and that's not just me saying it as I've had medical professionals blatantly tell me it's a problem in the field when questioned about it. I've also had some tell me that it's just because women whine a lot, so yanno make of that statement what you will.\nNow that we've covered that let me address the self-diagnosing issue. So, do you want to know what my therapist thinks of self-diagnosing? Well, when I asked them about it they said that self-diagnosing is an important first step to seeking help. Psychiatrist said the same thing. It's normal, expected even, for people to self-diagnose their issues then seek help for them. You can't exactly just peer into someone's brain, no, that person has to tell you what they think is wrong and why they think it is. \nWhat you actually have a problem with is not self-diagnosis, but with people not seeking or not being able to get medical assistance and assuming they're right. You have a problem with people using these issues for attention, which I do too, but once again self-diagnosing is not the problem. Finally, you have a problem with the medical system that forces people into the position of trying to figure out their mental illnesses, but having no ability to get help for them.", ">\n\nI think I did it", ">\n\nSadly no lol, it was not done properly. Do you need a link to the rules?", ">\n\nI already read them i think I’ll figure it out in a bit sorry for the hold up", ">\n\nBecause everyone else is being aggressive: you have to comment with ∆ or !delta and then explain how your view has been changed", ">\n\nThis delta has been rejected. You can't award OP a delta.\nAllowing this would wrongly suggest that you can post here with the aim of convincing others.\nIf you were explaining when/how to award a delta, please use a reddit quote for the symbol next time.\n^Delta System Explained ^| ^Deltaboards", ">\n\nWhat gives you the authority or knowledge to know this is the problem?", ">\n\nYou don’t think it’s a problem that a lot of young ppl are willing to go to the extent of saying they are mentally Ill either for attention or to excuse their weirdness? Just accept that your different. It’s not wrong to believe you’re different without a label", ">\n\nYou did not even try to answer my question.", ">\n\nI’m sorry I was confused on what you meant", ">\n\nIf you are mad at people for self diagnosing themselves because they don't have the knowledge or authority to do so.... what gives you the knowledge or authority to diagnosis this as the problem behavior... basically are you just a kid that is annoyed, or is there some actual studies out there that is claiming this is a problem.", ">\n\nIf you don’t think that people consistently seeking attention for mental illness or craving a label so badly to justify themselves rather then being themselves. That just shows what your views are", ">\n\nDont you think we should leave the diagnosing to the professionals?", ">\n\nI mean yeah", ">\n\nWould you agree that you are diagnosing these people by saying that they are only seeking attention and do not have a real mental illness?", ">\n\nI’m assuming", ">\n\nThere may be some truth to people wanting to be different, however with mental illnesses being more accepted in today's society, many people are a lot more comfortable with being neurodivergent. Additionally, self diagnosis is common because the alternative is spending upwards to $1000-$2000 for a clinical diagnosis.", ">\n\nI know costs suck, but self diagnosis can be much more harmful. A web.md page that tells you your depressed when you may actually be bipolar can lead to really messed up results. I would even go as far as to say that no diagnosis at all is preferable to an uninformed one", ">\n\nWell.\n​\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad \n\nSo you already know why they're doing what they're doing in addition the fact that you know that they're not Autistic? If your claim is that they can't know and only a doctor can, what makes you more qualified? You start out your argument admitting that you have a bias.\n\nthey’re “neurodivergent.\n\nNeurodivergent is an umbrella that covers both Autism and ADHD, which sometimes get mistaken for each other. So if you're upset that they're self-diagnosing, this term should be more welcome than \"Autistic\" because it's more generalized.\n\nnd when you ask them how they know they’ll say “oh I have this weird tick when I uh laugh when someone says something funny “ or “I have a hyper fixation on this topic so I must be autistic\n\nHow else should they communicate it to you? The list of aspects of Autism, especially for how it presents in women, sounds a lot like this. You're not a doctor, they don't have to prove anything to you by going down the entire list of every possible part of their daily experience that might be on the spectrum.\n\nWomen statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nNope. Women are diagnosed less often than men because the original diagnostic criteria for Autism was for Autism as it presents in males. It presents differently for females and is harder to diagnose, especially at younger ages. \n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized\n\nTodays youth want to be victimized? Why would anyone want to be victimized? Something tells me you're missing the mark with this terminology.\n\nor have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. \n\nSo if someone is Autistic and that makes them weird, you'd rather them just be forced to not get to have a name for it, and get the therapeutic treatment that would help them?\n\nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really [are] without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nSome people are autistic. If they find out and it makes them feel good, that doesn't mean they're craving attention. And if they are craving attention, it's because they're normal people and everyone does. \nIf someone thinks they're autistic but it turns out they're actually not, chances are they suspected it for a reason. They might have ADHD, a personality disorder, a mental health issue, or simply a slightly different way of experiencing the world that feels unique to them and there's nothing wrong with that. \nYou seem to think that other people do things for you. People generally don't. They do things for themselves. This is especially true of people on the Autism Spectrum who may not be able to easily use other people's experiences to reference when constructing their view of the world, and can only use their own. Your interpretation wherein they do it to evoke a response from you says more about you than it does about them.", ">\n\nYou’re being deliberately obtuse. OP is completely correct. Most of the people these days who say “I’m ADHD” or “I’m autistic” or “I’m neurodivergent” are absolutely not diagnosed as such and are doing it to seem unique or get attention or as some excuse for why they did x y or z.", ">\n\nI'd like to point out that while some are perhaps attention seeking, many people self diagnose simply because they don't have access to free medical/psychological professionals to get proper diagnosis and help with their issues. I also know someone who doesn't want to get an official diagnosis because he's afrad it will affect his insurance rates or somehow come back to bite him if he's offically labeled with having a neurological disorder. \nThere is a wealth of knowledge on these subjects available online for those interested. And if they are truly interested in self diagnose they can likely do that accurately enough for all intents and purposes. Most of these people who search for the sake of better understanding themselves or their loved ones will openly admit that it's a self diagnoses, or say they THINK they have x,y, or z. But in some situations it's just as well to say they have it if they feel certain anyway, and it's just a passing comment, and not a discussion on the matter. \nIn other words, just because they self diagnose doesn't mean they're wrong, nor does it explain their motives. I also don't see how attention seeking (for those who ARE doing that) is really hurting anyone else. Fakers gonna be fake, that's more a \"them\" kind of problem. ANNOYING, but mostly harmless.", ">\n\nUnless you have a doctor's diagnosis you don't have the disorder. Even if you are broke there are programs to help with costs. \nAnd yes it does affect me when someone is treating me like shit and tries using the I have such and such as an excuse and then people get mad at ME for calling them in their bullshit.", ">\n\nNo. You have to have the disorder before you CAN be diagnosed, so obviously there are undiagnosed people who in fact \"have the disorder \". Your refusal to acknowledge an undiagnosed disorder does not mean they don't have it. Your personal experience with people supposedly using a fake diagnosis to treat you badly, sounds unusual. How do you know they DIDN'T have it? People who do lie and just want to be jerks will do that regardless of what methods they decide to try. The methods are irrelevant. And that motive is not typical of most self diagnosers .", ">\n\nSounds unusual? You must not get out a lot because it's become a pretty regular thing. Every single person I know (about 8) that have self diagnosed themselves as neurodivergent or with a mental illness like Bi-polar all use it to excuse their shitty ass behaviors. \nToo many disorders can mirror other ones. Just because they think they have 2/3 symptoms doesn't make them right by a long shot. Keep living in your bubble.", ">\n\nYou don't have to have a relationship with anyone. If they treat you badly, regardless of an official diagnosis or not, you don't have to tolerate them. It makes no difference what they have or don't have. What would it change if they got diagnosed and actually have it?", ">\n\nSelf diagnosing has been a thing forever\nAnd it's not a problem im 99% sure me or any other autistic person doesn't really give 2 fucks about people who wanna fake disorders. It doesn't stop us from getting help, we have doctors notes, medical files, sometimes even volunteers, you need those files to get into let's say a special education class, or a life skills course.\nSo unless you were diagnosed by a professional you're probably not gonna make it far faking it.\n(Excuse my shitty punctuation)", ">\n\nIt doesn’t bother you that they’re making others take the actual meaning away from what you were born with? I mean I’m sure autism hasn’t made your life easy and seeing ppl claim it for attention to be quirky probably has to annoy you a little right?", ">\n\nAt the end of the day I still have ADHD and I still need help with it. More people being diagnosed with it doesn’t change that fact. In fact I was diagnosed because I realized I related to so many tiktok memes, and I’m sure others are in my same boat. \nIn fact I think so many people talking about ADHD helps. It means more people who possibly have tips for me, people who are suffering who can’t afford treatment have an easy way to learn about how to improve their lives, and more people who are aware of my disorder.", ">\n\nI think people do diagnose themselves too often without seeking professional help. BUT mental illness is not the same as being neurodivergent.", ">\n\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad that they’ll go as far to say they’re “neurodivergent.”\n\nWhile this is the case, I don't really see how it's a \"problem\" per se. I guarantee that these people still make lifestyle decisions based on what they think is best, or based on what they want to do.\n\nbut it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women\n\nDo you have any statistics for that? I haven't experienced it that way in my own anecdotal experience, and I'd be curious to look into the data to see how much that truly does skew in that direction.\n\nwanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness \nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nI understand what you're trying to say here, but I don't really think these things are connected as much as you think they are. People see something wrong with themselves, so they either playfully or seriously consider the fact that it could be a condition that they have similar symptoms to. Not that it never happens, but just because someone categorizes themselves into a disability group that could potentially excuse their \"quirks\", doesn't mean they think that behavior is unacceptable in any way. People see a problem, and assume it's linked to this other issue that seems similar that they already know about.", ">\n\nI agree with the conclusion that self-diagnosis is a real issue, and I wouldn't be surprised if the data indicated it was on the rise. I wouldn't necessarily frame it as a simple desire to \"be victimized\" however. While it is purely speculation, I do believe there are a number of conditions which might lead towards a more frequent experience of symptoms associated with mental illness - a rising wealth gap, perpetual anxiety from a 24-hour news cycle, intensification of self-commodification, the student debt crisis in certain countries like the US, and so on. So people are experiencing symptoms like low energy, mood swings, etc. that can be associated with mental illness. The issue with self-diagnosis then becomes that it may correctly identify the symptom, but incorrectly identify the cause.\nThis video from the YouTuber HealthyGamerGG does a good job of explaining what some of the issues with self-diagnosis are, and for me it was a good starting place for thinking about this more. \nEDIT: I forgot this video literally starts with this same topic being brought up on this same subreddit lol", ">\n\nA great theory based on reasonable causes with an educational video from a psychologist(I assume) as evidence to back it up. I applaud you sir. 👏", ">\n\nWhy are you embarrassed by other people's issues?", ">\n\nI’m a 30yo male. If I had not first self diagnosed with ASD and OCD, I never would have found the language and resources to get a formal diagnosis and help.\nPrior generations have been so fixated on avoidance of diagnosing mental disorders, and research was previously so lacking that we are only just now (through those that do get diagnosed) realizing how common mental disorders are. That plus the lack of mental health resources for neurotypical and neurodivergent I think is how we end up in this situation of many recognizing their symptoms in the new discourse, but lacking the resources to overcome the barriers to proper diagnosis and treatment.", ">\n\nIt’s not the best thing, no. \nAs an adult FINALLY diagnosed (by a licensed therapist) at 41, I can tell you why ‘self diagnosis’ is so tempting. \nIn the US at least- mental health, and official medical diagnosis are almost completely inaccessible, especially as an adult. Most of us grew up before Autism was a spectrum, and ADHD was just boys who acted out in class. We felt like aliens. We couldn’t understand why we didn’t have many friends, or why we didn’t like the ‘right things’, and generally spend the bill of our lives feeling ‘wrong’, ‘broken’ or just simply like we didn’t belong. \nFinally understanding the WHY, and even better, finding tools to addresses our issues is a huge huge weight off the chest. The relief of having a name and a strategy- either therapy or medicine is such an amazing relief!!", ">\n\nI only kinda agree if I had not done my own research I would have never found out I have sjorgens syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis I know TikTok people tend to diagnose themselves and it makes it look cringe but when you live with a incurable illness sometimes you have to work to find a diagnosis", ">\n\nWell, what do you do of you absolutely know you're neurodivergent, but your parents decided not to get you checked? My mom once told me \"we knew you had something, we just didn't get you checked because they would have just put you on pills\". So I struggled with being different, socially unaware, impulsive, obnoxious, agressive, selfish, for the better part of my life without having the self awareness to understand why I was these things, and why people wouldn't want to be around me. \nIn my late 20''s I asked the question, what if I'm actually autistic? I looked up the symptoms, and 9/10 matched. As a child I couldn't handle loud noises, restrictive clothing, I didn't talk until I was 3. I would throw fits for seemingly no reason, I had obsessive interests. I've always really struggled with eye contact, and I never cared for conversation unless it was something I liked. I mean, when the final piece of a puzzle fits so incredibly well, it's really hard for it to be wrong. \nSelf diagnosing actually really helped me grow as aj individual. I became aware of all my divergent behaviors, and why it might be annoying for someone else to deal with. I came to the realization that I was the one who was different, therefore I needed to change. It's way harder to make everyone around you cater to your needs than to overcome the things that upset you. I'm at peace, I have good friends that I can connect with on a pretty deep level. I no longer smash coffee tables when I lose, I can now appreciate that if I lose it just means I have more to learn. I can keep my house clean, I can reasonably hold myself accountable. What exactly is the harm in all that?\nBesides, it would be pretty pointless for me to try and get a diagnosis now, I've put the effort in and largely come out the other side. Anyone diagnosing me would just say I was normal, but they wouldn't have the intimate knowledge of me that I do. I guess it doesn't matter if people don't believe me, I don't go around shouting that I'm autistic. I will say, it would be really nice if people appreciated the effort I put in to get to get to a place of normalcy, something others take for granted, but it's okay, we all have our struggles.", ">\n\nI feel you on all that. To play devil's advocate, mental healthcare in the U.S. is not cheap. Many people go to the internet and confirm their bias about their current health", ">\n\nI feel you on that too OP. I agree 100% with your entire statement.", ">\n\nIt's a problem, but not a new one. In the 1990s there was briefly a surge of people with a type of delusional parasitosis, that is, the false belief that they were infested with parasites. Except this one was supposedly an infestation with tiny fibres. They would come to doctors with a whole list of symptoms to back up their incorrect self-diagnosis.\nTo a certain extent, these are social contagions, which come and go, and often actually end up leading to people having real problems. Like, the young women you mention, a couple of decades ago may well have ended up with anorexia, or self-cutting. These days it might be a self-declaration of autism or a belief that they have gender dysphoria or that they have multiple systems living in their minds.", ">\n\nWow I did not know that. Maybe it’s just so prevalent today due to social media. Social media has only made these things worse imo", ">\n\nEven before it being self diagnosis of a mental illness it was always something. Remember all the emo and goth teenager?", ">\n\nIt depends on the context. For example, if they've done a substantial amount of research, can name a good amount of symptoms they have and reasons they have whatever mental illness and don't have access to the necessary tools to get a medical diagnosis, it's totally different. Some people don't have the money to go out and get a diagnosis, or sometimes it would be better to not get a medical diagnosis. I believe that the reason that a lot of people self diagnose themselves with things like Autism is because they want an explanation as to why they are different, and they could be right or wrong. I think the most important part is that if you go to a psychologist (or even two, I know a lot of people prefer getting second opinions) and they say you don't have it, that you need to admit you were wrong. It's ok to be wrong about your mental health, and the key is to keep looking and to not give up. I can completely understand the frustration in people completely missing how difficult it actually may be to have a mental illness. I was clinically diagnosed with Depression, Anxiety, and PTSD when I was seven, and I've had some experience with people faking mental disorders for attention, and more often then not, they have another mental disorder that needs attention. Recently I had a (now ex) boyfriend insist he had PTSD after being tested twice and the psychiatrist saying that he didn't have it. What he does have is Depression and Anxiety, but he absolutely insisted he has PTSD despite never exhibiting symptoms and the only evidence being a test he took online that was supposedly a \"real PTSD test.\" People faking mental illnesses only harms people who really have them, as these people tend to exaggerate symptoms and use their self diagnosis for attention. I believe that I am autistic, but I don't list it as a diagnosis because while I have read articles and taken the RAADS-r test, I don't have an official diagnosis, and I could very well be wrong. As for women faking illnesses more often, something I've noticed is that things like Autism, ADHD, ADD, etc are more often diagnosed in boys rather than girls- mostly because when they were first discovered, most of the research was done in boys. Autism shows up differently in girls, and can often be blown off as early puberty hormones. If their hyperfixations are those of stereotypical feminine things, it's just a girl liking whatever, and if they hyperfixate in stereotypical masculine interests, they tend to just be viewed as weird, but not autistic. It's normal for people to question, but I agree that to a certain point, self diagnosis can be harmful, but only if not done correctly.", ">\n\nFirst and foremost not a new problem at all, very common, we used to call it \"Being a hypochondriac\" until it aparrently became reconized which in it self is confusing and a bit contradictory.\nANYWAY\nIt isnt really a problem, no doctor is gonna write the perscription for medication without a diagnosis of some sort.\nAt most there is the vauge \"But what about those who actually have it who arent taken serious\" dont worry, we wouldnt have anyway. Thats kinda how invisible illnesses work.\nOverall the 101 hypochondriacs screaming about the symptoms they read in the ICD might help make the knowledge more common and help people better reconize if their colleagues or friends happen to show symptoms of something.", ">\n\nIt’s pretty expensive in the US to get diagnosed. Personally, I’ve self diagnosed myself out of frustration of the way I process things. I’ve always felt slow & my anxiety/depression was deep because of it, but I was raised in a family that doesn’t believe in mental illness. It was always “if you work hard enough, all your problems will go away”. Meanwhile, i was racking my brain on how to make myself think faster/smarter & it would result in psychotic episodes. I’ve gotten fired from jobs, dropped out of school. I started self harming because I hated myself and my brain & almost commit suicide bc I had no idea what was going on.\nThe relief I felt once I finally got a therapist who validated me & was the first to talk to me about mental Illness. It blew my mind and all of a sudden things actually made sense to me. I currently think I have ADD, and sometimes I’ll tell people that but will preface it by saying I’m not professionally diagnosed. Still, I use mental tools that help me get through the day and build my confidence. I’m a lot better at processing conversations, making lists that help me remember things, unmasking, slowing down my thoughts… etc. I’m less frustrated and can see the beauty in how I process things. I still want to get diagnosed but I have to get health insurance….. lol", ">\n\nSelf diagnosis, regardless of being factual is a process where the individual realizes that they might have a mental health issue. People who can do this are more likely to seek professional help compared to the people who think they are “fine”. Going to a professional, licensed psychologist or a psychiatrist will eventually diagnose them with the correct disorder from there, and professionals have the skills to communicate with them and they can together evaluate if the person’s complaint is the issue or not. There is nothing embarrassing about discovering one’s self. It would be a problem if people would identify with an issue and don’t have any willingness to seek help. Sometimes overreacting is better than not reacting.", ">\n\nThe majority of people who are self-diagnosed with autism have done extensive research into it to come to that conclusion. I personally went through the DSM criteria with a fine-tooth comb, made a list of all the ways I met it and discovered that there’s not a single criteria i don’t meet for autism. I didn’t read about anything else but autism for weeks, approaching it from all angles before coming to the conclusion that it’s highly unlikely I am not autistic. I’m waiting to hear back about an assessment, but I’m not waiting to go and be told something I already know before I start advocating for myself. \nOh, and I absolutely did not want to be ‘different’, in fact my life mission to just blend in and be average is the root cause of most of my problems, but here we are.", ">\n\nThis self diagnosing young people do isn’t the problem. The problem is that our society encourages it.\nOur culture is not set up to accommodate a wide spectrum of human needs. You may need things that I don’t. I may need things that you don’t. But in most business settings, academic settings, or even places like restaurants or leisure places, the world isn’t built to accommodate everyone. Our world and society is a “one size fits all” approach, and most people don’t fit snugly inside of that system. \nIf you can classify what is “wrong” or “different” about you into an easily digestible form, people are generally more able and more willing to accommodate you.\nFor example: if I tell my coworkers that I need to leave work early because of a headache, I’ll be shamed for it. And in some cases I’ll be told that “headaches aren’t that bad!” Or “You don’t need to leave.” Or “I have a headache too, just deal with it!”\nBut if I tell my workers that I need to leave due to a painful neurological condition that’s flaring up (I have chronic migraine, which is a neurological condition), they will respect it 100% of the time. It’s met with sympathy and not criticism.\nThis happens for all sorts of things. “Sorry Im late, I slept in.” Sounds a lot worse then, “sorry I’m late, my insomnia has been terrible lately.” \nOur culture forces us to use these labels even when they’re untrue just to receive sympathy or acceptance. The problem isn’t people who decide to use these labels, the root problem is that our society refuses to embrace and accommodate people who are outside of the “norm.”", ">\n\nSpeaking as someone who's had an autism diagnosis since age 7: if someone declares they're autistic when they're not, that's obnoxious at worst. If someone is told they're not autistic when they are, that can cause lifelong harm from denied care and understanding. I have seen this happen to a close friend of mine.\nTherefore, I'd much rather err on the side of acceptance. If you think you're defending me and others like me from impersonators, we'd rather not have your help.\n\nI know people will disagree but it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women. Women statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nCase in point: women are diagnosed with autism far less than men. Recent studies have pointed to decades of systematic misdiagnosis. The more visible autistic symptoms sometimes manifest differently in girls, the way they're socialized may help them hide it from a young age, and of course lots of doctors just say \"your daughter can't be autistic, that's a boy thing.\"\nWe're learning that there are hundreds of thousands of autistic women who slipped through the cracks and were denied the recognition and support they needed because of dismissive, gatekeeping attitudes just like yours.", ">\n\nThere’s a difference between having a disorder and relating to a disorder. If the tools or language associated with a disorder helps someone live better though then cool, it’s all still odd. Also autism presents differently in woman, and a majority of our research on it is on men. Best practice is probably to support them and encourage them to seek treatment.", ">\n\nAutism is severely misdiagnosed in women. Completely under diagnosed. Actually, plenty of things are. The actual problem that we have is parents refusing to let their children get professional help or a diagnosis. Most doctors will diagnose you with BPD as a woman(aka the new female hysteria of our century), maybe put you on some anti psychotics and send you your way. In most countries, a diagnosis/specialist is not readily available, or there is a long waiting list. Even so, the doctors are not know it all. I have seen plenty of doctors, I got different diagnosis almost each time. They ask you some general questions (about your mood, the way you sleep, if you can concentrate, if you harm yourself, if you have suicidal ideation, if you can socialize properly, if your parents were diagnosed with anything, if you have hallucinations or delusions, the works) and then based on that, they will give you a diagnosis. If you use your common sense and information on the internet (given you are knowledgeable on the subject), you can take a good guess on what's wrong. Obviously, some people will exaggerate like with anything (seeing the shadow dude once in your childhood is not a sign of psychosis, neither is hearing your name called when you are alone once in a blue moon), but if you have visual and auditory hallucinations, perhaps weird tactile feelings/hallucinations (spiders are crawling on me, etc), delusions, tend to be forgetful and out of teach with reality, there is a good chance you do have psychosis.", ">\n\nOkay, to start: what do you think autism and ADHD are? They aren't mental illnesses nor are they mental health conditions. \nTo address some of your other points; \nStudies have shown that autism has a gender expression of 1:1. The only reason that women are under diagnosed is because of misunderstandings towards autism, then the diagnosis is conducted incorrectly. Thus it ends up getting conflated with mental illness, E.G BPD, and is diagnosed as a psychiatric disorder instead. This is a detriment to the patient as the care regimes are black and white different. Often times this severely damages the woman.\nFrom data sets that I recall reading, malingering hasn't risen much, if at all, in recent times. I remember it being around 8% of the global population who are engaging in this behaviour, to different extents. I think what's happened is that social media has turned a torch onto it and it's risen in popularity in an algorithmic way. You see it more because it's pushed by the algorithm more because people are searching for it more. It isn't actually occurring any more or less than historically. Most of that attention is negative attention, I should add. \nSo there's two things to take away from that.\n1) The actual act of pretending to be mentally ill, or to have a disability, which is called malingering, is in fact a form of mental unwellness itself. It's a cry for help. The people who do these things are usually very unstable and should be treated with a degree of empathy. The dangerous types who are using mental illness to scam others, or to manipulate them, make up a very small percentage of the overall amount of people in that group and tend to abuse one on one. \n2) The predominant response to this is generally negative. There isn't really any reason to publicly malinger unless you're unstable, this is because a rational person would likely know this, and know the damage it would cause themselves. Self-diagnosis is a very long, and self-aware, process that takes place over years of the individuals life, and proceeds official diagnosis. \nNo one SDs and says \"Okay that's it now! Let me start a TikTok!\" You'd still want support, and you'd still seek support. So that would end up with a doctor, who would see that you're lying, and treat you for whatever was prompting you to malinger. Anyone who has made this commitment knows that keeping it private is a sensible thing to do in a world that isn't inclusive, and often very stigmatising. Sometimes official diagnosis can take YEARS. \nThis kind of propaganda has been going around for a long time in an effort to discredit disabled people and people with mental illnesses. It's not new. People said the same things back in the 90s. People will always be afraid, and dismissive, of things they do not understand. I invite you to try and understand.", ">\n\nI self-diagnosed myself with endometriosis for 10 years before a doctor finally listened to me, opened me up, and found my insides littered with lesions all over my organs. I’m now not able to get pregnant and I might need to get part of my bowel taken out someday. This could’ve been avoided if someone had just listened to me when I was 16. \nSelf-diagnosing is a necessity in a misogynist world! No one takes us seriously! Especially medical professionals. \nThe best antidote for this is to listen to women who self-diagnose. Why do they think they have XYZ? Is it heavily interfering with their life? I think that’s a much larger problem.", ">\n\nIts been proven that there is a bias to diagnose as opposed to not diagnose a mental illness in psychology. So op is actually kinda correct. The definition of a mental illness is in effect being stretched so far that people who are just kinda weird are being diagnosed with \"on the spectrum\". This is actually causing a problem in early learning because parents start treating their kids as essentially learning challenged when they're really not. So it is starting to become an excuse ...", ">\n\nWe live in a society that loves to medicate people. I know it’s different but Did ppl forget about the opioid epidemic? They’ll diagnose your ass with anything if they can", ">\n\nYa I tend to agree. And no one is really saying so I will I guess, but id wager that 50% of psychologist \"professionals\" are totally full of shit. The actual number of psychologists that are are doing real research and clinical studies is EXTREMELY small compared to how many \"psychologists\" are out there. Just like chiropractors, half of them are hacks..", ">\n\nAnd ill say one more thing, though it is anecdotal, but i have direct family that works in special education for young children, and that system is fucked with a capital F. Thay are constantly fighting against parents and programs who try to box kids in the \"autistic\" zone, when they are just really quite or shy, or have pee problems. But parents want an excuse and reason for their behavior, and reduce them to a sub standard education and treatment for the rest of their lives. It's heart breaking. Especially in public schools.", ">\n\nI’m 32 years old. \nI didn’t self diagnose for attention although I remember the days of tumblr where everyone self diagnosed for clout.\nIt took me a decade to realize what is really happening. During the decade before I realized what may have been happening I was told the following:\nI’m rude\nI’m bossy\nI have a RBF/I look mad\nI also only managed to make my first real friend at age 27.\nWhat I was really displaying was:\nBeing overly blunt and just trying to get my point across came off rude when I didn’t intend it to be that way\nTrying to have things done at a certain time and way that no one else thought was important to follow\nUnmasking\nNoticed other things too that I just thought was me being weird:\nVocal stimming\nOral stimming-chewing, smoking, vaping\nRepetitive motions\nRocking\nEasily overwhelmed by too much sensory input\nHigh startle reflex \nInability to regulate my body’s needs-I don’t know I’m hungry until I’m ravenous; don’t recognize the need to use the bathroom until it’s causing me to rush off, don’t realize I’m cold until I’m shaking\nI could go on.\nI want an assessment so bad. But assessments for adults are EXTREMELY hard to setup, if you can even set them up at all. Some states don’t even offer them. I’ve been looking but they are only for children and seem to look for severe cases.\n14 years of thinking I was just a bitch who couldn’t make friends because I was too weird…turns out it might be autism. And turns out I’ll most likely never get a true diagnosis. But the RAADS test gave me a 127 score so that might be the closest I’ll ever get.", ">\n\ni kind of self diagnosed autism? i’ve been to many psychiatrists and therapists for years and they always see adhd in the half an hour and prescribe meds for that, which makes me not go there again. if they dug a little deeper they could have seen autism, i spoke to my current psychiatrist about if its possible i have it, she didn’t want to confirm or deny as i was moving out of state from friends and family and am at an age where i can have kids in the next 10 years since she doesn’t want me being concerned for them. \nI think there’s still lots of stigma around autism even with professionals and especially when identifying it in women. \nI don’t want to be autistic, but i can recognise a lot of different patterns comparing myself and others. I’ve researched it a ton especially in how it shows in women compared to men and in all the articles i found myself relating.\nNow i don’t say im autistic, i say im a little sus of being it tho lmao. and try pass it off casually. I find it’s a lot easier for me to understand and embrace my differences compared to trying to hide it and try be like everyone else or wonder why im not like everyone else. \nBeing older i can also recognise how a lot of my family on one side have suffered mentally and because of obvious neurodivergence. so im pretty sure, like the rest of my mentally challenged brain, has been inherited genetically through that side. \nAll that being said. I self diagnosed when i was about 12 that im highly likely to be depressed and anxious in attempt to get my mom to believe me i needed help, and now 8 years later i can identify that this has been an issue forever for me and that i likely cannot go off my meds because i will just go back to how i used to be. Im still ocd with all my meds, but its better than being anxious and depressed all the time, Having ocd throughout the day is like heaven to me in comparison to how i used to be. obviously the ocd isnt new, just a lot more heard in my brain now.", ">\n\nOk, I know some people self diagnoze themselves with [insert some mental illness here] out of attention or whatever, and that's totally not ok.\nHowever, if you read all the symptoms and do proper research on a mental illness and everything clicks in to you, I'd say you can be fairly confident on a self diagnosis (although, it might be worth it to double check with a professional, especially if you want any sort of treatment). But also for some people, it might not be affordable to go to a professional...", ">\n\nI live in Canada, I've engaged with the medical system, doctors don't care and just want you out, ERs are a 8 hour wait for someone to ignore one thing and won't even entertain other issues even if they are related. Self-diagnosis is really the only way to get any kind of proper treatment at all. \nThe doctors will rubber stamp just about anything you ask for except pain killers but in terms of diagnosis you're way better off doing it yourself, sure you don't have 8 years of medical school but the doctors won't give you 5 mins of their time, they are not better than google and you give a lot more of a shit than they will and at the end of the day it's your body.", ">\n\nBack in the 90s when I was a teenager, the kids/teenagers/young adults who wanted attention, and wanted to be different, adopted the goth lifestyle. Dressing up in all black. White foundation with black lipstick and eyeshadow. It was the trendy way to be different, to be viewed as outcasts of society. To not fit in. \nThe goth lifestyle of the 2020s is self diagnosis. Same shit, different day.\nWhenever someone claims autism, or somewhere on the spectrum, I just roll my eyes and imagine that person just sucks at life.", ">\n\nI just think it’s a little more harmful nowadays due to the prevalence of social media. Ppl get sucked into groups and mindsets before they even have a real life chance. Then they hyper fixate on that they might be mentally Ill rather then just trying to live life to the fullest", ">\n\nI 100% agree with you", ">\n\nBecause it's the age of spin this generation has something for everybody. And all of them are Google doctors. Lol", ">\n\nTook my uncle till he was 38 even thought it was apparent to everyone. Hell he got expelled from two schools", ">\n\nI get what you're saying. I frankly find it weird that more people don't find this weird. People self-diagnosing themselves as all kinds of things not only completely misrepresents the actual conditions, thereby making people even more confused as to what they actually are and how they present, but also leads people to run to a psychiatrist claiming false symptoms and getting medication for something they don't have, which is NOT a good thing. People should never be taking medication unless it is necessary. We are a heavily over-medicated society and this is a big factor in that. Caffeine to wake up in the morning, \"immuno-boosters\" and mood stabilizers during the day, sleeping pills to sleep at night. The caffeine and sleeping pills are addictive and can really mess up your circadian rhythm, and the mood stabilizers can really fuck you up if you don't need them. Instead of rushing to diagnose and medicate everyone, we need to educate them on human behavior and show them that their \"mental health\" problems are completely normal.\nOh, so you get nervous right before you make huge life decisions? That's not Anxiety Disorder, it's just anxiety.\nOh, you are really sad because your cat died? That's not Clinical Depression, you are just grieving.\nOh, you went from really happy to really sad when you were previously happy and something really shitty happened to you and soured your mood? That's not Bipolar Disorder, that's just life.\nOh, you like to be more organized than the people around you? That's not Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, you just like to be organized.\nPeople really misunderstand the nature of these conditions and it hinders our collective progress in treating them, like dramatically inflating the number of actual conditions in the population, making it increasingly more difficult to determine how common and how varied they are. After all, in most cases it is not the psychiatrist or psychologist who makes you better, you make you better. Medication can help and other people can show you the path to success, but the problem will never get solved unless you play an active role in the treatment. Some conditions can never be solved, only lessened, while others are virtually untreatable. We need to stop making these conditions seem cool. They aren't. They are serious and need to be taken seriously.", ">\n\nHeavily agree and I appreciate how well this comment is worded. Wish I coulda worded mine a little better", ">\n\nYa I saw you getting shredded in the comments and figured I'd sum it up for you. 🤣", ">\n\nLmao bro I didn’t expect this many. I was thinking maybe like 20 ppl would reply" ]

[ "The diagnosis process for a lot of psychiatric conditions are surveys and questionaires. You can go to a psychiatrist and ask if you're anxious and they'll give you multiple choice questions and diagnose off of that. Or you can just google the form yourself and self diagnose. A lot of psychiatric disorders are about how we feel and think. Not about sending off some blood sample to a lab and getting a positive result come back.\n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. For such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nWhat you're describing are all neuroses that could indicate some deeper psychiatric condition. Whether a person has a mental health condition or not, thinking of ourselves as weak victims is never helpful in any context, yet it's something we all feel from time to time.\nI'm a disability support worker, so when someone tells me they've got a self diagnosed condition, it's not offensive to me or any disabled person I know, it doesn't come across like they're invalidating anyone else's condition. However I do think everyone should talk to a doctor about any condition they feel they might have.", ">\n\nPiggybacking off of this: You’ve spent your whole entire life inside your own brain. A therapist will spend a period of hours with you and give you a diagnosis. Who do you think knows your personal reality better than yourself?", ">\n\nYeah exactly, especially with conditions such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, PTSD, and many other psychiatric conditions. These are things people know they have even before they get a diagnosis. The diagnosis stage is more about treatment and management.\nPeople might be unaware of how severe or mild their condition is, some people think they have only mild PTSD despite constant nightmares and suicidal ideation. Some people will think they have severe ADHD because they can't concentrate for long times on things that don't interest them. It's good to get some perspective from experts but ultimately people know when they are struggling to focus or to struggling to stop stressing all the time or struggling to not be miserable. Struggling with our thoughts and feelings is evidence enough to self diagnose.", ">\n\nI was recently diagnosed with ADHD as a woman so I find this viewpoint interesting.\nFirstly, autism is not a mental illness. An autistic person may have mental illness in conjunction with autism, but autism alone lies under the neurodivergent umbrella. Neurodivergency can include autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and other similar conditions.\nWhy women are often underdiagnosed\nThese are serious disabilities that can really impede a person's life, especially if they struggle to find help and acceptance in their community. A lot of women start their journey towards diagnosis later in life due to a number of factors such as:\n\nPoor diagnostic tools and inexperienced professionals\nA misunderstanding that autism and ADHD are more common in boys\nAdvanced masking techniques to cover their 'traits'\n\nWhy women are often diagnosed later in life.\nThe process for many women and men who are diagnosed later in life often includes a level of burnout or breakdown. After a while everything becomes too much, the mask begins to slip and your traits go into overdrive.\nWhy does self-diagnosing seem to be on the rise?\nA common way of finding out you could possibly be neurodivergent is through media and people who are aware of these traits appear.\nIn the past few years, I have seen an increasing awareness of neurodivergence in women pop up in the media. This is useful for people like myself who had no idea wtf was wrong with them for a very long time. For me, a GP actually suggested I seek a diagnosis due to some struggles I was going through.\nAs someone who went through this process self-diagnosing is commonly the first step as an adult. You might be directed to a questionnaire and are asked to evaluate yourself and your experiences thinking back to your childhood. If there's some merit in your experiences than you move to the next step which involves seeking a professional. Waitlists are often months to years long so many people live in limbo for a long time.\nMethods of living with ADHD can help everyone. And everyone experiences ADHD traits from time to time. Given a large amount of stress we have all suffered collectively, I don't doubt there are a lot of people with increased mental health issues that mirror neurodivergent traits. Some mental illnesses can get very severe and alter your brain chemistry and behaviour.\nMy takeaway from this is that the mental health systems set up to assist these people are a much larger issue and cause for serious concern than self-diagnosing.\nApologies for the spelling and grammar errors. Grammarly and Reddit don't play nice.", ">\n\nI think it's two things. One, people have identity crises, especially teenagers. We all know that type of person who tries on identities like hats. That's pretty embarrassing. You usually grow out of that.\nTwo, from personal experience, giving yourself a label or a diagnosis makes it feel more contained and easy to communicate. It's easier to tell someone that you have X and have them understand what you're going through rather than telling them you have these vague symptoms resembling what you imagine X is like. In that respect, it is pretty understandable, possibly good, and not embarrassing. There's something that is sort of reassuring if you can finally get a word to put on what you're experiencing.\nPeople often sympathize with the diagnosis but not with the symptoms. Tell people at work you're autistic and they will sympathize with you and possibly not attack you. Tell them you do not understand social cues and they will probably just make fun of you.", ">\n\nI understand the desire to put a label with a disease, and this is not necessarily bad, but the diagnosis needs to be correct. If you want to tell others that you are autistic or depressed; you must actually be those things. A person can almost never correctly assertion their disease, only their symptoms. People might better understand you if you say your autistic, but you may incorrectly understand and describe yourself. If one wishes to put a name with symptoms, they should find a doctor to pick the label", ">\n\nfor sure but unfortunately our medical system is a joke and even if you are experiencing very severe symptoms it can be nearly impossible to see a professional or take months on a waiting list.\nEven then a professional may be reluctant to slap a label on you for fear of what the consequences of that might be. I saw someone for a very long time who resisted any sort of actual diagnosis because the truth is that what I was experiencing didn't fit neatly into any of the boxes and pretty much belonged in this vague \"other\" category which isn't particularly helpful. Not to mention that misdiagnosis happens all the time even by professionals. \nI just think it is sort of understandable because I think a lot of stuff is kind of a spectrum anyway and just different levels of severity. Things can be really confusing and hard to nail down and thus communicate in a way that causes someone else to be understanding rather than judgemental.", ">\n\nAre you under the impression this is a new phenomenon? Because it's definitely not.\nPeople - especially young people! - crave identity. The world is a confusing place, knowing who you are makes it a little easier. Sometimes it's self-diagnosing mental illness or learning disabilities, or exploring sexual identity, or cliques, or subcultures. There's nothing embarrassing about it, it just is what it is.", ">\n\nIt’s ok to want to express individuality but not to the extent of totally destroying the definition of a real thing and making it hard for actual mentally Ill ppl to get a diagnosis. Why can’t people just accept that they’re different rather then giving themselves a label?", ">\n\npeople on TikTok claiming to have disorders that they don't doesn't affect the precision of psychiatrists diagnosing actual patients. There's no TikTok-said section in the DSM. Why do you think that it does?", ">\n\nIt just encourages more people to get diagnosed possibly skewing the meaning of the mental illness", ">\n\nSkewing it towards statistical accuracy? If people are actually diagnosed at higher rates, we have a better Guage of population-level mental illness, neurodivergency, etc. Better data is more usable, so that research actually means something actionable, ASIDE from the identity boost for young people.", ">\n\nI think what OP is driving at, but utterly failing to explain, is that they think that the fakers will be accommodated by the psychiatric system and diagnosed on the basis of fake symptoms. my sense is that isn't a problem but I don't have data.", ">\n\nDefinitely explained it a little better then I could lol", ">\n\nWhere do you see evidence of that? Any articles about fakers? How about a statistic? If not, it’s just a fear you seem to have.", ">\n\nI think the salient line here is this one:\n\nNeurologists were able to quickly determine that the subjects were not \nsuffering from Tourette's, but psychogenic tics driven by anxiety.", ">\n\nWomen are not born with less autism, but are much less likely to be diagnosed as children than boys. This is partly because boys generally have similar symptoms and behaviors. \nSo of course more women are self diagnosing autism, since their diagnoses were missed as children on a much higher rate.", ">\n\nAlright, I'm diagnosed OCD, PTSD, chronic depression. Diagnosed by a professional so I think I have some grounds to talk about this.\nFirst, let's tackle your women comment about autism. You see, I understand where you're coming from, but you lack the nuance of recognizing that mental illness, and illness in general, is heavily under-diagnosed in women. The medical culture is heavily favored towards men and is rampant with mysogyny, and that's not just me saying it as I've had medical professionals blatantly tell me it's a problem in the field when questioned about it. I've also had some tell me that it's just because women whine a lot, so yanno make of that statement what you will.\nNow that we've covered that let me address the self-diagnosing issue. So, do you want to know what my therapist thinks of self-diagnosing? Well, when I asked them about it they said that self-diagnosing is an important first step to seeking help. Psychiatrist said the same thing. It's normal, expected even, for people to self-diagnose their issues then seek help for them. You can't exactly just peer into someone's brain, no, that person has to tell you what they think is wrong and why they think it is. \nWhat you actually have a problem with is not self-diagnosis, but with people not seeking or not being able to get medical assistance and assuming they're right. You have a problem with people using these issues for attention, which I do too, but once again self-diagnosing is not the problem. Finally, you have a problem with the medical system that forces people into the position of trying to figure out their mental illnesses, but having no ability to get help for them.", ">\n\nI think I did it", ">\n\nSadly no lol, it was not done properly. Do you need a link to the rules?", ">\n\nI already read them i think I’ll figure it out in a bit sorry for the hold up", ">\n\nBecause everyone else is being aggressive: you have to comment with ∆ or !delta and then explain how your view has been changed", ">\n\nThis delta has been rejected. You can't award OP a delta.\nAllowing this would wrongly suggest that you can post here with the aim of convincing others.\nIf you were explaining when/how to award a delta, please use a reddit quote for the symbol next time.\n^Delta System Explained ^| ^Deltaboards", ">\n\nWhat gives you the authority or knowledge to know this is the problem?", ">\n\nYou don’t think it’s a problem that a lot of young ppl are willing to go to the extent of saying they are mentally Ill either for attention or to excuse their weirdness? Just accept that your different. It’s not wrong to believe you’re different without a label", ">\n\nYou did not even try to answer my question.", ">\n\nI’m sorry I was confused on what you meant", ">\n\nIf you are mad at people for self diagnosing themselves because they don't have the knowledge or authority to do so.... what gives you the knowledge or authority to diagnosis this as the problem behavior... basically are you just a kid that is annoyed, or is there some actual studies out there that is claiming this is a problem.", ">\n\nIf you don’t think that people consistently seeking attention for mental illness or craving a label so badly to justify themselves rather then being themselves. That just shows what your views are", ">\n\nDont you think we should leave the diagnosing to the professionals?", ">\n\nI mean yeah", ">\n\nWould you agree that you are diagnosing these people by saying that they are only seeking attention and do not have a real mental illness?", ">\n\nI’m assuming", ">\n\nThere may be some truth to people wanting to be different, however with mental illnesses being more accepted in today's society, many people are a lot more comfortable with being neurodivergent. Additionally, self diagnosis is common because the alternative is spending upwards to $1000-$2000 for a clinical diagnosis.", ">\n\nI know costs suck, but self diagnosis can be much more harmful. A web.md page that tells you your depressed when you may actually be bipolar can lead to really messed up results. I would even go as far as to say that no diagnosis at all is preferable to an uninformed one", ">\n\nWell.\n​\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad \n\nSo you already know why they're doing what they're doing in addition the fact that you know that they're not Autistic? If your claim is that they can't know and only a doctor can, what makes you more qualified? You start out your argument admitting that you have a bias.\n\nthey’re “neurodivergent.\n\nNeurodivergent is an umbrella that covers both Autism and ADHD, which sometimes get mistaken for each other. So if you're upset that they're self-diagnosing, this term should be more welcome than \"Autistic\" because it's more generalized.\n\nnd when you ask them how they know they’ll say “oh I have this weird tick when I uh laugh when someone says something funny “ or “I have a hyper fixation on this topic so I must be autistic\n\nHow else should they communicate it to you? The list of aspects of Autism, especially for how it presents in women, sounds a lot like this. You're not a doctor, they don't have to prove anything to you by going down the entire list of every possible part of their daily experience that might be on the spectrum.\n\nWomen statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nNope. Women are diagnosed less often than men because the original diagnostic criteria for Autism was for Autism as it presents in males. It presents differently for females and is harder to diagnose, especially at younger ages. \n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized\n\nTodays youth want to be victimized? Why would anyone want to be victimized? Something tells me you're missing the mark with this terminology.\n\nor have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. \n\nSo if someone is Autistic and that makes them weird, you'd rather them just be forced to not get to have a name for it, and get the therapeutic treatment that would help them?\n\nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really [are] without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nSome people are autistic. If they find out and it makes them feel good, that doesn't mean they're craving attention. And if they are craving attention, it's because they're normal people and everyone does. \nIf someone thinks they're autistic but it turns out they're actually not, chances are they suspected it for a reason. They might have ADHD, a personality disorder, a mental health issue, or simply a slightly different way of experiencing the world that feels unique to them and there's nothing wrong with that. \nYou seem to think that other people do things for you. People generally don't. They do things for themselves. This is especially true of people on the Autism Spectrum who may not be able to easily use other people's experiences to reference when constructing their view of the world, and can only use their own. Your interpretation wherein they do it to evoke a response from you says more about you than it does about them.", ">\n\nYou’re being deliberately obtuse. OP is completely correct. Most of the people these days who say “I’m ADHD” or “I’m autistic” or “I’m neurodivergent” are absolutely not diagnosed as such and are doing it to seem unique or get attention or as some excuse for why they did x y or z.", ">\n\nI'd like to point out that while some are perhaps attention seeking, many people self diagnose simply because they don't have access to free medical/psychological professionals to get proper diagnosis and help with their issues. I also know someone who doesn't want to get an official diagnosis because he's afrad it will affect his insurance rates or somehow come back to bite him if he's offically labeled with having a neurological disorder. \nThere is a wealth of knowledge on these subjects available online for those interested. And if they are truly interested in self diagnose they can likely do that accurately enough for all intents and purposes. Most of these people who search for the sake of better understanding themselves or their loved ones will openly admit that it's a self diagnoses, or say they THINK they have x,y, or z. But in some situations it's just as well to say they have it if they feel certain anyway, and it's just a passing comment, and not a discussion on the matter. \nIn other words, just because they self diagnose doesn't mean they're wrong, nor does it explain their motives. I also don't see how attention seeking (for those who ARE doing that) is really hurting anyone else. Fakers gonna be fake, that's more a \"them\" kind of problem. ANNOYING, but mostly harmless.", ">\n\nUnless you have a doctor's diagnosis you don't have the disorder. Even if you are broke there are programs to help with costs. \nAnd yes it does affect me when someone is treating me like shit and tries using the I have such and such as an excuse and then people get mad at ME for calling them in their bullshit.", ">\n\nNo. You have to have the disorder before you CAN be diagnosed, so obviously there are undiagnosed people who in fact \"have the disorder \". Your refusal to acknowledge an undiagnosed disorder does not mean they don't have it. Your personal experience with people supposedly using a fake diagnosis to treat you badly, sounds unusual. How do you know they DIDN'T have it? People who do lie and just want to be jerks will do that regardless of what methods they decide to try. The methods are irrelevant. And that motive is not typical of most self diagnosers .", ">\n\nSounds unusual? You must not get out a lot because it's become a pretty regular thing. Every single person I know (about 8) that have self diagnosed themselves as neurodivergent or with a mental illness like Bi-polar all use it to excuse their shitty ass behaviors. \nToo many disorders can mirror other ones. Just because they think they have 2/3 symptoms doesn't make them right by a long shot. Keep living in your bubble.", ">\n\nYou don't have to have a relationship with anyone. If they treat you badly, regardless of an official diagnosis or not, you don't have to tolerate them. It makes no difference what they have or don't have. What would it change if they got diagnosed and actually have it?", ">\n\nSelf diagnosing has been a thing forever\nAnd it's not a problem im 99% sure me or any other autistic person doesn't really give 2 fucks about people who wanna fake disorders. It doesn't stop us from getting help, we have doctors notes, medical files, sometimes even volunteers, you need those files to get into let's say a special education class, or a life skills course.\nSo unless you were diagnosed by a professional you're probably not gonna make it far faking it.\n(Excuse my shitty punctuation)", ">\n\nIt doesn’t bother you that they’re making others take the actual meaning away from what you were born with? I mean I’m sure autism hasn’t made your life easy and seeing ppl claim it for attention to be quirky probably has to annoy you a little right?", ">\n\nAt the end of the day I still have ADHD and I still need help with it. More people being diagnosed with it doesn’t change that fact. In fact I was diagnosed because I realized I related to so many tiktok memes, and I’m sure others are in my same boat. \nIn fact I think so many people talking about ADHD helps. It means more people who possibly have tips for me, people who are suffering who can’t afford treatment have an easy way to learn about how to improve their lives, and more people who are aware of my disorder.", ">\n\nI think people do diagnose themselves too often without seeking professional help. BUT mental illness is not the same as being neurodivergent.", ">\n\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad that they’ll go as far to say they’re “neurodivergent.”\n\nWhile this is the case, I don't really see how it's a \"problem\" per se. I guarantee that these people still make lifestyle decisions based on what they think is best, or based on what they want to do.\n\nbut it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women\n\nDo you have any statistics for that? I haven't experienced it that way in my own anecdotal experience, and I'd be curious to look into the data to see how much that truly does skew in that direction.\n\nwanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness \nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nI understand what you're trying to say here, but I don't really think these things are connected as much as you think they are. People see something wrong with themselves, so they either playfully or seriously consider the fact that it could be a condition that they have similar symptoms to. Not that it never happens, but just because someone categorizes themselves into a disability group that could potentially excuse their \"quirks\", doesn't mean they think that behavior is unacceptable in any way. People see a problem, and assume it's linked to this other issue that seems similar that they already know about.", ">\n\nI agree with the conclusion that self-diagnosis is a real issue, and I wouldn't be surprised if the data indicated it was on the rise. I wouldn't necessarily frame it as a simple desire to \"be victimized\" however. While it is purely speculation, I do believe there are a number of conditions which might lead towards a more frequent experience of symptoms associated with mental illness - a rising wealth gap, perpetual anxiety from a 24-hour news cycle, intensification of self-commodification, the student debt crisis in certain countries like the US, and so on. So people are experiencing symptoms like low energy, mood swings, etc. that can be associated with mental illness. The issue with self-diagnosis then becomes that it may correctly identify the symptom, but incorrectly identify the cause.\nThis video from the YouTuber HealthyGamerGG does a good job of explaining what some of the issues with self-diagnosis are, and for me it was a good starting place for thinking about this more. \nEDIT: I forgot this video literally starts with this same topic being brought up on this same subreddit lol", ">\n\nA great theory based on reasonable causes with an educational video from a psychologist(I assume) as evidence to back it up. I applaud you sir. 👏", ">\n\nWhy are you embarrassed by other people's issues?", ">\n\nI’m a 30yo male. If I had not first self diagnosed with ASD and OCD, I never would have found the language and resources to get a formal diagnosis and help.\nPrior generations have been so fixated on avoidance of diagnosing mental disorders, and research was previously so lacking that we are only just now (through those that do get diagnosed) realizing how common mental disorders are. That plus the lack of mental health resources for neurotypical and neurodivergent I think is how we end up in this situation of many recognizing their symptoms in the new discourse, but lacking the resources to overcome the barriers to proper diagnosis and treatment.", ">\n\nIt’s not the best thing, no. \nAs an adult FINALLY diagnosed (by a licensed therapist) at 41, I can tell you why ‘self diagnosis’ is so tempting. \nIn the US at least- mental health, and official medical diagnosis are almost completely inaccessible, especially as an adult. Most of us grew up before Autism was a spectrum, and ADHD was just boys who acted out in class. We felt like aliens. We couldn’t understand why we didn’t have many friends, or why we didn’t like the ‘right things’, and generally spend the bill of our lives feeling ‘wrong’, ‘broken’ or just simply like we didn’t belong. \nFinally understanding the WHY, and even better, finding tools to addresses our issues is a huge huge weight off the chest. The relief of having a name and a strategy- either therapy or medicine is such an amazing relief!!", ">\n\nI only kinda agree if I had not done my own research I would have never found out I have sjorgens syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis I know TikTok people tend to diagnose themselves and it makes it look cringe but when you live with a incurable illness sometimes you have to work to find a diagnosis", ">\n\nWell, what do you do of you absolutely know you're neurodivergent, but your parents decided not to get you checked? My mom once told me \"we knew you had something, we just didn't get you checked because they would have just put you on pills\". So I struggled with being different, socially unaware, impulsive, obnoxious, agressive, selfish, for the better part of my life without having the self awareness to understand why I was these things, and why people wouldn't want to be around me. \nIn my late 20''s I asked the question, what if I'm actually autistic? I looked up the symptoms, and 9/10 matched. As a child I couldn't handle loud noises, restrictive clothing, I didn't talk until I was 3. I would throw fits for seemingly no reason, I had obsessive interests. I've always really struggled with eye contact, and I never cared for conversation unless it was something I liked. I mean, when the final piece of a puzzle fits so incredibly well, it's really hard for it to be wrong. \nSelf diagnosing actually really helped me grow as aj individual. I became aware of all my divergent behaviors, and why it might be annoying for someone else to deal with. I came to the realization that I was the one who was different, therefore I needed to change. It's way harder to make everyone around you cater to your needs than to overcome the things that upset you. I'm at peace, I have good friends that I can connect with on a pretty deep level. I no longer smash coffee tables when I lose, I can now appreciate that if I lose it just means I have more to learn. I can keep my house clean, I can reasonably hold myself accountable. What exactly is the harm in all that?\nBesides, it would be pretty pointless for me to try and get a diagnosis now, I've put the effort in and largely come out the other side. Anyone diagnosing me would just say I was normal, but they wouldn't have the intimate knowledge of me that I do. I guess it doesn't matter if people don't believe me, I don't go around shouting that I'm autistic. I will say, it would be really nice if people appreciated the effort I put in to get to get to a place of normalcy, something others take for granted, but it's okay, we all have our struggles.", ">\n\nI feel you on all that. To play devil's advocate, mental healthcare in the U.S. is not cheap. Many people go to the internet and confirm their bias about their current health", ">\n\nI feel you on that too OP. I agree 100% with your entire statement.", ">\n\nIt's a problem, but not a new one. In the 1990s there was briefly a surge of people with a type of delusional parasitosis, that is, the false belief that they were infested with parasites. Except this one was supposedly an infestation with tiny fibres. They would come to doctors with a whole list of symptoms to back up their incorrect self-diagnosis.\nTo a certain extent, these are social contagions, which come and go, and often actually end up leading to people having real problems. Like, the young women you mention, a couple of decades ago may well have ended up with anorexia, or self-cutting. These days it might be a self-declaration of autism or a belief that they have gender dysphoria or that they have multiple systems living in their minds.", ">\n\nWow I did not know that. Maybe it’s just so prevalent today due to social media. Social media has only made these things worse imo", ">\n\nEven before it being self diagnosis of a mental illness it was always something. Remember all the emo and goth teenager?", ">\n\nIt depends on the context. For example, if they've done a substantial amount of research, can name a good amount of symptoms they have and reasons they have whatever mental illness and don't have access to the necessary tools to get a medical diagnosis, it's totally different. Some people don't have the money to go out and get a diagnosis, or sometimes it would be better to not get a medical diagnosis. I believe that the reason that a lot of people self diagnose themselves with things like Autism is because they want an explanation as to why they are different, and they could be right or wrong. I think the most important part is that if you go to a psychologist (or even two, I know a lot of people prefer getting second opinions) and they say you don't have it, that you need to admit you were wrong. It's ok to be wrong about your mental health, and the key is to keep looking and to not give up. I can completely understand the frustration in people completely missing how difficult it actually may be to have a mental illness. I was clinically diagnosed with Depression, Anxiety, and PTSD when I was seven, and I've had some experience with people faking mental disorders for attention, and more often then not, they have another mental disorder that needs attention. Recently I had a (now ex) boyfriend insist he had PTSD after being tested twice and the psychiatrist saying that he didn't have it. What he does have is Depression and Anxiety, but he absolutely insisted he has PTSD despite never exhibiting symptoms and the only evidence being a test he took online that was supposedly a \"real PTSD test.\" People faking mental illnesses only harms people who really have them, as these people tend to exaggerate symptoms and use their self diagnosis for attention. I believe that I am autistic, but I don't list it as a diagnosis because while I have read articles and taken the RAADS-r test, I don't have an official diagnosis, and I could very well be wrong. As for women faking illnesses more often, something I've noticed is that things like Autism, ADHD, ADD, etc are more often diagnosed in boys rather than girls- mostly because when they were first discovered, most of the research was done in boys. Autism shows up differently in girls, and can often be blown off as early puberty hormones. If their hyperfixations are those of stereotypical feminine things, it's just a girl liking whatever, and if they hyperfixate in stereotypical masculine interests, they tend to just be viewed as weird, but not autistic. It's normal for people to question, but I agree that to a certain point, self diagnosis can be harmful, but only if not done correctly.", ">\n\nFirst and foremost not a new problem at all, very common, we used to call it \"Being a hypochondriac\" until it aparrently became reconized which in it self is confusing and a bit contradictory.\nANYWAY\nIt isnt really a problem, no doctor is gonna write the perscription for medication without a diagnosis of some sort.\nAt most there is the vauge \"But what about those who actually have it who arent taken serious\" dont worry, we wouldnt have anyway. Thats kinda how invisible illnesses work.\nOverall the 101 hypochondriacs screaming about the symptoms they read in the ICD might help make the knowledge more common and help people better reconize if their colleagues or friends happen to show symptoms of something.", ">\n\nIt’s pretty expensive in the US to get diagnosed. Personally, I’ve self diagnosed myself out of frustration of the way I process things. I’ve always felt slow & my anxiety/depression was deep because of it, but I was raised in a family that doesn’t believe in mental illness. It was always “if you work hard enough, all your problems will go away”. Meanwhile, i was racking my brain on how to make myself think faster/smarter & it would result in psychotic episodes. I’ve gotten fired from jobs, dropped out of school. I started self harming because I hated myself and my brain & almost commit suicide bc I had no idea what was going on.\nThe relief I felt once I finally got a therapist who validated me & was the first to talk to me about mental Illness. It blew my mind and all of a sudden things actually made sense to me. I currently think I have ADD, and sometimes I’ll tell people that but will preface it by saying I’m not professionally diagnosed. Still, I use mental tools that help me get through the day and build my confidence. I’m a lot better at processing conversations, making lists that help me remember things, unmasking, slowing down my thoughts… etc. I’m less frustrated and can see the beauty in how I process things. I still want to get diagnosed but I have to get health insurance….. lol", ">\n\nSelf diagnosis, regardless of being factual is a process where the individual realizes that they might have a mental health issue. People who can do this are more likely to seek professional help compared to the people who think they are “fine”. Going to a professional, licensed psychologist or a psychiatrist will eventually diagnose them with the correct disorder from there, and professionals have the skills to communicate with them and they can together evaluate if the person’s complaint is the issue or not. There is nothing embarrassing about discovering one’s self. It would be a problem if people would identify with an issue and don’t have any willingness to seek help. Sometimes overreacting is better than not reacting.", ">\n\nThe majority of people who are self-diagnosed with autism have done extensive research into it to come to that conclusion. I personally went through the DSM criteria with a fine-tooth comb, made a list of all the ways I met it and discovered that there’s not a single criteria i don’t meet for autism. I didn’t read about anything else but autism for weeks, approaching it from all angles before coming to the conclusion that it’s highly unlikely I am not autistic. I’m waiting to hear back about an assessment, but I’m not waiting to go and be told something I already know before I start advocating for myself. \nOh, and I absolutely did not want to be ‘different’, in fact my life mission to just blend in and be average is the root cause of most of my problems, but here we are.", ">\n\nThis self diagnosing young people do isn’t the problem. The problem is that our society encourages it.\nOur culture is not set up to accommodate a wide spectrum of human needs. You may need things that I don’t. I may need things that you don’t. But in most business settings, academic settings, or even places like restaurants or leisure places, the world isn’t built to accommodate everyone. Our world and society is a “one size fits all” approach, and most people don’t fit snugly inside of that system. \nIf you can classify what is “wrong” or “different” about you into an easily digestible form, people are generally more able and more willing to accommodate you.\nFor example: if I tell my coworkers that I need to leave work early because of a headache, I’ll be shamed for it. And in some cases I’ll be told that “headaches aren’t that bad!” Or “You don’t need to leave.” Or “I have a headache too, just deal with it!”\nBut if I tell my workers that I need to leave due to a painful neurological condition that’s flaring up (I have chronic migraine, which is a neurological condition), they will respect it 100% of the time. It’s met with sympathy and not criticism.\nThis happens for all sorts of things. “Sorry Im late, I slept in.” Sounds a lot worse then, “sorry I’m late, my insomnia has been terrible lately.” \nOur culture forces us to use these labels even when they’re untrue just to receive sympathy or acceptance. The problem isn’t people who decide to use these labels, the root problem is that our society refuses to embrace and accommodate people who are outside of the “norm.”", ">\n\nSpeaking as someone who's had an autism diagnosis since age 7: if someone declares they're autistic when they're not, that's obnoxious at worst. If someone is told they're not autistic when they are, that can cause lifelong harm from denied care and understanding. I have seen this happen to a close friend of mine.\nTherefore, I'd much rather err on the side of acceptance. If you think you're defending me and others like me from impersonators, we'd rather not have your help.\n\nI know people will disagree but it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women. Women statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nCase in point: women are diagnosed with autism far less than men. Recent studies have pointed to decades of systematic misdiagnosis. The more visible autistic symptoms sometimes manifest differently in girls, the way they're socialized may help them hide it from a young age, and of course lots of doctors just say \"your daughter can't be autistic, that's a boy thing.\"\nWe're learning that there are hundreds of thousands of autistic women who slipped through the cracks and were denied the recognition and support they needed because of dismissive, gatekeeping attitudes just like yours.", ">\n\nThere’s a difference between having a disorder and relating to a disorder. If the tools or language associated with a disorder helps someone live better though then cool, it’s all still odd. Also autism presents differently in woman, and a majority of our research on it is on men. Best practice is probably to support them and encourage them to seek treatment.", ">\n\nAutism is severely misdiagnosed in women. Completely under diagnosed. Actually, plenty of things are. The actual problem that we have is parents refusing to let their children get professional help or a diagnosis. Most doctors will diagnose you with BPD as a woman(aka the new female hysteria of our century), maybe put you on some anti psychotics and send you your way. In most countries, a diagnosis/specialist is not readily available, or there is a long waiting list. Even so, the doctors are not know it all. I have seen plenty of doctors, I got different diagnosis almost each time. They ask you some general questions (about your mood, the way you sleep, if you can concentrate, if you harm yourself, if you have suicidal ideation, if you can socialize properly, if your parents were diagnosed with anything, if you have hallucinations or delusions, the works) and then based on that, they will give you a diagnosis. If you use your common sense and information on the internet (given you are knowledgeable on the subject), you can take a good guess on what's wrong. Obviously, some people will exaggerate like with anything (seeing the shadow dude once in your childhood is not a sign of psychosis, neither is hearing your name called when you are alone once in a blue moon), but if you have visual and auditory hallucinations, perhaps weird tactile feelings/hallucinations (spiders are crawling on me, etc), delusions, tend to be forgetful and out of teach with reality, there is a good chance you do have psychosis.", ">\n\nOkay, to start: what do you think autism and ADHD are? They aren't mental illnesses nor are they mental health conditions. \nTo address some of your other points; \nStudies have shown that autism has a gender expression of 1:1. The only reason that women are under diagnosed is because of misunderstandings towards autism, then the diagnosis is conducted incorrectly. Thus it ends up getting conflated with mental illness, E.G BPD, and is diagnosed as a psychiatric disorder instead. This is a detriment to the patient as the care regimes are black and white different. Often times this severely damages the woman.\nFrom data sets that I recall reading, malingering hasn't risen much, if at all, in recent times. I remember it being around 8% of the global population who are engaging in this behaviour, to different extents. I think what's happened is that social media has turned a torch onto it and it's risen in popularity in an algorithmic way. You see it more because it's pushed by the algorithm more because people are searching for it more. It isn't actually occurring any more or less than historically. Most of that attention is negative attention, I should add. \nSo there's two things to take away from that.\n1) The actual act of pretending to be mentally ill, or to have a disability, which is called malingering, is in fact a form of mental unwellness itself. It's a cry for help. The people who do these things are usually very unstable and should be treated with a degree of empathy. The dangerous types who are using mental illness to scam others, or to manipulate them, make up a very small percentage of the overall amount of people in that group and tend to abuse one on one. \n2) The predominant response to this is generally negative. There isn't really any reason to publicly malinger unless you're unstable, this is because a rational person would likely know this, and know the damage it would cause themselves. Self-diagnosis is a very long, and self-aware, process that takes place over years of the individuals life, and proceeds official diagnosis. \nNo one SDs and says \"Okay that's it now! Let me start a TikTok!\" You'd still want support, and you'd still seek support. So that would end up with a doctor, who would see that you're lying, and treat you for whatever was prompting you to malinger. Anyone who has made this commitment knows that keeping it private is a sensible thing to do in a world that isn't inclusive, and often very stigmatising. Sometimes official diagnosis can take YEARS. \nThis kind of propaganda has been going around for a long time in an effort to discredit disabled people and people with mental illnesses. It's not new. People said the same things back in the 90s. People will always be afraid, and dismissive, of things they do not understand. I invite you to try and understand.", ">\n\nI self-diagnosed myself with endometriosis for 10 years before a doctor finally listened to me, opened me up, and found my insides littered with lesions all over my organs. I’m now not able to get pregnant and I might need to get part of my bowel taken out someday. This could’ve been avoided if someone had just listened to me when I was 16. \nSelf-diagnosing is a necessity in a misogynist world! No one takes us seriously! Especially medical professionals. \nThe best antidote for this is to listen to women who self-diagnose. Why do they think they have XYZ? Is it heavily interfering with their life? I think that’s a much larger problem.", ">\n\nIts been proven that there is a bias to diagnose as opposed to not diagnose a mental illness in psychology. So op is actually kinda correct. The definition of a mental illness is in effect being stretched so far that people who are just kinda weird are being diagnosed with \"on the spectrum\". This is actually causing a problem in early learning because parents start treating their kids as essentially learning challenged when they're really not. So it is starting to become an excuse ...", ">\n\nWe live in a society that loves to medicate people. I know it’s different but Did ppl forget about the opioid epidemic? They’ll diagnose your ass with anything if they can", ">\n\nYa I tend to agree. And no one is really saying so I will I guess, but id wager that 50% of psychologist \"professionals\" are totally full of shit. The actual number of psychologists that are are doing real research and clinical studies is EXTREMELY small compared to how many \"psychologists\" are out there. Just like chiropractors, half of them are hacks..", ">\n\nAnd ill say one more thing, though it is anecdotal, but i have direct family that works in special education for young children, and that system is fucked with a capital F. Thay are constantly fighting against parents and programs who try to box kids in the \"autistic\" zone, when they are just really quite or shy, or have pee problems. But parents want an excuse and reason for their behavior, and reduce them to a sub standard education and treatment for the rest of their lives. It's heart breaking. Especially in public schools.", ">\n\nI’m 32 years old. \nI didn’t self diagnose for attention although I remember the days of tumblr where everyone self diagnosed for clout.\nIt took me a decade to realize what is really happening. During the decade before I realized what may have been happening I was told the following:\nI’m rude\nI’m bossy\nI have a RBF/I look mad\nI also only managed to make my first real friend at age 27.\nWhat I was really displaying was:\nBeing overly blunt and just trying to get my point across came off rude when I didn’t intend it to be that way\nTrying to have things done at a certain time and way that no one else thought was important to follow\nUnmasking\nNoticed other things too that I just thought was me being weird:\nVocal stimming\nOral stimming-chewing, smoking, vaping\nRepetitive motions\nRocking\nEasily overwhelmed by too much sensory input\nHigh startle reflex \nInability to regulate my body’s needs-I don’t know I’m hungry until I’m ravenous; don’t recognize the need to use the bathroom until it’s causing me to rush off, don’t realize I’m cold until I’m shaking\nI could go on.\nI want an assessment so bad. But assessments for adults are EXTREMELY hard to setup, if you can even set them up at all. Some states don’t even offer them. I’ve been looking but they are only for children and seem to look for severe cases.\n14 years of thinking I was just a bitch who couldn’t make friends because I was too weird…turns out it might be autism. And turns out I’ll most likely never get a true diagnosis. But the RAADS test gave me a 127 score so that might be the closest I’ll ever get.", ">\n\ni kind of self diagnosed autism? i’ve been to many psychiatrists and therapists for years and they always see adhd in the half an hour and prescribe meds for that, which makes me not go there again. if they dug a little deeper they could have seen autism, i spoke to my current psychiatrist about if its possible i have it, she didn’t want to confirm or deny as i was moving out of state from friends and family and am at an age where i can have kids in the next 10 years since she doesn’t want me being concerned for them. \nI think there’s still lots of stigma around autism even with professionals and especially when identifying it in women. \nI don’t want to be autistic, but i can recognise a lot of different patterns comparing myself and others. I’ve researched it a ton especially in how it shows in women compared to men and in all the articles i found myself relating.\nNow i don’t say im autistic, i say im a little sus of being it tho lmao. and try pass it off casually. I find it’s a lot easier for me to understand and embrace my differences compared to trying to hide it and try be like everyone else or wonder why im not like everyone else. \nBeing older i can also recognise how a lot of my family on one side have suffered mentally and because of obvious neurodivergence. so im pretty sure, like the rest of my mentally challenged brain, has been inherited genetically through that side. \nAll that being said. I self diagnosed when i was about 12 that im highly likely to be depressed and anxious in attempt to get my mom to believe me i needed help, and now 8 years later i can identify that this has been an issue forever for me and that i likely cannot go off my meds because i will just go back to how i used to be. Im still ocd with all my meds, but its better than being anxious and depressed all the time, Having ocd throughout the day is like heaven to me in comparison to how i used to be. obviously the ocd isnt new, just a lot more heard in my brain now.", ">\n\nOk, I know some people self diagnoze themselves with [insert some mental illness here] out of attention or whatever, and that's totally not ok.\nHowever, if you read all the symptoms and do proper research on a mental illness and everything clicks in to you, I'd say you can be fairly confident on a self diagnosis (although, it might be worth it to double check with a professional, especially if you want any sort of treatment). But also for some people, it might not be affordable to go to a professional...", ">\n\nI live in Canada, I've engaged with the medical system, doctors don't care and just want you out, ERs are a 8 hour wait for someone to ignore one thing and won't even entertain other issues even if they are related. Self-diagnosis is really the only way to get any kind of proper treatment at all. \nThe doctors will rubber stamp just about anything you ask for except pain killers but in terms of diagnosis you're way better off doing it yourself, sure you don't have 8 years of medical school but the doctors won't give you 5 mins of their time, they are not better than google and you give a lot more of a shit than they will and at the end of the day it's your body.", ">\n\nBack in the 90s when I was a teenager, the kids/teenagers/young adults who wanted attention, and wanted to be different, adopted the goth lifestyle. Dressing up in all black. White foundation with black lipstick and eyeshadow. It was the trendy way to be different, to be viewed as outcasts of society. To not fit in. \nThe goth lifestyle of the 2020s is self diagnosis. Same shit, different day.\nWhenever someone claims autism, or somewhere on the spectrum, I just roll my eyes and imagine that person just sucks at life.", ">\n\nI just think it’s a little more harmful nowadays due to the prevalence of social media. Ppl get sucked into groups and mindsets before they even have a real life chance. Then they hyper fixate on that they might be mentally Ill rather then just trying to live life to the fullest", ">\n\nI 100% agree with you", ">\n\nBecause it's the age of spin this generation has something for everybody. And all of them are Google doctors. Lol", ">\n\nTook my uncle till he was 38 even thought it was apparent to everyone. Hell he got expelled from two schools", ">\n\nI get what you're saying. I frankly find it weird that more people don't find this weird. People self-diagnosing themselves as all kinds of things not only completely misrepresents the actual conditions, thereby making people even more confused as to what they actually are and how they present, but also leads people to run to a psychiatrist claiming false symptoms and getting medication for something they don't have, which is NOT a good thing. People should never be taking medication unless it is necessary. We are a heavily over-medicated society and this is a big factor in that. Caffeine to wake up in the morning, \"immuno-boosters\" and mood stabilizers during the day, sleeping pills to sleep at night. The caffeine and sleeping pills are addictive and can really mess up your circadian rhythm, and the mood stabilizers can really fuck you up if you don't need them. Instead of rushing to diagnose and medicate everyone, we need to educate them on human behavior and show them that their \"mental health\" problems are completely normal.\nOh, so you get nervous right before you make huge life decisions? That's not Anxiety Disorder, it's just anxiety.\nOh, you are really sad because your cat died? That's not Clinical Depression, you are just grieving.\nOh, you went from really happy to really sad when you were previously happy and something really shitty happened to you and soured your mood? That's not Bipolar Disorder, that's just life.\nOh, you like to be more organized than the people around you? That's not Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, you just like to be organized.\nPeople really misunderstand the nature of these conditions and it hinders our collective progress in treating them, like dramatically inflating the number of actual conditions in the population, making it increasingly more difficult to determine how common and how varied they are. After all, in most cases it is not the psychiatrist or psychologist who makes you better, you make you better. Medication can help and other people can show you the path to success, but the problem will never get solved unless you play an active role in the treatment. Some conditions can never be solved, only lessened, while others are virtually untreatable. We need to stop making these conditions seem cool. They aren't. They are serious and need to be taken seriously.", ">\n\nHeavily agree and I appreciate how well this comment is worded. Wish I coulda worded mine a little better", ">\n\nYa I saw you getting shredded in the comments and figured I'd sum it up for you. 🤣", ">\n\nLmao bro I didn’t expect this many. I was thinking maybe like 20 ppl would reply", ">\n\nYou need to self diagnose in many cases in order to get adequate help." ]

[ "The diagnosis process for a lot of psychiatric conditions are surveys and questionaires. You can go to a psychiatrist and ask if you're anxious and they'll give you multiple choice questions and diagnose off of that. Or you can just google the form yourself and self diagnose. A lot of psychiatric disorders are about how we feel and think. Not about sending off some blood sample to a lab and getting a positive result come back.\n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. For such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nWhat you're describing are all neuroses that could indicate some deeper psychiatric condition. Whether a person has a mental health condition or not, thinking of ourselves as weak victims is never helpful in any context, yet it's something we all feel from time to time.\nI'm a disability support worker, so when someone tells me they've got a self diagnosed condition, it's not offensive to me or any disabled person I know, it doesn't come across like they're invalidating anyone else's condition. However I do think everyone should talk to a doctor about any condition they feel they might have.", ">\n\nPiggybacking off of this: You’ve spent your whole entire life inside your own brain. A therapist will spend a period of hours with you and give you a diagnosis. Who do you think knows your personal reality better than yourself?", ">\n\nYeah exactly, especially with conditions such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, PTSD, and many other psychiatric conditions. These are things people know they have even before they get a diagnosis. The diagnosis stage is more about treatment and management.\nPeople might be unaware of how severe or mild their condition is, some people think they have only mild PTSD despite constant nightmares and suicidal ideation. Some people will think they have severe ADHD because they can't concentrate for long times on things that don't interest them. It's good to get some perspective from experts but ultimately people know when they are struggling to focus or to struggling to stop stressing all the time or struggling to not be miserable. Struggling with our thoughts and feelings is evidence enough to self diagnose.", ">\n\nI was recently diagnosed with ADHD as a woman so I find this viewpoint interesting.\nFirstly, autism is not a mental illness. An autistic person may have mental illness in conjunction with autism, but autism alone lies under the neurodivergent umbrella. Neurodivergency can include autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and other similar conditions.\nWhy women are often underdiagnosed\nThese are serious disabilities that can really impede a person's life, especially if they struggle to find help and acceptance in their community. A lot of women start their journey towards diagnosis later in life due to a number of factors such as:\n\nPoor diagnostic tools and inexperienced professionals\nA misunderstanding that autism and ADHD are more common in boys\nAdvanced masking techniques to cover their 'traits'\n\nWhy women are often diagnosed later in life.\nThe process for many women and men who are diagnosed later in life often includes a level of burnout or breakdown. After a while everything becomes too much, the mask begins to slip and your traits go into overdrive.\nWhy does self-diagnosing seem to be on the rise?\nA common way of finding out you could possibly be neurodivergent is through media and people who are aware of these traits appear.\nIn the past few years, I have seen an increasing awareness of neurodivergence in women pop up in the media. This is useful for people like myself who had no idea wtf was wrong with them for a very long time. For me, a GP actually suggested I seek a diagnosis due to some struggles I was going through.\nAs someone who went through this process self-diagnosing is commonly the first step as an adult. You might be directed to a questionnaire and are asked to evaluate yourself and your experiences thinking back to your childhood. If there's some merit in your experiences than you move to the next step which involves seeking a professional. Waitlists are often months to years long so many people live in limbo for a long time.\nMethods of living with ADHD can help everyone. And everyone experiences ADHD traits from time to time. Given a large amount of stress we have all suffered collectively, I don't doubt there are a lot of people with increased mental health issues that mirror neurodivergent traits. Some mental illnesses can get very severe and alter your brain chemistry and behaviour.\nMy takeaway from this is that the mental health systems set up to assist these people are a much larger issue and cause for serious concern than self-diagnosing.\nApologies for the spelling and grammar errors. Grammarly and Reddit don't play nice.", ">\n\nI think it's two things. One, people have identity crises, especially teenagers. We all know that type of person who tries on identities like hats. That's pretty embarrassing. You usually grow out of that.\nTwo, from personal experience, giving yourself a label or a diagnosis makes it feel more contained and easy to communicate. It's easier to tell someone that you have X and have them understand what you're going through rather than telling them you have these vague symptoms resembling what you imagine X is like. In that respect, it is pretty understandable, possibly good, and not embarrassing. There's something that is sort of reassuring if you can finally get a word to put on what you're experiencing.\nPeople often sympathize with the diagnosis but not with the symptoms. Tell people at work you're autistic and they will sympathize with you and possibly not attack you. Tell them you do not understand social cues and they will probably just make fun of you.", ">\n\nI understand the desire to put a label with a disease, and this is not necessarily bad, but the diagnosis needs to be correct. If you want to tell others that you are autistic or depressed; you must actually be those things. A person can almost never correctly assertion their disease, only their symptoms. People might better understand you if you say your autistic, but you may incorrectly understand and describe yourself. If one wishes to put a name with symptoms, they should find a doctor to pick the label", ">\n\nfor sure but unfortunately our medical system is a joke and even if you are experiencing very severe symptoms it can be nearly impossible to see a professional or take months on a waiting list.\nEven then a professional may be reluctant to slap a label on you for fear of what the consequences of that might be. I saw someone for a very long time who resisted any sort of actual diagnosis because the truth is that what I was experiencing didn't fit neatly into any of the boxes and pretty much belonged in this vague \"other\" category which isn't particularly helpful. Not to mention that misdiagnosis happens all the time even by professionals. \nI just think it is sort of understandable because I think a lot of stuff is kind of a spectrum anyway and just different levels of severity. Things can be really confusing and hard to nail down and thus communicate in a way that causes someone else to be understanding rather than judgemental.", ">\n\nAre you under the impression this is a new phenomenon? Because it's definitely not.\nPeople - especially young people! - crave identity. The world is a confusing place, knowing who you are makes it a little easier. Sometimes it's self-diagnosing mental illness or learning disabilities, or exploring sexual identity, or cliques, or subcultures. There's nothing embarrassing about it, it just is what it is.", ">\n\nIt’s ok to want to express individuality but not to the extent of totally destroying the definition of a real thing and making it hard for actual mentally Ill ppl to get a diagnosis. Why can’t people just accept that they’re different rather then giving themselves a label?", ">\n\npeople on TikTok claiming to have disorders that they don't doesn't affect the precision of psychiatrists diagnosing actual patients. There's no TikTok-said section in the DSM. Why do you think that it does?", ">\n\nIt just encourages more people to get diagnosed possibly skewing the meaning of the mental illness", ">\n\nSkewing it towards statistical accuracy? If people are actually diagnosed at higher rates, we have a better Guage of population-level mental illness, neurodivergency, etc. Better data is more usable, so that research actually means something actionable, ASIDE from the identity boost for young people.", ">\n\nI think what OP is driving at, but utterly failing to explain, is that they think that the fakers will be accommodated by the psychiatric system and diagnosed on the basis of fake symptoms. my sense is that isn't a problem but I don't have data.", ">\n\nDefinitely explained it a little better then I could lol", ">\n\nWhere do you see evidence of that? Any articles about fakers? How about a statistic? If not, it’s just a fear you seem to have.", ">\n\nI think the salient line here is this one:\n\nNeurologists were able to quickly determine that the subjects were not \nsuffering from Tourette's, but psychogenic tics driven by anxiety.", ">\n\nWomen are not born with less autism, but are much less likely to be diagnosed as children than boys. This is partly because boys generally have similar symptoms and behaviors. \nSo of course more women are self diagnosing autism, since their diagnoses were missed as children on a much higher rate.", ">\n\nAlright, I'm diagnosed OCD, PTSD, chronic depression. Diagnosed by a professional so I think I have some grounds to talk about this.\nFirst, let's tackle your women comment about autism. You see, I understand where you're coming from, but you lack the nuance of recognizing that mental illness, and illness in general, is heavily under-diagnosed in women. The medical culture is heavily favored towards men and is rampant with mysogyny, and that's not just me saying it as I've had medical professionals blatantly tell me it's a problem in the field when questioned about it. I've also had some tell me that it's just because women whine a lot, so yanno make of that statement what you will.\nNow that we've covered that let me address the self-diagnosing issue. So, do you want to know what my therapist thinks of self-diagnosing? Well, when I asked them about it they said that self-diagnosing is an important first step to seeking help. Psychiatrist said the same thing. It's normal, expected even, for people to self-diagnose their issues then seek help for them. You can't exactly just peer into someone's brain, no, that person has to tell you what they think is wrong and why they think it is. \nWhat you actually have a problem with is not self-diagnosis, but with people not seeking or not being able to get medical assistance and assuming they're right. You have a problem with people using these issues for attention, which I do too, but once again self-diagnosing is not the problem. Finally, you have a problem with the medical system that forces people into the position of trying to figure out their mental illnesses, but having no ability to get help for them.", ">\n\nI think I did it", ">\n\nSadly no lol, it was not done properly. Do you need a link to the rules?", ">\n\nI already read them i think I’ll figure it out in a bit sorry for the hold up", ">\n\nBecause everyone else is being aggressive: you have to comment with ∆ or !delta and then explain how your view has been changed", ">\n\nThis delta has been rejected. You can't award OP a delta.\nAllowing this would wrongly suggest that you can post here with the aim of convincing others.\nIf you were explaining when/how to award a delta, please use a reddit quote for the symbol next time.\n^Delta System Explained ^| ^Deltaboards", ">\n\nWhat gives you the authority or knowledge to know this is the problem?", ">\n\nYou don’t think it’s a problem that a lot of young ppl are willing to go to the extent of saying they are mentally Ill either for attention or to excuse their weirdness? Just accept that your different. It’s not wrong to believe you’re different without a label", ">\n\nYou did not even try to answer my question.", ">\n\nI’m sorry I was confused on what you meant", ">\n\nIf you are mad at people for self diagnosing themselves because they don't have the knowledge or authority to do so.... what gives you the knowledge or authority to diagnosis this as the problem behavior... basically are you just a kid that is annoyed, or is there some actual studies out there that is claiming this is a problem.", ">\n\nIf you don’t think that people consistently seeking attention for mental illness or craving a label so badly to justify themselves rather then being themselves. That just shows what your views are", ">\n\nDont you think we should leave the diagnosing to the professionals?", ">\n\nI mean yeah", ">\n\nWould you agree that you are diagnosing these people by saying that they are only seeking attention and do not have a real mental illness?", ">\n\nI’m assuming", ">\n\nThere may be some truth to people wanting to be different, however with mental illnesses being more accepted in today's society, many people are a lot more comfortable with being neurodivergent. Additionally, self diagnosis is common because the alternative is spending upwards to $1000-$2000 for a clinical diagnosis.", ">\n\nI know costs suck, but self diagnosis can be much more harmful. A web.md page that tells you your depressed when you may actually be bipolar can lead to really messed up results. I would even go as far as to say that no diagnosis at all is preferable to an uninformed one", ">\n\nWell.\n​\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad \n\nSo you already know why they're doing what they're doing in addition the fact that you know that they're not Autistic? If your claim is that they can't know and only a doctor can, what makes you more qualified? You start out your argument admitting that you have a bias.\n\nthey’re “neurodivergent.\n\nNeurodivergent is an umbrella that covers both Autism and ADHD, which sometimes get mistaken for each other. So if you're upset that they're self-diagnosing, this term should be more welcome than \"Autistic\" because it's more generalized.\n\nnd when you ask them how they know they’ll say “oh I have this weird tick when I uh laugh when someone says something funny “ or “I have a hyper fixation on this topic so I must be autistic\n\nHow else should they communicate it to you? The list of aspects of Autism, especially for how it presents in women, sounds a lot like this. You're not a doctor, they don't have to prove anything to you by going down the entire list of every possible part of their daily experience that might be on the spectrum.\n\nWomen statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nNope. Women are diagnosed less often than men because the original diagnostic criteria for Autism was for Autism as it presents in males. It presents differently for females and is harder to diagnose, especially at younger ages. \n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized\n\nTodays youth want to be victimized? Why would anyone want to be victimized? Something tells me you're missing the mark with this terminology.\n\nor have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. \n\nSo if someone is Autistic and that makes them weird, you'd rather them just be forced to not get to have a name for it, and get the therapeutic treatment that would help them?\n\nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really [are] without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nSome people are autistic. If they find out and it makes them feel good, that doesn't mean they're craving attention. And if they are craving attention, it's because they're normal people and everyone does. \nIf someone thinks they're autistic but it turns out they're actually not, chances are they suspected it for a reason. They might have ADHD, a personality disorder, a mental health issue, or simply a slightly different way of experiencing the world that feels unique to them and there's nothing wrong with that. \nYou seem to think that other people do things for you. People generally don't. They do things for themselves. This is especially true of people on the Autism Spectrum who may not be able to easily use other people's experiences to reference when constructing their view of the world, and can only use their own. Your interpretation wherein they do it to evoke a response from you says more about you than it does about them.", ">\n\nYou’re being deliberately obtuse. OP is completely correct. Most of the people these days who say “I’m ADHD” or “I’m autistic” or “I’m neurodivergent” are absolutely not diagnosed as such and are doing it to seem unique or get attention or as some excuse for why they did x y or z.", ">\n\nI'd like to point out that while some are perhaps attention seeking, many people self diagnose simply because they don't have access to free medical/psychological professionals to get proper diagnosis and help with their issues. I also know someone who doesn't want to get an official diagnosis because he's afrad it will affect his insurance rates or somehow come back to bite him if he's offically labeled with having a neurological disorder. \nThere is a wealth of knowledge on these subjects available online for those interested. And if they are truly interested in self diagnose they can likely do that accurately enough for all intents and purposes. Most of these people who search for the sake of better understanding themselves or their loved ones will openly admit that it's a self diagnoses, or say they THINK they have x,y, or z. But in some situations it's just as well to say they have it if they feel certain anyway, and it's just a passing comment, and not a discussion on the matter. \nIn other words, just because they self diagnose doesn't mean they're wrong, nor does it explain their motives. I also don't see how attention seeking (for those who ARE doing that) is really hurting anyone else. Fakers gonna be fake, that's more a \"them\" kind of problem. ANNOYING, but mostly harmless.", ">\n\nUnless you have a doctor's diagnosis you don't have the disorder. Even if you are broke there are programs to help with costs. \nAnd yes it does affect me when someone is treating me like shit and tries using the I have such and such as an excuse and then people get mad at ME for calling them in their bullshit.", ">\n\nNo. You have to have the disorder before you CAN be diagnosed, so obviously there are undiagnosed people who in fact \"have the disorder \". Your refusal to acknowledge an undiagnosed disorder does not mean they don't have it. Your personal experience with people supposedly using a fake diagnosis to treat you badly, sounds unusual. How do you know they DIDN'T have it? People who do lie and just want to be jerks will do that regardless of what methods they decide to try. The methods are irrelevant. And that motive is not typical of most self diagnosers .", ">\n\nSounds unusual? You must not get out a lot because it's become a pretty regular thing. Every single person I know (about 8) that have self diagnosed themselves as neurodivergent or with a mental illness like Bi-polar all use it to excuse their shitty ass behaviors. \nToo many disorders can mirror other ones. Just because they think they have 2/3 symptoms doesn't make them right by a long shot. Keep living in your bubble.", ">\n\nYou don't have to have a relationship with anyone. If they treat you badly, regardless of an official diagnosis or not, you don't have to tolerate them. It makes no difference what they have or don't have. What would it change if they got diagnosed and actually have it?", ">\n\nSelf diagnosing has been a thing forever\nAnd it's not a problem im 99% sure me or any other autistic person doesn't really give 2 fucks about people who wanna fake disorders. It doesn't stop us from getting help, we have doctors notes, medical files, sometimes even volunteers, you need those files to get into let's say a special education class, or a life skills course.\nSo unless you were diagnosed by a professional you're probably not gonna make it far faking it.\n(Excuse my shitty punctuation)", ">\n\nIt doesn’t bother you that they’re making others take the actual meaning away from what you were born with? I mean I’m sure autism hasn’t made your life easy and seeing ppl claim it for attention to be quirky probably has to annoy you a little right?", ">\n\nAt the end of the day I still have ADHD and I still need help with it. More people being diagnosed with it doesn’t change that fact. In fact I was diagnosed because I realized I related to so many tiktok memes, and I’m sure others are in my same boat. \nIn fact I think so many people talking about ADHD helps. It means more people who possibly have tips for me, people who are suffering who can’t afford treatment have an easy way to learn about how to improve their lives, and more people who are aware of my disorder.", ">\n\nI think people do diagnose themselves too often without seeking professional help. BUT mental illness is not the same as being neurodivergent.", ">\n\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad that they’ll go as far to say they’re “neurodivergent.”\n\nWhile this is the case, I don't really see how it's a \"problem\" per se. I guarantee that these people still make lifestyle decisions based on what they think is best, or based on what they want to do.\n\nbut it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women\n\nDo you have any statistics for that? I haven't experienced it that way in my own anecdotal experience, and I'd be curious to look into the data to see how much that truly does skew in that direction.\n\nwanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness \nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nI understand what you're trying to say here, but I don't really think these things are connected as much as you think they are. People see something wrong with themselves, so they either playfully or seriously consider the fact that it could be a condition that they have similar symptoms to. Not that it never happens, but just because someone categorizes themselves into a disability group that could potentially excuse their \"quirks\", doesn't mean they think that behavior is unacceptable in any way. People see a problem, and assume it's linked to this other issue that seems similar that they already know about.", ">\n\nI agree with the conclusion that self-diagnosis is a real issue, and I wouldn't be surprised if the data indicated it was on the rise. I wouldn't necessarily frame it as a simple desire to \"be victimized\" however. While it is purely speculation, I do believe there are a number of conditions which might lead towards a more frequent experience of symptoms associated with mental illness - a rising wealth gap, perpetual anxiety from a 24-hour news cycle, intensification of self-commodification, the student debt crisis in certain countries like the US, and so on. So people are experiencing symptoms like low energy, mood swings, etc. that can be associated with mental illness. The issue with self-diagnosis then becomes that it may correctly identify the symptom, but incorrectly identify the cause.\nThis video from the YouTuber HealthyGamerGG does a good job of explaining what some of the issues with self-diagnosis are, and for me it was a good starting place for thinking about this more. \nEDIT: I forgot this video literally starts with this same topic being brought up on this same subreddit lol", ">\n\nA great theory based on reasonable causes with an educational video from a psychologist(I assume) as evidence to back it up. I applaud you sir. 👏", ">\n\nWhy are you embarrassed by other people's issues?", ">\n\nI’m a 30yo male. If I had not first self diagnosed with ASD and OCD, I never would have found the language and resources to get a formal diagnosis and help.\nPrior generations have been so fixated on avoidance of diagnosing mental disorders, and research was previously so lacking that we are only just now (through those that do get diagnosed) realizing how common mental disorders are. That plus the lack of mental health resources for neurotypical and neurodivergent I think is how we end up in this situation of many recognizing their symptoms in the new discourse, but lacking the resources to overcome the barriers to proper diagnosis and treatment.", ">\n\nIt’s not the best thing, no. \nAs an adult FINALLY diagnosed (by a licensed therapist) at 41, I can tell you why ‘self diagnosis’ is so tempting. \nIn the US at least- mental health, and official medical diagnosis are almost completely inaccessible, especially as an adult. Most of us grew up before Autism was a spectrum, and ADHD was just boys who acted out in class. We felt like aliens. We couldn’t understand why we didn’t have many friends, or why we didn’t like the ‘right things’, and generally spend the bill of our lives feeling ‘wrong’, ‘broken’ or just simply like we didn’t belong. \nFinally understanding the WHY, and even better, finding tools to addresses our issues is a huge huge weight off the chest. The relief of having a name and a strategy- either therapy or medicine is such an amazing relief!!", ">\n\nI only kinda agree if I had not done my own research I would have never found out I have sjorgens syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis I know TikTok people tend to diagnose themselves and it makes it look cringe but when you live with a incurable illness sometimes you have to work to find a diagnosis", ">\n\nWell, what do you do of you absolutely know you're neurodivergent, but your parents decided not to get you checked? My mom once told me \"we knew you had something, we just didn't get you checked because they would have just put you on pills\". So I struggled with being different, socially unaware, impulsive, obnoxious, agressive, selfish, for the better part of my life without having the self awareness to understand why I was these things, and why people wouldn't want to be around me. \nIn my late 20''s I asked the question, what if I'm actually autistic? I looked up the symptoms, and 9/10 matched. As a child I couldn't handle loud noises, restrictive clothing, I didn't talk until I was 3. I would throw fits for seemingly no reason, I had obsessive interests. I've always really struggled with eye contact, and I never cared for conversation unless it was something I liked. I mean, when the final piece of a puzzle fits so incredibly well, it's really hard for it to be wrong. \nSelf diagnosing actually really helped me grow as aj individual. I became aware of all my divergent behaviors, and why it might be annoying for someone else to deal with. I came to the realization that I was the one who was different, therefore I needed to change. It's way harder to make everyone around you cater to your needs than to overcome the things that upset you. I'm at peace, I have good friends that I can connect with on a pretty deep level. I no longer smash coffee tables when I lose, I can now appreciate that if I lose it just means I have more to learn. I can keep my house clean, I can reasonably hold myself accountable. What exactly is the harm in all that?\nBesides, it would be pretty pointless for me to try and get a diagnosis now, I've put the effort in and largely come out the other side. Anyone diagnosing me would just say I was normal, but they wouldn't have the intimate knowledge of me that I do. I guess it doesn't matter if people don't believe me, I don't go around shouting that I'm autistic. I will say, it would be really nice if people appreciated the effort I put in to get to get to a place of normalcy, something others take for granted, but it's okay, we all have our struggles.", ">\n\nI feel you on all that. To play devil's advocate, mental healthcare in the U.S. is not cheap. Many people go to the internet and confirm their bias about their current health", ">\n\nI feel you on that too OP. I agree 100% with your entire statement.", ">\n\nIt's a problem, but not a new one. In the 1990s there was briefly a surge of people with a type of delusional parasitosis, that is, the false belief that they were infested with parasites. Except this one was supposedly an infestation with tiny fibres. They would come to doctors with a whole list of symptoms to back up their incorrect self-diagnosis.\nTo a certain extent, these are social contagions, which come and go, and often actually end up leading to people having real problems. Like, the young women you mention, a couple of decades ago may well have ended up with anorexia, or self-cutting. These days it might be a self-declaration of autism or a belief that they have gender dysphoria or that they have multiple systems living in their minds.", ">\n\nWow I did not know that. Maybe it’s just so prevalent today due to social media. Social media has only made these things worse imo", ">\n\nEven before it being self diagnosis of a mental illness it was always something. Remember all the emo and goth teenager?", ">\n\nIt depends on the context. For example, if they've done a substantial amount of research, can name a good amount of symptoms they have and reasons they have whatever mental illness and don't have access to the necessary tools to get a medical diagnosis, it's totally different. Some people don't have the money to go out and get a diagnosis, or sometimes it would be better to not get a medical diagnosis. I believe that the reason that a lot of people self diagnose themselves with things like Autism is because they want an explanation as to why they are different, and they could be right or wrong. I think the most important part is that if you go to a psychologist (or even two, I know a lot of people prefer getting second opinions) and they say you don't have it, that you need to admit you were wrong. It's ok to be wrong about your mental health, and the key is to keep looking and to not give up. I can completely understand the frustration in people completely missing how difficult it actually may be to have a mental illness. I was clinically diagnosed with Depression, Anxiety, and PTSD when I was seven, and I've had some experience with people faking mental disorders for attention, and more often then not, they have another mental disorder that needs attention. Recently I had a (now ex) boyfriend insist he had PTSD after being tested twice and the psychiatrist saying that he didn't have it. What he does have is Depression and Anxiety, but he absolutely insisted he has PTSD despite never exhibiting symptoms and the only evidence being a test he took online that was supposedly a \"real PTSD test.\" People faking mental illnesses only harms people who really have them, as these people tend to exaggerate symptoms and use their self diagnosis for attention. I believe that I am autistic, but I don't list it as a diagnosis because while I have read articles and taken the RAADS-r test, I don't have an official diagnosis, and I could very well be wrong. As for women faking illnesses more often, something I've noticed is that things like Autism, ADHD, ADD, etc are more often diagnosed in boys rather than girls- mostly because when they were first discovered, most of the research was done in boys. Autism shows up differently in girls, and can often be blown off as early puberty hormones. If their hyperfixations are those of stereotypical feminine things, it's just a girl liking whatever, and if they hyperfixate in stereotypical masculine interests, they tend to just be viewed as weird, but not autistic. It's normal for people to question, but I agree that to a certain point, self diagnosis can be harmful, but only if not done correctly.", ">\n\nFirst and foremost not a new problem at all, very common, we used to call it \"Being a hypochondriac\" until it aparrently became reconized which in it self is confusing and a bit contradictory.\nANYWAY\nIt isnt really a problem, no doctor is gonna write the perscription for medication without a diagnosis of some sort.\nAt most there is the vauge \"But what about those who actually have it who arent taken serious\" dont worry, we wouldnt have anyway. Thats kinda how invisible illnesses work.\nOverall the 101 hypochondriacs screaming about the symptoms they read in the ICD might help make the knowledge more common and help people better reconize if their colleagues or friends happen to show symptoms of something.", ">\n\nIt’s pretty expensive in the US to get diagnosed. Personally, I’ve self diagnosed myself out of frustration of the way I process things. I’ve always felt slow & my anxiety/depression was deep because of it, but I was raised in a family that doesn’t believe in mental illness. It was always “if you work hard enough, all your problems will go away”. Meanwhile, i was racking my brain on how to make myself think faster/smarter & it would result in psychotic episodes. I’ve gotten fired from jobs, dropped out of school. I started self harming because I hated myself and my brain & almost commit suicide bc I had no idea what was going on.\nThe relief I felt once I finally got a therapist who validated me & was the first to talk to me about mental Illness. It blew my mind and all of a sudden things actually made sense to me. I currently think I have ADD, and sometimes I’ll tell people that but will preface it by saying I’m not professionally diagnosed. Still, I use mental tools that help me get through the day and build my confidence. I’m a lot better at processing conversations, making lists that help me remember things, unmasking, slowing down my thoughts… etc. I’m less frustrated and can see the beauty in how I process things. I still want to get diagnosed but I have to get health insurance….. lol", ">\n\nSelf diagnosis, regardless of being factual is a process where the individual realizes that they might have a mental health issue. People who can do this are more likely to seek professional help compared to the people who think they are “fine”. Going to a professional, licensed psychologist or a psychiatrist will eventually diagnose them with the correct disorder from there, and professionals have the skills to communicate with them and they can together evaluate if the person’s complaint is the issue or not. There is nothing embarrassing about discovering one’s self. It would be a problem if people would identify with an issue and don’t have any willingness to seek help. Sometimes overreacting is better than not reacting.", ">\n\nThe majority of people who are self-diagnosed with autism have done extensive research into it to come to that conclusion. I personally went through the DSM criteria with a fine-tooth comb, made a list of all the ways I met it and discovered that there’s not a single criteria i don’t meet for autism. I didn’t read about anything else but autism for weeks, approaching it from all angles before coming to the conclusion that it’s highly unlikely I am not autistic. I’m waiting to hear back about an assessment, but I’m not waiting to go and be told something I already know before I start advocating for myself. \nOh, and I absolutely did not want to be ‘different’, in fact my life mission to just blend in and be average is the root cause of most of my problems, but here we are.", ">\n\nThis self diagnosing young people do isn’t the problem. The problem is that our society encourages it.\nOur culture is not set up to accommodate a wide spectrum of human needs. You may need things that I don’t. I may need things that you don’t. But in most business settings, academic settings, or even places like restaurants or leisure places, the world isn’t built to accommodate everyone. Our world and society is a “one size fits all” approach, and most people don’t fit snugly inside of that system. \nIf you can classify what is “wrong” or “different” about you into an easily digestible form, people are generally more able and more willing to accommodate you.\nFor example: if I tell my coworkers that I need to leave work early because of a headache, I’ll be shamed for it. And in some cases I’ll be told that “headaches aren’t that bad!” Or “You don’t need to leave.” Or “I have a headache too, just deal with it!”\nBut if I tell my workers that I need to leave due to a painful neurological condition that’s flaring up (I have chronic migraine, which is a neurological condition), they will respect it 100% of the time. It’s met with sympathy and not criticism.\nThis happens for all sorts of things. “Sorry Im late, I slept in.” Sounds a lot worse then, “sorry I’m late, my insomnia has been terrible lately.” \nOur culture forces us to use these labels even when they’re untrue just to receive sympathy or acceptance. The problem isn’t people who decide to use these labels, the root problem is that our society refuses to embrace and accommodate people who are outside of the “norm.”", ">\n\nSpeaking as someone who's had an autism diagnosis since age 7: if someone declares they're autistic when they're not, that's obnoxious at worst. If someone is told they're not autistic when they are, that can cause lifelong harm from denied care and understanding. I have seen this happen to a close friend of mine.\nTherefore, I'd much rather err on the side of acceptance. If you think you're defending me and others like me from impersonators, we'd rather not have your help.\n\nI know people will disagree but it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women. Women statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nCase in point: women are diagnosed with autism far less than men. Recent studies have pointed to decades of systematic misdiagnosis. The more visible autistic symptoms sometimes manifest differently in girls, the way they're socialized may help them hide it from a young age, and of course lots of doctors just say \"your daughter can't be autistic, that's a boy thing.\"\nWe're learning that there are hundreds of thousands of autistic women who slipped through the cracks and were denied the recognition and support they needed because of dismissive, gatekeeping attitudes just like yours.", ">\n\nThere’s a difference between having a disorder and relating to a disorder. If the tools or language associated with a disorder helps someone live better though then cool, it’s all still odd. Also autism presents differently in woman, and a majority of our research on it is on men. Best practice is probably to support them and encourage them to seek treatment.", ">\n\nAutism is severely misdiagnosed in women. Completely under diagnosed. Actually, plenty of things are. The actual problem that we have is parents refusing to let their children get professional help or a diagnosis. Most doctors will diagnose you with BPD as a woman(aka the new female hysteria of our century), maybe put you on some anti psychotics and send you your way. In most countries, a diagnosis/specialist is not readily available, or there is a long waiting list. Even so, the doctors are not know it all. I have seen plenty of doctors, I got different diagnosis almost each time. They ask you some general questions (about your mood, the way you sleep, if you can concentrate, if you harm yourself, if you have suicidal ideation, if you can socialize properly, if your parents were diagnosed with anything, if you have hallucinations or delusions, the works) and then based on that, they will give you a diagnosis. If you use your common sense and information on the internet (given you are knowledgeable on the subject), you can take a good guess on what's wrong. Obviously, some people will exaggerate like with anything (seeing the shadow dude once in your childhood is not a sign of psychosis, neither is hearing your name called when you are alone once in a blue moon), but if you have visual and auditory hallucinations, perhaps weird tactile feelings/hallucinations (spiders are crawling on me, etc), delusions, tend to be forgetful and out of teach with reality, there is a good chance you do have psychosis.", ">\n\nOkay, to start: what do you think autism and ADHD are? They aren't mental illnesses nor are they mental health conditions. \nTo address some of your other points; \nStudies have shown that autism has a gender expression of 1:1. The only reason that women are under diagnosed is because of misunderstandings towards autism, then the diagnosis is conducted incorrectly. Thus it ends up getting conflated with mental illness, E.G BPD, and is diagnosed as a psychiatric disorder instead. This is a detriment to the patient as the care regimes are black and white different. Often times this severely damages the woman.\nFrom data sets that I recall reading, malingering hasn't risen much, if at all, in recent times. I remember it being around 8% of the global population who are engaging in this behaviour, to different extents. I think what's happened is that social media has turned a torch onto it and it's risen in popularity in an algorithmic way. You see it more because it's pushed by the algorithm more because people are searching for it more. It isn't actually occurring any more or less than historically. Most of that attention is negative attention, I should add. \nSo there's two things to take away from that.\n1) The actual act of pretending to be mentally ill, or to have a disability, which is called malingering, is in fact a form of mental unwellness itself. It's a cry for help. The people who do these things are usually very unstable and should be treated with a degree of empathy. The dangerous types who are using mental illness to scam others, or to manipulate them, make up a very small percentage of the overall amount of people in that group and tend to abuse one on one. \n2) The predominant response to this is generally negative. There isn't really any reason to publicly malinger unless you're unstable, this is because a rational person would likely know this, and know the damage it would cause themselves. Self-diagnosis is a very long, and self-aware, process that takes place over years of the individuals life, and proceeds official diagnosis. \nNo one SDs and says \"Okay that's it now! Let me start a TikTok!\" You'd still want support, and you'd still seek support. So that would end up with a doctor, who would see that you're lying, and treat you for whatever was prompting you to malinger. Anyone who has made this commitment knows that keeping it private is a sensible thing to do in a world that isn't inclusive, and often very stigmatising. Sometimes official diagnosis can take YEARS. \nThis kind of propaganda has been going around for a long time in an effort to discredit disabled people and people with mental illnesses. It's not new. People said the same things back in the 90s. People will always be afraid, and dismissive, of things they do not understand. I invite you to try and understand.", ">\n\nI self-diagnosed myself with endometriosis for 10 years before a doctor finally listened to me, opened me up, and found my insides littered with lesions all over my organs. I’m now not able to get pregnant and I might need to get part of my bowel taken out someday. This could’ve been avoided if someone had just listened to me when I was 16. \nSelf-diagnosing is a necessity in a misogynist world! No one takes us seriously! Especially medical professionals. \nThe best antidote for this is to listen to women who self-diagnose. Why do they think they have XYZ? Is it heavily interfering with their life? I think that’s a much larger problem.", ">\n\nIts been proven that there is a bias to diagnose as opposed to not diagnose a mental illness in psychology. So op is actually kinda correct. The definition of a mental illness is in effect being stretched so far that people who are just kinda weird are being diagnosed with \"on the spectrum\". This is actually causing a problem in early learning because parents start treating their kids as essentially learning challenged when they're really not. So it is starting to become an excuse ...", ">\n\nWe live in a society that loves to medicate people. I know it’s different but Did ppl forget about the opioid epidemic? They’ll diagnose your ass with anything if they can", ">\n\nYa I tend to agree. And no one is really saying so I will I guess, but id wager that 50% of psychologist \"professionals\" are totally full of shit. The actual number of psychologists that are are doing real research and clinical studies is EXTREMELY small compared to how many \"psychologists\" are out there. Just like chiropractors, half of them are hacks..", ">\n\nAnd ill say one more thing, though it is anecdotal, but i have direct family that works in special education for young children, and that system is fucked with a capital F. Thay are constantly fighting against parents and programs who try to box kids in the \"autistic\" zone, when they are just really quite or shy, or have pee problems. But parents want an excuse and reason for their behavior, and reduce them to a sub standard education and treatment for the rest of their lives. It's heart breaking. Especially in public schools.", ">\n\nI’m 32 years old. \nI didn’t self diagnose for attention although I remember the days of tumblr where everyone self diagnosed for clout.\nIt took me a decade to realize what is really happening. During the decade before I realized what may have been happening I was told the following:\nI’m rude\nI’m bossy\nI have a RBF/I look mad\nI also only managed to make my first real friend at age 27.\nWhat I was really displaying was:\nBeing overly blunt and just trying to get my point across came off rude when I didn’t intend it to be that way\nTrying to have things done at a certain time and way that no one else thought was important to follow\nUnmasking\nNoticed other things too that I just thought was me being weird:\nVocal stimming\nOral stimming-chewing, smoking, vaping\nRepetitive motions\nRocking\nEasily overwhelmed by too much sensory input\nHigh startle reflex \nInability to regulate my body’s needs-I don’t know I’m hungry until I’m ravenous; don’t recognize the need to use the bathroom until it’s causing me to rush off, don’t realize I’m cold until I’m shaking\nI could go on.\nI want an assessment so bad. But assessments for adults are EXTREMELY hard to setup, if you can even set them up at all. Some states don’t even offer them. I’ve been looking but they are only for children and seem to look for severe cases.\n14 years of thinking I was just a bitch who couldn’t make friends because I was too weird…turns out it might be autism. And turns out I’ll most likely never get a true diagnosis. But the RAADS test gave me a 127 score so that might be the closest I’ll ever get.", ">\n\ni kind of self diagnosed autism? i’ve been to many psychiatrists and therapists for years and they always see adhd in the half an hour and prescribe meds for that, which makes me not go there again. if they dug a little deeper they could have seen autism, i spoke to my current psychiatrist about if its possible i have it, she didn’t want to confirm or deny as i was moving out of state from friends and family and am at an age where i can have kids in the next 10 years since she doesn’t want me being concerned for them. \nI think there’s still lots of stigma around autism even with professionals and especially when identifying it in women. \nI don’t want to be autistic, but i can recognise a lot of different patterns comparing myself and others. I’ve researched it a ton especially in how it shows in women compared to men and in all the articles i found myself relating.\nNow i don’t say im autistic, i say im a little sus of being it tho lmao. and try pass it off casually. I find it’s a lot easier for me to understand and embrace my differences compared to trying to hide it and try be like everyone else or wonder why im not like everyone else. \nBeing older i can also recognise how a lot of my family on one side have suffered mentally and because of obvious neurodivergence. so im pretty sure, like the rest of my mentally challenged brain, has been inherited genetically through that side. \nAll that being said. I self diagnosed when i was about 12 that im highly likely to be depressed and anxious in attempt to get my mom to believe me i needed help, and now 8 years later i can identify that this has been an issue forever for me and that i likely cannot go off my meds because i will just go back to how i used to be. Im still ocd with all my meds, but its better than being anxious and depressed all the time, Having ocd throughout the day is like heaven to me in comparison to how i used to be. obviously the ocd isnt new, just a lot more heard in my brain now.", ">\n\nOk, I know some people self diagnoze themselves with [insert some mental illness here] out of attention or whatever, and that's totally not ok.\nHowever, if you read all the symptoms and do proper research on a mental illness and everything clicks in to you, I'd say you can be fairly confident on a self diagnosis (although, it might be worth it to double check with a professional, especially if you want any sort of treatment). But also for some people, it might not be affordable to go to a professional...", ">\n\nI live in Canada, I've engaged with the medical system, doctors don't care and just want you out, ERs are a 8 hour wait for someone to ignore one thing and won't even entertain other issues even if they are related. Self-diagnosis is really the only way to get any kind of proper treatment at all. \nThe doctors will rubber stamp just about anything you ask for except pain killers but in terms of diagnosis you're way better off doing it yourself, sure you don't have 8 years of medical school but the doctors won't give you 5 mins of their time, they are not better than google and you give a lot more of a shit than they will and at the end of the day it's your body.", ">\n\nBack in the 90s when I was a teenager, the kids/teenagers/young adults who wanted attention, and wanted to be different, adopted the goth lifestyle. Dressing up in all black. White foundation with black lipstick and eyeshadow. It was the trendy way to be different, to be viewed as outcasts of society. To not fit in. \nThe goth lifestyle of the 2020s is self diagnosis. Same shit, different day.\nWhenever someone claims autism, or somewhere on the spectrum, I just roll my eyes and imagine that person just sucks at life.", ">\n\nI just think it’s a little more harmful nowadays due to the prevalence of social media. Ppl get sucked into groups and mindsets before they even have a real life chance. Then they hyper fixate on that they might be mentally Ill rather then just trying to live life to the fullest", ">\n\nI 100% agree with you", ">\n\nBecause it's the age of spin this generation has something for everybody. And all of them are Google doctors. Lol", ">\n\nTook my uncle till he was 38 even thought it was apparent to everyone. Hell he got expelled from two schools", ">\n\nI get what you're saying. I frankly find it weird that more people don't find this weird. People self-diagnosing themselves as all kinds of things not only completely misrepresents the actual conditions, thereby making people even more confused as to what they actually are and how they present, but also leads people to run to a psychiatrist claiming false symptoms and getting medication for something they don't have, which is NOT a good thing. People should never be taking medication unless it is necessary. We are a heavily over-medicated society and this is a big factor in that. Caffeine to wake up in the morning, \"immuno-boosters\" and mood stabilizers during the day, sleeping pills to sleep at night. The caffeine and sleeping pills are addictive and can really mess up your circadian rhythm, and the mood stabilizers can really fuck you up if you don't need them. Instead of rushing to diagnose and medicate everyone, we need to educate them on human behavior and show them that their \"mental health\" problems are completely normal.\nOh, so you get nervous right before you make huge life decisions? That's not Anxiety Disorder, it's just anxiety.\nOh, you are really sad because your cat died? That's not Clinical Depression, you are just grieving.\nOh, you went from really happy to really sad when you were previously happy and something really shitty happened to you and soured your mood? That's not Bipolar Disorder, that's just life.\nOh, you like to be more organized than the people around you? That's not Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, you just like to be organized.\nPeople really misunderstand the nature of these conditions and it hinders our collective progress in treating them, like dramatically inflating the number of actual conditions in the population, making it increasingly more difficult to determine how common and how varied they are. After all, in most cases it is not the psychiatrist or psychologist who makes you better, you make you better. Medication can help and other people can show you the path to success, but the problem will never get solved unless you play an active role in the treatment. Some conditions can never be solved, only lessened, while others are virtually untreatable. We need to stop making these conditions seem cool. They aren't. They are serious and need to be taken seriously.", ">\n\nHeavily agree and I appreciate how well this comment is worded. Wish I coulda worded mine a little better", ">\n\nYa I saw you getting shredded in the comments and figured I'd sum it up for you. 🤣", ">\n\nLmao bro I didn’t expect this many. I was thinking maybe like 20 ppl would reply", ">\n\nYou need to self diagnose in many cases in order to get adequate help.", ">\n\nI knew when I had ADD and IBS, and I was able to get my suspicions confirmed by my respective doctors. Doctors are there to help the patients understand themselves, whereas the patients have to go home every day and live with what they actually have. Do not be so quick to judge." ]

[ "The diagnosis process for a lot of psychiatric conditions are surveys and questionaires. You can go to a psychiatrist and ask if you're anxious and they'll give you multiple choice questions and diagnose off of that. Or you can just google the form yourself and self diagnose. A lot of psychiatric disorders are about how we feel and think. Not about sending off some blood sample to a lab and getting a positive result come back.\n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. For such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nWhat you're describing are all neuroses that could indicate some deeper psychiatric condition. Whether a person has a mental health condition or not, thinking of ourselves as weak victims is never helpful in any context, yet it's something we all feel from time to time.\nI'm a disability support worker, so when someone tells me they've got a self diagnosed condition, it's not offensive to me or any disabled person I know, it doesn't come across like they're invalidating anyone else's condition. However I do think everyone should talk to a doctor about any condition they feel they might have.", ">\n\nPiggybacking off of this: You’ve spent your whole entire life inside your own brain. A therapist will spend a period of hours with you and give you a diagnosis. Who do you think knows your personal reality better than yourself?", ">\n\nYeah exactly, especially with conditions such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, PTSD, and many other psychiatric conditions. These are things people know they have even before they get a diagnosis. The diagnosis stage is more about treatment and management.\nPeople might be unaware of how severe or mild their condition is, some people think they have only mild PTSD despite constant nightmares and suicidal ideation. Some people will think they have severe ADHD because they can't concentrate for long times on things that don't interest them. It's good to get some perspective from experts but ultimately people know when they are struggling to focus or to struggling to stop stressing all the time or struggling to not be miserable. Struggling with our thoughts and feelings is evidence enough to self diagnose.", ">\n\nI was recently diagnosed with ADHD as a woman so I find this viewpoint interesting.\nFirstly, autism is not a mental illness. An autistic person may have mental illness in conjunction with autism, but autism alone lies under the neurodivergent umbrella. Neurodivergency can include autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and other similar conditions.\nWhy women are often underdiagnosed\nThese are serious disabilities that can really impede a person's life, especially if they struggle to find help and acceptance in their community. A lot of women start their journey towards diagnosis later in life due to a number of factors such as:\n\nPoor diagnostic tools and inexperienced professionals\nA misunderstanding that autism and ADHD are more common in boys\nAdvanced masking techniques to cover their 'traits'\n\nWhy women are often diagnosed later in life.\nThe process for many women and men who are diagnosed later in life often includes a level of burnout or breakdown. After a while everything becomes too much, the mask begins to slip and your traits go into overdrive.\nWhy does self-diagnosing seem to be on the rise?\nA common way of finding out you could possibly be neurodivergent is through media and people who are aware of these traits appear.\nIn the past few years, I have seen an increasing awareness of neurodivergence in women pop up in the media. This is useful for people like myself who had no idea wtf was wrong with them for a very long time. For me, a GP actually suggested I seek a diagnosis due to some struggles I was going through.\nAs someone who went through this process self-diagnosing is commonly the first step as an adult. You might be directed to a questionnaire and are asked to evaluate yourself and your experiences thinking back to your childhood. If there's some merit in your experiences than you move to the next step which involves seeking a professional. Waitlists are often months to years long so many people live in limbo for a long time.\nMethods of living with ADHD can help everyone. And everyone experiences ADHD traits from time to time. Given a large amount of stress we have all suffered collectively, I don't doubt there are a lot of people with increased mental health issues that mirror neurodivergent traits. Some mental illnesses can get very severe and alter your brain chemistry and behaviour.\nMy takeaway from this is that the mental health systems set up to assist these people are a much larger issue and cause for serious concern than self-diagnosing.\nApologies for the spelling and grammar errors. Grammarly and Reddit don't play nice.", ">\n\nI think it's two things. One, people have identity crises, especially teenagers. We all know that type of person who tries on identities like hats. That's pretty embarrassing. You usually grow out of that.\nTwo, from personal experience, giving yourself a label or a diagnosis makes it feel more contained and easy to communicate. It's easier to tell someone that you have X and have them understand what you're going through rather than telling them you have these vague symptoms resembling what you imagine X is like. In that respect, it is pretty understandable, possibly good, and not embarrassing. There's something that is sort of reassuring if you can finally get a word to put on what you're experiencing.\nPeople often sympathize with the diagnosis but not with the symptoms. Tell people at work you're autistic and they will sympathize with you and possibly not attack you. Tell them you do not understand social cues and they will probably just make fun of you.", ">\n\nI understand the desire to put a label with a disease, and this is not necessarily bad, but the diagnosis needs to be correct. If you want to tell others that you are autistic or depressed; you must actually be those things. A person can almost never correctly assertion their disease, only their symptoms. People might better understand you if you say your autistic, but you may incorrectly understand and describe yourself. If one wishes to put a name with symptoms, they should find a doctor to pick the label", ">\n\nfor sure but unfortunately our medical system is a joke and even if you are experiencing very severe symptoms it can be nearly impossible to see a professional or take months on a waiting list.\nEven then a professional may be reluctant to slap a label on you for fear of what the consequences of that might be. I saw someone for a very long time who resisted any sort of actual diagnosis because the truth is that what I was experiencing didn't fit neatly into any of the boxes and pretty much belonged in this vague \"other\" category which isn't particularly helpful. Not to mention that misdiagnosis happens all the time even by professionals. \nI just think it is sort of understandable because I think a lot of stuff is kind of a spectrum anyway and just different levels of severity. Things can be really confusing and hard to nail down and thus communicate in a way that causes someone else to be understanding rather than judgemental.", ">\n\nAre you under the impression this is a new phenomenon? Because it's definitely not.\nPeople - especially young people! - crave identity. The world is a confusing place, knowing who you are makes it a little easier. Sometimes it's self-diagnosing mental illness or learning disabilities, or exploring sexual identity, or cliques, or subcultures. There's nothing embarrassing about it, it just is what it is.", ">\n\nIt’s ok to want to express individuality but not to the extent of totally destroying the definition of a real thing and making it hard for actual mentally Ill ppl to get a diagnosis. Why can’t people just accept that they’re different rather then giving themselves a label?", ">\n\npeople on TikTok claiming to have disorders that they don't doesn't affect the precision of psychiatrists diagnosing actual patients. There's no TikTok-said section in the DSM. Why do you think that it does?", ">\n\nIt just encourages more people to get diagnosed possibly skewing the meaning of the mental illness", ">\n\nSkewing it towards statistical accuracy? If people are actually diagnosed at higher rates, we have a better Guage of population-level mental illness, neurodivergency, etc. Better data is more usable, so that research actually means something actionable, ASIDE from the identity boost for young people.", ">\n\nI think what OP is driving at, but utterly failing to explain, is that they think that the fakers will be accommodated by the psychiatric system and diagnosed on the basis of fake symptoms. my sense is that isn't a problem but I don't have data.", ">\n\nDefinitely explained it a little better then I could lol", ">\n\nWhere do you see evidence of that? Any articles about fakers? How about a statistic? If not, it’s just a fear you seem to have.", ">\n\nI think the salient line here is this one:\n\nNeurologists were able to quickly determine that the subjects were not \nsuffering from Tourette's, but psychogenic tics driven by anxiety.", ">\n\nWomen are not born with less autism, but are much less likely to be diagnosed as children than boys. This is partly because boys generally have similar symptoms and behaviors. \nSo of course more women are self diagnosing autism, since their diagnoses were missed as children on a much higher rate.", ">\n\nAlright, I'm diagnosed OCD, PTSD, chronic depression. Diagnosed by a professional so I think I have some grounds to talk about this.\nFirst, let's tackle your women comment about autism. You see, I understand where you're coming from, but you lack the nuance of recognizing that mental illness, and illness in general, is heavily under-diagnosed in women. The medical culture is heavily favored towards men and is rampant with mysogyny, and that's not just me saying it as I've had medical professionals blatantly tell me it's a problem in the field when questioned about it. I've also had some tell me that it's just because women whine a lot, so yanno make of that statement what you will.\nNow that we've covered that let me address the self-diagnosing issue. So, do you want to know what my therapist thinks of self-diagnosing? Well, when I asked them about it they said that self-diagnosing is an important first step to seeking help. Psychiatrist said the same thing. It's normal, expected even, for people to self-diagnose their issues then seek help for them. You can't exactly just peer into someone's brain, no, that person has to tell you what they think is wrong and why they think it is. \nWhat you actually have a problem with is not self-diagnosis, but with people not seeking or not being able to get medical assistance and assuming they're right. You have a problem with people using these issues for attention, which I do too, but once again self-diagnosing is not the problem. Finally, you have a problem with the medical system that forces people into the position of trying to figure out their mental illnesses, but having no ability to get help for them.", ">\n\nI think I did it", ">\n\nSadly no lol, it was not done properly. Do you need a link to the rules?", ">\n\nI already read them i think I’ll figure it out in a bit sorry for the hold up", ">\n\nBecause everyone else is being aggressive: you have to comment with ∆ or !delta and then explain how your view has been changed", ">\n\nThis delta has been rejected. You can't award OP a delta.\nAllowing this would wrongly suggest that you can post here with the aim of convincing others.\nIf you were explaining when/how to award a delta, please use a reddit quote for the symbol next time.\n^Delta System Explained ^| ^Deltaboards", ">\n\nWhat gives you the authority or knowledge to know this is the problem?", ">\n\nYou don’t think it’s a problem that a lot of young ppl are willing to go to the extent of saying they are mentally Ill either for attention or to excuse their weirdness? Just accept that your different. It’s not wrong to believe you’re different without a label", ">\n\nYou did not even try to answer my question.", ">\n\nI’m sorry I was confused on what you meant", ">\n\nIf you are mad at people for self diagnosing themselves because they don't have the knowledge or authority to do so.... what gives you the knowledge or authority to diagnosis this as the problem behavior... basically are you just a kid that is annoyed, or is there some actual studies out there that is claiming this is a problem.", ">\n\nIf you don’t think that people consistently seeking attention for mental illness or craving a label so badly to justify themselves rather then being themselves. That just shows what your views are", ">\n\nDont you think we should leave the diagnosing to the professionals?", ">\n\nI mean yeah", ">\n\nWould you agree that you are diagnosing these people by saying that they are only seeking attention and do not have a real mental illness?", ">\n\nI’m assuming", ">\n\nThere may be some truth to people wanting to be different, however with mental illnesses being more accepted in today's society, many people are a lot more comfortable with being neurodivergent. Additionally, self diagnosis is common because the alternative is spending upwards to $1000-$2000 for a clinical diagnosis.", ">\n\nI know costs suck, but self diagnosis can be much more harmful. A web.md page that tells you your depressed when you may actually be bipolar can lead to really messed up results. I would even go as far as to say that no diagnosis at all is preferable to an uninformed one", ">\n\nWell.\n​\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad \n\nSo you already know why they're doing what they're doing in addition the fact that you know that they're not Autistic? If your claim is that they can't know and only a doctor can, what makes you more qualified? You start out your argument admitting that you have a bias.\n\nthey’re “neurodivergent.\n\nNeurodivergent is an umbrella that covers both Autism and ADHD, which sometimes get mistaken for each other. So if you're upset that they're self-diagnosing, this term should be more welcome than \"Autistic\" because it's more generalized.\n\nnd when you ask them how they know they’ll say “oh I have this weird tick when I uh laugh when someone says something funny “ or “I have a hyper fixation on this topic so I must be autistic\n\nHow else should they communicate it to you? The list of aspects of Autism, especially for how it presents in women, sounds a lot like this. You're not a doctor, they don't have to prove anything to you by going down the entire list of every possible part of their daily experience that might be on the spectrum.\n\nWomen statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nNope. Women are diagnosed less often than men because the original diagnostic criteria for Autism was for Autism as it presents in males. It presents differently for females and is harder to diagnose, especially at younger ages. \n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized\n\nTodays youth want to be victimized? Why would anyone want to be victimized? Something tells me you're missing the mark with this terminology.\n\nor have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. \n\nSo if someone is Autistic and that makes them weird, you'd rather them just be forced to not get to have a name for it, and get the therapeutic treatment that would help them?\n\nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really [are] without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nSome people are autistic. If they find out and it makes them feel good, that doesn't mean they're craving attention. And if they are craving attention, it's because they're normal people and everyone does. \nIf someone thinks they're autistic but it turns out they're actually not, chances are they suspected it for a reason. They might have ADHD, a personality disorder, a mental health issue, or simply a slightly different way of experiencing the world that feels unique to them and there's nothing wrong with that. \nYou seem to think that other people do things for you. People generally don't. They do things for themselves. This is especially true of people on the Autism Spectrum who may not be able to easily use other people's experiences to reference when constructing their view of the world, and can only use their own. Your interpretation wherein they do it to evoke a response from you says more about you than it does about them.", ">\n\nYou’re being deliberately obtuse. OP is completely correct. Most of the people these days who say “I’m ADHD” or “I’m autistic” or “I’m neurodivergent” are absolutely not diagnosed as such and are doing it to seem unique or get attention or as some excuse for why they did x y or z.", ">\n\nI'd like to point out that while some are perhaps attention seeking, many people self diagnose simply because they don't have access to free medical/psychological professionals to get proper diagnosis and help with their issues. I also know someone who doesn't want to get an official diagnosis because he's afrad it will affect his insurance rates or somehow come back to bite him if he's offically labeled with having a neurological disorder. \nThere is a wealth of knowledge on these subjects available online for those interested. And if they are truly interested in self diagnose they can likely do that accurately enough for all intents and purposes. Most of these people who search for the sake of better understanding themselves or their loved ones will openly admit that it's a self diagnoses, or say they THINK they have x,y, or z. But in some situations it's just as well to say they have it if they feel certain anyway, and it's just a passing comment, and not a discussion on the matter. \nIn other words, just because they self diagnose doesn't mean they're wrong, nor does it explain their motives. I also don't see how attention seeking (for those who ARE doing that) is really hurting anyone else. Fakers gonna be fake, that's more a \"them\" kind of problem. ANNOYING, but mostly harmless.", ">\n\nUnless you have a doctor's diagnosis you don't have the disorder. Even if you are broke there are programs to help with costs. \nAnd yes it does affect me when someone is treating me like shit and tries using the I have such and such as an excuse and then people get mad at ME for calling them in their bullshit.", ">\n\nNo. You have to have the disorder before you CAN be diagnosed, so obviously there are undiagnosed people who in fact \"have the disorder \". Your refusal to acknowledge an undiagnosed disorder does not mean they don't have it. Your personal experience with people supposedly using a fake diagnosis to treat you badly, sounds unusual. How do you know they DIDN'T have it? People who do lie and just want to be jerks will do that regardless of what methods they decide to try. The methods are irrelevant. And that motive is not typical of most self diagnosers .", ">\n\nSounds unusual? You must not get out a lot because it's become a pretty regular thing. Every single person I know (about 8) that have self diagnosed themselves as neurodivergent or with a mental illness like Bi-polar all use it to excuse their shitty ass behaviors. \nToo many disorders can mirror other ones. Just because they think they have 2/3 symptoms doesn't make them right by a long shot. Keep living in your bubble.", ">\n\nYou don't have to have a relationship with anyone. If they treat you badly, regardless of an official diagnosis or not, you don't have to tolerate them. It makes no difference what they have or don't have. What would it change if they got diagnosed and actually have it?", ">\n\nSelf diagnosing has been a thing forever\nAnd it's not a problem im 99% sure me or any other autistic person doesn't really give 2 fucks about people who wanna fake disorders. It doesn't stop us from getting help, we have doctors notes, medical files, sometimes even volunteers, you need those files to get into let's say a special education class, or a life skills course.\nSo unless you were diagnosed by a professional you're probably not gonna make it far faking it.\n(Excuse my shitty punctuation)", ">\n\nIt doesn’t bother you that they’re making others take the actual meaning away from what you were born with? I mean I’m sure autism hasn’t made your life easy and seeing ppl claim it for attention to be quirky probably has to annoy you a little right?", ">\n\nAt the end of the day I still have ADHD and I still need help with it. More people being diagnosed with it doesn’t change that fact. In fact I was diagnosed because I realized I related to so many tiktok memes, and I’m sure others are in my same boat. \nIn fact I think so many people talking about ADHD helps. It means more people who possibly have tips for me, people who are suffering who can’t afford treatment have an easy way to learn about how to improve their lives, and more people who are aware of my disorder.", ">\n\nI think people do diagnose themselves too often without seeking professional help. BUT mental illness is not the same as being neurodivergent.", ">\n\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad that they’ll go as far to say they’re “neurodivergent.”\n\nWhile this is the case, I don't really see how it's a \"problem\" per se. I guarantee that these people still make lifestyle decisions based on what they think is best, or based on what they want to do.\n\nbut it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women\n\nDo you have any statistics for that? I haven't experienced it that way in my own anecdotal experience, and I'd be curious to look into the data to see how much that truly does skew in that direction.\n\nwanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness \nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nI understand what you're trying to say here, but I don't really think these things are connected as much as you think they are. People see something wrong with themselves, so they either playfully or seriously consider the fact that it could be a condition that they have similar symptoms to. Not that it never happens, but just because someone categorizes themselves into a disability group that could potentially excuse their \"quirks\", doesn't mean they think that behavior is unacceptable in any way. People see a problem, and assume it's linked to this other issue that seems similar that they already know about.", ">\n\nI agree with the conclusion that self-diagnosis is a real issue, and I wouldn't be surprised if the data indicated it was on the rise. I wouldn't necessarily frame it as a simple desire to \"be victimized\" however. While it is purely speculation, I do believe there are a number of conditions which might lead towards a more frequent experience of symptoms associated with mental illness - a rising wealth gap, perpetual anxiety from a 24-hour news cycle, intensification of self-commodification, the student debt crisis in certain countries like the US, and so on. So people are experiencing symptoms like low energy, mood swings, etc. that can be associated with mental illness. The issue with self-diagnosis then becomes that it may correctly identify the symptom, but incorrectly identify the cause.\nThis video from the YouTuber HealthyGamerGG does a good job of explaining what some of the issues with self-diagnosis are, and for me it was a good starting place for thinking about this more. \nEDIT: I forgot this video literally starts with this same topic being brought up on this same subreddit lol", ">\n\nA great theory based on reasonable causes with an educational video from a psychologist(I assume) as evidence to back it up. I applaud you sir. 👏", ">\n\nWhy are you embarrassed by other people's issues?", ">\n\nI’m a 30yo male. If I had not first self diagnosed with ASD and OCD, I never would have found the language and resources to get a formal diagnosis and help.\nPrior generations have been so fixated on avoidance of diagnosing mental disorders, and research was previously so lacking that we are only just now (through those that do get diagnosed) realizing how common mental disorders are. That plus the lack of mental health resources for neurotypical and neurodivergent I think is how we end up in this situation of many recognizing their symptoms in the new discourse, but lacking the resources to overcome the barriers to proper diagnosis and treatment.", ">\n\nIt’s not the best thing, no. \nAs an adult FINALLY diagnosed (by a licensed therapist) at 41, I can tell you why ‘self diagnosis’ is so tempting. \nIn the US at least- mental health, and official medical diagnosis are almost completely inaccessible, especially as an adult. Most of us grew up before Autism was a spectrum, and ADHD was just boys who acted out in class. We felt like aliens. We couldn’t understand why we didn’t have many friends, or why we didn’t like the ‘right things’, and generally spend the bill of our lives feeling ‘wrong’, ‘broken’ or just simply like we didn’t belong. \nFinally understanding the WHY, and even better, finding tools to addresses our issues is a huge huge weight off the chest. The relief of having a name and a strategy- either therapy or medicine is such an amazing relief!!", ">\n\nI only kinda agree if I had not done my own research I would have never found out I have sjorgens syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis I know TikTok people tend to diagnose themselves and it makes it look cringe but when you live with a incurable illness sometimes you have to work to find a diagnosis", ">\n\nWell, what do you do of you absolutely know you're neurodivergent, but your parents decided not to get you checked? My mom once told me \"we knew you had something, we just didn't get you checked because they would have just put you on pills\". So I struggled with being different, socially unaware, impulsive, obnoxious, agressive, selfish, for the better part of my life without having the self awareness to understand why I was these things, and why people wouldn't want to be around me. \nIn my late 20''s I asked the question, what if I'm actually autistic? I looked up the symptoms, and 9/10 matched. As a child I couldn't handle loud noises, restrictive clothing, I didn't talk until I was 3. I would throw fits for seemingly no reason, I had obsessive interests. I've always really struggled with eye contact, and I never cared for conversation unless it was something I liked. I mean, when the final piece of a puzzle fits so incredibly well, it's really hard for it to be wrong. \nSelf diagnosing actually really helped me grow as aj individual. I became aware of all my divergent behaviors, and why it might be annoying for someone else to deal with. I came to the realization that I was the one who was different, therefore I needed to change. It's way harder to make everyone around you cater to your needs than to overcome the things that upset you. I'm at peace, I have good friends that I can connect with on a pretty deep level. I no longer smash coffee tables when I lose, I can now appreciate that if I lose it just means I have more to learn. I can keep my house clean, I can reasonably hold myself accountable. What exactly is the harm in all that?\nBesides, it would be pretty pointless for me to try and get a diagnosis now, I've put the effort in and largely come out the other side. Anyone diagnosing me would just say I was normal, but they wouldn't have the intimate knowledge of me that I do. I guess it doesn't matter if people don't believe me, I don't go around shouting that I'm autistic. I will say, it would be really nice if people appreciated the effort I put in to get to get to a place of normalcy, something others take for granted, but it's okay, we all have our struggles.", ">\n\nI feel you on all that. To play devil's advocate, mental healthcare in the U.S. is not cheap. Many people go to the internet and confirm their bias about their current health", ">\n\nI feel you on that too OP. I agree 100% with your entire statement.", ">\n\nIt's a problem, but not a new one. In the 1990s there was briefly a surge of people with a type of delusional parasitosis, that is, the false belief that they were infested with parasites. Except this one was supposedly an infestation with tiny fibres. They would come to doctors with a whole list of symptoms to back up their incorrect self-diagnosis.\nTo a certain extent, these are social contagions, which come and go, and often actually end up leading to people having real problems. Like, the young women you mention, a couple of decades ago may well have ended up with anorexia, or self-cutting. These days it might be a self-declaration of autism or a belief that they have gender dysphoria or that they have multiple systems living in their minds.", ">\n\nWow I did not know that. Maybe it’s just so prevalent today due to social media. Social media has only made these things worse imo", ">\n\nEven before it being self diagnosis of a mental illness it was always something. Remember all the emo and goth teenager?", ">\n\nIt depends on the context. For example, if they've done a substantial amount of research, can name a good amount of symptoms they have and reasons they have whatever mental illness and don't have access to the necessary tools to get a medical diagnosis, it's totally different. Some people don't have the money to go out and get a diagnosis, or sometimes it would be better to not get a medical diagnosis. I believe that the reason that a lot of people self diagnose themselves with things like Autism is because they want an explanation as to why they are different, and they could be right or wrong. I think the most important part is that if you go to a psychologist (or even two, I know a lot of people prefer getting second opinions) and they say you don't have it, that you need to admit you were wrong. It's ok to be wrong about your mental health, and the key is to keep looking and to not give up. I can completely understand the frustration in people completely missing how difficult it actually may be to have a mental illness. I was clinically diagnosed with Depression, Anxiety, and PTSD when I was seven, and I've had some experience with people faking mental disorders for attention, and more often then not, they have another mental disorder that needs attention. Recently I had a (now ex) boyfriend insist he had PTSD after being tested twice and the psychiatrist saying that he didn't have it. What he does have is Depression and Anxiety, but he absolutely insisted he has PTSD despite never exhibiting symptoms and the only evidence being a test he took online that was supposedly a \"real PTSD test.\" People faking mental illnesses only harms people who really have them, as these people tend to exaggerate symptoms and use their self diagnosis for attention. I believe that I am autistic, but I don't list it as a diagnosis because while I have read articles and taken the RAADS-r test, I don't have an official diagnosis, and I could very well be wrong. As for women faking illnesses more often, something I've noticed is that things like Autism, ADHD, ADD, etc are more often diagnosed in boys rather than girls- mostly because when they were first discovered, most of the research was done in boys. Autism shows up differently in girls, and can often be blown off as early puberty hormones. If their hyperfixations are those of stereotypical feminine things, it's just a girl liking whatever, and if they hyperfixate in stereotypical masculine interests, they tend to just be viewed as weird, but not autistic. It's normal for people to question, but I agree that to a certain point, self diagnosis can be harmful, but only if not done correctly.", ">\n\nFirst and foremost not a new problem at all, very common, we used to call it \"Being a hypochondriac\" until it aparrently became reconized which in it self is confusing and a bit contradictory.\nANYWAY\nIt isnt really a problem, no doctor is gonna write the perscription for medication without a diagnosis of some sort.\nAt most there is the vauge \"But what about those who actually have it who arent taken serious\" dont worry, we wouldnt have anyway. Thats kinda how invisible illnesses work.\nOverall the 101 hypochondriacs screaming about the symptoms they read in the ICD might help make the knowledge more common and help people better reconize if their colleagues or friends happen to show symptoms of something.", ">\n\nIt’s pretty expensive in the US to get diagnosed. Personally, I’ve self diagnosed myself out of frustration of the way I process things. I’ve always felt slow & my anxiety/depression was deep because of it, but I was raised in a family that doesn’t believe in mental illness. It was always “if you work hard enough, all your problems will go away”. Meanwhile, i was racking my brain on how to make myself think faster/smarter & it would result in psychotic episodes. I’ve gotten fired from jobs, dropped out of school. I started self harming because I hated myself and my brain & almost commit suicide bc I had no idea what was going on.\nThe relief I felt once I finally got a therapist who validated me & was the first to talk to me about mental Illness. It blew my mind and all of a sudden things actually made sense to me. I currently think I have ADD, and sometimes I’ll tell people that but will preface it by saying I’m not professionally diagnosed. Still, I use mental tools that help me get through the day and build my confidence. I’m a lot better at processing conversations, making lists that help me remember things, unmasking, slowing down my thoughts… etc. I’m less frustrated and can see the beauty in how I process things. I still want to get diagnosed but I have to get health insurance….. lol", ">\n\nSelf diagnosis, regardless of being factual is a process where the individual realizes that they might have a mental health issue. People who can do this are more likely to seek professional help compared to the people who think they are “fine”. Going to a professional, licensed psychologist or a psychiatrist will eventually diagnose them with the correct disorder from there, and professionals have the skills to communicate with them and they can together evaluate if the person’s complaint is the issue or not. There is nothing embarrassing about discovering one’s self. It would be a problem if people would identify with an issue and don’t have any willingness to seek help. Sometimes overreacting is better than not reacting.", ">\n\nThe majority of people who are self-diagnosed with autism have done extensive research into it to come to that conclusion. I personally went through the DSM criteria with a fine-tooth comb, made a list of all the ways I met it and discovered that there’s not a single criteria i don’t meet for autism. I didn’t read about anything else but autism for weeks, approaching it from all angles before coming to the conclusion that it’s highly unlikely I am not autistic. I’m waiting to hear back about an assessment, but I’m not waiting to go and be told something I already know before I start advocating for myself. \nOh, and I absolutely did not want to be ‘different’, in fact my life mission to just blend in and be average is the root cause of most of my problems, but here we are.", ">\n\nThis self diagnosing young people do isn’t the problem. The problem is that our society encourages it.\nOur culture is not set up to accommodate a wide spectrum of human needs. You may need things that I don’t. I may need things that you don’t. But in most business settings, academic settings, or even places like restaurants or leisure places, the world isn’t built to accommodate everyone. Our world and society is a “one size fits all” approach, and most people don’t fit snugly inside of that system. \nIf you can classify what is “wrong” or “different” about you into an easily digestible form, people are generally more able and more willing to accommodate you.\nFor example: if I tell my coworkers that I need to leave work early because of a headache, I’ll be shamed for it. And in some cases I’ll be told that “headaches aren’t that bad!” Or “You don’t need to leave.” Or “I have a headache too, just deal with it!”\nBut if I tell my workers that I need to leave due to a painful neurological condition that’s flaring up (I have chronic migraine, which is a neurological condition), they will respect it 100% of the time. It’s met with sympathy and not criticism.\nThis happens for all sorts of things. “Sorry Im late, I slept in.” Sounds a lot worse then, “sorry I’m late, my insomnia has been terrible lately.” \nOur culture forces us to use these labels even when they’re untrue just to receive sympathy or acceptance. The problem isn’t people who decide to use these labels, the root problem is that our society refuses to embrace and accommodate people who are outside of the “norm.”", ">\n\nSpeaking as someone who's had an autism diagnosis since age 7: if someone declares they're autistic when they're not, that's obnoxious at worst. If someone is told they're not autistic when they are, that can cause lifelong harm from denied care and understanding. I have seen this happen to a close friend of mine.\nTherefore, I'd much rather err on the side of acceptance. If you think you're defending me and others like me from impersonators, we'd rather not have your help.\n\nI know people will disagree but it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women. Women statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nCase in point: women are diagnosed with autism far less than men. Recent studies have pointed to decades of systematic misdiagnosis. The more visible autistic symptoms sometimes manifest differently in girls, the way they're socialized may help them hide it from a young age, and of course lots of doctors just say \"your daughter can't be autistic, that's a boy thing.\"\nWe're learning that there are hundreds of thousands of autistic women who slipped through the cracks and were denied the recognition and support they needed because of dismissive, gatekeeping attitudes just like yours.", ">\n\nThere’s a difference between having a disorder and relating to a disorder. If the tools or language associated with a disorder helps someone live better though then cool, it’s all still odd. Also autism presents differently in woman, and a majority of our research on it is on men. Best practice is probably to support them and encourage them to seek treatment.", ">\n\nAutism is severely misdiagnosed in women. Completely under diagnosed. Actually, plenty of things are. The actual problem that we have is parents refusing to let their children get professional help or a diagnosis. Most doctors will diagnose you with BPD as a woman(aka the new female hysteria of our century), maybe put you on some anti psychotics and send you your way. In most countries, a diagnosis/specialist is not readily available, or there is a long waiting list. Even so, the doctors are not know it all. I have seen plenty of doctors, I got different diagnosis almost each time. They ask you some general questions (about your mood, the way you sleep, if you can concentrate, if you harm yourself, if you have suicidal ideation, if you can socialize properly, if your parents were diagnosed with anything, if you have hallucinations or delusions, the works) and then based on that, they will give you a diagnosis. If you use your common sense and information on the internet (given you are knowledgeable on the subject), you can take a good guess on what's wrong. Obviously, some people will exaggerate like with anything (seeing the shadow dude once in your childhood is not a sign of psychosis, neither is hearing your name called when you are alone once in a blue moon), but if you have visual and auditory hallucinations, perhaps weird tactile feelings/hallucinations (spiders are crawling on me, etc), delusions, tend to be forgetful and out of teach with reality, there is a good chance you do have psychosis.", ">\n\nOkay, to start: what do you think autism and ADHD are? They aren't mental illnesses nor are they mental health conditions. \nTo address some of your other points; \nStudies have shown that autism has a gender expression of 1:1. The only reason that women are under diagnosed is because of misunderstandings towards autism, then the diagnosis is conducted incorrectly. Thus it ends up getting conflated with mental illness, E.G BPD, and is diagnosed as a psychiatric disorder instead. This is a detriment to the patient as the care regimes are black and white different. Often times this severely damages the woman.\nFrom data sets that I recall reading, malingering hasn't risen much, if at all, in recent times. I remember it being around 8% of the global population who are engaging in this behaviour, to different extents. I think what's happened is that social media has turned a torch onto it and it's risen in popularity in an algorithmic way. You see it more because it's pushed by the algorithm more because people are searching for it more. It isn't actually occurring any more or less than historically. Most of that attention is negative attention, I should add. \nSo there's two things to take away from that.\n1) The actual act of pretending to be mentally ill, or to have a disability, which is called malingering, is in fact a form of mental unwellness itself. It's a cry for help. The people who do these things are usually very unstable and should be treated with a degree of empathy. The dangerous types who are using mental illness to scam others, or to manipulate them, make up a very small percentage of the overall amount of people in that group and tend to abuse one on one. \n2) The predominant response to this is generally negative. There isn't really any reason to publicly malinger unless you're unstable, this is because a rational person would likely know this, and know the damage it would cause themselves. Self-diagnosis is a very long, and self-aware, process that takes place over years of the individuals life, and proceeds official diagnosis. \nNo one SDs and says \"Okay that's it now! Let me start a TikTok!\" You'd still want support, and you'd still seek support. So that would end up with a doctor, who would see that you're lying, and treat you for whatever was prompting you to malinger. Anyone who has made this commitment knows that keeping it private is a sensible thing to do in a world that isn't inclusive, and often very stigmatising. Sometimes official diagnosis can take YEARS. \nThis kind of propaganda has been going around for a long time in an effort to discredit disabled people and people with mental illnesses. It's not new. People said the same things back in the 90s. People will always be afraid, and dismissive, of things they do not understand. I invite you to try and understand.", ">\n\nI self-diagnosed myself with endometriosis for 10 years before a doctor finally listened to me, opened me up, and found my insides littered with lesions all over my organs. I’m now not able to get pregnant and I might need to get part of my bowel taken out someday. This could’ve been avoided if someone had just listened to me when I was 16. \nSelf-diagnosing is a necessity in a misogynist world! No one takes us seriously! Especially medical professionals. \nThe best antidote for this is to listen to women who self-diagnose. Why do they think they have XYZ? Is it heavily interfering with their life? I think that’s a much larger problem.", ">\n\nIts been proven that there is a bias to diagnose as opposed to not diagnose a mental illness in psychology. So op is actually kinda correct. The definition of a mental illness is in effect being stretched so far that people who are just kinda weird are being diagnosed with \"on the spectrum\". This is actually causing a problem in early learning because parents start treating their kids as essentially learning challenged when they're really not. So it is starting to become an excuse ...", ">\n\nWe live in a society that loves to medicate people. I know it’s different but Did ppl forget about the opioid epidemic? They’ll diagnose your ass with anything if they can", ">\n\nYa I tend to agree. And no one is really saying so I will I guess, but id wager that 50% of psychologist \"professionals\" are totally full of shit. The actual number of psychologists that are are doing real research and clinical studies is EXTREMELY small compared to how many \"psychologists\" are out there. Just like chiropractors, half of them are hacks..", ">\n\nAnd ill say one more thing, though it is anecdotal, but i have direct family that works in special education for young children, and that system is fucked with a capital F. Thay are constantly fighting against parents and programs who try to box kids in the \"autistic\" zone, when they are just really quite or shy, or have pee problems. But parents want an excuse and reason for their behavior, and reduce them to a sub standard education and treatment for the rest of their lives. It's heart breaking. Especially in public schools.", ">\n\nI’m 32 years old. \nI didn’t self diagnose for attention although I remember the days of tumblr where everyone self diagnosed for clout.\nIt took me a decade to realize what is really happening. During the decade before I realized what may have been happening I was told the following:\nI’m rude\nI’m bossy\nI have a RBF/I look mad\nI also only managed to make my first real friend at age 27.\nWhat I was really displaying was:\nBeing overly blunt and just trying to get my point across came off rude when I didn’t intend it to be that way\nTrying to have things done at a certain time and way that no one else thought was important to follow\nUnmasking\nNoticed other things too that I just thought was me being weird:\nVocal stimming\nOral stimming-chewing, smoking, vaping\nRepetitive motions\nRocking\nEasily overwhelmed by too much sensory input\nHigh startle reflex \nInability to regulate my body’s needs-I don’t know I’m hungry until I’m ravenous; don’t recognize the need to use the bathroom until it’s causing me to rush off, don’t realize I’m cold until I’m shaking\nI could go on.\nI want an assessment so bad. But assessments for adults are EXTREMELY hard to setup, if you can even set them up at all. Some states don’t even offer them. I’ve been looking but they are only for children and seem to look for severe cases.\n14 years of thinking I was just a bitch who couldn’t make friends because I was too weird…turns out it might be autism. And turns out I’ll most likely never get a true diagnosis. But the RAADS test gave me a 127 score so that might be the closest I’ll ever get.", ">\n\ni kind of self diagnosed autism? i’ve been to many psychiatrists and therapists for years and they always see adhd in the half an hour and prescribe meds for that, which makes me not go there again. if they dug a little deeper they could have seen autism, i spoke to my current psychiatrist about if its possible i have it, she didn’t want to confirm or deny as i was moving out of state from friends and family and am at an age where i can have kids in the next 10 years since she doesn’t want me being concerned for them. \nI think there’s still lots of stigma around autism even with professionals and especially when identifying it in women. \nI don’t want to be autistic, but i can recognise a lot of different patterns comparing myself and others. I’ve researched it a ton especially in how it shows in women compared to men and in all the articles i found myself relating.\nNow i don’t say im autistic, i say im a little sus of being it tho lmao. and try pass it off casually. I find it’s a lot easier for me to understand and embrace my differences compared to trying to hide it and try be like everyone else or wonder why im not like everyone else. \nBeing older i can also recognise how a lot of my family on one side have suffered mentally and because of obvious neurodivergence. so im pretty sure, like the rest of my mentally challenged brain, has been inherited genetically through that side. \nAll that being said. I self diagnosed when i was about 12 that im highly likely to be depressed and anxious in attempt to get my mom to believe me i needed help, and now 8 years later i can identify that this has been an issue forever for me and that i likely cannot go off my meds because i will just go back to how i used to be. Im still ocd with all my meds, but its better than being anxious and depressed all the time, Having ocd throughout the day is like heaven to me in comparison to how i used to be. obviously the ocd isnt new, just a lot more heard in my brain now.", ">\n\nOk, I know some people self diagnoze themselves with [insert some mental illness here] out of attention or whatever, and that's totally not ok.\nHowever, if you read all the symptoms and do proper research on a mental illness and everything clicks in to you, I'd say you can be fairly confident on a self diagnosis (although, it might be worth it to double check with a professional, especially if you want any sort of treatment). But also for some people, it might not be affordable to go to a professional...", ">\n\nI live in Canada, I've engaged with the medical system, doctors don't care and just want you out, ERs are a 8 hour wait for someone to ignore one thing and won't even entertain other issues even if they are related. Self-diagnosis is really the only way to get any kind of proper treatment at all. \nThe doctors will rubber stamp just about anything you ask for except pain killers but in terms of diagnosis you're way better off doing it yourself, sure you don't have 8 years of medical school but the doctors won't give you 5 mins of their time, they are not better than google and you give a lot more of a shit than they will and at the end of the day it's your body.", ">\n\nBack in the 90s when I was a teenager, the kids/teenagers/young adults who wanted attention, and wanted to be different, adopted the goth lifestyle. Dressing up in all black. White foundation with black lipstick and eyeshadow. It was the trendy way to be different, to be viewed as outcasts of society. To not fit in. \nThe goth lifestyle of the 2020s is self diagnosis. Same shit, different day.\nWhenever someone claims autism, or somewhere on the spectrum, I just roll my eyes and imagine that person just sucks at life.", ">\n\nI just think it’s a little more harmful nowadays due to the prevalence of social media. Ppl get sucked into groups and mindsets before they even have a real life chance. Then they hyper fixate on that they might be mentally Ill rather then just trying to live life to the fullest", ">\n\nI 100% agree with you", ">\n\nBecause it's the age of spin this generation has something for everybody. And all of them are Google doctors. Lol", ">\n\nTook my uncle till he was 38 even thought it was apparent to everyone. Hell he got expelled from two schools", ">\n\nI get what you're saying. I frankly find it weird that more people don't find this weird. People self-diagnosing themselves as all kinds of things not only completely misrepresents the actual conditions, thereby making people even more confused as to what they actually are and how they present, but also leads people to run to a psychiatrist claiming false symptoms and getting medication for something they don't have, which is NOT a good thing. People should never be taking medication unless it is necessary. We are a heavily over-medicated society and this is a big factor in that. Caffeine to wake up in the morning, \"immuno-boosters\" and mood stabilizers during the day, sleeping pills to sleep at night. The caffeine and sleeping pills are addictive and can really mess up your circadian rhythm, and the mood stabilizers can really fuck you up if you don't need them. Instead of rushing to diagnose and medicate everyone, we need to educate them on human behavior and show them that their \"mental health\" problems are completely normal.\nOh, so you get nervous right before you make huge life decisions? That's not Anxiety Disorder, it's just anxiety.\nOh, you are really sad because your cat died? That's not Clinical Depression, you are just grieving.\nOh, you went from really happy to really sad when you were previously happy and something really shitty happened to you and soured your mood? That's not Bipolar Disorder, that's just life.\nOh, you like to be more organized than the people around you? That's not Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, you just like to be organized.\nPeople really misunderstand the nature of these conditions and it hinders our collective progress in treating them, like dramatically inflating the number of actual conditions in the population, making it increasingly more difficult to determine how common and how varied they are. After all, in most cases it is not the psychiatrist or psychologist who makes you better, you make you better. Medication can help and other people can show you the path to success, but the problem will never get solved unless you play an active role in the treatment. Some conditions can never be solved, only lessened, while others are virtually untreatable. We need to stop making these conditions seem cool. They aren't. They are serious and need to be taken seriously.", ">\n\nHeavily agree and I appreciate how well this comment is worded. Wish I coulda worded mine a little better", ">\n\nYa I saw you getting shredded in the comments and figured I'd sum it up for you. 🤣", ">\n\nLmao bro I didn’t expect this many. I was thinking maybe like 20 ppl would reply", ">\n\nYou need to self diagnose in many cases in order to get adequate help.", ">\n\nI knew when I had ADD and IBS, and I was able to get my suspicions confirmed by my respective doctors. Doctors are there to help the patients understand themselves, whereas the patients have to go home every day and live with what they actually have. Do not be so quick to judge.", ">\n\nJust to add here - Autism in women is less prevalent because it presents differently and is often not picked up by standardised diagnostic tests (that were developed on an almost exclusively male sample). I think that also goes to show that there’s p significant issues with what we consider ‘scientific’ and research based in the first place." ]

[ "The diagnosis process for a lot of psychiatric conditions are surveys and questionaires. You can go to a psychiatrist and ask if you're anxious and they'll give you multiple choice questions and diagnose off of that. Or you can just google the form yourself and self diagnose. A lot of psychiatric disorders are about how we feel and think. Not about sending off some blood sample to a lab and getting a positive result come back.\n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. For such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nWhat you're describing are all neuroses that could indicate some deeper psychiatric condition. Whether a person has a mental health condition or not, thinking of ourselves as weak victims is never helpful in any context, yet it's something we all feel from time to time.\nI'm a disability support worker, so when someone tells me they've got a self diagnosed condition, it's not offensive to me or any disabled person I know, it doesn't come across like they're invalidating anyone else's condition. However I do think everyone should talk to a doctor about any condition they feel they might have.", ">\n\nPiggybacking off of this: You’ve spent your whole entire life inside your own brain. A therapist will spend a period of hours with you and give you a diagnosis. Who do you think knows your personal reality better than yourself?", ">\n\nYeah exactly, especially with conditions such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, PTSD, and many other psychiatric conditions. These are things people know they have even before they get a diagnosis. The diagnosis stage is more about treatment and management.\nPeople might be unaware of how severe or mild their condition is, some people think they have only mild PTSD despite constant nightmares and suicidal ideation. Some people will think they have severe ADHD because they can't concentrate for long times on things that don't interest them. It's good to get some perspective from experts but ultimately people know when they are struggling to focus or to struggling to stop stressing all the time or struggling to not be miserable. Struggling with our thoughts and feelings is evidence enough to self diagnose.", ">\n\nI was recently diagnosed with ADHD as a woman so I find this viewpoint interesting.\nFirstly, autism is not a mental illness. An autistic person may have mental illness in conjunction with autism, but autism alone lies under the neurodivergent umbrella. Neurodivergency can include autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and other similar conditions.\nWhy women are often underdiagnosed\nThese are serious disabilities that can really impede a person's life, especially if they struggle to find help and acceptance in their community. A lot of women start their journey towards diagnosis later in life due to a number of factors such as:\n\nPoor diagnostic tools and inexperienced professionals\nA misunderstanding that autism and ADHD are more common in boys\nAdvanced masking techniques to cover their 'traits'\n\nWhy women are often diagnosed later in life.\nThe process for many women and men who are diagnosed later in life often includes a level of burnout or breakdown. After a while everything becomes too much, the mask begins to slip and your traits go into overdrive.\nWhy does self-diagnosing seem to be on the rise?\nA common way of finding out you could possibly be neurodivergent is through media and people who are aware of these traits appear.\nIn the past few years, I have seen an increasing awareness of neurodivergence in women pop up in the media. This is useful for people like myself who had no idea wtf was wrong with them for a very long time. For me, a GP actually suggested I seek a diagnosis due to some struggles I was going through.\nAs someone who went through this process self-diagnosing is commonly the first step as an adult. You might be directed to a questionnaire and are asked to evaluate yourself and your experiences thinking back to your childhood. If there's some merit in your experiences than you move to the next step which involves seeking a professional. Waitlists are often months to years long so many people live in limbo for a long time.\nMethods of living with ADHD can help everyone. And everyone experiences ADHD traits from time to time. Given a large amount of stress we have all suffered collectively, I don't doubt there are a lot of people with increased mental health issues that mirror neurodivergent traits. Some mental illnesses can get very severe and alter your brain chemistry and behaviour.\nMy takeaway from this is that the mental health systems set up to assist these people are a much larger issue and cause for serious concern than self-diagnosing.\nApologies for the spelling and grammar errors. Grammarly and Reddit don't play nice.", ">\n\nI think it's two things. One, people have identity crises, especially teenagers. We all know that type of person who tries on identities like hats. That's pretty embarrassing. You usually grow out of that.\nTwo, from personal experience, giving yourself a label or a diagnosis makes it feel more contained and easy to communicate. It's easier to tell someone that you have X and have them understand what you're going through rather than telling them you have these vague symptoms resembling what you imagine X is like. In that respect, it is pretty understandable, possibly good, and not embarrassing. There's something that is sort of reassuring if you can finally get a word to put on what you're experiencing.\nPeople often sympathize with the diagnosis but not with the symptoms. Tell people at work you're autistic and they will sympathize with you and possibly not attack you. Tell them you do not understand social cues and they will probably just make fun of you.", ">\n\nI understand the desire to put a label with a disease, and this is not necessarily bad, but the diagnosis needs to be correct. If you want to tell others that you are autistic or depressed; you must actually be those things. A person can almost never correctly assertion their disease, only their symptoms. People might better understand you if you say your autistic, but you may incorrectly understand and describe yourself. If one wishes to put a name with symptoms, they should find a doctor to pick the label", ">\n\nfor sure but unfortunately our medical system is a joke and even if you are experiencing very severe symptoms it can be nearly impossible to see a professional or take months on a waiting list.\nEven then a professional may be reluctant to slap a label on you for fear of what the consequences of that might be. I saw someone for a very long time who resisted any sort of actual diagnosis because the truth is that what I was experiencing didn't fit neatly into any of the boxes and pretty much belonged in this vague \"other\" category which isn't particularly helpful. Not to mention that misdiagnosis happens all the time even by professionals. \nI just think it is sort of understandable because I think a lot of stuff is kind of a spectrum anyway and just different levels of severity. Things can be really confusing and hard to nail down and thus communicate in a way that causes someone else to be understanding rather than judgemental.", ">\n\nAre you under the impression this is a new phenomenon? Because it's definitely not.\nPeople - especially young people! - crave identity. The world is a confusing place, knowing who you are makes it a little easier. Sometimes it's self-diagnosing mental illness or learning disabilities, or exploring sexual identity, or cliques, or subcultures. There's nothing embarrassing about it, it just is what it is.", ">\n\nIt’s ok to want to express individuality but not to the extent of totally destroying the definition of a real thing and making it hard for actual mentally Ill ppl to get a diagnosis. Why can’t people just accept that they’re different rather then giving themselves a label?", ">\n\npeople on TikTok claiming to have disorders that they don't doesn't affect the precision of psychiatrists diagnosing actual patients. There's no TikTok-said section in the DSM. Why do you think that it does?", ">\n\nIt just encourages more people to get diagnosed possibly skewing the meaning of the mental illness", ">\n\nSkewing it towards statistical accuracy? If people are actually diagnosed at higher rates, we have a better Guage of population-level mental illness, neurodivergency, etc. Better data is more usable, so that research actually means something actionable, ASIDE from the identity boost for young people.", ">\n\nI think what OP is driving at, but utterly failing to explain, is that they think that the fakers will be accommodated by the psychiatric system and diagnosed on the basis of fake symptoms. my sense is that isn't a problem but I don't have data.", ">\n\nDefinitely explained it a little better then I could lol", ">\n\nWhere do you see evidence of that? Any articles about fakers? How about a statistic? If not, it’s just a fear you seem to have.", ">\n\nI think the salient line here is this one:\n\nNeurologists were able to quickly determine that the subjects were not \nsuffering from Tourette's, but psychogenic tics driven by anxiety.", ">\n\nWomen are not born with less autism, but are much less likely to be diagnosed as children than boys. This is partly because boys generally have similar symptoms and behaviors. \nSo of course more women are self diagnosing autism, since their diagnoses were missed as children on a much higher rate.", ">\n\nAlright, I'm diagnosed OCD, PTSD, chronic depression. Diagnosed by a professional so I think I have some grounds to talk about this.\nFirst, let's tackle your women comment about autism. You see, I understand where you're coming from, but you lack the nuance of recognizing that mental illness, and illness in general, is heavily under-diagnosed in women. The medical culture is heavily favored towards men and is rampant with mysogyny, and that's not just me saying it as I've had medical professionals blatantly tell me it's a problem in the field when questioned about it. I've also had some tell me that it's just because women whine a lot, so yanno make of that statement what you will.\nNow that we've covered that let me address the self-diagnosing issue. So, do you want to know what my therapist thinks of self-diagnosing? Well, when I asked them about it they said that self-diagnosing is an important first step to seeking help. Psychiatrist said the same thing. It's normal, expected even, for people to self-diagnose their issues then seek help for them. You can't exactly just peer into someone's brain, no, that person has to tell you what they think is wrong and why they think it is. \nWhat you actually have a problem with is not self-diagnosis, but with people not seeking or not being able to get medical assistance and assuming they're right. You have a problem with people using these issues for attention, which I do too, but once again self-diagnosing is not the problem. Finally, you have a problem with the medical system that forces people into the position of trying to figure out their mental illnesses, but having no ability to get help for them.", ">\n\nI think I did it", ">\n\nSadly no lol, it was not done properly. Do you need a link to the rules?", ">\n\nI already read them i think I’ll figure it out in a bit sorry for the hold up", ">\n\nBecause everyone else is being aggressive: you have to comment with ∆ or !delta and then explain how your view has been changed", ">\n\nThis delta has been rejected. You can't award OP a delta.\nAllowing this would wrongly suggest that you can post here with the aim of convincing others.\nIf you were explaining when/how to award a delta, please use a reddit quote for the symbol next time.\n^Delta System Explained ^| ^Deltaboards", ">\n\nWhat gives you the authority or knowledge to know this is the problem?", ">\n\nYou don’t think it’s a problem that a lot of young ppl are willing to go to the extent of saying they are mentally Ill either for attention or to excuse their weirdness? Just accept that your different. It’s not wrong to believe you’re different without a label", ">\n\nYou did not even try to answer my question.", ">\n\nI’m sorry I was confused on what you meant", ">\n\nIf you are mad at people for self diagnosing themselves because they don't have the knowledge or authority to do so.... what gives you the knowledge or authority to diagnosis this as the problem behavior... basically are you just a kid that is annoyed, or is there some actual studies out there that is claiming this is a problem.", ">\n\nIf you don’t think that people consistently seeking attention for mental illness or craving a label so badly to justify themselves rather then being themselves. That just shows what your views are", ">\n\nDont you think we should leave the diagnosing to the professionals?", ">\n\nI mean yeah", ">\n\nWould you agree that you are diagnosing these people by saying that they are only seeking attention and do not have a real mental illness?", ">\n\nI’m assuming", ">\n\nThere may be some truth to people wanting to be different, however with mental illnesses being more accepted in today's society, many people are a lot more comfortable with being neurodivergent. Additionally, self diagnosis is common because the alternative is spending upwards to $1000-$2000 for a clinical diagnosis.", ">\n\nI know costs suck, but self diagnosis can be much more harmful. A web.md page that tells you your depressed when you may actually be bipolar can lead to really messed up results. I would even go as far as to say that no diagnosis at all is preferable to an uninformed one", ">\n\nWell.\n​\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad \n\nSo you already know why they're doing what they're doing in addition the fact that you know that they're not Autistic? If your claim is that they can't know and only a doctor can, what makes you more qualified? You start out your argument admitting that you have a bias.\n\nthey’re “neurodivergent.\n\nNeurodivergent is an umbrella that covers both Autism and ADHD, which sometimes get mistaken for each other. So if you're upset that they're self-diagnosing, this term should be more welcome than \"Autistic\" because it's more generalized.\n\nnd when you ask them how they know they’ll say “oh I have this weird tick when I uh laugh when someone says something funny “ or “I have a hyper fixation on this topic so I must be autistic\n\nHow else should they communicate it to you? The list of aspects of Autism, especially for how it presents in women, sounds a lot like this. You're not a doctor, they don't have to prove anything to you by going down the entire list of every possible part of their daily experience that might be on the spectrum.\n\nWomen statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nNope. Women are diagnosed less often than men because the original diagnostic criteria for Autism was for Autism as it presents in males. It presents differently for females and is harder to diagnose, especially at younger ages. \n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized\n\nTodays youth want to be victimized? Why would anyone want to be victimized? Something tells me you're missing the mark with this terminology.\n\nor have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. \n\nSo if someone is Autistic and that makes them weird, you'd rather them just be forced to not get to have a name for it, and get the therapeutic treatment that would help them?\n\nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really [are] without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nSome people are autistic. If they find out and it makes them feel good, that doesn't mean they're craving attention. And if they are craving attention, it's because they're normal people and everyone does. \nIf someone thinks they're autistic but it turns out they're actually not, chances are they suspected it for a reason. They might have ADHD, a personality disorder, a mental health issue, or simply a slightly different way of experiencing the world that feels unique to them and there's nothing wrong with that. \nYou seem to think that other people do things for you. People generally don't. They do things for themselves. This is especially true of people on the Autism Spectrum who may not be able to easily use other people's experiences to reference when constructing their view of the world, and can only use their own. Your interpretation wherein they do it to evoke a response from you says more about you than it does about them.", ">\n\nYou’re being deliberately obtuse. OP is completely correct. Most of the people these days who say “I’m ADHD” or “I’m autistic” or “I’m neurodivergent” are absolutely not diagnosed as such and are doing it to seem unique or get attention or as some excuse for why they did x y or z.", ">\n\nI'd like to point out that while some are perhaps attention seeking, many people self diagnose simply because they don't have access to free medical/psychological professionals to get proper diagnosis and help with their issues. I also know someone who doesn't want to get an official diagnosis because he's afrad it will affect his insurance rates or somehow come back to bite him if he's offically labeled with having a neurological disorder. \nThere is a wealth of knowledge on these subjects available online for those interested. And if they are truly interested in self diagnose they can likely do that accurately enough for all intents and purposes. Most of these people who search for the sake of better understanding themselves or their loved ones will openly admit that it's a self diagnoses, or say they THINK they have x,y, or z. But in some situations it's just as well to say they have it if they feel certain anyway, and it's just a passing comment, and not a discussion on the matter. \nIn other words, just because they self diagnose doesn't mean they're wrong, nor does it explain their motives. I also don't see how attention seeking (for those who ARE doing that) is really hurting anyone else. Fakers gonna be fake, that's more a \"them\" kind of problem. ANNOYING, but mostly harmless.", ">\n\nUnless you have a doctor's diagnosis you don't have the disorder. Even if you are broke there are programs to help with costs. \nAnd yes it does affect me when someone is treating me like shit and tries using the I have such and such as an excuse and then people get mad at ME for calling them in their bullshit.", ">\n\nNo. You have to have the disorder before you CAN be diagnosed, so obviously there are undiagnosed people who in fact \"have the disorder \". Your refusal to acknowledge an undiagnosed disorder does not mean they don't have it. Your personal experience with people supposedly using a fake diagnosis to treat you badly, sounds unusual. How do you know they DIDN'T have it? People who do lie and just want to be jerks will do that regardless of what methods they decide to try. The methods are irrelevant. And that motive is not typical of most self diagnosers .", ">\n\nSounds unusual? You must not get out a lot because it's become a pretty regular thing. Every single person I know (about 8) that have self diagnosed themselves as neurodivergent or with a mental illness like Bi-polar all use it to excuse their shitty ass behaviors. \nToo many disorders can mirror other ones. Just because they think they have 2/3 symptoms doesn't make them right by a long shot. Keep living in your bubble.", ">\n\nYou don't have to have a relationship with anyone. If they treat you badly, regardless of an official diagnosis or not, you don't have to tolerate them. It makes no difference what they have or don't have. What would it change if they got diagnosed and actually have it?", ">\n\nSelf diagnosing has been a thing forever\nAnd it's not a problem im 99% sure me or any other autistic person doesn't really give 2 fucks about people who wanna fake disorders. It doesn't stop us from getting help, we have doctors notes, medical files, sometimes even volunteers, you need those files to get into let's say a special education class, or a life skills course.\nSo unless you were diagnosed by a professional you're probably not gonna make it far faking it.\n(Excuse my shitty punctuation)", ">\n\nIt doesn’t bother you that they’re making others take the actual meaning away from what you were born with? I mean I’m sure autism hasn’t made your life easy and seeing ppl claim it for attention to be quirky probably has to annoy you a little right?", ">\n\nAt the end of the day I still have ADHD and I still need help with it. More people being diagnosed with it doesn’t change that fact. In fact I was diagnosed because I realized I related to so many tiktok memes, and I’m sure others are in my same boat. \nIn fact I think so many people talking about ADHD helps. It means more people who possibly have tips for me, people who are suffering who can’t afford treatment have an easy way to learn about how to improve their lives, and more people who are aware of my disorder.", ">\n\nI think people do diagnose themselves too often without seeking professional help. BUT mental illness is not the same as being neurodivergent.", ">\n\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad that they’ll go as far to say they’re “neurodivergent.”\n\nWhile this is the case, I don't really see how it's a \"problem\" per se. I guarantee that these people still make lifestyle decisions based on what they think is best, or based on what they want to do.\n\nbut it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women\n\nDo you have any statistics for that? I haven't experienced it that way in my own anecdotal experience, and I'd be curious to look into the data to see how much that truly does skew in that direction.\n\nwanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness \nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nI understand what you're trying to say here, but I don't really think these things are connected as much as you think they are. People see something wrong with themselves, so they either playfully or seriously consider the fact that it could be a condition that they have similar symptoms to. Not that it never happens, but just because someone categorizes themselves into a disability group that could potentially excuse their \"quirks\", doesn't mean they think that behavior is unacceptable in any way. People see a problem, and assume it's linked to this other issue that seems similar that they already know about.", ">\n\nI agree with the conclusion that self-diagnosis is a real issue, and I wouldn't be surprised if the data indicated it was on the rise. I wouldn't necessarily frame it as a simple desire to \"be victimized\" however. While it is purely speculation, I do believe there are a number of conditions which might lead towards a more frequent experience of symptoms associated with mental illness - a rising wealth gap, perpetual anxiety from a 24-hour news cycle, intensification of self-commodification, the student debt crisis in certain countries like the US, and so on. So people are experiencing symptoms like low energy, mood swings, etc. that can be associated with mental illness. The issue with self-diagnosis then becomes that it may correctly identify the symptom, but incorrectly identify the cause.\nThis video from the YouTuber HealthyGamerGG does a good job of explaining what some of the issues with self-diagnosis are, and for me it was a good starting place for thinking about this more. \nEDIT: I forgot this video literally starts with this same topic being brought up on this same subreddit lol", ">\n\nA great theory based on reasonable causes with an educational video from a psychologist(I assume) as evidence to back it up. I applaud you sir. 👏", ">\n\nWhy are you embarrassed by other people's issues?", ">\n\nI’m a 30yo male. If I had not first self diagnosed with ASD and OCD, I never would have found the language and resources to get a formal diagnosis and help.\nPrior generations have been so fixated on avoidance of diagnosing mental disorders, and research was previously so lacking that we are only just now (through those that do get diagnosed) realizing how common mental disorders are. That plus the lack of mental health resources for neurotypical and neurodivergent I think is how we end up in this situation of many recognizing their symptoms in the new discourse, but lacking the resources to overcome the barriers to proper diagnosis and treatment.", ">\n\nIt’s not the best thing, no. \nAs an adult FINALLY diagnosed (by a licensed therapist) at 41, I can tell you why ‘self diagnosis’ is so tempting. \nIn the US at least- mental health, and official medical diagnosis are almost completely inaccessible, especially as an adult. Most of us grew up before Autism was a spectrum, and ADHD was just boys who acted out in class. We felt like aliens. We couldn’t understand why we didn’t have many friends, or why we didn’t like the ‘right things’, and generally spend the bill of our lives feeling ‘wrong’, ‘broken’ or just simply like we didn’t belong. \nFinally understanding the WHY, and even better, finding tools to addresses our issues is a huge huge weight off the chest. The relief of having a name and a strategy- either therapy or medicine is such an amazing relief!!", ">\n\nI only kinda agree if I had not done my own research I would have never found out I have sjorgens syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis I know TikTok people tend to diagnose themselves and it makes it look cringe but when you live with a incurable illness sometimes you have to work to find a diagnosis", ">\n\nWell, what do you do of you absolutely know you're neurodivergent, but your parents decided not to get you checked? My mom once told me \"we knew you had something, we just didn't get you checked because they would have just put you on pills\". So I struggled with being different, socially unaware, impulsive, obnoxious, agressive, selfish, for the better part of my life without having the self awareness to understand why I was these things, and why people wouldn't want to be around me. \nIn my late 20''s I asked the question, what if I'm actually autistic? I looked up the symptoms, and 9/10 matched. As a child I couldn't handle loud noises, restrictive clothing, I didn't talk until I was 3. I would throw fits for seemingly no reason, I had obsessive interests. I've always really struggled with eye contact, and I never cared for conversation unless it was something I liked. I mean, when the final piece of a puzzle fits so incredibly well, it's really hard for it to be wrong. \nSelf diagnosing actually really helped me grow as aj individual. I became aware of all my divergent behaviors, and why it might be annoying for someone else to deal with. I came to the realization that I was the one who was different, therefore I needed to change. It's way harder to make everyone around you cater to your needs than to overcome the things that upset you. I'm at peace, I have good friends that I can connect with on a pretty deep level. I no longer smash coffee tables when I lose, I can now appreciate that if I lose it just means I have more to learn. I can keep my house clean, I can reasonably hold myself accountable. What exactly is the harm in all that?\nBesides, it would be pretty pointless for me to try and get a diagnosis now, I've put the effort in and largely come out the other side. Anyone diagnosing me would just say I was normal, but they wouldn't have the intimate knowledge of me that I do. I guess it doesn't matter if people don't believe me, I don't go around shouting that I'm autistic. I will say, it would be really nice if people appreciated the effort I put in to get to get to a place of normalcy, something others take for granted, but it's okay, we all have our struggles.", ">\n\nI feel you on all that. To play devil's advocate, mental healthcare in the U.S. is not cheap. Many people go to the internet and confirm their bias about their current health", ">\n\nI feel you on that too OP. I agree 100% with your entire statement.", ">\n\nIt's a problem, but not a new one. In the 1990s there was briefly a surge of people with a type of delusional parasitosis, that is, the false belief that they were infested with parasites. Except this one was supposedly an infestation with tiny fibres. They would come to doctors with a whole list of symptoms to back up their incorrect self-diagnosis.\nTo a certain extent, these are social contagions, which come and go, and often actually end up leading to people having real problems. Like, the young women you mention, a couple of decades ago may well have ended up with anorexia, or self-cutting. These days it might be a self-declaration of autism or a belief that they have gender dysphoria or that they have multiple systems living in their minds.", ">\n\nWow I did not know that. Maybe it’s just so prevalent today due to social media. Social media has only made these things worse imo", ">\n\nEven before it being self diagnosis of a mental illness it was always something. Remember all the emo and goth teenager?", ">\n\nIt depends on the context. For example, if they've done a substantial amount of research, can name a good amount of symptoms they have and reasons they have whatever mental illness and don't have access to the necessary tools to get a medical diagnosis, it's totally different. Some people don't have the money to go out and get a diagnosis, or sometimes it would be better to not get a medical diagnosis. I believe that the reason that a lot of people self diagnose themselves with things like Autism is because they want an explanation as to why they are different, and they could be right or wrong. I think the most important part is that if you go to a psychologist (or even two, I know a lot of people prefer getting second opinions) and they say you don't have it, that you need to admit you were wrong. It's ok to be wrong about your mental health, and the key is to keep looking and to not give up. I can completely understand the frustration in people completely missing how difficult it actually may be to have a mental illness. I was clinically diagnosed with Depression, Anxiety, and PTSD when I was seven, and I've had some experience with people faking mental disorders for attention, and more often then not, they have another mental disorder that needs attention. Recently I had a (now ex) boyfriend insist he had PTSD after being tested twice and the psychiatrist saying that he didn't have it. What he does have is Depression and Anxiety, but he absolutely insisted he has PTSD despite never exhibiting symptoms and the only evidence being a test he took online that was supposedly a \"real PTSD test.\" People faking mental illnesses only harms people who really have them, as these people tend to exaggerate symptoms and use their self diagnosis for attention. I believe that I am autistic, but I don't list it as a diagnosis because while I have read articles and taken the RAADS-r test, I don't have an official diagnosis, and I could very well be wrong. As for women faking illnesses more often, something I've noticed is that things like Autism, ADHD, ADD, etc are more often diagnosed in boys rather than girls- mostly because when they were first discovered, most of the research was done in boys. Autism shows up differently in girls, and can often be blown off as early puberty hormones. If their hyperfixations are those of stereotypical feminine things, it's just a girl liking whatever, and if they hyperfixate in stereotypical masculine interests, they tend to just be viewed as weird, but not autistic. It's normal for people to question, but I agree that to a certain point, self diagnosis can be harmful, but only if not done correctly.", ">\n\nFirst and foremost not a new problem at all, very common, we used to call it \"Being a hypochondriac\" until it aparrently became reconized which in it self is confusing and a bit contradictory.\nANYWAY\nIt isnt really a problem, no doctor is gonna write the perscription for medication without a diagnosis of some sort.\nAt most there is the vauge \"But what about those who actually have it who arent taken serious\" dont worry, we wouldnt have anyway. Thats kinda how invisible illnesses work.\nOverall the 101 hypochondriacs screaming about the symptoms they read in the ICD might help make the knowledge more common and help people better reconize if their colleagues or friends happen to show symptoms of something.", ">\n\nIt’s pretty expensive in the US to get diagnosed. Personally, I’ve self diagnosed myself out of frustration of the way I process things. I’ve always felt slow & my anxiety/depression was deep because of it, but I was raised in a family that doesn’t believe in mental illness. It was always “if you work hard enough, all your problems will go away”. Meanwhile, i was racking my brain on how to make myself think faster/smarter & it would result in psychotic episodes. I’ve gotten fired from jobs, dropped out of school. I started self harming because I hated myself and my brain & almost commit suicide bc I had no idea what was going on.\nThe relief I felt once I finally got a therapist who validated me & was the first to talk to me about mental Illness. It blew my mind and all of a sudden things actually made sense to me. I currently think I have ADD, and sometimes I’ll tell people that but will preface it by saying I’m not professionally diagnosed. Still, I use mental tools that help me get through the day and build my confidence. I’m a lot better at processing conversations, making lists that help me remember things, unmasking, slowing down my thoughts… etc. I’m less frustrated and can see the beauty in how I process things. I still want to get diagnosed but I have to get health insurance….. lol", ">\n\nSelf diagnosis, regardless of being factual is a process where the individual realizes that they might have a mental health issue. People who can do this are more likely to seek professional help compared to the people who think they are “fine”. Going to a professional, licensed psychologist or a psychiatrist will eventually diagnose them with the correct disorder from there, and professionals have the skills to communicate with them and they can together evaluate if the person’s complaint is the issue or not. There is nothing embarrassing about discovering one’s self. It would be a problem if people would identify with an issue and don’t have any willingness to seek help. Sometimes overreacting is better than not reacting.", ">\n\nThe majority of people who are self-diagnosed with autism have done extensive research into it to come to that conclusion. I personally went through the DSM criteria with a fine-tooth comb, made a list of all the ways I met it and discovered that there’s not a single criteria i don’t meet for autism. I didn’t read about anything else but autism for weeks, approaching it from all angles before coming to the conclusion that it’s highly unlikely I am not autistic. I’m waiting to hear back about an assessment, but I’m not waiting to go and be told something I already know before I start advocating for myself. \nOh, and I absolutely did not want to be ‘different’, in fact my life mission to just blend in and be average is the root cause of most of my problems, but here we are.", ">\n\nThis self diagnosing young people do isn’t the problem. The problem is that our society encourages it.\nOur culture is not set up to accommodate a wide spectrum of human needs. You may need things that I don’t. I may need things that you don’t. But in most business settings, academic settings, or even places like restaurants or leisure places, the world isn’t built to accommodate everyone. Our world and society is a “one size fits all” approach, and most people don’t fit snugly inside of that system. \nIf you can classify what is “wrong” or “different” about you into an easily digestible form, people are generally more able and more willing to accommodate you.\nFor example: if I tell my coworkers that I need to leave work early because of a headache, I’ll be shamed for it. And in some cases I’ll be told that “headaches aren’t that bad!” Or “You don’t need to leave.” Or “I have a headache too, just deal with it!”\nBut if I tell my workers that I need to leave due to a painful neurological condition that’s flaring up (I have chronic migraine, which is a neurological condition), they will respect it 100% of the time. It’s met with sympathy and not criticism.\nThis happens for all sorts of things. “Sorry Im late, I slept in.” Sounds a lot worse then, “sorry I’m late, my insomnia has been terrible lately.” \nOur culture forces us to use these labels even when they’re untrue just to receive sympathy or acceptance. The problem isn’t people who decide to use these labels, the root problem is that our society refuses to embrace and accommodate people who are outside of the “norm.”", ">\n\nSpeaking as someone who's had an autism diagnosis since age 7: if someone declares they're autistic when they're not, that's obnoxious at worst. If someone is told they're not autistic when they are, that can cause lifelong harm from denied care and understanding. I have seen this happen to a close friend of mine.\nTherefore, I'd much rather err on the side of acceptance. If you think you're defending me and others like me from impersonators, we'd rather not have your help.\n\nI know people will disagree but it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women. Women statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nCase in point: women are diagnosed with autism far less than men. Recent studies have pointed to decades of systematic misdiagnosis. The more visible autistic symptoms sometimes manifest differently in girls, the way they're socialized may help them hide it from a young age, and of course lots of doctors just say \"your daughter can't be autistic, that's a boy thing.\"\nWe're learning that there are hundreds of thousands of autistic women who slipped through the cracks and were denied the recognition and support they needed because of dismissive, gatekeeping attitudes just like yours.", ">\n\nThere’s a difference between having a disorder and relating to a disorder. If the tools or language associated with a disorder helps someone live better though then cool, it’s all still odd. Also autism presents differently in woman, and a majority of our research on it is on men. Best practice is probably to support them and encourage them to seek treatment.", ">\n\nAutism is severely misdiagnosed in women. Completely under diagnosed. Actually, plenty of things are. The actual problem that we have is parents refusing to let their children get professional help or a diagnosis. Most doctors will diagnose you with BPD as a woman(aka the new female hysteria of our century), maybe put you on some anti psychotics and send you your way. In most countries, a diagnosis/specialist is not readily available, or there is a long waiting list. Even so, the doctors are not know it all. I have seen plenty of doctors, I got different diagnosis almost each time. They ask you some general questions (about your mood, the way you sleep, if you can concentrate, if you harm yourself, if you have suicidal ideation, if you can socialize properly, if your parents were diagnosed with anything, if you have hallucinations or delusions, the works) and then based on that, they will give you a diagnosis. If you use your common sense and information on the internet (given you are knowledgeable on the subject), you can take a good guess on what's wrong. Obviously, some people will exaggerate like with anything (seeing the shadow dude once in your childhood is not a sign of psychosis, neither is hearing your name called when you are alone once in a blue moon), but if you have visual and auditory hallucinations, perhaps weird tactile feelings/hallucinations (spiders are crawling on me, etc), delusions, tend to be forgetful and out of teach with reality, there is a good chance you do have psychosis.", ">\n\nOkay, to start: what do you think autism and ADHD are? They aren't mental illnesses nor are they mental health conditions. \nTo address some of your other points; \nStudies have shown that autism has a gender expression of 1:1. The only reason that women are under diagnosed is because of misunderstandings towards autism, then the diagnosis is conducted incorrectly. Thus it ends up getting conflated with mental illness, E.G BPD, and is diagnosed as a psychiatric disorder instead. This is a detriment to the patient as the care regimes are black and white different. Often times this severely damages the woman.\nFrom data sets that I recall reading, malingering hasn't risen much, if at all, in recent times. I remember it being around 8% of the global population who are engaging in this behaviour, to different extents. I think what's happened is that social media has turned a torch onto it and it's risen in popularity in an algorithmic way. You see it more because it's pushed by the algorithm more because people are searching for it more. It isn't actually occurring any more or less than historically. Most of that attention is negative attention, I should add. \nSo there's two things to take away from that.\n1) The actual act of pretending to be mentally ill, or to have a disability, which is called malingering, is in fact a form of mental unwellness itself. It's a cry for help. The people who do these things are usually very unstable and should be treated with a degree of empathy. The dangerous types who are using mental illness to scam others, or to manipulate them, make up a very small percentage of the overall amount of people in that group and tend to abuse one on one. \n2) The predominant response to this is generally negative. There isn't really any reason to publicly malinger unless you're unstable, this is because a rational person would likely know this, and know the damage it would cause themselves. Self-diagnosis is a very long, and self-aware, process that takes place over years of the individuals life, and proceeds official diagnosis. \nNo one SDs and says \"Okay that's it now! Let me start a TikTok!\" You'd still want support, and you'd still seek support. So that would end up with a doctor, who would see that you're lying, and treat you for whatever was prompting you to malinger. Anyone who has made this commitment knows that keeping it private is a sensible thing to do in a world that isn't inclusive, and often very stigmatising. Sometimes official diagnosis can take YEARS. \nThis kind of propaganda has been going around for a long time in an effort to discredit disabled people and people with mental illnesses. It's not new. People said the same things back in the 90s. People will always be afraid, and dismissive, of things they do not understand. I invite you to try and understand.", ">\n\nI self-diagnosed myself with endometriosis for 10 years before a doctor finally listened to me, opened me up, and found my insides littered with lesions all over my organs. I’m now not able to get pregnant and I might need to get part of my bowel taken out someday. This could’ve been avoided if someone had just listened to me when I was 16. \nSelf-diagnosing is a necessity in a misogynist world! No one takes us seriously! Especially medical professionals. \nThe best antidote for this is to listen to women who self-diagnose. Why do they think they have XYZ? Is it heavily interfering with their life? I think that’s a much larger problem.", ">\n\nIts been proven that there is a bias to diagnose as opposed to not diagnose a mental illness in psychology. So op is actually kinda correct. The definition of a mental illness is in effect being stretched so far that people who are just kinda weird are being diagnosed with \"on the spectrum\". This is actually causing a problem in early learning because parents start treating their kids as essentially learning challenged when they're really not. So it is starting to become an excuse ...", ">\n\nWe live in a society that loves to medicate people. I know it’s different but Did ppl forget about the opioid epidemic? They’ll diagnose your ass with anything if they can", ">\n\nYa I tend to agree. And no one is really saying so I will I guess, but id wager that 50% of psychologist \"professionals\" are totally full of shit. The actual number of psychologists that are are doing real research and clinical studies is EXTREMELY small compared to how many \"psychologists\" are out there. Just like chiropractors, half of them are hacks..", ">\n\nAnd ill say one more thing, though it is anecdotal, but i have direct family that works in special education for young children, and that system is fucked with a capital F. Thay are constantly fighting against parents and programs who try to box kids in the \"autistic\" zone, when they are just really quite or shy, or have pee problems. But parents want an excuse and reason for their behavior, and reduce them to a sub standard education and treatment for the rest of their lives. It's heart breaking. Especially in public schools.", ">\n\nI’m 32 years old. \nI didn’t self diagnose for attention although I remember the days of tumblr where everyone self diagnosed for clout.\nIt took me a decade to realize what is really happening. During the decade before I realized what may have been happening I was told the following:\nI’m rude\nI’m bossy\nI have a RBF/I look mad\nI also only managed to make my first real friend at age 27.\nWhat I was really displaying was:\nBeing overly blunt and just trying to get my point across came off rude when I didn’t intend it to be that way\nTrying to have things done at a certain time and way that no one else thought was important to follow\nUnmasking\nNoticed other things too that I just thought was me being weird:\nVocal stimming\nOral stimming-chewing, smoking, vaping\nRepetitive motions\nRocking\nEasily overwhelmed by too much sensory input\nHigh startle reflex \nInability to regulate my body’s needs-I don’t know I’m hungry until I’m ravenous; don’t recognize the need to use the bathroom until it’s causing me to rush off, don’t realize I’m cold until I’m shaking\nI could go on.\nI want an assessment so bad. But assessments for adults are EXTREMELY hard to setup, if you can even set them up at all. Some states don’t even offer them. I’ve been looking but they are only for children and seem to look for severe cases.\n14 years of thinking I was just a bitch who couldn’t make friends because I was too weird…turns out it might be autism. And turns out I’ll most likely never get a true diagnosis. But the RAADS test gave me a 127 score so that might be the closest I’ll ever get.", ">\n\ni kind of self diagnosed autism? i’ve been to many psychiatrists and therapists for years and they always see adhd in the half an hour and prescribe meds for that, which makes me not go there again. if they dug a little deeper they could have seen autism, i spoke to my current psychiatrist about if its possible i have it, she didn’t want to confirm or deny as i was moving out of state from friends and family and am at an age where i can have kids in the next 10 years since she doesn’t want me being concerned for them. \nI think there’s still lots of stigma around autism even with professionals and especially when identifying it in women. \nI don’t want to be autistic, but i can recognise a lot of different patterns comparing myself and others. I’ve researched it a ton especially in how it shows in women compared to men and in all the articles i found myself relating.\nNow i don’t say im autistic, i say im a little sus of being it tho lmao. and try pass it off casually. I find it’s a lot easier for me to understand and embrace my differences compared to trying to hide it and try be like everyone else or wonder why im not like everyone else. \nBeing older i can also recognise how a lot of my family on one side have suffered mentally and because of obvious neurodivergence. so im pretty sure, like the rest of my mentally challenged brain, has been inherited genetically through that side. \nAll that being said. I self diagnosed when i was about 12 that im highly likely to be depressed and anxious in attempt to get my mom to believe me i needed help, and now 8 years later i can identify that this has been an issue forever for me and that i likely cannot go off my meds because i will just go back to how i used to be. Im still ocd with all my meds, but its better than being anxious and depressed all the time, Having ocd throughout the day is like heaven to me in comparison to how i used to be. obviously the ocd isnt new, just a lot more heard in my brain now.", ">\n\nOk, I know some people self diagnoze themselves with [insert some mental illness here] out of attention or whatever, and that's totally not ok.\nHowever, if you read all the symptoms and do proper research on a mental illness and everything clicks in to you, I'd say you can be fairly confident on a self diagnosis (although, it might be worth it to double check with a professional, especially if you want any sort of treatment). But also for some people, it might not be affordable to go to a professional...", ">\n\nI live in Canada, I've engaged with the medical system, doctors don't care and just want you out, ERs are a 8 hour wait for someone to ignore one thing and won't even entertain other issues even if they are related. Self-diagnosis is really the only way to get any kind of proper treatment at all. \nThe doctors will rubber stamp just about anything you ask for except pain killers but in terms of diagnosis you're way better off doing it yourself, sure you don't have 8 years of medical school but the doctors won't give you 5 mins of their time, they are not better than google and you give a lot more of a shit than they will and at the end of the day it's your body.", ">\n\nBack in the 90s when I was a teenager, the kids/teenagers/young adults who wanted attention, and wanted to be different, adopted the goth lifestyle. Dressing up in all black. White foundation with black lipstick and eyeshadow. It was the trendy way to be different, to be viewed as outcasts of society. To not fit in. \nThe goth lifestyle of the 2020s is self diagnosis. Same shit, different day.\nWhenever someone claims autism, or somewhere on the spectrum, I just roll my eyes and imagine that person just sucks at life.", ">\n\nI just think it’s a little more harmful nowadays due to the prevalence of social media. Ppl get sucked into groups and mindsets before they even have a real life chance. Then they hyper fixate on that they might be mentally Ill rather then just trying to live life to the fullest", ">\n\nI 100% agree with you", ">\n\nBecause it's the age of spin this generation has something for everybody. And all of them are Google doctors. Lol", ">\n\nTook my uncle till he was 38 even thought it was apparent to everyone. Hell he got expelled from two schools", ">\n\nI get what you're saying. I frankly find it weird that more people don't find this weird. People self-diagnosing themselves as all kinds of things not only completely misrepresents the actual conditions, thereby making people even more confused as to what they actually are and how they present, but also leads people to run to a psychiatrist claiming false symptoms and getting medication for something they don't have, which is NOT a good thing. People should never be taking medication unless it is necessary. We are a heavily over-medicated society and this is a big factor in that. Caffeine to wake up in the morning, \"immuno-boosters\" and mood stabilizers during the day, sleeping pills to sleep at night. The caffeine and sleeping pills are addictive and can really mess up your circadian rhythm, and the mood stabilizers can really fuck you up if you don't need them. Instead of rushing to diagnose and medicate everyone, we need to educate them on human behavior and show them that their \"mental health\" problems are completely normal.\nOh, so you get nervous right before you make huge life decisions? That's not Anxiety Disorder, it's just anxiety.\nOh, you are really sad because your cat died? That's not Clinical Depression, you are just grieving.\nOh, you went from really happy to really sad when you were previously happy and something really shitty happened to you and soured your mood? That's not Bipolar Disorder, that's just life.\nOh, you like to be more organized than the people around you? That's not Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, you just like to be organized.\nPeople really misunderstand the nature of these conditions and it hinders our collective progress in treating them, like dramatically inflating the number of actual conditions in the population, making it increasingly more difficult to determine how common and how varied they are. After all, in most cases it is not the psychiatrist or psychologist who makes you better, you make you better. Medication can help and other people can show you the path to success, but the problem will never get solved unless you play an active role in the treatment. Some conditions can never be solved, only lessened, while others are virtually untreatable. We need to stop making these conditions seem cool. They aren't. They are serious and need to be taken seriously.", ">\n\nHeavily agree and I appreciate how well this comment is worded. Wish I coulda worded mine a little better", ">\n\nYa I saw you getting shredded in the comments and figured I'd sum it up for you. 🤣", ">\n\nLmao bro I didn’t expect this many. I was thinking maybe like 20 ppl would reply", ">\n\nYou need to self diagnose in many cases in order to get adequate help.", ">\n\nI knew when I had ADD and IBS, and I was able to get my suspicions confirmed by my respective doctors. Doctors are there to help the patients understand themselves, whereas the patients have to go home every day and live with what they actually have. Do not be so quick to judge.", ">\n\nJust to add here - Autism in women is less prevalent because it presents differently and is often not picked up by standardised diagnostic tests (that were developed on an almost exclusively male sample). I think that also goes to show that there’s p significant issues with what we consider ‘scientific’ and research based in the first place.", ">\n\nI grew up in a small town and we had quite a few autistic boys but only one autistic girl. Literally only one out of like 6-8 grades. So that’s like a 10-1 ratio. It’s gotta be a lot statistically smaller then males. I don’t doubt it happens I just know it’s a lot less" ]

[ "The diagnosis process for a lot of psychiatric conditions are surveys and questionaires. You can go to a psychiatrist and ask if you're anxious and they'll give you multiple choice questions and diagnose off of that. Or you can just google the form yourself and self diagnose. A lot of psychiatric disorders are about how we feel and think. Not about sending off some blood sample to a lab and getting a positive result come back.\n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. For such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nWhat you're describing are all neuroses that could indicate some deeper psychiatric condition. Whether a person has a mental health condition or not, thinking of ourselves as weak victims is never helpful in any context, yet it's something we all feel from time to time.\nI'm a disability support worker, so when someone tells me they've got a self diagnosed condition, it's not offensive to me or any disabled person I know, it doesn't come across like they're invalidating anyone else's condition. However I do think everyone should talk to a doctor about any condition they feel they might have.", ">\n\nPiggybacking off of this: You’ve spent your whole entire life inside your own brain. A therapist will spend a period of hours with you and give you a diagnosis. Who do you think knows your personal reality better than yourself?", ">\n\nYeah exactly, especially with conditions such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, PTSD, and many other psychiatric conditions. These are things people know they have even before they get a diagnosis. The diagnosis stage is more about treatment and management.\nPeople might be unaware of how severe or mild their condition is, some people think they have only mild PTSD despite constant nightmares and suicidal ideation. Some people will think they have severe ADHD because they can't concentrate for long times on things that don't interest them. It's good to get some perspective from experts but ultimately people know when they are struggling to focus or to struggling to stop stressing all the time or struggling to not be miserable. Struggling with our thoughts and feelings is evidence enough to self diagnose.", ">\n\nI was recently diagnosed with ADHD as a woman so I find this viewpoint interesting.\nFirstly, autism is not a mental illness. An autistic person may have mental illness in conjunction with autism, but autism alone lies under the neurodivergent umbrella. Neurodivergency can include autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and other similar conditions.\nWhy women are often underdiagnosed\nThese are serious disabilities that can really impede a person's life, especially if they struggle to find help and acceptance in their community. A lot of women start their journey towards diagnosis later in life due to a number of factors such as:\n\nPoor diagnostic tools and inexperienced professionals\nA misunderstanding that autism and ADHD are more common in boys\nAdvanced masking techniques to cover their 'traits'\n\nWhy women are often diagnosed later in life.\nThe process for many women and men who are diagnosed later in life often includes a level of burnout or breakdown. After a while everything becomes too much, the mask begins to slip and your traits go into overdrive.\nWhy does self-diagnosing seem to be on the rise?\nA common way of finding out you could possibly be neurodivergent is through media and people who are aware of these traits appear.\nIn the past few years, I have seen an increasing awareness of neurodivergence in women pop up in the media. This is useful for people like myself who had no idea wtf was wrong with them for a very long time. For me, a GP actually suggested I seek a diagnosis due to some struggles I was going through.\nAs someone who went through this process self-diagnosing is commonly the first step as an adult. You might be directed to a questionnaire and are asked to evaluate yourself and your experiences thinking back to your childhood. If there's some merit in your experiences than you move to the next step which involves seeking a professional. Waitlists are often months to years long so many people live in limbo for a long time.\nMethods of living with ADHD can help everyone. And everyone experiences ADHD traits from time to time. Given a large amount of stress we have all suffered collectively, I don't doubt there are a lot of people with increased mental health issues that mirror neurodivergent traits. Some mental illnesses can get very severe and alter your brain chemistry and behaviour.\nMy takeaway from this is that the mental health systems set up to assist these people are a much larger issue and cause for serious concern than self-diagnosing.\nApologies for the spelling and grammar errors. Grammarly and Reddit don't play nice.", ">\n\nI think it's two things. One, people have identity crises, especially teenagers. We all know that type of person who tries on identities like hats. That's pretty embarrassing. You usually grow out of that.\nTwo, from personal experience, giving yourself a label or a diagnosis makes it feel more contained and easy to communicate. It's easier to tell someone that you have X and have them understand what you're going through rather than telling them you have these vague symptoms resembling what you imagine X is like. In that respect, it is pretty understandable, possibly good, and not embarrassing. There's something that is sort of reassuring if you can finally get a word to put on what you're experiencing.\nPeople often sympathize with the diagnosis but not with the symptoms. Tell people at work you're autistic and they will sympathize with you and possibly not attack you. Tell them you do not understand social cues and they will probably just make fun of you.", ">\n\nI understand the desire to put a label with a disease, and this is not necessarily bad, but the diagnosis needs to be correct. If you want to tell others that you are autistic or depressed; you must actually be those things. A person can almost never correctly assertion their disease, only their symptoms. People might better understand you if you say your autistic, but you may incorrectly understand and describe yourself. If one wishes to put a name with symptoms, they should find a doctor to pick the label", ">\n\nfor sure but unfortunately our medical system is a joke and even if you are experiencing very severe symptoms it can be nearly impossible to see a professional or take months on a waiting list.\nEven then a professional may be reluctant to slap a label on you for fear of what the consequences of that might be. I saw someone for a very long time who resisted any sort of actual diagnosis because the truth is that what I was experiencing didn't fit neatly into any of the boxes and pretty much belonged in this vague \"other\" category which isn't particularly helpful. Not to mention that misdiagnosis happens all the time even by professionals. \nI just think it is sort of understandable because I think a lot of stuff is kind of a spectrum anyway and just different levels of severity. Things can be really confusing and hard to nail down and thus communicate in a way that causes someone else to be understanding rather than judgemental.", ">\n\nAre you under the impression this is a new phenomenon? Because it's definitely not.\nPeople - especially young people! - crave identity. The world is a confusing place, knowing who you are makes it a little easier. Sometimes it's self-diagnosing mental illness or learning disabilities, or exploring sexual identity, or cliques, or subcultures. There's nothing embarrassing about it, it just is what it is.", ">\n\nIt’s ok to want to express individuality but not to the extent of totally destroying the definition of a real thing and making it hard for actual mentally Ill ppl to get a diagnosis. Why can’t people just accept that they’re different rather then giving themselves a label?", ">\n\npeople on TikTok claiming to have disorders that they don't doesn't affect the precision of psychiatrists diagnosing actual patients. There's no TikTok-said section in the DSM. Why do you think that it does?", ">\n\nIt just encourages more people to get diagnosed possibly skewing the meaning of the mental illness", ">\n\nSkewing it towards statistical accuracy? If people are actually diagnosed at higher rates, we have a better Guage of population-level mental illness, neurodivergency, etc. Better data is more usable, so that research actually means something actionable, ASIDE from the identity boost for young people.", ">\n\nI think what OP is driving at, but utterly failing to explain, is that they think that the fakers will be accommodated by the psychiatric system and diagnosed on the basis of fake symptoms. my sense is that isn't a problem but I don't have data.", ">\n\nDefinitely explained it a little better then I could lol", ">\n\nWhere do you see evidence of that? Any articles about fakers? How about a statistic? If not, it’s just a fear you seem to have.", ">\n\nI think the salient line here is this one:\n\nNeurologists were able to quickly determine that the subjects were not \nsuffering from Tourette's, but psychogenic tics driven by anxiety.", ">\n\nWomen are not born with less autism, but are much less likely to be diagnosed as children than boys. This is partly because boys generally have similar symptoms and behaviors. \nSo of course more women are self diagnosing autism, since their diagnoses were missed as children on a much higher rate.", ">\n\nAlright, I'm diagnosed OCD, PTSD, chronic depression. Diagnosed by a professional so I think I have some grounds to talk about this.\nFirst, let's tackle your women comment about autism. You see, I understand where you're coming from, but you lack the nuance of recognizing that mental illness, and illness in general, is heavily under-diagnosed in women. The medical culture is heavily favored towards men and is rampant with mysogyny, and that's not just me saying it as I've had medical professionals blatantly tell me it's a problem in the field when questioned about it. I've also had some tell me that it's just because women whine a lot, so yanno make of that statement what you will.\nNow that we've covered that let me address the self-diagnosing issue. So, do you want to know what my therapist thinks of self-diagnosing? Well, when I asked them about it they said that self-diagnosing is an important first step to seeking help. Psychiatrist said the same thing. It's normal, expected even, for people to self-diagnose their issues then seek help for them. You can't exactly just peer into someone's brain, no, that person has to tell you what they think is wrong and why they think it is. \nWhat you actually have a problem with is not self-diagnosis, but with people not seeking or not being able to get medical assistance and assuming they're right. You have a problem with people using these issues for attention, which I do too, but once again self-diagnosing is not the problem. Finally, you have a problem with the medical system that forces people into the position of trying to figure out their mental illnesses, but having no ability to get help for them.", ">\n\nI think I did it", ">\n\nSadly no lol, it was not done properly. Do you need a link to the rules?", ">\n\nI already read them i think I’ll figure it out in a bit sorry for the hold up", ">\n\nBecause everyone else is being aggressive: you have to comment with ∆ or !delta and then explain how your view has been changed", ">\n\nThis delta has been rejected. You can't award OP a delta.\nAllowing this would wrongly suggest that you can post here with the aim of convincing others.\nIf you were explaining when/how to award a delta, please use a reddit quote for the symbol next time.\n^Delta System Explained ^| ^Deltaboards", ">\n\nWhat gives you the authority or knowledge to know this is the problem?", ">\n\nYou don’t think it’s a problem that a lot of young ppl are willing to go to the extent of saying they are mentally Ill either for attention or to excuse their weirdness? Just accept that your different. It’s not wrong to believe you’re different without a label", ">\n\nYou did not even try to answer my question.", ">\n\nI’m sorry I was confused on what you meant", ">\n\nIf you are mad at people for self diagnosing themselves because they don't have the knowledge or authority to do so.... what gives you the knowledge or authority to diagnosis this as the problem behavior... basically are you just a kid that is annoyed, or is there some actual studies out there that is claiming this is a problem.", ">\n\nIf you don’t think that people consistently seeking attention for mental illness or craving a label so badly to justify themselves rather then being themselves. That just shows what your views are", ">\n\nDont you think we should leave the diagnosing to the professionals?", ">\n\nI mean yeah", ">\n\nWould you agree that you are diagnosing these people by saying that they are only seeking attention and do not have a real mental illness?", ">\n\nI’m assuming", ">\n\nThere may be some truth to people wanting to be different, however with mental illnesses being more accepted in today's society, many people are a lot more comfortable with being neurodivergent. Additionally, self diagnosis is common because the alternative is spending upwards to $1000-$2000 for a clinical diagnosis.", ">\n\nI know costs suck, but self diagnosis can be much more harmful. A web.md page that tells you your depressed when you may actually be bipolar can lead to really messed up results. I would even go as far as to say that no diagnosis at all is preferable to an uninformed one", ">\n\nWell.\n​\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad \n\nSo you already know why they're doing what they're doing in addition the fact that you know that they're not Autistic? If your claim is that they can't know and only a doctor can, what makes you more qualified? You start out your argument admitting that you have a bias.\n\nthey’re “neurodivergent.\n\nNeurodivergent is an umbrella that covers both Autism and ADHD, which sometimes get mistaken for each other. So if you're upset that they're self-diagnosing, this term should be more welcome than \"Autistic\" because it's more generalized.\n\nnd when you ask them how they know they’ll say “oh I have this weird tick when I uh laugh when someone says something funny “ or “I have a hyper fixation on this topic so I must be autistic\n\nHow else should they communicate it to you? The list of aspects of Autism, especially for how it presents in women, sounds a lot like this. You're not a doctor, they don't have to prove anything to you by going down the entire list of every possible part of their daily experience that might be on the spectrum.\n\nWomen statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nNope. Women are diagnosed less often than men because the original diagnostic criteria for Autism was for Autism as it presents in males. It presents differently for females and is harder to diagnose, especially at younger ages. \n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized\n\nTodays youth want to be victimized? Why would anyone want to be victimized? Something tells me you're missing the mark with this terminology.\n\nor have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. \n\nSo if someone is Autistic and that makes them weird, you'd rather them just be forced to not get to have a name for it, and get the therapeutic treatment that would help them?\n\nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really [are] without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nSome people are autistic. If they find out and it makes them feel good, that doesn't mean they're craving attention. And if they are craving attention, it's because they're normal people and everyone does. \nIf someone thinks they're autistic but it turns out they're actually not, chances are they suspected it for a reason. They might have ADHD, a personality disorder, a mental health issue, or simply a slightly different way of experiencing the world that feels unique to them and there's nothing wrong with that. \nYou seem to think that other people do things for you. People generally don't. They do things for themselves. This is especially true of people on the Autism Spectrum who may not be able to easily use other people's experiences to reference when constructing their view of the world, and can only use their own. Your interpretation wherein they do it to evoke a response from you says more about you than it does about them.", ">\n\nYou’re being deliberately obtuse. OP is completely correct. Most of the people these days who say “I’m ADHD” or “I’m autistic” or “I’m neurodivergent” are absolutely not diagnosed as such and are doing it to seem unique or get attention or as some excuse for why they did x y or z.", ">\n\nI'd like to point out that while some are perhaps attention seeking, many people self diagnose simply because they don't have access to free medical/psychological professionals to get proper diagnosis and help with their issues. I also know someone who doesn't want to get an official diagnosis because he's afrad it will affect his insurance rates or somehow come back to bite him if he's offically labeled with having a neurological disorder. \nThere is a wealth of knowledge on these subjects available online for those interested. And if they are truly interested in self diagnose they can likely do that accurately enough for all intents and purposes. Most of these people who search for the sake of better understanding themselves or their loved ones will openly admit that it's a self diagnoses, or say they THINK they have x,y, or z. But in some situations it's just as well to say they have it if they feel certain anyway, and it's just a passing comment, and not a discussion on the matter. \nIn other words, just because they self diagnose doesn't mean they're wrong, nor does it explain their motives. I also don't see how attention seeking (for those who ARE doing that) is really hurting anyone else. Fakers gonna be fake, that's more a \"them\" kind of problem. ANNOYING, but mostly harmless.", ">\n\nUnless you have a doctor's diagnosis you don't have the disorder. Even if you are broke there are programs to help with costs. \nAnd yes it does affect me when someone is treating me like shit and tries using the I have such and such as an excuse and then people get mad at ME for calling them in their bullshit.", ">\n\nNo. You have to have the disorder before you CAN be diagnosed, so obviously there are undiagnosed people who in fact \"have the disorder \". Your refusal to acknowledge an undiagnosed disorder does not mean they don't have it. Your personal experience with people supposedly using a fake diagnosis to treat you badly, sounds unusual. How do you know they DIDN'T have it? People who do lie and just want to be jerks will do that regardless of what methods they decide to try. The methods are irrelevant. And that motive is not typical of most self diagnosers .", ">\n\nSounds unusual? You must not get out a lot because it's become a pretty regular thing. Every single person I know (about 8) that have self diagnosed themselves as neurodivergent or with a mental illness like Bi-polar all use it to excuse their shitty ass behaviors. \nToo many disorders can mirror other ones. Just because they think they have 2/3 symptoms doesn't make them right by a long shot. Keep living in your bubble.", ">\n\nYou don't have to have a relationship with anyone. If they treat you badly, regardless of an official diagnosis or not, you don't have to tolerate them. It makes no difference what they have or don't have. What would it change if they got diagnosed and actually have it?", ">\n\nSelf diagnosing has been a thing forever\nAnd it's not a problem im 99% sure me or any other autistic person doesn't really give 2 fucks about people who wanna fake disorders. It doesn't stop us from getting help, we have doctors notes, medical files, sometimes even volunteers, you need those files to get into let's say a special education class, or a life skills course.\nSo unless you were diagnosed by a professional you're probably not gonna make it far faking it.\n(Excuse my shitty punctuation)", ">\n\nIt doesn’t bother you that they’re making others take the actual meaning away from what you were born with? I mean I’m sure autism hasn’t made your life easy and seeing ppl claim it for attention to be quirky probably has to annoy you a little right?", ">\n\nAt the end of the day I still have ADHD and I still need help with it. More people being diagnosed with it doesn’t change that fact. In fact I was diagnosed because I realized I related to so many tiktok memes, and I’m sure others are in my same boat. \nIn fact I think so many people talking about ADHD helps. It means more people who possibly have tips for me, people who are suffering who can’t afford treatment have an easy way to learn about how to improve their lives, and more people who are aware of my disorder.", ">\n\nI think people do diagnose themselves too often without seeking professional help. BUT mental illness is not the same as being neurodivergent.", ">\n\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad that they’ll go as far to say they’re “neurodivergent.”\n\nWhile this is the case, I don't really see how it's a \"problem\" per se. I guarantee that these people still make lifestyle decisions based on what they think is best, or based on what they want to do.\n\nbut it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women\n\nDo you have any statistics for that? I haven't experienced it that way in my own anecdotal experience, and I'd be curious to look into the data to see how much that truly does skew in that direction.\n\nwanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness \nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nI understand what you're trying to say here, but I don't really think these things are connected as much as you think they are. People see something wrong with themselves, so they either playfully or seriously consider the fact that it could be a condition that they have similar symptoms to. Not that it never happens, but just because someone categorizes themselves into a disability group that could potentially excuse their \"quirks\", doesn't mean they think that behavior is unacceptable in any way. People see a problem, and assume it's linked to this other issue that seems similar that they already know about.", ">\n\nI agree with the conclusion that self-diagnosis is a real issue, and I wouldn't be surprised if the data indicated it was on the rise. I wouldn't necessarily frame it as a simple desire to \"be victimized\" however. While it is purely speculation, I do believe there are a number of conditions which might lead towards a more frequent experience of symptoms associated with mental illness - a rising wealth gap, perpetual anxiety from a 24-hour news cycle, intensification of self-commodification, the student debt crisis in certain countries like the US, and so on. So people are experiencing symptoms like low energy, mood swings, etc. that can be associated with mental illness. The issue with self-diagnosis then becomes that it may correctly identify the symptom, but incorrectly identify the cause.\nThis video from the YouTuber HealthyGamerGG does a good job of explaining what some of the issues with self-diagnosis are, and for me it was a good starting place for thinking about this more. \nEDIT: I forgot this video literally starts with this same topic being brought up on this same subreddit lol", ">\n\nA great theory based on reasonable causes with an educational video from a psychologist(I assume) as evidence to back it up. I applaud you sir. 👏", ">\n\nWhy are you embarrassed by other people's issues?", ">\n\nI’m a 30yo male. If I had not first self diagnosed with ASD and OCD, I never would have found the language and resources to get a formal diagnosis and help.\nPrior generations have been so fixated on avoidance of diagnosing mental disorders, and research was previously so lacking that we are only just now (through those that do get diagnosed) realizing how common mental disorders are. That plus the lack of mental health resources for neurotypical and neurodivergent I think is how we end up in this situation of many recognizing their symptoms in the new discourse, but lacking the resources to overcome the barriers to proper diagnosis and treatment.", ">\n\nIt’s not the best thing, no. \nAs an adult FINALLY diagnosed (by a licensed therapist) at 41, I can tell you why ‘self diagnosis’ is so tempting. \nIn the US at least- mental health, and official medical diagnosis are almost completely inaccessible, especially as an adult. Most of us grew up before Autism was a spectrum, and ADHD was just boys who acted out in class. We felt like aliens. We couldn’t understand why we didn’t have many friends, or why we didn’t like the ‘right things’, and generally spend the bill of our lives feeling ‘wrong’, ‘broken’ or just simply like we didn’t belong. \nFinally understanding the WHY, and even better, finding tools to addresses our issues is a huge huge weight off the chest. The relief of having a name and a strategy- either therapy or medicine is such an amazing relief!!", ">\n\nI only kinda agree if I had not done my own research I would have never found out I have sjorgens syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis I know TikTok people tend to diagnose themselves and it makes it look cringe but when you live with a incurable illness sometimes you have to work to find a diagnosis", ">\n\nWell, what do you do of you absolutely know you're neurodivergent, but your parents decided not to get you checked? My mom once told me \"we knew you had something, we just didn't get you checked because they would have just put you on pills\". So I struggled with being different, socially unaware, impulsive, obnoxious, agressive, selfish, for the better part of my life without having the self awareness to understand why I was these things, and why people wouldn't want to be around me. \nIn my late 20''s I asked the question, what if I'm actually autistic? I looked up the symptoms, and 9/10 matched. As a child I couldn't handle loud noises, restrictive clothing, I didn't talk until I was 3. I would throw fits for seemingly no reason, I had obsessive interests. I've always really struggled with eye contact, and I never cared for conversation unless it was something I liked. I mean, when the final piece of a puzzle fits so incredibly well, it's really hard for it to be wrong. \nSelf diagnosing actually really helped me grow as aj individual. I became aware of all my divergent behaviors, and why it might be annoying for someone else to deal with. I came to the realization that I was the one who was different, therefore I needed to change. It's way harder to make everyone around you cater to your needs than to overcome the things that upset you. I'm at peace, I have good friends that I can connect with on a pretty deep level. I no longer smash coffee tables when I lose, I can now appreciate that if I lose it just means I have more to learn. I can keep my house clean, I can reasonably hold myself accountable. What exactly is the harm in all that?\nBesides, it would be pretty pointless for me to try and get a diagnosis now, I've put the effort in and largely come out the other side. Anyone diagnosing me would just say I was normal, but they wouldn't have the intimate knowledge of me that I do. I guess it doesn't matter if people don't believe me, I don't go around shouting that I'm autistic. I will say, it would be really nice if people appreciated the effort I put in to get to get to a place of normalcy, something others take for granted, but it's okay, we all have our struggles.", ">\n\nI feel you on all that. To play devil's advocate, mental healthcare in the U.S. is not cheap. Many people go to the internet and confirm their bias about their current health", ">\n\nI feel you on that too OP. I agree 100% with your entire statement.", ">\n\nIt's a problem, but not a new one. In the 1990s there was briefly a surge of people with a type of delusional parasitosis, that is, the false belief that they were infested with parasites. Except this one was supposedly an infestation with tiny fibres. They would come to doctors with a whole list of symptoms to back up their incorrect self-diagnosis.\nTo a certain extent, these are social contagions, which come and go, and often actually end up leading to people having real problems. Like, the young women you mention, a couple of decades ago may well have ended up with anorexia, or self-cutting. These days it might be a self-declaration of autism or a belief that they have gender dysphoria or that they have multiple systems living in their minds.", ">\n\nWow I did not know that. Maybe it’s just so prevalent today due to social media. Social media has only made these things worse imo", ">\n\nEven before it being self diagnosis of a mental illness it was always something. Remember all the emo and goth teenager?", ">\n\nIt depends on the context. For example, if they've done a substantial amount of research, can name a good amount of symptoms they have and reasons they have whatever mental illness and don't have access to the necessary tools to get a medical diagnosis, it's totally different. Some people don't have the money to go out and get a diagnosis, or sometimes it would be better to not get a medical diagnosis. I believe that the reason that a lot of people self diagnose themselves with things like Autism is because they want an explanation as to why they are different, and they could be right or wrong. I think the most important part is that if you go to a psychologist (or even two, I know a lot of people prefer getting second opinions) and they say you don't have it, that you need to admit you were wrong. It's ok to be wrong about your mental health, and the key is to keep looking and to not give up. I can completely understand the frustration in people completely missing how difficult it actually may be to have a mental illness. I was clinically diagnosed with Depression, Anxiety, and PTSD when I was seven, and I've had some experience with people faking mental disorders for attention, and more often then not, they have another mental disorder that needs attention. Recently I had a (now ex) boyfriend insist he had PTSD after being tested twice and the psychiatrist saying that he didn't have it. What he does have is Depression and Anxiety, but he absolutely insisted he has PTSD despite never exhibiting symptoms and the only evidence being a test he took online that was supposedly a \"real PTSD test.\" People faking mental illnesses only harms people who really have them, as these people tend to exaggerate symptoms and use their self diagnosis for attention. I believe that I am autistic, but I don't list it as a diagnosis because while I have read articles and taken the RAADS-r test, I don't have an official diagnosis, and I could very well be wrong. As for women faking illnesses more often, something I've noticed is that things like Autism, ADHD, ADD, etc are more often diagnosed in boys rather than girls- mostly because when they were first discovered, most of the research was done in boys. Autism shows up differently in girls, and can often be blown off as early puberty hormones. If their hyperfixations are those of stereotypical feminine things, it's just a girl liking whatever, and if they hyperfixate in stereotypical masculine interests, they tend to just be viewed as weird, but not autistic. It's normal for people to question, but I agree that to a certain point, self diagnosis can be harmful, but only if not done correctly.", ">\n\nFirst and foremost not a new problem at all, very common, we used to call it \"Being a hypochondriac\" until it aparrently became reconized which in it self is confusing and a bit contradictory.\nANYWAY\nIt isnt really a problem, no doctor is gonna write the perscription for medication without a diagnosis of some sort.\nAt most there is the vauge \"But what about those who actually have it who arent taken serious\" dont worry, we wouldnt have anyway. Thats kinda how invisible illnesses work.\nOverall the 101 hypochondriacs screaming about the symptoms they read in the ICD might help make the knowledge more common and help people better reconize if their colleagues or friends happen to show symptoms of something.", ">\n\nIt’s pretty expensive in the US to get diagnosed. Personally, I’ve self diagnosed myself out of frustration of the way I process things. I’ve always felt slow & my anxiety/depression was deep because of it, but I was raised in a family that doesn’t believe in mental illness. It was always “if you work hard enough, all your problems will go away”. Meanwhile, i was racking my brain on how to make myself think faster/smarter & it would result in psychotic episodes. I’ve gotten fired from jobs, dropped out of school. I started self harming because I hated myself and my brain & almost commit suicide bc I had no idea what was going on.\nThe relief I felt once I finally got a therapist who validated me & was the first to talk to me about mental Illness. It blew my mind and all of a sudden things actually made sense to me. I currently think I have ADD, and sometimes I’ll tell people that but will preface it by saying I’m not professionally diagnosed. Still, I use mental tools that help me get through the day and build my confidence. I’m a lot better at processing conversations, making lists that help me remember things, unmasking, slowing down my thoughts… etc. I’m less frustrated and can see the beauty in how I process things. I still want to get diagnosed but I have to get health insurance….. lol", ">\n\nSelf diagnosis, regardless of being factual is a process where the individual realizes that they might have a mental health issue. People who can do this are more likely to seek professional help compared to the people who think they are “fine”. Going to a professional, licensed psychologist or a psychiatrist will eventually diagnose them with the correct disorder from there, and professionals have the skills to communicate with them and they can together evaluate if the person’s complaint is the issue or not. There is nothing embarrassing about discovering one’s self. It would be a problem if people would identify with an issue and don’t have any willingness to seek help. Sometimes overreacting is better than not reacting.", ">\n\nThe majority of people who are self-diagnosed with autism have done extensive research into it to come to that conclusion. I personally went through the DSM criteria with a fine-tooth comb, made a list of all the ways I met it and discovered that there’s not a single criteria i don’t meet for autism. I didn’t read about anything else but autism for weeks, approaching it from all angles before coming to the conclusion that it’s highly unlikely I am not autistic. I’m waiting to hear back about an assessment, but I’m not waiting to go and be told something I already know before I start advocating for myself. \nOh, and I absolutely did not want to be ‘different’, in fact my life mission to just blend in and be average is the root cause of most of my problems, but here we are.", ">\n\nThis self diagnosing young people do isn’t the problem. The problem is that our society encourages it.\nOur culture is not set up to accommodate a wide spectrum of human needs. You may need things that I don’t. I may need things that you don’t. But in most business settings, academic settings, or even places like restaurants or leisure places, the world isn’t built to accommodate everyone. Our world and society is a “one size fits all” approach, and most people don’t fit snugly inside of that system. \nIf you can classify what is “wrong” or “different” about you into an easily digestible form, people are generally more able and more willing to accommodate you.\nFor example: if I tell my coworkers that I need to leave work early because of a headache, I’ll be shamed for it. And in some cases I’ll be told that “headaches aren’t that bad!” Or “You don’t need to leave.” Or “I have a headache too, just deal with it!”\nBut if I tell my workers that I need to leave due to a painful neurological condition that’s flaring up (I have chronic migraine, which is a neurological condition), they will respect it 100% of the time. It’s met with sympathy and not criticism.\nThis happens for all sorts of things. “Sorry Im late, I slept in.” Sounds a lot worse then, “sorry I’m late, my insomnia has been terrible lately.” \nOur culture forces us to use these labels even when they’re untrue just to receive sympathy or acceptance. The problem isn’t people who decide to use these labels, the root problem is that our society refuses to embrace and accommodate people who are outside of the “norm.”", ">\n\nSpeaking as someone who's had an autism diagnosis since age 7: if someone declares they're autistic when they're not, that's obnoxious at worst. If someone is told they're not autistic when they are, that can cause lifelong harm from denied care and understanding. I have seen this happen to a close friend of mine.\nTherefore, I'd much rather err on the side of acceptance. If you think you're defending me and others like me from impersonators, we'd rather not have your help.\n\nI know people will disagree but it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women. Women statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nCase in point: women are diagnosed with autism far less than men. Recent studies have pointed to decades of systematic misdiagnosis. The more visible autistic symptoms sometimes manifest differently in girls, the way they're socialized may help them hide it from a young age, and of course lots of doctors just say \"your daughter can't be autistic, that's a boy thing.\"\nWe're learning that there are hundreds of thousands of autistic women who slipped through the cracks and were denied the recognition and support they needed because of dismissive, gatekeeping attitudes just like yours.", ">\n\nThere’s a difference between having a disorder and relating to a disorder. If the tools or language associated with a disorder helps someone live better though then cool, it’s all still odd. Also autism presents differently in woman, and a majority of our research on it is on men. Best practice is probably to support them and encourage them to seek treatment.", ">\n\nAutism is severely misdiagnosed in women. Completely under diagnosed. Actually, plenty of things are. The actual problem that we have is parents refusing to let their children get professional help or a diagnosis. Most doctors will diagnose you with BPD as a woman(aka the new female hysteria of our century), maybe put you on some anti psychotics and send you your way. In most countries, a diagnosis/specialist is not readily available, or there is a long waiting list. Even so, the doctors are not know it all. I have seen plenty of doctors, I got different diagnosis almost each time. They ask you some general questions (about your mood, the way you sleep, if you can concentrate, if you harm yourself, if you have suicidal ideation, if you can socialize properly, if your parents were diagnosed with anything, if you have hallucinations or delusions, the works) and then based on that, they will give you a diagnosis. If you use your common sense and information on the internet (given you are knowledgeable on the subject), you can take a good guess on what's wrong. Obviously, some people will exaggerate like with anything (seeing the shadow dude once in your childhood is not a sign of psychosis, neither is hearing your name called when you are alone once in a blue moon), but if you have visual and auditory hallucinations, perhaps weird tactile feelings/hallucinations (spiders are crawling on me, etc), delusions, tend to be forgetful and out of teach with reality, there is a good chance you do have psychosis.", ">\n\nOkay, to start: what do you think autism and ADHD are? They aren't mental illnesses nor are they mental health conditions. \nTo address some of your other points; \nStudies have shown that autism has a gender expression of 1:1. The only reason that women are under diagnosed is because of misunderstandings towards autism, then the diagnosis is conducted incorrectly. Thus it ends up getting conflated with mental illness, E.G BPD, and is diagnosed as a psychiatric disorder instead. This is a detriment to the patient as the care regimes are black and white different. Often times this severely damages the woman.\nFrom data sets that I recall reading, malingering hasn't risen much, if at all, in recent times. I remember it being around 8% of the global population who are engaging in this behaviour, to different extents. I think what's happened is that social media has turned a torch onto it and it's risen in popularity in an algorithmic way. You see it more because it's pushed by the algorithm more because people are searching for it more. It isn't actually occurring any more or less than historically. Most of that attention is negative attention, I should add. \nSo there's two things to take away from that.\n1) The actual act of pretending to be mentally ill, or to have a disability, which is called malingering, is in fact a form of mental unwellness itself. It's a cry for help. The people who do these things are usually very unstable and should be treated with a degree of empathy. The dangerous types who are using mental illness to scam others, or to manipulate them, make up a very small percentage of the overall amount of people in that group and tend to abuse one on one. \n2) The predominant response to this is generally negative. There isn't really any reason to publicly malinger unless you're unstable, this is because a rational person would likely know this, and know the damage it would cause themselves. Self-diagnosis is a very long, and self-aware, process that takes place over years of the individuals life, and proceeds official diagnosis. \nNo one SDs and says \"Okay that's it now! Let me start a TikTok!\" You'd still want support, and you'd still seek support. So that would end up with a doctor, who would see that you're lying, and treat you for whatever was prompting you to malinger. Anyone who has made this commitment knows that keeping it private is a sensible thing to do in a world that isn't inclusive, and often very stigmatising. Sometimes official diagnosis can take YEARS. \nThis kind of propaganda has been going around for a long time in an effort to discredit disabled people and people with mental illnesses. It's not new. People said the same things back in the 90s. People will always be afraid, and dismissive, of things they do not understand. I invite you to try and understand.", ">\n\nI self-diagnosed myself with endometriosis for 10 years before a doctor finally listened to me, opened me up, and found my insides littered with lesions all over my organs. I’m now not able to get pregnant and I might need to get part of my bowel taken out someday. This could’ve been avoided if someone had just listened to me when I was 16. \nSelf-diagnosing is a necessity in a misogynist world! No one takes us seriously! Especially medical professionals. \nThe best antidote for this is to listen to women who self-diagnose. Why do they think they have XYZ? Is it heavily interfering with their life? I think that’s a much larger problem.", ">\n\nIts been proven that there is a bias to diagnose as opposed to not diagnose a mental illness in psychology. So op is actually kinda correct. The definition of a mental illness is in effect being stretched so far that people who are just kinda weird are being diagnosed with \"on the spectrum\". This is actually causing a problem in early learning because parents start treating their kids as essentially learning challenged when they're really not. So it is starting to become an excuse ...", ">\n\nWe live in a society that loves to medicate people. I know it’s different but Did ppl forget about the opioid epidemic? They’ll diagnose your ass with anything if they can", ">\n\nYa I tend to agree. And no one is really saying so I will I guess, but id wager that 50% of psychologist \"professionals\" are totally full of shit. The actual number of psychologists that are are doing real research and clinical studies is EXTREMELY small compared to how many \"psychologists\" are out there. Just like chiropractors, half of them are hacks..", ">\n\nAnd ill say one more thing, though it is anecdotal, but i have direct family that works in special education for young children, and that system is fucked with a capital F. Thay are constantly fighting against parents and programs who try to box kids in the \"autistic\" zone, when they are just really quite or shy, or have pee problems. But parents want an excuse and reason for their behavior, and reduce them to a sub standard education and treatment for the rest of their lives. It's heart breaking. Especially in public schools.", ">\n\nI’m 32 years old. \nI didn’t self diagnose for attention although I remember the days of tumblr where everyone self diagnosed for clout.\nIt took me a decade to realize what is really happening. During the decade before I realized what may have been happening I was told the following:\nI’m rude\nI’m bossy\nI have a RBF/I look mad\nI also only managed to make my first real friend at age 27.\nWhat I was really displaying was:\nBeing overly blunt and just trying to get my point across came off rude when I didn’t intend it to be that way\nTrying to have things done at a certain time and way that no one else thought was important to follow\nUnmasking\nNoticed other things too that I just thought was me being weird:\nVocal stimming\nOral stimming-chewing, smoking, vaping\nRepetitive motions\nRocking\nEasily overwhelmed by too much sensory input\nHigh startle reflex \nInability to regulate my body’s needs-I don’t know I’m hungry until I’m ravenous; don’t recognize the need to use the bathroom until it’s causing me to rush off, don’t realize I’m cold until I’m shaking\nI could go on.\nI want an assessment so bad. But assessments for adults are EXTREMELY hard to setup, if you can even set them up at all. Some states don’t even offer them. I’ve been looking but they are only for children and seem to look for severe cases.\n14 years of thinking I was just a bitch who couldn’t make friends because I was too weird…turns out it might be autism. And turns out I’ll most likely never get a true diagnosis. But the RAADS test gave me a 127 score so that might be the closest I’ll ever get.", ">\n\ni kind of self diagnosed autism? i’ve been to many psychiatrists and therapists for years and they always see adhd in the half an hour and prescribe meds for that, which makes me not go there again. if they dug a little deeper they could have seen autism, i spoke to my current psychiatrist about if its possible i have it, she didn’t want to confirm or deny as i was moving out of state from friends and family and am at an age where i can have kids in the next 10 years since she doesn’t want me being concerned for them. \nI think there’s still lots of stigma around autism even with professionals and especially when identifying it in women. \nI don’t want to be autistic, but i can recognise a lot of different patterns comparing myself and others. I’ve researched it a ton especially in how it shows in women compared to men and in all the articles i found myself relating.\nNow i don’t say im autistic, i say im a little sus of being it tho lmao. and try pass it off casually. I find it’s a lot easier for me to understand and embrace my differences compared to trying to hide it and try be like everyone else or wonder why im not like everyone else. \nBeing older i can also recognise how a lot of my family on one side have suffered mentally and because of obvious neurodivergence. so im pretty sure, like the rest of my mentally challenged brain, has been inherited genetically through that side. \nAll that being said. I self diagnosed when i was about 12 that im highly likely to be depressed and anxious in attempt to get my mom to believe me i needed help, and now 8 years later i can identify that this has been an issue forever for me and that i likely cannot go off my meds because i will just go back to how i used to be. Im still ocd with all my meds, but its better than being anxious and depressed all the time, Having ocd throughout the day is like heaven to me in comparison to how i used to be. obviously the ocd isnt new, just a lot more heard in my brain now.", ">\n\nOk, I know some people self diagnoze themselves with [insert some mental illness here] out of attention or whatever, and that's totally not ok.\nHowever, if you read all the symptoms and do proper research on a mental illness and everything clicks in to you, I'd say you can be fairly confident on a self diagnosis (although, it might be worth it to double check with a professional, especially if you want any sort of treatment). But also for some people, it might not be affordable to go to a professional...", ">\n\nI live in Canada, I've engaged with the medical system, doctors don't care and just want you out, ERs are a 8 hour wait for someone to ignore one thing and won't even entertain other issues even if they are related. Self-diagnosis is really the only way to get any kind of proper treatment at all. \nThe doctors will rubber stamp just about anything you ask for except pain killers but in terms of diagnosis you're way better off doing it yourself, sure you don't have 8 years of medical school but the doctors won't give you 5 mins of their time, they are not better than google and you give a lot more of a shit than they will and at the end of the day it's your body.", ">\n\nBack in the 90s when I was a teenager, the kids/teenagers/young adults who wanted attention, and wanted to be different, adopted the goth lifestyle. Dressing up in all black. White foundation with black lipstick and eyeshadow. It was the trendy way to be different, to be viewed as outcasts of society. To not fit in. \nThe goth lifestyle of the 2020s is self diagnosis. Same shit, different day.\nWhenever someone claims autism, or somewhere on the spectrum, I just roll my eyes and imagine that person just sucks at life.", ">\n\nI just think it’s a little more harmful nowadays due to the prevalence of social media. Ppl get sucked into groups and mindsets before they even have a real life chance. Then they hyper fixate on that they might be mentally Ill rather then just trying to live life to the fullest", ">\n\nI 100% agree with you", ">\n\nBecause it's the age of spin this generation has something for everybody. And all of them are Google doctors. Lol", ">\n\nTook my uncle till he was 38 even thought it was apparent to everyone. Hell he got expelled from two schools", ">\n\nI get what you're saying. I frankly find it weird that more people don't find this weird. People self-diagnosing themselves as all kinds of things not only completely misrepresents the actual conditions, thereby making people even more confused as to what they actually are and how they present, but also leads people to run to a psychiatrist claiming false symptoms and getting medication for something they don't have, which is NOT a good thing. People should never be taking medication unless it is necessary. We are a heavily over-medicated society and this is a big factor in that. Caffeine to wake up in the morning, \"immuno-boosters\" and mood stabilizers during the day, sleeping pills to sleep at night. The caffeine and sleeping pills are addictive and can really mess up your circadian rhythm, and the mood stabilizers can really fuck you up if you don't need them. Instead of rushing to diagnose and medicate everyone, we need to educate them on human behavior and show them that their \"mental health\" problems are completely normal.\nOh, so you get nervous right before you make huge life decisions? That's not Anxiety Disorder, it's just anxiety.\nOh, you are really sad because your cat died? That's not Clinical Depression, you are just grieving.\nOh, you went from really happy to really sad when you were previously happy and something really shitty happened to you and soured your mood? That's not Bipolar Disorder, that's just life.\nOh, you like to be more organized than the people around you? That's not Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, you just like to be organized.\nPeople really misunderstand the nature of these conditions and it hinders our collective progress in treating them, like dramatically inflating the number of actual conditions in the population, making it increasingly more difficult to determine how common and how varied they are. After all, in most cases it is not the psychiatrist or psychologist who makes you better, you make you better. Medication can help and other people can show you the path to success, but the problem will never get solved unless you play an active role in the treatment. Some conditions can never be solved, only lessened, while others are virtually untreatable. We need to stop making these conditions seem cool. They aren't. They are serious and need to be taken seriously.", ">\n\nHeavily agree and I appreciate how well this comment is worded. Wish I coulda worded mine a little better", ">\n\nYa I saw you getting shredded in the comments and figured I'd sum it up for you. 🤣", ">\n\nLmao bro I didn’t expect this many. I was thinking maybe like 20 ppl would reply", ">\n\nYou need to self diagnose in many cases in order to get adequate help.", ">\n\nI knew when I had ADD and IBS, and I was able to get my suspicions confirmed by my respective doctors. Doctors are there to help the patients understand themselves, whereas the patients have to go home every day and live with what they actually have. Do not be so quick to judge.", ">\n\nJust to add here - Autism in women is less prevalent because it presents differently and is often not picked up by standardised diagnostic tests (that were developed on an almost exclusively male sample). I think that also goes to show that there’s p significant issues with what we consider ‘scientific’ and research based in the first place.", ">\n\nI grew up in a small town and we had quite a few autistic boys but only one autistic girl. Literally only one out of like 6-8 grades. So that’s like a 10-1 ratio. It’s gotta be a lot statistically smaller then males. I don’t doubt it happens I just know it’s a lot less", ">\n\nYou think your small town’s makeup is generalizable to all of society? That isn’t how statistics work." ]

[ "The diagnosis process for a lot of psychiatric conditions are surveys and questionaires. You can go to a psychiatrist and ask if you're anxious and they'll give you multiple choice questions and diagnose off of that. Or you can just google the form yourself and self diagnose. A lot of psychiatric disorders are about how we feel and think. Not about sending off some blood sample to a lab and getting a positive result come back.\n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. For such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nWhat you're describing are all neuroses that could indicate some deeper psychiatric condition. Whether a person has a mental health condition or not, thinking of ourselves as weak victims is never helpful in any context, yet it's something we all feel from time to time.\nI'm a disability support worker, so when someone tells me they've got a self diagnosed condition, it's not offensive to me or any disabled person I know, it doesn't come across like they're invalidating anyone else's condition. However I do think everyone should talk to a doctor about any condition they feel they might have.", ">\n\nPiggybacking off of this: You’ve spent your whole entire life inside your own brain. A therapist will spend a period of hours with you and give you a diagnosis. Who do you think knows your personal reality better than yourself?", ">\n\nYeah exactly, especially with conditions such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, PTSD, and many other psychiatric conditions. These are things people know they have even before they get a diagnosis. The diagnosis stage is more about treatment and management.\nPeople might be unaware of how severe or mild their condition is, some people think they have only mild PTSD despite constant nightmares and suicidal ideation. Some people will think they have severe ADHD because they can't concentrate for long times on things that don't interest them. It's good to get some perspective from experts but ultimately people know when they are struggling to focus or to struggling to stop stressing all the time or struggling to not be miserable. Struggling with our thoughts and feelings is evidence enough to self diagnose.", ">\n\nI was recently diagnosed with ADHD as a woman so I find this viewpoint interesting.\nFirstly, autism is not a mental illness. An autistic person may have mental illness in conjunction with autism, but autism alone lies under the neurodivergent umbrella. Neurodivergency can include autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and other similar conditions.\nWhy women are often underdiagnosed\nThese are serious disabilities that can really impede a person's life, especially if they struggle to find help and acceptance in their community. A lot of women start their journey towards diagnosis later in life due to a number of factors such as:\n\nPoor diagnostic tools and inexperienced professionals\nA misunderstanding that autism and ADHD are more common in boys\nAdvanced masking techniques to cover their 'traits'\n\nWhy women are often diagnosed later in life.\nThe process for many women and men who are diagnosed later in life often includes a level of burnout or breakdown. After a while everything becomes too much, the mask begins to slip and your traits go into overdrive.\nWhy does self-diagnosing seem to be on the rise?\nA common way of finding out you could possibly be neurodivergent is through media and people who are aware of these traits appear.\nIn the past few years, I have seen an increasing awareness of neurodivergence in women pop up in the media. This is useful for people like myself who had no idea wtf was wrong with them for a very long time. For me, a GP actually suggested I seek a diagnosis due to some struggles I was going through.\nAs someone who went through this process self-diagnosing is commonly the first step as an adult. You might be directed to a questionnaire and are asked to evaluate yourself and your experiences thinking back to your childhood. If there's some merit in your experiences than you move to the next step which involves seeking a professional. Waitlists are often months to years long so many people live in limbo for a long time.\nMethods of living with ADHD can help everyone. And everyone experiences ADHD traits from time to time. Given a large amount of stress we have all suffered collectively, I don't doubt there are a lot of people with increased mental health issues that mirror neurodivergent traits. Some mental illnesses can get very severe and alter your brain chemistry and behaviour.\nMy takeaway from this is that the mental health systems set up to assist these people are a much larger issue and cause for serious concern than self-diagnosing.\nApologies for the spelling and grammar errors. Grammarly and Reddit don't play nice.", ">\n\nI think it's two things. One, people have identity crises, especially teenagers. We all know that type of person who tries on identities like hats. That's pretty embarrassing. You usually grow out of that.\nTwo, from personal experience, giving yourself a label or a diagnosis makes it feel more contained and easy to communicate. It's easier to tell someone that you have X and have them understand what you're going through rather than telling them you have these vague symptoms resembling what you imagine X is like. In that respect, it is pretty understandable, possibly good, and not embarrassing. There's something that is sort of reassuring if you can finally get a word to put on what you're experiencing.\nPeople often sympathize with the diagnosis but not with the symptoms. Tell people at work you're autistic and they will sympathize with you and possibly not attack you. Tell them you do not understand social cues and they will probably just make fun of you.", ">\n\nI understand the desire to put a label with a disease, and this is not necessarily bad, but the diagnosis needs to be correct. If you want to tell others that you are autistic or depressed; you must actually be those things. A person can almost never correctly assertion their disease, only their symptoms. People might better understand you if you say your autistic, but you may incorrectly understand and describe yourself. If one wishes to put a name with symptoms, they should find a doctor to pick the label", ">\n\nfor sure but unfortunately our medical system is a joke and even if you are experiencing very severe symptoms it can be nearly impossible to see a professional or take months on a waiting list.\nEven then a professional may be reluctant to slap a label on you for fear of what the consequences of that might be. I saw someone for a very long time who resisted any sort of actual diagnosis because the truth is that what I was experiencing didn't fit neatly into any of the boxes and pretty much belonged in this vague \"other\" category which isn't particularly helpful. Not to mention that misdiagnosis happens all the time even by professionals. \nI just think it is sort of understandable because I think a lot of stuff is kind of a spectrum anyway and just different levels of severity. Things can be really confusing and hard to nail down and thus communicate in a way that causes someone else to be understanding rather than judgemental.", ">\n\nAre you under the impression this is a new phenomenon? Because it's definitely not.\nPeople - especially young people! - crave identity. The world is a confusing place, knowing who you are makes it a little easier. Sometimes it's self-diagnosing mental illness or learning disabilities, or exploring sexual identity, or cliques, or subcultures. There's nothing embarrassing about it, it just is what it is.", ">\n\nIt’s ok to want to express individuality but not to the extent of totally destroying the definition of a real thing and making it hard for actual mentally Ill ppl to get a diagnosis. Why can’t people just accept that they’re different rather then giving themselves a label?", ">\n\npeople on TikTok claiming to have disorders that they don't doesn't affect the precision of psychiatrists diagnosing actual patients. There's no TikTok-said section in the DSM. Why do you think that it does?", ">\n\nIt just encourages more people to get diagnosed possibly skewing the meaning of the mental illness", ">\n\nSkewing it towards statistical accuracy? If people are actually diagnosed at higher rates, we have a better Guage of population-level mental illness, neurodivergency, etc. Better data is more usable, so that research actually means something actionable, ASIDE from the identity boost for young people.", ">\n\nI think what OP is driving at, but utterly failing to explain, is that they think that the fakers will be accommodated by the psychiatric system and diagnosed on the basis of fake symptoms. my sense is that isn't a problem but I don't have data.", ">\n\nDefinitely explained it a little better then I could lol", ">\n\nWhere do you see evidence of that? Any articles about fakers? How about a statistic? If not, it’s just a fear you seem to have.", ">\n\nI think the salient line here is this one:\n\nNeurologists were able to quickly determine that the subjects were not \nsuffering from Tourette's, but psychogenic tics driven by anxiety.", ">\n\nWomen are not born with less autism, but are much less likely to be diagnosed as children than boys. This is partly because boys generally have similar symptoms and behaviors. \nSo of course more women are self diagnosing autism, since their diagnoses were missed as children on a much higher rate.", ">\n\nAlright, I'm diagnosed OCD, PTSD, chronic depression. Diagnosed by a professional so I think I have some grounds to talk about this.\nFirst, let's tackle your women comment about autism. You see, I understand where you're coming from, but you lack the nuance of recognizing that mental illness, and illness in general, is heavily under-diagnosed in women. The medical culture is heavily favored towards men and is rampant with mysogyny, and that's not just me saying it as I've had medical professionals blatantly tell me it's a problem in the field when questioned about it. I've also had some tell me that it's just because women whine a lot, so yanno make of that statement what you will.\nNow that we've covered that let me address the self-diagnosing issue. So, do you want to know what my therapist thinks of self-diagnosing? Well, when I asked them about it they said that self-diagnosing is an important first step to seeking help. Psychiatrist said the same thing. It's normal, expected even, for people to self-diagnose their issues then seek help for them. You can't exactly just peer into someone's brain, no, that person has to tell you what they think is wrong and why they think it is. \nWhat you actually have a problem with is not self-diagnosis, but with people not seeking or not being able to get medical assistance and assuming they're right. You have a problem with people using these issues for attention, which I do too, but once again self-diagnosing is not the problem. Finally, you have a problem with the medical system that forces people into the position of trying to figure out their mental illnesses, but having no ability to get help for them.", ">\n\nI think I did it", ">\n\nSadly no lol, it was not done properly. Do you need a link to the rules?", ">\n\nI already read them i think I’ll figure it out in a bit sorry for the hold up", ">\n\nBecause everyone else is being aggressive: you have to comment with ∆ or !delta and then explain how your view has been changed", ">\n\nThis delta has been rejected. You can't award OP a delta.\nAllowing this would wrongly suggest that you can post here with the aim of convincing others.\nIf you were explaining when/how to award a delta, please use a reddit quote for the symbol next time.\n^Delta System Explained ^| ^Deltaboards", ">\n\nWhat gives you the authority or knowledge to know this is the problem?", ">\n\nYou don’t think it’s a problem that a lot of young ppl are willing to go to the extent of saying they are mentally Ill either for attention or to excuse their weirdness? Just accept that your different. It’s not wrong to believe you’re different without a label", ">\n\nYou did not even try to answer my question.", ">\n\nI’m sorry I was confused on what you meant", ">\n\nIf you are mad at people for self diagnosing themselves because they don't have the knowledge or authority to do so.... what gives you the knowledge or authority to diagnosis this as the problem behavior... basically are you just a kid that is annoyed, or is there some actual studies out there that is claiming this is a problem.", ">\n\nIf you don’t think that people consistently seeking attention for mental illness or craving a label so badly to justify themselves rather then being themselves. That just shows what your views are", ">\n\nDont you think we should leave the diagnosing to the professionals?", ">\n\nI mean yeah", ">\n\nWould you agree that you are diagnosing these people by saying that they are only seeking attention and do not have a real mental illness?", ">\n\nI’m assuming", ">\n\nThere may be some truth to people wanting to be different, however with mental illnesses being more accepted in today's society, many people are a lot more comfortable with being neurodivergent. Additionally, self diagnosis is common because the alternative is spending upwards to $1000-$2000 for a clinical diagnosis.", ">\n\nI know costs suck, but self diagnosis can be much more harmful. A web.md page that tells you your depressed when you may actually be bipolar can lead to really messed up results. I would even go as far as to say that no diagnosis at all is preferable to an uninformed one", ">\n\nWell.\n​\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad \n\nSo you already know why they're doing what they're doing in addition the fact that you know that they're not Autistic? If your claim is that they can't know and only a doctor can, what makes you more qualified? You start out your argument admitting that you have a bias.\n\nthey’re “neurodivergent.\n\nNeurodivergent is an umbrella that covers both Autism and ADHD, which sometimes get mistaken for each other. So if you're upset that they're self-diagnosing, this term should be more welcome than \"Autistic\" because it's more generalized.\n\nnd when you ask them how they know they’ll say “oh I have this weird tick when I uh laugh when someone says something funny “ or “I have a hyper fixation on this topic so I must be autistic\n\nHow else should they communicate it to you? The list of aspects of Autism, especially for how it presents in women, sounds a lot like this. You're not a doctor, they don't have to prove anything to you by going down the entire list of every possible part of their daily experience that might be on the spectrum.\n\nWomen statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nNope. Women are diagnosed less often than men because the original diagnostic criteria for Autism was for Autism as it presents in males. It presents differently for females and is harder to diagnose, especially at younger ages. \n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized\n\nTodays youth want to be victimized? Why would anyone want to be victimized? Something tells me you're missing the mark with this terminology.\n\nor have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. \n\nSo if someone is Autistic and that makes them weird, you'd rather them just be forced to not get to have a name for it, and get the therapeutic treatment that would help them?\n\nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really [are] without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nSome people are autistic. If they find out and it makes them feel good, that doesn't mean they're craving attention. And if they are craving attention, it's because they're normal people and everyone does. \nIf someone thinks they're autistic but it turns out they're actually not, chances are they suspected it for a reason. They might have ADHD, a personality disorder, a mental health issue, or simply a slightly different way of experiencing the world that feels unique to them and there's nothing wrong with that. \nYou seem to think that other people do things for you. People generally don't. They do things for themselves. This is especially true of people on the Autism Spectrum who may not be able to easily use other people's experiences to reference when constructing their view of the world, and can only use their own. Your interpretation wherein they do it to evoke a response from you says more about you than it does about them.", ">\n\nYou’re being deliberately obtuse. OP is completely correct. Most of the people these days who say “I’m ADHD” or “I’m autistic” or “I’m neurodivergent” are absolutely not diagnosed as such and are doing it to seem unique or get attention or as some excuse for why they did x y or z.", ">\n\nI'd like to point out that while some are perhaps attention seeking, many people self diagnose simply because they don't have access to free medical/psychological professionals to get proper diagnosis and help with their issues. I also know someone who doesn't want to get an official diagnosis because he's afrad it will affect his insurance rates or somehow come back to bite him if he's offically labeled with having a neurological disorder. \nThere is a wealth of knowledge on these subjects available online for those interested. And if they are truly interested in self diagnose they can likely do that accurately enough for all intents and purposes. Most of these people who search for the sake of better understanding themselves or their loved ones will openly admit that it's a self diagnoses, or say they THINK they have x,y, or z. But in some situations it's just as well to say they have it if they feel certain anyway, and it's just a passing comment, and not a discussion on the matter. \nIn other words, just because they self diagnose doesn't mean they're wrong, nor does it explain their motives. I also don't see how attention seeking (for those who ARE doing that) is really hurting anyone else. Fakers gonna be fake, that's more a \"them\" kind of problem. ANNOYING, but mostly harmless.", ">\n\nUnless you have a doctor's diagnosis you don't have the disorder. Even if you are broke there are programs to help with costs. \nAnd yes it does affect me when someone is treating me like shit and tries using the I have such and such as an excuse and then people get mad at ME for calling them in their bullshit.", ">\n\nNo. You have to have the disorder before you CAN be diagnosed, so obviously there are undiagnosed people who in fact \"have the disorder \". Your refusal to acknowledge an undiagnosed disorder does not mean they don't have it. Your personal experience with people supposedly using a fake diagnosis to treat you badly, sounds unusual. How do you know they DIDN'T have it? People who do lie and just want to be jerks will do that regardless of what methods they decide to try. The methods are irrelevant. And that motive is not typical of most self diagnosers .", ">\n\nSounds unusual? You must not get out a lot because it's become a pretty regular thing. Every single person I know (about 8) that have self diagnosed themselves as neurodivergent or with a mental illness like Bi-polar all use it to excuse their shitty ass behaviors. \nToo many disorders can mirror other ones. Just because they think they have 2/3 symptoms doesn't make them right by a long shot. Keep living in your bubble.", ">\n\nYou don't have to have a relationship with anyone. If they treat you badly, regardless of an official diagnosis or not, you don't have to tolerate them. It makes no difference what they have or don't have. What would it change if they got diagnosed and actually have it?", ">\n\nSelf diagnosing has been a thing forever\nAnd it's not a problem im 99% sure me or any other autistic person doesn't really give 2 fucks about people who wanna fake disorders. It doesn't stop us from getting help, we have doctors notes, medical files, sometimes even volunteers, you need those files to get into let's say a special education class, or a life skills course.\nSo unless you were diagnosed by a professional you're probably not gonna make it far faking it.\n(Excuse my shitty punctuation)", ">\n\nIt doesn’t bother you that they’re making others take the actual meaning away from what you were born with? I mean I’m sure autism hasn’t made your life easy and seeing ppl claim it for attention to be quirky probably has to annoy you a little right?", ">\n\nAt the end of the day I still have ADHD and I still need help with it. More people being diagnosed with it doesn’t change that fact. In fact I was diagnosed because I realized I related to so many tiktok memes, and I’m sure others are in my same boat. \nIn fact I think so many people talking about ADHD helps. It means more people who possibly have tips for me, people who are suffering who can’t afford treatment have an easy way to learn about how to improve their lives, and more people who are aware of my disorder.", ">\n\nI think people do diagnose themselves too often without seeking professional help. BUT mental illness is not the same as being neurodivergent.", ">\n\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad that they’ll go as far to say they’re “neurodivergent.”\n\nWhile this is the case, I don't really see how it's a \"problem\" per se. I guarantee that these people still make lifestyle decisions based on what they think is best, or based on what they want to do.\n\nbut it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women\n\nDo you have any statistics for that? I haven't experienced it that way in my own anecdotal experience, and I'd be curious to look into the data to see how much that truly does skew in that direction.\n\nwanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness \nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nI understand what you're trying to say here, but I don't really think these things are connected as much as you think they are. People see something wrong with themselves, so they either playfully or seriously consider the fact that it could be a condition that they have similar symptoms to. Not that it never happens, but just because someone categorizes themselves into a disability group that could potentially excuse their \"quirks\", doesn't mean they think that behavior is unacceptable in any way. People see a problem, and assume it's linked to this other issue that seems similar that they already know about.", ">\n\nI agree with the conclusion that self-diagnosis is a real issue, and I wouldn't be surprised if the data indicated it was on the rise. I wouldn't necessarily frame it as a simple desire to \"be victimized\" however. While it is purely speculation, I do believe there are a number of conditions which might lead towards a more frequent experience of symptoms associated with mental illness - a rising wealth gap, perpetual anxiety from a 24-hour news cycle, intensification of self-commodification, the student debt crisis in certain countries like the US, and so on. So people are experiencing symptoms like low energy, mood swings, etc. that can be associated with mental illness. The issue with self-diagnosis then becomes that it may correctly identify the symptom, but incorrectly identify the cause.\nThis video from the YouTuber HealthyGamerGG does a good job of explaining what some of the issues with self-diagnosis are, and for me it was a good starting place for thinking about this more. \nEDIT: I forgot this video literally starts with this same topic being brought up on this same subreddit lol", ">\n\nA great theory based on reasonable causes with an educational video from a psychologist(I assume) as evidence to back it up. I applaud you sir. 👏", ">\n\nWhy are you embarrassed by other people's issues?", ">\n\nI’m a 30yo male. If I had not first self diagnosed with ASD and OCD, I never would have found the language and resources to get a formal diagnosis and help.\nPrior generations have been so fixated on avoidance of diagnosing mental disorders, and research was previously so lacking that we are only just now (through those that do get diagnosed) realizing how common mental disorders are. That plus the lack of mental health resources for neurotypical and neurodivergent I think is how we end up in this situation of many recognizing their symptoms in the new discourse, but lacking the resources to overcome the barriers to proper diagnosis and treatment.", ">\n\nIt’s not the best thing, no. \nAs an adult FINALLY diagnosed (by a licensed therapist) at 41, I can tell you why ‘self diagnosis’ is so tempting. \nIn the US at least- mental health, and official medical diagnosis are almost completely inaccessible, especially as an adult. Most of us grew up before Autism was a spectrum, and ADHD was just boys who acted out in class. We felt like aliens. We couldn’t understand why we didn’t have many friends, or why we didn’t like the ‘right things’, and generally spend the bill of our lives feeling ‘wrong’, ‘broken’ or just simply like we didn’t belong. \nFinally understanding the WHY, and even better, finding tools to addresses our issues is a huge huge weight off the chest. The relief of having a name and a strategy- either therapy or medicine is such an amazing relief!!", ">\n\nI only kinda agree if I had not done my own research I would have never found out I have sjorgens syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis I know TikTok people tend to diagnose themselves and it makes it look cringe but when you live with a incurable illness sometimes you have to work to find a diagnosis", ">\n\nWell, what do you do of you absolutely know you're neurodivergent, but your parents decided not to get you checked? My mom once told me \"we knew you had something, we just didn't get you checked because they would have just put you on pills\". So I struggled with being different, socially unaware, impulsive, obnoxious, agressive, selfish, for the better part of my life without having the self awareness to understand why I was these things, and why people wouldn't want to be around me. \nIn my late 20''s I asked the question, what if I'm actually autistic? I looked up the symptoms, and 9/10 matched. As a child I couldn't handle loud noises, restrictive clothing, I didn't talk until I was 3. I would throw fits for seemingly no reason, I had obsessive interests. I've always really struggled with eye contact, and I never cared for conversation unless it was something I liked. I mean, when the final piece of a puzzle fits so incredibly well, it's really hard for it to be wrong. \nSelf diagnosing actually really helped me grow as aj individual. I became aware of all my divergent behaviors, and why it might be annoying for someone else to deal with. I came to the realization that I was the one who was different, therefore I needed to change. It's way harder to make everyone around you cater to your needs than to overcome the things that upset you. I'm at peace, I have good friends that I can connect with on a pretty deep level. I no longer smash coffee tables when I lose, I can now appreciate that if I lose it just means I have more to learn. I can keep my house clean, I can reasonably hold myself accountable. What exactly is the harm in all that?\nBesides, it would be pretty pointless for me to try and get a diagnosis now, I've put the effort in and largely come out the other side. Anyone diagnosing me would just say I was normal, but they wouldn't have the intimate knowledge of me that I do. I guess it doesn't matter if people don't believe me, I don't go around shouting that I'm autistic. I will say, it would be really nice if people appreciated the effort I put in to get to get to a place of normalcy, something others take for granted, but it's okay, we all have our struggles.", ">\n\nI feel you on all that. To play devil's advocate, mental healthcare in the U.S. is not cheap. Many people go to the internet and confirm their bias about their current health", ">\n\nI feel you on that too OP. I agree 100% with your entire statement.", ">\n\nIt's a problem, but not a new one. In the 1990s there was briefly a surge of people with a type of delusional parasitosis, that is, the false belief that they were infested with parasites. Except this one was supposedly an infestation with tiny fibres. They would come to doctors with a whole list of symptoms to back up their incorrect self-diagnosis.\nTo a certain extent, these are social contagions, which come and go, and often actually end up leading to people having real problems. Like, the young women you mention, a couple of decades ago may well have ended up with anorexia, or self-cutting. These days it might be a self-declaration of autism or a belief that they have gender dysphoria or that they have multiple systems living in their minds.", ">\n\nWow I did not know that. Maybe it’s just so prevalent today due to social media. Social media has only made these things worse imo", ">\n\nEven before it being self diagnosis of a mental illness it was always something. Remember all the emo and goth teenager?", ">\n\nIt depends on the context. For example, if they've done a substantial amount of research, can name a good amount of symptoms they have and reasons they have whatever mental illness and don't have access to the necessary tools to get a medical diagnosis, it's totally different. Some people don't have the money to go out and get a diagnosis, or sometimes it would be better to not get a medical diagnosis. I believe that the reason that a lot of people self diagnose themselves with things like Autism is because they want an explanation as to why they are different, and they could be right or wrong. I think the most important part is that if you go to a psychologist (or even two, I know a lot of people prefer getting second opinions) and they say you don't have it, that you need to admit you were wrong. It's ok to be wrong about your mental health, and the key is to keep looking and to not give up. I can completely understand the frustration in people completely missing how difficult it actually may be to have a mental illness. I was clinically diagnosed with Depression, Anxiety, and PTSD when I was seven, and I've had some experience with people faking mental disorders for attention, and more often then not, they have another mental disorder that needs attention. Recently I had a (now ex) boyfriend insist he had PTSD after being tested twice and the psychiatrist saying that he didn't have it. What he does have is Depression and Anxiety, but he absolutely insisted he has PTSD despite never exhibiting symptoms and the only evidence being a test he took online that was supposedly a \"real PTSD test.\" People faking mental illnesses only harms people who really have them, as these people tend to exaggerate symptoms and use their self diagnosis for attention. I believe that I am autistic, but I don't list it as a diagnosis because while I have read articles and taken the RAADS-r test, I don't have an official diagnosis, and I could very well be wrong. As for women faking illnesses more often, something I've noticed is that things like Autism, ADHD, ADD, etc are more often diagnosed in boys rather than girls- mostly because when they were first discovered, most of the research was done in boys. Autism shows up differently in girls, and can often be blown off as early puberty hormones. If their hyperfixations are those of stereotypical feminine things, it's just a girl liking whatever, and if they hyperfixate in stereotypical masculine interests, they tend to just be viewed as weird, but not autistic. It's normal for people to question, but I agree that to a certain point, self diagnosis can be harmful, but only if not done correctly.", ">\n\nFirst and foremost not a new problem at all, very common, we used to call it \"Being a hypochondriac\" until it aparrently became reconized which in it self is confusing and a bit contradictory.\nANYWAY\nIt isnt really a problem, no doctor is gonna write the perscription for medication without a diagnosis of some sort.\nAt most there is the vauge \"But what about those who actually have it who arent taken serious\" dont worry, we wouldnt have anyway. Thats kinda how invisible illnesses work.\nOverall the 101 hypochondriacs screaming about the symptoms they read in the ICD might help make the knowledge more common and help people better reconize if their colleagues or friends happen to show symptoms of something.", ">\n\nIt’s pretty expensive in the US to get diagnosed. Personally, I’ve self diagnosed myself out of frustration of the way I process things. I’ve always felt slow & my anxiety/depression was deep because of it, but I was raised in a family that doesn’t believe in mental illness. It was always “if you work hard enough, all your problems will go away”. Meanwhile, i was racking my brain on how to make myself think faster/smarter & it would result in psychotic episodes. I’ve gotten fired from jobs, dropped out of school. I started self harming because I hated myself and my brain & almost commit suicide bc I had no idea what was going on.\nThe relief I felt once I finally got a therapist who validated me & was the first to talk to me about mental Illness. It blew my mind and all of a sudden things actually made sense to me. I currently think I have ADD, and sometimes I’ll tell people that but will preface it by saying I’m not professionally diagnosed. Still, I use mental tools that help me get through the day and build my confidence. I’m a lot better at processing conversations, making lists that help me remember things, unmasking, slowing down my thoughts… etc. I’m less frustrated and can see the beauty in how I process things. I still want to get diagnosed but I have to get health insurance….. lol", ">\n\nSelf diagnosis, regardless of being factual is a process where the individual realizes that they might have a mental health issue. People who can do this are more likely to seek professional help compared to the people who think they are “fine”. Going to a professional, licensed psychologist or a psychiatrist will eventually diagnose them with the correct disorder from there, and professionals have the skills to communicate with them and they can together evaluate if the person’s complaint is the issue or not. There is nothing embarrassing about discovering one’s self. It would be a problem if people would identify with an issue and don’t have any willingness to seek help. Sometimes overreacting is better than not reacting.", ">\n\nThe majority of people who are self-diagnosed with autism have done extensive research into it to come to that conclusion. I personally went through the DSM criteria with a fine-tooth comb, made a list of all the ways I met it and discovered that there’s not a single criteria i don’t meet for autism. I didn’t read about anything else but autism for weeks, approaching it from all angles before coming to the conclusion that it’s highly unlikely I am not autistic. I’m waiting to hear back about an assessment, but I’m not waiting to go and be told something I already know before I start advocating for myself. \nOh, and I absolutely did not want to be ‘different’, in fact my life mission to just blend in and be average is the root cause of most of my problems, but here we are.", ">\n\nThis self diagnosing young people do isn’t the problem. The problem is that our society encourages it.\nOur culture is not set up to accommodate a wide spectrum of human needs. You may need things that I don’t. I may need things that you don’t. But in most business settings, academic settings, or even places like restaurants or leisure places, the world isn’t built to accommodate everyone. Our world and society is a “one size fits all” approach, and most people don’t fit snugly inside of that system. \nIf you can classify what is “wrong” or “different” about you into an easily digestible form, people are generally more able and more willing to accommodate you.\nFor example: if I tell my coworkers that I need to leave work early because of a headache, I’ll be shamed for it. And in some cases I’ll be told that “headaches aren’t that bad!” Or “You don’t need to leave.” Or “I have a headache too, just deal with it!”\nBut if I tell my workers that I need to leave due to a painful neurological condition that’s flaring up (I have chronic migraine, which is a neurological condition), they will respect it 100% of the time. It’s met with sympathy and not criticism.\nThis happens for all sorts of things. “Sorry Im late, I slept in.” Sounds a lot worse then, “sorry I’m late, my insomnia has been terrible lately.” \nOur culture forces us to use these labels even when they’re untrue just to receive sympathy or acceptance. The problem isn’t people who decide to use these labels, the root problem is that our society refuses to embrace and accommodate people who are outside of the “norm.”", ">\n\nSpeaking as someone who's had an autism diagnosis since age 7: if someone declares they're autistic when they're not, that's obnoxious at worst. If someone is told they're not autistic when they are, that can cause lifelong harm from denied care and understanding. I have seen this happen to a close friend of mine.\nTherefore, I'd much rather err on the side of acceptance. If you think you're defending me and others like me from impersonators, we'd rather not have your help.\n\nI know people will disagree but it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women. Women statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nCase in point: women are diagnosed with autism far less than men. Recent studies have pointed to decades of systematic misdiagnosis. The more visible autistic symptoms sometimes manifest differently in girls, the way they're socialized may help them hide it from a young age, and of course lots of doctors just say \"your daughter can't be autistic, that's a boy thing.\"\nWe're learning that there are hundreds of thousands of autistic women who slipped through the cracks and were denied the recognition and support they needed because of dismissive, gatekeeping attitudes just like yours.", ">\n\nThere’s a difference between having a disorder and relating to a disorder. If the tools or language associated with a disorder helps someone live better though then cool, it’s all still odd. Also autism presents differently in woman, and a majority of our research on it is on men. Best practice is probably to support them and encourage them to seek treatment.", ">\n\nAutism is severely misdiagnosed in women. Completely under diagnosed. Actually, plenty of things are. The actual problem that we have is parents refusing to let their children get professional help or a diagnosis. Most doctors will diagnose you with BPD as a woman(aka the new female hysteria of our century), maybe put you on some anti psychotics and send you your way. In most countries, a diagnosis/specialist is not readily available, or there is a long waiting list. Even so, the doctors are not know it all. I have seen plenty of doctors, I got different diagnosis almost each time. They ask you some general questions (about your mood, the way you sleep, if you can concentrate, if you harm yourself, if you have suicidal ideation, if you can socialize properly, if your parents were diagnosed with anything, if you have hallucinations or delusions, the works) and then based on that, they will give you a diagnosis. If you use your common sense and information on the internet (given you are knowledgeable on the subject), you can take a good guess on what's wrong. Obviously, some people will exaggerate like with anything (seeing the shadow dude once in your childhood is not a sign of psychosis, neither is hearing your name called when you are alone once in a blue moon), but if you have visual and auditory hallucinations, perhaps weird tactile feelings/hallucinations (spiders are crawling on me, etc), delusions, tend to be forgetful and out of teach with reality, there is a good chance you do have psychosis.", ">\n\nOkay, to start: what do you think autism and ADHD are? They aren't mental illnesses nor are they mental health conditions. \nTo address some of your other points; \nStudies have shown that autism has a gender expression of 1:1. The only reason that women are under diagnosed is because of misunderstandings towards autism, then the diagnosis is conducted incorrectly. Thus it ends up getting conflated with mental illness, E.G BPD, and is diagnosed as a psychiatric disorder instead. This is a detriment to the patient as the care regimes are black and white different. Often times this severely damages the woman.\nFrom data sets that I recall reading, malingering hasn't risen much, if at all, in recent times. I remember it being around 8% of the global population who are engaging in this behaviour, to different extents. I think what's happened is that social media has turned a torch onto it and it's risen in popularity in an algorithmic way. You see it more because it's pushed by the algorithm more because people are searching for it more. It isn't actually occurring any more or less than historically. Most of that attention is negative attention, I should add. \nSo there's two things to take away from that.\n1) The actual act of pretending to be mentally ill, or to have a disability, which is called malingering, is in fact a form of mental unwellness itself. It's a cry for help. The people who do these things are usually very unstable and should be treated with a degree of empathy. The dangerous types who are using mental illness to scam others, or to manipulate them, make up a very small percentage of the overall amount of people in that group and tend to abuse one on one. \n2) The predominant response to this is generally negative. There isn't really any reason to publicly malinger unless you're unstable, this is because a rational person would likely know this, and know the damage it would cause themselves. Self-diagnosis is a very long, and self-aware, process that takes place over years of the individuals life, and proceeds official diagnosis. \nNo one SDs and says \"Okay that's it now! Let me start a TikTok!\" You'd still want support, and you'd still seek support. So that would end up with a doctor, who would see that you're lying, and treat you for whatever was prompting you to malinger. Anyone who has made this commitment knows that keeping it private is a sensible thing to do in a world that isn't inclusive, and often very stigmatising. Sometimes official diagnosis can take YEARS. \nThis kind of propaganda has been going around for a long time in an effort to discredit disabled people and people with mental illnesses. It's not new. People said the same things back in the 90s. People will always be afraid, and dismissive, of things they do not understand. I invite you to try and understand.", ">\n\nI self-diagnosed myself with endometriosis for 10 years before a doctor finally listened to me, opened me up, and found my insides littered with lesions all over my organs. I’m now not able to get pregnant and I might need to get part of my bowel taken out someday. This could’ve been avoided if someone had just listened to me when I was 16. \nSelf-diagnosing is a necessity in a misogynist world! No one takes us seriously! Especially medical professionals. \nThe best antidote for this is to listen to women who self-diagnose. Why do they think they have XYZ? Is it heavily interfering with their life? I think that’s a much larger problem.", ">\n\nIts been proven that there is a bias to diagnose as opposed to not diagnose a mental illness in psychology. So op is actually kinda correct. The definition of a mental illness is in effect being stretched so far that people who are just kinda weird are being diagnosed with \"on the spectrum\". This is actually causing a problem in early learning because parents start treating their kids as essentially learning challenged when they're really not. So it is starting to become an excuse ...", ">\n\nWe live in a society that loves to medicate people. I know it’s different but Did ppl forget about the opioid epidemic? They’ll diagnose your ass with anything if they can", ">\n\nYa I tend to agree. And no one is really saying so I will I guess, but id wager that 50% of psychologist \"professionals\" are totally full of shit. The actual number of psychologists that are are doing real research and clinical studies is EXTREMELY small compared to how many \"psychologists\" are out there. Just like chiropractors, half of them are hacks..", ">\n\nAnd ill say one more thing, though it is anecdotal, but i have direct family that works in special education for young children, and that system is fucked with a capital F. Thay are constantly fighting against parents and programs who try to box kids in the \"autistic\" zone, when they are just really quite or shy, or have pee problems. But parents want an excuse and reason for their behavior, and reduce them to a sub standard education and treatment for the rest of their lives. It's heart breaking. Especially in public schools.", ">\n\nI’m 32 years old. \nI didn’t self diagnose for attention although I remember the days of tumblr where everyone self diagnosed for clout.\nIt took me a decade to realize what is really happening. During the decade before I realized what may have been happening I was told the following:\nI’m rude\nI’m bossy\nI have a RBF/I look mad\nI also only managed to make my first real friend at age 27.\nWhat I was really displaying was:\nBeing overly blunt and just trying to get my point across came off rude when I didn’t intend it to be that way\nTrying to have things done at a certain time and way that no one else thought was important to follow\nUnmasking\nNoticed other things too that I just thought was me being weird:\nVocal stimming\nOral stimming-chewing, smoking, vaping\nRepetitive motions\nRocking\nEasily overwhelmed by too much sensory input\nHigh startle reflex \nInability to regulate my body’s needs-I don’t know I’m hungry until I’m ravenous; don’t recognize the need to use the bathroom until it’s causing me to rush off, don’t realize I’m cold until I’m shaking\nI could go on.\nI want an assessment so bad. But assessments for adults are EXTREMELY hard to setup, if you can even set them up at all. Some states don’t even offer them. I’ve been looking but they are only for children and seem to look for severe cases.\n14 years of thinking I was just a bitch who couldn’t make friends because I was too weird…turns out it might be autism. And turns out I’ll most likely never get a true diagnosis. But the RAADS test gave me a 127 score so that might be the closest I’ll ever get.", ">\n\ni kind of self diagnosed autism? i’ve been to many psychiatrists and therapists for years and they always see adhd in the half an hour and prescribe meds for that, which makes me not go there again. if they dug a little deeper they could have seen autism, i spoke to my current psychiatrist about if its possible i have it, she didn’t want to confirm or deny as i was moving out of state from friends and family and am at an age where i can have kids in the next 10 years since she doesn’t want me being concerned for them. \nI think there’s still lots of stigma around autism even with professionals and especially when identifying it in women. \nI don’t want to be autistic, but i can recognise a lot of different patterns comparing myself and others. I’ve researched it a ton especially in how it shows in women compared to men and in all the articles i found myself relating.\nNow i don’t say im autistic, i say im a little sus of being it tho lmao. and try pass it off casually. I find it’s a lot easier for me to understand and embrace my differences compared to trying to hide it and try be like everyone else or wonder why im not like everyone else. \nBeing older i can also recognise how a lot of my family on one side have suffered mentally and because of obvious neurodivergence. so im pretty sure, like the rest of my mentally challenged brain, has been inherited genetically through that side. \nAll that being said. I self diagnosed when i was about 12 that im highly likely to be depressed and anxious in attempt to get my mom to believe me i needed help, and now 8 years later i can identify that this has been an issue forever for me and that i likely cannot go off my meds because i will just go back to how i used to be. Im still ocd with all my meds, but its better than being anxious and depressed all the time, Having ocd throughout the day is like heaven to me in comparison to how i used to be. obviously the ocd isnt new, just a lot more heard in my brain now.", ">\n\nOk, I know some people self diagnoze themselves with [insert some mental illness here] out of attention or whatever, and that's totally not ok.\nHowever, if you read all the symptoms and do proper research on a mental illness and everything clicks in to you, I'd say you can be fairly confident on a self diagnosis (although, it might be worth it to double check with a professional, especially if you want any sort of treatment). But also for some people, it might not be affordable to go to a professional...", ">\n\nI live in Canada, I've engaged with the medical system, doctors don't care and just want you out, ERs are a 8 hour wait for someone to ignore one thing and won't even entertain other issues even if they are related. Self-diagnosis is really the only way to get any kind of proper treatment at all. \nThe doctors will rubber stamp just about anything you ask for except pain killers but in terms of diagnosis you're way better off doing it yourself, sure you don't have 8 years of medical school but the doctors won't give you 5 mins of their time, they are not better than google and you give a lot more of a shit than they will and at the end of the day it's your body.", ">\n\nBack in the 90s when I was a teenager, the kids/teenagers/young adults who wanted attention, and wanted to be different, adopted the goth lifestyle. Dressing up in all black. White foundation with black lipstick and eyeshadow. It was the trendy way to be different, to be viewed as outcasts of society. To not fit in. \nThe goth lifestyle of the 2020s is self diagnosis. Same shit, different day.\nWhenever someone claims autism, or somewhere on the spectrum, I just roll my eyes and imagine that person just sucks at life.", ">\n\nI just think it’s a little more harmful nowadays due to the prevalence of social media. Ppl get sucked into groups and mindsets before they even have a real life chance. Then they hyper fixate on that they might be mentally Ill rather then just trying to live life to the fullest", ">\n\nI 100% agree with you", ">\n\nBecause it's the age of spin this generation has something for everybody. And all of them are Google doctors. Lol", ">\n\nTook my uncle till he was 38 even thought it was apparent to everyone. Hell he got expelled from two schools", ">\n\nI get what you're saying. I frankly find it weird that more people don't find this weird. People self-diagnosing themselves as all kinds of things not only completely misrepresents the actual conditions, thereby making people even more confused as to what they actually are and how they present, but also leads people to run to a psychiatrist claiming false symptoms and getting medication for something they don't have, which is NOT a good thing. People should never be taking medication unless it is necessary. We are a heavily over-medicated society and this is a big factor in that. Caffeine to wake up in the morning, \"immuno-boosters\" and mood stabilizers during the day, sleeping pills to sleep at night. The caffeine and sleeping pills are addictive and can really mess up your circadian rhythm, and the mood stabilizers can really fuck you up if you don't need them. Instead of rushing to diagnose and medicate everyone, we need to educate them on human behavior and show them that their \"mental health\" problems are completely normal.\nOh, so you get nervous right before you make huge life decisions? That's not Anxiety Disorder, it's just anxiety.\nOh, you are really sad because your cat died? That's not Clinical Depression, you are just grieving.\nOh, you went from really happy to really sad when you were previously happy and something really shitty happened to you and soured your mood? That's not Bipolar Disorder, that's just life.\nOh, you like to be more organized than the people around you? That's not Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, you just like to be organized.\nPeople really misunderstand the nature of these conditions and it hinders our collective progress in treating them, like dramatically inflating the number of actual conditions in the population, making it increasingly more difficult to determine how common and how varied they are. After all, in most cases it is not the psychiatrist or psychologist who makes you better, you make you better. Medication can help and other people can show you the path to success, but the problem will never get solved unless you play an active role in the treatment. Some conditions can never be solved, only lessened, while others are virtually untreatable. We need to stop making these conditions seem cool. They aren't. They are serious and need to be taken seriously.", ">\n\nHeavily agree and I appreciate how well this comment is worded. Wish I coulda worded mine a little better", ">\n\nYa I saw you getting shredded in the comments and figured I'd sum it up for you. 🤣", ">\n\nLmao bro I didn’t expect this many. I was thinking maybe like 20 ppl would reply", ">\n\nYou need to self diagnose in many cases in order to get adequate help.", ">\n\nI knew when I had ADD and IBS, and I was able to get my suspicions confirmed by my respective doctors. Doctors are there to help the patients understand themselves, whereas the patients have to go home every day and live with what they actually have. Do not be so quick to judge.", ">\n\nJust to add here - Autism in women is less prevalent because it presents differently and is often not picked up by standardised diagnostic tests (that were developed on an almost exclusively male sample). I think that also goes to show that there’s p significant issues with what we consider ‘scientific’ and research based in the first place.", ">\n\nI grew up in a small town and we had quite a few autistic boys but only one autistic girl. Literally only one out of like 6-8 grades. So that’s like a 10-1 ratio. It’s gotta be a lot statistically smaller then males. I don’t doubt it happens I just know it’s a lot less", ">\n\nYou think your small town’s makeup is generalizable to all of society? That isn’t how statistics work.", ">\n\nSo my question would be - so what do we do?\nYou think people are diagnosing themselves to gain attention. Fine, but what's the next step?\nSee, I think I might be bipolar 2. But I went on a journey where I looked into the techniques for dealing with this issue. That led me to cognitive behavior therapy.\nThat actually made me more convinced that this was my issue because I have taught myself a lot of cognitive behavior therapy techniques to address the same issues. These practices have really helped me.\nIt sounds like your issue is that these people are getting attention for it. To me, these are people who need someone to help guide them. That would have helped me a lot when I was younger. Society today doesn't really give us the tools to sort this out, but just the knowledge that these things exist can push someone down the rabbit hole to learn about therapy that could really help.\nI think you should ask yourself what your motivations are. Do you really want them to understand themselves? Or are you more interested in steering the conversation toward other topics?\nPersonally, I would deal with these people by paying them forward. I would tell them to understand the practices that typically help these people, and see if they are relevant. I would tell them to seek professional help, and to refrain from diagnosing themselves, but I would encourage them to be critical of themselves and to learn more.\nImo, the way out is through." ]

[ "The diagnosis process for a lot of psychiatric conditions are surveys and questionaires. You can go to a psychiatrist and ask if you're anxious and they'll give you multiple choice questions and diagnose off of that. Or you can just google the form yourself and self diagnose. A lot of psychiatric disorders are about how we feel and think. Not about sending off some blood sample to a lab and getting a positive result come back.\n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. For such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nWhat you're describing are all neuroses that could indicate some deeper psychiatric condition. Whether a person has a mental health condition or not, thinking of ourselves as weak victims is never helpful in any context, yet it's something we all feel from time to time.\nI'm a disability support worker, so when someone tells me they've got a self diagnosed condition, it's not offensive to me or any disabled person I know, it doesn't come across like they're invalidating anyone else's condition. However I do think everyone should talk to a doctor about any condition they feel they might have.", ">\n\nPiggybacking off of this: You’ve spent your whole entire life inside your own brain. A therapist will spend a period of hours with you and give you a diagnosis. Who do you think knows your personal reality better than yourself?", ">\n\nYeah exactly, especially with conditions such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, PTSD, and many other psychiatric conditions. These are things people know they have even before they get a diagnosis. The diagnosis stage is more about treatment and management.\nPeople might be unaware of how severe or mild their condition is, some people think they have only mild PTSD despite constant nightmares and suicidal ideation. Some people will think they have severe ADHD because they can't concentrate for long times on things that don't interest them. It's good to get some perspective from experts but ultimately people know when they are struggling to focus or to struggling to stop stressing all the time or struggling to not be miserable. Struggling with our thoughts and feelings is evidence enough to self diagnose.", ">\n\nI was recently diagnosed with ADHD as a woman so I find this viewpoint interesting.\nFirstly, autism is not a mental illness. An autistic person may have mental illness in conjunction with autism, but autism alone lies under the neurodivergent umbrella. Neurodivergency can include autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and other similar conditions.\nWhy women are often underdiagnosed\nThese are serious disabilities that can really impede a person's life, especially if they struggle to find help and acceptance in their community. A lot of women start their journey towards diagnosis later in life due to a number of factors such as:\n\nPoor diagnostic tools and inexperienced professionals\nA misunderstanding that autism and ADHD are more common in boys\nAdvanced masking techniques to cover their 'traits'\n\nWhy women are often diagnosed later in life.\nThe process for many women and men who are diagnosed later in life often includes a level of burnout or breakdown. After a while everything becomes too much, the mask begins to slip and your traits go into overdrive.\nWhy does self-diagnosing seem to be on the rise?\nA common way of finding out you could possibly be neurodivergent is through media and people who are aware of these traits appear.\nIn the past few years, I have seen an increasing awareness of neurodivergence in women pop up in the media. This is useful for people like myself who had no idea wtf was wrong with them for a very long time. For me, a GP actually suggested I seek a diagnosis due to some struggles I was going through.\nAs someone who went through this process self-diagnosing is commonly the first step as an adult. You might be directed to a questionnaire and are asked to evaluate yourself and your experiences thinking back to your childhood. If there's some merit in your experiences than you move to the next step which involves seeking a professional. Waitlists are often months to years long so many people live in limbo for a long time.\nMethods of living with ADHD can help everyone. And everyone experiences ADHD traits from time to time. Given a large amount of stress we have all suffered collectively, I don't doubt there are a lot of people with increased mental health issues that mirror neurodivergent traits. Some mental illnesses can get very severe and alter your brain chemistry and behaviour.\nMy takeaway from this is that the mental health systems set up to assist these people are a much larger issue and cause for serious concern than self-diagnosing.\nApologies for the spelling and grammar errors. Grammarly and Reddit don't play nice.", ">\n\nI think it's two things. One, people have identity crises, especially teenagers. We all know that type of person who tries on identities like hats. That's pretty embarrassing. You usually grow out of that.\nTwo, from personal experience, giving yourself a label or a diagnosis makes it feel more contained and easy to communicate. It's easier to tell someone that you have X and have them understand what you're going through rather than telling them you have these vague symptoms resembling what you imagine X is like. In that respect, it is pretty understandable, possibly good, and not embarrassing. There's something that is sort of reassuring if you can finally get a word to put on what you're experiencing.\nPeople often sympathize with the diagnosis but not with the symptoms. Tell people at work you're autistic and they will sympathize with you and possibly not attack you. Tell them you do not understand social cues and they will probably just make fun of you.", ">\n\nI understand the desire to put a label with a disease, and this is not necessarily bad, but the diagnosis needs to be correct. If you want to tell others that you are autistic or depressed; you must actually be those things. A person can almost never correctly assertion their disease, only their symptoms. People might better understand you if you say your autistic, but you may incorrectly understand and describe yourself. If one wishes to put a name with symptoms, they should find a doctor to pick the label", ">\n\nfor sure but unfortunately our medical system is a joke and even if you are experiencing very severe symptoms it can be nearly impossible to see a professional or take months on a waiting list.\nEven then a professional may be reluctant to slap a label on you for fear of what the consequences of that might be. I saw someone for a very long time who resisted any sort of actual diagnosis because the truth is that what I was experiencing didn't fit neatly into any of the boxes and pretty much belonged in this vague \"other\" category which isn't particularly helpful. Not to mention that misdiagnosis happens all the time even by professionals. \nI just think it is sort of understandable because I think a lot of stuff is kind of a spectrum anyway and just different levels of severity. Things can be really confusing and hard to nail down and thus communicate in a way that causes someone else to be understanding rather than judgemental.", ">\n\nAre you under the impression this is a new phenomenon? Because it's definitely not.\nPeople - especially young people! - crave identity. The world is a confusing place, knowing who you are makes it a little easier. Sometimes it's self-diagnosing mental illness or learning disabilities, or exploring sexual identity, or cliques, or subcultures. There's nothing embarrassing about it, it just is what it is.", ">\n\nIt’s ok to want to express individuality but not to the extent of totally destroying the definition of a real thing and making it hard for actual mentally Ill ppl to get a diagnosis. Why can’t people just accept that they’re different rather then giving themselves a label?", ">\n\npeople on TikTok claiming to have disorders that they don't doesn't affect the precision of psychiatrists diagnosing actual patients. There's no TikTok-said section in the DSM. Why do you think that it does?", ">\n\nIt just encourages more people to get diagnosed possibly skewing the meaning of the mental illness", ">\n\nSkewing it towards statistical accuracy? If people are actually diagnosed at higher rates, we have a better Guage of population-level mental illness, neurodivergency, etc. Better data is more usable, so that research actually means something actionable, ASIDE from the identity boost for young people.", ">\n\nI think what OP is driving at, but utterly failing to explain, is that they think that the fakers will be accommodated by the psychiatric system and diagnosed on the basis of fake symptoms. my sense is that isn't a problem but I don't have data.", ">\n\nDefinitely explained it a little better then I could lol", ">\n\nWhere do you see evidence of that? Any articles about fakers? How about a statistic? If not, it’s just a fear you seem to have.", ">\n\nI think the salient line here is this one:\n\nNeurologists were able to quickly determine that the subjects were not \nsuffering from Tourette's, but psychogenic tics driven by anxiety.", ">\n\nWomen are not born with less autism, but are much less likely to be diagnosed as children than boys. This is partly because boys generally have similar symptoms and behaviors. \nSo of course more women are self diagnosing autism, since their diagnoses were missed as children on a much higher rate.", ">\n\nAlright, I'm diagnosed OCD, PTSD, chronic depression. Diagnosed by a professional so I think I have some grounds to talk about this.\nFirst, let's tackle your women comment about autism. You see, I understand where you're coming from, but you lack the nuance of recognizing that mental illness, and illness in general, is heavily under-diagnosed in women. The medical culture is heavily favored towards men and is rampant with mysogyny, and that's not just me saying it as I've had medical professionals blatantly tell me it's a problem in the field when questioned about it. I've also had some tell me that it's just because women whine a lot, so yanno make of that statement what you will.\nNow that we've covered that let me address the self-diagnosing issue. So, do you want to know what my therapist thinks of self-diagnosing? Well, when I asked them about it they said that self-diagnosing is an important first step to seeking help. Psychiatrist said the same thing. It's normal, expected even, for people to self-diagnose their issues then seek help for them. You can't exactly just peer into someone's brain, no, that person has to tell you what they think is wrong and why they think it is. \nWhat you actually have a problem with is not self-diagnosis, but with people not seeking or not being able to get medical assistance and assuming they're right. You have a problem with people using these issues for attention, which I do too, but once again self-diagnosing is not the problem. Finally, you have a problem with the medical system that forces people into the position of trying to figure out their mental illnesses, but having no ability to get help for them.", ">\n\nI think I did it", ">\n\nSadly no lol, it was not done properly. Do you need a link to the rules?", ">\n\nI already read them i think I’ll figure it out in a bit sorry for the hold up", ">\n\nBecause everyone else is being aggressive: you have to comment with ∆ or !delta and then explain how your view has been changed", ">\n\nThis delta has been rejected. You can't award OP a delta.\nAllowing this would wrongly suggest that you can post here with the aim of convincing others.\nIf you were explaining when/how to award a delta, please use a reddit quote for the symbol next time.\n^Delta System Explained ^| ^Deltaboards", ">\n\nWhat gives you the authority or knowledge to know this is the problem?", ">\n\nYou don’t think it’s a problem that a lot of young ppl are willing to go to the extent of saying they are mentally Ill either for attention or to excuse their weirdness? Just accept that your different. It’s not wrong to believe you’re different without a label", ">\n\nYou did not even try to answer my question.", ">\n\nI’m sorry I was confused on what you meant", ">\n\nIf you are mad at people for self diagnosing themselves because they don't have the knowledge or authority to do so.... what gives you the knowledge or authority to diagnosis this as the problem behavior... basically are you just a kid that is annoyed, or is there some actual studies out there that is claiming this is a problem.", ">\n\nIf you don’t think that people consistently seeking attention for mental illness or craving a label so badly to justify themselves rather then being themselves. That just shows what your views are", ">\n\nDont you think we should leave the diagnosing to the professionals?", ">\n\nI mean yeah", ">\n\nWould you agree that you are diagnosing these people by saying that they are only seeking attention and do not have a real mental illness?", ">\n\nI’m assuming", ">\n\nThere may be some truth to people wanting to be different, however with mental illnesses being more accepted in today's society, many people are a lot more comfortable with being neurodivergent. Additionally, self diagnosis is common because the alternative is spending upwards to $1000-$2000 for a clinical diagnosis.", ">\n\nI know costs suck, but self diagnosis can be much more harmful. A web.md page that tells you your depressed when you may actually be bipolar can lead to really messed up results. I would even go as far as to say that no diagnosis at all is preferable to an uninformed one", ">\n\nWell.\n​\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad \n\nSo you already know why they're doing what they're doing in addition the fact that you know that they're not Autistic? If your claim is that they can't know and only a doctor can, what makes you more qualified? You start out your argument admitting that you have a bias.\n\nthey’re “neurodivergent.\n\nNeurodivergent is an umbrella that covers both Autism and ADHD, which sometimes get mistaken for each other. So if you're upset that they're self-diagnosing, this term should be more welcome than \"Autistic\" because it's more generalized.\n\nnd when you ask them how they know they’ll say “oh I have this weird tick when I uh laugh when someone says something funny “ or “I have a hyper fixation on this topic so I must be autistic\n\nHow else should they communicate it to you? The list of aspects of Autism, especially for how it presents in women, sounds a lot like this. You're not a doctor, they don't have to prove anything to you by going down the entire list of every possible part of their daily experience that might be on the spectrum.\n\nWomen statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nNope. Women are diagnosed less often than men because the original diagnostic criteria for Autism was for Autism as it presents in males. It presents differently for females and is harder to diagnose, especially at younger ages. \n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized\n\nTodays youth want to be victimized? Why would anyone want to be victimized? Something tells me you're missing the mark with this terminology.\n\nor have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. \n\nSo if someone is Autistic and that makes them weird, you'd rather them just be forced to not get to have a name for it, and get the therapeutic treatment that would help them?\n\nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really [are] without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nSome people are autistic. If they find out and it makes them feel good, that doesn't mean they're craving attention. And if they are craving attention, it's because they're normal people and everyone does. \nIf someone thinks they're autistic but it turns out they're actually not, chances are they suspected it for a reason. They might have ADHD, a personality disorder, a mental health issue, or simply a slightly different way of experiencing the world that feels unique to them and there's nothing wrong with that. \nYou seem to think that other people do things for you. People generally don't. They do things for themselves. This is especially true of people on the Autism Spectrum who may not be able to easily use other people's experiences to reference when constructing their view of the world, and can only use their own. Your interpretation wherein they do it to evoke a response from you says more about you than it does about them.", ">\n\nYou’re being deliberately obtuse. OP is completely correct. Most of the people these days who say “I’m ADHD” or “I’m autistic” or “I’m neurodivergent” are absolutely not diagnosed as such and are doing it to seem unique or get attention or as some excuse for why they did x y or z.", ">\n\nI'd like to point out that while some are perhaps attention seeking, many people self diagnose simply because they don't have access to free medical/psychological professionals to get proper diagnosis and help with their issues. I also know someone who doesn't want to get an official diagnosis because he's afrad it will affect his insurance rates or somehow come back to bite him if he's offically labeled with having a neurological disorder. \nThere is a wealth of knowledge on these subjects available online for those interested. And if they are truly interested in self diagnose they can likely do that accurately enough for all intents and purposes. Most of these people who search for the sake of better understanding themselves or their loved ones will openly admit that it's a self diagnoses, or say they THINK they have x,y, or z. But in some situations it's just as well to say they have it if they feel certain anyway, and it's just a passing comment, and not a discussion on the matter. \nIn other words, just because they self diagnose doesn't mean they're wrong, nor does it explain their motives. I also don't see how attention seeking (for those who ARE doing that) is really hurting anyone else. Fakers gonna be fake, that's more a \"them\" kind of problem. ANNOYING, but mostly harmless.", ">\n\nUnless you have a doctor's diagnosis you don't have the disorder. Even if you are broke there are programs to help with costs. \nAnd yes it does affect me when someone is treating me like shit and tries using the I have such and such as an excuse and then people get mad at ME for calling them in their bullshit.", ">\n\nNo. You have to have the disorder before you CAN be diagnosed, so obviously there are undiagnosed people who in fact \"have the disorder \". Your refusal to acknowledge an undiagnosed disorder does not mean they don't have it. Your personal experience with people supposedly using a fake diagnosis to treat you badly, sounds unusual. How do you know they DIDN'T have it? People who do lie and just want to be jerks will do that regardless of what methods they decide to try. The methods are irrelevant. And that motive is not typical of most self diagnosers .", ">\n\nSounds unusual? You must not get out a lot because it's become a pretty regular thing. Every single person I know (about 8) that have self diagnosed themselves as neurodivergent or with a mental illness like Bi-polar all use it to excuse their shitty ass behaviors. \nToo many disorders can mirror other ones. Just because they think they have 2/3 symptoms doesn't make them right by a long shot. Keep living in your bubble.", ">\n\nYou don't have to have a relationship with anyone. If they treat you badly, regardless of an official diagnosis or not, you don't have to tolerate them. It makes no difference what they have or don't have. What would it change if they got diagnosed and actually have it?", ">\n\nSelf diagnosing has been a thing forever\nAnd it's not a problem im 99% sure me or any other autistic person doesn't really give 2 fucks about people who wanna fake disorders. It doesn't stop us from getting help, we have doctors notes, medical files, sometimes even volunteers, you need those files to get into let's say a special education class, or a life skills course.\nSo unless you were diagnosed by a professional you're probably not gonna make it far faking it.\n(Excuse my shitty punctuation)", ">\n\nIt doesn’t bother you that they’re making others take the actual meaning away from what you were born with? I mean I’m sure autism hasn’t made your life easy and seeing ppl claim it for attention to be quirky probably has to annoy you a little right?", ">\n\nAt the end of the day I still have ADHD and I still need help with it. More people being diagnosed with it doesn’t change that fact. In fact I was diagnosed because I realized I related to so many tiktok memes, and I’m sure others are in my same boat. \nIn fact I think so many people talking about ADHD helps. It means more people who possibly have tips for me, people who are suffering who can’t afford treatment have an easy way to learn about how to improve their lives, and more people who are aware of my disorder.", ">\n\nI think people do diagnose themselves too often without seeking professional help. BUT mental illness is not the same as being neurodivergent.", ">\n\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad that they’ll go as far to say they’re “neurodivergent.”\n\nWhile this is the case, I don't really see how it's a \"problem\" per se. I guarantee that these people still make lifestyle decisions based on what they think is best, or based on what they want to do.\n\nbut it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women\n\nDo you have any statistics for that? I haven't experienced it that way in my own anecdotal experience, and I'd be curious to look into the data to see how much that truly does skew in that direction.\n\nwanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness \nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nI understand what you're trying to say here, but I don't really think these things are connected as much as you think they are. People see something wrong with themselves, so they either playfully or seriously consider the fact that it could be a condition that they have similar symptoms to. Not that it never happens, but just because someone categorizes themselves into a disability group that could potentially excuse their \"quirks\", doesn't mean they think that behavior is unacceptable in any way. People see a problem, and assume it's linked to this other issue that seems similar that they already know about.", ">\n\nI agree with the conclusion that self-diagnosis is a real issue, and I wouldn't be surprised if the data indicated it was on the rise. I wouldn't necessarily frame it as a simple desire to \"be victimized\" however. While it is purely speculation, I do believe there are a number of conditions which might lead towards a more frequent experience of symptoms associated with mental illness - a rising wealth gap, perpetual anxiety from a 24-hour news cycle, intensification of self-commodification, the student debt crisis in certain countries like the US, and so on. So people are experiencing symptoms like low energy, mood swings, etc. that can be associated with mental illness. The issue with self-diagnosis then becomes that it may correctly identify the symptom, but incorrectly identify the cause.\nThis video from the YouTuber HealthyGamerGG does a good job of explaining what some of the issues with self-diagnosis are, and for me it was a good starting place for thinking about this more. \nEDIT: I forgot this video literally starts with this same topic being brought up on this same subreddit lol", ">\n\nA great theory based on reasonable causes with an educational video from a psychologist(I assume) as evidence to back it up. I applaud you sir. 👏", ">\n\nWhy are you embarrassed by other people's issues?", ">\n\nI’m a 30yo male. If I had not first self diagnosed with ASD and OCD, I never would have found the language and resources to get a formal diagnosis and help.\nPrior generations have been so fixated on avoidance of diagnosing mental disorders, and research was previously so lacking that we are only just now (through those that do get diagnosed) realizing how common mental disorders are. That plus the lack of mental health resources for neurotypical and neurodivergent I think is how we end up in this situation of many recognizing their symptoms in the new discourse, but lacking the resources to overcome the barriers to proper diagnosis and treatment.", ">\n\nIt’s not the best thing, no. \nAs an adult FINALLY diagnosed (by a licensed therapist) at 41, I can tell you why ‘self diagnosis’ is so tempting. \nIn the US at least- mental health, and official medical diagnosis are almost completely inaccessible, especially as an adult. Most of us grew up before Autism was a spectrum, and ADHD was just boys who acted out in class. We felt like aliens. We couldn’t understand why we didn’t have many friends, or why we didn’t like the ‘right things’, and generally spend the bill of our lives feeling ‘wrong’, ‘broken’ or just simply like we didn’t belong. \nFinally understanding the WHY, and even better, finding tools to addresses our issues is a huge huge weight off the chest. The relief of having a name and a strategy- either therapy or medicine is such an amazing relief!!", ">\n\nI only kinda agree if I had not done my own research I would have never found out I have sjorgens syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis I know TikTok people tend to diagnose themselves and it makes it look cringe but when you live with a incurable illness sometimes you have to work to find a diagnosis", ">\n\nWell, what do you do of you absolutely know you're neurodivergent, but your parents decided not to get you checked? My mom once told me \"we knew you had something, we just didn't get you checked because they would have just put you on pills\". So I struggled with being different, socially unaware, impulsive, obnoxious, agressive, selfish, for the better part of my life without having the self awareness to understand why I was these things, and why people wouldn't want to be around me. \nIn my late 20''s I asked the question, what if I'm actually autistic? I looked up the symptoms, and 9/10 matched. As a child I couldn't handle loud noises, restrictive clothing, I didn't talk until I was 3. I would throw fits for seemingly no reason, I had obsessive interests. I've always really struggled with eye contact, and I never cared for conversation unless it was something I liked. I mean, when the final piece of a puzzle fits so incredibly well, it's really hard for it to be wrong. \nSelf diagnosing actually really helped me grow as aj individual. I became aware of all my divergent behaviors, and why it might be annoying for someone else to deal with. I came to the realization that I was the one who was different, therefore I needed to change. It's way harder to make everyone around you cater to your needs than to overcome the things that upset you. I'm at peace, I have good friends that I can connect with on a pretty deep level. I no longer smash coffee tables when I lose, I can now appreciate that if I lose it just means I have more to learn. I can keep my house clean, I can reasonably hold myself accountable. What exactly is the harm in all that?\nBesides, it would be pretty pointless for me to try and get a diagnosis now, I've put the effort in and largely come out the other side. Anyone diagnosing me would just say I was normal, but they wouldn't have the intimate knowledge of me that I do. I guess it doesn't matter if people don't believe me, I don't go around shouting that I'm autistic. I will say, it would be really nice if people appreciated the effort I put in to get to get to a place of normalcy, something others take for granted, but it's okay, we all have our struggles.", ">\n\nI feel you on all that. To play devil's advocate, mental healthcare in the U.S. is not cheap. Many people go to the internet and confirm their bias about their current health", ">\n\nI feel you on that too OP. I agree 100% with your entire statement.", ">\n\nIt's a problem, but not a new one. In the 1990s there was briefly a surge of people with a type of delusional parasitosis, that is, the false belief that they were infested with parasites. Except this one was supposedly an infestation with tiny fibres. They would come to doctors with a whole list of symptoms to back up their incorrect self-diagnosis.\nTo a certain extent, these are social contagions, which come and go, and often actually end up leading to people having real problems. Like, the young women you mention, a couple of decades ago may well have ended up with anorexia, or self-cutting. These days it might be a self-declaration of autism or a belief that they have gender dysphoria or that they have multiple systems living in their minds.", ">\n\nWow I did not know that. Maybe it’s just so prevalent today due to social media. Social media has only made these things worse imo", ">\n\nEven before it being self diagnosis of a mental illness it was always something. Remember all the emo and goth teenager?", ">\n\nIt depends on the context. For example, if they've done a substantial amount of research, can name a good amount of symptoms they have and reasons they have whatever mental illness and don't have access to the necessary tools to get a medical diagnosis, it's totally different. Some people don't have the money to go out and get a diagnosis, or sometimes it would be better to not get a medical diagnosis. I believe that the reason that a lot of people self diagnose themselves with things like Autism is because they want an explanation as to why they are different, and they could be right or wrong. I think the most important part is that if you go to a psychologist (or even two, I know a lot of people prefer getting second opinions) and they say you don't have it, that you need to admit you were wrong. It's ok to be wrong about your mental health, and the key is to keep looking and to not give up. I can completely understand the frustration in people completely missing how difficult it actually may be to have a mental illness. I was clinically diagnosed with Depression, Anxiety, and PTSD when I was seven, and I've had some experience with people faking mental disorders for attention, and more often then not, they have another mental disorder that needs attention. Recently I had a (now ex) boyfriend insist he had PTSD after being tested twice and the psychiatrist saying that he didn't have it. What he does have is Depression and Anxiety, but he absolutely insisted he has PTSD despite never exhibiting symptoms and the only evidence being a test he took online that was supposedly a \"real PTSD test.\" People faking mental illnesses only harms people who really have them, as these people tend to exaggerate symptoms and use their self diagnosis for attention. I believe that I am autistic, but I don't list it as a diagnosis because while I have read articles and taken the RAADS-r test, I don't have an official diagnosis, and I could very well be wrong. As for women faking illnesses more often, something I've noticed is that things like Autism, ADHD, ADD, etc are more often diagnosed in boys rather than girls- mostly because when they were first discovered, most of the research was done in boys. Autism shows up differently in girls, and can often be blown off as early puberty hormones. If their hyperfixations are those of stereotypical feminine things, it's just a girl liking whatever, and if they hyperfixate in stereotypical masculine interests, they tend to just be viewed as weird, but not autistic. It's normal for people to question, but I agree that to a certain point, self diagnosis can be harmful, but only if not done correctly.", ">\n\nFirst and foremost not a new problem at all, very common, we used to call it \"Being a hypochondriac\" until it aparrently became reconized which in it self is confusing and a bit contradictory.\nANYWAY\nIt isnt really a problem, no doctor is gonna write the perscription for medication without a diagnosis of some sort.\nAt most there is the vauge \"But what about those who actually have it who arent taken serious\" dont worry, we wouldnt have anyway. Thats kinda how invisible illnesses work.\nOverall the 101 hypochondriacs screaming about the symptoms they read in the ICD might help make the knowledge more common and help people better reconize if their colleagues or friends happen to show symptoms of something.", ">\n\nIt’s pretty expensive in the US to get diagnosed. Personally, I’ve self diagnosed myself out of frustration of the way I process things. I’ve always felt slow & my anxiety/depression was deep because of it, but I was raised in a family that doesn’t believe in mental illness. It was always “if you work hard enough, all your problems will go away”. Meanwhile, i was racking my brain on how to make myself think faster/smarter & it would result in psychotic episodes. I’ve gotten fired from jobs, dropped out of school. I started self harming because I hated myself and my brain & almost commit suicide bc I had no idea what was going on.\nThe relief I felt once I finally got a therapist who validated me & was the first to talk to me about mental Illness. It blew my mind and all of a sudden things actually made sense to me. I currently think I have ADD, and sometimes I’ll tell people that but will preface it by saying I’m not professionally diagnosed. Still, I use mental tools that help me get through the day and build my confidence. I’m a lot better at processing conversations, making lists that help me remember things, unmasking, slowing down my thoughts… etc. I’m less frustrated and can see the beauty in how I process things. I still want to get diagnosed but I have to get health insurance….. lol", ">\n\nSelf diagnosis, regardless of being factual is a process where the individual realizes that they might have a mental health issue. People who can do this are more likely to seek professional help compared to the people who think they are “fine”. Going to a professional, licensed psychologist or a psychiatrist will eventually diagnose them with the correct disorder from there, and professionals have the skills to communicate with them and they can together evaluate if the person’s complaint is the issue or not. There is nothing embarrassing about discovering one’s self. It would be a problem if people would identify with an issue and don’t have any willingness to seek help. Sometimes overreacting is better than not reacting.", ">\n\nThe majority of people who are self-diagnosed with autism have done extensive research into it to come to that conclusion. I personally went through the DSM criteria with a fine-tooth comb, made a list of all the ways I met it and discovered that there’s not a single criteria i don’t meet for autism. I didn’t read about anything else but autism for weeks, approaching it from all angles before coming to the conclusion that it’s highly unlikely I am not autistic. I’m waiting to hear back about an assessment, but I’m not waiting to go and be told something I already know before I start advocating for myself. \nOh, and I absolutely did not want to be ‘different’, in fact my life mission to just blend in and be average is the root cause of most of my problems, but here we are.", ">\n\nThis self diagnosing young people do isn’t the problem. The problem is that our society encourages it.\nOur culture is not set up to accommodate a wide spectrum of human needs. You may need things that I don’t. I may need things that you don’t. But in most business settings, academic settings, or even places like restaurants or leisure places, the world isn’t built to accommodate everyone. Our world and society is a “one size fits all” approach, and most people don’t fit snugly inside of that system. \nIf you can classify what is “wrong” or “different” about you into an easily digestible form, people are generally more able and more willing to accommodate you.\nFor example: if I tell my coworkers that I need to leave work early because of a headache, I’ll be shamed for it. And in some cases I’ll be told that “headaches aren’t that bad!” Or “You don’t need to leave.” Or “I have a headache too, just deal with it!”\nBut if I tell my workers that I need to leave due to a painful neurological condition that’s flaring up (I have chronic migraine, which is a neurological condition), they will respect it 100% of the time. It’s met with sympathy and not criticism.\nThis happens for all sorts of things. “Sorry Im late, I slept in.” Sounds a lot worse then, “sorry I’m late, my insomnia has been terrible lately.” \nOur culture forces us to use these labels even when they’re untrue just to receive sympathy or acceptance. The problem isn’t people who decide to use these labels, the root problem is that our society refuses to embrace and accommodate people who are outside of the “norm.”", ">\n\nSpeaking as someone who's had an autism diagnosis since age 7: if someone declares they're autistic when they're not, that's obnoxious at worst. If someone is told they're not autistic when they are, that can cause lifelong harm from denied care and understanding. I have seen this happen to a close friend of mine.\nTherefore, I'd much rather err on the side of acceptance. If you think you're defending me and others like me from impersonators, we'd rather not have your help.\n\nI know people will disagree but it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women. Women statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nCase in point: women are diagnosed with autism far less than men. Recent studies have pointed to decades of systematic misdiagnosis. The more visible autistic symptoms sometimes manifest differently in girls, the way they're socialized may help them hide it from a young age, and of course lots of doctors just say \"your daughter can't be autistic, that's a boy thing.\"\nWe're learning that there are hundreds of thousands of autistic women who slipped through the cracks and were denied the recognition and support they needed because of dismissive, gatekeeping attitudes just like yours.", ">\n\nThere’s a difference between having a disorder and relating to a disorder. If the tools or language associated with a disorder helps someone live better though then cool, it’s all still odd. Also autism presents differently in woman, and a majority of our research on it is on men. Best practice is probably to support them and encourage them to seek treatment.", ">\n\nAutism is severely misdiagnosed in women. Completely under diagnosed. Actually, plenty of things are. The actual problem that we have is parents refusing to let their children get professional help or a diagnosis. Most doctors will diagnose you with BPD as a woman(aka the new female hysteria of our century), maybe put you on some anti psychotics and send you your way. In most countries, a diagnosis/specialist is not readily available, or there is a long waiting list. Even so, the doctors are not know it all. I have seen plenty of doctors, I got different diagnosis almost each time. They ask you some general questions (about your mood, the way you sleep, if you can concentrate, if you harm yourself, if you have suicidal ideation, if you can socialize properly, if your parents were diagnosed with anything, if you have hallucinations or delusions, the works) and then based on that, they will give you a diagnosis. If you use your common sense and information on the internet (given you are knowledgeable on the subject), you can take a good guess on what's wrong. Obviously, some people will exaggerate like with anything (seeing the shadow dude once in your childhood is not a sign of psychosis, neither is hearing your name called when you are alone once in a blue moon), but if you have visual and auditory hallucinations, perhaps weird tactile feelings/hallucinations (spiders are crawling on me, etc), delusions, tend to be forgetful and out of teach with reality, there is a good chance you do have psychosis.", ">\n\nOkay, to start: what do you think autism and ADHD are? They aren't mental illnesses nor are they mental health conditions. \nTo address some of your other points; \nStudies have shown that autism has a gender expression of 1:1. The only reason that women are under diagnosed is because of misunderstandings towards autism, then the diagnosis is conducted incorrectly. Thus it ends up getting conflated with mental illness, E.G BPD, and is diagnosed as a psychiatric disorder instead. This is a detriment to the patient as the care regimes are black and white different. Often times this severely damages the woman.\nFrom data sets that I recall reading, malingering hasn't risen much, if at all, in recent times. I remember it being around 8% of the global population who are engaging in this behaviour, to different extents. I think what's happened is that social media has turned a torch onto it and it's risen in popularity in an algorithmic way. You see it more because it's pushed by the algorithm more because people are searching for it more. It isn't actually occurring any more or less than historically. Most of that attention is negative attention, I should add. \nSo there's two things to take away from that.\n1) The actual act of pretending to be mentally ill, or to have a disability, which is called malingering, is in fact a form of mental unwellness itself. It's a cry for help. The people who do these things are usually very unstable and should be treated with a degree of empathy. The dangerous types who are using mental illness to scam others, or to manipulate them, make up a very small percentage of the overall amount of people in that group and tend to abuse one on one. \n2) The predominant response to this is generally negative. There isn't really any reason to publicly malinger unless you're unstable, this is because a rational person would likely know this, and know the damage it would cause themselves. Self-diagnosis is a very long, and self-aware, process that takes place over years of the individuals life, and proceeds official diagnosis. \nNo one SDs and says \"Okay that's it now! Let me start a TikTok!\" You'd still want support, and you'd still seek support. So that would end up with a doctor, who would see that you're lying, and treat you for whatever was prompting you to malinger. Anyone who has made this commitment knows that keeping it private is a sensible thing to do in a world that isn't inclusive, and often very stigmatising. Sometimes official diagnosis can take YEARS. \nThis kind of propaganda has been going around for a long time in an effort to discredit disabled people and people with mental illnesses. It's not new. People said the same things back in the 90s. People will always be afraid, and dismissive, of things they do not understand. I invite you to try and understand.", ">\n\nI self-diagnosed myself with endometriosis for 10 years before a doctor finally listened to me, opened me up, and found my insides littered with lesions all over my organs. I’m now not able to get pregnant and I might need to get part of my bowel taken out someday. This could’ve been avoided if someone had just listened to me when I was 16. \nSelf-diagnosing is a necessity in a misogynist world! No one takes us seriously! Especially medical professionals. \nThe best antidote for this is to listen to women who self-diagnose. Why do they think they have XYZ? Is it heavily interfering with their life? I think that’s a much larger problem.", ">\n\nIts been proven that there is a bias to diagnose as opposed to not diagnose a mental illness in psychology. So op is actually kinda correct. The definition of a mental illness is in effect being stretched so far that people who are just kinda weird are being diagnosed with \"on the spectrum\". This is actually causing a problem in early learning because parents start treating their kids as essentially learning challenged when they're really not. So it is starting to become an excuse ...", ">\n\nWe live in a society that loves to medicate people. I know it’s different but Did ppl forget about the opioid epidemic? They’ll diagnose your ass with anything if they can", ">\n\nYa I tend to agree. And no one is really saying so I will I guess, but id wager that 50% of psychologist \"professionals\" are totally full of shit. The actual number of psychologists that are are doing real research and clinical studies is EXTREMELY small compared to how many \"psychologists\" are out there. Just like chiropractors, half of them are hacks..", ">\n\nAnd ill say one more thing, though it is anecdotal, but i have direct family that works in special education for young children, and that system is fucked with a capital F. Thay are constantly fighting against parents and programs who try to box kids in the \"autistic\" zone, when they are just really quite or shy, or have pee problems. But parents want an excuse and reason for their behavior, and reduce them to a sub standard education and treatment for the rest of their lives. It's heart breaking. Especially in public schools.", ">\n\nI’m 32 years old. \nI didn’t self diagnose for attention although I remember the days of tumblr where everyone self diagnosed for clout.\nIt took me a decade to realize what is really happening. During the decade before I realized what may have been happening I was told the following:\nI’m rude\nI’m bossy\nI have a RBF/I look mad\nI also only managed to make my first real friend at age 27.\nWhat I was really displaying was:\nBeing overly blunt and just trying to get my point across came off rude when I didn’t intend it to be that way\nTrying to have things done at a certain time and way that no one else thought was important to follow\nUnmasking\nNoticed other things too that I just thought was me being weird:\nVocal stimming\nOral stimming-chewing, smoking, vaping\nRepetitive motions\nRocking\nEasily overwhelmed by too much sensory input\nHigh startle reflex \nInability to regulate my body’s needs-I don’t know I’m hungry until I’m ravenous; don’t recognize the need to use the bathroom until it’s causing me to rush off, don’t realize I’m cold until I’m shaking\nI could go on.\nI want an assessment so bad. But assessments for adults are EXTREMELY hard to setup, if you can even set them up at all. Some states don’t even offer them. I’ve been looking but they are only for children and seem to look for severe cases.\n14 years of thinking I was just a bitch who couldn’t make friends because I was too weird…turns out it might be autism. And turns out I’ll most likely never get a true diagnosis. But the RAADS test gave me a 127 score so that might be the closest I’ll ever get.", ">\n\ni kind of self diagnosed autism? i’ve been to many psychiatrists and therapists for years and they always see adhd in the half an hour and prescribe meds for that, which makes me not go there again. if they dug a little deeper they could have seen autism, i spoke to my current psychiatrist about if its possible i have it, she didn’t want to confirm or deny as i was moving out of state from friends and family and am at an age where i can have kids in the next 10 years since she doesn’t want me being concerned for them. \nI think there’s still lots of stigma around autism even with professionals and especially when identifying it in women. \nI don’t want to be autistic, but i can recognise a lot of different patterns comparing myself and others. I’ve researched it a ton especially in how it shows in women compared to men and in all the articles i found myself relating.\nNow i don’t say im autistic, i say im a little sus of being it tho lmao. and try pass it off casually. I find it’s a lot easier for me to understand and embrace my differences compared to trying to hide it and try be like everyone else or wonder why im not like everyone else. \nBeing older i can also recognise how a lot of my family on one side have suffered mentally and because of obvious neurodivergence. so im pretty sure, like the rest of my mentally challenged brain, has been inherited genetically through that side. \nAll that being said. I self diagnosed when i was about 12 that im highly likely to be depressed and anxious in attempt to get my mom to believe me i needed help, and now 8 years later i can identify that this has been an issue forever for me and that i likely cannot go off my meds because i will just go back to how i used to be. Im still ocd with all my meds, but its better than being anxious and depressed all the time, Having ocd throughout the day is like heaven to me in comparison to how i used to be. obviously the ocd isnt new, just a lot more heard in my brain now.", ">\n\nOk, I know some people self diagnoze themselves with [insert some mental illness here] out of attention or whatever, and that's totally not ok.\nHowever, if you read all the symptoms and do proper research on a mental illness and everything clicks in to you, I'd say you can be fairly confident on a self diagnosis (although, it might be worth it to double check with a professional, especially if you want any sort of treatment). But also for some people, it might not be affordable to go to a professional...", ">\n\nI live in Canada, I've engaged with the medical system, doctors don't care and just want you out, ERs are a 8 hour wait for someone to ignore one thing and won't even entertain other issues even if they are related. Self-diagnosis is really the only way to get any kind of proper treatment at all. \nThe doctors will rubber stamp just about anything you ask for except pain killers but in terms of diagnosis you're way better off doing it yourself, sure you don't have 8 years of medical school but the doctors won't give you 5 mins of their time, they are not better than google and you give a lot more of a shit than they will and at the end of the day it's your body.", ">\n\nBack in the 90s when I was a teenager, the kids/teenagers/young adults who wanted attention, and wanted to be different, adopted the goth lifestyle. Dressing up in all black. White foundation with black lipstick and eyeshadow. It was the trendy way to be different, to be viewed as outcasts of society. To not fit in. \nThe goth lifestyle of the 2020s is self diagnosis. Same shit, different day.\nWhenever someone claims autism, or somewhere on the spectrum, I just roll my eyes and imagine that person just sucks at life.", ">\n\nI just think it’s a little more harmful nowadays due to the prevalence of social media. Ppl get sucked into groups and mindsets before they even have a real life chance. Then they hyper fixate on that they might be mentally Ill rather then just trying to live life to the fullest", ">\n\nI 100% agree with you", ">\n\nBecause it's the age of spin this generation has something for everybody. And all of them are Google doctors. Lol", ">\n\nTook my uncle till he was 38 even thought it was apparent to everyone. Hell he got expelled from two schools", ">\n\nI get what you're saying. I frankly find it weird that more people don't find this weird. People self-diagnosing themselves as all kinds of things not only completely misrepresents the actual conditions, thereby making people even more confused as to what they actually are and how they present, but also leads people to run to a psychiatrist claiming false symptoms and getting medication for something they don't have, which is NOT a good thing. People should never be taking medication unless it is necessary. We are a heavily over-medicated society and this is a big factor in that. Caffeine to wake up in the morning, \"immuno-boosters\" and mood stabilizers during the day, sleeping pills to sleep at night. The caffeine and sleeping pills are addictive and can really mess up your circadian rhythm, and the mood stabilizers can really fuck you up if you don't need them. Instead of rushing to diagnose and medicate everyone, we need to educate them on human behavior and show them that their \"mental health\" problems are completely normal.\nOh, so you get nervous right before you make huge life decisions? That's not Anxiety Disorder, it's just anxiety.\nOh, you are really sad because your cat died? That's not Clinical Depression, you are just grieving.\nOh, you went from really happy to really sad when you were previously happy and something really shitty happened to you and soured your mood? That's not Bipolar Disorder, that's just life.\nOh, you like to be more organized than the people around you? That's not Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, you just like to be organized.\nPeople really misunderstand the nature of these conditions and it hinders our collective progress in treating them, like dramatically inflating the number of actual conditions in the population, making it increasingly more difficult to determine how common and how varied they are. After all, in most cases it is not the psychiatrist or psychologist who makes you better, you make you better. Medication can help and other people can show you the path to success, but the problem will never get solved unless you play an active role in the treatment. Some conditions can never be solved, only lessened, while others are virtually untreatable. We need to stop making these conditions seem cool. They aren't. They are serious and need to be taken seriously.", ">\n\nHeavily agree and I appreciate how well this comment is worded. Wish I coulda worded mine a little better", ">\n\nYa I saw you getting shredded in the comments and figured I'd sum it up for you. 🤣", ">\n\nLmao bro I didn’t expect this many. I was thinking maybe like 20 ppl would reply", ">\n\nYou need to self diagnose in many cases in order to get adequate help.", ">\n\nI knew when I had ADD and IBS, and I was able to get my suspicions confirmed by my respective doctors. Doctors are there to help the patients understand themselves, whereas the patients have to go home every day and live with what they actually have. Do not be so quick to judge.", ">\n\nJust to add here - Autism in women is less prevalent because it presents differently and is often not picked up by standardised diagnostic tests (that were developed on an almost exclusively male sample). I think that also goes to show that there’s p significant issues with what we consider ‘scientific’ and research based in the first place.", ">\n\nI grew up in a small town and we had quite a few autistic boys but only one autistic girl. Literally only one out of like 6-8 grades. So that’s like a 10-1 ratio. It’s gotta be a lot statistically smaller then males. I don’t doubt it happens I just know it’s a lot less", ">\n\nYou think your small town’s makeup is generalizable to all of society? That isn’t how statistics work.", ">\n\nSo my question would be - so what do we do?\nYou think people are diagnosing themselves to gain attention. Fine, but what's the next step?\nSee, I think I might be bipolar 2. But I went on a journey where I looked into the techniques for dealing with this issue. That led me to cognitive behavior therapy.\nThat actually made me more convinced that this was my issue because I have taught myself a lot of cognitive behavior therapy techniques to address the same issues. These practices have really helped me.\nIt sounds like your issue is that these people are getting attention for it. To me, these are people who need someone to help guide them. That would have helped me a lot when I was younger. Society today doesn't really give us the tools to sort this out, but just the knowledge that these things exist can push someone down the rabbit hole to learn about therapy that could really help.\nI think you should ask yourself what your motivations are. Do you really want them to understand themselves? Or are you more interested in steering the conversation toward other topics?\nPersonally, I would deal with these people by paying them forward. I would tell them to understand the practices that typically help these people, and see if they are relevant. I would tell them to seek professional help, and to refrain from diagnosing themselves, but I would encourage them to be critical of themselves and to learn more.\nImo, the way out is through.", ">\n\nI agree with you but it’s not mostly women. Maybe by happenstance that’s the case in your circle but broadly men do this too." ]

[ "The diagnosis process for a lot of psychiatric conditions are surveys and questionaires. You can go to a psychiatrist and ask if you're anxious and they'll give you multiple choice questions and diagnose off of that. Or you can just google the form yourself and self diagnose. A lot of psychiatric disorders are about how we feel and think. Not about sending off some blood sample to a lab and getting a positive result come back.\n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. For such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nWhat you're describing are all neuroses that could indicate some deeper psychiatric condition. Whether a person has a mental health condition or not, thinking of ourselves as weak victims is never helpful in any context, yet it's something we all feel from time to time.\nI'm a disability support worker, so when someone tells me they've got a self diagnosed condition, it's not offensive to me or any disabled person I know, it doesn't come across like they're invalidating anyone else's condition. However I do think everyone should talk to a doctor about any condition they feel they might have.", ">\n\nPiggybacking off of this: You’ve spent your whole entire life inside your own brain. A therapist will spend a period of hours with you and give you a diagnosis. Who do you think knows your personal reality better than yourself?", ">\n\nYeah exactly, especially with conditions such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, PTSD, and many other psychiatric conditions. These are things people know they have even before they get a diagnosis. The diagnosis stage is more about treatment and management.\nPeople might be unaware of how severe or mild their condition is, some people think they have only mild PTSD despite constant nightmares and suicidal ideation. Some people will think they have severe ADHD because they can't concentrate for long times on things that don't interest them. It's good to get some perspective from experts but ultimately people know when they are struggling to focus or to struggling to stop stressing all the time or struggling to not be miserable. Struggling with our thoughts and feelings is evidence enough to self diagnose.", ">\n\nI was recently diagnosed with ADHD as a woman so I find this viewpoint interesting.\nFirstly, autism is not a mental illness. An autistic person may have mental illness in conjunction with autism, but autism alone lies under the neurodivergent umbrella. Neurodivergency can include autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and other similar conditions.\nWhy women are often underdiagnosed\nThese are serious disabilities that can really impede a person's life, especially if they struggle to find help and acceptance in their community. A lot of women start their journey towards diagnosis later in life due to a number of factors such as:\n\nPoor diagnostic tools and inexperienced professionals\nA misunderstanding that autism and ADHD are more common in boys\nAdvanced masking techniques to cover their 'traits'\n\nWhy women are often diagnosed later in life.\nThe process for many women and men who are diagnosed later in life often includes a level of burnout or breakdown. After a while everything becomes too much, the mask begins to slip and your traits go into overdrive.\nWhy does self-diagnosing seem to be on the rise?\nA common way of finding out you could possibly be neurodivergent is through media and people who are aware of these traits appear.\nIn the past few years, I have seen an increasing awareness of neurodivergence in women pop up in the media. This is useful for people like myself who had no idea wtf was wrong with them for a very long time. For me, a GP actually suggested I seek a diagnosis due to some struggles I was going through.\nAs someone who went through this process self-diagnosing is commonly the first step as an adult. You might be directed to a questionnaire and are asked to evaluate yourself and your experiences thinking back to your childhood. If there's some merit in your experiences than you move to the next step which involves seeking a professional. Waitlists are often months to years long so many people live in limbo for a long time.\nMethods of living with ADHD can help everyone. And everyone experiences ADHD traits from time to time. Given a large amount of stress we have all suffered collectively, I don't doubt there are a lot of people with increased mental health issues that mirror neurodivergent traits. Some mental illnesses can get very severe and alter your brain chemistry and behaviour.\nMy takeaway from this is that the mental health systems set up to assist these people are a much larger issue and cause for serious concern than self-diagnosing.\nApologies for the spelling and grammar errors. Grammarly and Reddit don't play nice.", ">\n\nI think it's two things. One, people have identity crises, especially teenagers. We all know that type of person who tries on identities like hats. That's pretty embarrassing. You usually grow out of that.\nTwo, from personal experience, giving yourself a label or a diagnosis makes it feel more contained and easy to communicate. It's easier to tell someone that you have X and have them understand what you're going through rather than telling them you have these vague symptoms resembling what you imagine X is like. In that respect, it is pretty understandable, possibly good, and not embarrassing. There's something that is sort of reassuring if you can finally get a word to put on what you're experiencing.\nPeople often sympathize with the diagnosis but not with the symptoms. Tell people at work you're autistic and they will sympathize with you and possibly not attack you. Tell them you do not understand social cues and they will probably just make fun of you.", ">\n\nI understand the desire to put a label with a disease, and this is not necessarily bad, but the diagnosis needs to be correct. If you want to tell others that you are autistic or depressed; you must actually be those things. A person can almost never correctly assertion their disease, only their symptoms. People might better understand you if you say your autistic, but you may incorrectly understand and describe yourself. If one wishes to put a name with symptoms, they should find a doctor to pick the label", ">\n\nfor sure but unfortunately our medical system is a joke and even if you are experiencing very severe symptoms it can be nearly impossible to see a professional or take months on a waiting list.\nEven then a professional may be reluctant to slap a label on you for fear of what the consequences of that might be. I saw someone for a very long time who resisted any sort of actual diagnosis because the truth is that what I was experiencing didn't fit neatly into any of the boxes and pretty much belonged in this vague \"other\" category which isn't particularly helpful. Not to mention that misdiagnosis happens all the time even by professionals. \nI just think it is sort of understandable because I think a lot of stuff is kind of a spectrum anyway and just different levels of severity. Things can be really confusing and hard to nail down and thus communicate in a way that causes someone else to be understanding rather than judgemental.", ">\n\nAre you under the impression this is a new phenomenon? Because it's definitely not.\nPeople - especially young people! - crave identity. The world is a confusing place, knowing who you are makes it a little easier. Sometimes it's self-diagnosing mental illness or learning disabilities, or exploring sexual identity, or cliques, or subcultures. There's nothing embarrassing about it, it just is what it is.", ">\n\nIt’s ok to want to express individuality but not to the extent of totally destroying the definition of a real thing and making it hard for actual mentally Ill ppl to get a diagnosis. Why can’t people just accept that they’re different rather then giving themselves a label?", ">\n\npeople on TikTok claiming to have disorders that they don't doesn't affect the precision of psychiatrists diagnosing actual patients. There's no TikTok-said section in the DSM. Why do you think that it does?", ">\n\nIt just encourages more people to get diagnosed possibly skewing the meaning of the mental illness", ">\n\nSkewing it towards statistical accuracy? If people are actually diagnosed at higher rates, we have a better Guage of population-level mental illness, neurodivergency, etc. Better data is more usable, so that research actually means something actionable, ASIDE from the identity boost for young people.", ">\n\nI think what OP is driving at, but utterly failing to explain, is that they think that the fakers will be accommodated by the psychiatric system and diagnosed on the basis of fake symptoms. my sense is that isn't a problem but I don't have data.", ">\n\nDefinitely explained it a little better then I could lol", ">\n\nWhere do you see evidence of that? Any articles about fakers? How about a statistic? If not, it’s just a fear you seem to have.", ">\n\nI think the salient line here is this one:\n\nNeurologists were able to quickly determine that the subjects were not \nsuffering from Tourette's, but psychogenic tics driven by anxiety.", ">\n\nWomen are not born with less autism, but are much less likely to be diagnosed as children than boys. This is partly because boys generally have similar symptoms and behaviors. \nSo of course more women are self diagnosing autism, since their diagnoses were missed as children on a much higher rate.", ">\n\nAlright, I'm diagnosed OCD, PTSD, chronic depression. Diagnosed by a professional so I think I have some grounds to talk about this.\nFirst, let's tackle your women comment about autism. You see, I understand where you're coming from, but you lack the nuance of recognizing that mental illness, and illness in general, is heavily under-diagnosed in women. The medical culture is heavily favored towards men and is rampant with mysogyny, and that's not just me saying it as I've had medical professionals blatantly tell me it's a problem in the field when questioned about it. I've also had some tell me that it's just because women whine a lot, so yanno make of that statement what you will.\nNow that we've covered that let me address the self-diagnosing issue. So, do you want to know what my therapist thinks of self-diagnosing? Well, when I asked them about it they said that self-diagnosing is an important first step to seeking help. Psychiatrist said the same thing. It's normal, expected even, for people to self-diagnose their issues then seek help for them. You can't exactly just peer into someone's brain, no, that person has to tell you what they think is wrong and why they think it is. \nWhat you actually have a problem with is not self-diagnosis, but with people not seeking or not being able to get medical assistance and assuming they're right. You have a problem with people using these issues for attention, which I do too, but once again self-diagnosing is not the problem. Finally, you have a problem with the medical system that forces people into the position of trying to figure out their mental illnesses, but having no ability to get help for them.", ">\n\nI think I did it", ">\n\nSadly no lol, it was not done properly. Do you need a link to the rules?", ">\n\nI already read them i think I’ll figure it out in a bit sorry for the hold up", ">\n\nBecause everyone else is being aggressive: you have to comment with ∆ or !delta and then explain how your view has been changed", ">\n\nThis delta has been rejected. You can't award OP a delta.\nAllowing this would wrongly suggest that you can post here with the aim of convincing others.\nIf you were explaining when/how to award a delta, please use a reddit quote for the symbol next time.\n^Delta System Explained ^| ^Deltaboards", ">\n\nWhat gives you the authority or knowledge to know this is the problem?", ">\n\nYou don’t think it’s a problem that a lot of young ppl are willing to go to the extent of saying they are mentally Ill either for attention or to excuse their weirdness? Just accept that your different. It’s not wrong to believe you’re different without a label", ">\n\nYou did not even try to answer my question.", ">\n\nI’m sorry I was confused on what you meant", ">\n\nIf you are mad at people for self diagnosing themselves because they don't have the knowledge or authority to do so.... what gives you the knowledge or authority to diagnosis this as the problem behavior... basically are you just a kid that is annoyed, or is there some actual studies out there that is claiming this is a problem.", ">\n\nIf you don’t think that people consistently seeking attention for mental illness or craving a label so badly to justify themselves rather then being themselves. That just shows what your views are", ">\n\nDont you think we should leave the diagnosing to the professionals?", ">\n\nI mean yeah", ">\n\nWould you agree that you are diagnosing these people by saying that they are only seeking attention and do not have a real mental illness?", ">\n\nI’m assuming", ">\n\nThere may be some truth to people wanting to be different, however with mental illnesses being more accepted in today's society, many people are a lot more comfortable with being neurodivergent. Additionally, self diagnosis is common because the alternative is spending upwards to $1000-$2000 for a clinical diagnosis.", ">\n\nI know costs suck, but self diagnosis can be much more harmful. A web.md page that tells you your depressed when you may actually be bipolar can lead to really messed up results. I would even go as far as to say that no diagnosis at all is preferable to an uninformed one", ">\n\nWell.\n​\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad \n\nSo you already know why they're doing what they're doing in addition the fact that you know that they're not Autistic? If your claim is that they can't know and only a doctor can, what makes you more qualified? You start out your argument admitting that you have a bias.\n\nthey’re “neurodivergent.\n\nNeurodivergent is an umbrella that covers both Autism and ADHD, which sometimes get mistaken for each other. So if you're upset that they're self-diagnosing, this term should be more welcome than \"Autistic\" because it's more generalized.\n\nnd when you ask them how they know they’ll say “oh I have this weird tick when I uh laugh when someone says something funny “ or “I have a hyper fixation on this topic so I must be autistic\n\nHow else should they communicate it to you? The list of aspects of Autism, especially for how it presents in women, sounds a lot like this. You're not a doctor, they don't have to prove anything to you by going down the entire list of every possible part of their daily experience that might be on the spectrum.\n\nWomen statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nNope. Women are diagnosed less often than men because the original diagnostic criteria for Autism was for Autism as it presents in males. It presents differently for females and is harder to diagnose, especially at younger ages. \n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized\n\nTodays youth want to be victimized? Why would anyone want to be victimized? Something tells me you're missing the mark with this terminology.\n\nor have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. \n\nSo if someone is Autistic and that makes them weird, you'd rather them just be forced to not get to have a name for it, and get the therapeutic treatment that would help them?\n\nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really [are] without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nSome people are autistic. If they find out and it makes them feel good, that doesn't mean they're craving attention. And if they are craving attention, it's because they're normal people and everyone does. \nIf someone thinks they're autistic but it turns out they're actually not, chances are they suspected it for a reason. They might have ADHD, a personality disorder, a mental health issue, or simply a slightly different way of experiencing the world that feels unique to them and there's nothing wrong with that. \nYou seem to think that other people do things for you. People generally don't. They do things for themselves. This is especially true of people on the Autism Spectrum who may not be able to easily use other people's experiences to reference when constructing their view of the world, and can only use their own. Your interpretation wherein they do it to evoke a response from you says more about you than it does about them.", ">\n\nYou’re being deliberately obtuse. OP is completely correct. Most of the people these days who say “I’m ADHD” or “I’m autistic” or “I’m neurodivergent” are absolutely not diagnosed as such and are doing it to seem unique or get attention or as some excuse for why they did x y or z.", ">\n\nI'd like to point out that while some are perhaps attention seeking, many people self diagnose simply because they don't have access to free medical/psychological professionals to get proper diagnosis and help with their issues. I also know someone who doesn't want to get an official diagnosis because he's afrad it will affect his insurance rates or somehow come back to bite him if he's offically labeled with having a neurological disorder. \nThere is a wealth of knowledge on these subjects available online for those interested. And if they are truly interested in self diagnose they can likely do that accurately enough for all intents and purposes. Most of these people who search for the sake of better understanding themselves or their loved ones will openly admit that it's a self diagnoses, or say they THINK they have x,y, or z. But in some situations it's just as well to say they have it if they feel certain anyway, and it's just a passing comment, and not a discussion on the matter. \nIn other words, just because they self diagnose doesn't mean they're wrong, nor does it explain their motives. I also don't see how attention seeking (for those who ARE doing that) is really hurting anyone else. Fakers gonna be fake, that's more a \"them\" kind of problem. ANNOYING, but mostly harmless.", ">\n\nUnless you have a doctor's diagnosis you don't have the disorder. Even if you are broke there are programs to help with costs. \nAnd yes it does affect me when someone is treating me like shit and tries using the I have such and such as an excuse and then people get mad at ME for calling them in their bullshit.", ">\n\nNo. You have to have the disorder before you CAN be diagnosed, so obviously there are undiagnosed people who in fact \"have the disorder \". Your refusal to acknowledge an undiagnosed disorder does not mean they don't have it. Your personal experience with people supposedly using a fake diagnosis to treat you badly, sounds unusual. How do you know they DIDN'T have it? People who do lie and just want to be jerks will do that regardless of what methods they decide to try. The methods are irrelevant. And that motive is not typical of most self diagnosers .", ">\n\nSounds unusual? You must not get out a lot because it's become a pretty regular thing. Every single person I know (about 8) that have self diagnosed themselves as neurodivergent or with a mental illness like Bi-polar all use it to excuse their shitty ass behaviors. \nToo many disorders can mirror other ones. Just because they think they have 2/3 symptoms doesn't make them right by a long shot. Keep living in your bubble.", ">\n\nYou don't have to have a relationship with anyone. If they treat you badly, regardless of an official diagnosis or not, you don't have to tolerate them. It makes no difference what they have or don't have. What would it change if they got diagnosed and actually have it?", ">\n\nSelf diagnosing has been a thing forever\nAnd it's not a problem im 99% sure me or any other autistic person doesn't really give 2 fucks about people who wanna fake disorders. It doesn't stop us from getting help, we have doctors notes, medical files, sometimes even volunteers, you need those files to get into let's say a special education class, or a life skills course.\nSo unless you were diagnosed by a professional you're probably not gonna make it far faking it.\n(Excuse my shitty punctuation)", ">\n\nIt doesn’t bother you that they’re making others take the actual meaning away from what you were born with? I mean I’m sure autism hasn’t made your life easy and seeing ppl claim it for attention to be quirky probably has to annoy you a little right?", ">\n\nAt the end of the day I still have ADHD and I still need help with it. More people being diagnosed with it doesn’t change that fact. In fact I was diagnosed because I realized I related to so many tiktok memes, and I’m sure others are in my same boat. \nIn fact I think so many people talking about ADHD helps. It means more people who possibly have tips for me, people who are suffering who can’t afford treatment have an easy way to learn about how to improve their lives, and more people who are aware of my disorder.", ">\n\nI think people do diagnose themselves too often without seeking professional help. BUT mental illness is not the same as being neurodivergent.", ">\n\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad that they’ll go as far to say they’re “neurodivergent.”\n\nWhile this is the case, I don't really see how it's a \"problem\" per se. I guarantee that these people still make lifestyle decisions based on what they think is best, or based on what they want to do.\n\nbut it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women\n\nDo you have any statistics for that? I haven't experienced it that way in my own anecdotal experience, and I'd be curious to look into the data to see how much that truly does skew in that direction.\n\nwanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness \nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nI understand what you're trying to say here, but I don't really think these things are connected as much as you think they are. People see something wrong with themselves, so they either playfully or seriously consider the fact that it could be a condition that they have similar symptoms to. Not that it never happens, but just because someone categorizes themselves into a disability group that could potentially excuse their \"quirks\", doesn't mean they think that behavior is unacceptable in any way. People see a problem, and assume it's linked to this other issue that seems similar that they already know about.", ">\n\nI agree with the conclusion that self-diagnosis is a real issue, and I wouldn't be surprised if the data indicated it was on the rise. I wouldn't necessarily frame it as a simple desire to \"be victimized\" however. While it is purely speculation, I do believe there are a number of conditions which might lead towards a more frequent experience of symptoms associated with mental illness - a rising wealth gap, perpetual anxiety from a 24-hour news cycle, intensification of self-commodification, the student debt crisis in certain countries like the US, and so on. So people are experiencing symptoms like low energy, mood swings, etc. that can be associated with mental illness. The issue with self-diagnosis then becomes that it may correctly identify the symptom, but incorrectly identify the cause.\nThis video from the YouTuber HealthyGamerGG does a good job of explaining what some of the issues with self-diagnosis are, and for me it was a good starting place for thinking about this more. \nEDIT: I forgot this video literally starts with this same topic being brought up on this same subreddit lol", ">\n\nA great theory based on reasonable causes with an educational video from a psychologist(I assume) as evidence to back it up. I applaud you sir. 👏", ">\n\nWhy are you embarrassed by other people's issues?", ">\n\nI’m a 30yo male. If I had not first self diagnosed with ASD and OCD, I never would have found the language and resources to get a formal diagnosis and help.\nPrior generations have been so fixated on avoidance of diagnosing mental disorders, and research was previously so lacking that we are only just now (through those that do get diagnosed) realizing how common mental disorders are. That plus the lack of mental health resources for neurotypical and neurodivergent I think is how we end up in this situation of many recognizing their symptoms in the new discourse, but lacking the resources to overcome the barriers to proper diagnosis and treatment.", ">\n\nIt’s not the best thing, no. \nAs an adult FINALLY diagnosed (by a licensed therapist) at 41, I can tell you why ‘self diagnosis’ is so tempting. \nIn the US at least- mental health, and official medical diagnosis are almost completely inaccessible, especially as an adult. Most of us grew up before Autism was a spectrum, and ADHD was just boys who acted out in class. We felt like aliens. We couldn’t understand why we didn’t have many friends, or why we didn’t like the ‘right things’, and generally spend the bill of our lives feeling ‘wrong’, ‘broken’ or just simply like we didn’t belong. \nFinally understanding the WHY, and even better, finding tools to addresses our issues is a huge huge weight off the chest. The relief of having a name and a strategy- either therapy or medicine is such an amazing relief!!", ">\n\nI only kinda agree if I had not done my own research I would have never found out I have sjorgens syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis I know TikTok people tend to diagnose themselves and it makes it look cringe but when you live with a incurable illness sometimes you have to work to find a diagnosis", ">\n\nWell, what do you do of you absolutely know you're neurodivergent, but your parents decided not to get you checked? My mom once told me \"we knew you had something, we just didn't get you checked because they would have just put you on pills\". So I struggled with being different, socially unaware, impulsive, obnoxious, agressive, selfish, for the better part of my life without having the self awareness to understand why I was these things, and why people wouldn't want to be around me. \nIn my late 20''s I asked the question, what if I'm actually autistic? I looked up the symptoms, and 9/10 matched. As a child I couldn't handle loud noises, restrictive clothing, I didn't talk until I was 3. I would throw fits for seemingly no reason, I had obsessive interests. I've always really struggled with eye contact, and I never cared for conversation unless it was something I liked. I mean, when the final piece of a puzzle fits so incredibly well, it's really hard for it to be wrong. \nSelf diagnosing actually really helped me grow as aj individual. I became aware of all my divergent behaviors, and why it might be annoying for someone else to deal with. I came to the realization that I was the one who was different, therefore I needed to change. It's way harder to make everyone around you cater to your needs than to overcome the things that upset you. I'm at peace, I have good friends that I can connect with on a pretty deep level. I no longer smash coffee tables when I lose, I can now appreciate that if I lose it just means I have more to learn. I can keep my house clean, I can reasonably hold myself accountable. What exactly is the harm in all that?\nBesides, it would be pretty pointless for me to try and get a diagnosis now, I've put the effort in and largely come out the other side. Anyone diagnosing me would just say I was normal, but they wouldn't have the intimate knowledge of me that I do. I guess it doesn't matter if people don't believe me, I don't go around shouting that I'm autistic. I will say, it would be really nice if people appreciated the effort I put in to get to get to a place of normalcy, something others take for granted, but it's okay, we all have our struggles.", ">\n\nI feel you on all that. To play devil's advocate, mental healthcare in the U.S. is not cheap. Many people go to the internet and confirm their bias about their current health", ">\n\nI feel you on that too OP. I agree 100% with your entire statement.", ">\n\nIt's a problem, but not a new one. In the 1990s there was briefly a surge of people with a type of delusional parasitosis, that is, the false belief that they were infested with parasites. Except this one was supposedly an infestation with tiny fibres. They would come to doctors with a whole list of symptoms to back up their incorrect self-diagnosis.\nTo a certain extent, these are social contagions, which come and go, and often actually end up leading to people having real problems. Like, the young women you mention, a couple of decades ago may well have ended up with anorexia, or self-cutting. These days it might be a self-declaration of autism or a belief that they have gender dysphoria or that they have multiple systems living in their minds.", ">\n\nWow I did not know that. Maybe it’s just so prevalent today due to social media. Social media has only made these things worse imo", ">\n\nEven before it being self diagnosis of a mental illness it was always something. Remember all the emo and goth teenager?", ">\n\nIt depends on the context. For example, if they've done a substantial amount of research, can name a good amount of symptoms they have and reasons they have whatever mental illness and don't have access to the necessary tools to get a medical diagnosis, it's totally different. Some people don't have the money to go out and get a diagnosis, or sometimes it would be better to not get a medical diagnosis. I believe that the reason that a lot of people self diagnose themselves with things like Autism is because they want an explanation as to why they are different, and they could be right or wrong. I think the most important part is that if you go to a psychologist (or even two, I know a lot of people prefer getting second opinions) and they say you don't have it, that you need to admit you were wrong. It's ok to be wrong about your mental health, and the key is to keep looking and to not give up. I can completely understand the frustration in people completely missing how difficult it actually may be to have a mental illness. I was clinically diagnosed with Depression, Anxiety, and PTSD when I was seven, and I've had some experience with people faking mental disorders for attention, and more often then not, they have another mental disorder that needs attention. Recently I had a (now ex) boyfriend insist he had PTSD after being tested twice and the psychiatrist saying that he didn't have it. What he does have is Depression and Anxiety, but he absolutely insisted he has PTSD despite never exhibiting symptoms and the only evidence being a test he took online that was supposedly a \"real PTSD test.\" People faking mental illnesses only harms people who really have them, as these people tend to exaggerate symptoms and use their self diagnosis for attention. I believe that I am autistic, but I don't list it as a diagnosis because while I have read articles and taken the RAADS-r test, I don't have an official diagnosis, and I could very well be wrong. As for women faking illnesses more often, something I've noticed is that things like Autism, ADHD, ADD, etc are more often diagnosed in boys rather than girls- mostly because when they were first discovered, most of the research was done in boys. Autism shows up differently in girls, and can often be blown off as early puberty hormones. If their hyperfixations are those of stereotypical feminine things, it's just a girl liking whatever, and if they hyperfixate in stereotypical masculine interests, they tend to just be viewed as weird, but not autistic. It's normal for people to question, but I agree that to a certain point, self diagnosis can be harmful, but only if not done correctly.", ">\n\nFirst and foremost not a new problem at all, very common, we used to call it \"Being a hypochondriac\" until it aparrently became reconized which in it self is confusing and a bit contradictory.\nANYWAY\nIt isnt really a problem, no doctor is gonna write the perscription for medication without a diagnosis of some sort.\nAt most there is the vauge \"But what about those who actually have it who arent taken serious\" dont worry, we wouldnt have anyway. Thats kinda how invisible illnesses work.\nOverall the 101 hypochondriacs screaming about the symptoms they read in the ICD might help make the knowledge more common and help people better reconize if their colleagues or friends happen to show symptoms of something.", ">\n\nIt’s pretty expensive in the US to get diagnosed. Personally, I’ve self diagnosed myself out of frustration of the way I process things. I’ve always felt slow & my anxiety/depression was deep because of it, but I was raised in a family that doesn’t believe in mental illness. It was always “if you work hard enough, all your problems will go away”. Meanwhile, i was racking my brain on how to make myself think faster/smarter & it would result in psychotic episodes. I’ve gotten fired from jobs, dropped out of school. I started self harming because I hated myself and my brain & almost commit suicide bc I had no idea what was going on.\nThe relief I felt once I finally got a therapist who validated me & was the first to talk to me about mental Illness. It blew my mind and all of a sudden things actually made sense to me. I currently think I have ADD, and sometimes I’ll tell people that but will preface it by saying I’m not professionally diagnosed. Still, I use mental tools that help me get through the day and build my confidence. I’m a lot better at processing conversations, making lists that help me remember things, unmasking, slowing down my thoughts… etc. I’m less frustrated and can see the beauty in how I process things. I still want to get diagnosed but I have to get health insurance….. lol", ">\n\nSelf diagnosis, regardless of being factual is a process where the individual realizes that they might have a mental health issue. People who can do this are more likely to seek professional help compared to the people who think they are “fine”. Going to a professional, licensed psychologist or a psychiatrist will eventually diagnose them with the correct disorder from there, and professionals have the skills to communicate with them and they can together evaluate if the person’s complaint is the issue or not. There is nothing embarrassing about discovering one’s self. It would be a problem if people would identify with an issue and don’t have any willingness to seek help. Sometimes overreacting is better than not reacting.", ">\n\nThe majority of people who are self-diagnosed with autism have done extensive research into it to come to that conclusion. I personally went through the DSM criteria with a fine-tooth comb, made a list of all the ways I met it and discovered that there’s not a single criteria i don’t meet for autism. I didn’t read about anything else but autism for weeks, approaching it from all angles before coming to the conclusion that it’s highly unlikely I am not autistic. I’m waiting to hear back about an assessment, but I’m not waiting to go and be told something I already know before I start advocating for myself. \nOh, and I absolutely did not want to be ‘different’, in fact my life mission to just blend in and be average is the root cause of most of my problems, but here we are.", ">\n\nThis self diagnosing young people do isn’t the problem. The problem is that our society encourages it.\nOur culture is not set up to accommodate a wide spectrum of human needs. You may need things that I don’t. I may need things that you don’t. But in most business settings, academic settings, or even places like restaurants or leisure places, the world isn’t built to accommodate everyone. Our world and society is a “one size fits all” approach, and most people don’t fit snugly inside of that system. \nIf you can classify what is “wrong” or “different” about you into an easily digestible form, people are generally more able and more willing to accommodate you.\nFor example: if I tell my coworkers that I need to leave work early because of a headache, I’ll be shamed for it. And in some cases I’ll be told that “headaches aren’t that bad!” Or “You don’t need to leave.” Or “I have a headache too, just deal with it!”\nBut if I tell my workers that I need to leave due to a painful neurological condition that’s flaring up (I have chronic migraine, which is a neurological condition), they will respect it 100% of the time. It’s met with sympathy and not criticism.\nThis happens for all sorts of things. “Sorry Im late, I slept in.” Sounds a lot worse then, “sorry I’m late, my insomnia has been terrible lately.” \nOur culture forces us to use these labels even when they’re untrue just to receive sympathy or acceptance. The problem isn’t people who decide to use these labels, the root problem is that our society refuses to embrace and accommodate people who are outside of the “norm.”", ">\n\nSpeaking as someone who's had an autism diagnosis since age 7: if someone declares they're autistic when they're not, that's obnoxious at worst. If someone is told they're not autistic when they are, that can cause lifelong harm from denied care and understanding. I have seen this happen to a close friend of mine.\nTherefore, I'd much rather err on the side of acceptance. If you think you're defending me and others like me from impersonators, we'd rather not have your help.\n\nI know people will disagree but it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women. Women statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nCase in point: women are diagnosed with autism far less than men. Recent studies have pointed to decades of systematic misdiagnosis. The more visible autistic symptoms sometimes manifest differently in girls, the way they're socialized may help them hide it from a young age, and of course lots of doctors just say \"your daughter can't be autistic, that's a boy thing.\"\nWe're learning that there are hundreds of thousands of autistic women who slipped through the cracks and were denied the recognition and support they needed because of dismissive, gatekeeping attitudes just like yours.", ">\n\nThere’s a difference between having a disorder and relating to a disorder. If the tools or language associated with a disorder helps someone live better though then cool, it’s all still odd. Also autism presents differently in woman, and a majority of our research on it is on men. Best practice is probably to support them and encourage them to seek treatment.", ">\n\nAutism is severely misdiagnosed in women. Completely under diagnosed. Actually, plenty of things are. The actual problem that we have is parents refusing to let their children get professional help or a diagnosis. Most doctors will diagnose you with BPD as a woman(aka the new female hysteria of our century), maybe put you on some anti psychotics and send you your way. In most countries, a diagnosis/specialist is not readily available, or there is a long waiting list. Even so, the doctors are not know it all. I have seen plenty of doctors, I got different diagnosis almost each time. They ask you some general questions (about your mood, the way you sleep, if you can concentrate, if you harm yourself, if you have suicidal ideation, if you can socialize properly, if your parents were diagnosed with anything, if you have hallucinations or delusions, the works) and then based on that, they will give you a diagnosis. If you use your common sense and information on the internet (given you are knowledgeable on the subject), you can take a good guess on what's wrong. Obviously, some people will exaggerate like with anything (seeing the shadow dude once in your childhood is not a sign of psychosis, neither is hearing your name called when you are alone once in a blue moon), but if you have visual and auditory hallucinations, perhaps weird tactile feelings/hallucinations (spiders are crawling on me, etc), delusions, tend to be forgetful and out of teach with reality, there is a good chance you do have psychosis.", ">\n\nOkay, to start: what do you think autism and ADHD are? They aren't mental illnesses nor are they mental health conditions. \nTo address some of your other points; \nStudies have shown that autism has a gender expression of 1:1. The only reason that women are under diagnosed is because of misunderstandings towards autism, then the diagnosis is conducted incorrectly. Thus it ends up getting conflated with mental illness, E.G BPD, and is diagnosed as a psychiatric disorder instead. This is a detriment to the patient as the care regimes are black and white different. Often times this severely damages the woman.\nFrom data sets that I recall reading, malingering hasn't risen much, if at all, in recent times. I remember it being around 8% of the global population who are engaging in this behaviour, to different extents. I think what's happened is that social media has turned a torch onto it and it's risen in popularity in an algorithmic way. You see it more because it's pushed by the algorithm more because people are searching for it more. It isn't actually occurring any more or less than historically. Most of that attention is negative attention, I should add. \nSo there's two things to take away from that.\n1) The actual act of pretending to be mentally ill, or to have a disability, which is called malingering, is in fact a form of mental unwellness itself. It's a cry for help. The people who do these things are usually very unstable and should be treated with a degree of empathy. The dangerous types who are using mental illness to scam others, or to manipulate them, make up a very small percentage of the overall amount of people in that group and tend to abuse one on one. \n2) The predominant response to this is generally negative. There isn't really any reason to publicly malinger unless you're unstable, this is because a rational person would likely know this, and know the damage it would cause themselves. Self-diagnosis is a very long, and self-aware, process that takes place over years of the individuals life, and proceeds official diagnosis. \nNo one SDs and says \"Okay that's it now! Let me start a TikTok!\" You'd still want support, and you'd still seek support. So that would end up with a doctor, who would see that you're lying, and treat you for whatever was prompting you to malinger. Anyone who has made this commitment knows that keeping it private is a sensible thing to do in a world that isn't inclusive, and often very stigmatising. Sometimes official diagnosis can take YEARS. \nThis kind of propaganda has been going around for a long time in an effort to discredit disabled people and people with mental illnesses. It's not new. People said the same things back in the 90s. People will always be afraid, and dismissive, of things they do not understand. I invite you to try and understand.", ">\n\nI self-diagnosed myself with endometriosis for 10 years before a doctor finally listened to me, opened me up, and found my insides littered with lesions all over my organs. I’m now not able to get pregnant and I might need to get part of my bowel taken out someday. This could’ve been avoided if someone had just listened to me when I was 16. \nSelf-diagnosing is a necessity in a misogynist world! No one takes us seriously! Especially medical professionals. \nThe best antidote for this is to listen to women who self-diagnose. Why do they think they have XYZ? Is it heavily interfering with their life? I think that’s a much larger problem.", ">\n\nIts been proven that there is a bias to diagnose as opposed to not diagnose a mental illness in psychology. So op is actually kinda correct. The definition of a mental illness is in effect being stretched so far that people who are just kinda weird are being diagnosed with \"on the spectrum\". This is actually causing a problem in early learning because parents start treating their kids as essentially learning challenged when they're really not. So it is starting to become an excuse ...", ">\n\nWe live in a society that loves to medicate people. I know it’s different but Did ppl forget about the opioid epidemic? They’ll diagnose your ass with anything if they can", ">\n\nYa I tend to agree. And no one is really saying so I will I guess, but id wager that 50% of psychologist \"professionals\" are totally full of shit. The actual number of psychologists that are are doing real research and clinical studies is EXTREMELY small compared to how many \"psychologists\" are out there. Just like chiropractors, half of them are hacks..", ">\n\nAnd ill say one more thing, though it is anecdotal, but i have direct family that works in special education for young children, and that system is fucked with a capital F. Thay are constantly fighting against parents and programs who try to box kids in the \"autistic\" zone, when they are just really quite or shy, or have pee problems. But parents want an excuse and reason for their behavior, and reduce them to a sub standard education and treatment for the rest of their lives. It's heart breaking. Especially in public schools.", ">\n\nI’m 32 years old. \nI didn’t self diagnose for attention although I remember the days of tumblr where everyone self diagnosed for clout.\nIt took me a decade to realize what is really happening. During the decade before I realized what may have been happening I was told the following:\nI’m rude\nI’m bossy\nI have a RBF/I look mad\nI also only managed to make my first real friend at age 27.\nWhat I was really displaying was:\nBeing overly blunt and just trying to get my point across came off rude when I didn’t intend it to be that way\nTrying to have things done at a certain time and way that no one else thought was important to follow\nUnmasking\nNoticed other things too that I just thought was me being weird:\nVocal stimming\nOral stimming-chewing, smoking, vaping\nRepetitive motions\nRocking\nEasily overwhelmed by too much sensory input\nHigh startle reflex \nInability to regulate my body’s needs-I don’t know I’m hungry until I’m ravenous; don’t recognize the need to use the bathroom until it’s causing me to rush off, don’t realize I’m cold until I’m shaking\nI could go on.\nI want an assessment so bad. But assessments for adults are EXTREMELY hard to setup, if you can even set them up at all. Some states don’t even offer them. I’ve been looking but they are only for children and seem to look for severe cases.\n14 years of thinking I was just a bitch who couldn’t make friends because I was too weird…turns out it might be autism. And turns out I’ll most likely never get a true diagnosis. But the RAADS test gave me a 127 score so that might be the closest I’ll ever get.", ">\n\ni kind of self diagnosed autism? i’ve been to many psychiatrists and therapists for years and they always see adhd in the half an hour and prescribe meds for that, which makes me not go there again. if they dug a little deeper they could have seen autism, i spoke to my current psychiatrist about if its possible i have it, she didn’t want to confirm or deny as i was moving out of state from friends and family and am at an age where i can have kids in the next 10 years since she doesn’t want me being concerned for them. \nI think there’s still lots of stigma around autism even with professionals and especially when identifying it in women. \nI don’t want to be autistic, but i can recognise a lot of different patterns comparing myself and others. I’ve researched it a ton especially in how it shows in women compared to men and in all the articles i found myself relating.\nNow i don’t say im autistic, i say im a little sus of being it tho lmao. and try pass it off casually. I find it’s a lot easier for me to understand and embrace my differences compared to trying to hide it and try be like everyone else or wonder why im not like everyone else. \nBeing older i can also recognise how a lot of my family on one side have suffered mentally and because of obvious neurodivergence. so im pretty sure, like the rest of my mentally challenged brain, has been inherited genetically through that side. \nAll that being said. I self diagnosed when i was about 12 that im highly likely to be depressed and anxious in attempt to get my mom to believe me i needed help, and now 8 years later i can identify that this has been an issue forever for me and that i likely cannot go off my meds because i will just go back to how i used to be. Im still ocd with all my meds, but its better than being anxious and depressed all the time, Having ocd throughout the day is like heaven to me in comparison to how i used to be. obviously the ocd isnt new, just a lot more heard in my brain now.", ">\n\nOk, I know some people self diagnoze themselves with [insert some mental illness here] out of attention or whatever, and that's totally not ok.\nHowever, if you read all the symptoms and do proper research on a mental illness and everything clicks in to you, I'd say you can be fairly confident on a self diagnosis (although, it might be worth it to double check with a professional, especially if you want any sort of treatment). But also for some people, it might not be affordable to go to a professional...", ">\n\nI live in Canada, I've engaged with the medical system, doctors don't care and just want you out, ERs are a 8 hour wait for someone to ignore one thing and won't even entertain other issues even if they are related. Self-diagnosis is really the only way to get any kind of proper treatment at all. \nThe doctors will rubber stamp just about anything you ask for except pain killers but in terms of diagnosis you're way better off doing it yourself, sure you don't have 8 years of medical school but the doctors won't give you 5 mins of their time, they are not better than google and you give a lot more of a shit than they will and at the end of the day it's your body.", ">\n\nBack in the 90s when I was a teenager, the kids/teenagers/young adults who wanted attention, and wanted to be different, adopted the goth lifestyle. Dressing up in all black. White foundation with black lipstick and eyeshadow. It was the trendy way to be different, to be viewed as outcasts of society. To not fit in. \nThe goth lifestyle of the 2020s is self diagnosis. Same shit, different day.\nWhenever someone claims autism, or somewhere on the spectrum, I just roll my eyes and imagine that person just sucks at life.", ">\n\nI just think it’s a little more harmful nowadays due to the prevalence of social media. Ppl get sucked into groups and mindsets before they even have a real life chance. Then they hyper fixate on that they might be mentally Ill rather then just trying to live life to the fullest", ">\n\nI 100% agree with you", ">\n\nBecause it's the age of spin this generation has something for everybody. And all of them are Google doctors. Lol", ">\n\nTook my uncle till he was 38 even thought it was apparent to everyone. Hell he got expelled from two schools", ">\n\nI get what you're saying. I frankly find it weird that more people don't find this weird. People self-diagnosing themselves as all kinds of things not only completely misrepresents the actual conditions, thereby making people even more confused as to what they actually are and how they present, but also leads people to run to a psychiatrist claiming false symptoms and getting medication for something they don't have, which is NOT a good thing. People should never be taking medication unless it is necessary. We are a heavily over-medicated society and this is a big factor in that. Caffeine to wake up in the morning, \"immuno-boosters\" and mood stabilizers during the day, sleeping pills to sleep at night. The caffeine and sleeping pills are addictive and can really mess up your circadian rhythm, and the mood stabilizers can really fuck you up if you don't need them. Instead of rushing to diagnose and medicate everyone, we need to educate them on human behavior and show them that their \"mental health\" problems are completely normal.\nOh, so you get nervous right before you make huge life decisions? That's not Anxiety Disorder, it's just anxiety.\nOh, you are really sad because your cat died? That's not Clinical Depression, you are just grieving.\nOh, you went from really happy to really sad when you were previously happy and something really shitty happened to you and soured your mood? That's not Bipolar Disorder, that's just life.\nOh, you like to be more organized than the people around you? That's not Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, you just like to be organized.\nPeople really misunderstand the nature of these conditions and it hinders our collective progress in treating them, like dramatically inflating the number of actual conditions in the population, making it increasingly more difficult to determine how common and how varied they are. After all, in most cases it is not the psychiatrist or psychologist who makes you better, you make you better. Medication can help and other people can show you the path to success, but the problem will never get solved unless you play an active role in the treatment. Some conditions can never be solved, only lessened, while others are virtually untreatable. We need to stop making these conditions seem cool. They aren't. They are serious and need to be taken seriously.", ">\n\nHeavily agree and I appreciate how well this comment is worded. Wish I coulda worded mine a little better", ">\n\nYa I saw you getting shredded in the comments and figured I'd sum it up for you. 🤣", ">\n\nLmao bro I didn’t expect this many. I was thinking maybe like 20 ppl would reply", ">\n\nYou need to self diagnose in many cases in order to get adequate help.", ">\n\nI knew when I had ADD and IBS, and I was able to get my suspicions confirmed by my respective doctors. Doctors are there to help the patients understand themselves, whereas the patients have to go home every day and live with what they actually have. Do not be so quick to judge.", ">\n\nJust to add here - Autism in women is less prevalent because it presents differently and is often not picked up by standardised diagnostic tests (that were developed on an almost exclusively male sample). I think that also goes to show that there’s p significant issues with what we consider ‘scientific’ and research based in the first place.", ">\n\nI grew up in a small town and we had quite a few autistic boys but only one autistic girl. Literally only one out of like 6-8 grades. So that’s like a 10-1 ratio. It’s gotta be a lot statistically smaller then males. I don’t doubt it happens I just know it’s a lot less", ">\n\nYou think your small town’s makeup is generalizable to all of society? That isn’t how statistics work.", ">\n\nSo my question would be - so what do we do?\nYou think people are diagnosing themselves to gain attention. Fine, but what's the next step?\nSee, I think I might be bipolar 2. But I went on a journey where I looked into the techniques for dealing with this issue. That led me to cognitive behavior therapy.\nThat actually made me more convinced that this was my issue because I have taught myself a lot of cognitive behavior therapy techniques to address the same issues. These practices have really helped me.\nIt sounds like your issue is that these people are getting attention for it. To me, these are people who need someone to help guide them. That would have helped me a lot when I was younger. Society today doesn't really give us the tools to sort this out, but just the knowledge that these things exist can push someone down the rabbit hole to learn about therapy that could really help.\nI think you should ask yourself what your motivations are. Do you really want them to understand themselves? Or are you more interested in steering the conversation toward other topics?\nPersonally, I would deal with these people by paying them forward. I would tell them to understand the practices that typically help these people, and see if they are relevant. I would tell them to seek professional help, and to refrain from diagnosing themselves, but I would encourage them to be critical of themselves and to learn more.\nImo, the way out is through.", ">\n\nI agree with you but it’s not mostly women. Maybe by happenstance that’s the case in your circle but broadly men do this too.", ">\n\nDoctor's are consulting the Mayo Clinic website after talking to a patient and getting their symptoms. I bring that up to say this; a doctor's training is needed for very serious diseases and tricky diagnoses, but a semi-intelligent person could look up their symptoms and get a lot of the more minor stuff right." ]

[ "The diagnosis process for a lot of psychiatric conditions are surveys and questionaires. You can go to a psychiatrist and ask if you're anxious and they'll give you multiple choice questions and diagnose off of that. Or you can just google the form yourself and self diagnose. A lot of psychiatric disorders are about how we feel and think. Not about sending off some blood sample to a lab and getting a positive result come back.\n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. For such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nWhat you're describing are all neuroses that could indicate some deeper psychiatric condition. Whether a person has a mental health condition or not, thinking of ourselves as weak victims is never helpful in any context, yet it's something we all feel from time to time.\nI'm a disability support worker, so when someone tells me they've got a self diagnosed condition, it's not offensive to me or any disabled person I know, it doesn't come across like they're invalidating anyone else's condition. However I do think everyone should talk to a doctor about any condition they feel they might have.", ">\n\nPiggybacking off of this: You’ve spent your whole entire life inside your own brain. A therapist will spend a period of hours with you and give you a diagnosis. Who do you think knows your personal reality better than yourself?", ">\n\nYeah exactly, especially with conditions such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, PTSD, and many other psychiatric conditions. These are things people know they have even before they get a diagnosis. The diagnosis stage is more about treatment and management.\nPeople might be unaware of how severe or mild their condition is, some people think they have only mild PTSD despite constant nightmares and suicidal ideation. Some people will think they have severe ADHD because they can't concentrate for long times on things that don't interest them. It's good to get some perspective from experts but ultimately people know when they are struggling to focus or to struggling to stop stressing all the time or struggling to not be miserable. Struggling with our thoughts and feelings is evidence enough to self diagnose.", ">\n\nI was recently diagnosed with ADHD as a woman so I find this viewpoint interesting.\nFirstly, autism is not a mental illness. An autistic person may have mental illness in conjunction with autism, but autism alone lies under the neurodivergent umbrella. Neurodivergency can include autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and other similar conditions.\nWhy women are often underdiagnosed\nThese are serious disabilities that can really impede a person's life, especially if they struggle to find help and acceptance in their community. A lot of women start their journey towards diagnosis later in life due to a number of factors such as:\n\nPoor diagnostic tools and inexperienced professionals\nA misunderstanding that autism and ADHD are more common in boys\nAdvanced masking techniques to cover their 'traits'\n\nWhy women are often diagnosed later in life.\nThe process for many women and men who are diagnosed later in life often includes a level of burnout or breakdown. After a while everything becomes too much, the mask begins to slip and your traits go into overdrive.\nWhy does self-diagnosing seem to be on the rise?\nA common way of finding out you could possibly be neurodivergent is through media and people who are aware of these traits appear.\nIn the past few years, I have seen an increasing awareness of neurodivergence in women pop up in the media. This is useful for people like myself who had no idea wtf was wrong with them for a very long time. For me, a GP actually suggested I seek a diagnosis due to some struggles I was going through.\nAs someone who went through this process self-diagnosing is commonly the first step as an adult. You might be directed to a questionnaire and are asked to evaluate yourself and your experiences thinking back to your childhood. If there's some merit in your experiences than you move to the next step which involves seeking a professional. Waitlists are often months to years long so many people live in limbo for a long time.\nMethods of living with ADHD can help everyone. And everyone experiences ADHD traits from time to time. Given a large amount of stress we have all suffered collectively, I don't doubt there are a lot of people with increased mental health issues that mirror neurodivergent traits. Some mental illnesses can get very severe and alter your brain chemistry and behaviour.\nMy takeaway from this is that the mental health systems set up to assist these people are a much larger issue and cause for serious concern than self-diagnosing.\nApologies for the spelling and grammar errors. Grammarly and Reddit don't play nice.", ">\n\nI think it's two things. One, people have identity crises, especially teenagers. We all know that type of person who tries on identities like hats. That's pretty embarrassing. You usually grow out of that.\nTwo, from personal experience, giving yourself a label or a diagnosis makes it feel more contained and easy to communicate. It's easier to tell someone that you have X and have them understand what you're going through rather than telling them you have these vague symptoms resembling what you imagine X is like. In that respect, it is pretty understandable, possibly good, and not embarrassing. There's something that is sort of reassuring if you can finally get a word to put on what you're experiencing.\nPeople often sympathize with the diagnosis but not with the symptoms. Tell people at work you're autistic and they will sympathize with you and possibly not attack you. Tell them you do not understand social cues and they will probably just make fun of you.", ">\n\nI understand the desire to put a label with a disease, and this is not necessarily bad, but the diagnosis needs to be correct. If you want to tell others that you are autistic or depressed; you must actually be those things. A person can almost never correctly assertion their disease, only their symptoms. People might better understand you if you say your autistic, but you may incorrectly understand and describe yourself. If one wishes to put a name with symptoms, they should find a doctor to pick the label", ">\n\nfor sure but unfortunately our medical system is a joke and even if you are experiencing very severe symptoms it can be nearly impossible to see a professional or take months on a waiting list.\nEven then a professional may be reluctant to slap a label on you for fear of what the consequences of that might be. I saw someone for a very long time who resisted any sort of actual diagnosis because the truth is that what I was experiencing didn't fit neatly into any of the boxes and pretty much belonged in this vague \"other\" category which isn't particularly helpful. Not to mention that misdiagnosis happens all the time even by professionals. \nI just think it is sort of understandable because I think a lot of stuff is kind of a spectrum anyway and just different levels of severity. Things can be really confusing and hard to nail down and thus communicate in a way that causes someone else to be understanding rather than judgemental.", ">\n\nAre you under the impression this is a new phenomenon? Because it's definitely not.\nPeople - especially young people! - crave identity. The world is a confusing place, knowing who you are makes it a little easier. Sometimes it's self-diagnosing mental illness or learning disabilities, or exploring sexual identity, or cliques, or subcultures. There's nothing embarrassing about it, it just is what it is.", ">\n\nIt’s ok to want to express individuality but not to the extent of totally destroying the definition of a real thing and making it hard for actual mentally Ill ppl to get a diagnosis. Why can’t people just accept that they’re different rather then giving themselves a label?", ">\n\npeople on TikTok claiming to have disorders that they don't doesn't affect the precision of psychiatrists diagnosing actual patients. There's no TikTok-said section in the DSM. Why do you think that it does?", ">\n\nIt just encourages more people to get diagnosed possibly skewing the meaning of the mental illness", ">\n\nSkewing it towards statistical accuracy? If people are actually diagnosed at higher rates, we have a better Guage of population-level mental illness, neurodivergency, etc. Better data is more usable, so that research actually means something actionable, ASIDE from the identity boost for young people.", ">\n\nI think what OP is driving at, but utterly failing to explain, is that they think that the fakers will be accommodated by the psychiatric system and diagnosed on the basis of fake symptoms. my sense is that isn't a problem but I don't have data.", ">\n\nDefinitely explained it a little better then I could lol", ">\n\nWhere do you see evidence of that? Any articles about fakers? How about a statistic? If not, it’s just a fear you seem to have.", ">\n\nI think the salient line here is this one:\n\nNeurologists were able to quickly determine that the subjects were not \nsuffering from Tourette's, but psychogenic tics driven by anxiety.", ">\n\nWomen are not born with less autism, but are much less likely to be diagnosed as children than boys. This is partly because boys generally have similar symptoms and behaviors. \nSo of course more women are self diagnosing autism, since their diagnoses were missed as children on a much higher rate.", ">\n\nAlright, I'm diagnosed OCD, PTSD, chronic depression. Diagnosed by a professional so I think I have some grounds to talk about this.\nFirst, let's tackle your women comment about autism. You see, I understand where you're coming from, but you lack the nuance of recognizing that mental illness, and illness in general, is heavily under-diagnosed in women. The medical culture is heavily favored towards men and is rampant with mysogyny, and that's not just me saying it as I've had medical professionals blatantly tell me it's a problem in the field when questioned about it. I've also had some tell me that it's just because women whine a lot, so yanno make of that statement what you will.\nNow that we've covered that let me address the self-diagnosing issue. So, do you want to know what my therapist thinks of self-diagnosing? Well, when I asked them about it they said that self-diagnosing is an important first step to seeking help. Psychiatrist said the same thing. It's normal, expected even, for people to self-diagnose their issues then seek help for them. You can't exactly just peer into someone's brain, no, that person has to tell you what they think is wrong and why they think it is. \nWhat you actually have a problem with is not self-diagnosis, but with people not seeking or not being able to get medical assistance and assuming they're right. You have a problem with people using these issues for attention, which I do too, but once again self-diagnosing is not the problem. Finally, you have a problem with the medical system that forces people into the position of trying to figure out their mental illnesses, but having no ability to get help for them.", ">\n\nI think I did it", ">\n\nSadly no lol, it was not done properly. Do you need a link to the rules?", ">\n\nI already read them i think I’ll figure it out in a bit sorry for the hold up", ">\n\nBecause everyone else is being aggressive: you have to comment with ∆ or !delta and then explain how your view has been changed", ">\n\nThis delta has been rejected. You can't award OP a delta.\nAllowing this would wrongly suggest that you can post here with the aim of convincing others.\nIf you were explaining when/how to award a delta, please use a reddit quote for the symbol next time.\n^Delta System Explained ^| ^Deltaboards", ">\n\nWhat gives you the authority or knowledge to know this is the problem?", ">\n\nYou don’t think it’s a problem that a lot of young ppl are willing to go to the extent of saying they are mentally Ill either for attention or to excuse their weirdness? Just accept that your different. It’s not wrong to believe you’re different without a label", ">\n\nYou did not even try to answer my question.", ">\n\nI’m sorry I was confused on what you meant", ">\n\nIf you are mad at people for self diagnosing themselves because they don't have the knowledge or authority to do so.... what gives you the knowledge or authority to diagnosis this as the problem behavior... basically are you just a kid that is annoyed, or is there some actual studies out there that is claiming this is a problem.", ">\n\nIf you don’t think that people consistently seeking attention for mental illness or craving a label so badly to justify themselves rather then being themselves. That just shows what your views are", ">\n\nDont you think we should leave the diagnosing to the professionals?", ">\n\nI mean yeah", ">\n\nWould you agree that you are diagnosing these people by saying that they are only seeking attention and do not have a real mental illness?", ">\n\nI’m assuming", ">\n\nThere may be some truth to people wanting to be different, however with mental illnesses being more accepted in today's society, many people are a lot more comfortable with being neurodivergent. Additionally, self diagnosis is common because the alternative is spending upwards to $1000-$2000 for a clinical diagnosis.", ">\n\nI know costs suck, but self diagnosis can be much more harmful. A web.md page that tells you your depressed when you may actually be bipolar can lead to really messed up results. I would even go as far as to say that no diagnosis at all is preferable to an uninformed one", ">\n\nWell.\n​\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad \n\nSo you already know why they're doing what they're doing in addition the fact that you know that they're not Autistic? If your claim is that they can't know and only a doctor can, what makes you more qualified? You start out your argument admitting that you have a bias.\n\nthey’re “neurodivergent.\n\nNeurodivergent is an umbrella that covers both Autism and ADHD, which sometimes get mistaken for each other. So if you're upset that they're self-diagnosing, this term should be more welcome than \"Autistic\" because it's more generalized.\n\nnd when you ask them how they know they’ll say “oh I have this weird tick when I uh laugh when someone says something funny “ or “I have a hyper fixation on this topic so I must be autistic\n\nHow else should they communicate it to you? The list of aspects of Autism, especially for how it presents in women, sounds a lot like this. You're not a doctor, they don't have to prove anything to you by going down the entire list of every possible part of their daily experience that might be on the spectrum.\n\nWomen statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nNope. Women are diagnosed less often than men because the original diagnostic criteria for Autism was for Autism as it presents in males. It presents differently for females and is harder to diagnose, especially at younger ages. \n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized\n\nTodays youth want to be victimized? Why would anyone want to be victimized? Something tells me you're missing the mark with this terminology.\n\nor have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. \n\nSo if someone is Autistic and that makes them weird, you'd rather them just be forced to not get to have a name for it, and get the therapeutic treatment that would help them?\n\nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really [are] without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nSome people are autistic. If they find out and it makes them feel good, that doesn't mean they're craving attention. And if they are craving attention, it's because they're normal people and everyone does. \nIf someone thinks they're autistic but it turns out they're actually not, chances are they suspected it for a reason. They might have ADHD, a personality disorder, a mental health issue, or simply a slightly different way of experiencing the world that feels unique to them and there's nothing wrong with that. \nYou seem to think that other people do things for you. People generally don't. They do things for themselves. This is especially true of people on the Autism Spectrum who may not be able to easily use other people's experiences to reference when constructing their view of the world, and can only use their own. Your interpretation wherein they do it to evoke a response from you says more about you than it does about them.", ">\n\nYou’re being deliberately obtuse. OP is completely correct. Most of the people these days who say “I’m ADHD” or “I’m autistic” or “I’m neurodivergent” are absolutely not diagnosed as such and are doing it to seem unique or get attention or as some excuse for why they did x y or z.", ">\n\nI'd like to point out that while some are perhaps attention seeking, many people self diagnose simply because they don't have access to free medical/psychological professionals to get proper diagnosis and help with their issues. I also know someone who doesn't want to get an official diagnosis because he's afrad it will affect his insurance rates or somehow come back to bite him if he's offically labeled with having a neurological disorder. \nThere is a wealth of knowledge on these subjects available online for those interested. And if they are truly interested in self diagnose they can likely do that accurately enough for all intents and purposes. Most of these people who search for the sake of better understanding themselves or their loved ones will openly admit that it's a self diagnoses, or say they THINK they have x,y, or z. But in some situations it's just as well to say they have it if they feel certain anyway, and it's just a passing comment, and not a discussion on the matter. \nIn other words, just because they self diagnose doesn't mean they're wrong, nor does it explain their motives. I also don't see how attention seeking (for those who ARE doing that) is really hurting anyone else. Fakers gonna be fake, that's more a \"them\" kind of problem. ANNOYING, but mostly harmless.", ">\n\nUnless you have a doctor's diagnosis you don't have the disorder. Even if you are broke there are programs to help with costs. \nAnd yes it does affect me when someone is treating me like shit and tries using the I have such and such as an excuse and then people get mad at ME for calling them in their bullshit.", ">\n\nNo. You have to have the disorder before you CAN be diagnosed, so obviously there are undiagnosed people who in fact \"have the disorder \". Your refusal to acknowledge an undiagnosed disorder does not mean they don't have it. Your personal experience with people supposedly using a fake diagnosis to treat you badly, sounds unusual. How do you know they DIDN'T have it? People who do lie and just want to be jerks will do that regardless of what methods they decide to try. The methods are irrelevant. And that motive is not typical of most self diagnosers .", ">\n\nSounds unusual? You must not get out a lot because it's become a pretty regular thing. Every single person I know (about 8) that have self diagnosed themselves as neurodivergent or with a mental illness like Bi-polar all use it to excuse their shitty ass behaviors. \nToo many disorders can mirror other ones. Just because they think they have 2/3 symptoms doesn't make them right by a long shot. Keep living in your bubble.", ">\n\nYou don't have to have a relationship with anyone. If they treat you badly, regardless of an official diagnosis or not, you don't have to tolerate them. It makes no difference what they have or don't have. What would it change if they got diagnosed and actually have it?", ">\n\nSelf diagnosing has been a thing forever\nAnd it's not a problem im 99% sure me or any other autistic person doesn't really give 2 fucks about people who wanna fake disorders. It doesn't stop us from getting help, we have doctors notes, medical files, sometimes even volunteers, you need those files to get into let's say a special education class, or a life skills course.\nSo unless you were diagnosed by a professional you're probably not gonna make it far faking it.\n(Excuse my shitty punctuation)", ">\n\nIt doesn’t bother you that they’re making others take the actual meaning away from what you were born with? I mean I’m sure autism hasn’t made your life easy and seeing ppl claim it for attention to be quirky probably has to annoy you a little right?", ">\n\nAt the end of the day I still have ADHD and I still need help with it. More people being diagnosed with it doesn’t change that fact. In fact I was diagnosed because I realized I related to so many tiktok memes, and I’m sure others are in my same boat. \nIn fact I think so many people talking about ADHD helps. It means more people who possibly have tips for me, people who are suffering who can’t afford treatment have an easy way to learn about how to improve their lives, and more people who are aware of my disorder.", ">\n\nI think people do diagnose themselves too often without seeking professional help. BUT mental illness is not the same as being neurodivergent.", ">\n\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad that they’ll go as far to say they’re “neurodivergent.”\n\nWhile this is the case, I don't really see how it's a \"problem\" per se. I guarantee that these people still make lifestyle decisions based on what they think is best, or based on what they want to do.\n\nbut it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women\n\nDo you have any statistics for that? I haven't experienced it that way in my own anecdotal experience, and I'd be curious to look into the data to see how much that truly does skew in that direction.\n\nwanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness \nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nI understand what you're trying to say here, but I don't really think these things are connected as much as you think they are. People see something wrong with themselves, so they either playfully or seriously consider the fact that it could be a condition that they have similar symptoms to. Not that it never happens, but just because someone categorizes themselves into a disability group that could potentially excuse their \"quirks\", doesn't mean they think that behavior is unacceptable in any way. People see a problem, and assume it's linked to this other issue that seems similar that they already know about.", ">\n\nI agree with the conclusion that self-diagnosis is a real issue, and I wouldn't be surprised if the data indicated it was on the rise. I wouldn't necessarily frame it as a simple desire to \"be victimized\" however. While it is purely speculation, I do believe there are a number of conditions which might lead towards a more frequent experience of symptoms associated with mental illness - a rising wealth gap, perpetual anxiety from a 24-hour news cycle, intensification of self-commodification, the student debt crisis in certain countries like the US, and so on. So people are experiencing symptoms like low energy, mood swings, etc. that can be associated with mental illness. The issue with self-diagnosis then becomes that it may correctly identify the symptom, but incorrectly identify the cause.\nThis video from the YouTuber HealthyGamerGG does a good job of explaining what some of the issues with self-diagnosis are, and for me it was a good starting place for thinking about this more. \nEDIT: I forgot this video literally starts with this same topic being brought up on this same subreddit lol", ">\n\nA great theory based on reasonable causes with an educational video from a psychologist(I assume) as evidence to back it up. I applaud you sir. 👏", ">\n\nWhy are you embarrassed by other people's issues?", ">\n\nI’m a 30yo male. If I had not first self diagnosed with ASD and OCD, I never would have found the language and resources to get a formal diagnosis and help.\nPrior generations have been so fixated on avoidance of diagnosing mental disorders, and research was previously so lacking that we are only just now (through those that do get diagnosed) realizing how common mental disorders are. That plus the lack of mental health resources for neurotypical and neurodivergent I think is how we end up in this situation of many recognizing their symptoms in the new discourse, but lacking the resources to overcome the barriers to proper diagnosis and treatment.", ">\n\nIt’s not the best thing, no. \nAs an adult FINALLY diagnosed (by a licensed therapist) at 41, I can tell you why ‘self diagnosis’ is so tempting. \nIn the US at least- mental health, and official medical diagnosis are almost completely inaccessible, especially as an adult. Most of us grew up before Autism was a spectrum, and ADHD was just boys who acted out in class. We felt like aliens. We couldn’t understand why we didn’t have many friends, or why we didn’t like the ‘right things’, and generally spend the bill of our lives feeling ‘wrong’, ‘broken’ or just simply like we didn’t belong. \nFinally understanding the WHY, and even better, finding tools to addresses our issues is a huge huge weight off the chest. The relief of having a name and a strategy- either therapy or medicine is such an amazing relief!!", ">\n\nI only kinda agree if I had not done my own research I would have never found out I have sjorgens syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis I know TikTok people tend to diagnose themselves and it makes it look cringe but when you live with a incurable illness sometimes you have to work to find a diagnosis", ">\n\nWell, what do you do of you absolutely know you're neurodivergent, but your parents decided not to get you checked? My mom once told me \"we knew you had something, we just didn't get you checked because they would have just put you on pills\". So I struggled with being different, socially unaware, impulsive, obnoxious, agressive, selfish, for the better part of my life without having the self awareness to understand why I was these things, and why people wouldn't want to be around me. \nIn my late 20''s I asked the question, what if I'm actually autistic? I looked up the symptoms, and 9/10 matched. As a child I couldn't handle loud noises, restrictive clothing, I didn't talk until I was 3. I would throw fits for seemingly no reason, I had obsessive interests. I've always really struggled with eye contact, and I never cared for conversation unless it was something I liked. I mean, when the final piece of a puzzle fits so incredibly well, it's really hard for it to be wrong. \nSelf diagnosing actually really helped me grow as aj individual. I became aware of all my divergent behaviors, and why it might be annoying for someone else to deal with. I came to the realization that I was the one who was different, therefore I needed to change. It's way harder to make everyone around you cater to your needs than to overcome the things that upset you. I'm at peace, I have good friends that I can connect with on a pretty deep level. I no longer smash coffee tables when I lose, I can now appreciate that if I lose it just means I have more to learn. I can keep my house clean, I can reasonably hold myself accountable. What exactly is the harm in all that?\nBesides, it would be pretty pointless for me to try and get a diagnosis now, I've put the effort in and largely come out the other side. Anyone diagnosing me would just say I was normal, but they wouldn't have the intimate knowledge of me that I do. I guess it doesn't matter if people don't believe me, I don't go around shouting that I'm autistic. I will say, it would be really nice if people appreciated the effort I put in to get to get to a place of normalcy, something others take for granted, but it's okay, we all have our struggles.", ">\n\nI feel you on all that. To play devil's advocate, mental healthcare in the U.S. is not cheap. Many people go to the internet and confirm their bias about their current health", ">\n\nI feel you on that too OP. I agree 100% with your entire statement.", ">\n\nIt's a problem, but not a new one. In the 1990s there was briefly a surge of people with a type of delusional parasitosis, that is, the false belief that they were infested with parasites. Except this one was supposedly an infestation with tiny fibres. They would come to doctors with a whole list of symptoms to back up their incorrect self-diagnosis.\nTo a certain extent, these are social contagions, which come and go, and often actually end up leading to people having real problems. Like, the young women you mention, a couple of decades ago may well have ended up with anorexia, or self-cutting. These days it might be a self-declaration of autism or a belief that they have gender dysphoria or that they have multiple systems living in their minds.", ">\n\nWow I did not know that. Maybe it’s just so prevalent today due to social media. Social media has only made these things worse imo", ">\n\nEven before it being self diagnosis of a mental illness it was always something. Remember all the emo and goth teenager?", ">\n\nIt depends on the context. For example, if they've done a substantial amount of research, can name a good amount of symptoms they have and reasons they have whatever mental illness and don't have access to the necessary tools to get a medical diagnosis, it's totally different. Some people don't have the money to go out and get a diagnosis, or sometimes it would be better to not get a medical diagnosis. I believe that the reason that a lot of people self diagnose themselves with things like Autism is because they want an explanation as to why they are different, and they could be right or wrong. I think the most important part is that if you go to a psychologist (or even two, I know a lot of people prefer getting second opinions) and they say you don't have it, that you need to admit you were wrong. It's ok to be wrong about your mental health, and the key is to keep looking and to not give up. I can completely understand the frustration in people completely missing how difficult it actually may be to have a mental illness. I was clinically diagnosed with Depression, Anxiety, and PTSD when I was seven, and I've had some experience with people faking mental disorders for attention, and more often then not, they have another mental disorder that needs attention. Recently I had a (now ex) boyfriend insist he had PTSD after being tested twice and the psychiatrist saying that he didn't have it. What he does have is Depression and Anxiety, but he absolutely insisted he has PTSD despite never exhibiting symptoms and the only evidence being a test he took online that was supposedly a \"real PTSD test.\" People faking mental illnesses only harms people who really have them, as these people tend to exaggerate symptoms and use their self diagnosis for attention. I believe that I am autistic, but I don't list it as a diagnosis because while I have read articles and taken the RAADS-r test, I don't have an official diagnosis, and I could very well be wrong. As for women faking illnesses more often, something I've noticed is that things like Autism, ADHD, ADD, etc are more often diagnosed in boys rather than girls- mostly because when they were first discovered, most of the research was done in boys. Autism shows up differently in girls, and can often be blown off as early puberty hormones. If their hyperfixations are those of stereotypical feminine things, it's just a girl liking whatever, and if they hyperfixate in stereotypical masculine interests, they tend to just be viewed as weird, but not autistic. It's normal for people to question, but I agree that to a certain point, self diagnosis can be harmful, but only if not done correctly.", ">\n\nFirst and foremost not a new problem at all, very common, we used to call it \"Being a hypochondriac\" until it aparrently became reconized which in it self is confusing and a bit contradictory.\nANYWAY\nIt isnt really a problem, no doctor is gonna write the perscription for medication without a diagnosis of some sort.\nAt most there is the vauge \"But what about those who actually have it who arent taken serious\" dont worry, we wouldnt have anyway. Thats kinda how invisible illnesses work.\nOverall the 101 hypochondriacs screaming about the symptoms they read in the ICD might help make the knowledge more common and help people better reconize if their colleagues or friends happen to show symptoms of something.", ">\n\nIt’s pretty expensive in the US to get diagnosed. Personally, I’ve self diagnosed myself out of frustration of the way I process things. I’ve always felt slow & my anxiety/depression was deep because of it, but I was raised in a family that doesn’t believe in mental illness. It was always “if you work hard enough, all your problems will go away”. Meanwhile, i was racking my brain on how to make myself think faster/smarter & it would result in psychotic episodes. I’ve gotten fired from jobs, dropped out of school. I started self harming because I hated myself and my brain & almost commit suicide bc I had no idea what was going on.\nThe relief I felt once I finally got a therapist who validated me & was the first to talk to me about mental Illness. It blew my mind and all of a sudden things actually made sense to me. I currently think I have ADD, and sometimes I’ll tell people that but will preface it by saying I’m not professionally diagnosed. Still, I use mental tools that help me get through the day and build my confidence. I’m a lot better at processing conversations, making lists that help me remember things, unmasking, slowing down my thoughts… etc. I’m less frustrated and can see the beauty in how I process things. I still want to get diagnosed but I have to get health insurance….. lol", ">\n\nSelf diagnosis, regardless of being factual is a process where the individual realizes that they might have a mental health issue. People who can do this are more likely to seek professional help compared to the people who think they are “fine”. Going to a professional, licensed psychologist or a psychiatrist will eventually diagnose them with the correct disorder from there, and professionals have the skills to communicate with them and they can together evaluate if the person’s complaint is the issue or not. There is nothing embarrassing about discovering one’s self. It would be a problem if people would identify with an issue and don’t have any willingness to seek help. Sometimes overreacting is better than not reacting.", ">\n\nThe majority of people who are self-diagnosed with autism have done extensive research into it to come to that conclusion. I personally went through the DSM criteria with a fine-tooth comb, made a list of all the ways I met it and discovered that there’s not a single criteria i don’t meet for autism. I didn’t read about anything else but autism for weeks, approaching it from all angles before coming to the conclusion that it’s highly unlikely I am not autistic. I’m waiting to hear back about an assessment, but I’m not waiting to go and be told something I already know before I start advocating for myself. \nOh, and I absolutely did not want to be ‘different’, in fact my life mission to just blend in and be average is the root cause of most of my problems, but here we are.", ">\n\nThis self diagnosing young people do isn’t the problem. The problem is that our society encourages it.\nOur culture is not set up to accommodate a wide spectrum of human needs. You may need things that I don’t. I may need things that you don’t. But in most business settings, academic settings, or even places like restaurants or leisure places, the world isn’t built to accommodate everyone. Our world and society is a “one size fits all” approach, and most people don’t fit snugly inside of that system. \nIf you can classify what is “wrong” or “different” about you into an easily digestible form, people are generally more able and more willing to accommodate you.\nFor example: if I tell my coworkers that I need to leave work early because of a headache, I’ll be shamed for it. And in some cases I’ll be told that “headaches aren’t that bad!” Or “You don’t need to leave.” Or “I have a headache too, just deal with it!”\nBut if I tell my workers that I need to leave due to a painful neurological condition that’s flaring up (I have chronic migraine, which is a neurological condition), they will respect it 100% of the time. It’s met with sympathy and not criticism.\nThis happens for all sorts of things. “Sorry Im late, I slept in.” Sounds a lot worse then, “sorry I’m late, my insomnia has been terrible lately.” \nOur culture forces us to use these labels even when they’re untrue just to receive sympathy or acceptance. The problem isn’t people who decide to use these labels, the root problem is that our society refuses to embrace and accommodate people who are outside of the “norm.”", ">\n\nSpeaking as someone who's had an autism diagnosis since age 7: if someone declares they're autistic when they're not, that's obnoxious at worst. If someone is told they're not autistic when they are, that can cause lifelong harm from denied care and understanding. I have seen this happen to a close friend of mine.\nTherefore, I'd much rather err on the side of acceptance. If you think you're defending me and others like me from impersonators, we'd rather not have your help.\n\nI know people will disagree but it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women. Women statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nCase in point: women are diagnosed with autism far less than men. Recent studies have pointed to decades of systematic misdiagnosis. The more visible autistic symptoms sometimes manifest differently in girls, the way they're socialized may help them hide it from a young age, and of course lots of doctors just say \"your daughter can't be autistic, that's a boy thing.\"\nWe're learning that there are hundreds of thousands of autistic women who slipped through the cracks and were denied the recognition and support they needed because of dismissive, gatekeeping attitudes just like yours.", ">\n\nThere’s a difference between having a disorder and relating to a disorder. If the tools or language associated with a disorder helps someone live better though then cool, it’s all still odd. Also autism presents differently in woman, and a majority of our research on it is on men. Best practice is probably to support them and encourage them to seek treatment.", ">\n\nAutism is severely misdiagnosed in women. Completely under diagnosed. Actually, plenty of things are. The actual problem that we have is parents refusing to let their children get professional help or a diagnosis. Most doctors will diagnose you with BPD as a woman(aka the new female hysteria of our century), maybe put you on some anti psychotics and send you your way. In most countries, a diagnosis/specialist is not readily available, or there is a long waiting list. Even so, the doctors are not know it all. I have seen plenty of doctors, I got different diagnosis almost each time. They ask you some general questions (about your mood, the way you sleep, if you can concentrate, if you harm yourself, if you have suicidal ideation, if you can socialize properly, if your parents were diagnosed with anything, if you have hallucinations or delusions, the works) and then based on that, they will give you a diagnosis. If you use your common sense and information on the internet (given you are knowledgeable on the subject), you can take a good guess on what's wrong. Obviously, some people will exaggerate like with anything (seeing the shadow dude once in your childhood is not a sign of psychosis, neither is hearing your name called when you are alone once in a blue moon), but if you have visual and auditory hallucinations, perhaps weird tactile feelings/hallucinations (spiders are crawling on me, etc), delusions, tend to be forgetful and out of teach with reality, there is a good chance you do have psychosis.", ">\n\nOkay, to start: what do you think autism and ADHD are? They aren't mental illnesses nor are they mental health conditions. \nTo address some of your other points; \nStudies have shown that autism has a gender expression of 1:1. The only reason that women are under diagnosed is because of misunderstandings towards autism, then the diagnosis is conducted incorrectly. Thus it ends up getting conflated with mental illness, E.G BPD, and is diagnosed as a psychiatric disorder instead. This is a detriment to the patient as the care regimes are black and white different. Often times this severely damages the woman.\nFrom data sets that I recall reading, malingering hasn't risen much, if at all, in recent times. I remember it being around 8% of the global population who are engaging in this behaviour, to different extents. I think what's happened is that social media has turned a torch onto it and it's risen in popularity in an algorithmic way. You see it more because it's pushed by the algorithm more because people are searching for it more. It isn't actually occurring any more or less than historically. Most of that attention is negative attention, I should add. \nSo there's two things to take away from that.\n1) The actual act of pretending to be mentally ill, or to have a disability, which is called malingering, is in fact a form of mental unwellness itself. It's a cry for help. The people who do these things are usually very unstable and should be treated with a degree of empathy. The dangerous types who are using mental illness to scam others, or to manipulate them, make up a very small percentage of the overall amount of people in that group and tend to abuse one on one. \n2) The predominant response to this is generally negative. There isn't really any reason to publicly malinger unless you're unstable, this is because a rational person would likely know this, and know the damage it would cause themselves. Self-diagnosis is a very long, and self-aware, process that takes place over years of the individuals life, and proceeds official diagnosis. \nNo one SDs and says \"Okay that's it now! Let me start a TikTok!\" You'd still want support, and you'd still seek support. So that would end up with a doctor, who would see that you're lying, and treat you for whatever was prompting you to malinger. Anyone who has made this commitment knows that keeping it private is a sensible thing to do in a world that isn't inclusive, and often very stigmatising. Sometimes official diagnosis can take YEARS. \nThis kind of propaganda has been going around for a long time in an effort to discredit disabled people and people with mental illnesses. It's not new. People said the same things back in the 90s. People will always be afraid, and dismissive, of things they do not understand. I invite you to try and understand.", ">\n\nI self-diagnosed myself with endometriosis for 10 years before a doctor finally listened to me, opened me up, and found my insides littered with lesions all over my organs. I’m now not able to get pregnant and I might need to get part of my bowel taken out someday. This could’ve been avoided if someone had just listened to me when I was 16. \nSelf-diagnosing is a necessity in a misogynist world! No one takes us seriously! Especially medical professionals. \nThe best antidote for this is to listen to women who self-diagnose. Why do they think they have XYZ? Is it heavily interfering with their life? I think that’s a much larger problem.", ">\n\nIts been proven that there is a bias to diagnose as opposed to not diagnose a mental illness in psychology. So op is actually kinda correct. The definition of a mental illness is in effect being stretched so far that people who are just kinda weird are being diagnosed with \"on the spectrum\". This is actually causing a problem in early learning because parents start treating their kids as essentially learning challenged when they're really not. So it is starting to become an excuse ...", ">\n\nWe live in a society that loves to medicate people. I know it’s different but Did ppl forget about the opioid epidemic? They’ll diagnose your ass with anything if they can", ">\n\nYa I tend to agree. And no one is really saying so I will I guess, but id wager that 50% of psychologist \"professionals\" are totally full of shit. The actual number of psychologists that are are doing real research and clinical studies is EXTREMELY small compared to how many \"psychologists\" are out there. Just like chiropractors, half of them are hacks..", ">\n\nAnd ill say one more thing, though it is anecdotal, but i have direct family that works in special education for young children, and that system is fucked with a capital F. Thay are constantly fighting against parents and programs who try to box kids in the \"autistic\" zone, when they are just really quite or shy, or have pee problems. But parents want an excuse and reason for their behavior, and reduce them to a sub standard education and treatment for the rest of their lives. It's heart breaking. Especially in public schools.", ">\n\nI’m 32 years old. \nI didn’t self diagnose for attention although I remember the days of tumblr where everyone self diagnosed for clout.\nIt took me a decade to realize what is really happening. During the decade before I realized what may have been happening I was told the following:\nI’m rude\nI’m bossy\nI have a RBF/I look mad\nI also only managed to make my first real friend at age 27.\nWhat I was really displaying was:\nBeing overly blunt and just trying to get my point across came off rude when I didn’t intend it to be that way\nTrying to have things done at a certain time and way that no one else thought was important to follow\nUnmasking\nNoticed other things too that I just thought was me being weird:\nVocal stimming\nOral stimming-chewing, smoking, vaping\nRepetitive motions\nRocking\nEasily overwhelmed by too much sensory input\nHigh startle reflex \nInability to regulate my body’s needs-I don’t know I’m hungry until I’m ravenous; don’t recognize the need to use the bathroom until it’s causing me to rush off, don’t realize I’m cold until I’m shaking\nI could go on.\nI want an assessment so bad. But assessments for adults are EXTREMELY hard to setup, if you can even set them up at all. Some states don’t even offer them. I’ve been looking but they are only for children and seem to look for severe cases.\n14 years of thinking I was just a bitch who couldn’t make friends because I was too weird…turns out it might be autism. And turns out I’ll most likely never get a true diagnosis. But the RAADS test gave me a 127 score so that might be the closest I’ll ever get.", ">\n\ni kind of self diagnosed autism? i’ve been to many psychiatrists and therapists for years and they always see adhd in the half an hour and prescribe meds for that, which makes me not go there again. if they dug a little deeper they could have seen autism, i spoke to my current psychiatrist about if its possible i have it, she didn’t want to confirm or deny as i was moving out of state from friends and family and am at an age where i can have kids in the next 10 years since she doesn’t want me being concerned for them. \nI think there’s still lots of stigma around autism even with professionals and especially when identifying it in women. \nI don’t want to be autistic, but i can recognise a lot of different patterns comparing myself and others. I’ve researched it a ton especially in how it shows in women compared to men and in all the articles i found myself relating.\nNow i don’t say im autistic, i say im a little sus of being it tho lmao. and try pass it off casually. I find it’s a lot easier for me to understand and embrace my differences compared to trying to hide it and try be like everyone else or wonder why im not like everyone else. \nBeing older i can also recognise how a lot of my family on one side have suffered mentally and because of obvious neurodivergence. so im pretty sure, like the rest of my mentally challenged brain, has been inherited genetically through that side. \nAll that being said. I self diagnosed when i was about 12 that im highly likely to be depressed and anxious in attempt to get my mom to believe me i needed help, and now 8 years later i can identify that this has been an issue forever for me and that i likely cannot go off my meds because i will just go back to how i used to be. Im still ocd with all my meds, but its better than being anxious and depressed all the time, Having ocd throughout the day is like heaven to me in comparison to how i used to be. obviously the ocd isnt new, just a lot more heard in my brain now.", ">\n\nOk, I know some people self diagnoze themselves with [insert some mental illness here] out of attention or whatever, and that's totally not ok.\nHowever, if you read all the symptoms and do proper research on a mental illness and everything clicks in to you, I'd say you can be fairly confident on a self diagnosis (although, it might be worth it to double check with a professional, especially if you want any sort of treatment). But also for some people, it might not be affordable to go to a professional...", ">\n\nI live in Canada, I've engaged with the medical system, doctors don't care and just want you out, ERs are a 8 hour wait for someone to ignore one thing and won't even entertain other issues even if they are related. Self-diagnosis is really the only way to get any kind of proper treatment at all. \nThe doctors will rubber stamp just about anything you ask for except pain killers but in terms of diagnosis you're way better off doing it yourself, sure you don't have 8 years of medical school but the doctors won't give you 5 mins of their time, they are not better than google and you give a lot more of a shit than they will and at the end of the day it's your body.", ">\n\nBack in the 90s when I was a teenager, the kids/teenagers/young adults who wanted attention, and wanted to be different, adopted the goth lifestyle. Dressing up in all black. White foundation with black lipstick and eyeshadow. It was the trendy way to be different, to be viewed as outcasts of society. To not fit in. \nThe goth lifestyle of the 2020s is self diagnosis. Same shit, different day.\nWhenever someone claims autism, or somewhere on the spectrum, I just roll my eyes and imagine that person just sucks at life.", ">\n\nI just think it’s a little more harmful nowadays due to the prevalence of social media. Ppl get sucked into groups and mindsets before they even have a real life chance. Then they hyper fixate on that they might be mentally Ill rather then just trying to live life to the fullest", ">\n\nI 100% agree with you", ">\n\nBecause it's the age of spin this generation has something for everybody. And all of them are Google doctors. Lol", ">\n\nTook my uncle till he was 38 even thought it was apparent to everyone. Hell he got expelled from two schools", ">\n\nI get what you're saying. I frankly find it weird that more people don't find this weird. People self-diagnosing themselves as all kinds of things not only completely misrepresents the actual conditions, thereby making people even more confused as to what they actually are and how they present, but also leads people to run to a psychiatrist claiming false symptoms and getting medication for something they don't have, which is NOT a good thing. People should never be taking medication unless it is necessary. We are a heavily over-medicated society and this is a big factor in that. Caffeine to wake up in the morning, \"immuno-boosters\" and mood stabilizers during the day, sleeping pills to sleep at night. The caffeine and sleeping pills are addictive and can really mess up your circadian rhythm, and the mood stabilizers can really fuck you up if you don't need them. Instead of rushing to diagnose and medicate everyone, we need to educate them on human behavior and show them that their \"mental health\" problems are completely normal.\nOh, so you get nervous right before you make huge life decisions? That's not Anxiety Disorder, it's just anxiety.\nOh, you are really sad because your cat died? That's not Clinical Depression, you are just grieving.\nOh, you went from really happy to really sad when you were previously happy and something really shitty happened to you and soured your mood? That's not Bipolar Disorder, that's just life.\nOh, you like to be more organized than the people around you? That's not Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, you just like to be organized.\nPeople really misunderstand the nature of these conditions and it hinders our collective progress in treating them, like dramatically inflating the number of actual conditions in the population, making it increasingly more difficult to determine how common and how varied they are. After all, in most cases it is not the psychiatrist or psychologist who makes you better, you make you better. Medication can help and other people can show you the path to success, but the problem will never get solved unless you play an active role in the treatment. Some conditions can never be solved, only lessened, while others are virtually untreatable. We need to stop making these conditions seem cool. They aren't. They are serious and need to be taken seriously.", ">\n\nHeavily agree and I appreciate how well this comment is worded. Wish I coulda worded mine a little better", ">\n\nYa I saw you getting shredded in the comments and figured I'd sum it up for you. 🤣", ">\n\nLmao bro I didn’t expect this many. I was thinking maybe like 20 ppl would reply", ">\n\nYou need to self diagnose in many cases in order to get adequate help.", ">\n\nI knew when I had ADD and IBS, and I was able to get my suspicions confirmed by my respective doctors. Doctors are there to help the patients understand themselves, whereas the patients have to go home every day and live with what they actually have. Do not be so quick to judge.", ">\n\nJust to add here - Autism in women is less prevalent because it presents differently and is often not picked up by standardised diagnostic tests (that were developed on an almost exclusively male sample). I think that also goes to show that there’s p significant issues with what we consider ‘scientific’ and research based in the first place.", ">\n\nI grew up in a small town and we had quite a few autistic boys but only one autistic girl. Literally only one out of like 6-8 grades. So that’s like a 10-1 ratio. It’s gotta be a lot statistically smaller then males. I don’t doubt it happens I just know it’s a lot less", ">\n\nYou think your small town’s makeup is generalizable to all of society? That isn’t how statistics work.", ">\n\nSo my question would be - so what do we do?\nYou think people are diagnosing themselves to gain attention. Fine, but what's the next step?\nSee, I think I might be bipolar 2. But I went on a journey where I looked into the techniques for dealing with this issue. That led me to cognitive behavior therapy.\nThat actually made me more convinced that this was my issue because I have taught myself a lot of cognitive behavior therapy techniques to address the same issues. These practices have really helped me.\nIt sounds like your issue is that these people are getting attention for it. To me, these are people who need someone to help guide them. That would have helped me a lot when I was younger. Society today doesn't really give us the tools to sort this out, but just the knowledge that these things exist can push someone down the rabbit hole to learn about therapy that could really help.\nI think you should ask yourself what your motivations are. Do you really want them to understand themselves? Or are you more interested in steering the conversation toward other topics?\nPersonally, I would deal with these people by paying them forward. I would tell them to understand the practices that typically help these people, and see if they are relevant. I would tell them to seek professional help, and to refrain from diagnosing themselves, but I would encourage them to be critical of themselves and to learn more.\nImo, the way out is through.", ">\n\nI agree with you but it’s not mostly women. Maybe by happenstance that’s the case in your circle but broadly men do this too.", ">\n\nDoctor's are consulting the Mayo Clinic website after talking to a patient and getting their symptoms. I bring that up to say this; a doctor's training is needed for very serious diseases and tricky diagnoses, but a semi-intelligent person could look up their symptoms and get a lot of the more minor stuff right.", ">\n\nI've never been diagnosed as clinically depressed or anything, but that doesn't mean that I don't suffer from depression a lot of the time (these last few years, more often than not). I see a therapist. I take antidepressants. \nI have a friend who has aphantasia. It isn't really a \"diagnosable\" condition, but it describes what he has trouble with: creating images in his mind." ]

[ "The diagnosis process for a lot of psychiatric conditions are surveys and questionaires. You can go to a psychiatrist and ask if you're anxious and they'll give you multiple choice questions and diagnose off of that. Or you can just google the form yourself and self diagnose. A lot of psychiatric disorders are about how we feel and think. Not about sending off some blood sample to a lab and getting a positive result come back.\n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. For such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nWhat you're describing are all neuroses that could indicate some deeper psychiatric condition. Whether a person has a mental health condition or not, thinking of ourselves as weak victims is never helpful in any context, yet it's something we all feel from time to time.\nI'm a disability support worker, so when someone tells me they've got a self diagnosed condition, it's not offensive to me or any disabled person I know, it doesn't come across like they're invalidating anyone else's condition. However I do think everyone should talk to a doctor about any condition they feel they might have.", ">\n\nPiggybacking off of this: You’ve spent your whole entire life inside your own brain. A therapist will spend a period of hours with you and give you a diagnosis. Who do you think knows your personal reality better than yourself?", ">\n\nYeah exactly, especially with conditions such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, PTSD, and many other psychiatric conditions. These are things people know they have even before they get a diagnosis. The diagnosis stage is more about treatment and management.\nPeople might be unaware of how severe or mild their condition is, some people think they have only mild PTSD despite constant nightmares and suicidal ideation. Some people will think they have severe ADHD because they can't concentrate for long times on things that don't interest them. It's good to get some perspective from experts but ultimately people know when they are struggling to focus or to struggling to stop stressing all the time or struggling to not be miserable. Struggling with our thoughts and feelings is evidence enough to self diagnose.", ">\n\nI was recently diagnosed with ADHD as a woman so I find this viewpoint interesting.\nFirstly, autism is not a mental illness. An autistic person may have mental illness in conjunction with autism, but autism alone lies under the neurodivergent umbrella. Neurodivergency can include autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and other similar conditions.\nWhy women are often underdiagnosed\nThese are serious disabilities that can really impede a person's life, especially if they struggle to find help and acceptance in their community. A lot of women start their journey towards diagnosis later in life due to a number of factors such as:\n\nPoor diagnostic tools and inexperienced professionals\nA misunderstanding that autism and ADHD are more common in boys\nAdvanced masking techniques to cover their 'traits'\n\nWhy women are often diagnosed later in life.\nThe process for many women and men who are diagnosed later in life often includes a level of burnout or breakdown. After a while everything becomes too much, the mask begins to slip and your traits go into overdrive.\nWhy does self-diagnosing seem to be on the rise?\nA common way of finding out you could possibly be neurodivergent is through media and people who are aware of these traits appear.\nIn the past few years, I have seen an increasing awareness of neurodivergence in women pop up in the media. This is useful for people like myself who had no idea wtf was wrong with them for a very long time. For me, a GP actually suggested I seek a diagnosis due to some struggles I was going through.\nAs someone who went through this process self-diagnosing is commonly the first step as an adult. You might be directed to a questionnaire and are asked to evaluate yourself and your experiences thinking back to your childhood. If there's some merit in your experiences than you move to the next step which involves seeking a professional. Waitlists are often months to years long so many people live in limbo for a long time.\nMethods of living with ADHD can help everyone. And everyone experiences ADHD traits from time to time. Given a large amount of stress we have all suffered collectively, I don't doubt there are a lot of people with increased mental health issues that mirror neurodivergent traits. Some mental illnesses can get very severe and alter your brain chemistry and behaviour.\nMy takeaway from this is that the mental health systems set up to assist these people are a much larger issue and cause for serious concern than self-diagnosing.\nApologies for the spelling and grammar errors. Grammarly and Reddit don't play nice.", ">\n\nI think it's two things. One, people have identity crises, especially teenagers. We all know that type of person who tries on identities like hats. That's pretty embarrassing. You usually grow out of that.\nTwo, from personal experience, giving yourself a label or a diagnosis makes it feel more contained and easy to communicate. It's easier to tell someone that you have X and have them understand what you're going through rather than telling them you have these vague symptoms resembling what you imagine X is like. In that respect, it is pretty understandable, possibly good, and not embarrassing. There's something that is sort of reassuring if you can finally get a word to put on what you're experiencing.\nPeople often sympathize with the diagnosis but not with the symptoms. Tell people at work you're autistic and they will sympathize with you and possibly not attack you. Tell them you do not understand social cues and they will probably just make fun of you.", ">\n\nI understand the desire to put a label with a disease, and this is not necessarily bad, but the diagnosis needs to be correct. If you want to tell others that you are autistic or depressed; you must actually be those things. A person can almost never correctly assertion their disease, only their symptoms. People might better understand you if you say your autistic, but you may incorrectly understand and describe yourself. If one wishes to put a name with symptoms, they should find a doctor to pick the label", ">\n\nfor sure but unfortunately our medical system is a joke and even if you are experiencing very severe symptoms it can be nearly impossible to see a professional or take months on a waiting list.\nEven then a professional may be reluctant to slap a label on you for fear of what the consequences of that might be. I saw someone for a very long time who resisted any sort of actual diagnosis because the truth is that what I was experiencing didn't fit neatly into any of the boxes and pretty much belonged in this vague \"other\" category which isn't particularly helpful. Not to mention that misdiagnosis happens all the time even by professionals. \nI just think it is sort of understandable because I think a lot of stuff is kind of a spectrum anyway and just different levels of severity. Things can be really confusing and hard to nail down and thus communicate in a way that causes someone else to be understanding rather than judgemental.", ">\n\nAre you under the impression this is a new phenomenon? Because it's definitely not.\nPeople - especially young people! - crave identity. The world is a confusing place, knowing who you are makes it a little easier. Sometimes it's self-diagnosing mental illness or learning disabilities, or exploring sexual identity, or cliques, or subcultures. There's nothing embarrassing about it, it just is what it is.", ">\n\nIt’s ok to want to express individuality but not to the extent of totally destroying the definition of a real thing and making it hard for actual mentally Ill ppl to get a diagnosis. Why can’t people just accept that they’re different rather then giving themselves a label?", ">\n\npeople on TikTok claiming to have disorders that they don't doesn't affect the precision of psychiatrists diagnosing actual patients. There's no TikTok-said section in the DSM. Why do you think that it does?", ">\n\nIt just encourages more people to get diagnosed possibly skewing the meaning of the mental illness", ">\n\nSkewing it towards statistical accuracy? If people are actually diagnosed at higher rates, we have a better Guage of population-level mental illness, neurodivergency, etc. Better data is more usable, so that research actually means something actionable, ASIDE from the identity boost for young people.", ">\n\nI think what OP is driving at, but utterly failing to explain, is that they think that the fakers will be accommodated by the psychiatric system and diagnosed on the basis of fake symptoms. my sense is that isn't a problem but I don't have data.", ">\n\nDefinitely explained it a little better then I could lol", ">\n\nWhere do you see evidence of that? Any articles about fakers? How about a statistic? If not, it’s just a fear you seem to have.", ">\n\nI think the salient line here is this one:\n\nNeurologists were able to quickly determine that the subjects were not \nsuffering from Tourette's, but psychogenic tics driven by anxiety.", ">\n\nWomen are not born with less autism, but are much less likely to be diagnosed as children than boys. This is partly because boys generally have similar symptoms and behaviors. \nSo of course more women are self diagnosing autism, since their diagnoses were missed as children on a much higher rate.", ">\n\nAlright, I'm diagnosed OCD, PTSD, chronic depression. Diagnosed by a professional so I think I have some grounds to talk about this.\nFirst, let's tackle your women comment about autism. You see, I understand where you're coming from, but you lack the nuance of recognizing that mental illness, and illness in general, is heavily under-diagnosed in women. The medical culture is heavily favored towards men and is rampant with mysogyny, and that's not just me saying it as I've had medical professionals blatantly tell me it's a problem in the field when questioned about it. I've also had some tell me that it's just because women whine a lot, so yanno make of that statement what you will.\nNow that we've covered that let me address the self-diagnosing issue. So, do you want to know what my therapist thinks of self-diagnosing? Well, when I asked them about it they said that self-diagnosing is an important first step to seeking help. Psychiatrist said the same thing. It's normal, expected even, for people to self-diagnose their issues then seek help for them. You can't exactly just peer into someone's brain, no, that person has to tell you what they think is wrong and why they think it is. \nWhat you actually have a problem with is not self-diagnosis, but with people not seeking or not being able to get medical assistance and assuming they're right. You have a problem with people using these issues for attention, which I do too, but once again self-diagnosing is not the problem. Finally, you have a problem with the medical system that forces people into the position of trying to figure out their mental illnesses, but having no ability to get help for them.", ">\n\nI think I did it", ">\n\nSadly no lol, it was not done properly. Do you need a link to the rules?", ">\n\nI already read them i think I’ll figure it out in a bit sorry for the hold up", ">\n\nBecause everyone else is being aggressive: you have to comment with ∆ or !delta and then explain how your view has been changed", ">\n\nThis delta has been rejected. You can't award OP a delta.\nAllowing this would wrongly suggest that you can post here with the aim of convincing others.\nIf you were explaining when/how to award a delta, please use a reddit quote for the symbol next time.\n^Delta System Explained ^| ^Deltaboards", ">\n\nWhat gives you the authority or knowledge to know this is the problem?", ">\n\nYou don’t think it’s a problem that a lot of young ppl are willing to go to the extent of saying they are mentally Ill either for attention or to excuse their weirdness? Just accept that your different. It’s not wrong to believe you’re different without a label", ">\n\nYou did not even try to answer my question.", ">\n\nI’m sorry I was confused on what you meant", ">\n\nIf you are mad at people for self diagnosing themselves because they don't have the knowledge or authority to do so.... what gives you the knowledge or authority to diagnosis this as the problem behavior... basically are you just a kid that is annoyed, or is there some actual studies out there that is claiming this is a problem.", ">\n\nIf you don’t think that people consistently seeking attention for mental illness or craving a label so badly to justify themselves rather then being themselves. That just shows what your views are", ">\n\nDont you think we should leave the diagnosing to the professionals?", ">\n\nI mean yeah", ">\n\nWould you agree that you are diagnosing these people by saying that they are only seeking attention and do not have a real mental illness?", ">\n\nI’m assuming", ">\n\nThere may be some truth to people wanting to be different, however with mental illnesses being more accepted in today's society, many people are a lot more comfortable with being neurodivergent. Additionally, self diagnosis is common because the alternative is spending upwards to $1000-$2000 for a clinical diagnosis.", ">\n\nI know costs suck, but self diagnosis can be much more harmful. A web.md page that tells you your depressed when you may actually be bipolar can lead to really messed up results. I would even go as far as to say that no diagnosis at all is preferable to an uninformed one", ">\n\nWell.\n​\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad \n\nSo you already know why they're doing what they're doing in addition the fact that you know that they're not Autistic? If your claim is that they can't know and only a doctor can, what makes you more qualified? You start out your argument admitting that you have a bias.\n\nthey’re “neurodivergent.\n\nNeurodivergent is an umbrella that covers both Autism and ADHD, which sometimes get mistaken for each other. So if you're upset that they're self-diagnosing, this term should be more welcome than \"Autistic\" because it's more generalized.\n\nnd when you ask them how they know they’ll say “oh I have this weird tick when I uh laugh when someone says something funny “ or “I have a hyper fixation on this topic so I must be autistic\n\nHow else should they communicate it to you? The list of aspects of Autism, especially for how it presents in women, sounds a lot like this. You're not a doctor, they don't have to prove anything to you by going down the entire list of every possible part of their daily experience that might be on the spectrum.\n\nWomen statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nNope. Women are diagnosed less often than men because the original diagnostic criteria for Autism was for Autism as it presents in males. It presents differently for females and is harder to diagnose, especially at younger ages. \n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized\n\nTodays youth want to be victimized? Why would anyone want to be victimized? Something tells me you're missing the mark with this terminology.\n\nor have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. \n\nSo if someone is Autistic and that makes them weird, you'd rather them just be forced to not get to have a name for it, and get the therapeutic treatment that would help them?\n\nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really [are] without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nSome people are autistic. If they find out and it makes them feel good, that doesn't mean they're craving attention. And if they are craving attention, it's because they're normal people and everyone does. \nIf someone thinks they're autistic but it turns out they're actually not, chances are they suspected it for a reason. They might have ADHD, a personality disorder, a mental health issue, or simply a slightly different way of experiencing the world that feels unique to them and there's nothing wrong with that. \nYou seem to think that other people do things for you. People generally don't. They do things for themselves. This is especially true of people on the Autism Spectrum who may not be able to easily use other people's experiences to reference when constructing their view of the world, and can only use their own. Your interpretation wherein they do it to evoke a response from you says more about you than it does about them.", ">\n\nYou’re being deliberately obtuse. OP is completely correct. Most of the people these days who say “I’m ADHD” or “I’m autistic” or “I’m neurodivergent” are absolutely not diagnosed as such and are doing it to seem unique or get attention or as some excuse for why they did x y or z.", ">\n\nI'd like to point out that while some are perhaps attention seeking, many people self diagnose simply because they don't have access to free medical/psychological professionals to get proper diagnosis and help with their issues. I also know someone who doesn't want to get an official diagnosis because he's afrad it will affect his insurance rates or somehow come back to bite him if he's offically labeled with having a neurological disorder. \nThere is a wealth of knowledge on these subjects available online for those interested. And if they are truly interested in self diagnose they can likely do that accurately enough for all intents and purposes. Most of these people who search for the sake of better understanding themselves or their loved ones will openly admit that it's a self diagnoses, or say they THINK they have x,y, or z. But in some situations it's just as well to say they have it if they feel certain anyway, and it's just a passing comment, and not a discussion on the matter. \nIn other words, just because they self diagnose doesn't mean they're wrong, nor does it explain their motives. I also don't see how attention seeking (for those who ARE doing that) is really hurting anyone else. Fakers gonna be fake, that's more a \"them\" kind of problem. ANNOYING, but mostly harmless.", ">\n\nUnless you have a doctor's diagnosis you don't have the disorder. Even if you are broke there are programs to help with costs. \nAnd yes it does affect me when someone is treating me like shit and tries using the I have such and such as an excuse and then people get mad at ME for calling them in their bullshit.", ">\n\nNo. You have to have the disorder before you CAN be diagnosed, so obviously there are undiagnosed people who in fact \"have the disorder \". Your refusal to acknowledge an undiagnosed disorder does not mean they don't have it. Your personal experience with people supposedly using a fake diagnosis to treat you badly, sounds unusual. How do you know they DIDN'T have it? People who do lie and just want to be jerks will do that regardless of what methods they decide to try. The methods are irrelevant. And that motive is not typical of most self diagnosers .", ">\n\nSounds unusual? You must not get out a lot because it's become a pretty regular thing. Every single person I know (about 8) that have self diagnosed themselves as neurodivergent or with a mental illness like Bi-polar all use it to excuse their shitty ass behaviors. \nToo many disorders can mirror other ones. Just because they think they have 2/3 symptoms doesn't make them right by a long shot. Keep living in your bubble.", ">\n\nYou don't have to have a relationship with anyone. If they treat you badly, regardless of an official diagnosis or not, you don't have to tolerate them. It makes no difference what they have or don't have. What would it change if they got diagnosed and actually have it?", ">\n\nSelf diagnosing has been a thing forever\nAnd it's not a problem im 99% sure me or any other autistic person doesn't really give 2 fucks about people who wanna fake disorders. It doesn't stop us from getting help, we have doctors notes, medical files, sometimes even volunteers, you need those files to get into let's say a special education class, or a life skills course.\nSo unless you were diagnosed by a professional you're probably not gonna make it far faking it.\n(Excuse my shitty punctuation)", ">\n\nIt doesn’t bother you that they’re making others take the actual meaning away from what you were born with? I mean I’m sure autism hasn’t made your life easy and seeing ppl claim it for attention to be quirky probably has to annoy you a little right?", ">\n\nAt the end of the day I still have ADHD and I still need help with it. More people being diagnosed with it doesn’t change that fact. In fact I was diagnosed because I realized I related to so many tiktok memes, and I’m sure others are in my same boat. \nIn fact I think so many people talking about ADHD helps. It means more people who possibly have tips for me, people who are suffering who can’t afford treatment have an easy way to learn about how to improve their lives, and more people who are aware of my disorder.", ">\n\nI think people do diagnose themselves too often without seeking professional help. BUT mental illness is not the same as being neurodivergent.", ">\n\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad that they’ll go as far to say they’re “neurodivergent.”\n\nWhile this is the case, I don't really see how it's a \"problem\" per se. I guarantee that these people still make lifestyle decisions based on what they think is best, or based on what they want to do.\n\nbut it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women\n\nDo you have any statistics for that? I haven't experienced it that way in my own anecdotal experience, and I'd be curious to look into the data to see how much that truly does skew in that direction.\n\nwanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness \nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nI understand what you're trying to say here, but I don't really think these things are connected as much as you think they are. People see something wrong with themselves, so they either playfully or seriously consider the fact that it could be a condition that they have similar symptoms to. Not that it never happens, but just because someone categorizes themselves into a disability group that could potentially excuse their \"quirks\", doesn't mean they think that behavior is unacceptable in any way. People see a problem, and assume it's linked to this other issue that seems similar that they already know about.", ">\n\nI agree with the conclusion that self-diagnosis is a real issue, and I wouldn't be surprised if the data indicated it was on the rise. I wouldn't necessarily frame it as a simple desire to \"be victimized\" however. While it is purely speculation, I do believe there are a number of conditions which might lead towards a more frequent experience of symptoms associated with mental illness - a rising wealth gap, perpetual anxiety from a 24-hour news cycle, intensification of self-commodification, the student debt crisis in certain countries like the US, and so on. So people are experiencing symptoms like low energy, mood swings, etc. that can be associated with mental illness. The issue with self-diagnosis then becomes that it may correctly identify the symptom, but incorrectly identify the cause.\nThis video from the YouTuber HealthyGamerGG does a good job of explaining what some of the issues with self-diagnosis are, and for me it was a good starting place for thinking about this more. \nEDIT: I forgot this video literally starts with this same topic being brought up on this same subreddit lol", ">\n\nA great theory based on reasonable causes with an educational video from a psychologist(I assume) as evidence to back it up. I applaud you sir. 👏", ">\n\nWhy are you embarrassed by other people's issues?", ">\n\nI’m a 30yo male. If I had not first self diagnosed with ASD and OCD, I never would have found the language and resources to get a formal diagnosis and help.\nPrior generations have been so fixated on avoidance of diagnosing mental disorders, and research was previously so lacking that we are only just now (through those that do get diagnosed) realizing how common mental disorders are. That plus the lack of mental health resources for neurotypical and neurodivergent I think is how we end up in this situation of many recognizing their symptoms in the new discourse, but lacking the resources to overcome the barriers to proper diagnosis and treatment.", ">\n\nIt’s not the best thing, no. \nAs an adult FINALLY diagnosed (by a licensed therapist) at 41, I can tell you why ‘self diagnosis’ is so tempting. \nIn the US at least- mental health, and official medical diagnosis are almost completely inaccessible, especially as an adult. Most of us grew up before Autism was a spectrum, and ADHD was just boys who acted out in class. We felt like aliens. We couldn’t understand why we didn’t have many friends, or why we didn’t like the ‘right things’, and generally spend the bill of our lives feeling ‘wrong’, ‘broken’ or just simply like we didn’t belong. \nFinally understanding the WHY, and even better, finding tools to addresses our issues is a huge huge weight off the chest. The relief of having a name and a strategy- either therapy or medicine is such an amazing relief!!", ">\n\nI only kinda agree if I had not done my own research I would have never found out I have sjorgens syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis I know TikTok people tend to diagnose themselves and it makes it look cringe but when you live with a incurable illness sometimes you have to work to find a diagnosis", ">\n\nWell, what do you do of you absolutely know you're neurodivergent, but your parents decided not to get you checked? My mom once told me \"we knew you had something, we just didn't get you checked because they would have just put you on pills\". So I struggled with being different, socially unaware, impulsive, obnoxious, agressive, selfish, for the better part of my life without having the self awareness to understand why I was these things, and why people wouldn't want to be around me. \nIn my late 20''s I asked the question, what if I'm actually autistic? I looked up the symptoms, and 9/10 matched. As a child I couldn't handle loud noises, restrictive clothing, I didn't talk until I was 3. I would throw fits for seemingly no reason, I had obsessive interests. I've always really struggled with eye contact, and I never cared for conversation unless it was something I liked. I mean, when the final piece of a puzzle fits so incredibly well, it's really hard for it to be wrong. \nSelf diagnosing actually really helped me grow as aj individual. I became aware of all my divergent behaviors, and why it might be annoying for someone else to deal with. I came to the realization that I was the one who was different, therefore I needed to change. It's way harder to make everyone around you cater to your needs than to overcome the things that upset you. I'm at peace, I have good friends that I can connect with on a pretty deep level. I no longer smash coffee tables when I lose, I can now appreciate that if I lose it just means I have more to learn. I can keep my house clean, I can reasonably hold myself accountable. What exactly is the harm in all that?\nBesides, it would be pretty pointless for me to try and get a diagnosis now, I've put the effort in and largely come out the other side. Anyone diagnosing me would just say I was normal, but they wouldn't have the intimate knowledge of me that I do. I guess it doesn't matter if people don't believe me, I don't go around shouting that I'm autistic. I will say, it would be really nice if people appreciated the effort I put in to get to get to a place of normalcy, something others take for granted, but it's okay, we all have our struggles.", ">\n\nI feel you on all that. To play devil's advocate, mental healthcare in the U.S. is not cheap. Many people go to the internet and confirm their bias about their current health", ">\n\nI feel you on that too OP. I agree 100% with your entire statement.", ">\n\nIt's a problem, but not a new one. In the 1990s there was briefly a surge of people with a type of delusional parasitosis, that is, the false belief that they were infested with parasites. Except this one was supposedly an infestation with tiny fibres. They would come to doctors with a whole list of symptoms to back up their incorrect self-diagnosis.\nTo a certain extent, these are social contagions, which come and go, and often actually end up leading to people having real problems. Like, the young women you mention, a couple of decades ago may well have ended up with anorexia, or self-cutting. These days it might be a self-declaration of autism or a belief that they have gender dysphoria or that they have multiple systems living in their minds.", ">\n\nWow I did not know that. Maybe it’s just so prevalent today due to social media. Social media has only made these things worse imo", ">\n\nEven before it being self diagnosis of a mental illness it was always something. Remember all the emo and goth teenager?", ">\n\nIt depends on the context. For example, if they've done a substantial amount of research, can name a good amount of symptoms they have and reasons they have whatever mental illness and don't have access to the necessary tools to get a medical diagnosis, it's totally different. Some people don't have the money to go out and get a diagnosis, or sometimes it would be better to not get a medical diagnosis. I believe that the reason that a lot of people self diagnose themselves with things like Autism is because they want an explanation as to why they are different, and they could be right or wrong. I think the most important part is that if you go to a psychologist (or even two, I know a lot of people prefer getting second opinions) and they say you don't have it, that you need to admit you were wrong. It's ok to be wrong about your mental health, and the key is to keep looking and to not give up. I can completely understand the frustration in people completely missing how difficult it actually may be to have a mental illness. I was clinically diagnosed with Depression, Anxiety, and PTSD when I was seven, and I've had some experience with people faking mental disorders for attention, and more often then not, they have another mental disorder that needs attention. Recently I had a (now ex) boyfriend insist he had PTSD after being tested twice and the psychiatrist saying that he didn't have it. What he does have is Depression and Anxiety, but he absolutely insisted he has PTSD despite never exhibiting symptoms and the only evidence being a test he took online that was supposedly a \"real PTSD test.\" People faking mental illnesses only harms people who really have them, as these people tend to exaggerate symptoms and use their self diagnosis for attention. I believe that I am autistic, but I don't list it as a diagnosis because while I have read articles and taken the RAADS-r test, I don't have an official diagnosis, and I could very well be wrong. As for women faking illnesses more often, something I've noticed is that things like Autism, ADHD, ADD, etc are more often diagnosed in boys rather than girls- mostly because when they were first discovered, most of the research was done in boys. Autism shows up differently in girls, and can often be blown off as early puberty hormones. If their hyperfixations are those of stereotypical feminine things, it's just a girl liking whatever, and if they hyperfixate in stereotypical masculine interests, they tend to just be viewed as weird, but not autistic. It's normal for people to question, but I agree that to a certain point, self diagnosis can be harmful, but only if not done correctly.", ">\n\nFirst and foremost not a new problem at all, very common, we used to call it \"Being a hypochondriac\" until it aparrently became reconized which in it self is confusing and a bit contradictory.\nANYWAY\nIt isnt really a problem, no doctor is gonna write the perscription for medication without a diagnosis of some sort.\nAt most there is the vauge \"But what about those who actually have it who arent taken serious\" dont worry, we wouldnt have anyway. Thats kinda how invisible illnesses work.\nOverall the 101 hypochondriacs screaming about the symptoms they read in the ICD might help make the knowledge more common and help people better reconize if their colleagues or friends happen to show symptoms of something.", ">\n\nIt’s pretty expensive in the US to get diagnosed. Personally, I’ve self diagnosed myself out of frustration of the way I process things. I’ve always felt slow & my anxiety/depression was deep because of it, but I was raised in a family that doesn’t believe in mental illness. It was always “if you work hard enough, all your problems will go away”. Meanwhile, i was racking my brain on how to make myself think faster/smarter & it would result in psychotic episodes. I’ve gotten fired from jobs, dropped out of school. I started self harming because I hated myself and my brain & almost commit suicide bc I had no idea what was going on.\nThe relief I felt once I finally got a therapist who validated me & was the first to talk to me about mental Illness. It blew my mind and all of a sudden things actually made sense to me. I currently think I have ADD, and sometimes I’ll tell people that but will preface it by saying I’m not professionally diagnosed. Still, I use mental tools that help me get through the day and build my confidence. I’m a lot better at processing conversations, making lists that help me remember things, unmasking, slowing down my thoughts… etc. I’m less frustrated and can see the beauty in how I process things. I still want to get diagnosed but I have to get health insurance….. lol", ">\n\nSelf diagnosis, regardless of being factual is a process where the individual realizes that they might have a mental health issue. People who can do this are more likely to seek professional help compared to the people who think they are “fine”. Going to a professional, licensed psychologist or a psychiatrist will eventually diagnose them with the correct disorder from there, and professionals have the skills to communicate with them and they can together evaluate if the person’s complaint is the issue or not. There is nothing embarrassing about discovering one’s self. It would be a problem if people would identify with an issue and don’t have any willingness to seek help. Sometimes overreacting is better than not reacting.", ">\n\nThe majority of people who are self-diagnosed with autism have done extensive research into it to come to that conclusion. I personally went through the DSM criteria with a fine-tooth comb, made a list of all the ways I met it and discovered that there’s not a single criteria i don’t meet for autism. I didn’t read about anything else but autism for weeks, approaching it from all angles before coming to the conclusion that it’s highly unlikely I am not autistic. I’m waiting to hear back about an assessment, but I’m not waiting to go and be told something I already know before I start advocating for myself. \nOh, and I absolutely did not want to be ‘different’, in fact my life mission to just blend in and be average is the root cause of most of my problems, but here we are.", ">\n\nThis self diagnosing young people do isn’t the problem. The problem is that our society encourages it.\nOur culture is not set up to accommodate a wide spectrum of human needs. You may need things that I don’t. I may need things that you don’t. But in most business settings, academic settings, or even places like restaurants or leisure places, the world isn’t built to accommodate everyone. Our world and society is a “one size fits all” approach, and most people don’t fit snugly inside of that system. \nIf you can classify what is “wrong” or “different” about you into an easily digestible form, people are generally more able and more willing to accommodate you.\nFor example: if I tell my coworkers that I need to leave work early because of a headache, I’ll be shamed for it. And in some cases I’ll be told that “headaches aren’t that bad!” Or “You don’t need to leave.” Or “I have a headache too, just deal with it!”\nBut if I tell my workers that I need to leave due to a painful neurological condition that’s flaring up (I have chronic migraine, which is a neurological condition), they will respect it 100% of the time. It’s met with sympathy and not criticism.\nThis happens for all sorts of things. “Sorry Im late, I slept in.” Sounds a lot worse then, “sorry I’m late, my insomnia has been terrible lately.” \nOur culture forces us to use these labels even when they’re untrue just to receive sympathy or acceptance. The problem isn’t people who decide to use these labels, the root problem is that our society refuses to embrace and accommodate people who are outside of the “norm.”", ">\n\nSpeaking as someone who's had an autism diagnosis since age 7: if someone declares they're autistic when they're not, that's obnoxious at worst. If someone is told they're not autistic when they are, that can cause lifelong harm from denied care and understanding. I have seen this happen to a close friend of mine.\nTherefore, I'd much rather err on the side of acceptance. If you think you're defending me and others like me from impersonators, we'd rather not have your help.\n\nI know people will disagree but it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women. Women statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nCase in point: women are diagnosed with autism far less than men. Recent studies have pointed to decades of systematic misdiagnosis. The more visible autistic symptoms sometimes manifest differently in girls, the way they're socialized may help them hide it from a young age, and of course lots of doctors just say \"your daughter can't be autistic, that's a boy thing.\"\nWe're learning that there are hundreds of thousands of autistic women who slipped through the cracks and were denied the recognition and support they needed because of dismissive, gatekeeping attitudes just like yours.", ">\n\nThere’s a difference between having a disorder and relating to a disorder. If the tools or language associated with a disorder helps someone live better though then cool, it’s all still odd. Also autism presents differently in woman, and a majority of our research on it is on men. Best practice is probably to support them and encourage them to seek treatment.", ">\n\nAutism is severely misdiagnosed in women. Completely under diagnosed. Actually, plenty of things are. The actual problem that we have is parents refusing to let their children get professional help or a diagnosis. Most doctors will diagnose you with BPD as a woman(aka the new female hysteria of our century), maybe put you on some anti psychotics and send you your way. In most countries, a diagnosis/specialist is not readily available, or there is a long waiting list. Even so, the doctors are not know it all. I have seen plenty of doctors, I got different diagnosis almost each time. They ask you some general questions (about your mood, the way you sleep, if you can concentrate, if you harm yourself, if you have suicidal ideation, if you can socialize properly, if your parents were diagnosed with anything, if you have hallucinations or delusions, the works) and then based on that, they will give you a diagnosis. If you use your common sense and information on the internet (given you are knowledgeable on the subject), you can take a good guess on what's wrong. Obviously, some people will exaggerate like with anything (seeing the shadow dude once in your childhood is not a sign of psychosis, neither is hearing your name called when you are alone once in a blue moon), but if you have visual and auditory hallucinations, perhaps weird tactile feelings/hallucinations (spiders are crawling on me, etc), delusions, tend to be forgetful and out of teach with reality, there is a good chance you do have psychosis.", ">\n\nOkay, to start: what do you think autism and ADHD are? They aren't mental illnesses nor are they mental health conditions. \nTo address some of your other points; \nStudies have shown that autism has a gender expression of 1:1. The only reason that women are under diagnosed is because of misunderstandings towards autism, then the diagnosis is conducted incorrectly. Thus it ends up getting conflated with mental illness, E.G BPD, and is diagnosed as a psychiatric disorder instead. This is a detriment to the patient as the care regimes are black and white different. Often times this severely damages the woman.\nFrom data sets that I recall reading, malingering hasn't risen much, if at all, in recent times. I remember it being around 8% of the global population who are engaging in this behaviour, to different extents. I think what's happened is that social media has turned a torch onto it and it's risen in popularity in an algorithmic way. You see it more because it's pushed by the algorithm more because people are searching for it more. It isn't actually occurring any more or less than historically. Most of that attention is negative attention, I should add. \nSo there's two things to take away from that.\n1) The actual act of pretending to be mentally ill, or to have a disability, which is called malingering, is in fact a form of mental unwellness itself. It's a cry for help. The people who do these things are usually very unstable and should be treated with a degree of empathy. The dangerous types who are using mental illness to scam others, or to manipulate them, make up a very small percentage of the overall amount of people in that group and tend to abuse one on one. \n2) The predominant response to this is generally negative. There isn't really any reason to publicly malinger unless you're unstable, this is because a rational person would likely know this, and know the damage it would cause themselves. Self-diagnosis is a very long, and self-aware, process that takes place over years of the individuals life, and proceeds official diagnosis. \nNo one SDs and says \"Okay that's it now! Let me start a TikTok!\" You'd still want support, and you'd still seek support. So that would end up with a doctor, who would see that you're lying, and treat you for whatever was prompting you to malinger. Anyone who has made this commitment knows that keeping it private is a sensible thing to do in a world that isn't inclusive, and often very stigmatising. Sometimes official diagnosis can take YEARS. \nThis kind of propaganda has been going around for a long time in an effort to discredit disabled people and people with mental illnesses. It's not new. People said the same things back in the 90s. People will always be afraid, and dismissive, of things they do not understand. I invite you to try and understand.", ">\n\nI self-diagnosed myself with endometriosis for 10 years before a doctor finally listened to me, opened me up, and found my insides littered with lesions all over my organs. I’m now not able to get pregnant and I might need to get part of my bowel taken out someday. This could’ve been avoided if someone had just listened to me when I was 16. \nSelf-diagnosing is a necessity in a misogynist world! No one takes us seriously! Especially medical professionals. \nThe best antidote for this is to listen to women who self-diagnose. Why do they think they have XYZ? Is it heavily interfering with their life? I think that’s a much larger problem.", ">\n\nIts been proven that there is a bias to diagnose as opposed to not diagnose a mental illness in psychology. So op is actually kinda correct. The definition of a mental illness is in effect being stretched so far that people who are just kinda weird are being diagnosed with \"on the spectrum\". This is actually causing a problem in early learning because parents start treating their kids as essentially learning challenged when they're really not. So it is starting to become an excuse ...", ">\n\nWe live in a society that loves to medicate people. I know it’s different but Did ppl forget about the opioid epidemic? They’ll diagnose your ass with anything if they can", ">\n\nYa I tend to agree. And no one is really saying so I will I guess, but id wager that 50% of psychologist \"professionals\" are totally full of shit. The actual number of psychologists that are are doing real research and clinical studies is EXTREMELY small compared to how many \"psychologists\" are out there. Just like chiropractors, half of them are hacks..", ">\n\nAnd ill say one more thing, though it is anecdotal, but i have direct family that works in special education for young children, and that system is fucked with a capital F. Thay are constantly fighting against parents and programs who try to box kids in the \"autistic\" zone, when they are just really quite or shy, or have pee problems. But parents want an excuse and reason for their behavior, and reduce them to a sub standard education and treatment for the rest of their lives. It's heart breaking. Especially in public schools.", ">\n\nI’m 32 years old. \nI didn’t self diagnose for attention although I remember the days of tumblr where everyone self diagnosed for clout.\nIt took me a decade to realize what is really happening. During the decade before I realized what may have been happening I was told the following:\nI’m rude\nI’m bossy\nI have a RBF/I look mad\nI also only managed to make my first real friend at age 27.\nWhat I was really displaying was:\nBeing overly blunt and just trying to get my point across came off rude when I didn’t intend it to be that way\nTrying to have things done at a certain time and way that no one else thought was important to follow\nUnmasking\nNoticed other things too that I just thought was me being weird:\nVocal stimming\nOral stimming-chewing, smoking, vaping\nRepetitive motions\nRocking\nEasily overwhelmed by too much sensory input\nHigh startle reflex \nInability to regulate my body’s needs-I don’t know I’m hungry until I’m ravenous; don’t recognize the need to use the bathroom until it’s causing me to rush off, don’t realize I’m cold until I’m shaking\nI could go on.\nI want an assessment so bad. But assessments for adults are EXTREMELY hard to setup, if you can even set them up at all. Some states don’t even offer them. I’ve been looking but they are only for children and seem to look for severe cases.\n14 years of thinking I was just a bitch who couldn’t make friends because I was too weird…turns out it might be autism. And turns out I’ll most likely never get a true diagnosis. But the RAADS test gave me a 127 score so that might be the closest I’ll ever get.", ">\n\ni kind of self diagnosed autism? i’ve been to many psychiatrists and therapists for years and they always see adhd in the half an hour and prescribe meds for that, which makes me not go there again. if they dug a little deeper they could have seen autism, i spoke to my current psychiatrist about if its possible i have it, she didn’t want to confirm or deny as i was moving out of state from friends and family and am at an age where i can have kids in the next 10 years since she doesn’t want me being concerned for them. \nI think there’s still lots of stigma around autism even with professionals and especially when identifying it in women. \nI don’t want to be autistic, but i can recognise a lot of different patterns comparing myself and others. I’ve researched it a ton especially in how it shows in women compared to men and in all the articles i found myself relating.\nNow i don’t say im autistic, i say im a little sus of being it tho lmao. and try pass it off casually. I find it’s a lot easier for me to understand and embrace my differences compared to trying to hide it and try be like everyone else or wonder why im not like everyone else. \nBeing older i can also recognise how a lot of my family on one side have suffered mentally and because of obvious neurodivergence. so im pretty sure, like the rest of my mentally challenged brain, has been inherited genetically through that side. \nAll that being said. I self diagnosed when i was about 12 that im highly likely to be depressed and anxious in attempt to get my mom to believe me i needed help, and now 8 years later i can identify that this has been an issue forever for me and that i likely cannot go off my meds because i will just go back to how i used to be. Im still ocd with all my meds, but its better than being anxious and depressed all the time, Having ocd throughout the day is like heaven to me in comparison to how i used to be. obviously the ocd isnt new, just a lot more heard in my brain now.", ">\n\nOk, I know some people self diagnoze themselves with [insert some mental illness here] out of attention or whatever, and that's totally not ok.\nHowever, if you read all the symptoms and do proper research on a mental illness and everything clicks in to you, I'd say you can be fairly confident on a self diagnosis (although, it might be worth it to double check with a professional, especially if you want any sort of treatment). But also for some people, it might not be affordable to go to a professional...", ">\n\nI live in Canada, I've engaged with the medical system, doctors don't care and just want you out, ERs are a 8 hour wait for someone to ignore one thing and won't even entertain other issues even if they are related. Self-diagnosis is really the only way to get any kind of proper treatment at all. \nThe doctors will rubber stamp just about anything you ask for except pain killers but in terms of diagnosis you're way better off doing it yourself, sure you don't have 8 years of medical school but the doctors won't give you 5 mins of their time, they are not better than google and you give a lot more of a shit than they will and at the end of the day it's your body.", ">\n\nBack in the 90s when I was a teenager, the kids/teenagers/young adults who wanted attention, and wanted to be different, adopted the goth lifestyle. Dressing up in all black. White foundation with black lipstick and eyeshadow. It was the trendy way to be different, to be viewed as outcasts of society. To not fit in. \nThe goth lifestyle of the 2020s is self diagnosis. Same shit, different day.\nWhenever someone claims autism, or somewhere on the spectrum, I just roll my eyes and imagine that person just sucks at life.", ">\n\nI just think it’s a little more harmful nowadays due to the prevalence of social media. Ppl get sucked into groups and mindsets before they even have a real life chance. Then they hyper fixate on that they might be mentally Ill rather then just trying to live life to the fullest", ">\n\nI 100% agree with you", ">\n\nBecause it's the age of spin this generation has something for everybody. And all of them are Google doctors. Lol", ">\n\nTook my uncle till he was 38 even thought it was apparent to everyone. Hell he got expelled from two schools", ">\n\nI get what you're saying. I frankly find it weird that more people don't find this weird. People self-diagnosing themselves as all kinds of things not only completely misrepresents the actual conditions, thereby making people even more confused as to what they actually are and how they present, but also leads people to run to a psychiatrist claiming false symptoms and getting medication for something they don't have, which is NOT a good thing. People should never be taking medication unless it is necessary. We are a heavily over-medicated society and this is a big factor in that. Caffeine to wake up in the morning, \"immuno-boosters\" and mood stabilizers during the day, sleeping pills to sleep at night. The caffeine and sleeping pills are addictive and can really mess up your circadian rhythm, and the mood stabilizers can really fuck you up if you don't need them. Instead of rushing to diagnose and medicate everyone, we need to educate them on human behavior and show them that their \"mental health\" problems are completely normal.\nOh, so you get nervous right before you make huge life decisions? That's not Anxiety Disorder, it's just anxiety.\nOh, you are really sad because your cat died? That's not Clinical Depression, you are just grieving.\nOh, you went from really happy to really sad when you were previously happy and something really shitty happened to you and soured your mood? That's not Bipolar Disorder, that's just life.\nOh, you like to be more organized than the people around you? That's not Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, you just like to be organized.\nPeople really misunderstand the nature of these conditions and it hinders our collective progress in treating them, like dramatically inflating the number of actual conditions in the population, making it increasingly more difficult to determine how common and how varied they are. After all, in most cases it is not the psychiatrist or psychologist who makes you better, you make you better. Medication can help and other people can show you the path to success, but the problem will never get solved unless you play an active role in the treatment. Some conditions can never be solved, only lessened, while others are virtually untreatable. We need to stop making these conditions seem cool. They aren't. They are serious and need to be taken seriously.", ">\n\nHeavily agree and I appreciate how well this comment is worded. Wish I coulda worded mine a little better", ">\n\nYa I saw you getting shredded in the comments and figured I'd sum it up for you. 🤣", ">\n\nLmao bro I didn’t expect this many. I was thinking maybe like 20 ppl would reply", ">\n\nYou need to self diagnose in many cases in order to get adequate help.", ">\n\nI knew when I had ADD and IBS, and I was able to get my suspicions confirmed by my respective doctors. Doctors are there to help the patients understand themselves, whereas the patients have to go home every day and live with what they actually have. Do not be so quick to judge.", ">\n\nJust to add here - Autism in women is less prevalent because it presents differently and is often not picked up by standardised diagnostic tests (that were developed on an almost exclusively male sample). I think that also goes to show that there’s p significant issues with what we consider ‘scientific’ and research based in the first place.", ">\n\nI grew up in a small town and we had quite a few autistic boys but only one autistic girl. Literally only one out of like 6-8 grades. So that’s like a 10-1 ratio. It’s gotta be a lot statistically smaller then males. I don’t doubt it happens I just know it’s a lot less", ">\n\nYou think your small town’s makeup is generalizable to all of society? That isn’t how statistics work.", ">\n\nSo my question would be - so what do we do?\nYou think people are diagnosing themselves to gain attention. Fine, but what's the next step?\nSee, I think I might be bipolar 2. But I went on a journey where I looked into the techniques for dealing with this issue. That led me to cognitive behavior therapy.\nThat actually made me more convinced that this was my issue because I have taught myself a lot of cognitive behavior therapy techniques to address the same issues. These practices have really helped me.\nIt sounds like your issue is that these people are getting attention for it. To me, these are people who need someone to help guide them. That would have helped me a lot when I was younger. Society today doesn't really give us the tools to sort this out, but just the knowledge that these things exist can push someone down the rabbit hole to learn about therapy that could really help.\nI think you should ask yourself what your motivations are. Do you really want them to understand themselves? Or are you more interested in steering the conversation toward other topics?\nPersonally, I would deal with these people by paying them forward. I would tell them to understand the practices that typically help these people, and see if they are relevant. I would tell them to seek professional help, and to refrain from diagnosing themselves, but I would encourage them to be critical of themselves and to learn more.\nImo, the way out is through.", ">\n\nI agree with you but it’s not mostly women. Maybe by happenstance that’s the case in your circle but broadly men do this too.", ">\n\nDoctor's are consulting the Mayo Clinic website after talking to a patient and getting their symptoms. I bring that up to say this; a doctor's training is needed for very serious diseases and tricky diagnoses, but a semi-intelligent person could look up their symptoms and get a lot of the more minor stuff right.", ">\n\nI've never been diagnosed as clinically depressed or anything, but that doesn't mean that I don't suffer from depression a lot of the time (these last few years, more often than not). I see a therapist. I take antidepressants. \nI have a friend who has aphantasia. It isn't really a \"diagnosable\" condition, but it describes what he has trouble with: creating images in his mind.", ">\n\nThat’s different then going online and claiming perfectly normal traits mean you’re autistic" ]

[ "The diagnosis process for a lot of psychiatric conditions are surveys and questionaires. You can go to a psychiatrist and ask if you're anxious and they'll give you multiple choice questions and diagnose off of that. Or you can just google the form yourself and self diagnose. A lot of psychiatric disorders are about how we feel and think. Not about sending off some blood sample to a lab and getting a positive result come back.\n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. For such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nWhat you're describing are all neuroses that could indicate some deeper psychiatric condition. Whether a person has a mental health condition or not, thinking of ourselves as weak victims is never helpful in any context, yet it's something we all feel from time to time.\nI'm a disability support worker, so when someone tells me they've got a self diagnosed condition, it's not offensive to me or any disabled person I know, it doesn't come across like they're invalidating anyone else's condition. However I do think everyone should talk to a doctor about any condition they feel they might have.", ">\n\nPiggybacking off of this: You’ve spent your whole entire life inside your own brain. A therapist will spend a period of hours with you and give you a diagnosis. Who do you think knows your personal reality better than yourself?", ">\n\nYeah exactly, especially with conditions such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, PTSD, and many other psychiatric conditions. These are things people know they have even before they get a diagnosis. The diagnosis stage is more about treatment and management.\nPeople might be unaware of how severe or mild their condition is, some people think they have only mild PTSD despite constant nightmares and suicidal ideation. Some people will think they have severe ADHD because they can't concentrate for long times on things that don't interest them. It's good to get some perspective from experts but ultimately people know when they are struggling to focus or to struggling to stop stressing all the time or struggling to not be miserable. Struggling with our thoughts and feelings is evidence enough to self diagnose.", ">\n\nI was recently diagnosed with ADHD as a woman so I find this viewpoint interesting.\nFirstly, autism is not a mental illness. An autistic person may have mental illness in conjunction with autism, but autism alone lies under the neurodivergent umbrella. Neurodivergency can include autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and other similar conditions.\nWhy women are often underdiagnosed\nThese are serious disabilities that can really impede a person's life, especially if they struggle to find help and acceptance in their community. A lot of women start their journey towards diagnosis later in life due to a number of factors such as:\n\nPoor diagnostic tools and inexperienced professionals\nA misunderstanding that autism and ADHD are more common in boys\nAdvanced masking techniques to cover their 'traits'\n\nWhy women are often diagnosed later in life.\nThe process for many women and men who are diagnosed later in life often includes a level of burnout or breakdown. After a while everything becomes too much, the mask begins to slip and your traits go into overdrive.\nWhy does self-diagnosing seem to be on the rise?\nA common way of finding out you could possibly be neurodivergent is through media and people who are aware of these traits appear.\nIn the past few years, I have seen an increasing awareness of neurodivergence in women pop up in the media. This is useful for people like myself who had no idea wtf was wrong with them for a very long time. For me, a GP actually suggested I seek a diagnosis due to some struggles I was going through.\nAs someone who went through this process self-diagnosing is commonly the first step as an adult. You might be directed to a questionnaire and are asked to evaluate yourself and your experiences thinking back to your childhood. If there's some merit in your experiences than you move to the next step which involves seeking a professional. Waitlists are often months to years long so many people live in limbo for a long time.\nMethods of living with ADHD can help everyone. And everyone experiences ADHD traits from time to time. Given a large amount of stress we have all suffered collectively, I don't doubt there are a lot of people with increased mental health issues that mirror neurodivergent traits. Some mental illnesses can get very severe and alter your brain chemistry and behaviour.\nMy takeaway from this is that the mental health systems set up to assist these people are a much larger issue and cause for serious concern than self-diagnosing.\nApologies for the spelling and grammar errors. Grammarly and Reddit don't play nice.", ">\n\nI think it's two things. One, people have identity crises, especially teenagers. We all know that type of person who tries on identities like hats. That's pretty embarrassing. You usually grow out of that.\nTwo, from personal experience, giving yourself a label or a diagnosis makes it feel more contained and easy to communicate. It's easier to tell someone that you have X and have them understand what you're going through rather than telling them you have these vague symptoms resembling what you imagine X is like. In that respect, it is pretty understandable, possibly good, and not embarrassing. There's something that is sort of reassuring if you can finally get a word to put on what you're experiencing.\nPeople often sympathize with the diagnosis but not with the symptoms. Tell people at work you're autistic and they will sympathize with you and possibly not attack you. Tell them you do not understand social cues and they will probably just make fun of you.", ">\n\nI understand the desire to put a label with a disease, and this is not necessarily bad, but the diagnosis needs to be correct. If you want to tell others that you are autistic or depressed; you must actually be those things. A person can almost never correctly assertion their disease, only their symptoms. People might better understand you if you say your autistic, but you may incorrectly understand and describe yourself. If one wishes to put a name with symptoms, they should find a doctor to pick the label", ">\n\nfor sure but unfortunately our medical system is a joke and even if you are experiencing very severe symptoms it can be nearly impossible to see a professional or take months on a waiting list.\nEven then a professional may be reluctant to slap a label on you for fear of what the consequences of that might be. I saw someone for a very long time who resisted any sort of actual diagnosis because the truth is that what I was experiencing didn't fit neatly into any of the boxes and pretty much belonged in this vague \"other\" category which isn't particularly helpful. Not to mention that misdiagnosis happens all the time even by professionals. \nI just think it is sort of understandable because I think a lot of stuff is kind of a spectrum anyway and just different levels of severity. Things can be really confusing and hard to nail down and thus communicate in a way that causes someone else to be understanding rather than judgemental.", ">\n\nAre you under the impression this is a new phenomenon? Because it's definitely not.\nPeople - especially young people! - crave identity. The world is a confusing place, knowing who you are makes it a little easier. Sometimes it's self-diagnosing mental illness or learning disabilities, or exploring sexual identity, or cliques, or subcultures. There's nothing embarrassing about it, it just is what it is.", ">\n\nIt’s ok to want to express individuality but not to the extent of totally destroying the definition of a real thing and making it hard for actual mentally Ill ppl to get a diagnosis. Why can’t people just accept that they’re different rather then giving themselves a label?", ">\n\npeople on TikTok claiming to have disorders that they don't doesn't affect the precision of psychiatrists diagnosing actual patients. There's no TikTok-said section in the DSM. Why do you think that it does?", ">\n\nIt just encourages more people to get diagnosed possibly skewing the meaning of the mental illness", ">\n\nSkewing it towards statistical accuracy? If people are actually diagnosed at higher rates, we have a better Guage of population-level mental illness, neurodivergency, etc. Better data is more usable, so that research actually means something actionable, ASIDE from the identity boost for young people.", ">\n\nI think what OP is driving at, but utterly failing to explain, is that they think that the fakers will be accommodated by the psychiatric system and diagnosed on the basis of fake symptoms. my sense is that isn't a problem but I don't have data.", ">\n\nDefinitely explained it a little better then I could lol", ">\n\nWhere do you see evidence of that? Any articles about fakers? How about a statistic? If not, it’s just a fear you seem to have.", ">\n\nI think the salient line here is this one:\n\nNeurologists were able to quickly determine that the subjects were not \nsuffering from Tourette's, but psychogenic tics driven by anxiety.", ">\n\nWomen are not born with less autism, but are much less likely to be diagnosed as children than boys. This is partly because boys generally have similar symptoms and behaviors. \nSo of course more women are self diagnosing autism, since their diagnoses were missed as children on a much higher rate.", ">\n\nAlright, I'm diagnosed OCD, PTSD, chronic depression. Diagnosed by a professional so I think I have some grounds to talk about this.\nFirst, let's tackle your women comment about autism. You see, I understand where you're coming from, but you lack the nuance of recognizing that mental illness, and illness in general, is heavily under-diagnosed in women. The medical culture is heavily favored towards men and is rampant with mysogyny, and that's not just me saying it as I've had medical professionals blatantly tell me it's a problem in the field when questioned about it. I've also had some tell me that it's just because women whine a lot, so yanno make of that statement what you will.\nNow that we've covered that let me address the self-diagnosing issue. So, do you want to know what my therapist thinks of self-diagnosing? Well, when I asked them about it they said that self-diagnosing is an important first step to seeking help. Psychiatrist said the same thing. It's normal, expected even, for people to self-diagnose their issues then seek help for them. You can't exactly just peer into someone's brain, no, that person has to tell you what they think is wrong and why they think it is. \nWhat you actually have a problem with is not self-diagnosis, but with people not seeking or not being able to get medical assistance and assuming they're right. You have a problem with people using these issues for attention, which I do too, but once again self-diagnosing is not the problem. Finally, you have a problem with the medical system that forces people into the position of trying to figure out their mental illnesses, but having no ability to get help for them.", ">\n\nI think I did it", ">\n\nSadly no lol, it was not done properly. Do you need a link to the rules?", ">\n\nI already read them i think I’ll figure it out in a bit sorry for the hold up", ">\n\nBecause everyone else is being aggressive: you have to comment with ∆ or !delta and then explain how your view has been changed", ">\n\nThis delta has been rejected. You can't award OP a delta.\nAllowing this would wrongly suggest that you can post here with the aim of convincing others.\nIf you were explaining when/how to award a delta, please use a reddit quote for the symbol next time.\n^Delta System Explained ^| ^Deltaboards", ">\n\nWhat gives you the authority or knowledge to know this is the problem?", ">\n\nYou don’t think it’s a problem that a lot of young ppl are willing to go to the extent of saying they are mentally Ill either for attention or to excuse their weirdness? Just accept that your different. It’s not wrong to believe you’re different without a label", ">\n\nYou did not even try to answer my question.", ">\n\nI’m sorry I was confused on what you meant", ">\n\nIf you are mad at people for self diagnosing themselves because they don't have the knowledge or authority to do so.... what gives you the knowledge or authority to diagnosis this as the problem behavior... basically are you just a kid that is annoyed, or is there some actual studies out there that is claiming this is a problem.", ">\n\nIf you don’t think that people consistently seeking attention for mental illness or craving a label so badly to justify themselves rather then being themselves. That just shows what your views are", ">\n\nDont you think we should leave the diagnosing to the professionals?", ">\n\nI mean yeah", ">\n\nWould you agree that you are diagnosing these people by saying that they are only seeking attention and do not have a real mental illness?", ">\n\nI’m assuming", ">\n\nThere may be some truth to people wanting to be different, however with mental illnesses being more accepted in today's society, many people are a lot more comfortable with being neurodivergent. Additionally, self diagnosis is common because the alternative is spending upwards to $1000-$2000 for a clinical diagnosis.", ">\n\nI know costs suck, but self diagnosis can be much more harmful. A web.md page that tells you your depressed when you may actually be bipolar can lead to really messed up results. I would even go as far as to say that no diagnosis at all is preferable to an uninformed one", ">\n\nWell.\n​\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad \n\nSo you already know why they're doing what they're doing in addition the fact that you know that they're not Autistic? If your claim is that they can't know and only a doctor can, what makes you more qualified? You start out your argument admitting that you have a bias.\n\nthey’re “neurodivergent.\n\nNeurodivergent is an umbrella that covers both Autism and ADHD, which sometimes get mistaken for each other. So if you're upset that they're self-diagnosing, this term should be more welcome than \"Autistic\" because it's more generalized.\n\nnd when you ask them how they know they’ll say “oh I have this weird tick when I uh laugh when someone says something funny “ or “I have a hyper fixation on this topic so I must be autistic\n\nHow else should they communicate it to you? The list of aspects of Autism, especially for how it presents in women, sounds a lot like this. You're not a doctor, they don't have to prove anything to you by going down the entire list of every possible part of their daily experience that might be on the spectrum.\n\nWomen statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nNope. Women are diagnosed less often than men because the original diagnostic criteria for Autism was for Autism as it presents in males. It presents differently for females and is harder to diagnose, especially at younger ages. \n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized\n\nTodays youth want to be victimized? Why would anyone want to be victimized? Something tells me you're missing the mark with this terminology.\n\nor have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. \n\nSo if someone is Autistic and that makes them weird, you'd rather them just be forced to not get to have a name for it, and get the therapeutic treatment that would help them?\n\nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really [are] without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nSome people are autistic. If they find out and it makes them feel good, that doesn't mean they're craving attention. And if they are craving attention, it's because they're normal people and everyone does. \nIf someone thinks they're autistic but it turns out they're actually not, chances are they suspected it for a reason. They might have ADHD, a personality disorder, a mental health issue, or simply a slightly different way of experiencing the world that feels unique to them and there's nothing wrong with that. \nYou seem to think that other people do things for you. People generally don't. They do things for themselves. This is especially true of people on the Autism Spectrum who may not be able to easily use other people's experiences to reference when constructing their view of the world, and can only use their own. Your interpretation wherein they do it to evoke a response from you says more about you than it does about them.", ">\n\nYou’re being deliberately obtuse. OP is completely correct. Most of the people these days who say “I’m ADHD” or “I’m autistic” or “I’m neurodivergent” are absolutely not diagnosed as such and are doing it to seem unique or get attention or as some excuse for why they did x y or z.", ">\n\nI'd like to point out that while some are perhaps attention seeking, many people self diagnose simply because they don't have access to free medical/psychological professionals to get proper diagnosis and help with their issues. I also know someone who doesn't want to get an official diagnosis because he's afrad it will affect his insurance rates or somehow come back to bite him if he's offically labeled with having a neurological disorder. \nThere is a wealth of knowledge on these subjects available online for those interested. And if they are truly interested in self diagnose they can likely do that accurately enough for all intents and purposes. Most of these people who search for the sake of better understanding themselves or their loved ones will openly admit that it's a self diagnoses, or say they THINK they have x,y, or z. But in some situations it's just as well to say they have it if they feel certain anyway, and it's just a passing comment, and not a discussion on the matter. \nIn other words, just because they self diagnose doesn't mean they're wrong, nor does it explain their motives. I also don't see how attention seeking (for those who ARE doing that) is really hurting anyone else. Fakers gonna be fake, that's more a \"them\" kind of problem. ANNOYING, but mostly harmless.", ">\n\nUnless you have a doctor's diagnosis you don't have the disorder. Even if you are broke there are programs to help with costs. \nAnd yes it does affect me when someone is treating me like shit and tries using the I have such and such as an excuse and then people get mad at ME for calling them in their bullshit.", ">\n\nNo. You have to have the disorder before you CAN be diagnosed, so obviously there are undiagnosed people who in fact \"have the disorder \". Your refusal to acknowledge an undiagnosed disorder does not mean they don't have it. Your personal experience with people supposedly using a fake diagnosis to treat you badly, sounds unusual. How do you know they DIDN'T have it? People who do lie and just want to be jerks will do that regardless of what methods they decide to try. The methods are irrelevant. And that motive is not typical of most self diagnosers .", ">\n\nSounds unusual? You must not get out a lot because it's become a pretty regular thing. Every single person I know (about 8) that have self diagnosed themselves as neurodivergent or with a mental illness like Bi-polar all use it to excuse their shitty ass behaviors. \nToo many disorders can mirror other ones. Just because they think they have 2/3 symptoms doesn't make them right by a long shot. Keep living in your bubble.", ">\n\nYou don't have to have a relationship with anyone. If they treat you badly, regardless of an official diagnosis or not, you don't have to tolerate them. It makes no difference what they have or don't have. What would it change if they got diagnosed and actually have it?", ">\n\nSelf diagnosing has been a thing forever\nAnd it's not a problem im 99% sure me or any other autistic person doesn't really give 2 fucks about people who wanna fake disorders. It doesn't stop us from getting help, we have doctors notes, medical files, sometimes even volunteers, you need those files to get into let's say a special education class, or a life skills course.\nSo unless you were diagnosed by a professional you're probably not gonna make it far faking it.\n(Excuse my shitty punctuation)", ">\n\nIt doesn’t bother you that they’re making others take the actual meaning away from what you were born with? I mean I’m sure autism hasn’t made your life easy and seeing ppl claim it for attention to be quirky probably has to annoy you a little right?", ">\n\nAt the end of the day I still have ADHD and I still need help with it. More people being diagnosed with it doesn’t change that fact. In fact I was diagnosed because I realized I related to so many tiktok memes, and I’m sure others are in my same boat. \nIn fact I think so many people talking about ADHD helps. It means more people who possibly have tips for me, people who are suffering who can’t afford treatment have an easy way to learn about how to improve their lives, and more people who are aware of my disorder.", ">\n\nI think people do diagnose themselves too often without seeking professional help. BUT mental illness is not the same as being neurodivergent.", ">\n\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad that they’ll go as far to say they’re “neurodivergent.”\n\nWhile this is the case, I don't really see how it's a \"problem\" per se. I guarantee that these people still make lifestyle decisions based on what they think is best, or based on what they want to do.\n\nbut it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women\n\nDo you have any statistics for that? I haven't experienced it that way in my own anecdotal experience, and I'd be curious to look into the data to see how much that truly does skew in that direction.\n\nwanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness \nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nI understand what you're trying to say here, but I don't really think these things are connected as much as you think they are. People see something wrong with themselves, so they either playfully or seriously consider the fact that it could be a condition that they have similar symptoms to. Not that it never happens, but just because someone categorizes themselves into a disability group that could potentially excuse their \"quirks\", doesn't mean they think that behavior is unacceptable in any way. People see a problem, and assume it's linked to this other issue that seems similar that they already know about.", ">\n\nI agree with the conclusion that self-diagnosis is a real issue, and I wouldn't be surprised if the data indicated it was on the rise. I wouldn't necessarily frame it as a simple desire to \"be victimized\" however. While it is purely speculation, I do believe there are a number of conditions which might lead towards a more frequent experience of symptoms associated with mental illness - a rising wealth gap, perpetual anxiety from a 24-hour news cycle, intensification of self-commodification, the student debt crisis in certain countries like the US, and so on. So people are experiencing symptoms like low energy, mood swings, etc. that can be associated with mental illness. The issue with self-diagnosis then becomes that it may correctly identify the symptom, but incorrectly identify the cause.\nThis video from the YouTuber HealthyGamerGG does a good job of explaining what some of the issues with self-diagnosis are, and for me it was a good starting place for thinking about this more. \nEDIT: I forgot this video literally starts with this same topic being brought up on this same subreddit lol", ">\n\nA great theory based on reasonable causes with an educational video from a psychologist(I assume) as evidence to back it up. I applaud you sir. 👏", ">\n\nWhy are you embarrassed by other people's issues?", ">\n\nI’m a 30yo male. If I had not first self diagnosed with ASD and OCD, I never would have found the language and resources to get a formal diagnosis and help.\nPrior generations have been so fixated on avoidance of diagnosing mental disorders, and research was previously so lacking that we are only just now (through those that do get diagnosed) realizing how common mental disorders are. That plus the lack of mental health resources for neurotypical and neurodivergent I think is how we end up in this situation of many recognizing their symptoms in the new discourse, but lacking the resources to overcome the barriers to proper diagnosis and treatment.", ">\n\nIt’s not the best thing, no. \nAs an adult FINALLY diagnosed (by a licensed therapist) at 41, I can tell you why ‘self diagnosis’ is so tempting. \nIn the US at least- mental health, and official medical diagnosis are almost completely inaccessible, especially as an adult. Most of us grew up before Autism was a spectrum, and ADHD was just boys who acted out in class. We felt like aliens. We couldn’t understand why we didn’t have many friends, or why we didn’t like the ‘right things’, and generally spend the bill of our lives feeling ‘wrong’, ‘broken’ or just simply like we didn’t belong. \nFinally understanding the WHY, and even better, finding tools to addresses our issues is a huge huge weight off the chest. The relief of having a name and a strategy- either therapy or medicine is such an amazing relief!!", ">\n\nI only kinda agree if I had not done my own research I would have never found out I have sjorgens syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis I know TikTok people tend to diagnose themselves and it makes it look cringe but when you live with a incurable illness sometimes you have to work to find a diagnosis", ">\n\nWell, what do you do of you absolutely know you're neurodivergent, but your parents decided not to get you checked? My mom once told me \"we knew you had something, we just didn't get you checked because they would have just put you on pills\". So I struggled with being different, socially unaware, impulsive, obnoxious, agressive, selfish, for the better part of my life without having the self awareness to understand why I was these things, and why people wouldn't want to be around me. \nIn my late 20''s I asked the question, what if I'm actually autistic? I looked up the symptoms, and 9/10 matched. As a child I couldn't handle loud noises, restrictive clothing, I didn't talk until I was 3. I would throw fits for seemingly no reason, I had obsessive interests. I've always really struggled with eye contact, and I never cared for conversation unless it was something I liked. I mean, when the final piece of a puzzle fits so incredibly well, it's really hard for it to be wrong. \nSelf diagnosing actually really helped me grow as aj individual. I became aware of all my divergent behaviors, and why it might be annoying for someone else to deal with. I came to the realization that I was the one who was different, therefore I needed to change. It's way harder to make everyone around you cater to your needs than to overcome the things that upset you. I'm at peace, I have good friends that I can connect with on a pretty deep level. I no longer smash coffee tables when I lose, I can now appreciate that if I lose it just means I have more to learn. I can keep my house clean, I can reasonably hold myself accountable. What exactly is the harm in all that?\nBesides, it would be pretty pointless for me to try and get a diagnosis now, I've put the effort in and largely come out the other side. Anyone diagnosing me would just say I was normal, but they wouldn't have the intimate knowledge of me that I do. I guess it doesn't matter if people don't believe me, I don't go around shouting that I'm autistic. I will say, it would be really nice if people appreciated the effort I put in to get to get to a place of normalcy, something others take for granted, but it's okay, we all have our struggles.", ">\n\nI feel you on all that. To play devil's advocate, mental healthcare in the U.S. is not cheap. Many people go to the internet and confirm their bias about their current health", ">\n\nI feel you on that too OP. I agree 100% with your entire statement.", ">\n\nIt's a problem, but not a new one. In the 1990s there was briefly a surge of people with a type of delusional parasitosis, that is, the false belief that they were infested with parasites. Except this one was supposedly an infestation with tiny fibres. They would come to doctors with a whole list of symptoms to back up their incorrect self-diagnosis.\nTo a certain extent, these are social contagions, which come and go, and often actually end up leading to people having real problems. Like, the young women you mention, a couple of decades ago may well have ended up with anorexia, or self-cutting. These days it might be a self-declaration of autism or a belief that they have gender dysphoria or that they have multiple systems living in their minds.", ">\n\nWow I did not know that. Maybe it’s just so prevalent today due to social media. Social media has only made these things worse imo", ">\n\nEven before it being self diagnosis of a mental illness it was always something. Remember all the emo and goth teenager?", ">\n\nIt depends on the context. For example, if they've done a substantial amount of research, can name a good amount of symptoms they have and reasons they have whatever mental illness and don't have access to the necessary tools to get a medical diagnosis, it's totally different. Some people don't have the money to go out and get a diagnosis, or sometimes it would be better to not get a medical diagnosis. I believe that the reason that a lot of people self diagnose themselves with things like Autism is because they want an explanation as to why they are different, and they could be right or wrong. I think the most important part is that if you go to a psychologist (or even two, I know a lot of people prefer getting second opinions) and they say you don't have it, that you need to admit you were wrong. It's ok to be wrong about your mental health, and the key is to keep looking and to not give up. I can completely understand the frustration in people completely missing how difficult it actually may be to have a mental illness. I was clinically diagnosed with Depression, Anxiety, and PTSD when I was seven, and I've had some experience with people faking mental disorders for attention, and more often then not, they have another mental disorder that needs attention. Recently I had a (now ex) boyfriend insist he had PTSD after being tested twice and the psychiatrist saying that he didn't have it. What he does have is Depression and Anxiety, but he absolutely insisted he has PTSD despite never exhibiting symptoms and the only evidence being a test he took online that was supposedly a \"real PTSD test.\" People faking mental illnesses only harms people who really have them, as these people tend to exaggerate symptoms and use their self diagnosis for attention. I believe that I am autistic, but I don't list it as a diagnosis because while I have read articles and taken the RAADS-r test, I don't have an official diagnosis, and I could very well be wrong. As for women faking illnesses more often, something I've noticed is that things like Autism, ADHD, ADD, etc are more often diagnosed in boys rather than girls- mostly because when they were first discovered, most of the research was done in boys. Autism shows up differently in girls, and can often be blown off as early puberty hormones. If their hyperfixations are those of stereotypical feminine things, it's just a girl liking whatever, and if they hyperfixate in stereotypical masculine interests, they tend to just be viewed as weird, but not autistic. It's normal for people to question, but I agree that to a certain point, self diagnosis can be harmful, but only if not done correctly.", ">\n\nFirst and foremost not a new problem at all, very common, we used to call it \"Being a hypochondriac\" until it aparrently became reconized which in it self is confusing and a bit contradictory.\nANYWAY\nIt isnt really a problem, no doctor is gonna write the perscription for medication without a diagnosis of some sort.\nAt most there is the vauge \"But what about those who actually have it who arent taken serious\" dont worry, we wouldnt have anyway. Thats kinda how invisible illnesses work.\nOverall the 101 hypochondriacs screaming about the symptoms they read in the ICD might help make the knowledge more common and help people better reconize if their colleagues or friends happen to show symptoms of something.", ">\n\nIt’s pretty expensive in the US to get diagnosed. Personally, I’ve self diagnosed myself out of frustration of the way I process things. I’ve always felt slow & my anxiety/depression was deep because of it, but I was raised in a family that doesn’t believe in mental illness. It was always “if you work hard enough, all your problems will go away”. Meanwhile, i was racking my brain on how to make myself think faster/smarter & it would result in psychotic episodes. I’ve gotten fired from jobs, dropped out of school. I started self harming because I hated myself and my brain & almost commit suicide bc I had no idea what was going on.\nThe relief I felt once I finally got a therapist who validated me & was the first to talk to me about mental Illness. It blew my mind and all of a sudden things actually made sense to me. I currently think I have ADD, and sometimes I’ll tell people that but will preface it by saying I’m not professionally diagnosed. Still, I use mental tools that help me get through the day and build my confidence. I’m a lot better at processing conversations, making lists that help me remember things, unmasking, slowing down my thoughts… etc. I’m less frustrated and can see the beauty in how I process things. I still want to get diagnosed but I have to get health insurance….. lol", ">\n\nSelf diagnosis, regardless of being factual is a process where the individual realizes that they might have a mental health issue. People who can do this are more likely to seek professional help compared to the people who think they are “fine”. Going to a professional, licensed psychologist or a psychiatrist will eventually diagnose them with the correct disorder from there, and professionals have the skills to communicate with them and they can together evaluate if the person’s complaint is the issue or not. There is nothing embarrassing about discovering one’s self. It would be a problem if people would identify with an issue and don’t have any willingness to seek help. Sometimes overreacting is better than not reacting.", ">\n\nThe majority of people who are self-diagnosed with autism have done extensive research into it to come to that conclusion. I personally went through the DSM criteria with a fine-tooth comb, made a list of all the ways I met it and discovered that there’s not a single criteria i don’t meet for autism. I didn’t read about anything else but autism for weeks, approaching it from all angles before coming to the conclusion that it’s highly unlikely I am not autistic. I’m waiting to hear back about an assessment, but I’m not waiting to go and be told something I already know before I start advocating for myself. \nOh, and I absolutely did not want to be ‘different’, in fact my life mission to just blend in and be average is the root cause of most of my problems, but here we are.", ">\n\nThis self diagnosing young people do isn’t the problem. The problem is that our society encourages it.\nOur culture is not set up to accommodate a wide spectrum of human needs. You may need things that I don’t. I may need things that you don’t. But in most business settings, academic settings, or even places like restaurants or leisure places, the world isn’t built to accommodate everyone. Our world and society is a “one size fits all” approach, and most people don’t fit snugly inside of that system. \nIf you can classify what is “wrong” or “different” about you into an easily digestible form, people are generally more able and more willing to accommodate you.\nFor example: if I tell my coworkers that I need to leave work early because of a headache, I’ll be shamed for it. And in some cases I’ll be told that “headaches aren’t that bad!” Or “You don’t need to leave.” Or “I have a headache too, just deal with it!”\nBut if I tell my workers that I need to leave due to a painful neurological condition that’s flaring up (I have chronic migraine, which is a neurological condition), they will respect it 100% of the time. It’s met with sympathy and not criticism.\nThis happens for all sorts of things. “Sorry Im late, I slept in.” Sounds a lot worse then, “sorry I’m late, my insomnia has been terrible lately.” \nOur culture forces us to use these labels even when they’re untrue just to receive sympathy or acceptance. The problem isn’t people who decide to use these labels, the root problem is that our society refuses to embrace and accommodate people who are outside of the “norm.”", ">\n\nSpeaking as someone who's had an autism diagnosis since age 7: if someone declares they're autistic when they're not, that's obnoxious at worst. If someone is told they're not autistic when they are, that can cause lifelong harm from denied care and understanding. I have seen this happen to a close friend of mine.\nTherefore, I'd much rather err on the side of acceptance. If you think you're defending me and others like me from impersonators, we'd rather not have your help.\n\nI know people will disagree but it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women. Women statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nCase in point: women are diagnosed with autism far less than men. Recent studies have pointed to decades of systematic misdiagnosis. The more visible autistic symptoms sometimes manifest differently in girls, the way they're socialized may help them hide it from a young age, and of course lots of doctors just say \"your daughter can't be autistic, that's a boy thing.\"\nWe're learning that there are hundreds of thousands of autistic women who slipped through the cracks and were denied the recognition and support they needed because of dismissive, gatekeeping attitudes just like yours.", ">\n\nThere’s a difference between having a disorder and relating to a disorder. If the tools or language associated with a disorder helps someone live better though then cool, it’s all still odd. Also autism presents differently in woman, and a majority of our research on it is on men. Best practice is probably to support them and encourage them to seek treatment.", ">\n\nAutism is severely misdiagnosed in women. Completely under diagnosed. Actually, plenty of things are. The actual problem that we have is parents refusing to let their children get professional help or a diagnosis. Most doctors will diagnose you with BPD as a woman(aka the new female hysteria of our century), maybe put you on some anti psychotics and send you your way. In most countries, a diagnosis/specialist is not readily available, or there is a long waiting list. Even so, the doctors are not know it all. I have seen plenty of doctors, I got different diagnosis almost each time. They ask you some general questions (about your mood, the way you sleep, if you can concentrate, if you harm yourself, if you have suicidal ideation, if you can socialize properly, if your parents were diagnosed with anything, if you have hallucinations or delusions, the works) and then based on that, they will give you a diagnosis. If you use your common sense and information on the internet (given you are knowledgeable on the subject), you can take a good guess on what's wrong. Obviously, some people will exaggerate like with anything (seeing the shadow dude once in your childhood is not a sign of psychosis, neither is hearing your name called when you are alone once in a blue moon), but if you have visual and auditory hallucinations, perhaps weird tactile feelings/hallucinations (spiders are crawling on me, etc), delusions, tend to be forgetful and out of teach with reality, there is a good chance you do have psychosis.", ">\n\nOkay, to start: what do you think autism and ADHD are? They aren't mental illnesses nor are they mental health conditions. \nTo address some of your other points; \nStudies have shown that autism has a gender expression of 1:1. The only reason that women are under diagnosed is because of misunderstandings towards autism, then the diagnosis is conducted incorrectly. Thus it ends up getting conflated with mental illness, E.G BPD, and is diagnosed as a psychiatric disorder instead. This is a detriment to the patient as the care regimes are black and white different. Often times this severely damages the woman.\nFrom data sets that I recall reading, malingering hasn't risen much, if at all, in recent times. I remember it being around 8% of the global population who are engaging in this behaviour, to different extents. I think what's happened is that social media has turned a torch onto it and it's risen in popularity in an algorithmic way. You see it more because it's pushed by the algorithm more because people are searching for it more. It isn't actually occurring any more or less than historically. Most of that attention is negative attention, I should add. \nSo there's two things to take away from that.\n1) The actual act of pretending to be mentally ill, or to have a disability, which is called malingering, is in fact a form of mental unwellness itself. It's a cry for help. The people who do these things are usually very unstable and should be treated with a degree of empathy. The dangerous types who are using mental illness to scam others, or to manipulate them, make up a very small percentage of the overall amount of people in that group and tend to abuse one on one. \n2) The predominant response to this is generally negative. There isn't really any reason to publicly malinger unless you're unstable, this is because a rational person would likely know this, and know the damage it would cause themselves. Self-diagnosis is a very long, and self-aware, process that takes place over years of the individuals life, and proceeds official diagnosis. \nNo one SDs and says \"Okay that's it now! Let me start a TikTok!\" You'd still want support, and you'd still seek support. So that would end up with a doctor, who would see that you're lying, and treat you for whatever was prompting you to malinger. Anyone who has made this commitment knows that keeping it private is a sensible thing to do in a world that isn't inclusive, and often very stigmatising. Sometimes official diagnosis can take YEARS. \nThis kind of propaganda has been going around for a long time in an effort to discredit disabled people and people with mental illnesses. It's not new. People said the same things back in the 90s. People will always be afraid, and dismissive, of things they do not understand. I invite you to try and understand.", ">\n\nI self-diagnosed myself with endometriosis for 10 years before a doctor finally listened to me, opened me up, and found my insides littered with lesions all over my organs. I’m now not able to get pregnant and I might need to get part of my bowel taken out someday. This could’ve been avoided if someone had just listened to me when I was 16. \nSelf-diagnosing is a necessity in a misogynist world! No one takes us seriously! Especially medical professionals. \nThe best antidote for this is to listen to women who self-diagnose. Why do they think they have XYZ? Is it heavily interfering with their life? I think that’s a much larger problem.", ">\n\nIts been proven that there is a bias to diagnose as opposed to not diagnose a mental illness in psychology. So op is actually kinda correct. The definition of a mental illness is in effect being stretched so far that people who are just kinda weird are being diagnosed with \"on the spectrum\". This is actually causing a problem in early learning because parents start treating their kids as essentially learning challenged when they're really not. So it is starting to become an excuse ...", ">\n\nWe live in a society that loves to medicate people. I know it’s different but Did ppl forget about the opioid epidemic? They’ll diagnose your ass with anything if they can", ">\n\nYa I tend to agree. And no one is really saying so I will I guess, but id wager that 50% of psychologist \"professionals\" are totally full of shit. The actual number of psychologists that are are doing real research and clinical studies is EXTREMELY small compared to how many \"psychologists\" are out there. Just like chiropractors, half of them are hacks..", ">\n\nAnd ill say one more thing, though it is anecdotal, but i have direct family that works in special education for young children, and that system is fucked with a capital F. Thay are constantly fighting against parents and programs who try to box kids in the \"autistic\" zone, when they are just really quite or shy, or have pee problems. But parents want an excuse and reason for their behavior, and reduce them to a sub standard education and treatment for the rest of their lives. It's heart breaking. Especially in public schools.", ">\n\nI’m 32 years old. \nI didn’t self diagnose for attention although I remember the days of tumblr where everyone self diagnosed for clout.\nIt took me a decade to realize what is really happening. During the decade before I realized what may have been happening I was told the following:\nI’m rude\nI’m bossy\nI have a RBF/I look mad\nI also only managed to make my first real friend at age 27.\nWhat I was really displaying was:\nBeing overly blunt and just trying to get my point across came off rude when I didn’t intend it to be that way\nTrying to have things done at a certain time and way that no one else thought was important to follow\nUnmasking\nNoticed other things too that I just thought was me being weird:\nVocal stimming\nOral stimming-chewing, smoking, vaping\nRepetitive motions\nRocking\nEasily overwhelmed by too much sensory input\nHigh startle reflex \nInability to regulate my body’s needs-I don’t know I’m hungry until I’m ravenous; don’t recognize the need to use the bathroom until it’s causing me to rush off, don’t realize I’m cold until I’m shaking\nI could go on.\nI want an assessment so bad. But assessments for adults are EXTREMELY hard to setup, if you can even set them up at all. Some states don’t even offer them. I’ve been looking but they are only for children and seem to look for severe cases.\n14 years of thinking I was just a bitch who couldn’t make friends because I was too weird…turns out it might be autism. And turns out I’ll most likely never get a true diagnosis. But the RAADS test gave me a 127 score so that might be the closest I’ll ever get.", ">\n\ni kind of self diagnosed autism? i’ve been to many psychiatrists and therapists for years and they always see adhd in the half an hour and prescribe meds for that, which makes me not go there again. if they dug a little deeper they could have seen autism, i spoke to my current psychiatrist about if its possible i have it, she didn’t want to confirm or deny as i was moving out of state from friends and family and am at an age where i can have kids in the next 10 years since she doesn’t want me being concerned for them. \nI think there’s still lots of stigma around autism even with professionals and especially when identifying it in women. \nI don’t want to be autistic, but i can recognise a lot of different patterns comparing myself and others. I’ve researched it a ton especially in how it shows in women compared to men and in all the articles i found myself relating.\nNow i don’t say im autistic, i say im a little sus of being it tho lmao. and try pass it off casually. I find it’s a lot easier for me to understand and embrace my differences compared to trying to hide it and try be like everyone else or wonder why im not like everyone else. \nBeing older i can also recognise how a lot of my family on one side have suffered mentally and because of obvious neurodivergence. so im pretty sure, like the rest of my mentally challenged brain, has been inherited genetically through that side. \nAll that being said. I self diagnosed when i was about 12 that im highly likely to be depressed and anxious in attempt to get my mom to believe me i needed help, and now 8 years later i can identify that this has been an issue forever for me and that i likely cannot go off my meds because i will just go back to how i used to be. Im still ocd with all my meds, but its better than being anxious and depressed all the time, Having ocd throughout the day is like heaven to me in comparison to how i used to be. obviously the ocd isnt new, just a lot more heard in my brain now.", ">\n\nOk, I know some people self diagnoze themselves with [insert some mental illness here] out of attention or whatever, and that's totally not ok.\nHowever, if you read all the symptoms and do proper research on a mental illness and everything clicks in to you, I'd say you can be fairly confident on a self diagnosis (although, it might be worth it to double check with a professional, especially if you want any sort of treatment). But also for some people, it might not be affordable to go to a professional...", ">\n\nI live in Canada, I've engaged with the medical system, doctors don't care and just want you out, ERs are a 8 hour wait for someone to ignore one thing and won't even entertain other issues even if they are related. Self-diagnosis is really the only way to get any kind of proper treatment at all. \nThe doctors will rubber stamp just about anything you ask for except pain killers but in terms of diagnosis you're way better off doing it yourself, sure you don't have 8 years of medical school but the doctors won't give you 5 mins of their time, they are not better than google and you give a lot more of a shit than they will and at the end of the day it's your body.", ">\n\nBack in the 90s when I was a teenager, the kids/teenagers/young adults who wanted attention, and wanted to be different, adopted the goth lifestyle. Dressing up in all black. White foundation with black lipstick and eyeshadow. It was the trendy way to be different, to be viewed as outcasts of society. To not fit in. \nThe goth lifestyle of the 2020s is self diagnosis. Same shit, different day.\nWhenever someone claims autism, or somewhere on the spectrum, I just roll my eyes and imagine that person just sucks at life.", ">\n\nI just think it’s a little more harmful nowadays due to the prevalence of social media. Ppl get sucked into groups and mindsets before they even have a real life chance. Then they hyper fixate on that they might be mentally Ill rather then just trying to live life to the fullest", ">\n\nI 100% agree with you", ">\n\nBecause it's the age of spin this generation has something for everybody. And all of them are Google doctors. Lol", ">\n\nTook my uncle till he was 38 even thought it was apparent to everyone. Hell he got expelled from two schools", ">\n\nI get what you're saying. I frankly find it weird that more people don't find this weird. People self-diagnosing themselves as all kinds of things not only completely misrepresents the actual conditions, thereby making people even more confused as to what they actually are and how they present, but also leads people to run to a psychiatrist claiming false symptoms and getting medication for something they don't have, which is NOT a good thing. People should never be taking medication unless it is necessary. We are a heavily over-medicated society and this is a big factor in that. Caffeine to wake up in the morning, \"immuno-boosters\" and mood stabilizers during the day, sleeping pills to sleep at night. The caffeine and sleeping pills are addictive and can really mess up your circadian rhythm, and the mood stabilizers can really fuck you up if you don't need them. Instead of rushing to diagnose and medicate everyone, we need to educate them on human behavior and show them that their \"mental health\" problems are completely normal.\nOh, so you get nervous right before you make huge life decisions? That's not Anxiety Disorder, it's just anxiety.\nOh, you are really sad because your cat died? That's not Clinical Depression, you are just grieving.\nOh, you went from really happy to really sad when you were previously happy and something really shitty happened to you and soured your mood? That's not Bipolar Disorder, that's just life.\nOh, you like to be more organized than the people around you? That's not Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, you just like to be organized.\nPeople really misunderstand the nature of these conditions and it hinders our collective progress in treating them, like dramatically inflating the number of actual conditions in the population, making it increasingly more difficult to determine how common and how varied they are. After all, in most cases it is not the psychiatrist or psychologist who makes you better, you make you better. Medication can help and other people can show you the path to success, but the problem will never get solved unless you play an active role in the treatment. Some conditions can never be solved, only lessened, while others are virtually untreatable. We need to stop making these conditions seem cool. They aren't. They are serious and need to be taken seriously.", ">\n\nHeavily agree and I appreciate how well this comment is worded. Wish I coulda worded mine a little better", ">\n\nYa I saw you getting shredded in the comments and figured I'd sum it up for you. 🤣", ">\n\nLmao bro I didn’t expect this many. I was thinking maybe like 20 ppl would reply", ">\n\nYou need to self diagnose in many cases in order to get adequate help.", ">\n\nI knew when I had ADD and IBS, and I was able to get my suspicions confirmed by my respective doctors. Doctors are there to help the patients understand themselves, whereas the patients have to go home every day and live with what they actually have. Do not be so quick to judge.", ">\n\nJust to add here - Autism in women is less prevalent because it presents differently and is often not picked up by standardised diagnostic tests (that were developed on an almost exclusively male sample). I think that also goes to show that there’s p significant issues with what we consider ‘scientific’ and research based in the first place.", ">\n\nI grew up in a small town and we had quite a few autistic boys but only one autistic girl. Literally only one out of like 6-8 grades. So that’s like a 10-1 ratio. It’s gotta be a lot statistically smaller then males. I don’t doubt it happens I just know it’s a lot less", ">\n\nYou think your small town’s makeup is generalizable to all of society? That isn’t how statistics work.", ">\n\nSo my question would be - so what do we do?\nYou think people are diagnosing themselves to gain attention. Fine, but what's the next step?\nSee, I think I might be bipolar 2. But I went on a journey where I looked into the techniques for dealing with this issue. That led me to cognitive behavior therapy.\nThat actually made me more convinced that this was my issue because I have taught myself a lot of cognitive behavior therapy techniques to address the same issues. These practices have really helped me.\nIt sounds like your issue is that these people are getting attention for it. To me, these are people who need someone to help guide them. That would have helped me a lot when I was younger. Society today doesn't really give us the tools to sort this out, but just the knowledge that these things exist can push someone down the rabbit hole to learn about therapy that could really help.\nI think you should ask yourself what your motivations are. Do you really want them to understand themselves? Or are you more interested in steering the conversation toward other topics?\nPersonally, I would deal with these people by paying them forward. I would tell them to understand the practices that typically help these people, and see if they are relevant. I would tell them to seek professional help, and to refrain from diagnosing themselves, but I would encourage them to be critical of themselves and to learn more.\nImo, the way out is through.", ">\n\nI agree with you but it’s not mostly women. Maybe by happenstance that’s the case in your circle but broadly men do this too.", ">\n\nDoctor's are consulting the Mayo Clinic website after talking to a patient and getting their symptoms. I bring that up to say this; a doctor's training is needed for very serious diseases and tricky diagnoses, but a semi-intelligent person could look up their symptoms and get a lot of the more minor stuff right.", ">\n\nI've never been diagnosed as clinically depressed or anything, but that doesn't mean that I don't suffer from depression a lot of the time (these last few years, more often than not). I see a therapist. I take antidepressants. \nI have a friend who has aphantasia. It isn't really a \"diagnosable\" condition, but it describes what he has trouble with: creating images in his mind.", ">\n\nThat’s different then going online and claiming perfectly normal traits mean you’re autistic", ">\n\nNeurodivergence ≠ mental illness." ]

[ "The diagnosis process for a lot of psychiatric conditions are surveys and questionaires. You can go to a psychiatrist and ask if you're anxious and they'll give you multiple choice questions and diagnose off of that. Or you can just google the form yourself and self diagnose. A lot of psychiatric disorders are about how we feel and think. Not about sending off some blood sample to a lab and getting a positive result come back.\n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. For such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nWhat you're describing are all neuroses that could indicate some deeper psychiatric condition. Whether a person has a mental health condition or not, thinking of ourselves as weak victims is never helpful in any context, yet it's something we all feel from time to time.\nI'm a disability support worker, so when someone tells me they've got a self diagnosed condition, it's not offensive to me or any disabled person I know, it doesn't come across like they're invalidating anyone else's condition. However I do think everyone should talk to a doctor about any condition they feel they might have.", ">\n\nPiggybacking off of this: You’ve spent your whole entire life inside your own brain. A therapist will spend a period of hours with you and give you a diagnosis. Who do you think knows your personal reality better than yourself?", ">\n\nYeah exactly, especially with conditions such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, PTSD, and many other psychiatric conditions. These are things people know they have even before they get a diagnosis. The diagnosis stage is more about treatment and management.\nPeople might be unaware of how severe or mild their condition is, some people think they have only mild PTSD despite constant nightmares and suicidal ideation. Some people will think they have severe ADHD because they can't concentrate for long times on things that don't interest them. It's good to get some perspective from experts but ultimately people know when they are struggling to focus or to struggling to stop stressing all the time or struggling to not be miserable. Struggling with our thoughts and feelings is evidence enough to self diagnose.", ">\n\nI was recently diagnosed with ADHD as a woman so I find this viewpoint interesting.\nFirstly, autism is not a mental illness. An autistic person may have mental illness in conjunction with autism, but autism alone lies under the neurodivergent umbrella. Neurodivergency can include autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and other similar conditions.\nWhy women are often underdiagnosed\nThese are serious disabilities that can really impede a person's life, especially if they struggle to find help and acceptance in their community. A lot of women start their journey towards diagnosis later in life due to a number of factors such as:\n\nPoor diagnostic tools and inexperienced professionals\nA misunderstanding that autism and ADHD are more common in boys\nAdvanced masking techniques to cover their 'traits'\n\nWhy women are often diagnosed later in life.\nThe process for many women and men who are diagnosed later in life often includes a level of burnout or breakdown. After a while everything becomes too much, the mask begins to slip and your traits go into overdrive.\nWhy does self-diagnosing seem to be on the rise?\nA common way of finding out you could possibly be neurodivergent is through media and people who are aware of these traits appear.\nIn the past few years, I have seen an increasing awareness of neurodivergence in women pop up in the media. This is useful for people like myself who had no idea wtf was wrong with them for a very long time. For me, a GP actually suggested I seek a diagnosis due to some struggles I was going through.\nAs someone who went through this process self-diagnosing is commonly the first step as an adult. You might be directed to a questionnaire and are asked to evaluate yourself and your experiences thinking back to your childhood. If there's some merit in your experiences than you move to the next step which involves seeking a professional. Waitlists are often months to years long so many people live in limbo for a long time.\nMethods of living with ADHD can help everyone. And everyone experiences ADHD traits from time to time. Given a large amount of stress we have all suffered collectively, I don't doubt there are a lot of people with increased mental health issues that mirror neurodivergent traits. Some mental illnesses can get very severe and alter your brain chemistry and behaviour.\nMy takeaway from this is that the mental health systems set up to assist these people are a much larger issue and cause for serious concern than self-diagnosing.\nApologies for the spelling and grammar errors. Grammarly and Reddit don't play nice.", ">\n\nI think it's two things. One, people have identity crises, especially teenagers. We all know that type of person who tries on identities like hats. That's pretty embarrassing. You usually grow out of that.\nTwo, from personal experience, giving yourself a label or a diagnosis makes it feel more contained and easy to communicate. It's easier to tell someone that you have X and have them understand what you're going through rather than telling them you have these vague symptoms resembling what you imagine X is like. In that respect, it is pretty understandable, possibly good, and not embarrassing. There's something that is sort of reassuring if you can finally get a word to put on what you're experiencing.\nPeople often sympathize with the diagnosis but not with the symptoms. Tell people at work you're autistic and they will sympathize with you and possibly not attack you. Tell them you do not understand social cues and they will probably just make fun of you.", ">\n\nI understand the desire to put a label with a disease, and this is not necessarily bad, but the diagnosis needs to be correct. If you want to tell others that you are autistic or depressed; you must actually be those things. A person can almost never correctly assertion their disease, only their symptoms. People might better understand you if you say your autistic, but you may incorrectly understand and describe yourself. If one wishes to put a name with symptoms, they should find a doctor to pick the label", ">\n\nfor sure but unfortunately our medical system is a joke and even if you are experiencing very severe symptoms it can be nearly impossible to see a professional or take months on a waiting list.\nEven then a professional may be reluctant to slap a label on you for fear of what the consequences of that might be. I saw someone for a very long time who resisted any sort of actual diagnosis because the truth is that what I was experiencing didn't fit neatly into any of the boxes and pretty much belonged in this vague \"other\" category which isn't particularly helpful. Not to mention that misdiagnosis happens all the time even by professionals. \nI just think it is sort of understandable because I think a lot of stuff is kind of a spectrum anyway and just different levels of severity. Things can be really confusing and hard to nail down and thus communicate in a way that causes someone else to be understanding rather than judgemental.", ">\n\nAre you under the impression this is a new phenomenon? Because it's definitely not.\nPeople - especially young people! - crave identity. The world is a confusing place, knowing who you are makes it a little easier. Sometimes it's self-diagnosing mental illness or learning disabilities, or exploring sexual identity, or cliques, or subcultures. There's nothing embarrassing about it, it just is what it is.", ">\n\nIt’s ok to want to express individuality but not to the extent of totally destroying the definition of a real thing and making it hard for actual mentally Ill ppl to get a diagnosis. Why can’t people just accept that they’re different rather then giving themselves a label?", ">\n\npeople on TikTok claiming to have disorders that they don't doesn't affect the precision of psychiatrists diagnosing actual patients. There's no TikTok-said section in the DSM. Why do you think that it does?", ">\n\nIt just encourages more people to get diagnosed possibly skewing the meaning of the mental illness", ">\n\nSkewing it towards statistical accuracy? If people are actually diagnosed at higher rates, we have a better Guage of population-level mental illness, neurodivergency, etc. Better data is more usable, so that research actually means something actionable, ASIDE from the identity boost for young people.", ">\n\nI think what OP is driving at, but utterly failing to explain, is that they think that the fakers will be accommodated by the psychiatric system and diagnosed on the basis of fake symptoms. my sense is that isn't a problem but I don't have data.", ">\n\nDefinitely explained it a little better then I could lol", ">\n\nWhere do you see evidence of that? Any articles about fakers? How about a statistic? If not, it’s just a fear you seem to have.", ">\n\nI think the salient line here is this one:\n\nNeurologists were able to quickly determine that the subjects were not \nsuffering from Tourette's, but psychogenic tics driven by anxiety.", ">\n\nWomen are not born with less autism, but are much less likely to be diagnosed as children than boys. This is partly because boys generally have similar symptoms and behaviors. \nSo of course more women are self diagnosing autism, since their diagnoses were missed as children on a much higher rate.", ">\n\nAlright, I'm diagnosed OCD, PTSD, chronic depression. Diagnosed by a professional so I think I have some grounds to talk about this.\nFirst, let's tackle your women comment about autism. You see, I understand where you're coming from, but you lack the nuance of recognizing that mental illness, and illness in general, is heavily under-diagnosed in women. The medical culture is heavily favored towards men and is rampant with mysogyny, and that's not just me saying it as I've had medical professionals blatantly tell me it's a problem in the field when questioned about it. I've also had some tell me that it's just because women whine a lot, so yanno make of that statement what you will.\nNow that we've covered that let me address the self-diagnosing issue. So, do you want to know what my therapist thinks of self-diagnosing? Well, when I asked them about it they said that self-diagnosing is an important first step to seeking help. Psychiatrist said the same thing. It's normal, expected even, for people to self-diagnose their issues then seek help for them. You can't exactly just peer into someone's brain, no, that person has to tell you what they think is wrong and why they think it is. \nWhat you actually have a problem with is not self-diagnosis, but with people not seeking or not being able to get medical assistance and assuming they're right. You have a problem with people using these issues for attention, which I do too, but once again self-diagnosing is not the problem. Finally, you have a problem with the medical system that forces people into the position of trying to figure out their mental illnesses, but having no ability to get help for them.", ">\n\nI think I did it", ">\n\nSadly no lol, it was not done properly. Do you need a link to the rules?", ">\n\nI already read them i think I’ll figure it out in a bit sorry for the hold up", ">\n\nBecause everyone else is being aggressive: you have to comment with ∆ or !delta and then explain how your view has been changed", ">\n\nThis delta has been rejected. You can't award OP a delta.\nAllowing this would wrongly suggest that you can post here with the aim of convincing others.\nIf you were explaining when/how to award a delta, please use a reddit quote for the symbol next time.\n^Delta System Explained ^| ^Deltaboards", ">\n\nWhat gives you the authority or knowledge to know this is the problem?", ">\n\nYou don’t think it’s a problem that a lot of young ppl are willing to go to the extent of saying they are mentally Ill either for attention or to excuse their weirdness? Just accept that your different. It’s not wrong to believe you’re different without a label", ">\n\nYou did not even try to answer my question.", ">\n\nI’m sorry I was confused on what you meant", ">\n\nIf you are mad at people for self diagnosing themselves because they don't have the knowledge or authority to do so.... what gives you the knowledge or authority to diagnosis this as the problem behavior... basically are you just a kid that is annoyed, or is there some actual studies out there that is claiming this is a problem.", ">\n\nIf you don’t think that people consistently seeking attention for mental illness or craving a label so badly to justify themselves rather then being themselves. That just shows what your views are", ">\n\nDont you think we should leave the diagnosing to the professionals?", ">\n\nI mean yeah", ">\n\nWould you agree that you are diagnosing these people by saying that they are only seeking attention and do not have a real mental illness?", ">\n\nI’m assuming", ">\n\nThere may be some truth to people wanting to be different, however with mental illnesses being more accepted in today's society, many people are a lot more comfortable with being neurodivergent. Additionally, self diagnosis is common because the alternative is spending upwards to $1000-$2000 for a clinical diagnosis.", ">\n\nI know costs suck, but self diagnosis can be much more harmful. A web.md page that tells you your depressed when you may actually be bipolar can lead to really messed up results. I would even go as far as to say that no diagnosis at all is preferable to an uninformed one", ">\n\nWell.\n​\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad \n\nSo you already know why they're doing what they're doing in addition the fact that you know that they're not Autistic? If your claim is that they can't know and only a doctor can, what makes you more qualified? You start out your argument admitting that you have a bias.\n\nthey’re “neurodivergent.\n\nNeurodivergent is an umbrella that covers both Autism and ADHD, which sometimes get mistaken for each other. So if you're upset that they're self-diagnosing, this term should be more welcome than \"Autistic\" because it's more generalized.\n\nnd when you ask them how they know they’ll say “oh I have this weird tick when I uh laugh when someone says something funny “ or “I have a hyper fixation on this topic so I must be autistic\n\nHow else should they communicate it to you? The list of aspects of Autism, especially for how it presents in women, sounds a lot like this. You're not a doctor, they don't have to prove anything to you by going down the entire list of every possible part of their daily experience that might be on the spectrum.\n\nWomen statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nNope. Women are diagnosed less often than men because the original diagnostic criteria for Autism was for Autism as it presents in males. It presents differently for females and is harder to diagnose, especially at younger ages. \n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized\n\nTodays youth want to be victimized? Why would anyone want to be victimized? Something tells me you're missing the mark with this terminology.\n\nor have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. \n\nSo if someone is Autistic and that makes them weird, you'd rather them just be forced to not get to have a name for it, and get the therapeutic treatment that would help them?\n\nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really [are] without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nSome people are autistic. If they find out and it makes them feel good, that doesn't mean they're craving attention. And if they are craving attention, it's because they're normal people and everyone does. \nIf someone thinks they're autistic but it turns out they're actually not, chances are they suspected it for a reason. They might have ADHD, a personality disorder, a mental health issue, or simply a slightly different way of experiencing the world that feels unique to them and there's nothing wrong with that. \nYou seem to think that other people do things for you. People generally don't. They do things for themselves. This is especially true of people on the Autism Spectrum who may not be able to easily use other people's experiences to reference when constructing their view of the world, and can only use their own. Your interpretation wherein they do it to evoke a response from you says more about you than it does about them.", ">\n\nYou’re being deliberately obtuse. OP is completely correct. Most of the people these days who say “I’m ADHD” or “I’m autistic” or “I’m neurodivergent” are absolutely not diagnosed as such and are doing it to seem unique or get attention or as some excuse for why they did x y or z.", ">\n\nI'd like to point out that while some are perhaps attention seeking, many people self diagnose simply because they don't have access to free medical/psychological professionals to get proper diagnosis and help with their issues. I also know someone who doesn't want to get an official diagnosis because he's afrad it will affect his insurance rates or somehow come back to bite him if he's offically labeled with having a neurological disorder. \nThere is a wealth of knowledge on these subjects available online for those interested. And if they are truly interested in self diagnose they can likely do that accurately enough for all intents and purposes. Most of these people who search for the sake of better understanding themselves or their loved ones will openly admit that it's a self diagnoses, or say they THINK they have x,y, or z. But in some situations it's just as well to say they have it if they feel certain anyway, and it's just a passing comment, and not a discussion on the matter. \nIn other words, just because they self diagnose doesn't mean they're wrong, nor does it explain their motives. I also don't see how attention seeking (for those who ARE doing that) is really hurting anyone else. Fakers gonna be fake, that's more a \"them\" kind of problem. ANNOYING, but mostly harmless.", ">\n\nUnless you have a doctor's diagnosis you don't have the disorder. Even if you are broke there are programs to help with costs. \nAnd yes it does affect me when someone is treating me like shit and tries using the I have such and such as an excuse and then people get mad at ME for calling them in their bullshit.", ">\n\nNo. You have to have the disorder before you CAN be diagnosed, so obviously there are undiagnosed people who in fact \"have the disorder \". Your refusal to acknowledge an undiagnosed disorder does not mean they don't have it. Your personal experience with people supposedly using a fake diagnosis to treat you badly, sounds unusual. How do you know they DIDN'T have it? People who do lie and just want to be jerks will do that regardless of what methods they decide to try. The methods are irrelevant. And that motive is not typical of most self diagnosers .", ">\n\nSounds unusual? You must not get out a lot because it's become a pretty regular thing. Every single person I know (about 8) that have self diagnosed themselves as neurodivergent or with a mental illness like Bi-polar all use it to excuse their shitty ass behaviors. \nToo many disorders can mirror other ones. Just because they think they have 2/3 symptoms doesn't make them right by a long shot. Keep living in your bubble.", ">\n\nYou don't have to have a relationship with anyone. If they treat you badly, regardless of an official diagnosis or not, you don't have to tolerate them. It makes no difference what they have or don't have. What would it change if they got diagnosed and actually have it?", ">\n\nSelf diagnosing has been a thing forever\nAnd it's not a problem im 99% sure me or any other autistic person doesn't really give 2 fucks about people who wanna fake disorders. It doesn't stop us from getting help, we have doctors notes, medical files, sometimes even volunteers, you need those files to get into let's say a special education class, or a life skills course.\nSo unless you were diagnosed by a professional you're probably not gonna make it far faking it.\n(Excuse my shitty punctuation)", ">\n\nIt doesn’t bother you that they’re making others take the actual meaning away from what you were born with? I mean I’m sure autism hasn’t made your life easy and seeing ppl claim it for attention to be quirky probably has to annoy you a little right?", ">\n\nAt the end of the day I still have ADHD and I still need help with it. More people being diagnosed with it doesn’t change that fact. In fact I was diagnosed because I realized I related to so many tiktok memes, and I’m sure others are in my same boat. \nIn fact I think so many people talking about ADHD helps. It means more people who possibly have tips for me, people who are suffering who can’t afford treatment have an easy way to learn about how to improve their lives, and more people who are aware of my disorder.", ">\n\nI think people do diagnose themselves too often without seeking professional help. BUT mental illness is not the same as being neurodivergent.", ">\n\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad that they’ll go as far to say they’re “neurodivergent.”\n\nWhile this is the case, I don't really see how it's a \"problem\" per se. I guarantee that these people still make lifestyle decisions based on what they think is best, or based on what they want to do.\n\nbut it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women\n\nDo you have any statistics for that? I haven't experienced it that way in my own anecdotal experience, and I'd be curious to look into the data to see how much that truly does skew in that direction.\n\nwanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness \nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nI understand what you're trying to say here, but I don't really think these things are connected as much as you think they are. People see something wrong with themselves, so they either playfully or seriously consider the fact that it could be a condition that they have similar symptoms to. Not that it never happens, but just because someone categorizes themselves into a disability group that could potentially excuse their \"quirks\", doesn't mean they think that behavior is unacceptable in any way. People see a problem, and assume it's linked to this other issue that seems similar that they already know about.", ">\n\nI agree with the conclusion that self-diagnosis is a real issue, and I wouldn't be surprised if the data indicated it was on the rise. I wouldn't necessarily frame it as a simple desire to \"be victimized\" however. While it is purely speculation, I do believe there are a number of conditions which might lead towards a more frequent experience of symptoms associated with mental illness - a rising wealth gap, perpetual anxiety from a 24-hour news cycle, intensification of self-commodification, the student debt crisis in certain countries like the US, and so on. So people are experiencing symptoms like low energy, mood swings, etc. that can be associated with mental illness. The issue with self-diagnosis then becomes that it may correctly identify the symptom, but incorrectly identify the cause.\nThis video from the YouTuber HealthyGamerGG does a good job of explaining what some of the issues with self-diagnosis are, and for me it was a good starting place for thinking about this more. \nEDIT: I forgot this video literally starts with this same topic being brought up on this same subreddit lol", ">\n\nA great theory based on reasonable causes with an educational video from a psychologist(I assume) as evidence to back it up. I applaud you sir. 👏", ">\n\nWhy are you embarrassed by other people's issues?", ">\n\nI’m a 30yo male. If I had not first self diagnosed with ASD and OCD, I never would have found the language and resources to get a formal diagnosis and help.\nPrior generations have been so fixated on avoidance of diagnosing mental disorders, and research was previously so lacking that we are only just now (through those that do get diagnosed) realizing how common mental disorders are. That plus the lack of mental health resources for neurotypical and neurodivergent I think is how we end up in this situation of many recognizing their symptoms in the new discourse, but lacking the resources to overcome the barriers to proper diagnosis and treatment.", ">\n\nIt’s not the best thing, no. \nAs an adult FINALLY diagnosed (by a licensed therapist) at 41, I can tell you why ‘self diagnosis’ is so tempting. \nIn the US at least- mental health, and official medical diagnosis are almost completely inaccessible, especially as an adult. Most of us grew up before Autism was a spectrum, and ADHD was just boys who acted out in class. We felt like aliens. We couldn’t understand why we didn’t have many friends, or why we didn’t like the ‘right things’, and generally spend the bill of our lives feeling ‘wrong’, ‘broken’ or just simply like we didn’t belong. \nFinally understanding the WHY, and even better, finding tools to addresses our issues is a huge huge weight off the chest. The relief of having a name and a strategy- either therapy or medicine is such an amazing relief!!", ">\n\nI only kinda agree if I had not done my own research I would have never found out I have sjorgens syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis I know TikTok people tend to diagnose themselves and it makes it look cringe but when you live with a incurable illness sometimes you have to work to find a diagnosis", ">\n\nWell, what do you do of you absolutely know you're neurodivergent, but your parents decided not to get you checked? My mom once told me \"we knew you had something, we just didn't get you checked because they would have just put you on pills\". So I struggled with being different, socially unaware, impulsive, obnoxious, agressive, selfish, for the better part of my life without having the self awareness to understand why I was these things, and why people wouldn't want to be around me. \nIn my late 20''s I asked the question, what if I'm actually autistic? I looked up the symptoms, and 9/10 matched. As a child I couldn't handle loud noises, restrictive clothing, I didn't talk until I was 3. I would throw fits for seemingly no reason, I had obsessive interests. I've always really struggled with eye contact, and I never cared for conversation unless it was something I liked. I mean, when the final piece of a puzzle fits so incredibly well, it's really hard for it to be wrong. \nSelf diagnosing actually really helped me grow as aj individual. I became aware of all my divergent behaviors, and why it might be annoying for someone else to deal with. I came to the realization that I was the one who was different, therefore I needed to change. It's way harder to make everyone around you cater to your needs than to overcome the things that upset you. I'm at peace, I have good friends that I can connect with on a pretty deep level. I no longer smash coffee tables when I lose, I can now appreciate that if I lose it just means I have more to learn. I can keep my house clean, I can reasonably hold myself accountable. What exactly is the harm in all that?\nBesides, it would be pretty pointless for me to try and get a diagnosis now, I've put the effort in and largely come out the other side. Anyone diagnosing me would just say I was normal, but they wouldn't have the intimate knowledge of me that I do. I guess it doesn't matter if people don't believe me, I don't go around shouting that I'm autistic. I will say, it would be really nice if people appreciated the effort I put in to get to get to a place of normalcy, something others take for granted, but it's okay, we all have our struggles.", ">\n\nI feel you on all that. To play devil's advocate, mental healthcare in the U.S. is not cheap. Many people go to the internet and confirm their bias about their current health", ">\n\nI feel you on that too OP. I agree 100% with your entire statement.", ">\n\nIt's a problem, but not a new one. In the 1990s there was briefly a surge of people with a type of delusional parasitosis, that is, the false belief that they were infested with parasites. Except this one was supposedly an infestation with tiny fibres. They would come to doctors with a whole list of symptoms to back up their incorrect self-diagnosis.\nTo a certain extent, these are social contagions, which come and go, and often actually end up leading to people having real problems. Like, the young women you mention, a couple of decades ago may well have ended up with anorexia, or self-cutting. These days it might be a self-declaration of autism or a belief that they have gender dysphoria or that they have multiple systems living in their minds.", ">\n\nWow I did not know that. Maybe it’s just so prevalent today due to social media. Social media has only made these things worse imo", ">\n\nEven before it being self diagnosis of a mental illness it was always something. Remember all the emo and goth teenager?", ">\n\nIt depends on the context. For example, if they've done a substantial amount of research, can name a good amount of symptoms they have and reasons they have whatever mental illness and don't have access to the necessary tools to get a medical diagnosis, it's totally different. Some people don't have the money to go out and get a diagnosis, or sometimes it would be better to not get a medical diagnosis. I believe that the reason that a lot of people self diagnose themselves with things like Autism is because they want an explanation as to why they are different, and they could be right or wrong. I think the most important part is that if you go to a psychologist (or even two, I know a lot of people prefer getting second opinions) and they say you don't have it, that you need to admit you were wrong. It's ok to be wrong about your mental health, and the key is to keep looking and to not give up. I can completely understand the frustration in people completely missing how difficult it actually may be to have a mental illness. I was clinically diagnosed with Depression, Anxiety, and PTSD when I was seven, and I've had some experience with people faking mental disorders for attention, and more often then not, they have another mental disorder that needs attention. Recently I had a (now ex) boyfriend insist he had PTSD after being tested twice and the psychiatrist saying that he didn't have it. What he does have is Depression and Anxiety, but he absolutely insisted he has PTSD despite never exhibiting symptoms and the only evidence being a test he took online that was supposedly a \"real PTSD test.\" People faking mental illnesses only harms people who really have them, as these people tend to exaggerate symptoms and use their self diagnosis for attention. I believe that I am autistic, but I don't list it as a diagnosis because while I have read articles and taken the RAADS-r test, I don't have an official diagnosis, and I could very well be wrong. As for women faking illnesses more often, something I've noticed is that things like Autism, ADHD, ADD, etc are more often diagnosed in boys rather than girls- mostly because when they were first discovered, most of the research was done in boys. Autism shows up differently in girls, and can often be blown off as early puberty hormones. If their hyperfixations are those of stereotypical feminine things, it's just a girl liking whatever, and if they hyperfixate in stereotypical masculine interests, they tend to just be viewed as weird, but not autistic. It's normal for people to question, but I agree that to a certain point, self diagnosis can be harmful, but only if not done correctly.", ">\n\nFirst and foremost not a new problem at all, very common, we used to call it \"Being a hypochondriac\" until it aparrently became reconized which in it self is confusing and a bit contradictory.\nANYWAY\nIt isnt really a problem, no doctor is gonna write the perscription for medication without a diagnosis of some sort.\nAt most there is the vauge \"But what about those who actually have it who arent taken serious\" dont worry, we wouldnt have anyway. Thats kinda how invisible illnesses work.\nOverall the 101 hypochondriacs screaming about the symptoms they read in the ICD might help make the knowledge more common and help people better reconize if their colleagues or friends happen to show symptoms of something.", ">\n\nIt’s pretty expensive in the US to get diagnosed. Personally, I’ve self diagnosed myself out of frustration of the way I process things. I’ve always felt slow & my anxiety/depression was deep because of it, but I was raised in a family that doesn’t believe in mental illness. It was always “if you work hard enough, all your problems will go away”. Meanwhile, i was racking my brain on how to make myself think faster/smarter & it would result in psychotic episodes. I’ve gotten fired from jobs, dropped out of school. I started self harming because I hated myself and my brain & almost commit suicide bc I had no idea what was going on.\nThe relief I felt once I finally got a therapist who validated me & was the first to talk to me about mental Illness. It blew my mind and all of a sudden things actually made sense to me. I currently think I have ADD, and sometimes I’ll tell people that but will preface it by saying I’m not professionally diagnosed. Still, I use mental tools that help me get through the day and build my confidence. I’m a lot better at processing conversations, making lists that help me remember things, unmasking, slowing down my thoughts… etc. I’m less frustrated and can see the beauty in how I process things. I still want to get diagnosed but I have to get health insurance….. lol", ">\n\nSelf diagnosis, regardless of being factual is a process where the individual realizes that they might have a mental health issue. People who can do this are more likely to seek professional help compared to the people who think they are “fine”. Going to a professional, licensed psychologist or a psychiatrist will eventually diagnose them with the correct disorder from there, and professionals have the skills to communicate with them and they can together evaluate if the person’s complaint is the issue or not. There is nothing embarrassing about discovering one’s self. It would be a problem if people would identify with an issue and don’t have any willingness to seek help. Sometimes overreacting is better than not reacting.", ">\n\nThe majority of people who are self-diagnosed with autism have done extensive research into it to come to that conclusion. I personally went through the DSM criteria with a fine-tooth comb, made a list of all the ways I met it and discovered that there’s not a single criteria i don’t meet for autism. I didn’t read about anything else but autism for weeks, approaching it from all angles before coming to the conclusion that it’s highly unlikely I am not autistic. I’m waiting to hear back about an assessment, but I’m not waiting to go and be told something I already know before I start advocating for myself. \nOh, and I absolutely did not want to be ‘different’, in fact my life mission to just blend in and be average is the root cause of most of my problems, but here we are.", ">\n\nThis self diagnosing young people do isn’t the problem. The problem is that our society encourages it.\nOur culture is not set up to accommodate a wide spectrum of human needs. You may need things that I don’t. I may need things that you don’t. But in most business settings, academic settings, or even places like restaurants or leisure places, the world isn’t built to accommodate everyone. Our world and society is a “one size fits all” approach, and most people don’t fit snugly inside of that system. \nIf you can classify what is “wrong” or “different” about you into an easily digestible form, people are generally more able and more willing to accommodate you.\nFor example: if I tell my coworkers that I need to leave work early because of a headache, I’ll be shamed for it. And in some cases I’ll be told that “headaches aren’t that bad!” Or “You don’t need to leave.” Or “I have a headache too, just deal with it!”\nBut if I tell my workers that I need to leave due to a painful neurological condition that’s flaring up (I have chronic migraine, which is a neurological condition), they will respect it 100% of the time. It’s met with sympathy and not criticism.\nThis happens for all sorts of things. “Sorry Im late, I slept in.” Sounds a lot worse then, “sorry I’m late, my insomnia has been terrible lately.” \nOur culture forces us to use these labels even when they’re untrue just to receive sympathy or acceptance. The problem isn’t people who decide to use these labels, the root problem is that our society refuses to embrace and accommodate people who are outside of the “norm.”", ">\n\nSpeaking as someone who's had an autism diagnosis since age 7: if someone declares they're autistic when they're not, that's obnoxious at worst. If someone is told they're not autistic when they are, that can cause lifelong harm from denied care and understanding. I have seen this happen to a close friend of mine.\nTherefore, I'd much rather err on the side of acceptance. If you think you're defending me and others like me from impersonators, we'd rather not have your help.\n\nI know people will disagree but it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women. Women statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nCase in point: women are diagnosed with autism far less than men. Recent studies have pointed to decades of systematic misdiagnosis. The more visible autistic symptoms sometimes manifest differently in girls, the way they're socialized may help them hide it from a young age, and of course lots of doctors just say \"your daughter can't be autistic, that's a boy thing.\"\nWe're learning that there are hundreds of thousands of autistic women who slipped through the cracks and were denied the recognition and support they needed because of dismissive, gatekeeping attitudes just like yours.", ">\n\nThere’s a difference between having a disorder and relating to a disorder. If the tools or language associated with a disorder helps someone live better though then cool, it’s all still odd. Also autism presents differently in woman, and a majority of our research on it is on men. Best practice is probably to support them and encourage them to seek treatment.", ">\n\nAutism is severely misdiagnosed in women. Completely under diagnosed. Actually, plenty of things are. The actual problem that we have is parents refusing to let their children get professional help or a diagnosis. Most doctors will diagnose you with BPD as a woman(aka the new female hysteria of our century), maybe put you on some anti psychotics and send you your way. In most countries, a diagnosis/specialist is not readily available, or there is a long waiting list. Even so, the doctors are not know it all. I have seen plenty of doctors, I got different diagnosis almost each time. They ask you some general questions (about your mood, the way you sleep, if you can concentrate, if you harm yourself, if you have suicidal ideation, if you can socialize properly, if your parents were diagnosed with anything, if you have hallucinations or delusions, the works) and then based on that, they will give you a diagnosis. If you use your common sense and information on the internet (given you are knowledgeable on the subject), you can take a good guess on what's wrong. Obviously, some people will exaggerate like with anything (seeing the shadow dude once in your childhood is not a sign of psychosis, neither is hearing your name called when you are alone once in a blue moon), but if you have visual and auditory hallucinations, perhaps weird tactile feelings/hallucinations (spiders are crawling on me, etc), delusions, tend to be forgetful and out of teach with reality, there is a good chance you do have psychosis.", ">\n\nOkay, to start: what do you think autism and ADHD are? They aren't mental illnesses nor are they mental health conditions. \nTo address some of your other points; \nStudies have shown that autism has a gender expression of 1:1. The only reason that women are under diagnosed is because of misunderstandings towards autism, then the diagnosis is conducted incorrectly. Thus it ends up getting conflated with mental illness, E.G BPD, and is diagnosed as a psychiatric disorder instead. This is a detriment to the patient as the care regimes are black and white different. Often times this severely damages the woman.\nFrom data sets that I recall reading, malingering hasn't risen much, if at all, in recent times. I remember it being around 8% of the global population who are engaging in this behaviour, to different extents. I think what's happened is that social media has turned a torch onto it and it's risen in popularity in an algorithmic way. You see it more because it's pushed by the algorithm more because people are searching for it more. It isn't actually occurring any more or less than historically. Most of that attention is negative attention, I should add. \nSo there's two things to take away from that.\n1) The actual act of pretending to be mentally ill, or to have a disability, which is called malingering, is in fact a form of mental unwellness itself. It's a cry for help. The people who do these things are usually very unstable and should be treated with a degree of empathy. The dangerous types who are using mental illness to scam others, or to manipulate them, make up a very small percentage of the overall amount of people in that group and tend to abuse one on one. \n2) The predominant response to this is generally negative. There isn't really any reason to publicly malinger unless you're unstable, this is because a rational person would likely know this, and know the damage it would cause themselves. Self-diagnosis is a very long, and self-aware, process that takes place over years of the individuals life, and proceeds official diagnosis. \nNo one SDs and says \"Okay that's it now! Let me start a TikTok!\" You'd still want support, and you'd still seek support. So that would end up with a doctor, who would see that you're lying, and treat you for whatever was prompting you to malinger. Anyone who has made this commitment knows that keeping it private is a sensible thing to do in a world that isn't inclusive, and often very stigmatising. Sometimes official diagnosis can take YEARS. \nThis kind of propaganda has been going around for a long time in an effort to discredit disabled people and people with mental illnesses. It's not new. People said the same things back in the 90s. People will always be afraid, and dismissive, of things they do not understand. I invite you to try and understand.", ">\n\nI self-diagnosed myself with endometriosis for 10 years before a doctor finally listened to me, opened me up, and found my insides littered with lesions all over my organs. I’m now not able to get pregnant and I might need to get part of my bowel taken out someday. This could’ve been avoided if someone had just listened to me when I was 16. \nSelf-diagnosing is a necessity in a misogynist world! No one takes us seriously! Especially medical professionals. \nThe best antidote for this is to listen to women who self-diagnose. Why do they think they have XYZ? Is it heavily interfering with their life? I think that’s a much larger problem.", ">\n\nIts been proven that there is a bias to diagnose as opposed to not diagnose a mental illness in psychology. So op is actually kinda correct. The definition of a mental illness is in effect being stretched so far that people who are just kinda weird are being diagnosed with \"on the spectrum\". This is actually causing a problem in early learning because parents start treating their kids as essentially learning challenged when they're really not. So it is starting to become an excuse ...", ">\n\nWe live in a society that loves to medicate people. I know it’s different but Did ppl forget about the opioid epidemic? They’ll diagnose your ass with anything if they can", ">\n\nYa I tend to agree. And no one is really saying so I will I guess, but id wager that 50% of psychologist \"professionals\" are totally full of shit. The actual number of psychologists that are are doing real research and clinical studies is EXTREMELY small compared to how many \"psychologists\" are out there. Just like chiropractors, half of them are hacks..", ">\n\nAnd ill say one more thing, though it is anecdotal, but i have direct family that works in special education for young children, and that system is fucked with a capital F. Thay are constantly fighting against parents and programs who try to box kids in the \"autistic\" zone, when they are just really quite or shy, or have pee problems. But parents want an excuse and reason for their behavior, and reduce them to a sub standard education and treatment for the rest of their lives. It's heart breaking. Especially in public schools.", ">\n\nI’m 32 years old. \nI didn’t self diagnose for attention although I remember the days of tumblr where everyone self diagnosed for clout.\nIt took me a decade to realize what is really happening. During the decade before I realized what may have been happening I was told the following:\nI’m rude\nI’m bossy\nI have a RBF/I look mad\nI also only managed to make my first real friend at age 27.\nWhat I was really displaying was:\nBeing overly blunt and just trying to get my point across came off rude when I didn’t intend it to be that way\nTrying to have things done at a certain time and way that no one else thought was important to follow\nUnmasking\nNoticed other things too that I just thought was me being weird:\nVocal stimming\nOral stimming-chewing, smoking, vaping\nRepetitive motions\nRocking\nEasily overwhelmed by too much sensory input\nHigh startle reflex \nInability to regulate my body’s needs-I don’t know I’m hungry until I’m ravenous; don’t recognize the need to use the bathroom until it’s causing me to rush off, don’t realize I’m cold until I’m shaking\nI could go on.\nI want an assessment so bad. But assessments for adults are EXTREMELY hard to setup, if you can even set them up at all. Some states don’t even offer them. I’ve been looking but they are only for children and seem to look for severe cases.\n14 years of thinking I was just a bitch who couldn’t make friends because I was too weird…turns out it might be autism. And turns out I’ll most likely never get a true diagnosis. But the RAADS test gave me a 127 score so that might be the closest I’ll ever get.", ">\n\ni kind of self diagnosed autism? i’ve been to many psychiatrists and therapists for years and they always see adhd in the half an hour and prescribe meds for that, which makes me not go there again. if they dug a little deeper they could have seen autism, i spoke to my current psychiatrist about if its possible i have it, she didn’t want to confirm or deny as i was moving out of state from friends and family and am at an age where i can have kids in the next 10 years since she doesn’t want me being concerned for them. \nI think there’s still lots of stigma around autism even with professionals and especially when identifying it in women. \nI don’t want to be autistic, but i can recognise a lot of different patterns comparing myself and others. I’ve researched it a ton especially in how it shows in women compared to men and in all the articles i found myself relating.\nNow i don’t say im autistic, i say im a little sus of being it tho lmao. and try pass it off casually. I find it’s a lot easier for me to understand and embrace my differences compared to trying to hide it and try be like everyone else or wonder why im not like everyone else. \nBeing older i can also recognise how a lot of my family on one side have suffered mentally and because of obvious neurodivergence. so im pretty sure, like the rest of my mentally challenged brain, has been inherited genetically through that side. \nAll that being said. I self diagnosed when i was about 12 that im highly likely to be depressed and anxious in attempt to get my mom to believe me i needed help, and now 8 years later i can identify that this has been an issue forever for me and that i likely cannot go off my meds because i will just go back to how i used to be. Im still ocd with all my meds, but its better than being anxious and depressed all the time, Having ocd throughout the day is like heaven to me in comparison to how i used to be. obviously the ocd isnt new, just a lot more heard in my brain now.", ">\n\nOk, I know some people self diagnoze themselves with [insert some mental illness here] out of attention or whatever, and that's totally not ok.\nHowever, if you read all the symptoms and do proper research on a mental illness and everything clicks in to you, I'd say you can be fairly confident on a self diagnosis (although, it might be worth it to double check with a professional, especially if you want any sort of treatment). But also for some people, it might not be affordable to go to a professional...", ">\n\nI live in Canada, I've engaged with the medical system, doctors don't care and just want you out, ERs are a 8 hour wait for someone to ignore one thing and won't even entertain other issues even if they are related. Self-diagnosis is really the only way to get any kind of proper treatment at all. \nThe doctors will rubber stamp just about anything you ask for except pain killers but in terms of diagnosis you're way better off doing it yourself, sure you don't have 8 years of medical school but the doctors won't give you 5 mins of their time, they are not better than google and you give a lot more of a shit than they will and at the end of the day it's your body.", ">\n\nBack in the 90s when I was a teenager, the kids/teenagers/young adults who wanted attention, and wanted to be different, adopted the goth lifestyle. Dressing up in all black. White foundation with black lipstick and eyeshadow. It was the trendy way to be different, to be viewed as outcasts of society. To not fit in. \nThe goth lifestyle of the 2020s is self diagnosis. Same shit, different day.\nWhenever someone claims autism, or somewhere on the spectrum, I just roll my eyes and imagine that person just sucks at life.", ">\n\nI just think it’s a little more harmful nowadays due to the prevalence of social media. Ppl get sucked into groups and mindsets before they even have a real life chance. Then they hyper fixate on that they might be mentally Ill rather then just trying to live life to the fullest", ">\n\nI 100% agree with you", ">\n\nBecause it's the age of spin this generation has something for everybody. And all of them are Google doctors. Lol", ">\n\nTook my uncle till he was 38 even thought it was apparent to everyone. Hell he got expelled from two schools", ">\n\nI get what you're saying. I frankly find it weird that more people don't find this weird. People self-diagnosing themselves as all kinds of things not only completely misrepresents the actual conditions, thereby making people even more confused as to what they actually are and how they present, but also leads people to run to a psychiatrist claiming false symptoms and getting medication for something they don't have, which is NOT a good thing. People should never be taking medication unless it is necessary. We are a heavily over-medicated society and this is a big factor in that. Caffeine to wake up in the morning, \"immuno-boosters\" and mood stabilizers during the day, sleeping pills to sleep at night. The caffeine and sleeping pills are addictive and can really mess up your circadian rhythm, and the mood stabilizers can really fuck you up if you don't need them. Instead of rushing to diagnose and medicate everyone, we need to educate them on human behavior and show them that their \"mental health\" problems are completely normal.\nOh, so you get nervous right before you make huge life decisions? That's not Anxiety Disorder, it's just anxiety.\nOh, you are really sad because your cat died? That's not Clinical Depression, you are just grieving.\nOh, you went from really happy to really sad when you were previously happy and something really shitty happened to you and soured your mood? That's not Bipolar Disorder, that's just life.\nOh, you like to be more organized than the people around you? That's not Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, you just like to be organized.\nPeople really misunderstand the nature of these conditions and it hinders our collective progress in treating them, like dramatically inflating the number of actual conditions in the population, making it increasingly more difficult to determine how common and how varied they are. After all, in most cases it is not the psychiatrist or psychologist who makes you better, you make you better. Medication can help and other people can show you the path to success, but the problem will never get solved unless you play an active role in the treatment. Some conditions can never be solved, only lessened, while others are virtually untreatable. We need to stop making these conditions seem cool. They aren't. They are serious and need to be taken seriously.", ">\n\nHeavily agree and I appreciate how well this comment is worded. Wish I coulda worded mine a little better", ">\n\nYa I saw you getting shredded in the comments and figured I'd sum it up for you. 🤣", ">\n\nLmao bro I didn’t expect this many. I was thinking maybe like 20 ppl would reply", ">\n\nYou need to self diagnose in many cases in order to get adequate help.", ">\n\nI knew when I had ADD and IBS, and I was able to get my suspicions confirmed by my respective doctors. Doctors are there to help the patients understand themselves, whereas the patients have to go home every day and live with what they actually have. Do not be so quick to judge.", ">\n\nJust to add here - Autism in women is less prevalent because it presents differently and is often not picked up by standardised diagnostic tests (that were developed on an almost exclusively male sample). I think that also goes to show that there’s p significant issues with what we consider ‘scientific’ and research based in the first place.", ">\n\nI grew up in a small town and we had quite a few autistic boys but only one autistic girl. Literally only one out of like 6-8 grades. So that’s like a 10-1 ratio. It’s gotta be a lot statistically smaller then males. I don’t doubt it happens I just know it’s a lot less", ">\n\nYou think your small town’s makeup is generalizable to all of society? That isn’t how statistics work.", ">\n\nSo my question would be - so what do we do?\nYou think people are diagnosing themselves to gain attention. Fine, but what's the next step?\nSee, I think I might be bipolar 2. But I went on a journey where I looked into the techniques for dealing with this issue. That led me to cognitive behavior therapy.\nThat actually made me more convinced that this was my issue because I have taught myself a lot of cognitive behavior therapy techniques to address the same issues. These practices have really helped me.\nIt sounds like your issue is that these people are getting attention for it. To me, these are people who need someone to help guide them. That would have helped me a lot when I was younger. Society today doesn't really give us the tools to sort this out, but just the knowledge that these things exist can push someone down the rabbit hole to learn about therapy that could really help.\nI think you should ask yourself what your motivations are. Do you really want them to understand themselves? Or are you more interested in steering the conversation toward other topics?\nPersonally, I would deal with these people by paying them forward. I would tell them to understand the practices that typically help these people, and see if they are relevant. I would tell them to seek professional help, and to refrain from diagnosing themselves, but I would encourage them to be critical of themselves and to learn more.\nImo, the way out is through.", ">\n\nI agree with you but it’s not mostly women. Maybe by happenstance that’s the case in your circle but broadly men do this too.", ">\n\nDoctor's are consulting the Mayo Clinic website after talking to a patient and getting their symptoms. I bring that up to say this; a doctor's training is needed for very serious diseases and tricky diagnoses, but a semi-intelligent person could look up their symptoms and get a lot of the more minor stuff right.", ">\n\nI've never been diagnosed as clinically depressed or anything, but that doesn't mean that I don't suffer from depression a lot of the time (these last few years, more often than not). I see a therapist. I take antidepressants. \nI have a friend who has aphantasia. It isn't really a \"diagnosable\" condition, but it describes what he has trouble with: creating images in his mind.", ">\n\nThat’s different then going online and claiming perfectly normal traits mean you’re autistic", ">\n\nNeurodivergence ≠ mental illness.", ">\n\nThey know themselves and their experiences better than you." ]

[ "The diagnosis process for a lot of psychiatric conditions are surveys and questionaires. You can go to a psychiatrist and ask if you're anxious and they'll give you multiple choice questions and diagnose off of that. Or you can just google the form yourself and self diagnose. A lot of psychiatric disorders are about how we feel and think. Not about sending off some blood sample to a lab and getting a positive result come back.\n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. For such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nWhat you're describing are all neuroses that could indicate some deeper psychiatric condition. Whether a person has a mental health condition or not, thinking of ourselves as weak victims is never helpful in any context, yet it's something we all feel from time to time.\nI'm a disability support worker, so when someone tells me they've got a self diagnosed condition, it's not offensive to me or any disabled person I know, it doesn't come across like they're invalidating anyone else's condition. However I do think everyone should talk to a doctor about any condition they feel they might have.", ">\n\nPiggybacking off of this: You’ve spent your whole entire life inside your own brain. A therapist will spend a period of hours with you and give you a diagnosis. Who do you think knows your personal reality better than yourself?", ">\n\nYeah exactly, especially with conditions such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, PTSD, and many other psychiatric conditions. These are things people know they have even before they get a diagnosis. The diagnosis stage is more about treatment and management.\nPeople might be unaware of how severe or mild their condition is, some people think they have only mild PTSD despite constant nightmares and suicidal ideation. Some people will think they have severe ADHD because they can't concentrate for long times on things that don't interest them. It's good to get some perspective from experts but ultimately people know when they are struggling to focus or to struggling to stop stressing all the time or struggling to not be miserable. Struggling with our thoughts and feelings is evidence enough to self diagnose.", ">\n\nI was recently diagnosed with ADHD as a woman so I find this viewpoint interesting.\nFirstly, autism is not a mental illness. An autistic person may have mental illness in conjunction with autism, but autism alone lies under the neurodivergent umbrella. Neurodivergency can include autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and other similar conditions.\nWhy women are often underdiagnosed\nThese are serious disabilities that can really impede a person's life, especially if they struggle to find help and acceptance in their community. A lot of women start their journey towards diagnosis later in life due to a number of factors such as:\n\nPoor diagnostic tools and inexperienced professionals\nA misunderstanding that autism and ADHD are more common in boys\nAdvanced masking techniques to cover their 'traits'\n\nWhy women are often diagnosed later in life.\nThe process for many women and men who are diagnosed later in life often includes a level of burnout or breakdown. After a while everything becomes too much, the mask begins to slip and your traits go into overdrive.\nWhy does self-diagnosing seem to be on the rise?\nA common way of finding out you could possibly be neurodivergent is through media and people who are aware of these traits appear.\nIn the past few years, I have seen an increasing awareness of neurodivergence in women pop up in the media. This is useful for people like myself who had no idea wtf was wrong with them for a very long time. For me, a GP actually suggested I seek a diagnosis due to some struggles I was going through.\nAs someone who went through this process self-diagnosing is commonly the first step as an adult. You might be directed to a questionnaire and are asked to evaluate yourself and your experiences thinking back to your childhood. If there's some merit in your experiences than you move to the next step which involves seeking a professional. Waitlists are often months to years long so many people live in limbo for a long time.\nMethods of living with ADHD can help everyone. And everyone experiences ADHD traits from time to time. Given a large amount of stress we have all suffered collectively, I don't doubt there are a lot of people with increased mental health issues that mirror neurodivergent traits. Some mental illnesses can get very severe and alter your brain chemistry and behaviour.\nMy takeaway from this is that the mental health systems set up to assist these people are a much larger issue and cause for serious concern than self-diagnosing.\nApologies for the spelling and grammar errors. Grammarly and Reddit don't play nice.", ">\n\nI think it's two things. One, people have identity crises, especially teenagers. We all know that type of person who tries on identities like hats. That's pretty embarrassing. You usually grow out of that.\nTwo, from personal experience, giving yourself a label or a diagnosis makes it feel more contained and easy to communicate. It's easier to tell someone that you have X and have them understand what you're going through rather than telling them you have these vague symptoms resembling what you imagine X is like. In that respect, it is pretty understandable, possibly good, and not embarrassing. There's something that is sort of reassuring if you can finally get a word to put on what you're experiencing.\nPeople often sympathize with the diagnosis but not with the symptoms. Tell people at work you're autistic and they will sympathize with you and possibly not attack you. Tell them you do not understand social cues and they will probably just make fun of you.", ">\n\nI understand the desire to put a label with a disease, and this is not necessarily bad, but the diagnosis needs to be correct. If you want to tell others that you are autistic or depressed; you must actually be those things. A person can almost never correctly assertion their disease, only their symptoms. People might better understand you if you say your autistic, but you may incorrectly understand and describe yourself. If one wishes to put a name with symptoms, they should find a doctor to pick the label", ">\n\nfor sure but unfortunately our medical system is a joke and even if you are experiencing very severe symptoms it can be nearly impossible to see a professional or take months on a waiting list.\nEven then a professional may be reluctant to slap a label on you for fear of what the consequences of that might be. I saw someone for a very long time who resisted any sort of actual diagnosis because the truth is that what I was experiencing didn't fit neatly into any of the boxes and pretty much belonged in this vague \"other\" category which isn't particularly helpful. Not to mention that misdiagnosis happens all the time even by professionals. \nI just think it is sort of understandable because I think a lot of stuff is kind of a spectrum anyway and just different levels of severity. Things can be really confusing and hard to nail down and thus communicate in a way that causes someone else to be understanding rather than judgemental.", ">\n\nAre you under the impression this is a new phenomenon? Because it's definitely not.\nPeople - especially young people! - crave identity. The world is a confusing place, knowing who you are makes it a little easier. Sometimes it's self-diagnosing mental illness or learning disabilities, or exploring sexual identity, or cliques, or subcultures. There's nothing embarrassing about it, it just is what it is.", ">\n\nIt’s ok to want to express individuality but not to the extent of totally destroying the definition of a real thing and making it hard for actual mentally Ill ppl to get a diagnosis. Why can’t people just accept that they’re different rather then giving themselves a label?", ">\n\npeople on TikTok claiming to have disorders that they don't doesn't affect the precision of psychiatrists diagnosing actual patients. There's no TikTok-said section in the DSM. Why do you think that it does?", ">\n\nIt just encourages more people to get diagnosed possibly skewing the meaning of the mental illness", ">\n\nSkewing it towards statistical accuracy? If people are actually diagnosed at higher rates, we have a better Guage of population-level mental illness, neurodivergency, etc. Better data is more usable, so that research actually means something actionable, ASIDE from the identity boost for young people.", ">\n\nI think what OP is driving at, but utterly failing to explain, is that they think that the fakers will be accommodated by the psychiatric system and diagnosed on the basis of fake symptoms. my sense is that isn't a problem but I don't have data.", ">\n\nDefinitely explained it a little better then I could lol", ">\n\nWhere do you see evidence of that? Any articles about fakers? How about a statistic? If not, it’s just a fear you seem to have.", ">\n\nI think the salient line here is this one:\n\nNeurologists were able to quickly determine that the subjects were not \nsuffering from Tourette's, but psychogenic tics driven by anxiety.", ">\n\nWomen are not born with less autism, but are much less likely to be diagnosed as children than boys. This is partly because boys generally have similar symptoms and behaviors. \nSo of course more women are self diagnosing autism, since their diagnoses were missed as children on a much higher rate.", ">\n\nAlright, I'm diagnosed OCD, PTSD, chronic depression. Diagnosed by a professional so I think I have some grounds to talk about this.\nFirst, let's tackle your women comment about autism. You see, I understand where you're coming from, but you lack the nuance of recognizing that mental illness, and illness in general, is heavily under-diagnosed in women. The medical culture is heavily favored towards men and is rampant with mysogyny, and that's not just me saying it as I've had medical professionals blatantly tell me it's a problem in the field when questioned about it. I've also had some tell me that it's just because women whine a lot, so yanno make of that statement what you will.\nNow that we've covered that let me address the self-diagnosing issue. So, do you want to know what my therapist thinks of self-diagnosing? Well, when I asked them about it they said that self-diagnosing is an important first step to seeking help. Psychiatrist said the same thing. It's normal, expected even, for people to self-diagnose their issues then seek help for them. You can't exactly just peer into someone's brain, no, that person has to tell you what they think is wrong and why they think it is. \nWhat you actually have a problem with is not self-diagnosis, but with people not seeking or not being able to get medical assistance and assuming they're right. You have a problem with people using these issues for attention, which I do too, but once again self-diagnosing is not the problem. Finally, you have a problem with the medical system that forces people into the position of trying to figure out their mental illnesses, but having no ability to get help for them.", ">\n\nI think I did it", ">\n\nSadly no lol, it was not done properly. Do you need a link to the rules?", ">\n\nI already read them i think I’ll figure it out in a bit sorry for the hold up", ">\n\nBecause everyone else is being aggressive: you have to comment with ∆ or !delta and then explain how your view has been changed", ">\n\nThis delta has been rejected. You can't award OP a delta.\nAllowing this would wrongly suggest that you can post here with the aim of convincing others.\nIf you were explaining when/how to award a delta, please use a reddit quote for the symbol next time.\n^Delta System Explained ^| ^Deltaboards", ">\n\nWhat gives you the authority or knowledge to know this is the problem?", ">\n\nYou don’t think it’s a problem that a lot of young ppl are willing to go to the extent of saying they are mentally Ill either for attention or to excuse their weirdness? Just accept that your different. It’s not wrong to believe you’re different without a label", ">\n\nYou did not even try to answer my question.", ">\n\nI’m sorry I was confused on what you meant", ">\n\nIf you are mad at people for self diagnosing themselves because they don't have the knowledge or authority to do so.... what gives you the knowledge or authority to diagnosis this as the problem behavior... basically are you just a kid that is annoyed, or is there some actual studies out there that is claiming this is a problem.", ">\n\nIf you don’t think that people consistently seeking attention for mental illness or craving a label so badly to justify themselves rather then being themselves. That just shows what your views are", ">\n\nDont you think we should leave the diagnosing to the professionals?", ">\n\nI mean yeah", ">\n\nWould you agree that you are diagnosing these people by saying that they are only seeking attention and do not have a real mental illness?", ">\n\nI’m assuming", ">\n\nThere may be some truth to people wanting to be different, however with mental illnesses being more accepted in today's society, many people are a lot more comfortable with being neurodivergent. Additionally, self diagnosis is common because the alternative is spending upwards to $1000-$2000 for a clinical diagnosis.", ">\n\nI know costs suck, but self diagnosis can be much more harmful. A web.md page that tells you your depressed when you may actually be bipolar can lead to really messed up results. I would even go as far as to say that no diagnosis at all is preferable to an uninformed one", ">\n\nWell.\n​\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad \n\nSo you already know why they're doing what they're doing in addition the fact that you know that they're not Autistic? If your claim is that they can't know and only a doctor can, what makes you more qualified? You start out your argument admitting that you have a bias.\n\nthey’re “neurodivergent.\n\nNeurodivergent is an umbrella that covers both Autism and ADHD, which sometimes get mistaken for each other. So if you're upset that they're self-diagnosing, this term should be more welcome than \"Autistic\" because it's more generalized.\n\nnd when you ask them how they know they’ll say “oh I have this weird tick when I uh laugh when someone says something funny “ or “I have a hyper fixation on this topic so I must be autistic\n\nHow else should they communicate it to you? The list of aspects of Autism, especially for how it presents in women, sounds a lot like this. You're not a doctor, they don't have to prove anything to you by going down the entire list of every possible part of their daily experience that might be on the spectrum.\n\nWomen statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nNope. Women are diagnosed less often than men because the original diagnostic criteria for Autism was for Autism as it presents in males. It presents differently for females and is harder to diagnose, especially at younger ages. \n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized\n\nTodays youth want to be victimized? Why would anyone want to be victimized? Something tells me you're missing the mark with this terminology.\n\nor have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. \n\nSo if someone is Autistic and that makes them weird, you'd rather them just be forced to not get to have a name for it, and get the therapeutic treatment that would help them?\n\nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really [are] without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nSome people are autistic. If they find out and it makes them feel good, that doesn't mean they're craving attention. And if they are craving attention, it's because they're normal people and everyone does. \nIf someone thinks they're autistic but it turns out they're actually not, chances are they suspected it for a reason. They might have ADHD, a personality disorder, a mental health issue, or simply a slightly different way of experiencing the world that feels unique to them and there's nothing wrong with that. \nYou seem to think that other people do things for you. People generally don't. They do things for themselves. This is especially true of people on the Autism Spectrum who may not be able to easily use other people's experiences to reference when constructing their view of the world, and can only use their own. Your interpretation wherein they do it to evoke a response from you says more about you than it does about them.", ">\n\nYou’re being deliberately obtuse. OP is completely correct. Most of the people these days who say “I’m ADHD” or “I’m autistic” or “I’m neurodivergent” are absolutely not diagnosed as such and are doing it to seem unique or get attention or as some excuse for why they did x y or z.", ">\n\nI'd like to point out that while some are perhaps attention seeking, many people self diagnose simply because they don't have access to free medical/psychological professionals to get proper diagnosis and help with their issues. I also know someone who doesn't want to get an official diagnosis because he's afrad it will affect his insurance rates or somehow come back to bite him if he's offically labeled with having a neurological disorder. \nThere is a wealth of knowledge on these subjects available online for those interested. And if they are truly interested in self diagnose they can likely do that accurately enough for all intents and purposes. Most of these people who search for the sake of better understanding themselves or their loved ones will openly admit that it's a self diagnoses, or say they THINK they have x,y, or z. But in some situations it's just as well to say they have it if they feel certain anyway, and it's just a passing comment, and not a discussion on the matter. \nIn other words, just because they self diagnose doesn't mean they're wrong, nor does it explain their motives. I also don't see how attention seeking (for those who ARE doing that) is really hurting anyone else. Fakers gonna be fake, that's more a \"them\" kind of problem. ANNOYING, but mostly harmless.", ">\n\nUnless you have a doctor's diagnosis you don't have the disorder. Even if you are broke there are programs to help with costs. \nAnd yes it does affect me when someone is treating me like shit and tries using the I have such and such as an excuse and then people get mad at ME for calling them in their bullshit.", ">\n\nNo. You have to have the disorder before you CAN be diagnosed, so obviously there are undiagnosed people who in fact \"have the disorder \". Your refusal to acknowledge an undiagnosed disorder does not mean they don't have it. Your personal experience with people supposedly using a fake diagnosis to treat you badly, sounds unusual. How do you know they DIDN'T have it? People who do lie and just want to be jerks will do that regardless of what methods they decide to try. The methods are irrelevant. And that motive is not typical of most self diagnosers .", ">\n\nSounds unusual? You must not get out a lot because it's become a pretty regular thing. Every single person I know (about 8) that have self diagnosed themselves as neurodivergent or with a mental illness like Bi-polar all use it to excuse their shitty ass behaviors. \nToo many disorders can mirror other ones. Just because they think they have 2/3 symptoms doesn't make them right by a long shot. Keep living in your bubble.", ">\n\nYou don't have to have a relationship with anyone. If they treat you badly, regardless of an official diagnosis or not, you don't have to tolerate them. It makes no difference what they have or don't have. What would it change if they got diagnosed and actually have it?", ">\n\nSelf diagnosing has been a thing forever\nAnd it's not a problem im 99% sure me or any other autistic person doesn't really give 2 fucks about people who wanna fake disorders. It doesn't stop us from getting help, we have doctors notes, medical files, sometimes even volunteers, you need those files to get into let's say a special education class, or a life skills course.\nSo unless you were diagnosed by a professional you're probably not gonna make it far faking it.\n(Excuse my shitty punctuation)", ">\n\nIt doesn’t bother you that they’re making others take the actual meaning away from what you were born with? I mean I’m sure autism hasn’t made your life easy and seeing ppl claim it for attention to be quirky probably has to annoy you a little right?", ">\n\nAt the end of the day I still have ADHD and I still need help with it. More people being diagnosed with it doesn’t change that fact. In fact I was diagnosed because I realized I related to so many tiktok memes, and I’m sure others are in my same boat. \nIn fact I think so many people talking about ADHD helps. It means more people who possibly have tips for me, people who are suffering who can’t afford treatment have an easy way to learn about how to improve their lives, and more people who are aware of my disorder.", ">\n\nI think people do diagnose themselves too often without seeking professional help. BUT mental illness is not the same as being neurodivergent.", ">\n\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad that they’ll go as far to say they’re “neurodivergent.”\n\nWhile this is the case, I don't really see how it's a \"problem\" per se. I guarantee that these people still make lifestyle decisions based on what they think is best, or based on what they want to do.\n\nbut it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women\n\nDo you have any statistics for that? I haven't experienced it that way in my own anecdotal experience, and I'd be curious to look into the data to see how much that truly does skew in that direction.\n\nwanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness \nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nI understand what you're trying to say here, but I don't really think these things are connected as much as you think they are. People see something wrong with themselves, so they either playfully or seriously consider the fact that it could be a condition that they have similar symptoms to. Not that it never happens, but just because someone categorizes themselves into a disability group that could potentially excuse their \"quirks\", doesn't mean they think that behavior is unacceptable in any way. People see a problem, and assume it's linked to this other issue that seems similar that they already know about.", ">\n\nI agree with the conclusion that self-diagnosis is a real issue, and I wouldn't be surprised if the data indicated it was on the rise. I wouldn't necessarily frame it as a simple desire to \"be victimized\" however. While it is purely speculation, I do believe there are a number of conditions which might lead towards a more frequent experience of symptoms associated with mental illness - a rising wealth gap, perpetual anxiety from a 24-hour news cycle, intensification of self-commodification, the student debt crisis in certain countries like the US, and so on. So people are experiencing symptoms like low energy, mood swings, etc. that can be associated with mental illness. The issue with self-diagnosis then becomes that it may correctly identify the symptom, but incorrectly identify the cause.\nThis video from the YouTuber HealthyGamerGG does a good job of explaining what some of the issues with self-diagnosis are, and for me it was a good starting place for thinking about this more. \nEDIT: I forgot this video literally starts with this same topic being brought up on this same subreddit lol", ">\n\nA great theory based on reasonable causes with an educational video from a psychologist(I assume) as evidence to back it up. I applaud you sir. 👏", ">\n\nWhy are you embarrassed by other people's issues?", ">\n\nI’m a 30yo male. If I had not first self diagnosed with ASD and OCD, I never would have found the language and resources to get a formal diagnosis and help.\nPrior generations have been so fixated on avoidance of diagnosing mental disorders, and research was previously so lacking that we are only just now (through those that do get diagnosed) realizing how common mental disorders are. That plus the lack of mental health resources for neurotypical and neurodivergent I think is how we end up in this situation of many recognizing their symptoms in the new discourse, but lacking the resources to overcome the barriers to proper diagnosis and treatment.", ">\n\nIt’s not the best thing, no. \nAs an adult FINALLY diagnosed (by a licensed therapist) at 41, I can tell you why ‘self diagnosis’ is so tempting. \nIn the US at least- mental health, and official medical diagnosis are almost completely inaccessible, especially as an adult. Most of us grew up before Autism was a spectrum, and ADHD was just boys who acted out in class. We felt like aliens. We couldn’t understand why we didn’t have many friends, or why we didn’t like the ‘right things’, and generally spend the bill of our lives feeling ‘wrong’, ‘broken’ or just simply like we didn’t belong. \nFinally understanding the WHY, and even better, finding tools to addresses our issues is a huge huge weight off the chest. The relief of having a name and a strategy- either therapy or medicine is such an amazing relief!!", ">\n\nI only kinda agree if I had not done my own research I would have never found out I have sjorgens syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis I know TikTok people tend to diagnose themselves and it makes it look cringe but when you live with a incurable illness sometimes you have to work to find a diagnosis", ">\n\nWell, what do you do of you absolutely know you're neurodivergent, but your parents decided not to get you checked? My mom once told me \"we knew you had something, we just didn't get you checked because they would have just put you on pills\". So I struggled with being different, socially unaware, impulsive, obnoxious, agressive, selfish, for the better part of my life without having the self awareness to understand why I was these things, and why people wouldn't want to be around me. \nIn my late 20''s I asked the question, what if I'm actually autistic? I looked up the symptoms, and 9/10 matched. As a child I couldn't handle loud noises, restrictive clothing, I didn't talk until I was 3. I would throw fits for seemingly no reason, I had obsessive interests. I've always really struggled with eye contact, and I never cared for conversation unless it was something I liked. I mean, when the final piece of a puzzle fits so incredibly well, it's really hard for it to be wrong. \nSelf diagnosing actually really helped me grow as aj individual. I became aware of all my divergent behaviors, and why it might be annoying for someone else to deal with. I came to the realization that I was the one who was different, therefore I needed to change. It's way harder to make everyone around you cater to your needs than to overcome the things that upset you. I'm at peace, I have good friends that I can connect with on a pretty deep level. I no longer smash coffee tables when I lose, I can now appreciate that if I lose it just means I have more to learn. I can keep my house clean, I can reasonably hold myself accountable. What exactly is the harm in all that?\nBesides, it would be pretty pointless for me to try and get a diagnosis now, I've put the effort in and largely come out the other side. Anyone diagnosing me would just say I was normal, but they wouldn't have the intimate knowledge of me that I do. I guess it doesn't matter if people don't believe me, I don't go around shouting that I'm autistic. I will say, it would be really nice if people appreciated the effort I put in to get to get to a place of normalcy, something others take for granted, but it's okay, we all have our struggles.", ">\n\nI feel you on all that. To play devil's advocate, mental healthcare in the U.S. is not cheap. Many people go to the internet and confirm their bias about their current health", ">\n\nI feel you on that too OP. I agree 100% with your entire statement.", ">\n\nIt's a problem, but not a new one. In the 1990s there was briefly a surge of people with a type of delusional parasitosis, that is, the false belief that they were infested with parasites. Except this one was supposedly an infestation with tiny fibres. They would come to doctors with a whole list of symptoms to back up their incorrect self-diagnosis.\nTo a certain extent, these are social contagions, which come and go, and often actually end up leading to people having real problems. Like, the young women you mention, a couple of decades ago may well have ended up with anorexia, or self-cutting. These days it might be a self-declaration of autism or a belief that they have gender dysphoria or that they have multiple systems living in their minds.", ">\n\nWow I did not know that. Maybe it’s just so prevalent today due to social media. Social media has only made these things worse imo", ">\n\nEven before it being self diagnosis of a mental illness it was always something. Remember all the emo and goth teenager?", ">\n\nIt depends on the context. For example, if they've done a substantial amount of research, can name a good amount of symptoms they have and reasons they have whatever mental illness and don't have access to the necessary tools to get a medical diagnosis, it's totally different. Some people don't have the money to go out and get a diagnosis, or sometimes it would be better to not get a medical diagnosis. I believe that the reason that a lot of people self diagnose themselves with things like Autism is because they want an explanation as to why they are different, and they could be right or wrong. I think the most important part is that if you go to a psychologist (or even two, I know a lot of people prefer getting second opinions) and they say you don't have it, that you need to admit you were wrong. It's ok to be wrong about your mental health, and the key is to keep looking and to not give up. I can completely understand the frustration in people completely missing how difficult it actually may be to have a mental illness. I was clinically diagnosed with Depression, Anxiety, and PTSD when I was seven, and I've had some experience with people faking mental disorders for attention, and more often then not, they have another mental disorder that needs attention. Recently I had a (now ex) boyfriend insist he had PTSD after being tested twice and the psychiatrist saying that he didn't have it. What he does have is Depression and Anxiety, but he absolutely insisted he has PTSD despite never exhibiting symptoms and the only evidence being a test he took online that was supposedly a \"real PTSD test.\" People faking mental illnesses only harms people who really have them, as these people tend to exaggerate symptoms and use their self diagnosis for attention. I believe that I am autistic, but I don't list it as a diagnosis because while I have read articles and taken the RAADS-r test, I don't have an official diagnosis, and I could very well be wrong. As for women faking illnesses more often, something I've noticed is that things like Autism, ADHD, ADD, etc are more often diagnosed in boys rather than girls- mostly because when they were first discovered, most of the research was done in boys. Autism shows up differently in girls, and can often be blown off as early puberty hormones. If their hyperfixations are those of stereotypical feminine things, it's just a girl liking whatever, and if they hyperfixate in stereotypical masculine interests, they tend to just be viewed as weird, but not autistic. It's normal for people to question, but I agree that to a certain point, self diagnosis can be harmful, but only if not done correctly.", ">\n\nFirst and foremost not a new problem at all, very common, we used to call it \"Being a hypochondriac\" until it aparrently became reconized which in it self is confusing and a bit contradictory.\nANYWAY\nIt isnt really a problem, no doctor is gonna write the perscription for medication without a diagnosis of some sort.\nAt most there is the vauge \"But what about those who actually have it who arent taken serious\" dont worry, we wouldnt have anyway. Thats kinda how invisible illnesses work.\nOverall the 101 hypochondriacs screaming about the symptoms they read in the ICD might help make the knowledge more common and help people better reconize if their colleagues or friends happen to show symptoms of something.", ">\n\nIt’s pretty expensive in the US to get diagnosed. Personally, I’ve self diagnosed myself out of frustration of the way I process things. I’ve always felt slow & my anxiety/depression was deep because of it, but I was raised in a family that doesn’t believe in mental illness. It was always “if you work hard enough, all your problems will go away”. Meanwhile, i was racking my brain on how to make myself think faster/smarter & it would result in psychotic episodes. I’ve gotten fired from jobs, dropped out of school. I started self harming because I hated myself and my brain & almost commit suicide bc I had no idea what was going on.\nThe relief I felt once I finally got a therapist who validated me & was the first to talk to me about mental Illness. It blew my mind and all of a sudden things actually made sense to me. I currently think I have ADD, and sometimes I’ll tell people that but will preface it by saying I’m not professionally diagnosed. Still, I use mental tools that help me get through the day and build my confidence. I’m a lot better at processing conversations, making lists that help me remember things, unmasking, slowing down my thoughts… etc. I’m less frustrated and can see the beauty in how I process things. I still want to get diagnosed but I have to get health insurance….. lol", ">\n\nSelf diagnosis, regardless of being factual is a process where the individual realizes that they might have a mental health issue. People who can do this are more likely to seek professional help compared to the people who think they are “fine”. Going to a professional, licensed psychologist or a psychiatrist will eventually diagnose them with the correct disorder from there, and professionals have the skills to communicate with them and they can together evaluate if the person’s complaint is the issue or not. There is nothing embarrassing about discovering one’s self. It would be a problem if people would identify with an issue and don’t have any willingness to seek help. Sometimes overreacting is better than not reacting.", ">\n\nThe majority of people who are self-diagnosed with autism have done extensive research into it to come to that conclusion. I personally went through the DSM criteria with a fine-tooth comb, made a list of all the ways I met it and discovered that there’s not a single criteria i don’t meet for autism. I didn’t read about anything else but autism for weeks, approaching it from all angles before coming to the conclusion that it’s highly unlikely I am not autistic. I’m waiting to hear back about an assessment, but I’m not waiting to go and be told something I already know before I start advocating for myself. \nOh, and I absolutely did not want to be ‘different’, in fact my life mission to just blend in and be average is the root cause of most of my problems, but here we are.", ">\n\nThis self diagnosing young people do isn’t the problem. The problem is that our society encourages it.\nOur culture is not set up to accommodate a wide spectrum of human needs. You may need things that I don’t. I may need things that you don’t. But in most business settings, academic settings, or even places like restaurants or leisure places, the world isn’t built to accommodate everyone. Our world and society is a “one size fits all” approach, and most people don’t fit snugly inside of that system. \nIf you can classify what is “wrong” or “different” about you into an easily digestible form, people are generally more able and more willing to accommodate you.\nFor example: if I tell my coworkers that I need to leave work early because of a headache, I’ll be shamed for it. And in some cases I’ll be told that “headaches aren’t that bad!” Or “You don’t need to leave.” Or “I have a headache too, just deal with it!”\nBut if I tell my workers that I need to leave due to a painful neurological condition that’s flaring up (I have chronic migraine, which is a neurological condition), they will respect it 100% of the time. It’s met with sympathy and not criticism.\nThis happens for all sorts of things. “Sorry Im late, I slept in.” Sounds a lot worse then, “sorry I’m late, my insomnia has been terrible lately.” \nOur culture forces us to use these labels even when they’re untrue just to receive sympathy or acceptance. The problem isn’t people who decide to use these labels, the root problem is that our society refuses to embrace and accommodate people who are outside of the “norm.”", ">\n\nSpeaking as someone who's had an autism diagnosis since age 7: if someone declares they're autistic when they're not, that's obnoxious at worst. If someone is told they're not autistic when they are, that can cause lifelong harm from denied care and understanding. I have seen this happen to a close friend of mine.\nTherefore, I'd much rather err on the side of acceptance. If you think you're defending me and others like me from impersonators, we'd rather not have your help.\n\nI know people will disagree but it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women. Women statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nCase in point: women are diagnosed with autism far less than men. Recent studies have pointed to decades of systematic misdiagnosis. The more visible autistic symptoms sometimes manifest differently in girls, the way they're socialized may help them hide it from a young age, and of course lots of doctors just say \"your daughter can't be autistic, that's a boy thing.\"\nWe're learning that there are hundreds of thousands of autistic women who slipped through the cracks and were denied the recognition and support they needed because of dismissive, gatekeeping attitudes just like yours.", ">\n\nThere’s a difference between having a disorder and relating to a disorder. If the tools or language associated with a disorder helps someone live better though then cool, it’s all still odd. Also autism presents differently in woman, and a majority of our research on it is on men. Best practice is probably to support them and encourage them to seek treatment.", ">\n\nAutism is severely misdiagnosed in women. Completely under diagnosed. Actually, plenty of things are. The actual problem that we have is parents refusing to let their children get professional help or a diagnosis. Most doctors will diagnose you with BPD as a woman(aka the new female hysteria of our century), maybe put you on some anti psychotics and send you your way. In most countries, a diagnosis/specialist is not readily available, or there is a long waiting list. Even so, the doctors are not know it all. I have seen plenty of doctors, I got different diagnosis almost each time. They ask you some general questions (about your mood, the way you sleep, if you can concentrate, if you harm yourself, if you have suicidal ideation, if you can socialize properly, if your parents were diagnosed with anything, if you have hallucinations or delusions, the works) and then based on that, they will give you a diagnosis. If you use your common sense and information on the internet (given you are knowledgeable on the subject), you can take a good guess on what's wrong. Obviously, some people will exaggerate like with anything (seeing the shadow dude once in your childhood is not a sign of psychosis, neither is hearing your name called when you are alone once in a blue moon), but if you have visual and auditory hallucinations, perhaps weird tactile feelings/hallucinations (spiders are crawling on me, etc), delusions, tend to be forgetful and out of teach with reality, there is a good chance you do have psychosis.", ">\n\nOkay, to start: what do you think autism and ADHD are? They aren't mental illnesses nor are they mental health conditions. \nTo address some of your other points; \nStudies have shown that autism has a gender expression of 1:1. The only reason that women are under diagnosed is because of misunderstandings towards autism, then the diagnosis is conducted incorrectly. Thus it ends up getting conflated with mental illness, E.G BPD, and is diagnosed as a psychiatric disorder instead. This is a detriment to the patient as the care regimes are black and white different. Often times this severely damages the woman.\nFrom data sets that I recall reading, malingering hasn't risen much, if at all, in recent times. I remember it being around 8% of the global population who are engaging in this behaviour, to different extents. I think what's happened is that social media has turned a torch onto it and it's risen in popularity in an algorithmic way. You see it more because it's pushed by the algorithm more because people are searching for it more. It isn't actually occurring any more or less than historically. Most of that attention is negative attention, I should add. \nSo there's two things to take away from that.\n1) The actual act of pretending to be mentally ill, or to have a disability, which is called malingering, is in fact a form of mental unwellness itself. It's a cry for help. The people who do these things are usually very unstable and should be treated with a degree of empathy. The dangerous types who are using mental illness to scam others, or to manipulate them, make up a very small percentage of the overall amount of people in that group and tend to abuse one on one. \n2) The predominant response to this is generally negative. There isn't really any reason to publicly malinger unless you're unstable, this is because a rational person would likely know this, and know the damage it would cause themselves. Self-diagnosis is a very long, and self-aware, process that takes place over years of the individuals life, and proceeds official diagnosis. \nNo one SDs and says \"Okay that's it now! Let me start a TikTok!\" You'd still want support, and you'd still seek support. So that would end up with a doctor, who would see that you're lying, and treat you for whatever was prompting you to malinger. Anyone who has made this commitment knows that keeping it private is a sensible thing to do in a world that isn't inclusive, and often very stigmatising. Sometimes official diagnosis can take YEARS. \nThis kind of propaganda has been going around for a long time in an effort to discredit disabled people and people with mental illnesses. It's not new. People said the same things back in the 90s. People will always be afraid, and dismissive, of things they do not understand. I invite you to try and understand.", ">\n\nI self-diagnosed myself with endometriosis for 10 years before a doctor finally listened to me, opened me up, and found my insides littered with lesions all over my organs. I’m now not able to get pregnant and I might need to get part of my bowel taken out someday. This could’ve been avoided if someone had just listened to me when I was 16. \nSelf-diagnosing is a necessity in a misogynist world! No one takes us seriously! Especially medical professionals. \nThe best antidote for this is to listen to women who self-diagnose. Why do they think they have XYZ? Is it heavily interfering with their life? I think that’s a much larger problem.", ">\n\nIts been proven that there is a bias to diagnose as opposed to not diagnose a mental illness in psychology. So op is actually kinda correct. The definition of a mental illness is in effect being stretched so far that people who are just kinda weird are being diagnosed with \"on the spectrum\". This is actually causing a problem in early learning because parents start treating their kids as essentially learning challenged when they're really not. So it is starting to become an excuse ...", ">\n\nWe live in a society that loves to medicate people. I know it’s different but Did ppl forget about the opioid epidemic? They’ll diagnose your ass with anything if they can", ">\n\nYa I tend to agree. And no one is really saying so I will I guess, but id wager that 50% of psychologist \"professionals\" are totally full of shit. The actual number of psychologists that are are doing real research and clinical studies is EXTREMELY small compared to how many \"psychologists\" are out there. Just like chiropractors, half of them are hacks..", ">\n\nAnd ill say one more thing, though it is anecdotal, but i have direct family that works in special education for young children, and that system is fucked with a capital F. Thay are constantly fighting against parents and programs who try to box kids in the \"autistic\" zone, when they are just really quite or shy, or have pee problems. But parents want an excuse and reason for their behavior, and reduce them to a sub standard education and treatment for the rest of their lives. It's heart breaking. Especially in public schools.", ">\n\nI’m 32 years old. \nI didn’t self diagnose for attention although I remember the days of tumblr where everyone self diagnosed for clout.\nIt took me a decade to realize what is really happening. During the decade before I realized what may have been happening I was told the following:\nI’m rude\nI’m bossy\nI have a RBF/I look mad\nI also only managed to make my first real friend at age 27.\nWhat I was really displaying was:\nBeing overly blunt and just trying to get my point across came off rude when I didn’t intend it to be that way\nTrying to have things done at a certain time and way that no one else thought was important to follow\nUnmasking\nNoticed other things too that I just thought was me being weird:\nVocal stimming\nOral stimming-chewing, smoking, vaping\nRepetitive motions\nRocking\nEasily overwhelmed by too much sensory input\nHigh startle reflex \nInability to regulate my body’s needs-I don’t know I’m hungry until I’m ravenous; don’t recognize the need to use the bathroom until it’s causing me to rush off, don’t realize I’m cold until I’m shaking\nI could go on.\nI want an assessment so bad. But assessments for adults are EXTREMELY hard to setup, if you can even set them up at all. Some states don’t even offer them. I’ve been looking but they are only for children and seem to look for severe cases.\n14 years of thinking I was just a bitch who couldn’t make friends because I was too weird…turns out it might be autism. And turns out I’ll most likely never get a true diagnosis. But the RAADS test gave me a 127 score so that might be the closest I’ll ever get.", ">\n\ni kind of self diagnosed autism? i’ve been to many psychiatrists and therapists for years and they always see adhd in the half an hour and prescribe meds for that, which makes me not go there again. if they dug a little deeper they could have seen autism, i spoke to my current psychiatrist about if its possible i have it, she didn’t want to confirm or deny as i was moving out of state from friends and family and am at an age where i can have kids in the next 10 years since she doesn’t want me being concerned for them. \nI think there’s still lots of stigma around autism even with professionals and especially when identifying it in women. \nI don’t want to be autistic, but i can recognise a lot of different patterns comparing myself and others. I’ve researched it a ton especially in how it shows in women compared to men and in all the articles i found myself relating.\nNow i don’t say im autistic, i say im a little sus of being it tho lmao. and try pass it off casually. I find it’s a lot easier for me to understand and embrace my differences compared to trying to hide it and try be like everyone else or wonder why im not like everyone else. \nBeing older i can also recognise how a lot of my family on one side have suffered mentally and because of obvious neurodivergence. so im pretty sure, like the rest of my mentally challenged brain, has been inherited genetically through that side. \nAll that being said. I self diagnosed when i was about 12 that im highly likely to be depressed and anxious in attempt to get my mom to believe me i needed help, and now 8 years later i can identify that this has been an issue forever for me and that i likely cannot go off my meds because i will just go back to how i used to be. Im still ocd with all my meds, but its better than being anxious and depressed all the time, Having ocd throughout the day is like heaven to me in comparison to how i used to be. obviously the ocd isnt new, just a lot more heard in my brain now.", ">\n\nOk, I know some people self diagnoze themselves with [insert some mental illness here] out of attention or whatever, and that's totally not ok.\nHowever, if you read all the symptoms and do proper research on a mental illness and everything clicks in to you, I'd say you can be fairly confident on a self diagnosis (although, it might be worth it to double check with a professional, especially if you want any sort of treatment). But also for some people, it might not be affordable to go to a professional...", ">\n\nI live in Canada, I've engaged with the medical system, doctors don't care and just want you out, ERs are a 8 hour wait for someone to ignore one thing and won't even entertain other issues even if they are related. Self-diagnosis is really the only way to get any kind of proper treatment at all. \nThe doctors will rubber stamp just about anything you ask for except pain killers but in terms of diagnosis you're way better off doing it yourself, sure you don't have 8 years of medical school but the doctors won't give you 5 mins of their time, they are not better than google and you give a lot more of a shit than they will and at the end of the day it's your body.", ">\n\nBack in the 90s when I was a teenager, the kids/teenagers/young adults who wanted attention, and wanted to be different, adopted the goth lifestyle. Dressing up in all black. White foundation with black lipstick and eyeshadow. It was the trendy way to be different, to be viewed as outcasts of society. To not fit in. \nThe goth lifestyle of the 2020s is self diagnosis. Same shit, different day.\nWhenever someone claims autism, or somewhere on the spectrum, I just roll my eyes and imagine that person just sucks at life.", ">\n\nI just think it’s a little more harmful nowadays due to the prevalence of social media. Ppl get sucked into groups and mindsets before they even have a real life chance. Then they hyper fixate on that they might be mentally Ill rather then just trying to live life to the fullest", ">\n\nI 100% agree with you", ">\n\nBecause it's the age of spin this generation has something for everybody. And all of them are Google doctors. Lol", ">\n\nTook my uncle till he was 38 even thought it was apparent to everyone. Hell he got expelled from two schools", ">\n\nI get what you're saying. I frankly find it weird that more people don't find this weird. People self-diagnosing themselves as all kinds of things not only completely misrepresents the actual conditions, thereby making people even more confused as to what they actually are and how they present, but also leads people to run to a psychiatrist claiming false symptoms and getting medication for something they don't have, which is NOT a good thing. People should never be taking medication unless it is necessary. We are a heavily over-medicated society and this is a big factor in that. Caffeine to wake up in the morning, \"immuno-boosters\" and mood stabilizers during the day, sleeping pills to sleep at night. The caffeine and sleeping pills are addictive and can really mess up your circadian rhythm, and the mood stabilizers can really fuck you up if you don't need them. Instead of rushing to diagnose and medicate everyone, we need to educate them on human behavior and show them that their \"mental health\" problems are completely normal.\nOh, so you get nervous right before you make huge life decisions? That's not Anxiety Disorder, it's just anxiety.\nOh, you are really sad because your cat died? That's not Clinical Depression, you are just grieving.\nOh, you went from really happy to really sad when you were previously happy and something really shitty happened to you and soured your mood? That's not Bipolar Disorder, that's just life.\nOh, you like to be more organized than the people around you? That's not Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, you just like to be organized.\nPeople really misunderstand the nature of these conditions and it hinders our collective progress in treating them, like dramatically inflating the number of actual conditions in the population, making it increasingly more difficult to determine how common and how varied they are. After all, in most cases it is not the psychiatrist or psychologist who makes you better, you make you better. Medication can help and other people can show you the path to success, but the problem will never get solved unless you play an active role in the treatment. Some conditions can never be solved, only lessened, while others are virtually untreatable. We need to stop making these conditions seem cool. They aren't. They are serious and need to be taken seriously.", ">\n\nHeavily agree and I appreciate how well this comment is worded. Wish I coulda worded mine a little better", ">\n\nYa I saw you getting shredded in the comments and figured I'd sum it up for you. 🤣", ">\n\nLmao bro I didn’t expect this many. I was thinking maybe like 20 ppl would reply", ">\n\nYou need to self diagnose in many cases in order to get adequate help.", ">\n\nI knew when I had ADD and IBS, and I was able to get my suspicions confirmed by my respective doctors. Doctors are there to help the patients understand themselves, whereas the patients have to go home every day and live with what they actually have. Do not be so quick to judge.", ">\n\nJust to add here - Autism in women is less prevalent because it presents differently and is often not picked up by standardised diagnostic tests (that were developed on an almost exclusively male sample). I think that also goes to show that there’s p significant issues with what we consider ‘scientific’ and research based in the first place.", ">\n\nI grew up in a small town and we had quite a few autistic boys but only one autistic girl. Literally only one out of like 6-8 grades. So that’s like a 10-1 ratio. It’s gotta be a lot statistically smaller then males. I don’t doubt it happens I just know it’s a lot less", ">\n\nYou think your small town’s makeup is generalizable to all of society? That isn’t how statistics work.", ">\n\nSo my question would be - so what do we do?\nYou think people are diagnosing themselves to gain attention. Fine, but what's the next step?\nSee, I think I might be bipolar 2. But I went on a journey where I looked into the techniques for dealing with this issue. That led me to cognitive behavior therapy.\nThat actually made me more convinced that this was my issue because I have taught myself a lot of cognitive behavior therapy techniques to address the same issues. These practices have really helped me.\nIt sounds like your issue is that these people are getting attention for it. To me, these are people who need someone to help guide them. That would have helped me a lot when I was younger. Society today doesn't really give us the tools to sort this out, but just the knowledge that these things exist can push someone down the rabbit hole to learn about therapy that could really help.\nI think you should ask yourself what your motivations are. Do you really want them to understand themselves? Or are you more interested in steering the conversation toward other topics?\nPersonally, I would deal with these people by paying them forward. I would tell them to understand the practices that typically help these people, and see if they are relevant. I would tell them to seek professional help, and to refrain from diagnosing themselves, but I would encourage them to be critical of themselves and to learn more.\nImo, the way out is through.", ">\n\nI agree with you but it’s not mostly women. Maybe by happenstance that’s the case in your circle but broadly men do this too.", ">\n\nDoctor's are consulting the Mayo Clinic website after talking to a patient and getting their symptoms. I bring that up to say this; a doctor's training is needed for very serious diseases and tricky diagnoses, but a semi-intelligent person could look up their symptoms and get a lot of the more minor stuff right.", ">\n\nI've never been diagnosed as clinically depressed or anything, but that doesn't mean that I don't suffer from depression a lot of the time (these last few years, more often than not). I see a therapist. I take antidepressants. \nI have a friend who has aphantasia. It isn't really a \"diagnosable\" condition, but it describes what he has trouble with: creating images in his mind.", ">\n\nThat’s different then going online and claiming perfectly normal traits mean you’re autistic", ">\n\nNeurodivergence ≠ mental illness.", ">\n\nThey know themselves and their experiences better than you.", ">\n\nOP, I'm seeing some differences between your post and what you're saying in the comments. \nMy question is, do you have a problem with people self-diagnosing, or is your issue more about people drawing a lot of public attention to their diagnoses?" ]

[ "The diagnosis process for a lot of psychiatric conditions are surveys and questionaires. You can go to a psychiatrist and ask if you're anxious and they'll give you multiple choice questions and diagnose off of that. Or you can just google the form yourself and self diagnose. A lot of psychiatric disorders are about how we feel and think. Not about sending off some blood sample to a lab and getting a positive result come back.\n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. For such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nWhat you're describing are all neuroses that could indicate some deeper psychiatric condition. Whether a person has a mental health condition or not, thinking of ourselves as weak victims is never helpful in any context, yet it's something we all feel from time to time.\nI'm a disability support worker, so when someone tells me they've got a self diagnosed condition, it's not offensive to me or any disabled person I know, it doesn't come across like they're invalidating anyone else's condition. However I do think everyone should talk to a doctor about any condition they feel they might have.", ">\n\nPiggybacking off of this: You’ve spent your whole entire life inside your own brain. A therapist will spend a period of hours with you and give you a diagnosis. Who do you think knows your personal reality better than yourself?", ">\n\nYeah exactly, especially with conditions such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, PTSD, and many other psychiatric conditions. These are things people know they have even before they get a diagnosis. The diagnosis stage is more about treatment and management.\nPeople might be unaware of how severe or mild their condition is, some people think they have only mild PTSD despite constant nightmares and suicidal ideation. Some people will think they have severe ADHD because they can't concentrate for long times on things that don't interest them. It's good to get some perspective from experts but ultimately people know when they are struggling to focus or to struggling to stop stressing all the time or struggling to not be miserable. Struggling with our thoughts and feelings is evidence enough to self diagnose.", ">\n\nI was recently diagnosed with ADHD as a woman so I find this viewpoint interesting.\nFirstly, autism is not a mental illness. An autistic person may have mental illness in conjunction with autism, but autism alone lies under the neurodivergent umbrella. Neurodivergency can include autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and other similar conditions.\nWhy women are often underdiagnosed\nThese are serious disabilities that can really impede a person's life, especially if they struggle to find help and acceptance in their community. A lot of women start their journey towards diagnosis later in life due to a number of factors such as:\n\nPoor diagnostic tools and inexperienced professionals\nA misunderstanding that autism and ADHD are more common in boys\nAdvanced masking techniques to cover their 'traits'\n\nWhy women are often diagnosed later in life.\nThe process for many women and men who are diagnosed later in life often includes a level of burnout or breakdown. After a while everything becomes too much, the mask begins to slip and your traits go into overdrive.\nWhy does self-diagnosing seem to be on the rise?\nA common way of finding out you could possibly be neurodivergent is through media and people who are aware of these traits appear.\nIn the past few years, I have seen an increasing awareness of neurodivergence in women pop up in the media. This is useful for people like myself who had no idea wtf was wrong with them for a very long time. For me, a GP actually suggested I seek a diagnosis due to some struggles I was going through.\nAs someone who went through this process self-diagnosing is commonly the first step as an adult. You might be directed to a questionnaire and are asked to evaluate yourself and your experiences thinking back to your childhood. If there's some merit in your experiences than you move to the next step which involves seeking a professional. Waitlists are often months to years long so many people live in limbo for a long time.\nMethods of living with ADHD can help everyone. And everyone experiences ADHD traits from time to time. Given a large amount of stress we have all suffered collectively, I don't doubt there are a lot of people with increased mental health issues that mirror neurodivergent traits. Some mental illnesses can get very severe and alter your brain chemistry and behaviour.\nMy takeaway from this is that the mental health systems set up to assist these people are a much larger issue and cause for serious concern than self-diagnosing.\nApologies for the spelling and grammar errors. Grammarly and Reddit don't play nice.", ">\n\nI think it's two things. One, people have identity crises, especially teenagers. We all know that type of person who tries on identities like hats. That's pretty embarrassing. You usually grow out of that.\nTwo, from personal experience, giving yourself a label or a diagnosis makes it feel more contained and easy to communicate. It's easier to tell someone that you have X and have them understand what you're going through rather than telling them you have these vague symptoms resembling what you imagine X is like. In that respect, it is pretty understandable, possibly good, and not embarrassing. There's something that is sort of reassuring if you can finally get a word to put on what you're experiencing.\nPeople often sympathize with the diagnosis but not with the symptoms. Tell people at work you're autistic and they will sympathize with you and possibly not attack you. Tell them you do not understand social cues and they will probably just make fun of you.", ">\n\nI understand the desire to put a label with a disease, and this is not necessarily bad, but the diagnosis needs to be correct. If you want to tell others that you are autistic or depressed; you must actually be those things. A person can almost never correctly assertion their disease, only their symptoms. People might better understand you if you say your autistic, but you may incorrectly understand and describe yourself. If one wishes to put a name with symptoms, they should find a doctor to pick the label", ">\n\nfor sure but unfortunately our medical system is a joke and even if you are experiencing very severe symptoms it can be nearly impossible to see a professional or take months on a waiting list.\nEven then a professional may be reluctant to slap a label on you for fear of what the consequences of that might be. I saw someone for a very long time who resisted any sort of actual diagnosis because the truth is that what I was experiencing didn't fit neatly into any of the boxes and pretty much belonged in this vague \"other\" category which isn't particularly helpful. Not to mention that misdiagnosis happens all the time even by professionals. \nI just think it is sort of understandable because I think a lot of stuff is kind of a spectrum anyway and just different levels of severity. Things can be really confusing and hard to nail down and thus communicate in a way that causes someone else to be understanding rather than judgemental.", ">\n\nAre you under the impression this is a new phenomenon? Because it's definitely not.\nPeople - especially young people! - crave identity. The world is a confusing place, knowing who you are makes it a little easier. Sometimes it's self-diagnosing mental illness or learning disabilities, or exploring sexual identity, or cliques, or subcultures. There's nothing embarrassing about it, it just is what it is.", ">\n\nIt’s ok to want to express individuality but not to the extent of totally destroying the definition of a real thing and making it hard for actual mentally Ill ppl to get a diagnosis. Why can’t people just accept that they’re different rather then giving themselves a label?", ">\n\npeople on TikTok claiming to have disorders that they don't doesn't affect the precision of psychiatrists diagnosing actual patients. There's no TikTok-said section in the DSM. Why do you think that it does?", ">\n\nIt just encourages more people to get diagnosed possibly skewing the meaning of the mental illness", ">\n\nSkewing it towards statistical accuracy? If people are actually diagnosed at higher rates, we have a better Guage of population-level mental illness, neurodivergency, etc. Better data is more usable, so that research actually means something actionable, ASIDE from the identity boost for young people.", ">\n\nI think what OP is driving at, but utterly failing to explain, is that they think that the fakers will be accommodated by the psychiatric system and diagnosed on the basis of fake symptoms. my sense is that isn't a problem but I don't have data.", ">\n\nDefinitely explained it a little better then I could lol", ">\n\nWhere do you see evidence of that? Any articles about fakers? How about a statistic? If not, it’s just a fear you seem to have.", ">\n\nI think the salient line here is this one:\n\nNeurologists were able to quickly determine that the subjects were not \nsuffering from Tourette's, but psychogenic tics driven by anxiety.", ">\n\nWomen are not born with less autism, but are much less likely to be diagnosed as children than boys. This is partly because boys generally have similar symptoms and behaviors. \nSo of course more women are self diagnosing autism, since their diagnoses were missed as children on a much higher rate.", ">\n\nAlright, I'm diagnosed OCD, PTSD, chronic depression. Diagnosed by a professional so I think I have some grounds to talk about this.\nFirst, let's tackle your women comment about autism. You see, I understand where you're coming from, but you lack the nuance of recognizing that mental illness, and illness in general, is heavily under-diagnosed in women. The medical culture is heavily favored towards men and is rampant with mysogyny, and that's not just me saying it as I've had medical professionals blatantly tell me it's a problem in the field when questioned about it. I've also had some tell me that it's just because women whine a lot, so yanno make of that statement what you will.\nNow that we've covered that let me address the self-diagnosing issue. So, do you want to know what my therapist thinks of self-diagnosing? Well, when I asked them about it they said that self-diagnosing is an important first step to seeking help. Psychiatrist said the same thing. It's normal, expected even, for people to self-diagnose their issues then seek help for them. You can't exactly just peer into someone's brain, no, that person has to tell you what they think is wrong and why they think it is. \nWhat you actually have a problem with is not self-diagnosis, but with people not seeking or not being able to get medical assistance and assuming they're right. You have a problem with people using these issues for attention, which I do too, but once again self-diagnosing is not the problem. Finally, you have a problem with the medical system that forces people into the position of trying to figure out their mental illnesses, but having no ability to get help for them.", ">\n\nI think I did it", ">\n\nSadly no lol, it was not done properly. Do you need a link to the rules?", ">\n\nI already read them i think I’ll figure it out in a bit sorry for the hold up", ">\n\nBecause everyone else is being aggressive: you have to comment with ∆ or !delta and then explain how your view has been changed", ">\n\nThis delta has been rejected. You can't award OP a delta.\nAllowing this would wrongly suggest that you can post here with the aim of convincing others.\nIf you were explaining when/how to award a delta, please use a reddit quote for the symbol next time.\n^Delta System Explained ^| ^Deltaboards", ">\n\nWhat gives you the authority or knowledge to know this is the problem?", ">\n\nYou don’t think it’s a problem that a lot of young ppl are willing to go to the extent of saying they are mentally Ill either for attention or to excuse their weirdness? Just accept that your different. It’s not wrong to believe you’re different without a label", ">\n\nYou did not even try to answer my question.", ">\n\nI’m sorry I was confused on what you meant", ">\n\nIf you are mad at people for self diagnosing themselves because they don't have the knowledge or authority to do so.... what gives you the knowledge or authority to diagnosis this as the problem behavior... basically are you just a kid that is annoyed, or is there some actual studies out there that is claiming this is a problem.", ">\n\nIf you don’t think that people consistently seeking attention for mental illness or craving a label so badly to justify themselves rather then being themselves. That just shows what your views are", ">\n\nDont you think we should leave the diagnosing to the professionals?", ">\n\nI mean yeah", ">\n\nWould you agree that you are diagnosing these people by saying that they are only seeking attention and do not have a real mental illness?", ">\n\nI’m assuming", ">\n\nThere may be some truth to people wanting to be different, however with mental illnesses being more accepted in today's society, many people are a lot more comfortable with being neurodivergent. Additionally, self diagnosis is common because the alternative is spending upwards to $1000-$2000 for a clinical diagnosis.", ">\n\nI know costs suck, but self diagnosis can be much more harmful. A web.md page that tells you your depressed when you may actually be bipolar can lead to really messed up results. I would even go as far as to say that no diagnosis at all is preferable to an uninformed one", ">\n\nWell.\n​\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad \n\nSo you already know why they're doing what they're doing in addition the fact that you know that they're not Autistic? If your claim is that they can't know and only a doctor can, what makes you more qualified? You start out your argument admitting that you have a bias.\n\nthey’re “neurodivergent.\n\nNeurodivergent is an umbrella that covers both Autism and ADHD, which sometimes get mistaken for each other. So if you're upset that they're self-diagnosing, this term should be more welcome than \"Autistic\" because it's more generalized.\n\nnd when you ask them how they know they’ll say “oh I have this weird tick when I uh laugh when someone says something funny “ or “I have a hyper fixation on this topic so I must be autistic\n\nHow else should they communicate it to you? The list of aspects of Autism, especially for how it presents in women, sounds a lot like this. You're not a doctor, they don't have to prove anything to you by going down the entire list of every possible part of their daily experience that might be on the spectrum.\n\nWomen statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nNope. Women are diagnosed less often than men because the original diagnostic criteria for Autism was for Autism as it presents in males. It presents differently for females and is harder to diagnose, especially at younger ages. \n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized\n\nTodays youth want to be victimized? Why would anyone want to be victimized? Something tells me you're missing the mark with this terminology.\n\nor have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. \n\nSo if someone is Autistic and that makes them weird, you'd rather them just be forced to not get to have a name for it, and get the therapeutic treatment that would help them?\n\nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really [are] without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nSome people are autistic. If they find out and it makes them feel good, that doesn't mean they're craving attention. And if they are craving attention, it's because they're normal people and everyone does. \nIf someone thinks they're autistic but it turns out they're actually not, chances are they suspected it for a reason. They might have ADHD, a personality disorder, a mental health issue, or simply a slightly different way of experiencing the world that feels unique to them and there's nothing wrong with that. \nYou seem to think that other people do things for you. People generally don't. They do things for themselves. This is especially true of people on the Autism Spectrum who may not be able to easily use other people's experiences to reference when constructing their view of the world, and can only use their own. Your interpretation wherein they do it to evoke a response from you says more about you than it does about them.", ">\n\nYou’re being deliberately obtuse. OP is completely correct. Most of the people these days who say “I’m ADHD” or “I’m autistic” or “I’m neurodivergent” are absolutely not diagnosed as such and are doing it to seem unique or get attention or as some excuse for why they did x y or z.", ">\n\nI'd like to point out that while some are perhaps attention seeking, many people self diagnose simply because they don't have access to free medical/psychological professionals to get proper diagnosis and help with their issues. I also know someone who doesn't want to get an official diagnosis because he's afrad it will affect his insurance rates or somehow come back to bite him if he's offically labeled with having a neurological disorder. \nThere is a wealth of knowledge on these subjects available online for those interested. And if they are truly interested in self diagnose they can likely do that accurately enough for all intents and purposes. Most of these people who search for the sake of better understanding themselves or their loved ones will openly admit that it's a self diagnoses, or say they THINK they have x,y, or z. But in some situations it's just as well to say they have it if they feel certain anyway, and it's just a passing comment, and not a discussion on the matter. \nIn other words, just because they self diagnose doesn't mean they're wrong, nor does it explain their motives. I also don't see how attention seeking (for those who ARE doing that) is really hurting anyone else. Fakers gonna be fake, that's more a \"them\" kind of problem. ANNOYING, but mostly harmless.", ">\n\nUnless you have a doctor's diagnosis you don't have the disorder. Even if you are broke there are programs to help with costs. \nAnd yes it does affect me when someone is treating me like shit and tries using the I have such and such as an excuse and then people get mad at ME for calling them in their bullshit.", ">\n\nNo. You have to have the disorder before you CAN be diagnosed, so obviously there are undiagnosed people who in fact \"have the disorder \". Your refusal to acknowledge an undiagnosed disorder does not mean they don't have it. Your personal experience with people supposedly using a fake diagnosis to treat you badly, sounds unusual. How do you know they DIDN'T have it? People who do lie and just want to be jerks will do that regardless of what methods they decide to try. The methods are irrelevant. And that motive is not typical of most self diagnosers .", ">\n\nSounds unusual? You must not get out a lot because it's become a pretty regular thing. Every single person I know (about 8) that have self diagnosed themselves as neurodivergent or with a mental illness like Bi-polar all use it to excuse their shitty ass behaviors. \nToo many disorders can mirror other ones. Just because they think they have 2/3 symptoms doesn't make them right by a long shot. Keep living in your bubble.", ">\n\nYou don't have to have a relationship with anyone. If they treat you badly, regardless of an official diagnosis or not, you don't have to tolerate them. It makes no difference what they have or don't have. What would it change if they got diagnosed and actually have it?", ">\n\nSelf diagnosing has been a thing forever\nAnd it's not a problem im 99% sure me or any other autistic person doesn't really give 2 fucks about people who wanna fake disorders. It doesn't stop us from getting help, we have doctors notes, medical files, sometimes even volunteers, you need those files to get into let's say a special education class, or a life skills course.\nSo unless you were diagnosed by a professional you're probably not gonna make it far faking it.\n(Excuse my shitty punctuation)", ">\n\nIt doesn’t bother you that they’re making others take the actual meaning away from what you were born with? I mean I’m sure autism hasn’t made your life easy and seeing ppl claim it for attention to be quirky probably has to annoy you a little right?", ">\n\nAt the end of the day I still have ADHD and I still need help with it. More people being diagnosed with it doesn’t change that fact. In fact I was diagnosed because I realized I related to so many tiktok memes, and I’m sure others are in my same boat. \nIn fact I think so many people talking about ADHD helps. It means more people who possibly have tips for me, people who are suffering who can’t afford treatment have an easy way to learn about how to improve their lives, and more people who are aware of my disorder.", ">\n\nI think people do diagnose themselves too often without seeking professional help. BUT mental illness is not the same as being neurodivergent.", ">\n\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad that they’ll go as far to say they’re “neurodivergent.”\n\nWhile this is the case, I don't really see how it's a \"problem\" per se. I guarantee that these people still make lifestyle decisions based on what they think is best, or based on what they want to do.\n\nbut it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women\n\nDo you have any statistics for that? I haven't experienced it that way in my own anecdotal experience, and I'd be curious to look into the data to see how much that truly does skew in that direction.\n\nwanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness \nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nI understand what you're trying to say here, but I don't really think these things are connected as much as you think they are. People see something wrong with themselves, so they either playfully or seriously consider the fact that it could be a condition that they have similar symptoms to. Not that it never happens, but just because someone categorizes themselves into a disability group that could potentially excuse their \"quirks\", doesn't mean they think that behavior is unacceptable in any way. People see a problem, and assume it's linked to this other issue that seems similar that they already know about.", ">\n\nI agree with the conclusion that self-diagnosis is a real issue, and I wouldn't be surprised if the data indicated it was on the rise. I wouldn't necessarily frame it as a simple desire to \"be victimized\" however. While it is purely speculation, I do believe there are a number of conditions which might lead towards a more frequent experience of symptoms associated with mental illness - a rising wealth gap, perpetual anxiety from a 24-hour news cycle, intensification of self-commodification, the student debt crisis in certain countries like the US, and so on. So people are experiencing symptoms like low energy, mood swings, etc. that can be associated with mental illness. The issue with self-diagnosis then becomes that it may correctly identify the symptom, but incorrectly identify the cause.\nThis video from the YouTuber HealthyGamerGG does a good job of explaining what some of the issues with self-diagnosis are, and for me it was a good starting place for thinking about this more. \nEDIT: I forgot this video literally starts with this same topic being brought up on this same subreddit lol", ">\n\nA great theory based on reasonable causes with an educational video from a psychologist(I assume) as evidence to back it up. I applaud you sir. 👏", ">\n\nWhy are you embarrassed by other people's issues?", ">\n\nI’m a 30yo male. If I had not first self diagnosed with ASD and OCD, I never would have found the language and resources to get a formal diagnosis and help.\nPrior generations have been so fixated on avoidance of diagnosing mental disorders, and research was previously so lacking that we are only just now (through those that do get diagnosed) realizing how common mental disorders are. That plus the lack of mental health resources for neurotypical and neurodivergent I think is how we end up in this situation of many recognizing their symptoms in the new discourse, but lacking the resources to overcome the barriers to proper diagnosis and treatment.", ">\n\nIt’s not the best thing, no. \nAs an adult FINALLY diagnosed (by a licensed therapist) at 41, I can tell you why ‘self diagnosis’ is so tempting. \nIn the US at least- mental health, and official medical diagnosis are almost completely inaccessible, especially as an adult. Most of us grew up before Autism was a spectrum, and ADHD was just boys who acted out in class. We felt like aliens. We couldn’t understand why we didn’t have many friends, or why we didn’t like the ‘right things’, and generally spend the bill of our lives feeling ‘wrong’, ‘broken’ or just simply like we didn’t belong. \nFinally understanding the WHY, and even better, finding tools to addresses our issues is a huge huge weight off the chest. The relief of having a name and a strategy- either therapy or medicine is such an amazing relief!!", ">\n\nI only kinda agree if I had not done my own research I would have never found out I have sjorgens syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis I know TikTok people tend to diagnose themselves and it makes it look cringe but when you live with a incurable illness sometimes you have to work to find a diagnosis", ">\n\nWell, what do you do of you absolutely know you're neurodivergent, but your parents decided not to get you checked? My mom once told me \"we knew you had something, we just didn't get you checked because they would have just put you on pills\". So I struggled with being different, socially unaware, impulsive, obnoxious, agressive, selfish, for the better part of my life without having the self awareness to understand why I was these things, and why people wouldn't want to be around me. \nIn my late 20''s I asked the question, what if I'm actually autistic? I looked up the symptoms, and 9/10 matched. As a child I couldn't handle loud noises, restrictive clothing, I didn't talk until I was 3. I would throw fits for seemingly no reason, I had obsessive interests. I've always really struggled with eye contact, and I never cared for conversation unless it was something I liked. I mean, when the final piece of a puzzle fits so incredibly well, it's really hard for it to be wrong. \nSelf diagnosing actually really helped me grow as aj individual. I became aware of all my divergent behaviors, and why it might be annoying for someone else to deal with. I came to the realization that I was the one who was different, therefore I needed to change. It's way harder to make everyone around you cater to your needs than to overcome the things that upset you. I'm at peace, I have good friends that I can connect with on a pretty deep level. I no longer smash coffee tables when I lose, I can now appreciate that if I lose it just means I have more to learn. I can keep my house clean, I can reasonably hold myself accountable. What exactly is the harm in all that?\nBesides, it would be pretty pointless for me to try and get a diagnosis now, I've put the effort in and largely come out the other side. Anyone diagnosing me would just say I was normal, but they wouldn't have the intimate knowledge of me that I do. I guess it doesn't matter if people don't believe me, I don't go around shouting that I'm autistic. I will say, it would be really nice if people appreciated the effort I put in to get to get to a place of normalcy, something others take for granted, but it's okay, we all have our struggles.", ">\n\nI feel you on all that. To play devil's advocate, mental healthcare in the U.S. is not cheap. Many people go to the internet and confirm their bias about their current health", ">\n\nI feel you on that too OP. I agree 100% with your entire statement.", ">\n\nIt's a problem, but not a new one. In the 1990s there was briefly a surge of people with a type of delusional parasitosis, that is, the false belief that they were infested with parasites. Except this one was supposedly an infestation with tiny fibres. They would come to doctors with a whole list of symptoms to back up their incorrect self-diagnosis.\nTo a certain extent, these are social contagions, which come and go, and often actually end up leading to people having real problems. Like, the young women you mention, a couple of decades ago may well have ended up with anorexia, or self-cutting. These days it might be a self-declaration of autism or a belief that they have gender dysphoria or that they have multiple systems living in their minds.", ">\n\nWow I did not know that. Maybe it’s just so prevalent today due to social media. Social media has only made these things worse imo", ">\n\nEven before it being self diagnosis of a mental illness it was always something. Remember all the emo and goth teenager?", ">\n\nIt depends on the context. For example, if they've done a substantial amount of research, can name a good amount of symptoms they have and reasons they have whatever mental illness and don't have access to the necessary tools to get a medical diagnosis, it's totally different. Some people don't have the money to go out and get a diagnosis, or sometimes it would be better to not get a medical diagnosis. I believe that the reason that a lot of people self diagnose themselves with things like Autism is because they want an explanation as to why they are different, and they could be right or wrong. I think the most important part is that if you go to a psychologist (or even two, I know a lot of people prefer getting second opinions) and they say you don't have it, that you need to admit you were wrong. It's ok to be wrong about your mental health, and the key is to keep looking and to not give up. I can completely understand the frustration in people completely missing how difficult it actually may be to have a mental illness. I was clinically diagnosed with Depression, Anxiety, and PTSD when I was seven, and I've had some experience with people faking mental disorders for attention, and more often then not, they have another mental disorder that needs attention. Recently I had a (now ex) boyfriend insist he had PTSD after being tested twice and the psychiatrist saying that he didn't have it. What he does have is Depression and Anxiety, but he absolutely insisted he has PTSD despite never exhibiting symptoms and the only evidence being a test he took online that was supposedly a \"real PTSD test.\" People faking mental illnesses only harms people who really have them, as these people tend to exaggerate symptoms and use their self diagnosis for attention. I believe that I am autistic, but I don't list it as a diagnosis because while I have read articles and taken the RAADS-r test, I don't have an official diagnosis, and I could very well be wrong. As for women faking illnesses more often, something I've noticed is that things like Autism, ADHD, ADD, etc are more often diagnosed in boys rather than girls- mostly because when they were first discovered, most of the research was done in boys. Autism shows up differently in girls, and can often be blown off as early puberty hormones. If their hyperfixations are those of stereotypical feminine things, it's just a girl liking whatever, and if they hyperfixate in stereotypical masculine interests, they tend to just be viewed as weird, but not autistic. It's normal for people to question, but I agree that to a certain point, self diagnosis can be harmful, but only if not done correctly.", ">\n\nFirst and foremost not a new problem at all, very common, we used to call it \"Being a hypochondriac\" until it aparrently became reconized which in it self is confusing and a bit contradictory.\nANYWAY\nIt isnt really a problem, no doctor is gonna write the perscription for medication without a diagnosis of some sort.\nAt most there is the vauge \"But what about those who actually have it who arent taken serious\" dont worry, we wouldnt have anyway. Thats kinda how invisible illnesses work.\nOverall the 101 hypochondriacs screaming about the symptoms they read in the ICD might help make the knowledge more common and help people better reconize if their colleagues or friends happen to show symptoms of something.", ">\n\nIt’s pretty expensive in the US to get diagnosed. Personally, I’ve self diagnosed myself out of frustration of the way I process things. I’ve always felt slow & my anxiety/depression was deep because of it, but I was raised in a family that doesn’t believe in mental illness. It was always “if you work hard enough, all your problems will go away”. Meanwhile, i was racking my brain on how to make myself think faster/smarter & it would result in psychotic episodes. I’ve gotten fired from jobs, dropped out of school. I started self harming because I hated myself and my brain & almost commit suicide bc I had no idea what was going on.\nThe relief I felt once I finally got a therapist who validated me & was the first to talk to me about mental Illness. It blew my mind and all of a sudden things actually made sense to me. I currently think I have ADD, and sometimes I’ll tell people that but will preface it by saying I’m not professionally diagnosed. Still, I use mental tools that help me get through the day and build my confidence. I’m a lot better at processing conversations, making lists that help me remember things, unmasking, slowing down my thoughts… etc. I’m less frustrated and can see the beauty in how I process things. I still want to get diagnosed but I have to get health insurance….. lol", ">\n\nSelf diagnosis, regardless of being factual is a process where the individual realizes that they might have a mental health issue. People who can do this are more likely to seek professional help compared to the people who think they are “fine”. Going to a professional, licensed psychologist or a psychiatrist will eventually diagnose them with the correct disorder from there, and professionals have the skills to communicate with them and they can together evaluate if the person’s complaint is the issue or not. There is nothing embarrassing about discovering one’s self. It would be a problem if people would identify with an issue and don’t have any willingness to seek help. Sometimes overreacting is better than not reacting.", ">\n\nThe majority of people who are self-diagnosed with autism have done extensive research into it to come to that conclusion. I personally went through the DSM criteria with a fine-tooth comb, made a list of all the ways I met it and discovered that there’s not a single criteria i don’t meet for autism. I didn’t read about anything else but autism for weeks, approaching it from all angles before coming to the conclusion that it’s highly unlikely I am not autistic. I’m waiting to hear back about an assessment, but I’m not waiting to go and be told something I already know before I start advocating for myself. \nOh, and I absolutely did not want to be ‘different’, in fact my life mission to just blend in and be average is the root cause of most of my problems, but here we are.", ">\n\nThis self diagnosing young people do isn’t the problem. The problem is that our society encourages it.\nOur culture is not set up to accommodate a wide spectrum of human needs. You may need things that I don’t. I may need things that you don’t. But in most business settings, academic settings, or even places like restaurants or leisure places, the world isn’t built to accommodate everyone. Our world and society is a “one size fits all” approach, and most people don’t fit snugly inside of that system. \nIf you can classify what is “wrong” or “different” about you into an easily digestible form, people are generally more able and more willing to accommodate you.\nFor example: if I tell my coworkers that I need to leave work early because of a headache, I’ll be shamed for it. And in some cases I’ll be told that “headaches aren’t that bad!” Or “You don’t need to leave.” Or “I have a headache too, just deal with it!”\nBut if I tell my workers that I need to leave due to a painful neurological condition that’s flaring up (I have chronic migraine, which is a neurological condition), they will respect it 100% of the time. It’s met with sympathy and not criticism.\nThis happens for all sorts of things. “Sorry Im late, I slept in.” Sounds a lot worse then, “sorry I’m late, my insomnia has been terrible lately.” \nOur culture forces us to use these labels even when they’re untrue just to receive sympathy or acceptance. The problem isn’t people who decide to use these labels, the root problem is that our society refuses to embrace and accommodate people who are outside of the “norm.”", ">\n\nSpeaking as someone who's had an autism diagnosis since age 7: if someone declares they're autistic when they're not, that's obnoxious at worst. If someone is told they're not autistic when they are, that can cause lifelong harm from denied care and understanding. I have seen this happen to a close friend of mine.\nTherefore, I'd much rather err on the side of acceptance. If you think you're defending me and others like me from impersonators, we'd rather not have your help.\n\nI know people will disagree but it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women. Women statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nCase in point: women are diagnosed with autism far less than men. Recent studies have pointed to decades of systematic misdiagnosis. The more visible autistic symptoms sometimes manifest differently in girls, the way they're socialized may help them hide it from a young age, and of course lots of doctors just say \"your daughter can't be autistic, that's a boy thing.\"\nWe're learning that there are hundreds of thousands of autistic women who slipped through the cracks and were denied the recognition and support they needed because of dismissive, gatekeeping attitudes just like yours.", ">\n\nThere’s a difference between having a disorder and relating to a disorder. If the tools or language associated with a disorder helps someone live better though then cool, it’s all still odd. Also autism presents differently in woman, and a majority of our research on it is on men. Best practice is probably to support them and encourage them to seek treatment.", ">\n\nAutism is severely misdiagnosed in women. Completely under diagnosed. Actually, plenty of things are. The actual problem that we have is parents refusing to let their children get professional help or a diagnosis. Most doctors will diagnose you with BPD as a woman(aka the new female hysteria of our century), maybe put you on some anti psychotics and send you your way. In most countries, a diagnosis/specialist is not readily available, or there is a long waiting list. Even so, the doctors are not know it all. I have seen plenty of doctors, I got different diagnosis almost each time. They ask you some general questions (about your mood, the way you sleep, if you can concentrate, if you harm yourself, if you have suicidal ideation, if you can socialize properly, if your parents were diagnosed with anything, if you have hallucinations or delusions, the works) and then based on that, they will give you a diagnosis. If you use your common sense and information on the internet (given you are knowledgeable on the subject), you can take a good guess on what's wrong. Obviously, some people will exaggerate like with anything (seeing the shadow dude once in your childhood is not a sign of psychosis, neither is hearing your name called when you are alone once in a blue moon), but if you have visual and auditory hallucinations, perhaps weird tactile feelings/hallucinations (spiders are crawling on me, etc), delusions, tend to be forgetful and out of teach with reality, there is a good chance you do have psychosis.", ">\n\nOkay, to start: what do you think autism and ADHD are? They aren't mental illnesses nor are they mental health conditions. \nTo address some of your other points; \nStudies have shown that autism has a gender expression of 1:1. The only reason that women are under diagnosed is because of misunderstandings towards autism, then the diagnosis is conducted incorrectly. Thus it ends up getting conflated with mental illness, E.G BPD, and is diagnosed as a psychiatric disorder instead. This is a detriment to the patient as the care regimes are black and white different. Often times this severely damages the woman.\nFrom data sets that I recall reading, malingering hasn't risen much, if at all, in recent times. I remember it being around 8% of the global population who are engaging in this behaviour, to different extents. I think what's happened is that social media has turned a torch onto it and it's risen in popularity in an algorithmic way. You see it more because it's pushed by the algorithm more because people are searching for it more. It isn't actually occurring any more or less than historically. Most of that attention is negative attention, I should add. \nSo there's two things to take away from that.\n1) The actual act of pretending to be mentally ill, or to have a disability, which is called malingering, is in fact a form of mental unwellness itself. It's a cry for help. The people who do these things are usually very unstable and should be treated with a degree of empathy. The dangerous types who are using mental illness to scam others, or to manipulate them, make up a very small percentage of the overall amount of people in that group and tend to abuse one on one. \n2) The predominant response to this is generally negative. There isn't really any reason to publicly malinger unless you're unstable, this is because a rational person would likely know this, and know the damage it would cause themselves. Self-diagnosis is a very long, and self-aware, process that takes place over years of the individuals life, and proceeds official diagnosis. \nNo one SDs and says \"Okay that's it now! Let me start a TikTok!\" You'd still want support, and you'd still seek support. So that would end up with a doctor, who would see that you're lying, and treat you for whatever was prompting you to malinger. Anyone who has made this commitment knows that keeping it private is a sensible thing to do in a world that isn't inclusive, and often very stigmatising. Sometimes official diagnosis can take YEARS. \nThis kind of propaganda has been going around for a long time in an effort to discredit disabled people and people with mental illnesses. It's not new. People said the same things back in the 90s. People will always be afraid, and dismissive, of things they do not understand. I invite you to try and understand.", ">\n\nI self-diagnosed myself with endometriosis for 10 years before a doctor finally listened to me, opened me up, and found my insides littered with lesions all over my organs. I’m now not able to get pregnant and I might need to get part of my bowel taken out someday. This could’ve been avoided if someone had just listened to me when I was 16. \nSelf-diagnosing is a necessity in a misogynist world! No one takes us seriously! Especially medical professionals. \nThe best antidote for this is to listen to women who self-diagnose. Why do they think they have XYZ? Is it heavily interfering with their life? I think that’s a much larger problem.", ">\n\nIts been proven that there is a bias to diagnose as opposed to not diagnose a mental illness in psychology. So op is actually kinda correct. The definition of a mental illness is in effect being stretched so far that people who are just kinda weird are being diagnosed with \"on the spectrum\". This is actually causing a problem in early learning because parents start treating their kids as essentially learning challenged when they're really not. So it is starting to become an excuse ...", ">\n\nWe live in a society that loves to medicate people. I know it’s different but Did ppl forget about the opioid epidemic? They’ll diagnose your ass with anything if they can", ">\n\nYa I tend to agree. And no one is really saying so I will I guess, but id wager that 50% of psychologist \"professionals\" are totally full of shit. The actual number of psychologists that are are doing real research and clinical studies is EXTREMELY small compared to how many \"psychologists\" are out there. Just like chiropractors, half of them are hacks..", ">\n\nAnd ill say one more thing, though it is anecdotal, but i have direct family that works in special education for young children, and that system is fucked with a capital F. Thay are constantly fighting against parents and programs who try to box kids in the \"autistic\" zone, when they are just really quite or shy, or have pee problems. But parents want an excuse and reason for their behavior, and reduce them to a sub standard education and treatment for the rest of their lives. It's heart breaking. Especially in public schools.", ">\n\nI’m 32 years old. \nI didn’t self diagnose for attention although I remember the days of tumblr where everyone self diagnosed for clout.\nIt took me a decade to realize what is really happening. During the decade before I realized what may have been happening I was told the following:\nI’m rude\nI’m bossy\nI have a RBF/I look mad\nI also only managed to make my first real friend at age 27.\nWhat I was really displaying was:\nBeing overly blunt and just trying to get my point across came off rude when I didn’t intend it to be that way\nTrying to have things done at a certain time and way that no one else thought was important to follow\nUnmasking\nNoticed other things too that I just thought was me being weird:\nVocal stimming\nOral stimming-chewing, smoking, vaping\nRepetitive motions\nRocking\nEasily overwhelmed by too much sensory input\nHigh startle reflex \nInability to regulate my body’s needs-I don’t know I’m hungry until I’m ravenous; don’t recognize the need to use the bathroom until it’s causing me to rush off, don’t realize I’m cold until I’m shaking\nI could go on.\nI want an assessment so bad. But assessments for adults are EXTREMELY hard to setup, if you can even set them up at all. Some states don’t even offer them. I’ve been looking but they are only for children and seem to look for severe cases.\n14 years of thinking I was just a bitch who couldn’t make friends because I was too weird…turns out it might be autism. And turns out I’ll most likely never get a true diagnosis. But the RAADS test gave me a 127 score so that might be the closest I’ll ever get.", ">\n\ni kind of self diagnosed autism? i’ve been to many psychiatrists and therapists for years and they always see adhd in the half an hour and prescribe meds for that, which makes me not go there again. if they dug a little deeper they could have seen autism, i spoke to my current psychiatrist about if its possible i have it, she didn’t want to confirm or deny as i was moving out of state from friends and family and am at an age where i can have kids in the next 10 years since she doesn’t want me being concerned for them. \nI think there’s still lots of stigma around autism even with professionals and especially when identifying it in women. \nI don’t want to be autistic, but i can recognise a lot of different patterns comparing myself and others. I’ve researched it a ton especially in how it shows in women compared to men and in all the articles i found myself relating.\nNow i don’t say im autistic, i say im a little sus of being it tho lmao. and try pass it off casually. I find it’s a lot easier for me to understand and embrace my differences compared to trying to hide it and try be like everyone else or wonder why im not like everyone else. \nBeing older i can also recognise how a lot of my family on one side have suffered mentally and because of obvious neurodivergence. so im pretty sure, like the rest of my mentally challenged brain, has been inherited genetically through that side. \nAll that being said. I self diagnosed when i was about 12 that im highly likely to be depressed and anxious in attempt to get my mom to believe me i needed help, and now 8 years later i can identify that this has been an issue forever for me and that i likely cannot go off my meds because i will just go back to how i used to be. Im still ocd with all my meds, but its better than being anxious and depressed all the time, Having ocd throughout the day is like heaven to me in comparison to how i used to be. obviously the ocd isnt new, just a lot more heard in my brain now.", ">\n\nOk, I know some people self diagnoze themselves with [insert some mental illness here] out of attention or whatever, and that's totally not ok.\nHowever, if you read all the symptoms and do proper research on a mental illness and everything clicks in to you, I'd say you can be fairly confident on a self diagnosis (although, it might be worth it to double check with a professional, especially if you want any sort of treatment). But also for some people, it might not be affordable to go to a professional...", ">\n\nI live in Canada, I've engaged with the medical system, doctors don't care and just want you out, ERs are a 8 hour wait for someone to ignore one thing and won't even entertain other issues even if they are related. Self-diagnosis is really the only way to get any kind of proper treatment at all. \nThe doctors will rubber stamp just about anything you ask for except pain killers but in terms of diagnosis you're way better off doing it yourself, sure you don't have 8 years of medical school but the doctors won't give you 5 mins of their time, they are not better than google and you give a lot more of a shit than they will and at the end of the day it's your body.", ">\n\nBack in the 90s when I was a teenager, the kids/teenagers/young adults who wanted attention, and wanted to be different, adopted the goth lifestyle. Dressing up in all black. White foundation with black lipstick and eyeshadow. It was the trendy way to be different, to be viewed as outcasts of society. To not fit in. \nThe goth lifestyle of the 2020s is self diagnosis. Same shit, different day.\nWhenever someone claims autism, or somewhere on the spectrum, I just roll my eyes and imagine that person just sucks at life.", ">\n\nI just think it’s a little more harmful nowadays due to the prevalence of social media. Ppl get sucked into groups and mindsets before they even have a real life chance. Then they hyper fixate on that they might be mentally Ill rather then just trying to live life to the fullest", ">\n\nI 100% agree with you", ">\n\nBecause it's the age of spin this generation has something for everybody. And all of them are Google doctors. Lol", ">\n\nTook my uncle till he was 38 even thought it was apparent to everyone. Hell he got expelled from two schools", ">\n\nI get what you're saying. I frankly find it weird that more people don't find this weird. People self-diagnosing themselves as all kinds of things not only completely misrepresents the actual conditions, thereby making people even more confused as to what they actually are and how they present, but also leads people to run to a psychiatrist claiming false symptoms and getting medication for something they don't have, which is NOT a good thing. People should never be taking medication unless it is necessary. We are a heavily over-medicated society and this is a big factor in that. Caffeine to wake up in the morning, \"immuno-boosters\" and mood stabilizers during the day, sleeping pills to sleep at night. The caffeine and sleeping pills are addictive and can really mess up your circadian rhythm, and the mood stabilizers can really fuck you up if you don't need them. Instead of rushing to diagnose and medicate everyone, we need to educate them on human behavior and show them that their \"mental health\" problems are completely normal.\nOh, so you get nervous right before you make huge life decisions? That's not Anxiety Disorder, it's just anxiety.\nOh, you are really sad because your cat died? That's not Clinical Depression, you are just grieving.\nOh, you went from really happy to really sad when you were previously happy and something really shitty happened to you and soured your mood? That's not Bipolar Disorder, that's just life.\nOh, you like to be more organized than the people around you? That's not Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, you just like to be organized.\nPeople really misunderstand the nature of these conditions and it hinders our collective progress in treating them, like dramatically inflating the number of actual conditions in the population, making it increasingly more difficult to determine how common and how varied they are. After all, in most cases it is not the psychiatrist or psychologist who makes you better, you make you better. Medication can help and other people can show you the path to success, but the problem will never get solved unless you play an active role in the treatment. Some conditions can never be solved, only lessened, while others are virtually untreatable. We need to stop making these conditions seem cool. They aren't. They are serious and need to be taken seriously.", ">\n\nHeavily agree and I appreciate how well this comment is worded. Wish I coulda worded mine a little better", ">\n\nYa I saw you getting shredded in the comments and figured I'd sum it up for you. 🤣", ">\n\nLmao bro I didn’t expect this many. I was thinking maybe like 20 ppl would reply", ">\n\nYou need to self diagnose in many cases in order to get adequate help.", ">\n\nI knew when I had ADD and IBS, and I was able to get my suspicions confirmed by my respective doctors. Doctors are there to help the patients understand themselves, whereas the patients have to go home every day and live with what they actually have. Do not be so quick to judge.", ">\n\nJust to add here - Autism in women is less prevalent because it presents differently and is often not picked up by standardised diagnostic tests (that were developed on an almost exclusively male sample). I think that also goes to show that there’s p significant issues with what we consider ‘scientific’ and research based in the first place.", ">\n\nI grew up in a small town and we had quite a few autistic boys but only one autistic girl. Literally only one out of like 6-8 grades. So that’s like a 10-1 ratio. It’s gotta be a lot statistically smaller then males. I don’t doubt it happens I just know it’s a lot less", ">\n\nYou think your small town’s makeup is generalizable to all of society? That isn’t how statistics work.", ">\n\nSo my question would be - so what do we do?\nYou think people are diagnosing themselves to gain attention. Fine, but what's the next step?\nSee, I think I might be bipolar 2. But I went on a journey where I looked into the techniques for dealing with this issue. That led me to cognitive behavior therapy.\nThat actually made me more convinced that this was my issue because I have taught myself a lot of cognitive behavior therapy techniques to address the same issues. These practices have really helped me.\nIt sounds like your issue is that these people are getting attention for it. To me, these are people who need someone to help guide them. That would have helped me a lot when I was younger. Society today doesn't really give us the tools to sort this out, but just the knowledge that these things exist can push someone down the rabbit hole to learn about therapy that could really help.\nI think you should ask yourself what your motivations are. Do you really want them to understand themselves? Or are you more interested in steering the conversation toward other topics?\nPersonally, I would deal with these people by paying them forward. I would tell them to understand the practices that typically help these people, and see if they are relevant. I would tell them to seek professional help, and to refrain from diagnosing themselves, but I would encourage them to be critical of themselves and to learn more.\nImo, the way out is through.", ">\n\nI agree with you but it’s not mostly women. Maybe by happenstance that’s the case in your circle but broadly men do this too.", ">\n\nDoctor's are consulting the Mayo Clinic website after talking to a patient and getting their symptoms. I bring that up to say this; a doctor's training is needed for very serious diseases and tricky diagnoses, but a semi-intelligent person could look up their symptoms and get a lot of the more minor stuff right.", ">\n\nI've never been diagnosed as clinically depressed or anything, but that doesn't mean that I don't suffer from depression a lot of the time (these last few years, more often than not). I see a therapist. I take antidepressants. \nI have a friend who has aphantasia. It isn't really a \"diagnosable\" condition, but it describes what he has trouble with: creating images in his mind.", ">\n\nThat’s different then going online and claiming perfectly normal traits mean you’re autistic", ">\n\nNeurodivergence ≠ mental illness.", ">\n\nThey know themselves and their experiences better than you.", ">\n\nOP, I'm seeing some differences between your post and what you're saying in the comments. \nMy question is, do you have a problem with people self-diagnosing, or is your issue more about people drawing a lot of public attention to their diagnoses?", ">\n\nOverall both but definitely the attention part more so for obvious reasons. The self diagnosing part due to the fact that it can make people believe it can be an excuse for their actions good or bad. I think In a weird way it can allow people to take away the responsibility of their own actions and attribute to their mental illness" ]

[ "The diagnosis process for a lot of psychiatric conditions are surveys and questionaires. You can go to a psychiatrist and ask if you're anxious and they'll give you multiple choice questions and diagnose off of that. Or you can just google the form yourself and self diagnose. A lot of psychiatric disorders are about how we feel and think. Not about sending off some blood sample to a lab and getting a positive result come back.\n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. For such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nWhat you're describing are all neuroses that could indicate some deeper psychiatric condition. Whether a person has a mental health condition or not, thinking of ourselves as weak victims is never helpful in any context, yet it's something we all feel from time to time.\nI'm a disability support worker, so when someone tells me they've got a self diagnosed condition, it's not offensive to me or any disabled person I know, it doesn't come across like they're invalidating anyone else's condition. However I do think everyone should talk to a doctor about any condition they feel they might have.", ">\n\nPiggybacking off of this: You’ve spent your whole entire life inside your own brain. A therapist will spend a period of hours with you and give you a diagnosis. Who do you think knows your personal reality better than yourself?", ">\n\nYeah exactly, especially with conditions such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, PTSD, and many other psychiatric conditions. These are things people know they have even before they get a diagnosis. The diagnosis stage is more about treatment and management.\nPeople might be unaware of how severe or mild their condition is, some people think they have only mild PTSD despite constant nightmares and suicidal ideation. Some people will think they have severe ADHD because they can't concentrate for long times on things that don't interest them. It's good to get some perspective from experts but ultimately people know when they are struggling to focus or to struggling to stop stressing all the time or struggling to not be miserable. Struggling with our thoughts and feelings is evidence enough to self diagnose.", ">\n\nI was recently diagnosed with ADHD as a woman so I find this viewpoint interesting.\nFirstly, autism is not a mental illness. An autistic person may have mental illness in conjunction with autism, but autism alone lies under the neurodivergent umbrella. Neurodivergency can include autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and other similar conditions.\nWhy women are often underdiagnosed\nThese are serious disabilities that can really impede a person's life, especially if they struggle to find help and acceptance in their community. A lot of women start their journey towards diagnosis later in life due to a number of factors such as:\n\nPoor diagnostic tools and inexperienced professionals\nA misunderstanding that autism and ADHD are more common in boys\nAdvanced masking techniques to cover their 'traits'\n\nWhy women are often diagnosed later in life.\nThe process for many women and men who are diagnosed later in life often includes a level of burnout or breakdown. After a while everything becomes too much, the mask begins to slip and your traits go into overdrive.\nWhy does self-diagnosing seem to be on the rise?\nA common way of finding out you could possibly be neurodivergent is through media and people who are aware of these traits appear.\nIn the past few years, I have seen an increasing awareness of neurodivergence in women pop up in the media. This is useful for people like myself who had no idea wtf was wrong with them for a very long time. For me, a GP actually suggested I seek a diagnosis due to some struggles I was going through.\nAs someone who went through this process self-diagnosing is commonly the first step as an adult. You might be directed to a questionnaire and are asked to evaluate yourself and your experiences thinking back to your childhood. If there's some merit in your experiences than you move to the next step which involves seeking a professional. Waitlists are often months to years long so many people live in limbo for a long time.\nMethods of living with ADHD can help everyone. And everyone experiences ADHD traits from time to time. Given a large amount of stress we have all suffered collectively, I don't doubt there are a lot of people with increased mental health issues that mirror neurodivergent traits. Some mental illnesses can get very severe and alter your brain chemistry and behaviour.\nMy takeaway from this is that the mental health systems set up to assist these people are a much larger issue and cause for serious concern than self-diagnosing.\nApologies for the spelling and grammar errors. Grammarly and Reddit don't play nice.", ">\n\nI think it's two things. One, people have identity crises, especially teenagers. We all know that type of person who tries on identities like hats. That's pretty embarrassing. You usually grow out of that.\nTwo, from personal experience, giving yourself a label or a diagnosis makes it feel more contained and easy to communicate. It's easier to tell someone that you have X and have them understand what you're going through rather than telling them you have these vague symptoms resembling what you imagine X is like. In that respect, it is pretty understandable, possibly good, and not embarrassing. There's something that is sort of reassuring if you can finally get a word to put on what you're experiencing.\nPeople often sympathize with the diagnosis but not with the symptoms. Tell people at work you're autistic and they will sympathize with you and possibly not attack you. Tell them you do not understand social cues and they will probably just make fun of you.", ">\n\nI understand the desire to put a label with a disease, and this is not necessarily bad, but the diagnosis needs to be correct. If you want to tell others that you are autistic or depressed; you must actually be those things. A person can almost never correctly assertion their disease, only their symptoms. People might better understand you if you say your autistic, but you may incorrectly understand and describe yourself. If one wishes to put a name with symptoms, they should find a doctor to pick the label", ">\n\nfor sure but unfortunately our medical system is a joke and even if you are experiencing very severe symptoms it can be nearly impossible to see a professional or take months on a waiting list.\nEven then a professional may be reluctant to slap a label on you for fear of what the consequences of that might be. I saw someone for a very long time who resisted any sort of actual diagnosis because the truth is that what I was experiencing didn't fit neatly into any of the boxes and pretty much belonged in this vague \"other\" category which isn't particularly helpful. Not to mention that misdiagnosis happens all the time even by professionals. \nI just think it is sort of understandable because I think a lot of stuff is kind of a spectrum anyway and just different levels of severity. Things can be really confusing and hard to nail down and thus communicate in a way that causes someone else to be understanding rather than judgemental.", ">\n\nAre you under the impression this is a new phenomenon? Because it's definitely not.\nPeople - especially young people! - crave identity. The world is a confusing place, knowing who you are makes it a little easier. Sometimes it's self-diagnosing mental illness or learning disabilities, or exploring sexual identity, or cliques, or subcultures. There's nothing embarrassing about it, it just is what it is.", ">\n\nIt’s ok to want to express individuality but not to the extent of totally destroying the definition of a real thing and making it hard for actual mentally Ill ppl to get a diagnosis. Why can’t people just accept that they’re different rather then giving themselves a label?", ">\n\npeople on TikTok claiming to have disorders that they don't doesn't affect the precision of psychiatrists diagnosing actual patients. There's no TikTok-said section in the DSM. Why do you think that it does?", ">\n\nIt just encourages more people to get diagnosed possibly skewing the meaning of the mental illness", ">\n\nSkewing it towards statistical accuracy? If people are actually diagnosed at higher rates, we have a better Guage of population-level mental illness, neurodivergency, etc. Better data is more usable, so that research actually means something actionable, ASIDE from the identity boost for young people.", ">\n\nI think what OP is driving at, but utterly failing to explain, is that they think that the fakers will be accommodated by the psychiatric system and diagnosed on the basis of fake symptoms. my sense is that isn't a problem but I don't have data.", ">\n\nDefinitely explained it a little better then I could lol", ">\n\nWhere do you see evidence of that? Any articles about fakers? How about a statistic? If not, it’s just a fear you seem to have.", ">\n\nI think the salient line here is this one:\n\nNeurologists were able to quickly determine that the subjects were not \nsuffering from Tourette's, but psychogenic tics driven by anxiety.", ">\n\nWomen are not born with less autism, but are much less likely to be diagnosed as children than boys. This is partly because boys generally have similar symptoms and behaviors. \nSo of course more women are self diagnosing autism, since their diagnoses were missed as children on a much higher rate.", ">\n\nAlright, I'm diagnosed OCD, PTSD, chronic depression. Diagnosed by a professional so I think I have some grounds to talk about this.\nFirst, let's tackle your women comment about autism. You see, I understand where you're coming from, but you lack the nuance of recognizing that mental illness, and illness in general, is heavily under-diagnosed in women. The medical culture is heavily favored towards men and is rampant with mysogyny, and that's not just me saying it as I've had medical professionals blatantly tell me it's a problem in the field when questioned about it. I've also had some tell me that it's just because women whine a lot, so yanno make of that statement what you will.\nNow that we've covered that let me address the self-diagnosing issue. So, do you want to know what my therapist thinks of self-diagnosing? Well, when I asked them about it they said that self-diagnosing is an important first step to seeking help. Psychiatrist said the same thing. It's normal, expected even, for people to self-diagnose their issues then seek help for them. You can't exactly just peer into someone's brain, no, that person has to tell you what they think is wrong and why they think it is. \nWhat you actually have a problem with is not self-diagnosis, but with people not seeking or not being able to get medical assistance and assuming they're right. You have a problem with people using these issues for attention, which I do too, but once again self-diagnosing is not the problem. Finally, you have a problem with the medical system that forces people into the position of trying to figure out their mental illnesses, but having no ability to get help for them.", ">\n\nI think I did it", ">\n\nSadly no lol, it was not done properly. Do you need a link to the rules?", ">\n\nI already read them i think I’ll figure it out in a bit sorry for the hold up", ">\n\nBecause everyone else is being aggressive: you have to comment with ∆ or !delta and then explain how your view has been changed", ">\n\nThis delta has been rejected. You can't award OP a delta.\nAllowing this would wrongly suggest that you can post here with the aim of convincing others.\nIf you were explaining when/how to award a delta, please use a reddit quote for the symbol next time.\n^Delta System Explained ^| ^Deltaboards", ">\n\nWhat gives you the authority or knowledge to know this is the problem?", ">\n\nYou don’t think it’s a problem that a lot of young ppl are willing to go to the extent of saying they are mentally Ill either for attention or to excuse their weirdness? Just accept that your different. It’s not wrong to believe you’re different without a label", ">\n\nYou did not even try to answer my question.", ">\n\nI’m sorry I was confused on what you meant", ">\n\nIf you are mad at people for self diagnosing themselves because they don't have the knowledge or authority to do so.... what gives you the knowledge or authority to diagnosis this as the problem behavior... basically are you just a kid that is annoyed, or is there some actual studies out there that is claiming this is a problem.", ">\n\nIf you don’t think that people consistently seeking attention for mental illness or craving a label so badly to justify themselves rather then being themselves. That just shows what your views are", ">\n\nDont you think we should leave the diagnosing to the professionals?", ">\n\nI mean yeah", ">\n\nWould you agree that you are diagnosing these people by saying that they are only seeking attention and do not have a real mental illness?", ">\n\nI’m assuming", ">\n\nThere may be some truth to people wanting to be different, however with mental illnesses being more accepted in today's society, many people are a lot more comfortable with being neurodivergent. Additionally, self diagnosis is common because the alternative is spending upwards to $1000-$2000 for a clinical diagnosis.", ">\n\nI know costs suck, but self diagnosis can be much more harmful. A web.md page that tells you your depressed when you may actually be bipolar can lead to really messed up results. I would even go as far as to say that no diagnosis at all is preferable to an uninformed one", ">\n\nWell.\n​\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad \n\nSo you already know why they're doing what they're doing in addition the fact that you know that they're not Autistic? If your claim is that they can't know and only a doctor can, what makes you more qualified? You start out your argument admitting that you have a bias.\n\nthey’re “neurodivergent.\n\nNeurodivergent is an umbrella that covers both Autism and ADHD, which sometimes get mistaken for each other. So if you're upset that they're self-diagnosing, this term should be more welcome than \"Autistic\" because it's more generalized.\n\nnd when you ask them how they know they’ll say “oh I have this weird tick when I uh laugh when someone says something funny “ or “I have a hyper fixation on this topic so I must be autistic\n\nHow else should they communicate it to you? The list of aspects of Autism, especially for how it presents in women, sounds a lot like this. You're not a doctor, they don't have to prove anything to you by going down the entire list of every possible part of their daily experience that might be on the spectrum.\n\nWomen statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nNope. Women are diagnosed less often than men because the original diagnostic criteria for Autism was for Autism as it presents in males. It presents differently for females and is harder to diagnose, especially at younger ages. \n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized\n\nTodays youth want to be victimized? Why would anyone want to be victimized? Something tells me you're missing the mark with this terminology.\n\nor have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. \n\nSo if someone is Autistic and that makes them weird, you'd rather them just be forced to not get to have a name for it, and get the therapeutic treatment that would help them?\n\nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really [are] without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nSome people are autistic. If they find out and it makes them feel good, that doesn't mean they're craving attention. And if they are craving attention, it's because they're normal people and everyone does. \nIf someone thinks they're autistic but it turns out they're actually not, chances are they suspected it for a reason. They might have ADHD, a personality disorder, a mental health issue, or simply a slightly different way of experiencing the world that feels unique to them and there's nothing wrong with that. \nYou seem to think that other people do things for you. People generally don't. They do things for themselves. This is especially true of people on the Autism Spectrum who may not be able to easily use other people's experiences to reference when constructing their view of the world, and can only use their own. Your interpretation wherein they do it to evoke a response from you says more about you than it does about them.", ">\n\nYou’re being deliberately obtuse. OP is completely correct. Most of the people these days who say “I’m ADHD” or “I’m autistic” or “I’m neurodivergent” are absolutely not diagnosed as such and are doing it to seem unique or get attention or as some excuse for why they did x y or z.", ">\n\nI'd like to point out that while some are perhaps attention seeking, many people self diagnose simply because they don't have access to free medical/psychological professionals to get proper diagnosis and help with their issues. I also know someone who doesn't want to get an official diagnosis because he's afrad it will affect his insurance rates or somehow come back to bite him if he's offically labeled with having a neurological disorder. \nThere is a wealth of knowledge on these subjects available online for those interested. And if they are truly interested in self diagnose they can likely do that accurately enough for all intents and purposes. Most of these people who search for the sake of better understanding themselves or their loved ones will openly admit that it's a self diagnoses, or say they THINK they have x,y, or z. But in some situations it's just as well to say they have it if they feel certain anyway, and it's just a passing comment, and not a discussion on the matter. \nIn other words, just because they self diagnose doesn't mean they're wrong, nor does it explain their motives. I also don't see how attention seeking (for those who ARE doing that) is really hurting anyone else. Fakers gonna be fake, that's more a \"them\" kind of problem. ANNOYING, but mostly harmless.", ">\n\nUnless you have a doctor's diagnosis you don't have the disorder. Even if you are broke there are programs to help with costs. \nAnd yes it does affect me when someone is treating me like shit and tries using the I have such and such as an excuse and then people get mad at ME for calling them in their bullshit.", ">\n\nNo. You have to have the disorder before you CAN be diagnosed, so obviously there are undiagnosed people who in fact \"have the disorder \". Your refusal to acknowledge an undiagnosed disorder does not mean they don't have it. Your personal experience with people supposedly using a fake diagnosis to treat you badly, sounds unusual. How do you know they DIDN'T have it? People who do lie and just want to be jerks will do that regardless of what methods they decide to try. The methods are irrelevant. And that motive is not typical of most self diagnosers .", ">\n\nSounds unusual? You must not get out a lot because it's become a pretty regular thing. Every single person I know (about 8) that have self diagnosed themselves as neurodivergent or with a mental illness like Bi-polar all use it to excuse their shitty ass behaviors. \nToo many disorders can mirror other ones. Just because they think they have 2/3 symptoms doesn't make them right by a long shot. Keep living in your bubble.", ">\n\nYou don't have to have a relationship with anyone. If they treat you badly, regardless of an official diagnosis or not, you don't have to tolerate them. It makes no difference what they have or don't have. What would it change if they got diagnosed and actually have it?", ">\n\nSelf diagnosing has been a thing forever\nAnd it's not a problem im 99% sure me or any other autistic person doesn't really give 2 fucks about people who wanna fake disorders. It doesn't stop us from getting help, we have doctors notes, medical files, sometimes even volunteers, you need those files to get into let's say a special education class, or a life skills course.\nSo unless you were diagnosed by a professional you're probably not gonna make it far faking it.\n(Excuse my shitty punctuation)", ">\n\nIt doesn’t bother you that they’re making others take the actual meaning away from what you were born with? I mean I’m sure autism hasn’t made your life easy and seeing ppl claim it for attention to be quirky probably has to annoy you a little right?", ">\n\nAt the end of the day I still have ADHD and I still need help with it. More people being diagnosed with it doesn’t change that fact. In fact I was diagnosed because I realized I related to so many tiktok memes, and I’m sure others are in my same boat. \nIn fact I think so many people talking about ADHD helps. It means more people who possibly have tips for me, people who are suffering who can’t afford treatment have an easy way to learn about how to improve their lives, and more people who are aware of my disorder.", ">\n\nI think people do diagnose themselves too often without seeking professional help. BUT mental illness is not the same as being neurodivergent.", ">\n\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad that they’ll go as far to say they’re “neurodivergent.”\n\nWhile this is the case, I don't really see how it's a \"problem\" per se. I guarantee that these people still make lifestyle decisions based on what they think is best, or based on what they want to do.\n\nbut it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women\n\nDo you have any statistics for that? I haven't experienced it that way in my own anecdotal experience, and I'd be curious to look into the data to see how much that truly does skew in that direction.\n\nwanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness \nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nI understand what you're trying to say here, but I don't really think these things are connected as much as you think they are. People see something wrong with themselves, so they either playfully or seriously consider the fact that it could be a condition that they have similar symptoms to. Not that it never happens, but just because someone categorizes themselves into a disability group that could potentially excuse their \"quirks\", doesn't mean they think that behavior is unacceptable in any way. People see a problem, and assume it's linked to this other issue that seems similar that they already know about.", ">\n\nI agree with the conclusion that self-diagnosis is a real issue, and I wouldn't be surprised if the data indicated it was on the rise. I wouldn't necessarily frame it as a simple desire to \"be victimized\" however. While it is purely speculation, I do believe there are a number of conditions which might lead towards a more frequent experience of symptoms associated with mental illness - a rising wealth gap, perpetual anxiety from a 24-hour news cycle, intensification of self-commodification, the student debt crisis in certain countries like the US, and so on. So people are experiencing symptoms like low energy, mood swings, etc. that can be associated with mental illness. The issue with self-diagnosis then becomes that it may correctly identify the symptom, but incorrectly identify the cause.\nThis video from the YouTuber HealthyGamerGG does a good job of explaining what some of the issues with self-diagnosis are, and for me it was a good starting place for thinking about this more. \nEDIT: I forgot this video literally starts with this same topic being brought up on this same subreddit lol", ">\n\nA great theory based on reasonable causes with an educational video from a psychologist(I assume) as evidence to back it up. I applaud you sir. 👏", ">\n\nWhy are you embarrassed by other people's issues?", ">\n\nI’m a 30yo male. If I had not first self diagnosed with ASD and OCD, I never would have found the language and resources to get a formal diagnosis and help.\nPrior generations have been so fixated on avoidance of diagnosing mental disorders, and research was previously so lacking that we are only just now (through those that do get diagnosed) realizing how common mental disorders are. That plus the lack of mental health resources for neurotypical and neurodivergent I think is how we end up in this situation of many recognizing their symptoms in the new discourse, but lacking the resources to overcome the barriers to proper diagnosis and treatment.", ">\n\nIt’s not the best thing, no. \nAs an adult FINALLY diagnosed (by a licensed therapist) at 41, I can tell you why ‘self diagnosis’ is so tempting. \nIn the US at least- mental health, and official medical diagnosis are almost completely inaccessible, especially as an adult. Most of us grew up before Autism was a spectrum, and ADHD was just boys who acted out in class. We felt like aliens. We couldn’t understand why we didn’t have many friends, or why we didn’t like the ‘right things’, and generally spend the bill of our lives feeling ‘wrong’, ‘broken’ or just simply like we didn’t belong. \nFinally understanding the WHY, and even better, finding tools to addresses our issues is a huge huge weight off the chest. The relief of having a name and a strategy- either therapy or medicine is such an amazing relief!!", ">\n\nI only kinda agree if I had not done my own research I would have never found out I have sjorgens syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis I know TikTok people tend to diagnose themselves and it makes it look cringe but when you live with a incurable illness sometimes you have to work to find a diagnosis", ">\n\nWell, what do you do of you absolutely know you're neurodivergent, but your parents decided not to get you checked? My mom once told me \"we knew you had something, we just didn't get you checked because they would have just put you on pills\". So I struggled with being different, socially unaware, impulsive, obnoxious, agressive, selfish, for the better part of my life without having the self awareness to understand why I was these things, and why people wouldn't want to be around me. \nIn my late 20''s I asked the question, what if I'm actually autistic? I looked up the symptoms, and 9/10 matched. As a child I couldn't handle loud noises, restrictive clothing, I didn't talk until I was 3. I would throw fits for seemingly no reason, I had obsessive interests. I've always really struggled with eye contact, and I never cared for conversation unless it was something I liked. I mean, when the final piece of a puzzle fits so incredibly well, it's really hard for it to be wrong. \nSelf diagnosing actually really helped me grow as aj individual. I became aware of all my divergent behaviors, and why it might be annoying for someone else to deal with. I came to the realization that I was the one who was different, therefore I needed to change. It's way harder to make everyone around you cater to your needs than to overcome the things that upset you. I'm at peace, I have good friends that I can connect with on a pretty deep level. I no longer smash coffee tables when I lose, I can now appreciate that if I lose it just means I have more to learn. I can keep my house clean, I can reasonably hold myself accountable. What exactly is the harm in all that?\nBesides, it would be pretty pointless for me to try and get a diagnosis now, I've put the effort in and largely come out the other side. Anyone diagnosing me would just say I was normal, but they wouldn't have the intimate knowledge of me that I do. I guess it doesn't matter if people don't believe me, I don't go around shouting that I'm autistic. I will say, it would be really nice if people appreciated the effort I put in to get to get to a place of normalcy, something others take for granted, but it's okay, we all have our struggles.", ">\n\nI feel you on all that. To play devil's advocate, mental healthcare in the U.S. is not cheap. Many people go to the internet and confirm their bias about their current health", ">\n\nI feel you on that too OP. I agree 100% with your entire statement.", ">\n\nIt's a problem, but not a new one. In the 1990s there was briefly a surge of people with a type of delusional parasitosis, that is, the false belief that they were infested with parasites. Except this one was supposedly an infestation with tiny fibres. They would come to doctors with a whole list of symptoms to back up their incorrect self-diagnosis.\nTo a certain extent, these are social contagions, which come and go, and often actually end up leading to people having real problems. Like, the young women you mention, a couple of decades ago may well have ended up with anorexia, or self-cutting. These days it might be a self-declaration of autism or a belief that they have gender dysphoria or that they have multiple systems living in their minds.", ">\n\nWow I did not know that. Maybe it’s just so prevalent today due to social media. Social media has only made these things worse imo", ">\n\nEven before it being self diagnosis of a mental illness it was always something. Remember all the emo and goth teenager?", ">\n\nIt depends on the context. For example, if they've done a substantial amount of research, can name a good amount of symptoms they have and reasons they have whatever mental illness and don't have access to the necessary tools to get a medical diagnosis, it's totally different. Some people don't have the money to go out and get a diagnosis, or sometimes it would be better to not get a medical diagnosis. I believe that the reason that a lot of people self diagnose themselves with things like Autism is because they want an explanation as to why they are different, and they could be right or wrong. I think the most important part is that if you go to a psychologist (or even two, I know a lot of people prefer getting second opinions) and they say you don't have it, that you need to admit you were wrong. It's ok to be wrong about your mental health, and the key is to keep looking and to not give up. I can completely understand the frustration in people completely missing how difficult it actually may be to have a mental illness. I was clinically diagnosed with Depression, Anxiety, and PTSD when I was seven, and I've had some experience with people faking mental disorders for attention, and more often then not, they have another mental disorder that needs attention. Recently I had a (now ex) boyfriend insist he had PTSD after being tested twice and the psychiatrist saying that he didn't have it. What he does have is Depression and Anxiety, but he absolutely insisted he has PTSD despite never exhibiting symptoms and the only evidence being a test he took online that was supposedly a \"real PTSD test.\" People faking mental illnesses only harms people who really have them, as these people tend to exaggerate symptoms and use their self diagnosis for attention. I believe that I am autistic, but I don't list it as a diagnosis because while I have read articles and taken the RAADS-r test, I don't have an official diagnosis, and I could very well be wrong. As for women faking illnesses more often, something I've noticed is that things like Autism, ADHD, ADD, etc are more often diagnosed in boys rather than girls- mostly because when they were first discovered, most of the research was done in boys. Autism shows up differently in girls, and can often be blown off as early puberty hormones. If their hyperfixations are those of stereotypical feminine things, it's just a girl liking whatever, and if they hyperfixate in stereotypical masculine interests, they tend to just be viewed as weird, but not autistic. It's normal for people to question, but I agree that to a certain point, self diagnosis can be harmful, but only if not done correctly.", ">\n\nFirst and foremost not a new problem at all, very common, we used to call it \"Being a hypochondriac\" until it aparrently became reconized which in it self is confusing and a bit contradictory.\nANYWAY\nIt isnt really a problem, no doctor is gonna write the perscription for medication without a diagnosis of some sort.\nAt most there is the vauge \"But what about those who actually have it who arent taken serious\" dont worry, we wouldnt have anyway. Thats kinda how invisible illnesses work.\nOverall the 101 hypochondriacs screaming about the symptoms they read in the ICD might help make the knowledge more common and help people better reconize if their colleagues or friends happen to show symptoms of something.", ">\n\nIt’s pretty expensive in the US to get diagnosed. Personally, I’ve self diagnosed myself out of frustration of the way I process things. I’ve always felt slow & my anxiety/depression was deep because of it, but I was raised in a family that doesn’t believe in mental illness. It was always “if you work hard enough, all your problems will go away”. Meanwhile, i was racking my brain on how to make myself think faster/smarter & it would result in psychotic episodes. I’ve gotten fired from jobs, dropped out of school. I started self harming because I hated myself and my brain & almost commit suicide bc I had no idea what was going on.\nThe relief I felt once I finally got a therapist who validated me & was the first to talk to me about mental Illness. It blew my mind and all of a sudden things actually made sense to me. I currently think I have ADD, and sometimes I’ll tell people that but will preface it by saying I’m not professionally diagnosed. Still, I use mental tools that help me get through the day and build my confidence. I’m a lot better at processing conversations, making lists that help me remember things, unmasking, slowing down my thoughts… etc. I’m less frustrated and can see the beauty in how I process things. I still want to get diagnosed but I have to get health insurance….. lol", ">\n\nSelf diagnosis, regardless of being factual is a process where the individual realizes that they might have a mental health issue. People who can do this are more likely to seek professional help compared to the people who think they are “fine”. Going to a professional, licensed psychologist or a psychiatrist will eventually diagnose them with the correct disorder from there, and professionals have the skills to communicate with them and they can together evaluate if the person’s complaint is the issue or not. There is nothing embarrassing about discovering one’s self. It would be a problem if people would identify with an issue and don’t have any willingness to seek help. Sometimes overreacting is better than not reacting.", ">\n\nThe majority of people who are self-diagnosed with autism have done extensive research into it to come to that conclusion. I personally went through the DSM criteria with a fine-tooth comb, made a list of all the ways I met it and discovered that there’s not a single criteria i don’t meet for autism. I didn’t read about anything else but autism for weeks, approaching it from all angles before coming to the conclusion that it’s highly unlikely I am not autistic. I’m waiting to hear back about an assessment, but I’m not waiting to go and be told something I already know before I start advocating for myself. \nOh, and I absolutely did not want to be ‘different’, in fact my life mission to just blend in and be average is the root cause of most of my problems, but here we are.", ">\n\nThis self diagnosing young people do isn’t the problem. The problem is that our society encourages it.\nOur culture is not set up to accommodate a wide spectrum of human needs. You may need things that I don’t. I may need things that you don’t. But in most business settings, academic settings, or even places like restaurants or leisure places, the world isn’t built to accommodate everyone. Our world and society is a “one size fits all” approach, and most people don’t fit snugly inside of that system. \nIf you can classify what is “wrong” or “different” about you into an easily digestible form, people are generally more able and more willing to accommodate you.\nFor example: if I tell my coworkers that I need to leave work early because of a headache, I’ll be shamed for it. And in some cases I’ll be told that “headaches aren’t that bad!” Or “You don’t need to leave.” Or “I have a headache too, just deal with it!”\nBut if I tell my workers that I need to leave due to a painful neurological condition that’s flaring up (I have chronic migraine, which is a neurological condition), they will respect it 100% of the time. It’s met with sympathy and not criticism.\nThis happens for all sorts of things. “Sorry Im late, I slept in.” Sounds a lot worse then, “sorry I’m late, my insomnia has been terrible lately.” \nOur culture forces us to use these labels even when they’re untrue just to receive sympathy or acceptance. The problem isn’t people who decide to use these labels, the root problem is that our society refuses to embrace and accommodate people who are outside of the “norm.”", ">\n\nSpeaking as someone who's had an autism diagnosis since age 7: if someone declares they're autistic when they're not, that's obnoxious at worst. If someone is told they're not autistic when they are, that can cause lifelong harm from denied care and understanding. I have seen this happen to a close friend of mine.\nTherefore, I'd much rather err on the side of acceptance. If you think you're defending me and others like me from impersonators, we'd rather not have your help.\n\nI know people will disagree but it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women. Women statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nCase in point: women are diagnosed with autism far less than men. Recent studies have pointed to decades of systematic misdiagnosis. The more visible autistic symptoms sometimes manifest differently in girls, the way they're socialized may help them hide it from a young age, and of course lots of doctors just say \"your daughter can't be autistic, that's a boy thing.\"\nWe're learning that there are hundreds of thousands of autistic women who slipped through the cracks and were denied the recognition and support they needed because of dismissive, gatekeeping attitudes just like yours.", ">\n\nThere’s a difference between having a disorder and relating to a disorder. If the tools or language associated with a disorder helps someone live better though then cool, it’s all still odd. Also autism presents differently in woman, and a majority of our research on it is on men. Best practice is probably to support them and encourage them to seek treatment.", ">\n\nAutism is severely misdiagnosed in women. Completely under diagnosed. Actually, plenty of things are. The actual problem that we have is parents refusing to let their children get professional help or a diagnosis. Most doctors will diagnose you with BPD as a woman(aka the new female hysteria of our century), maybe put you on some anti psychotics and send you your way. In most countries, a diagnosis/specialist is not readily available, or there is a long waiting list. Even so, the doctors are not know it all. I have seen plenty of doctors, I got different diagnosis almost each time. They ask you some general questions (about your mood, the way you sleep, if you can concentrate, if you harm yourself, if you have suicidal ideation, if you can socialize properly, if your parents were diagnosed with anything, if you have hallucinations or delusions, the works) and then based on that, they will give you a diagnosis. If you use your common sense and information on the internet (given you are knowledgeable on the subject), you can take a good guess on what's wrong. Obviously, some people will exaggerate like with anything (seeing the shadow dude once in your childhood is not a sign of psychosis, neither is hearing your name called when you are alone once in a blue moon), but if you have visual and auditory hallucinations, perhaps weird tactile feelings/hallucinations (spiders are crawling on me, etc), delusions, tend to be forgetful and out of teach with reality, there is a good chance you do have psychosis.", ">\n\nOkay, to start: what do you think autism and ADHD are? They aren't mental illnesses nor are they mental health conditions. \nTo address some of your other points; \nStudies have shown that autism has a gender expression of 1:1. The only reason that women are under diagnosed is because of misunderstandings towards autism, then the diagnosis is conducted incorrectly. Thus it ends up getting conflated with mental illness, E.G BPD, and is diagnosed as a psychiatric disorder instead. This is a detriment to the patient as the care regimes are black and white different. Often times this severely damages the woman.\nFrom data sets that I recall reading, malingering hasn't risen much, if at all, in recent times. I remember it being around 8% of the global population who are engaging in this behaviour, to different extents. I think what's happened is that social media has turned a torch onto it and it's risen in popularity in an algorithmic way. You see it more because it's pushed by the algorithm more because people are searching for it more. It isn't actually occurring any more or less than historically. Most of that attention is negative attention, I should add. \nSo there's two things to take away from that.\n1) The actual act of pretending to be mentally ill, or to have a disability, which is called malingering, is in fact a form of mental unwellness itself. It's a cry for help. The people who do these things are usually very unstable and should be treated with a degree of empathy. The dangerous types who are using mental illness to scam others, or to manipulate them, make up a very small percentage of the overall amount of people in that group and tend to abuse one on one. \n2) The predominant response to this is generally negative. There isn't really any reason to publicly malinger unless you're unstable, this is because a rational person would likely know this, and know the damage it would cause themselves. Self-diagnosis is a very long, and self-aware, process that takes place over years of the individuals life, and proceeds official diagnosis. \nNo one SDs and says \"Okay that's it now! Let me start a TikTok!\" You'd still want support, and you'd still seek support. So that would end up with a doctor, who would see that you're lying, and treat you for whatever was prompting you to malinger. Anyone who has made this commitment knows that keeping it private is a sensible thing to do in a world that isn't inclusive, and often very stigmatising. Sometimes official diagnosis can take YEARS. \nThis kind of propaganda has been going around for a long time in an effort to discredit disabled people and people with mental illnesses. It's not new. People said the same things back in the 90s. People will always be afraid, and dismissive, of things they do not understand. I invite you to try and understand.", ">\n\nI self-diagnosed myself with endometriosis for 10 years before a doctor finally listened to me, opened me up, and found my insides littered with lesions all over my organs. I’m now not able to get pregnant and I might need to get part of my bowel taken out someday. This could’ve been avoided if someone had just listened to me when I was 16. \nSelf-diagnosing is a necessity in a misogynist world! No one takes us seriously! Especially medical professionals. \nThe best antidote for this is to listen to women who self-diagnose. Why do they think they have XYZ? Is it heavily interfering with their life? I think that’s a much larger problem.", ">\n\nIts been proven that there is a bias to diagnose as opposed to not diagnose a mental illness in psychology. So op is actually kinda correct. The definition of a mental illness is in effect being stretched so far that people who are just kinda weird are being diagnosed with \"on the spectrum\". This is actually causing a problem in early learning because parents start treating their kids as essentially learning challenged when they're really not. So it is starting to become an excuse ...", ">\n\nWe live in a society that loves to medicate people. I know it’s different but Did ppl forget about the opioid epidemic? They’ll diagnose your ass with anything if they can", ">\n\nYa I tend to agree. And no one is really saying so I will I guess, but id wager that 50% of psychologist \"professionals\" are totally full of shit. The actual number of psychologists that are are doing real research and clinical studies is EXTREMELY small compared to how many \"psychologists\" are out there. Just like chiropractors, half of them are hacks..", ">\n\nAnd ill say one more thing, though it is anecdotal, but i have direct family that works in special education for young children, and that system is fucked with a capital F. Thay are constantly fighting against parents and programs who try to box kids in the \"autistic\" zone, when they are just really quite or shy, or have pee problems. But parents want an excuse and reason for their behavior, and reduce them to a sub standard education and treatment for the rest of their lives. It's heart breaking. Especially in public schools.", ">\n\nI’m 32 years old. \nI didn’t self diagnose for attention although I remember the days of tumblr where everyone self diagnosed for clout.\nIt took me a decade to realize what is really happening. During the decade before I realized what may have been happening I was told the following:\nI’m rude\nI’m bossy\nI have a RBF/I look mad\nI also only managed to make my first real friend at age 27.\nWhat I was really displaying was:\nBeing overly blunt and just trying to get my point across came off rude when I didn’t intend it to be that way\nTrying to have things done at a certain time and way that no one else thought was important to follow\nUnmasking\nNoticed other things too that I just thought was me being weird:\nVocal stimming\nOral stimming-chewing, smoking, vaping\nRepetitive motions\nRocking\nEasily overwhelmed by too much sensory input\nHigh startle reflex \nInability to regulate my body’s needs-I don’t know I’m hungry until I’m ravenous; don’t recognize the need to use the bathroom until it’s causing me to rush off, don’t realize I’m cold until I’m shaking\nI could go on.\nI want an assessment so bad. But assessments for adults are EXTREMELY hard to setup, if you can even set them up at all. Some states don’t even offer them. I’ve been looking but they are only for children and seem to look for severe cases.\n14 years of thinking I was just a bitch who couldn’t make friends because I was too weird…turns out it might be autism. And turns out I’ll most likely never get a true diagnosis. But the RAADS test gave me a 127 score so that might be the closest I’ll ever get.", ">\n\ni kind of self diagnosed autism? i’ve been to many psychiatrists and therapists for years and they always see adhd in the half an hour and prescribe meds for that, which makes me not go there again. if they dug a little deeper they could have seen autism, i spoke to my current psychiatrist about if its possible i have it, she didn’t want to confirm or deny as i was moving out of state from friends and family and am at an age where i can have kids in the next 10 years since she doesn’t want me being concerned for them. \nI think there’s still lots of stigma around autism even with professionals and especially when identifying it in women. \nI don’t want to be autistic, but i can recognise a lot of different patterns comparing myself and others. I’ve researched it a ton especially in how it shows in women compared to men and in all the articles i found myself relating.\nNow i don’t say im autistic, i say im a little sus of being it tho lmao. and try pass it off casually. I find it’s a lot easier for me to understand and embrace my differences compared to trying to hide it and try be like everyone else or wonder why im not like everyone else. \nBeing older i can also recognise how a lot of my family on one side have suffered mentally and because of obvious neurodivergence. so im pretty sure, like the rest of my mentally challenged brain, has been inherited genetically through that side. \nAll that being said. I self diagnosed when i was about 12 that im highly likely to be depressed and anxious in attempt to get my mom to believe me i needed help, and now 8 years later i can identify that this has been an issue forever for me and that i likely cannot go off my meds because i will just go back to how i used to be. Im still ocd with all my meds, but its better than being anxious and depressed all the time, Having ocd throughout the day is like heaven to me in comparison to how i used to be. obviously the ocd isnt new, just a lot more heard in my brain now.", ">\n\nOk, I know some people self diagnoze themselves with [insert some mental illness here] out of attention or whatever, and that's totally not ok.\nHowever, if you read all the symptoms and do proper research on a mental illness and everything clicks in to you, I'd say you can be fairly confident on a self diagnosis (although, it might be worth it to double check with a professional, especially if you want any sort of treatment). But also for some people, it might not be affordable to go to a professional...", ">\n\nI live in Canada, I've engaged with the medical system, doctors don't care and just want you out, ERs are a 8 hour wait for someone to ignore one thing and won't even entertain other issues even if they are related. Self-diagnosis is really the only way to get any kind of proper treatment at all. \nThe doctors will rubber stamp just about anything you ask for except pain killers but in terms of diagnosis you're way better off doing it yourself, sure you don't have 8 years of medical school but the doctors won't give you 5 mins of their time, they are not better than google and you give a lot more of a shit than they will and at the end of the day it's your body.", ">\n\nBack in the 90s when I was a teenager, the kids/teenagers/young adults who wanted attention, and wanted to be different, adopted the goth lifestyle. Dressing up in all black. White foundation with black lipstick and eyeshadow. It was the trendy way to be different, to be viewed as outcasts of society. To not fit in. \nThe goth lifestyle of the 2020s is self diagnosis. Same shit, different day.\nWhenever someone claims autism, or somewhere on the spectrum, I just roll my eyes and imagine that person just sucks at life.", ">\n\nI just think it’s a little more harmful nowadays due to the prevalence of social media. Ppl get sucked into groups and mindsets before they even have a real life chance. Then they hyper fixate on that they might be mentally Ill rather then just trying to live life to the fullest", ">\n\nI 100% agree with you", ">\n\nBecause it's the age of spin this generation has something for everybody. And all of them are Google doctors. Lol", ">\n\nTook my uncle till he was 38 even thought it was apparent to everyone. Hell he got expelled from two schools", ">\n\nI get what you're saying. I frankly find it weird that more people don't find this weird. People self-diagnosing themselves as all kinds of things not only completely misrepresents the actual conditions, thereby making people even more confused as to what they actually are and how they present, but also leads people to run to a psychiatrist claiming false symptoms and getting medication for something they don't have, which is NOT a good thing. People should never be taking medication unless it is necessary. We are a heavily over-medicated society and this is a big factor in that. Caffeine to wake up in the morning, \"immuno-boosters\" and mood stabilizers during the day, sleeping pills to sleep at night. The caffeine and sleeping pills are addictive and can really mess up your circadian rhythm, and the mood stabilizers can really fuck you up if you don't need them. Instead of rushing to diagnose and medicate everyone, we need to educate them on human behavior and show them that their \"mental health\" problems are completely normal.\nOh, so you get nervous right before you make huge life decisions? That's not Anxiety Disorder, it's just anxiety.\nOh, you are really sad because your cat died? That's not Clinical Depression, you are just grieving.\nOh, you went from really happy to really sad when you were previously happy and something really shitty happened to you and soured your mood? That's not Bipolar Disorder, that's just life.\nOh, you like to be more organized than the people around you? That's not Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, you just like to be organized.\nPeople really misunderstand the nature of these conditions and it hinders our collective progress in treating them, like dramatically inflating the number of actual conditions in the population, making it increasingly more difficult to determine how common and how varied they are. After all, in most cases it is not the psychiatrist or psychologist who makes you better, you make you better. Medication can help and other people can show you the path to success, but the problem will never get solved unless you play an active role in the treatment. Some conditions can never be solved, only lessened, while others are virtually untreatable. We need to stop making these conditions seem cool. They aren't. They are serious and need to be taken seriously.", ">\n\nHeavily agree and I appreciate how well this comment is worded. Wish I coulda worded mine a little better", ">\n\nYa I saw you getting shredded in the comments and figured I'd sum it up for you. 🤣", ">\n\nLmao bro I didn’t expect this many. I was thinking maybe like 20 ppl would reply", ">\n\nYou need to self diagnose in many cases in order to get adequate help.", ">\n\nI knew when I had ADD and IBS, and I was able to get my suspicions confirmed by my respective doctors. Doctors are there to help the patients understand themselves, whereas the patients have to go home every day and live with what they actually have. Do not be so quick to judge.", ">\n\nJust to add here - Autism in women is less prevalent because it presents differently and is often not picked up by standardised diagnostic tests (that were developed on an almost exclusively male sample). I think that also goes to show that there’s p significant issues with what we consider ‘scientific’ and research based in the first place.", ">\n\nI grew up in a small town and we had quite a few autistic boys but only one autistic girl. Literally only one out of like 6-8 grades. So that’s like a 10-1 ratio. It’s gotta be a lot statistically smaller then males. I don’t doubt it happens I just know it’s a lot less", ">\n\nYou think your small town’s makeup is generalizable to all of society? That isn’t how statistics work.", ">\n\nSo my question would be - so what do we do?\nYou think people are diagnosing themselves to gain attention. Fine, but what's the next step?\nSee, I think I might be bipolar 2. But I went on a journey where I looked into the techniques for dealing with this issue. That led me to cognitive behavior therapy.\nThat actually made me more convinced that this was my issue because I have taught myself a lot of cognitive behavior therapy techniques to address the same issues. These practices have really helped me.\nIt sounds like your issue is that these people are getting attention for it. To me, these are people who need someone to help guide them. That would have helped me a lot when I was younger. Society today doesn't really give us the tools to sort this out, but just the knowledge that these things exist can push someone down the rabbit hole to learn about therapy that could really help.\nI think you should ask yourself what your motivations are. Do you really want them to understand themselves? Or are you more interested in steering the conversation toward other topics?\nPersonally, I would deal with these people by paying them forward. I would tell them to understand the practices that typically help these people, and see if they are relevant. I would tell them to seek professional help, and to refrain from diagnosing themselves, but I would encourage them to be critical of themselves and to learn more.\nImo, the way out is through.", ">\n\nI agree with you but it’s not mostly women. Maybe by happenstance that’s the case in your circle but broadly men do this too.", ">\n\nDoctor's are consulting the Mayo Clinic website after talking to a patient and getting their symptoms. I bring that up to say this; a doctor's training is needed for very serious diseases and tricky diagnoses, but a semi-intelligent person could look up their symptoms and get a lot of the more minor stuff right.", ">\n\nI've never been diagnosed as clinically depressed or anything, but that doesn't mean that I don't suffer from depression a lot of the time (these last few years, more often than not). I see a therapist. I take antidepressants. \nI have a friend who has aphantasia. It isn't really a \"diagnosable\" condition, but it describes what he has trouble with: creating images in his mind.", ">\n\nThat’s different then going online and claiming perfectly normal traits mean you’re autistic", ">\n\nNeurodivergence ≠ mental illness.", ">\n\nThey know themselves and their experiences better than you.", ">\n\nOP, I'm seeing some differences between your post and what you're saying in the comments. \nMy question is, do you have a problem with people self-diagnosing, or is your issue more about people drawing a lot of public attention to their diagnoses?", ">\n\nOverall both but definitely the attention part more so for obvious reasons. The self diagnosing part due to the fact that it can make people believe it can be an excuse for their actions good or bad. I think In a weird way it can allow people to take away the responsibility of their own actions and attribute to their mental illness", ">\n\nAs someone who has been diagnosed with ADHD, having people self diagnosing doesn't bother me at all, because I went the path of not knowing at all what I had and letting doctors figure out by themselves... and it took me 4 years and a half to finally have a concrete answer that no doctors would have found out if I didn't start searching on my own. You can't walk into every doctor's office with the assumption they'll figure out what you have, because it's not their speciality, or they still have an outdated view (not every doctor are kept up to date with new discovers), or they're biased, etc... \nI've never been annoyed by people who self diagnose. Hell, if I knew what was about to happen to me, I would have done the same way sooner." ]

[ "The diagnosis process for a lot of psychiatric conditions are surveys and questionaires. You can go to a psychiatrist and ask if you're anxious and they'll give you multiple choice questions and diagnose off of that. Or you can just google the form yourself and self diagnose. A lot of psychiatric disorders are about how we feel and think. Not about sending off some blood sample to a lab and getting a positive result come back.\n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. For such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nWhat you're describing are all neuroses that could indicate some deeper psychiatric condition. Whether a person has a mental health condition or not, thinking of ourselves as weak victims is never helpful in any context, yet it's something we all feel from time to time.\nI'm a disability support worker, so when someone tells me they've got a self diagnosed condition, it's not offensive to me or any disabled person I know, it doesn't come across like they're invalidating anyone else's condition. However I do think everyone should talk to a doctor about any condition they feel they might have.", ">\n\nPiggybacking off of this: You’ve spent your whole entire life inside your own brain. A therapist will spend a period of hours with you and give you a diagnosis. Who do you think knows your personal reality better than yourself?", ">\n\nYeah exactly, especially with conditions such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, PTSD, and many other psychiatric conditions. These are things people know they have even before they get a diagnosis. The diagnosis stage is more about treatment and management.\nPeople might be unaware of how severe or mild their condition is, some people think they have only mild PTSD despite constant nightmares and suicidal ideation. Some people will think they have severe ADHD because they can't concentrate for long times on things that don't interest them. It's good to get some perspective from experts but ultimately people know when they are struggling to focus or to struggling to stop stressing all the time or struggling to not be miserable. Struggling with our thoughts and feelings is evidence enough to self diagnose.", ">\n\nI was recently diagnosed with ADHD as a woman so I find this viewpoint interesting.\nFirstly, autism is not a mental illness. An autistic person may have mental illness in conjunction with autism, but autism alone lies under the neurodivergent umbrella. Neurodivergency can include autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and other similar conditions.\nWhy women are often underdiagnosed\nThese are serious disabilities that can really impede a person's life, especially if they struggle to find help and acceptance in their community. A lot of women start their journey towards diagnosis later in life due to a number of factors such as:\n\nPoor diagnostic tools and inexperienced professionals\nA misunderstanding that autism and ADHD are more common in boys\nAdvanced masking techniques to cover their 'traits'\n\nWhy women are often diagnosed later in life.\nThe process for many women and men who are diagnosed later in life often includes a level of burnout or breakdown. After a while everything becomes too much, the mask begins to slip and your traits go into overdrive.\nWhy does self-diagnosing seem to be on the rise?\nA common way of finding out you could possibly be neurodivergent is through media and people who are aware of these traits appear.\nIn the past few years, I have seen an increasing awareness of neurodivergence in women pop up in the media. This is useful for people like myself who had no idea wtf was wrong with them for a very long time. For me, a GP actually suggested I seek a diagnosis due to some struggles I was going through.\nAs someone who went through this process self-diagnosing is commonly the first step as an adult. You might be directed to a questionnaire and are asked to evaluate yourself and your experiences thinking back to your childhood. If there's some merit in your experiences than you move to the next step which involves seeking a professional. Waitlists are often months to years long so many people live in limbo for a long time.\nMethods of living with ADHD can help everyone. And everyone experiences ADHD traits from time to time. Given a large amount of stress we have all suffered collectively, I don't doubt there are a lot of people with increased mental health issues that mirror neurodivergent traits. Some mental illnesses can get very severe and alter your brain chemistry and behaviour.\nMy takeaway from this is that the mental health systems set up to assist these people are a much larger issue and cause for serious concern than self-diagnosing.\nApologies for the spelling and grammar errors. Grammarly and Reddit don't play nice.", ">\n\nI think it's two things. One, people have identity crises, especially teenagers. We all know that type of person who tries on identities like hats. That's pretty embarrassing. You usually grow out of that.\nTwo, from personal experience, giving yourself a label or a diagnosis makes it feel more contained and easy to communicate. It's easier to tell someone that you have X and have them understand what you're going through rather than telling them you have these vague symptoms resembling what you imagine X is like. In that respect, it is pretty understandable, possibly good, and not embarrassing. There's something that is sort of reassuring if you can finally get a word to put on what you're experiencing.\nPeople often sympathize with the diagnosis but not with the symptoms. Tell people at work you're autistic and they will sympathize with you and possibly not attack you. Tell them you do not understand social cues and they will probably just make fun of you.", ">\n\nI understand the desire to put a label with a disease, and this is not necessarily bad, but the diagnosis needs to be correct. If you want to tell others that you are autistic or depressed; you must actually be those things. A person can almost never correctly assertion their disease, only their symptoms. People might better understand you if you say your autistic, but you may incorrectly understand and describe yourself. If one wishes to put a name with symptoms, they should find a doctor to pick the label", ">\n\nfor sure but unfortunately our medical system is a joke and even if you are experiencing very severe symptoms it can be nearly impossible to see a professional or take months on a waiting list.\nEven then a professional may be reluctant to slap a label on you for fear of what the consequences of that might be. I saw someone for a very long time who resisted any sort of actual diagnosis because the truth is that what I was experiencing didn't fit neatly into any of the boxes and pretty much belonged in this vague \"other\" category which isn't particularly helpful. Not to mention that misdiagnosis happens all the time even by professionals. \nI just think it is sort of understandable because I think a lot of stuff is kind of a spectrum anyway and just different levels of severity. Things can be really confusing and hard to nail down and thus communicate in a way that causes someone else to be understanding rather than judgemental.", ">\n\nAre you under the impression this is a new phenomenon? Because it's definitely not.\nPeople - especially young people! - crave identity. The world is a confusing place, knowing who you are makes it a little easier. Sometimes it's self-diagnosing mental illness or learning disabilities, or exploring sexual identity, or cliques, or subcultures. There's nothing embarrassing about it, it just is what it is.", ">\n\nIt’s ok to want to express individuality but not to the extent of totally destroying the definition of a real thing and making it hard for actual mentally Ill ppl to get a diagnosis. Why can’t people just accept that they’re different rather then giving themselves a label?", ">\n\npeople on TikTok claiming to have disorders that they don't doesn't affect the precision of psychiatrists diagnosing actual patients. There's no TikTok-said section in the DSM. Why do you think that it does?", ">\n\nIt just encourages more people to get diagnosed possibly skewing the meaning of the mental illness", ">\n\nSkewing it towards statistical accuracy? If people are actually diagnosed at higher rates, we have a better Guage of population-level mental illness, neurodivergency, etc. Better data is more usable, so that research actually means something actionable, ASIDE from the identity boost for young people.", ">\n\nI think what OP is driving at, but utterly failing to explain, is that they think that the fakers will be accommodated by the psychiatric system and diagnosed on the basis of fake symptoms. my sense is that isn't a problem but I don't have data.", ">\n\nDefinitely explained it a little better then I could lol", ">\n\nWhere do you see evidence of that? Any articles about fakers? How about a statistic? If not, it’s just a fear you seem to have.", ">\n\nI think the salient line here is this one:\n\nNeurologists were able to quickly determine that the subjects were not \nsuffering from Tourette's, but psychogenic tics driven by anxiety.", ">\n\nWomen are not born with less autism, but are much less likely to be diagnosed as children than boys. This is partly because boys generally have similar symptoms and behaviors. \nSo of course more women are self diagnosing autism, since their diagnoses were missed as children on a much higher rate.", ">\n\nAlright, I'm diagnosed OCD, PTSD, chronic depression. Diagnosed by a professional so I think I have some grounds to talk about this.\nFirst, let's tackle your women comment about autism. You see, I understand where you're coming from, but you lack the nuance of recognizing that mental illness, and illness in general, is heavily under-diagnosed in women. The medical culture is heavily favored towards men and is rampant with mysogyny, and that's not just me saying it as I've had medical professionals blatantly tell me it's a problem in the field when questioned about it. I've also had some tell me that it's just because women whine a lot, so yanno make of that statement what you will.\nNow that we've covered that let me address the self-diagnosing issue. So, do you want to know what my therapist thinks of self-diagnosing? Well, when I asked them about it they said that self-diagnosing is an important first step to seeking help. Psychiatrist said the same thing. It's normal, expected even, for people to self-diagnose their issues then seek help for them. You can't exactly just peer into someone's brain, no, that person has to tell you what they think is wrong and why they think it is. \nWhat you actually have a problem with is not self-diagnosis, but with people not seeking or not being able to get medical assistance and assuming they're right. You have a problem with people using these issues for attention, which I do too, but once again self-diagnosing is not the problem. Finally, you have a problem with the medical system that forces people into the position of trying to figure out their mental illnesses, but having no ability to get help for them.", ">\n\nI think I did it", ">\n\nSadly no lol, it was not done properly. Do you need a link to the rules?", ">\n\nI already read them i think I’ll figure it out in a bit sorry for the hold up", ">\n\nBecause everyone else is being aggressive: you have to comment with ∆ or !delta and then explain how your view has been changed", ">\n\nThis delta has been rejected. You can't award OP a delta.\nAllowing this would wrongly suggest that you can post here with the aim of convincing others.\nIf you were explaining when/how to award a delta, please use a reddit quote for the symbol next time.\n^Delta System Explained ^| ^Deltaboards", ">\n\nWhat gives you the authority or knowledge to know this is the problem?", ">\n\nYou don’t think it’s a problem that a lot of young ppl are willing to go to the extent of saying they are mentally Ill either for attention or to excuse their weirdness? Just accept that your different. It’s not wrong to believe you’re different without a label", ">\n\nYou did not even try to answer my question.", ">\n\nI’m sorry I was confused on what you meant", ">\n\nIf you are mad at people for self diagnosing themselves because they don't have the knowledge or authority to do so.... what gives you the knowledge or authority to diagnosis this as the problem behavior... basically are you just a kid that is annoyed, or is there some actual studies out there that is claiming this is a problem.", ">\n\nIf you don’t think that people consistently seeking attention for mental illness or craving a label so badly to justify themselves rather then being themselves. That just shows what your views are", ">\n\nDont you think we should leave the diagnosing to the professionals?", ">\n\nI mean yeah", ">\n\nWould you agree that you are diagnosing these people by saying that they are only seeking attention and do not have a real mental illness?", ">\n\nI’m assuming", ">\n\nThere may be some truth to people wanting to be different, however with mental illnesses being more accepted in today's society, many people are a lot more comfortable with being neurodivergent. Additionally, self diagnosis is common because the alternative is spending upwards to $1000-$2000 for a clinical diagnosis.", ">\n\nI know costs suck, but self diagnosis can be much more harmful. A web.md page that tells you your depressed when you may actually be bipolar can lead to really messed up results. I would even go as far as to say that no diagnosis at all is preferable to an uninformed one", ">\n\nWell.\n​\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad \n\nSo you already know why they're doing what they're doing in addition the fact that you know that they're not Autistic? If your claim is that they can't know and only a doctor can, what makes you more qualified? You start out your argument admitting that you have a bias.\n\nthey’re “neurodivergent.\n\nNeurodivergent is an umbrella that covers both Autism and ADHD, which sometimes get mistaken for each other. So if you're upset that they're self-diagnosing, this term should be more welcome than \"Autistic\" because it's more generalized.\n\nnd when you ask them how they know they’ll say “oh I have this weird tick when I uh laugh when someone says something funny “ or “I have a hyper fixation on this topic so I must be autistic\n\nHow else should they communicate it to you? The list of aspects of Autism, especially for how it presents in women, sounds a lot like this. You're not a doctor, they don't have to prove anything to you by going down the entire list of every possible part of their daily experience that might be on the spectrum.\n\nWomen statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nNope. Women are diagnosed less often than men because the original diagnostic criteria for Autism was for Autism as it presents in males. It presents differently for females and is harder to diagnose, especially at younger ages. \n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized\n\nTodays youth want to be victimized? Why would anyone want to be victimized? Something tells me you're missing the mark with this terminology.\n\nor have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. \n\nSo if someone is Autistic and that makes them weird, you'd rather them just be forced to not get to have a name for it, and get the therapeutic treatment that would help them?\n\nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really [are] without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nSome people are autistic. If they find out and it makes them feel good, that doesn't mean they're craving attention. And if they are craving attention, it's because they're normal people and everyone does. \nIf someone thinks they're autistic but it turns out they're actually not, chances are they suspected it for a reason. They might have ADHD, a personality disorder, a mental health issue, or simply a slightly different way of experiencing the world that feels unique to them and there's nothing wrong with that. \nYou seem to think that other people do things for you. People generally don't. They do things for themselves. This is especially true of people on the Autism Spectrum who may not be able to easily use other people's experiences to reference when constructing their view of the world, and can only use their own. Your interpretation wherein they do it to evoke a response from you says more about you than it does about them.", ">\n\nYou’re being deliberately obtuse. OP is completely correct. Most of the people these days who say “I’m ADHD” or “I’m autistic” or “I’m neurodivergent” are absolutely not diagnosed as such and are doing it to seem unique or get attention or as some excuse for why they did x y or z.", ">\n\nI'd like to point out that while some are perhaps attention seeking, many people self diagnose simply because they don't have access to free medical/psychological professionals to get proper diagnosis and help with their issues. I also know someone who doesn't want to get an official diagnosis because he's afrad it will affect his insurance rates or somehow come back to bite him if he's offically labeled with having a neurological disorder. \nThere is a wealth of knowledge on these subjects available online for those interested. And if they are truly interested in self diagnose they can likely do that accurately enough for all intents and purposes. Most of these people who search for the sake of better understanding themselves or their loved ones will openly admit that it's a self diagnoses, or say they THINK they have x,y, or z. But in some situations it's just as well to say they have it if they feel certain anyway, and it's just a passing comment, and not a discussion on the matter. \nIn other words, just because they self diagnose doesn't mean they're wrong, nor does it explain their motives. I also don't see how attention seeking (for those who ARE doing that) is really hurting anyone else. Fakers gonna be fake, that's more a \"them\" kind of problem. ANNOYING, but mostly harmless.", ">\n\nUnless you have a doctor's diagnosis you don't have the disorder. Even if you are broke there are programs to help with costs. \nAnd yes it does affect me when someone is treating me like shit and tries using the I have such and such as an excuse and then people get mad at ME for calling them in their bullshit.", ">\n\nNo. You have to have the disorder before you CAN be diagnosed, so obviously there are undiagnosed people who in fact \"have the disorder \". Your refusal to acknowledge an undiagnosed disorder does not mean they don't have it. Your personal experience with people supposedly using a fake diagnosis to treat you badly, sounds unusual. How do you know they DIDN'T have it? People who do lie and just want to be jerks will do that regardless of what methods they decide to try. The methods are irrelevant. And that motive is not typical of most self diagnosers .", ">\n\nSounds unusual? You must not get out a lot because it's become a pretty regular thing. Every single person I know (about 8) that have self diagnosed themselves as neurodivergent or with a mental illness like Bi-polar all use it to excuse their shitty ass behaviors. \nToo many disorders can mirror other ones. Just because they think they have 2/3 symptoms doesn't make them right by a long shot. Keep living in your bubble.", ">\n\nYou don't have to have a relationship with anyone. If they treat you badly, regardless of an official diagnosis or not, you don't have to tolerate them. It makes no difference what they have or don't have. What would it change if they got diagnosed and actually have it?", ">\n\nSelf diagnosing has been a thing forever\nAnd it's not a problem im 99% sure me or any other autistic person doesn't really give 2 fucks about people who wanna fake disorders. It doesn't stop us from getting help, we have doctors notes, medical files, sometimes even volunteers, you need those files to get into let's say a special education class, or a life skills course.\nSo unless you were diagnosed by a professional you're probably not gonna make it far faking it.\n(Excuse my shitty punctuation)", ">\n\nIt doesn’t bother you that they’re making others take the actual meaning away from what you were born with? I mean I’m sure autism hasn’t made your life easy and seeing ppl claim it for attention to be quirky probably has to annoy you a little right?", ">\n\nAt the end of the day I still have ADHD and I still need help with it. More people being diagnosed with it doesn’t change that fact. In fact I was diagnosed because I realized I related to so many tiktok memes, and I’m sure others are in my same boat. \nIn fact I think so many people talking about ADHD helps. It means more people who possibly have tips for me, people who are suffering who can’t afford treatment have an easy way to learn about how to improve their lives, and more people who are aware of my disorder.", ">\n\nI think people do diagnose themselves too often without seeking professional help. BUT mental illness is not the same as being neurodivergent.", ">\n\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad that they’ll go as far to say they’re “neurodivergent.”\n\nWhile this is the case, I don't really see how it's a \"problem\" per se. I guarantee that these people still make lifestyle decisions based on what they think is best, or based on what they want to do.\n\nbut it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women\n\nDo you have any statistics for that? I haven't experienced it that way in my own anecdotal experience, and I'd be curious to look into the data to see how much that truly does skew in that direction.\n\nwanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness \nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nI understand what you're trying to say here, but I don't really think these things are connected as much as you think they are. People see something wrong with themselves, so they either playfully or seriously consider the fact that it could be a condition that they have similar symptoms to. Not that it never happens, but just because someone categorizes themselves into a disability group that could potentially excuse their \"quirks\", doesn't mean they think that behavior is unacceptable in any way. People see a problem, and assume it's linked to this other issue that seems similar that they already know about.", ">\n\nI agree with the conclusion that self-diagnosis is a real issue, and I wouldn't be surprised if the data indicated it was on the rise. I wouldn't necessarily frame it as a simple desire to \"be victimized\" however. While it is purely speculation, I do believe there are a number of conditions which might lead towards a more frequent experience of symptoms associated with mental illness - a rising wealth gap, perpetual anxiety from a 24-hour news cycle, intensification of self-commodification, the student debt crisis in certain countries like the US, and so on. So people are experiencing symptoms like low energy, mood swings, etc. that can be associated with mental illness. The issue with self-diagnosis then becomes that it may correctly identify the symptom, but incorrectly identify the cause.\nThis video from the YouTuber HealthyGamerGG does a good job of explaining what some of the issues with self-diagnosis are, and for me it was a good starting place for thinking about this more. \nEDIT: I forgot this video literally starts with this same topic being brought up on this same subreddit lol", ">\n\nA great theory based on reasonable causes with an educational video from a psychologist(I assume) as evidence to back it up. I applaud you sir. 👏", ">\n\nWhy are you embarrassed by other people's issues?", ">\n\nI’m a 30yo male. If I had not first self diagnosed with ASD and OCD, I never would have found the language and resources to get a formal diagnosis and help.\nPrior generations have been so fixated on avoidance of diagnosing mental disorders, and research was previously so lacking that we are only just now (through those that do get diagnosed) realizing how common mental disorders are. That plus the lack of mental health resources for neurotypical and neurodivergent I think is how we end up in this situation of many recognizing their symptoms in the new discourse, but lacking the resources to overcome the barriers to proper diagnosis and treatment.", ">\n\nIt’s not the best thing, no. \nAs an adult FINALLY diagnosed (by a licensed therapist) at 41, I can tell you why ‘self diagnosis’ is so tempting. \nIn the US at least- mental health, and official medical diagnosis are almost completely inaccessible, especially as an adult. Most of us grew up before Autism was a spectrum, and ADHD was just boys who acted out in class. We felt like aliens. We couldn’t understand why we didn’t have many friends, or why we didn’t like the ‘right things’, and generally spend the bill of our lives feeling ‘wrong’, ‘broken’ or just simply like we didn’t belong. \nFinally understanding the WHY, and even better, finding tools to addresses our issues is a huge huge weight off the chest. The relief of having a name and a strategy- either therapy or medicine is such an amazing relief!!", ">\n\nI only kinda agree if I had not done my own research I would have never found out I have sjorgens syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis I know TikTok people tend to diagnose themselves and it makes it look cringe but when you live with a incurable illness sometimes you have to work to find a diagnosis", ">\n\nWell, what do you do of you absolutely know you're neurodivergent, but your parents decided not to get you checked? My mom once told me \"we knew you had something, we just didn't get you checked because they would have just put you on pills\". So I struggled with being different, socially unaware, impulsive, obnoxious, agressive, selfish, for the better part of my life without having the self awareness to understand why I was these things, and why people wouldn't want to be around me. \nIn my late 20''s I asked the question, what if I'm actually autistic? I looked up the symptoms, and 9/10 matched. As a child I couldn't handle loud noises, restrictive clothing, I didn't talk until I was 3. I would throw fits for seemingly no reason, I had obsessive interests. I've always really struggled with eye contact, and I never cared for conversation unless it was something I liked. I mean, when the final piece of a puzzle fits so incredibly well, it's really hard for it to be wrong. \nSelf diagnosing actually really helped me grow as aj individual. I became aware of all my divergent behaviors, and why it might be annoying for someone else to deal with. I came to the realization that I was the one who was different, therefore I needed to change. It's way harder to make everyone around you cater to your needs than to overcome the things that upset you. I'm at peace, I have good friends that I can connect with on a pretty deep level. I no longer smash coffee tables when I lose, I can now appreciate that if I lose it just means I have more to learn. I can keep my house clean, I can reasonably hold myself accountable. What exactly is the harm in all that?\nBesides, it would be pretty pointless for me to try and get a diagnosis now, I've put the effort in and largely come out the other side. Anyone diagnosing me would just say I was normal, but they wouldn't have the intimate knowledge of me that I do. I guess it doesn't matter if people don't believe me, I don't go around shouting that I'm autistic. I will say, it would be really nice if people appreciated the effort I put in to get to get to a place of normalcy, something others take for granted, but it's okay, we all have our struggles.", ">\n\nI feel you on all that. To play devil's advocate, mental healthcare in the U.S. is not cheap. Many people go to the internet and confirm their bias about their current health", ">\n\nI feel you on that too OP. I agree 100% with your entire statement.", ">\n\nIt's a problem, but not a new one. In the 1990s there was briefly a surge of people with a type of delusional parasitosis, that is, the false belief that they were infested with parasites. Except this one was supposedly an infestation with tiny fibres. They would come to doctors with a whole list of symptoms to back up their incorrect self-diagnosis.\nTo a certain extent, these are social contagions, which come and go, and often actually end up leading to people having real problems. Like, the young women you mention, a couple of decades ago may well have ended up with anorexia, or self-cutting. These days it might be a self-declaration of autism or a belief that they have gender dysphoria or that they have multiple systems living in their minds.", ">\n\nWow I did not know that. Maybe it’s just so prevalent today due to social media. Social media has only made these things worse imo", ">\n\nEven before it being self diagnosis of a mental illness it was always something. Remember all the emo and goth teenager?", ">\n\nIt depends on the context. For example, if they've done a substantial amount of research, can name a good amount of symptoms they have and reasons they have whatever mental illness and don't have access to the necessary tools to get a medical diagnosis, it's totally different. Some people don't have the money to go out and get a diagnosis, or sometimes it would be better to not get a medical diagnosis. I believe that the reason that a lot of people self diagnose themselves with things like Autism is because they want an explanation as to why they are different, and they could be right or wrong. I think the most important part is that if you go to a psychologist (or even two, I know a lot of people prefer getting second opinions) and they say you don't have it, that you need to admit you were wrong. It's ok to be wrong about your mental health, and the key is to keep looking and to not give up. I can completely understand the frustration in people completely missing how difficult it actually may be to have a mental illness. I was clinically diagnosed with Depression, Anxiety, and PTSD when I was seven, and I've had some experience with people faking mental disorders for attention, and more often then not, they have another mental disorder that needs attention. Recently I had a (now ex) boyfriend insist he had PTSD after being tested twice and the psychiatrist saying that he didn't have it. What he does have is Depression and Anxiety, but he absolutely insisted he has PTSD despite never exhibiting symptoms and the only evidence being a test he took online that was supposedly a \"real PTSD test.\" People faking mental illnesses only harms people who really have them, as these people tend to exaggerate symptoms and use their self diagnosis for attention. I believe that I am autistic, but I don't list it as a diagnosis because while I have read articles and taken the RAADS-r test, I don't have an official diagnosis, and I could very well be wrong. As for women faking illnesses more often, something I've noticed is that things like Autism, ADHD, ADD, etc are more often diagnosed in boys rather than girls- mostly because when they were first discovered, most of the research was done in boys. Autism shows up differently in girls, and can often be blown off as early puberty hormones. If their hyperfixations are those of stereotypical feminine things, it's just a girl liking whatever, and if they hyperfixate in stereotypical masculine interests, they tend to just be viewed as weird, but not autistic. It's normal for people to question, but I agree that to a certain point, self diagnosis can be harmful, but only if not done correctly.", ">\n\nFirst and foremost not a new problem at all, very common, we used to call it \"Being a hypochondriac\" until it aparrently became reconized which in it self is confusing and a bit contradictory.\nANYWAY\nIt isnt really a problem, no doctor is gonna write the perscription for medication without a diagnosis of some sort.\nAt most there is the vauge \"But what about those who actually have it who arent taken serious\" dont worry, we wouldnt have anyway. Thats kinda how invisible illnesses work.\nOverall the 101 hypochondriacs screaming about the symptoms they read in the ICD might help make the knowledge more common and help people better reconize if their colleagues or friends happen to show symptoms of something.", ">\n\nIt’s pretty expensive in the US to get diagnosed. Personally, I’ve self diagnosed myself out of frustration of the way I process things. I’ve always felt slow & my anxiety/depression was deep because of it, but I was raised in a family that doesn’t believe in mental illness. It was always “if you work hard enough, all your problems will go away”. Meanwhile, i was racking my brain on how to make myself think faster/smarter & it would result in psychotic episodes. I’ve gotten fired from jobs, dropped out of school. I started self harming because I hated myself and my brain & almost commit suicide bc I had no idea what was going on.\nThe relief I felt once I finally got a therapist who validated me & was the first to talk to me about mental Illness. It blew my mind and all of a sudden things actually made sense to me. I currently think I have ADD, and sometimes I’ll tell people that but will preface it by saying I’m not professionally diagnosed. Still, I use mental tools that help me get through the day and build my confidence. I’m a lot better at processing conversations, making lists that help me remember things, unmasking, slowing down my thoughts… etc. I’m less frustrated and can see the beauty in how I process things. I still want to get diagnosed but I have to get health insurance….. lol", ">\n\nSelf diagnosis, regardless of being factual is a process where the individual realizes that they might have a mental health issue. People who can do this are more likely to seek professional help compared to the people who think they are “fine”. Going to a professional, licensed psychologist or a psychiatrist will eventually diagnose them with the correct disorder from there, and professionals have the skills to communicate with them and they can together evaluate if the person’s complaint is the issue or not. There is nothing embarrassing about discovering one’s self. It would be a problem if people would identify with an issue and don’t have any willingness to seek help. Sometimes overreacting is better than not reacting.", ">\n\nThe majority of people who are self-diagnosed with autism have done extensive research into it to come to that conclusion. I personally went through the DSM criteria with a fine-tooth comb, made a list of all the ways I met it and discovered that there’s not a single criteria i don’t meet for autism. I didn’t read about anything else but autism for weeks, approaching it from all angles before coming to the conclusion that it’s highly unlikely I am not autistic. I’m waiting to hear back about an assessment, but I’m not waiting to go and be told something I already know before I start advocating for myself. \nOh, and I absolutely did not want to be ‘different’, in fact my life mission to just blend in and be average is the root cause of most of my problems, but here we are.", ">\n\nThis self diagnosing young people do isn’t the problem. The problem is that our society encourages it.\nOur culture is not set up to accommodate a wide spectrum of human needs. You may need things that I don’t. I may need things that you don’t. But in most business settings, academic settings, or even places like restaurants or leisure places, the world isn’t built to accommodate everyone. Our world and society is a “one size fits all” approach, and most people don’t fit snugly inside of that system. \nIf you can classify what is “wrong” or “different” about you into an easily digestible form, people are generally more able and more willing to accommodate you.\nFor example: if I tell my coworkers that I need to leave work early because of a headache, I’ll be shamed for it. And in some cases I’ll be told that “headaches aren’t that bad!” Or “You don’t need to leave.” Or “I have a headache too, just deal with it!”\nBut if I tell my workers that I need to leave due to a painful neurological condition that’s flaring up (I have chronic migraine, which is a neurological condition), they will respect it 100% of the time. It’s met with sympathy and not criticism.\nThis happens for all sorts of things. “Sorry Im late, I slept in.” Sounds a lot worse then, “sorry I’m late, my insomnia has been terrible lately.” \nOur culture forces us to use these labels even when they’re untrue just to receive sympathy or acceptance. The problem isn’t people who decide to use these labels, the root problem is that our society refuses to embrace and accommodate people who are outside of the “norm.”", ">\n\nSpeaking as someone who's had an autism diagnosis since age 7: if someone declares they're autistic when they're not, that's obnoxious at worst. If someone is told they're not autistic when they are, that can cause lifelong harm from denied care and understanding. I have seen this happen to a close friend of mine.\nTherefore, I'd much rather err on the side of acceptance. If you think you're defending me and others like me from impersonators, we'd rather not have your help.\n\nI know people will disagree but it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women. Women statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nCase in point: women are diagnosed with autism far less than men. Recent studies have pointed to decades of systematic misdiagnosis. The more visible autistic symptoms sometimes manifest differently in girls, the way they're socialized may help them hide it from a young age, and of course lots of doctors just say \"your daughter can't be autistic, that's a boy thing.\"\nWe're learning that there are hundreds of thousands of autistic women who slipped through the cracks and were denied the recognition and support they needed because of dismissive, gatekeeping attitudes just like yours.", ">\n\nThere’s a difference between having a disorder and relating to a disorder. If the tools or language associated with a disorder helps someone live better though then cool, it’s all still odd. Also autism presents differently in woman, and a majority of our research on it is on men. Best practice is probably to support them and encourage them to seek treatment.", ">\n\nAutism is severely misdiagnosed in women. Completely under diagnosed. Actually, plenty of things are. The actual problem that we have is parents refusing to let their children get professional help or a diagnosis. Most doctors will diagnose you with BPD as a woman(aka the new female hysteria of our century), maybe put you on some anti psychotics and send you your way. In most countries, a diagnosis/specialist is not readily available, or there is a long waiting list. Even so, the doctors are not know it all. I have seen plenty of doctors, I got different diagnosis almost each time. They ask you some general questions (about your mood, the way you sleep, if you can concentrate, if you harm yourself, if you have suicidal ideation, if you can socialize properly, if your parents were diagnosed with anything, if you have hallucinations or delusions, the works) and then based on that, they will give you a diagnosis. If you use your common sense and information on the internet (given you are knowledgeable on the subject), you can take a good guess on what's wrong. Obviously, some people will exaggerate like with anything (seeing the shadow dude once in your childhood is not a sign of psychosis, neither is hearing your name called when you are alone once in a blue moon), but if you have visual and auditory hallucinations, perhaps weird tactile feelings/hallucinations (spiders are crawling on me, etc), delusions, tend to be forgetful and out of teach with reality, there is a good chance you do have psychosis.", ">\n\nOkay, to start: what do you think autism and ADHD are? They aren't mental illnesses nor are they mental health conditions. \nTo address some of your other points; \nStudies have shown that autism has a gender expression of 1:1. The only reason that women are under diagnosed is because of misunderstandings towards autism, then the diagnosis is conducted incorrectly. Thus it ends up getting conflated with mental illness, E.G BPD, and is diagnosed as a psychiatric disorder instead. This is a detriment to the patient as the care regimes are black and white different. Often times this severely damages the woman.\nFrom data sets that I recall reading, malingering hasn't risen much, if at all, in recent times. I remember it being around 8% of the global population who are engaging in this behaviour, to different extents. I think what's happened is that social media has turned a torch onto it and it's risen in popularity in an algorithmic way. You see it more because it's pushed by the algorithm more because people are searching for it more. It isn't actually occurring any more or less than historically. Most of that attention is negative attention, I should add. \nSo there's two things to take away from that.\n1) The actual act of pretending to be mentally ill, or to have a disability, which is called malingering, is in fact a form of mental unwellness itself. It's a cry for help. The people who do these things are usually very unstable and should be treated with a degree of empathy. The dangerous types who are using mental illness to scam others, or to manipulate them, make up a very small percentage of the overall amount of people in that group and tend to abuse one on one. \n2) The predominant response to this is generally negative. There isn't really any reason to publicly malinger unless you're unstable, this is because a rational person would likely know this, and know the damage it would cause themselves. Self-diagnosis is a very long, and self-aware, process that takes place over years of the individuals life, and proceeds official diagnosis. \nNo one SDs and says \"Okay that's it now! Let me start a TikTok!\" You'd still want support, and you'd still seek support. So that would end up with a doctor, who would see that you're lying, and treat you for whatever was prompting you to malinger. Anyone who has made this commitment knows that keeping it private is a sensible thing to do in a world that isn't inclusive, and often very stigmatising. Sometimes official diagnosis can take YEARS. \nThis kind of propaganda has been going around for a long time in an effort to discredit disabled people and people with mental illnesses. It's not new. People said the same things back in the 90s. People will always be afraid, and dismissive, of things they do not understand. I invite you to try and understand.", ">\n\nI self-diagnosed myself with endometriosis for 10 years before a doctor finally listened to me, opened me up, and found my insides littered with lesions all over my organs. I’m now not able to get pregnant and I might need to get part of my bowel taken out someday. This could’ve been avoided if someone had just listened to me when I was 16. \nSelf-diagnosing is a necessity in a misogynist world! No one takes us seriously! Especially medical professionals. \nThe best antidote for this is to listen to women who self-diagnose. Why do they think they have XYZ? Is it heavily interfering with their life? I think that’s a much larger problem.", ">\n\nIts been proven that there is a bias to diagnose as opposed to not diagnose a mental illness in psychology. So op is actually kinda correct. The definition of a mental illness is in effect being stretched so far that people who are just kinda weird are being diagnosed with \"on the spectrum\". This is actually causing a problem in early learning because parents start treating their kids as essentially learning challenged when they're really not. So it is starting to become an excuse ...", ">\n\nWe live in a society that loves to medicate people. I know it’s different but Did ppl forget about the opioid epidemic? They’ll diagnose your ass with anything if they can", ">\n\nYa I tend to agree. And no one is really saying so I will I guess, but id wager that 50% of psychologist \"professionals\" are totally full of shit. The actual number of psychologists that are are doing real research and clinical studies is EXTREMELY small compared to how many \"psychologists\" are out there. Just like chiropractors, half of them are hacks..", ">\n\nAnd ill say one more thing, though it is anecdotal, but i have direct family that works in special education for young children, and that system is fucked with a capital F. Thay are constantly fighting against parents and programs who try to box kids in the \"autistic\" zone, when they are just really quite or shy, or have pee problems. But parents want an excuse and reason for their behavior, and reduce them to a sub standard education and treatment for the rest of their lives. It's heart breaking. Especially in public schools.", ">\n\nI’m 32 years old. \nI didn’t self diagnose for attention although I remember the days of tumblr where everyone self diagnosed for clout.\nIt took me a decade to realize what is really happening. During the decade before I realized what may have been happening I was told the following:\nI’m rude\nI’m bossy\nI have a RBF/I look mad\nI also only managed to make my first real friend at age 27.\nWhat I was really displaying was:\nBeing overly blunt and just trying to get my point across came off rude when I didn’t intend it to be that way\nTrying to have things done at a certain time and way that no one else thought was important to follow\nUnmasking\nNoticed other things too that I just thought was me being weird:\nVocal stimming\nOral stimming-chewing, smoking, vaping\nRepetitive motions\nRocking\nEasily overwhelmed by too much sensory input\nHigh startle reflex \nInability to regulate my body’s needs-I don’t know I’m hungry until I’m ravenous; don’t recognize the need to use the bathroom until it’s causing me to rush off, don’t realize I’m cold until I’m shaking\nI could go on.\nI want an assessment so bad. But assessments for adults are EXTREMELY hard to setup, if you can even set them up at all. Some states don’t even offer them. I’ve been looking but they are only for children and seem to look for severe cases.\n14 years of thinking I was just a bitch who couldn’t make friends because I was too weird…turns out it might be autism. And turns out I’ll most likely never get a true diagnosis. But the RAADS test gave me a 127 score so that might be the closest I’ll ever get.", ">\n\ni kind of self diagnosed autism? i’ve been to many psychiatrists and therapists for years and they always see adhd in the half an hour and prescribe meds for that, which makes me not go there again. if they dug a little deeper they could have seen autism, i spoke to my current psychiatrist about if its possible i have it, she didn’t want to confirm or deny as i was moving out of state from friends and family and am at an age where i can have kids in the next 10 years since she doesn’t want me being concerned for them. \nI think there’s still lots of stigma around autism even with professionals and especially when identifying it in women. \nI don’t want to be autistic, but i can recognise a lot of different patterns comparing myself and others. I’ve researched it a ton especially in how it shows in women compared to men and in all the articles i found myself relating.\nNow i don’t say im autistic, i say im a little sus of being it tho lmao. and try pass it off casually. I find it’s a lot easier for me to understand and embrace my differences compared to trying to hide it and try be like everyone else or wonder why im not like everyone else. \nBeing older i can also recognise how a lot of my family on one side have suffered mentally and because of obvious neurodivergence. so im pretty sure, like the rest of my mentally challenged brain, has been inherited genetically through that side. \nAll that being said. I self diagnosed when i was about 12 that im highly likely to be depressed and anxious in attempt to get my mom to believe me i needed help, and now 8 years later i can identify that this has been an issue forever for me and that i likely cannot go off my meds because i will just go back to how i used to be. Im still ocd with all my meds, but its better than being anxious and depressed all the time, Having ocd throughout the day is like heaven to me in comparison to how i used to be. obviously the ocd isnt new, just a lot more heard in my brain now.", ">\n\nOk, I know some people self diagnoze themselves with [insert some mental illness here] out of attention or whatever, and that's totally not ok.\nHowever, if you read all the symptoms and do proper research on a mental illness and everything clicks in to you, I'd say you can be fairly confident on a self diagnosis (although, it might be worth it to double check with a professional, especially if you want any sort of treatment). But also for some people, it might not be affordable to go to a professional...", ">\n\nI live in Canada, I've engaged with the medical system, doctors don't care and just want you out, ERs are a 8 hour wait for someone to ignore one thing and won't even entertain other issues even if they are related. Self-diagnosis is really the only way to get any kind of proper treatment at all. \nThe doctors will rubber stamp just about anything you ask for except pain killers but in terms of diagnosis you're way better off doing it yourself, sure you don't have 8 years of medical school but the doctors won't give you 5 mins of their time, they are not better than google and you give a lot more of a shit than they will and at the end of the day it's your body.", ">\n\nBack in the 90s when I was a teenager, the kids/teenagers/young adults who wanted attention, and wanted to be different, adopted the goth lifestyle. Dressing up in all black. White foundation with black lipstick and eyeshadow. It was the trendy way to be different, to be viewed as outcasts of society. To not fit in. \nThe goth lifestyle of the 2020s is self diagnosis. Same shit, different day.\nWhenever someone claims autism, or somewhere on the spectrum, I just roll my eyes and imagine that person just sucks at life.", ">\n\nI just think it’s a little more harmful nowadays due to the prevalence of social media. Ppl get sucked into groups and mindsets before they even have a real life chance. Then they hyper fixate on that they might be mentally Ill rather then just trying to live life to the fullest", ">\n\nI 100% agree with you", ">\n\nBecause it's the age of spin this generation has something for everybody. And all of them are Google doctors. Lol", ">\n\nTook my uncle till he was 38 even thought it was apparent to everyone. Hell he got expelled from two schools", ">\n\nI get what you're saying. I frankly find it weird that more people don't find this weird. People self-diagnosing themselves as all kinds of things not only completely misrepresents the actual conditions, thereby making people even more confused as to what they actually are and how they present, but also leads people to run to a psychiatrist claiming false symptoms and getting medication for something they don't have, which is NOT a good thing. People should never be taking medication unless it is necessary. We are a heavily over-medicated society and this is a big factor in that. Caffeine to wake up in the morning, \"immuno-boosters\" and mood stabilizers during the day, sleeping pills to sleep at night. The caffeine and sleeping pills are addictive and can really mess up your circadian rhythm, and the mood stabilizers can really fuck you up if you don't need them. Instead of rushing to diagnose and medicate everyone, we need to educate them on human behavior and show them that their \"mental health\" problems are completely normal.\nOh, so you get nervous right before you make huge life decisions? That's not Anxiety Disorder, it's just anxiety.\nOh, you are really sad because your cat died? That's not Clinical Depression, you are just grieving.\nOh, you went from really happy to really sad when you were previously happy and something really shitty happened to you and soured your mood? That's not Bipolar Disorder, that's just life.\nOh, you like to be more organized than the people around you? That's not Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, you just like to be organized.\nPeople really misunderstand the nature of these conditions and it hinders our collective progress in treating them, like dramatically inflating the number of actual conditions in the population, making it increasingly more difficult to determine how common and how varied they are. After all, in most cases it is not the psychiatrist or psychologist who makes you better, you make you better. Medication can help and other people can show you the path to success, but the problem will never get solved unless you play an active role in the treatment. Some conditions can never be solved, only lessened, while others are virtually untreatable. We need to stop making these conditions seem cool. They aren't. They are serious and need to be taken seriously.", ">\n\nHeavily agree and I appreciate how well this comment is worded. Wish I coulda worded mine a little better", ">\n\nYa I saw you getting shredded in the comments and figured I'd sum it up for you. 🤣", ">\n\nLmao bro I didn’t expect this many. I was thinking maybe like 20 ppl would reply", ">\n\nYou need to self diagnose in many cases in order to get adequate help.", ">\n\nI knew when I had ADD and IBS, and I was able to get my suspicions confirmed by my respective doctors. Doctors are there to help the patients understand themselves, whereas the patients have to go home every day and live with what they actually have. Do not be so quick to judge.", ">\n\nJust to add here - Autism in women is less prevalent because it presents differently and is often not picked up by standardised diagnostic tests (that were developed on an almost exclusively male sample). I think that also goes to show that there’s p significant issues with what we consider ‘scientific’ and research based in the first place.", ">\n\nI grew up in a small town and we had quite a few autistic boys but only one autistic girl. Literally only one out of like 6-8 grades. So that’s like a 10-1 ratio. It’s gotta be a lot statistically smaller then males. I don’t doubt it happens I just know it’s a lot less", ">\n\nYou think your small town’s makeup is generalizable to all of society? That isn’t how statistics work.", ">\n\nSo my question would be - so what do we do?\nYou think people are diagnosing themselves to gain attention. Fine, but what's the next step?\nSee, I think I might be bipolar 2. But I went on a journey where I looked into the techniques for dealing with this issue. That led me to cognitive behavior therapy.\nThat actually made me more convinced that this was my issue because I have taught myself a lot of cognitive behavior therapy techniques to address the same issues. These practices have really helped me.\nIt sounds like your issue is that these people are getting attention for it. To me, these are people who need someone to help guide them. That would have helped me a lot when I was younger. Society today doesn't really give us the tools to sort this out, but just the knowledge that these things exist can push someone down the rabbit hole to learn about therapy that could really help.\nI think you should ask yourself what your motivations are. Do you really want them to understand themselves? Or are you more interested in steering the conversation toward other topics?\nPersonally, I would deal with these people by paying them forward. I would tell them to understand the practices that typically help these people, and see if they are relevant. I would tell them to seek professional help, and to refrain from diagnosing themselves, but I would encourage them to be critical of themselves and to learn more.\nImo, the way out is through.", ">\n\nI agree with you but it’s not mostly women. Maybe by happenstance that’s the case in your circle but broadly men do this too.", ">\n\nDoctor's are consulting the Mayo Clinic website after talking to a patient and getting their symptoms. I bring that up to say this; a doctor's training is needed for very serious diseases and tricky diagnoses, but a semi-intelligent person could look up their symptoms and get a lot of the more minor stuff right.", ">\n\nI've never been diagnosed as clinically depressed or anything, but that doesn't mean that I don't suffer from depression a lot of the time (these last few years, more often than not). I see a therapist. I take antidepressants. \nI have a friend who has aphantasia. It isn't really a \"diagnosable\" condition, but it describes what he has trouble with: creating images in his mind.", ">\n\nThat’s different then going online and claiming perfectly normal traits mean you’re autistic", ">\n\nNeurodivergence ≠ mental illness.", ">\n\nThey know themselves and their experiences better than you.", ">\n\nOP, I'm seeing some differences between your post and what you're saying in the comments. \nMy question is, do you have a problem with people self-diagnosing, or is your issue more about people drawing a lot of public attention to their diagnoses?", ">\n\nOverall both but definitely the attention part more so for obvious reasons. The self diagnosing part due to the fact that it can make people believe it can be an excuse for their actions good or bad. I think In a weird way it can allow people to take away the responsibility of their own actions and attribute to their mental illness", ">\n\nAs someone who has been diagnosed with ADHD, having people self diagnosing doesn't bother me at all, because I went the path of not knowing at all what I had and letting doctors figure out by themselves... and it took me 4 years and a half to finally have a concrete answer that no doctors would have found out if I didn't start searching on my own. You can't walk into every doctor's office with the assumption they'll figure out what you have, because it's not their speciality, or they still have an outdated view (not every doctor are kept up to date with new discovers), or they're biased, etc... \nI've never been annoyed by people who self diagnose. Hell, if I knew what was about to happen to me, I would have done the same way sooner.", ">\n\nMost women today arent faking it, they are noticing the symptoms no one else noticed and trying to find help. Its not easy to grow up with this kind of stuff. Is not coincidence you think women are less likely to be born to autism instead of thinking how weird it is that for some reason most autism diagnosis happen to men, that is the misogyny in the medical comunity.\nSelf diagnosis means this women will go to doctors and it most case scenarios they will get diagnoses because they have this issue all their life.\nSocial media is giving people awareness of the issue in medicine and how it affects women. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Misogyny in medicine also leads to people not knowing the difference between a heart attack in a woman and a man. It leads to women thinking its something else because internet and books will tell you how a man will feel a heart attack, even doctors sometimes dont know this." ]

[ "The diagnosis process for a lot of psychiatric conditions are surveys and questionaires. You can go to a psychiatrist and ask if you're anxious and they'll give you multiple choice questions and diagnose off of that. Or you can just google the form yourself and self diagnose. A lot of psychiatric disorders are about how we feel and think. Not about sending off some blood sample to a lab and getting a positive result come back.\n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. For such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nWhat you're describing are all neuroses that could indicate some deeper psychiatric condition. Whether a person has a mental health condition or not, thinking of ourselves as weak victims is never helpful in any context, yet it's something we all feel from time to time.\nI'm a disability support worker, so when someone tells me they've got a self diagnosed condition, it's not offensive to me or any disabled person I know, it doesn't come across like they're invalidating anyone else's condition. However I do think everyone should talk to a doctor about any condition they feel they might have.", ">\n\nPiggybacking off of this: You’ve spent your whole entire life inside your own brain. A therapist will spend a period of hours with you and give you a diagnosis. Who do you think knows your personal reality better than yourself?", ">\n\nYeah exactly, especially with conditions such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, PTSD, and many other psychiatric conditions. These are things people know they have even before they get a diagnosis. The diagnosis stage is more about treatment and management.\nPeople might be unaware of how severe or mild their condition is, some people think they have only mild PTSD despite constant nightmares and suicidal ideation. Some people will think they have severe ADHD because they can't concentrate for long times on things that don't interest them. It's good to get some perspective from experts but ultimately people know when they are struggling to focus or to struggling to stop stressing all the time or struggling to not be miserable. Struggling with our thoughts and feelings is evidence enough to self diagnose.", ">\n\nI was recently diagnosed with ADHD as a woman so I find this viewpoint interesting.\nFirstly, autism is not a mental illness. An autistic person may have mental illness in conjunction with autism, but autism alone lies under the neurodivergent umbrella. Neurodivergency can include autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and other similar conditions.\nWhy women are often underdiagnosed\nThese are serious disabilities that can really impede a person's life, especially if they struggle to find help and acceptance in their community. A lot of women start their journey towards diagnosis later in life due to a number of factors such as:\n\nPoor diagnostic tools and inexperienced professionals\nA misunderstanding that autism and ADHD are more common in boys\nAdvanced masking techniques to cover their 'traits'\n\nWhy women are often diagnosed later in life.\nThe process for many women and men who are diagnosed later in life often includes a level of burnout or breakdown. After a while everything becomes too much, the mask begins to slip and your traits go into overdrive.\nWhy does self-diagnosing seem to be on the rise?\nA common way of finding out you could possibly be neurodivergent is through media and people who are aware of these traits appear.\nIn the past few years, I have seen an increasing awareness of neurodivergence in women pop up in the media. This is useful for people like myself who had no idea wtf was wrong with them for a very long time. For me, a GP actually suggested I seek a diagnosis due to some struggles I was going through.\nAs someone who went through this process self-diagnosing is commonly the first step as an adult. You might be directed to a questionnaire and are asked to evaluate yourself and your experiences thinking back to your childhood. If there's some merit in your experiences than you move to the next step which involves seeking a professional. Waitlists are often months to years long so many people live in limbo for a long time.\nMethods of living with ADHD can help everyone. And everyone experiences ADHD traits from time to time. Given a large amount of stress we have all suffered collectively, I don't doubt there are a lot of people with increased mental health issues that mirror neurodivergent traits. Some mental illnesses can get very severe and alter your brain chemistry and behaviour.\nMy takeaway from this is that the mental health systems set up to assist these people are a much larger issue and cause for serious concern than self-diagnosing.\nApologies for the spelling and grammar errors. Grammarly and Reddit don't play nice.", ">\n\nI think it's two things. One, people have identity crises, especially teenagers. We all know that type of person who tries on identities like hats. That's pretty embarrassing. You usually grow out of that.\nTwo, from personal experience, giving yourself a label or a diagnosis makes it feel more contained and easy to communicate. It's easier to tell someone that you have X and have them understand what you're going through rather than telling them you have these vague symptoms resembling what you imagine X is like. In that respect, it is pretty understandable, possibly good, and not embarrassing. There's something that is sort of reassuring if you can finally get a word to put on what you're experiencing.\nPeople often sympathize with the diagnosis but not with the symptoms. Tell people at work you're autistic and they will sympathize with you and possibly not attack you. Tell them you do not understand social cues and they will probably just make fun of you.", ">\n\nI understand the desire to put a label with a disease, and this is not necessarily bad, but the diagnosis needs to be correct. If you want to tell others that you are autistic or depressed; you must actually be those things. A person can almost never correctly assertion their disease, only their symptoms. People might better understand you if you say your autistic, but you may incorrectly understand and describe yourself. If one wishes to put a name with symptoms, they should find a doctor to pick the label", ">\n\nfor sure but unfortunately our medical system is a joke and even if you are experiencing very severe symptoms it can be nearly impossible to see a professional or take months on a waiting list.\nEven then a professional may be reluctant to slap a label on you for fear of what the consequences of that might be. I saw someone for a very long time who resisted any sort of actual diagnosis because the truth is that what I was experiencing didn't fit neatly into any of the boxes and pretty much belonged in this vague \"other\" category which isn't particularly helpful. Not to mention that misdiagnosis happens all the time even by professionals. \nI just think it is sort of understandable because I think a lot of stuff is kind of a spectrum anyway and just different levels of severity. Things can be really confusing and hard to nail down and thus communicate in a way that causes someone else to be understanding rather than judgemental.", ">\n\nAre you under the impression this is a new phenomenon? Because it's definitely not.\nPeople - especially young people! - crave identity. The world is a confusing place, knowing who you are makes it a little easier. Sometimes it's self-diagnosing mental illness or learning disabilities, or exploring sexual identity, or cliques, or subcultures. There's nothing embarrassing about it, it just is what it is.", ">\n\nIt’s ok to want to express individuality but not to the extent of totally destroying the definition of a real thing and making it hard for actual mentally Ill ppl to get a diagnosis. Why can’t people just accept that they’re different rather then giving themselves a label?", ">\n\npeople on TikTok claiming to have disorders that they don't doesn't affect the precision of psychiatrists diagnosing actual patients. There's no TikTok-said section in the DSM. Why do you think that it does?", ">\n\nIt just encourages more people to get diagnosed possibly skewing the meaning of the mental illness", ">\n\nSkewing it towards statistical accuracy? If people are actually diagnosed at higher rates, we have a better Guage of population-level mental illness, neurodivergency, etc. Better data is more usable, so that research actually means something actionable, ASIDE from the identity boost for young people.", ">\n\nI think what OP is driving at, but utterly failing to explain, is that they think that the fakers will be accommodated by the psychiatric system and diagnosed on the basis of fake symptoms. my sense is that isn't a problem but I don't have data.", ">\n\nDefinitely explained it a little better then I could lol", ">\n\nWhere do you see evidence of that? Any articles about fakers? How about a statistic? If not, it’s just a fear you seem to have.", ">\n\nI think the salient line here is this one:\n\nNeurologists were able to quickly determine that the subjects were not \nsuffering from Tourette's, but psychogenic tics driven by anxiety.", ">\n\nWomen are not born with less autism, but are much less likely to be diagnosed as children than boys. This is partly because boys generally have similar symptoms and behaviors. \nSo of course more women are self diagnosing autism, since their diagnoses were missed as children on a much higher rate.", ">\n\nAlright, I'm diagnosed OCD, PTSD, chronic depression. Diagnosed by a professional so I think I have some grounds to talk about this.\nFirst, let's tackle your women comment about autism. You see, I understand where you're coming from, but you lack the nuance of recognizing that mental illness, and illness in general, is heavily under-diagnosed in women. The medical culture is heavily favored towards men and is rampant with mysogyny, and that's not just me saying it as I've had medical professionals blatantly tell me it's a problem in the field when questioned about it. I've also had some tell me that it's just because women whine a lot, so yanno make of that statement what you will.\nNow that we've covered that let me address the self-diagnosing issue. So, do you want to know what my therapist thinks of self-diagnosing? Well, when I asked them about it they said that self-diagnosing is an important first step to seeking help. Psychiatrist said the same thing. It's normal, expected even, for people to self-diagnose their issues then seek help for them. You can't exactly just peer into someone's brain, no, that person has to tell you what they think is wrong and why they think it is. \nWhat you actually have a problem with is not self-diagnosis, but with people not seeking or not being able to get medical assistance and assuming they're right. You have a problem with people using these issues for attention, which I do too, but once again self-diagnosing is not the problem. Finally, you have a problem with the medical system that forces people into the position of trying to figure out their mental illnesses, but having no ability to get help for them.", ">\n\nI think I did it", ">\n\nSadly no lol, it was not done properly. Do you need a link to the rules?", ">\n\nI already read them i think I’ll figure it out in a bit sorry for the hold up", ">\n\nBecause everyone else is being aggressive: you have to comment with ∆ or !delta and then explain how your view has been changed", ">\n\nThis delta has been rejected. You can't award OP a delta.\nAllowing this would wrongly suggest that you can post here with the aim of convincing others.\nIf you were explaining when/how to award a delta, please use a reddit quote for the symbol next time.\n^Delta System Explained ^| ^Deltaboards", ">\n\nWhat gives you the authority or knowledge to know this is the problem?", ">\n\nYou don’t think it’s a problem that a lot of young ppl are willing to go to the extent of saying they are mentally Ill either for attention or to excuse their weirdness? Just accept that your different. It’s not wrong to believe you’re different without a label", ">\n\nYou did not even try to answer my question.", ">\n\nI’m sorry I was confused on what you meant", ">\n\nIf you are mad at people for self diagnosing themselves because they don't have the knowledge or authority to do so.... what gives you the knowledge or authority to diagnosis this as the problem behavior... basically are you just a kid that is annoyed, or is there some actual studies out there that is claiming this is a problem.", ">\n\nIf you don’t think that people consistently seeking attention for mental illness or craving a label so badly to justify themselves rather then being themselves. That just shows what your views are", ">\n\nDont you think we should leave the diagnosing to the professionals?", ">\n\nI mean yeah", ">\n\nWould you agree that you are diagnosing these people by saying that they are only seeking attention and do not have a real mental illness?", ">\n\nI’m assuming", ">\n\nThere may be some truth to people wanting to be different, however with mental illnesses being more accepted in today's society, many people are a lot more comfortable with being neurodivergent. Additionally, self diagnosis is common because the alternative is spending upwards to $1000-$2000 for a clinical diagnosis.", ">\n\nI know costs suck, but self diagnosis can be much more harmful. A web.md page that tells you your depressed when you may actually be bipolar can lead to really messed up results. I would even go as far as to say that no diagnosis at all is preferable to an uninformed one", ">\n\nWell.\n​\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad \n\nSo you already know why they're doing what they're doing in addition the fact that you know that they're not Autistic? If your claim is that they can't know and only a doctor can, what makes you more qualified? You start out your argument admitting that you have a bias.\n\nthey’re “neurodivergent.\n\nNeurodivergent is an umbrella that covers both Autism and ADHD, which sometimes get mistaken for each other. So if you're upset that they're self-diagnosing, this term should be more welcome than \"Autistic\" because it's more generalized.\n\nnd when you ask them how they know they’ll say “oh I have this weird tick when I uh laugh when someone says something funny “ or “I have a hyper fixation on this topic so I must be autistic\n\nHow else should they communicate it to you? The list of aspects of Autism, especially for how it presents in women, sounds a lot like this. You're not a doctor, they don't have to prove anything to you by going down the entire list of every possible part of their daily experience that might be on the spectrum.\n\nWomen statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nNope. Women are diagnosed less often than men because the original diagnostic criteria for Autism was for Autism as it presents in males. It presents differently for females and is harder to diagnose, especially at younger ages. \n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized\n\nTodays youth want to be victimized? Why would anyone want to be victimized? Something tells me you're missing the mark with this terminology.\n\nor have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. \n\nSo if someone is Autistic and that makes them weird, you'd rather them just be forced to not get to have a name for it, and get the therapeutic treatment that would help them?\n\nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really [are] without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nSome people are autistic. If they find out and it makes them feel good, that doesn't mean they're craving attention. And if they are craving attention, it's because they're normal people and everyone does. \nIf someone thinks they're autistic but it turns out they're actually not, chances are they suspected it for a reason. They might have ADHD, a personality disorder, a mental health issue, or simply a slightly different way of experiencing the world that feels unique to them and there's nothing wrong with that. \nYou seem to think that other people do things for you. People generally don't. They do things for themselves. This is especially true of people on the Autism Spectrum who may not be able to easily use other people's experiences to reference when constructing their view of the world, and can only use their own. Your interpretation wherein they do it to evoke a response from you says more about you than it does about them.", ">\n\nYou’re being deliberately obtuse. OP is completely correct. Most of the people these days who say “I’m ADHD” or “I’m autistic” or “I’m neurodivergent” are absolutely not diagnosed as such and are doing it to seem unique or get attention or as some excuse for why they did x y or z.", ">\n\nI'd like to point out that while some are perhaps attention seeking, many people self diagnose simply because they don't have access to free medical/psychological professionals to get proper diagnosis and help with their issues. I also know someone who doesn't want to get an official diagnosis because he's afrad it will affect his insurance rates or somehow come back to bite him if he's offically labeled with having a neurological disorder. \nThere is a wealth of knowledge on these subjects available online for those interested. And if they are truly interested in self diagnose they can likely do that accurately enough for all intents and purposes. Most of these people who search for the sake of better understanding themselves or their loved ones will openly admit that it's a self diagnoses, or say they THINK they have x,y, or z. But in some situations it's just as well to say they have it if they feel certain anyway, and it's just a passing comment, and not a discussion on the matter. \nIn other words, just because they self diagnose doesn't mean they're wrong, nor does it explain their motives. I also don't see how attention seeking (for those who ARE doing that) is really hurting anyone else. Fakers gonna be fake, that's more a \"them\" kind of problem. ANNOYING, but mostly harmless.", ">\n\nUnless you have a doctor's diagnosis you don't have the disorder. Even if you are broke there are programs to help with costs. \nAnd yes it does affect me when someone is treating me like shit and tries using the I have such and such as an excuse and then people get mad at ME for calling them in their bullshit.", ">\n\nNo. You have to have the disorder before you CAN be diagnosed, so obviously there are undiagnosed people who in fact \"have the disorder \". Your refusal to acknowledge an undiagnosed disorder does not mean they don't have it. Your personal experience with people supposedly using a fake diagnosis to treat you badly, sounds unusual. How do you know they DIDN'T have it? People who do lie and just want to be jerks will do that regardless of what methods they decide to try. The methods are irrelevant. And that motive is not typical of most self diagnosers .", ">\n\nSounds unusual? You must not get out a lot because it's become a pretty regular thing. Every single person I know (about 8) that have self diagnosed themselves as neurodivergent or with a mental illness like Bi-polar all use it to excuse their shitty ass behaviors. \nToo many disorders can mirror other ones. Just because they think they have 2/3 symptoms doesn't make them right by a long shot. Keep living in your bubble.", ">\n\nYou don't have to have a relationship with anyone. If they treat you badly, regardless of an official diagnosis or not, you don't have to tolerate them. It makes no difference what they have or don't have. What would it change if they got diagnosed and actually have it?", ">\n\nSelf diagnosing has been a thing forever\nAnd it's not a problem im 99% sure me or any other autistic person doesn't really give 2 fucks about people who wanna fake disorders. It doesn't stop us from getting help, we have doctors notes, medical files, sometimes even volunteers, you need those files to get into let's say a special education class, or a life skills course.\nSo unless you were diagnosed by a professional you're probably not gonna make it far faking it.\n(Excuse my shitty punctuation)", ">\n\nIt doesn’t bother you that they’re making others take the actual meaning away from what you were born with? I mean I’m sure autism hasn’t made your life easy and seeing ppl claim it for attention to be quirky probably has to annoy you a little right?", ">\n\nAt the end of the day I still have ADHD and I still need help with it. More people being diagnosed with it doesn’t change that fact. In fact I was diagnosed because I realized I related to so many tiktok memes, and I’m sure others are in my same boat. \nIn fact I think so many people talking about ADHD helps. It means more people who possibly have tips for me, people who are suffering who can’t afford treatment have an easy way to learn about how to improve their lives, and more people who are aware of my disorder.", ">\n\nI think people do diagnose themselves too often without seeking professional help. BUT mental illness is not the same as being neurodivergent.", ">\n\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad that they’ll go as far to say they’re “neurodivergent.”\n\nWhile this is the case, I don't really see how it's a \"problem\" per se. I guarantee that these people still make lifestyle decisions based on what they think is best, or based on what they want to do.\n\nbut it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women\n\nDo you have any statistics for that? I haven't experienced it that way in my own anecdotal experience, and I'd be curious to look into the data to see how much that truly does skew in that direction.\n\nwanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness \nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nI understand what you're trying to say here, but I don't really think these things are connected as much as you think they are. People see something wrong with themselves, so they either playfully or seriously consider the fact that it could be a condition that they have similar symptoms to. Not that it never happens, but just because someone categorizes themselves into a disability group that could potentially excuse their \"quirks\", doesn't mean they think that behavior is unacceptable in any way. People see a problem, and assume it's linked to this other issue that seems similar that they already know about.", ">\n\nI agree with the conclusion that self-diagnosis is a real issue, and I wouldn't be surprised if the data indicated it was on the rise. I wouldn't necessarily frame it as a simple desire to \"be victimized\" however. While it is purely speculation, I do believe there are a number of conditions which might lead towards a more frequent experience of symptoms associated with mental illness - a rising wealth gap, perpetual anxiety from a 24-hour news cycle, intensification of self-commodification, the student debt crisis in certain countries like the US, and so on. So people are experiencing symptoms like low energy, mood swings, etc. that can be associated with mental illness. The issue with self-diagnosis then becomes that it may correctly identify the symptom, but incorrectly identify the cause.\nThis video from the YouTuber HealthyGamerGG does a good job of explaining what some of the issues with self-diagnosis are, and for me it was a good starting place for thinking about this more. \nEDIT: I forgot this video literally starts with this same topic being brought up on this same subreddit lol", ">\n\nA great theory based on reasonable causes with an educational video from a psychologist(I assume) as evidence to back it up. I applaud you sir. 👏", ">\n\nWhy are you embarrassed by other people's issues?", ">\n\nI’m a 30yo male. If I had not first self diagnosed with ASD and OCD, I never would have found the language and resources to get a formal diagnosis and help.\nPrior generations have been so fixated on avoidance of diagnosing mental disorders, and research was previously so lacking that we are only just now (through those that do get diagnosed) realizing how common mental disorders are. That plus the lack of mental health resources for neurotypical and neurodivergent I think is how we end up in this situation of many recognizing their symptoms in the new discourse, but lacking the resources to overcome the barriers to proper diagnosis and treatment.", ">\n\nIt’s not the best thing, no. \nAs an adult FINALLY diagnosed (by a licensed therapist) at 41, I can tell you why ‘self diagnosis’ is so tempting. \nIn the US at least- mental health, and official medical diagnosis are almost completely inaccessible, especially as an adult. Most of us grew up before Autism was a spectrum, and ADHD was just boys who acted out in class. We felt like aliens. We couldn’t understand why we didn’t have many friends, or why we didn’t like the ‘right things’, and generally spend the bill of our lives feeling ‘wrong’, ‘broken’ or just simply like we didn’t belong. \nFinally understanding the WHY, and even better, finding tools to addresses our issues is a huge huge weight off the chest. The relief of having a name and a strategy- either therapy or medicine is such an amazing relief!!", ">\n\nI only kinda agree if I had not done my own research I would have never found out I have sjorgens syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis I know TikTok people tend to diagnose themselves and it makes it look cringe but when you live with a incurable illness sometimes you have to work to find a diagnosis", ">\n\nWell, what do you do of you absolutely know you're neurodivergent, but your parents decided not to get you checked? My mom once told me \"we knew you had something, we just didn't get you checked because they would have just put you on pills\". So I struggled with being different, socially unaware, impulsive, obnoxious, agressive, selfish, for the better part of my life without having the self awareness to understand why I was these things, and why people wouldn't want to be around me. \nIn my late 20''s I asked the question, what if I'm actually autistic? I looked up the symptoms, and 9/10 matched. As a child I couldn't handle loud noises, restrictive clothing, I didn't talk until I was 3. I would throw fits for seemingly no reason, I had obsessive interests. I've always really struggled with eye contact, and I never cared for conversation unless it was something I liked. I mean, when the final piece of a puzzle fits so incredibly well, it's really hard for it to be wrong. \nSelf diagnosing actually really helped me grow as aj individual. I became aware of all my divergent behaviors, and why it might be annoying for someone else to deal with. I came to the realization that I was the one who was different, therefore I needed to change. It's way harder to make everyone around you cater to your needs than to overcome the things that upset you. I'm at peace, I have good friends that I can connect with on a pretty deep level. I no longer smash coffee tables when I lose, I can now appreciate that if I lose it just means I have more to learn. I can keep my house clean, I can reasonably hold myself accountable. What exactly is the harm in all that?\nBesides, it would be pretty pointless for me to try and get a diagnosis now, I've put the effort in and largely come out the other side. Anyone diagnosing me would just say I was normal, but they wouldn't have the intimate knowledge of me that I do. I guess it doesn't matter if people don't believe me, I don't go around shouting that I'm autistic. I will say, it would be really nice if people appreciated the effort I put in to get to get to a place of normalcy, something others take for granted, but it's okay, we all have our struggles.", ">\n\nI feel you on all that. To play devil's advocate, mental healthcare in the U.S. is not cheap. Many people go to the internet and confirm their bias about their current health", ">\n\nI feel you on that too OP. I agree 100% with your entire statement.", ">\n\nIt's a problem, but not a new one. In the 1990s there was briefly a surge of people with a type of delusional parasitosis, that is, the false belief that they were infested with parasites. Except this one was supposedly an infestation with tiny fibres. They would come to doctors with a whole list of symptoms to back up their incorrect self-diagnosis.\nTo a certain extent, these are social contagions, which come and go, and often actually end up leading to people having real problems. Like, the young women you mention, a couple of decades ago may well have ended up with anorexia, or self-cutting. These days it might be a self-declaration of autism or a belief that they have gender dysphoria or that they have multiple systems living in their minds.", ">\n\nWow I did not know that. Maybe it’s just so prevalent today due to social media. Social media has only made these things worse imo", ">\n\nEven before it being self diagnosis of a mental illness it was always something. Remember all the emo and goth teenager?", ">\n\nIt depends on the context. For example, if they've done a substantial amount of research, can name a good amount of symptoms they have and reasons they have whatever mental illness and don't have access to the necessary tools to get a medical diagnosis, it's totally different. Some people don't have the money to go out and get a diagnosis, or sometimes it would be better to not get a medical diagnosis. I believe that the reason that a lot of people self diagnose themselves with things like Autism is because they want an explanation as to why they are different, and they could be right or wrong. I think the most important part is that if you go to a psychologist (or even two, I know a lot of people prefer getting second opinions) and they say you don't have it, that you need to admit you were wrong. It's ok to be wrong about your mental health, and the key is to keep looking and to not give up. I can completely understand the frustration in people completely missing how difficult it actually may be to have a mental illness. I was clinically diagnosed with Depression, Anxiety, and PTSD when I was seven, and I've had some experience with people faking mental disorders for attention, and more often then not, they have another mental disorder that needs attention. Recently I had a (now ex) boyfriend insist he had PTSD after being tested twice and the psychiatrist saying that he didn't have it. What he does have is Depression and Anxiety, but he absolutely insisted he has PTSD despite never exhibiting symptoms and the only evidence being a test he took online that was supposedly a \"real PTSD test.\" People faking mental illnesses only harms people who really have them, as these people tend to exaggerate symptoms and use their self diagnosis for attention. I believe that I am autistic, but I don't list it as a diagnosis because while I have read articles and taken the RAADS-r test, I don't have an official diagnosis, and I could very well be wrong. As for women faking illnesses more often, something I've noticed is that things like Autism, ADHD, ADD, etc are more often diagnosed in boys rather than girls- mostly because when they were first discovered, most of the research was done in boys. Autism shows up differently in girls, and can often be blown off as early puberty hormones. If their hyperfixations are those of stereotypical feminine things, it's just a girl liking whatever, and if they hyperfixate in stereotypical masculine interests, they tend to just be viewed as weird, but not autistic. It's normal for people to question, but I agree that to a certain point, self diagnosis can be harmful, but only if not done correctly.", ">\n\nFirst and foremost not a new problem at all, very common, we used to call it \"Being a hypochondriac\" until it aparrently became reconized which in it self is confusing and a bit contradictory.\nANYWAY\nIt isnt really a problem, no doctor is gonna write the perscription for medication without a diagnosis of some sort.\nAt most there is the vauge \"But what about those who actually have it who arent taken serious\" dont worry, we wouldnt have anyway. Thats kinda how invisible illnesses work.\nOverall the 101 hypochondriacs screaming about the symptoms they read in the ICD might help make the knowledge more common and help people better reconize if their colleagues or friends happen to show symptoms of something.", ">\n\nIt’s pretty expensive in the US to get diagnosed. Personally, I’ve self diagnosed myself out of frustration of the way I process things. I’ve always felt slow & my anxiety/depression was deep because of it, but I was raised in a family that doesn’t believe in mental illness. It was always “if you work hard enough, all your problems will go away”. Meanwhile, i was racking my brain on how to make myself think faster/smarter & it would result in psychotic episodes. I’ve gotten fired from jobs, dropped out of school. I started self harming because I hated myself and my brain & almost commit suicide bc I had no idea what was going on.\nThe relief I felt once I finally got a therapist who validated me & was the first to talk to me about mental Illness. It blew my mind and all of a sudden things actually made sense to me. I currently think I have ADD, and sometimes I’ll tell people that but will preface it by saying I’m not professionally diagnosed. Still, I use mental tools that help me get through the day and build my confidence. I’m a lot better at processing conversations, making lists that help me remember things, unmasking, slowing down my thoughts… etc. I’m less frustrated and can see the beauty in how I process things. I still want to get diagnosed but I have to get health insurance….. lol", ">\n\nSelf diagnosis, regardless of being factual is a process where the individual realizes that they might have a mental health issue. People who can do this are more likely to seek professional help compared to the people who think they are “fine”. Going to a professional, licensed psychologist or a psychiatrist will eventually diagnose them with the correct disorder from there, and professionals have the skills to communicate with them and they can together evaluate if the person’s complaint is the issue or not. There is nothing embarrassing about discovering one’s self. It would be a problem if people would identify with an issue and don’t have any willingness to seek help. Sometimes overreacting is better than not reacting.", ">\n\nThe majority of people who are self-diagnosed with autism have done extensive research into it to come to that conclusion. I personally went through the DSM criteria with a fine-tooth comb, made a list of all the ways I met it and discovered that there’s not a single criteria i don’t meet for autism. I didn’t read about anything else but autism for weeks, approaching it from all angles before coming to the conclusion that it’s highly unlikely I am not autistic. I’m waiting to hear back about an assessment, but I’m not waiting to go and be told something I already know before I start advocating for myself. \nOh, and I absolutely did not want to be ‘different’, in fact my life mission to just blend in and be average is the root cause of most of my problems, but here we are.", ">\n\nThis self diagnosing young people do isn’t the problem. The problem is that our society encourages it.\nOur culture is not set up to accommodate a wide spectrum of human needs. You may need things that I don’t. I may need things that you don’t. But in most business settings, academic settings, or even places like restaurants or leisure places, the world isn’t built to accommodate everyone. Our world and society is a “one size fits all” approach, and most people don’t fit snugly inside of that system. \nIf you can classify what is “wrong” or “different” about you into an easily digestible form, people are generally more able and more willing to accommodate you.\nFor example: if I tell my coworkers that I need to leave work early because of a headache, I’ll be shamed for it. And in some cases I’ll be told that “headaches aren’t that bad!” Or “You don’t need to leave.” Or “I have a headache too, just deal with it!”\nBut if I tell my workers that I need to leave due to a painful neurological condition that’s flaring up (I have chronic migraine, which is a neurological condition), they will respect it 100% of the time. It’s met with sympathy and not criticism.\nThis happens for all sorts of things. “Sorry Im late, I slept in.” Sounds a lot worse then, “sorry I’m late, my insomnia has been terrible lately.” \nOur culture forces us to use these labels even when they’re untrue just to receive sympathy or acceptance. The problem isn’t people who decide to use these labels, the root problem is that our society refuses to embrace and accommodate people who are outside of the “norm.”", ">\n\nSpeaking as someone who's had an autism diagnosis since age 7: if someone declares they're autistic when they're not, that's obnoxious at worst. If someone is told they're not autistic when they are, that can cause lifelong harm from denied care and understanding. I have seen this happen to a close friend of mine.\nTherefore, I'd much rather err on the side of acceptance. If you think you're defending me and others like me from impersonators, we'd rather not have your help.\n\nI know people will disagree but it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women. Women statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nCase in point: women are diagnosed with autism far less than men. Recent studies have pointed to decades of systematic misdiagnosis. The more visible autistic symptoms sometimes manifest differently in girls, the way they're socialized may help them hide it from a young age, and of course lots of doctors just say \"your daughter can't be autistic, that's a boy thing.\"\nWe're learning that there are hundreds of thousands of autistic women who slipped through the cracks and were denied the recognition and support they needed because of dismissive, gatekeeping attitudes just like yours.", ">\n\nThere’s a difference between having a disorder and relating to a disorder. If the tools or language associated with a disorder helps someone live better though then cool, it’s all still odd. Also autism presents differently in woman, and a majority of our research on it is on men. Best practice is probably to support them and encourage them to seek treatment.", ">\n\nAutism is severely misdiagnosed in women. Completely under diagnosed. Actually, plenty of things are. The actual problem that we have is parents refusing to let their children get professional help or a diagnosis. Most doctors will diagnose you with BPD as a woman(aka the new female hysteria of our century), maybe put you on some anti psychotics and send you your way. In most countries, a diagnosis/specialist is not readily available, or there is a long waiting list. Even so, the doctors are not know it all. I have seen plenty of doctors, I got different diagnosis almost each time. They ask you some general questions (about your mood, the way you sleep, if you can concentrate, if you harm yourself, if you have suicidal ideation, if you can socialize properly, if your parents were diagnosed with anything, if you have hallucinations or delusions, the works) and then based on that, they will give you a diagnosis. If you use your common sense and information on the internet (given you are knowledgeable on the subject), you can take a good guess on what's wrong. Obviously, some people will exaggerate like with anything (seeing the shadow dude once in your childhood is not a sign of psychosis, neither is hearing your name called when you are alone once in a blue moon), but if you have visual and auditory hallucinations, perhaps weird tactile feelings/hallucinations (spiders are crawling on me, etc), delusions, tend to be forgetful and out of teach with reality, there is a good chance you do have psychosis.", ">\n\nOkay, to start: what do you think autism and ADHD are? They aren't mental illnesses nor are they mental health conditions. \nTo address some of your other points; \nStudies have shown that autism has a gender expression of 1:1. The only reason that women are under diagnosed is because of misunderstandings towards autism, then the diagnosis is conducted incorrectly. Thus it ends up getting conflated with mental illness, E.G BPD, and is diagnosed as a psychiatric disorder instead. This is a detriment to the patient as the care regimes are black and white different. Often times this severely damages the woman.\nFrom data sets that I recall reading, malingering hasn't risen much, if at all, in recent times. I remember it being around 8% of the global population who are engaging in this behaviour, to different extents. I think what's happened is that social media has turned a torch onto it and it's risen in popularity in an algorithmic way. You see it more because it's pushed by the algorithm more because people are searching for it more. It isn't actually occurring any more or less than historically. Most of that attention is negative attention, I should add. \nSo there's two things to take away from that.\n1) The actual act of pretending to be mentally ill, or to have a disability, which is called malingering, is in fact a form of mental unwellness itself. It's a cry for help. The people who do these things are usually very unstable and should be treated with a degree of empathy. The dangerous types who are using mental illness to scam others, or to manipulate them, make up a very small percentage of the overall amount of people in that group and tend to abuse one on one. \n2) The predominant response to this is generally negative. There isn't really any reason to publicly malinger unless you're unstable, this is because a rational person would likely know this, and know the damage it would cause themselves. Self-diagnosis is a very long, and self-aware, process that takes place over years of the individuals life, and proceeds official diagnosis. \nNo one SDs and says \"Okay that's it now! Let me start a TikTok!\" You'd still want support, and you'd still seek support. So that would end up with a doctor, who would see that you're lying, and treat you for whatever was prompting you to malinger. Anyone who has made this commitment knows that keeping it private is a sensible thing to do in a world that isn't inclusive, and often very stigmatising. Sometimes official diagnosis can take YEARS. \nThis kind of propaganda has been going around for a long time in an effort to discredit disabled people and people with mental illnesses. It's not new. People said the same things back in the 90s. People will always be afraid, and dismissive, of things they do not understand. I invite you to try and understand.", ">\n\nI self-diagnosed myself with endometriosis for 10 years before a doctor finally listened to me, opened me up, and found my insides littered with lesions all over my organs. I’m now not able to get pregnant and I might need to get part of my bowel taken out someday. This could’ve been avoided if someone had just listened to me when I was 16. \nSelf-diagnosing is a necessity in a misogynist world! No one takes us seriously! Especially medical professionals. \nThe best antidote for this is to listen to women who self-diagnose. Why do they think they have XYZ? Is it heavily interfering with their life? I think that’s a much larger problem.", ">\n\nIts been proven that there is a bias to diagnose as opposed to not diagnose a mental illness in psychology. So op is actually kinda correct. The definition of a mental illness is in effect being stretched so far that people who are just kinda weird are being diagnosed with \"on the spectrum\". This is actually causing a problem in early learning because parents start treating their kids as essentially learning challenged when they're really not. So it is starting to become an excuse ...", ">\n\nWe live in a society that loves to medicate people. I know it’s different but Did ppl forget about the opioid epidemic? They’ll diagnose your ass with anything if they can", ">\n\nYa I tend to agree. And no one is really saying so I will I guess, but id wager that 50% of psychologist \"professionals\" are totally full of shit. The actual number of psychologists that are are doing real research and clinical studies is EXTREMELY small compared to how many \"psychologists\" are out there. Just like chiropractors, half of them are hacks..", ">\n\nAnd ill say one more thing, though it is anecdotal, but i have direct family that works in special education for young children, and that system is fucked with a capital F. Thay are constantly fighting against parents and programs who try to box kids in the \"autistic\" zone, when they are just really quite or shy, or have pee problems. But parents want an excuse and reason for their behavior, and reduce them to a sub standard education and treatment for the rest of their lives. It's heart breaking. Especially in public schools.", ">\n\nI’m 32 years old. \nI didn’t self diagnose for attention although I remember the days of tumblr where everyone self diagnosed for clout.\nIt took me a decade to realize what is really happening. During the decade before I realized what may have been happening I was told the following:\nI’m rude\nI’m bossy\nI have a RBF/I look mad\nI also only managed to make my first real friend at age 27.\nWhat I was really displaying was:\nBeing overly blunt and just trying to get my point across came off rude when I didn’t intend it to be that way\nTrying to have things done at a certain time and way that no one else thought was important to follow\nUnmasking\nNoticed other things too that I just thought was me being weird:\nVocal stimming\nOral stimming-chewing, smoking, vaping\nRepetitive motions\nRocking\nEasily overwhelmed by too much sensory input\nHigh startle reflex \nInability to regulate my body’s needs-I don’t know I’m hungry until I’m ravenous; don’t recognize the need to use the bathroom until it’s causing me to rush off, don’t realize I’m cold until I’m shaking\nI could go on.\nI want an assessment so bad. But assessments for adults are EXTREMELY hard to setup, if you can even set them up at all. Some states don’t even offer them. I’ve been looking but they are only for children and seem to look for severe cases.\n14 years of thinking I was just a bitch who couldn’t make friends because I was too weird…turns out it might be autism. And turns out I’ll most likely never get a true diagnosis. But the RAADS test gave me a 127 score so that might be the closest I’ll ever get.", ">\n\ni kind of self diagnosed autism? i’ve been to many psychiatrists and therapists for years and they always see adhd in the half an hour and prescribe meds for that, which makes me not go there again. if they dug a little deeper they could have seen autism, i spoke to my current psychiatrist about if its possible i have it, she didn’t want to confirm or deny as i was moving out of state from friends and family and am at an age where i can have kids in the next 10 years since she doesn’t want me being concerned for them. \nI think there’s still lots of stigma around autism even with professionals and especially when identifying it in women. \nI don’t want to be autistic, but i can recognise a lot of different patterns comparing myself and others. I’ve researched it a ton especially in how it shows in women compared to men and in all the articles i found myself relating.\nNow i don’t say im autistic, i say im a little sus of being it tho lmao. and try pass it off casually. I find it’s a lot easier for me to understand and embrace my differences compared to trying to hide it and try be like everyone else or wonder why im not like everyone else. \nBeing older i can also recognise how a lot of my family on one side have suffered mentally and because of obvious neurodivergence. so im pretty sure, like the rest of my mentally challenged brain, has been inherited genetically through that side. \nAll that being said. I self diagnosed when i was about 12 that im highly likely to be depressed and anxious in attempt to get my mom to believe me i needed help, and now 8 years later i can identify that this has been an issue forever for me and that i likely cannot go off my meds because i will just go back to how i used to be. Im still ocd with all my meds, but its better than being anxious and depressed all the time, Having ocd throughout the day is like heaven to me in comparison to how i used to be. obviously the ocd isnt new, just a lot more heard in my brain now.", ">\n\nOk, I know some people self diagnoze themselves with [insert some mental illness here] out of attention or whatever, and that's totally not ok.\nHowever, if you read all the symptoms and do proper research on a mental illness and everything clicks in to you, I'd say you can be fairly confident on a self diagnosis (although, it might be worth it to double check with a professional, especially if you want any sort of treatment). But also for some people, it might not be affordable to go to a professional...", ">\n\nI live in Canada, I've engaged with the medical system, doctors don't care and just want you out, ERs are a 8 hour wait for someone to ignore one thing and won't even entertain other issues even if they are related. Self-diagnosis is really the only way to get any kind of proper treatment at all. \nThe doctors will rubber stamp just about anything you ask for except pain killers but in terms of diagnosis you're way better off doing it yourself, sure you don't have 8 years of medical school but the doctors won't give you 5 mins of their time, they are not better than google and you give a lot more of a shit than they will and at the end of the day it's your body.", ">\n\nBack in the 90s when I was a teenager, the kids/teenagers/young adults who wanted attention, and wanted to be different, adopted the goth lifestyle. Dressing up in all black. White foundation with black lipstick and eyeshadow. It was the trendy way to be different, to be viewed as outcasts of society. To not fit in. \nThe goth lifestyle of the 2020s is self diagnosis. Same shit, different day.\nWhenever someone claims autism, or somewhere on the spectrum, I just roll my eyes and imagine that person just sucks at life.", ">\n\nI just think it’s a little more harmful nowadays due to the prevalence of social media. Ppl get sucked into groups and mindsets before they even have a real life chance. Then they hyper fixate on that they might be mentally Ill rather then just trying to live life to the fullest", ">\n\nI 100% agree with you", ">\n\nBecause it's the age of spin this generation has something for everybody. And all of them are Google doctors. Lol", ">\n\nTook my uncle till he was 38 even thought it was apparent to everyone. Hell he got expelled from two schools", ">\n\nI get what you're saying. I frankly find it weird that more people don't find this weird. People self-diagnosing themselves as all kinds of things not only completely misrepresents the actual conditions, thereby making people even more confused as to what they actually are and how they present, but also leads people to run to a psychiatrist claiming false symptoms and getting medication for something they don't have, which is NOT a good thing. People should never be taking medication unless it is necessary. We are a heavily over-medicated society and this is a big factor in that. Caffeine to wake up in the morning, \"immuno-boosters\" and mood stabilizers during the day, sleeping pills to sleep at night. The caffeine and sleeping pills are addictive and can really mess up your circadian rhythm, and the mood stabilizers can really fuck you up if you don't need them. Instead of rushing to diagnose and medicate everyone, we need to educate them on human behavior and show them that their \"mental health\" problems are completely normal.\nOh, so you get nervous right before you make huge life decisions? That's not Anxiety Disorder, it's just anxiety.\nOh, you are really sad because your cat died? That's not Clinical Depression, you are just grieving.\nOh, you went from really happy to really sad when you were previously happy and something really shitty happened to you and soured your mood? That's not Bipolar Disorder, that's just life.\nOh, you like to be more organized than the people around you? That's not Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, you just like to be organized.\nPeople really misunderstand the nature of these conditions and it hinders our collective progress in treating them, like dramatically inflating the number of actual conditions in the population, making it increasingly more difficult to determine how common and how varied they are. After all, in most cases it is not the psychiatrist or psychologist who makes you better, you make you better. Medication can help and other people can show you the path to success, but the problem will never get solved unless you play an active role in the treatment. Some conditions can never be solved, only lessened, while others are virtually untreatable. We need to stop making these conditions seem cool. They aren't. They are serious and need to be taken seriously.", ">\n\nHeavily agree and I appreciate how well this comment is worded. Wish I coulda worded mine a little better", ">\n\nYa I saw you getting shredded in the comments and figured I'd sum it up for you. 🤣", ">\n\nLmao bro I didn’t expect this many. I was thinking maybe like 20 ppl would reply", ">\n\nYou need to self diagnose in many cases in order to get adequate help.", ">\n\nI knew when I had ADD and IBS, and I was able to get my suspicions confirmed by my respective doctors. Doctors are there to help the patients understand themselves, whereas the patients have to go home every day and live with what they actually have. Do not be so quick to judge.", ">\n\nJust to add here - Autism in women is less prevalent because it presents differently and is often not picked up by standardised diagnostic tests (that were developed on an almost exclusively male sample). I think that also goes to show that there’s p significant issues with what we consider ‘scientific’ and research based in the first place.", ">\n\nI grew up in a small town and we had quite a few autistic boys but only one autistic girl. Literally only one out of like 6-8 grades. So that’s like a 10-1 ratio. It’s gotta be a lot statistically smaller then males. I don’t doubt it happens I just know it’s a lot less", ">\n\nYou think your small town’s makeup is generalizable to all of society? That isn’t how statistics work.", ">\n\nSo my question would be - so what do we do?\nYou think people are diagnosing themselves to gain attention. Fine, but what's the next step?\nSee, I think I might be bipolar 2. But I went on a journey where I looked into the techniques for dealing with this issue. That led me to cognitive behavior therapy.\nThat actually made me more convinced that this was my issue because I have taught myself a lot of cognitive behavior therapy techniques to address the same issues. These practices have really helped me.\nIt sounds like your issue is that these people are getting attention for it. To me, these are people who need someone to help guide them. That would have helped me a lot when I was younger. Society today doesn't really give us the tools to sort this out, but just the knowledge that these things exist can push someone down the rabbit hole to learn about therapy that could really help.\nI think you should ask yourself what your motivations are. Do you really want them to understand themselves? Or are you more interested in steering the conversation toward other topics?\nPersonally, I would deal with these people by paying them forward. I would tell them to understand the practices that typically help these people, and see if they are relevant. I would tell them to seek professional help, and to refrain from diagnosing themselves, but I would encourage them to be critical of themselves and to learn more.\nImo, the way out is through.", ">\n\nI agree with you but it’s not mostly women. Maybe by happenstance that’s the case in your circle but broadly men do this too.", ">\n\nDoctor's are consulting the Mayo Clinic website after talking to a patient and getting their symptoms. I bring that up to say this; a doctor's training is needed for very serious diseases and tricky diagnoses, but a semi-intelligent person could look up their symptoms and get a lot of the more minor stuff right.", ">\n\nI've never been diagnosed as clinically depressed or anything, but that doesn't mean that I don't suffer from depression a lot of the time (these last few years, more often than not). I see a therapist. I take antidepressants. \nI have a friend who has aphantasia. It isn't really a \"diagnosable\" condition, but it describes what he has trouble with: creating images in his mind.", ">\n\nThat’s different then going online and claiming perfectly normal traits mean you’re autistic", ">\n\nNeurodivergence ≠ mental illness.", ">\n\nThey know themselves and their experiences better than you.", ">\n\nOP, I'm seeing some differences between your post and what you're saying in the comments. \nMy question is, do you have a problem with people self-diagnosing, or is your issue more about people drawing a lot of public attention to their diagnoses?", ">\n\nOverall both but definitely the attention part more so for obvious reasons. The self diagnosing part due to the fact that it can make people believe it can be an excuse for their actions good or bad. I think In a weird way it can allow people to take away the responsibility of their own actions and attribute to their mental illness", ">\n\nAs someone who has been diagnosed with ADHD, having people self diagnosing doesn't bother me at all, because I went the path of not knowing at all what I had and letting doctors figure out by themselves... and it took me 4 years and a half to finally have a concrete answer that no doctors would have found out if I didn't start searching on my own. You can't walk into every doctor's office with the assumption they'll figure out what you have, because it's not their speciality, or they still have an outdated view (not every doctor are kept up to date with new discovers), or they're biased, etc... \nI've never been annoyed by people who self diagnose. Hell, if I knew what was about to happen to me, I would have done the same way sooner.", ">\n\nMost women today arent faking it, they are noticing the symptoms no one else noticed and trying to find help. Its not easy to grow up with this kind of stuff. Is not coincidence you think women are less likely to be born to autism instead of thinking how weird it is that for some reason most autism diagnosis happen to men, that is the misogyny in the medical comunity.\nSelf diagnosis means this women will go to doctors and it most case scenarios they will get diagnoses because they have this issue all their life.\nSocial media is giving people awareness of the issue in medicine and how it affects women. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Misogyny in medicine also leads to people not knowing the difference between a heart attack in a woman and a man. It leads to women thinking its something else because internet and books will tell you how a man will feel a heart attack, even doctors sometimes dont know this.", ">\n\nGetting a diagnosis or treatment is borderline impossible for a lot of people. So self diagnosis is sometimes the only way they can help themselves." ]

[ "The diagnosis process for a lot of psychiatric conditions are surveys and questionaires. You can go to a psychiatrist and ask if you're anxious and they'll give you multiple choice questions and diagnose off of that. Or you can just google the form yourself and self diagnose. A lot of psychiatric disorders are about how we feel and think. Not about sending off some blood sample to a lab and getting a positive result come back.\n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. For such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nWhat you're describing are all neuroses that could indicate some deeper psychiatric condition. Whether a person has a mental health condition or not, thinking of ourselves as weak victims is never helpful in any context, yet it's something we all feel from time to time.\nI'm a disability support worker, so when someone tells me they've got a self diagnosed condition, it's not offensive to me or any disabled person I know, it doesn't come across like they're invalidating anyone else's condition. However I do think everyone should talk to a doctor about any condition they feel they might have.", ">\n\nPiggybacking off of this: You’ve spent your whole entire life inside your own brain. A therapist will spend a period of hours with you and give you a diagnosis. Who do you think knows your personal reality better than yourself?", ">\n\nYeah exactly, especially with conditions such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, PTSD, and many other psychiatric conditions. These are things people know they have even before they get a diagnosis. The diagnosis stage is more about treatment and management.\nPeople might be unaware of how severe or mild their condition is, some people think they have only mild PTSD despite constant nightmares and suicidal ideation. Some people will think they have severe ADHD because they can't concentrate for long times on things that don't interest them. It's good to get some perspective from experts but ultimately people know when they are struggling to focus or to struggling to stop stressing all the time or struggling to not be miserable. Struggling with our thoughts and feelings is evidence enough to self diagnose.", ">\n\nI was recently diagnosed with ADHD as a woman so I find this viewpoint interesting.\nFirstly, autism is not a mental illness. An autistic person may have mental illness in conjunction with autism, but autism alone lies under the neurodivergent umbrella. Neurodivergency can include autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and other similar conditions.\nWhy women are often underdiagnosed\nThese are serious disabilities that can really impede a person's life, especially if they struggle to find help and acceptance in their community. A lot of women start their journey towards diagnosis later in life due to a number of factors such as:\n\nPoor diagnostic tools and inexperienced professionals\nA misunderstanding that autism and ADHD are more common in boys\nAdvanced masking techniques to cover their 'traits'\n\nWhy women are often diagnosed later in life.\nThe process for many women and men who are diagnosed later in life often includes a level of burnout or breakdown. After a while everything becomes too much, the mask begins to slip and your traits go into overdrive.\nWhy does self-diagnosing seem to be on the rise?\nA common way of finding out you could possibly be neurodivergent is through media and people who are aware of these traits appear.\nIn the past few years, I have seen an increasing awareness of neurodivergence in women pop up in the media. This is useful for people like myself who had no idea wtf was wrong with them for a very long time. For me, a GP actually suggested I seek a diagnosis due to some struggles I was going through.\nAs someone who went through this process self-diagnosing is commonly the first step as an adult. You might be directed to a questionnaire and are asked to evaluate yourself and your experiences thinking back to your childhood. If there's some merit in your experiences than you move to the next step which involves seeking a professional. Waitlists are often months to years long so many people live in limbo for a long time.\nMethods of living with ADHD can help everyone. And everyone experiences ADHD traits from time to time. Given a large amount of stress we have all suffered collectively, I don't doubt there are a lot of people with increased mental health issues that mirror neurodivergent traits. Some mental illnesses can get very severe and alter your brain chemistry and behaviour.\nMy takeaway from this is that the mental health systems set up to assist these people are a much larger issue and cause for serious concern than self-diagnosing.\nApologies for the spelling and grammar errors. Grammarly and Reddit don't play nice.", ">\n\nI think it's two things. One, people have identity crises, especially teenagers. We all know that type of person who tries on identities like hats. That's pretty embarrassing. You usually grow out of that.\nTwo, from personal experience, giving yourself a label or a diagnosis makes it feel more contained and easy to communicate. It's easier to tell someone that you have X and have them understand what you're going through rather than telling them you have these vague symptoms resembling what you imagine X is like. In that respect, it is pretty understandable, possibly good, and not embarrassing. There's something that is sort of reassuring if you can finally get a word to put on what you're experiencing.\nPeople often sympathize with the diagnosis but not with the symptoms. Tell people at work you're autistic and they will sympathize with you and possibly not attack you. Tell them you do not understand social cues and they will probably just make fun of you.", ">\n\nI understand the desire to put a label with a disease, and this is not necessarily bad, but the diagnosis needs to be correct. If you want to tell others that you are autistic or depressed; you must actually be those things. A person can almost never correctly assertion their disease, only their symptoms. People might better understand you if you say your autistic, but you may incorrectly understand and describe yourself. If one wishes to put a name with symptoms, they should find a doctor to pick the label", ">\n\nfor sure but unfortunately our medical system is a joke and even if you are experiencing very severe symptoms it can be nearly impossible to see a professional or take months on a waiting list.\nEven then a professional may be reluctant to slap a label on you for fear of what the consequences of that might be. I saw someone for a very long time who resisted any sort of actual diagnosis because the truth is that what I was experiencing didn't fit neatly into any of the boxes and pretty much belonged in this vague \"other\" category which isn't particularly helpful. Not to mention that misdiagnosis happens all the time even by professionals. \nI just think it is sort of understandable because I think a lot of stuff is kind of a spectrum anyway and just different levels of severity. Things can be really confusing and hard to nail down and thus communicate in a way that causes someone else to be understanding rather than judgemental.", ">\n\nAre you under the impression this is a new phenomenon? Because it's definitely not.\nPeople - especially young people! - crave identity. The world is a confusing place, knowing who you are makes it a little easier. Sometimes it's self-diagnosing mental illness or learning disabilities, or exploring sexual identity, or cliques, or subcultures. There's nothing embarrassing about it, it just is what it is.", ">\n\nIt’s ok to want to express individuality but not to the extent of totally destroying the definition of a real thing and making it hard for actual mentally Ill ppl to get a diagnosis. Why can’t people just accept that they’re different rather then giving themselves a label?", ">\n\npeople on TikTok claiming to have disorders that they don't doesn't affect the precision of psychiatrists diagnosing actual patients. There's no TikTok-said section in the DSM. Why do you think that it does?", ">\n\nIt just encourages more people to get diagnosed possibly skewing the meaning of the mental illness", ">\n\nSkewing it towards statistical accuracy? If people are actually diagnosed at higher rates, we have a better Guage of population-level mental illness, neurodivergency, etc. Better data is more usable, so that research actually means something actionable, ASIDE from the identity boost for young people.", ">\n\nI think what OP is driving at, but utterly failing to explain, is that they think that the fakers will be accommodated by the psychiatric system and diagnosed on the basis of fake symptoms. my sense is that isn't a problem but I don't have data.", ">\n\nDefinitely explained it a little better then I could lol", ">\n\nWhere do you see evidence of that? Any articles about fakers? How about a statistic? If not, it’s just a fear you seem to have.", ">\n\nI think the salient line here is this one:\n\nNeurologists were able to quickly determine that the subjects were not \nsuffering from Tourette's, but psychogenic tics driven by anxiety.", ">\n\nWomen are not born with less autism, but are much less likely to be diagnosed as children than boys. This is partly because boys generally have similar symptoms and behaviors. \nSo of course more women are self diagnosing autism, since their diagnoses were missed as children on a much higher rate.", ">\n\nAlright, I'm diagnosed OCD, PTSD, chronic depression. Diagnosed by a professional so I think I have some grounds to talk about this.\nFirst, let's tackle your women comment about autism. You see, I understand where you're coming from, but you lack the nuance of recognizing that mental illness, and illness in general, is heavily under-diagnosed in women. The medical culture is heavily favored towards men and is rampant with mysogyny, and that's not just me saying it as I've had medical professionals blatantly tell me it's a problem in the field when questioned about it. I've also had some tell me that it's just because women whine a lot, so yanno make of that statement what you will.\nNow that we've covered that let me address the self-diagnosing issue. So, do you want to know what my therapist thinks of self-diagnosing? Well, when I asked them about it they said that self-diagnosing is an important first step to seeking help. Psychiatrist said the same thing. It's normal, expected even, for people to self-diagnose their issues then seek help for them. You can't exactly just peer into someone's brain, no, that person has to tell you what they think is wrong and why they think it is. \nWhat you actually have a problem with is not self-diagnosis, but with people not seeking or not being able to get medical assistance and assuming they're right. You have a problem with people using these issues for attention, which I do too, but once again self-diagnosing is not the problem. Finally, you have a problem with the medical system that forces people into the position of trying to figure out their mental illnesses, but having no ability to get help for them.", ">\n\nI think I did it", ">\n\nSadly no lol, it was not done properly. Do you need a link to the rules?", ">\n\nI already read them i think I’ll figure it out in a bit sorry for the hold up", ">\n\nBecause everyone else is being aggressive: you have to comment with ∆ or !delta and then explain how your view has been changed", ">\n\nThis delta has been rejected. You can't award OP a delta.\nAllowing this would wrongly suggest that you can post here with the aim of convincing others.\nIf you were explaining when/how to award a delta, please use a reddit quote for the symbol next time.\n^Delta System Explained ^| ^Deltaboards", ">\n\nWhat gives you the authority or knowledge to know this is the problem?", ">\n\nYou don’t think it’s a problem that a lot of young ppl are willing to go to the extent of saying they are mentally Ill either for attention or to excuse their weirdness? Just accept that your different. It’s not wrong to believe you’re different without a label", ">\n\nYou did not even try to answer my question.", ">\n\nI’m sorry I was confused on what you meant", ">\n\nIf you are mad at people for self diagnosing themselves because they don't have the knowledge or authority to do so.... what gives you the knowledge or authority to diagnosis this as the problem behavior... basically are you just a kid that is annoyed, or is there some actual studies out there that is claiming this is a problem.", ">\n\nIf you don’t think that people consistently seeking attention for mental illness or craving a label so badly to justify themselves rather then being themselves. That just shows what your views are", ">\n\nDont you think we should leave the diagnosing to the professionals?", ">\n\nI mean yeah", ">\n\nWould you agree that you are diagnosing these people by saying that they are only seeking attention and do not have a real mental illness?", ">\n\nI’m assuming", ">\n\nThere may be some truth to people wanting to be different, however with mental illnesses being more accepted in today's society, many people are a lot more comfortable with being neurodivergent. Additionally, self diagnosis is common because the alternative is spending upwards to $1000-$2000 for a clinical diagnosis.", ">\n\nI know costs suck, but self diagnosis can be much more harmful. A web.md page that tells you your depressed when you may actually be bipolar can lead to really messed up results. I would even go as far as to say that no diagnosis at all is preferable to an uninformed one", ">\n\nWell.\n​\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad \n\nSo you already know why they're doing what they're doing in addition the fact that you know that they're not Autistic? If your claim is that they can't know and only a doctor can, what makes you more qualified? You start out your argument admitting that you have a bias.\n\nthey’re “neurodivergent.\n\nNeurodivergent is an umbrella that covers both Autism and ADHD, which sometimes get mistaken for each other. So if you're upset that they're self-diagnosing, this term should be more welcome than \"Autistic\" because it's more generalized.\n\nnd when you ask them how they know they’ll say “oh I have this weird tick when I uh laugh when someone says something funny “ or “I have a hyper fixation on this topic so I must be autistic\n\nHow else should they communicate it to you? The list of aspects of Autism, especially for how it presents in women, sounds a lot like this. You're not a doctor, they don't have to prove anything to you by going down the entire list of every possible part of their daily experience that might be on the spectrum.\n\nWomen statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nNope. Women are diagnosed less often than men because the original diagnostic criteria for Autism was for Autism as it presents in males. It presents differently for females and is harder to diagnose, especially at younger ages. \n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized\n\nTodays youth want to be victimized? Why would anyone want to be victimized? Something tells me you're missing the mark with this terminology.\n\nor have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. \n\nSo if someone is Autistic and that makes them weird, you'd rather them just be forced to not get to have a name for it, and get the therapeutic treatment that would help them?\n\nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really [are] without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nSome people are autistic. If they find out and it makes them feel good, that doesn't mean they're craving attention. And if they are craving attention, it's because they're normal people and everyone does. \nIf someone thinks they're autistic but it turns out they're actually not, chances are they suspected it for a reason. They might have ADHD, a personality disorder, a mental health issue, or simply a slightly different way of experiencing the world that feels unique to them and there's nothing wrong with that. \nYou seem to think that other people do things for you. People generally don't. They do things for themselves. This is especially true of people on the Autism Spectrum who may not be able to easily use other people's experiences to reference when constructing their view of the world, and can only use their own. Your interpretation wherein they do it to evoke a response from you says more about you than it does about them.", ">\n\nYou’re being deliberately obtuse. OP is completely correct. Most of the people these days who say “I’m ADHD” or “I’m autistic” or “I’m neurodivergent” are absolutely not diagnosed as such and are doing it to seem unique or get attention or as some excuse for why they did x y or z.", ">\n\nI'd like to point out that while some are perhaps attention seeking, many people self diagnose simply because they don't have access to free medical/psychological professionals to get proper diagnosis and help with their issues. I also know someone who doesn't want to get an official diagnosis because he's afrad it will affect his insurance rates or somehow come back to bite him if he's offically labeled with having a neurological disorder. \nThere is a wealth of knowledge on these subjects available online for those interested. And if they are truly interested in self diagnose they can likely do that accurately enough for all intents and purposes. Most of these people who search for the sake of better understanding themselves or their loved ones will openly admit that it's a self diagnoses, or say they THINK they have x,y, or z. But in some situations it's just as well to say they have it if they feel certain anyway, and it's just a passing comment, and not a discussion on the matter. \nIn other words, just because they self diagnose doesn't mean they're wrong, nor does it explain their motives. I also don't see how attention seeking (for those who ARE doing that) is really hurting anyone else. Fakers gonna be fake, that's more a \"them\" kind of problem. ANNOYING, but mostly harmless.", ">\n\nUnless you have a doctor's diagnosis you don't have the disorder. Even if you are broke there are programs to help with costs. \nAnd yes it does affect me when someone is treating me like shit and tries using the I have such and such as an excuse and then people get mad at ME for calling them in their bullshit.", ">\n\nNo. You have to have the disorder before you CAN be diagnosed, so obviously there are undiagnosed people who in fact \"have the disorder \". Your refusal to acknowledge an undiagnosed disorder does not mean they don't have it. Your personal experience with people supposedly using a fake diagnosis to treat you badly, sounds unusual. How do you know they DIDN'T have it? People who do lie and just want to be jerks will do that regardless of what methods they decide to try. The methods are irrelevant. And that motive is not typical of most self diagnosers .", ">\n\nSounds unusual? You must not get out a lot because it's become a pretty regular thing. Every single person I know (about 8) that have self diagnosed themselves as neurodivergent or with a mental illness like Bi-polar all use it to excuse their shitty ass behaviors. \nToo many disorders can mirror other ones. Just because they think they have 2/3 symptoms doesn't make them right by a long shot. Keep living in your bubble.", ">\n\nYou don't have to have a relationship with anyone. If they treat you badly, regardless of an official diagnosis or not, you don't have to tolerate them. It makes no difference what they have or don't have. What would it change if they got diagnosed and actually have it?", ">\n\nSelf diagnosing has been a thing forever\nAnd it's not a problem im 99% sure me or any other autistic person doesn't really give 2 fucks about people who wanna fake disorders. It doesn't stop us from getting help, we have doctors notes, medical files, sometimes even volunteers, you need those files to get into let's say a special education class, or a life skills course.\nSo unless you were diagnosed by a professional you're probably not gonna make it far faking it.\n(Excuse my shitty punctuation)", ">\n\nIt doesn’t bother you that they’re making others take the actual meaning away from what you were born with? I mean I’m sure autism hasn’t made your life easy and seeing ppl claim it for attention to be quirky probably has to annoy you a little right?", ">\n\nAt the end of the day I still have ADHD and I still need help with it. More people being diagnosed with it doesn’t change that fact. In fact I was diagnosed because I realized I related to so many tiktok memes, and I’m sure others are in my same boat. \nIn fact I think so many people talking about ADHD helps. It means more people who possibly have tips for me, people who are suffering who can’t afford treatment have an easy way to learn about how to improve their lives, and more people who are aware of my disorder.", ">\n\nI think people do diagnose themselves too often without seeking professional help. BUT mental illness is not the same as being neurodivergent.", ">\n\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad that they’ll go as far to say they’re “neurodivergent.”\n\nWhile this is the case, I don't really see how it's a \"problem\" per se. I guarantee that these people still make lifestyle decisions based on what they think is best, or based on what they want to do.\n\nbut it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women\n\nDo you have any statistics for that? I haven't experienced it that way in my own anecdotal experience, and I'd be curious to look into the data to see how much that truly does skew in that direction.\n\nwanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness \nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nI understand what you're trying to say here, but I don't really think these things are connected as much as you think they are. People see something wrong with themselves, so they either playfully or seriously consider the fact that it could be a condition that they have similar symptoms to. Not that it never happens, but just because someone categorizes themselves into a disability group that could potentially excuse their \"quirks\", doesn't mean they think that behavior is unacceptable in any way. People see a problem, and assume it's linked to this other issue that seems similar that they already know about.", ">\n\nI agree with the conclusion that self-diagnosis is a real issue, and I wouldn't be surprised if the data indicated it was on the rise. I wouldn't necessarily frame it as a simple desire to \"be victimized\" however. While it is purely speculation, I do believe there are a number of conditions which might lead towards a more frequent experience of symptoms associated with mental illness - a rising wealth gap, perpetual anxiety from a 24-hour news cycle, intensification of self-commodification, the student debt crisis in certain countries like the US, and so on. So people are experiencing symptoms like low energy, mood swings, etc. that can be associated with mental illness. The issue with self-diagnosis then becomes that it may correctly identify the symptom, but incorrectly identify the cause.\nThis video from the YouTuber HealthyGamerGG does a good job of explaining what some of the issues with self-diagnosis are, and for me it was a good starting place for thinking about this more. \nEDIT: I forgot this video literally starts with this same topic being brought up on this same subreddit lol", ">\n\nA great theory based on reasonable causes with an educational video from a psychologist(I assume) as evidence to back it up. I applaud you sir. 👏", ">\n\nWhy are you embarrassed by other people's issues?", ">\n\nI’m a 30yo male. If I had not first self diagnosed with ASD and OCD, I never would have found the language and resources to get a formal diagnosis and help.\nPrior generations have been so fixated on avoidance of diagnosing mental disorders, and research was previously so lacking that we are only just now (through those that do get diagnosed) realizing how common mental disorders are. That plus the lack of mental health resources for neurotypical and neurodivergent I think is how we end up in this situation of many recognizing their symptoms in the new discourse, but lacking the resources to overcome the barriers to proper diagnosis and treatment.", ">\n\nIt’s not the best thing, no. \nAs an adult FINALLY diagnosed (by a licensed therapist) at 41, I can tell you why ‘self diagnosis’ is so tempting. \nIn the US at least- mental health, and official medical diagnosis are almost completely inaccessible, especially as an adult. Most of us grew up before Autism was a spectrum, and ADHD was just boys who acted out in class. We felt like aliens. We couldn’t understand why we didn’t have many friends, or why we didn’t like the ‘right things’, and generally spend the bill of our lives feeling ‘wrong’, ‘broken’ or just simply like we didn’t belong. \nFinally understanding the WHY, and even better, finding tools to addresses our issues is a huge huge weight off the chest. The relief of having a name and a strategy- either therapy or medicine is such an amazing relief!!", ">\n\nI only kinda agree if I had not done my own research I would have never found out I have sjorgens syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis I know TikTok people tend to diagnose themselves and it makes it look cringe but when you live with a incurable illness sometimes you have to work to find a diagnosis", ">\n\nWell, what do you do of you absolutely know you're neurodivergent, but your parents decided not to get you checked? My mom once told me \"we knew you had something, we just didn't get you checked because they would have just put you on pills\". So I struggled with being different, socially unaware, impulsive, obnoxious, agressive, selfish, for the better part of my life without having the self awareness to understand why I was these things, and why people wouldn't want to be around me. \nIn my late 20''s I asked the question, what if I'm actually autistic? I looked up the symptoms, and 9/10 matched. As a child I couldn't handle loud noises, restrictive clothing, I didn't talk until I was 3. I would throw fits for seemingly no reason, I had obsessive interests. I've always really struggled with eye contact, and I never cared for conversation unless it was something I liked. I mean, when the final piece of a puzzle fits so incredibly well, it's really hard for it to be wrong. \nSelf diagnosing actually really helped me grow as aj individual. I became aware of all my divergent behaviors, and why it might be annoying for someone else to deal with. I came to the realization that I was the one who was different, therefore I needed to change. It's way harder to make everyone around you cater to your needs than to overcome the things that upset you. I'm at peace, I have good friends that I can connect with on a pretty deep level. I no longer smash coffee tables when I lose, I can now appreciate that if I lose it just means I have more to learn. I can keep my house clean, I can reasonably hold myself accountable. What exactly is the harm in all that?\nBesides, it would be pretty pointless for me to try and get a diagnosis now, I've put the effort in and largely come out the other side. Anyone diagnosing me would just say I was normal, but they wouldn't have the intimate knowledge of me that I do. I guess it doesn't matter if people don't believe me, I don't go around shouting that I'm autistic. I will say, it would be really nice if people appreciated the effort I put in to get to get to a place of normalcy, something others take for granted, but it's okay, we all have our struggles.", ">\n\nI feel you on all that. To play devil's advocate, mental healthcare in the U.S. is not cheap. Many people go to the internet and confirm their bias about their current health", ">\n\nI feel you on that too OP. I agree 100% with your entire statement.", ">\n\nIt's a problem, but not a new one. In the 1990s there was briefly a surge of people with a type of delusional parasitosis, that is, the false belief that they were infested with parasites. Except this one was supposedly an infestation with tiny fibres. They would come to doctors with a whole list of symptoms to back up their incorrect self-diagnosis.\nTo a certain extent, these are social contagions, which come and go, and often actually end up leading to people having real problems. Like, the young women you mention, a couple of decades ago may well have ended up with anorexia, or self-cutting. These days it might be a self-declaration of autism or a belief that they have gender dysphoria or that they have multiple systems living in their minds.", ">\n\nWow I did not know that. Maybe it’s just so prevalent today due to social media. Social media has only made these things worse imo", ">\n\nEven before it being self diagnosis of a mental illness it was always something. Remember all the emo and goth teenager?", ">\n\nIt depends on the context. For example, if they've done a substantial amount of research, can name a good amount of symptoms they have and reasons they have whatever mental illness and don't have access to the necessary tools to get a medical diagnosis, it's totally different. Some people don't have the money to go out and get a diagnosis, or sometimes it would be better to not get a medical diagnosis. I believe that the reason that a lot of people self diagnose themselves with things like Autism is because they want an explanation as to why they are different, and they could be right or wrong. I think the most important part is that if you go to a psychologist (or even two, I know a lot of people prefer getting second opinions) and they say you don't have it, that you need to admit you were wrong. It's ok to be wrong about your mental health, and the key is to keep looking and to not give up. I can completely understand the frustration in people completely missing how difficult it actually may be to have a mental illness. I was clinically diagnosed with Depression, Anxiety, and PTSD when I was seven, and I've had some experience with people faking mental disorders for attention, and more often then not, they have another mental disorder that needs attention. Recently I had a (now ex) boyfriend insist he had PTSD after being tested twice and the psychiatrist saying that he didn't have it. What he does have is Depression and Anxiety, but he absolutely insisted he has PTSD despite never exhibiting symptoms and the only evidence being a test he took online that was supposedly a \"real PTSD test.\" People faking mental illnesses only harms people who really have them, as these people tend to exaggerate symptoms and use their self diagnosis for attention. I believe that I am autistic, but I don't list it as a diagnosis because while I have read articles and taken the RAADS-r test, I don't have an official diagnosis, and I could very well be wrong. As for women faking illnesses more often, something I've noticed is that things like Autism, ADHD, ADD, etc are more often diagnosed in boys rather than girls- mostly because when they were first discovered, most of the research was done in boys. Autism shows up differently in girls, and can often be blown off as early puberty hormones. If their hyperfixations are those of stereotypical feminine things, it's just a girl liking whatever, and if they hyperfixate in stereotypical masculine interests, they tend to just be viewed as weird, but not autistic. It's normal for people to question, but I agree that to a certain point, self diagnosis can be harmful, but only if not done correctly.", ">\n\nFirst and foremost not a new problem at all, very common, we used to call it \"Being a hypochondriac\" until it aparrently became reconized which in it self is confusing and a bit contradictory.\nANYWAY\nIt isnt really a problem, no doctor is gonna write the perscription for medication without a diagnosis of some sort.\nAt most there is the vauge \"But what about those who actually have it who arent taken serious\" dont worry, we wouldnt have anyway. Thats kinda how invisible illnesses work.\nOverall the 101 hypochondriacs screaming about the symptoms they read in the ICD might help make the knowledge more common and help people better reconize if their colleagues or friends happen to show symptoms of something.", ">\n\nIt’s pretty expensive in the US to get diagnosed. Personally, I’ve self diagnosed myself out of frustration of the way I process things. I’ve always felt slow & my anxiety/depression was deep because of it, but I was raised in a family that doesn’t believe in mental illness. It was always “if you work hard enough, all your problems will go away”. Meanwhile, i was racking my brain on how to make myself think faster/smarter & it would result in psychotic episodes. I’ve gotten fired from jobs, dropped out of school. I started self harming because I hated myself and my brain & almost commit suicide bc I had no idea what was going on.\nThe relief I felt once I finally got a therapist who validated me & was the first to talk to me about mental Illness. It blew my mind and all of a sudden things actually made sense to me. I currently think I have ADD, and sometimes I’ll tell people that but will preface it by saying I’m not professionally diagnosed. Still, I use mental tools that help me get through the day and build my confidence. I’m a lot better at processing conversations, making lists that help me remember things, unmasking, slowing down my thoughts… etc. I’m less frustrated and can see the beauty in how I process things. I still want to get diagnosed but I have to get health insurance….. lol", ">\n\nSelf diagnosis, regardless of being factual is a process where the individual realizes that they might have a mental health issue. People who can do this are more likely to seek professional help compared to the people who think they are “fine”. Going to a professional, licensed psychologist or a psychiatrist will eventually diagnose them with the correct disorder from there, and professionals have the skills to communicate with them and they can together evaluate if the person’s complaint is the issue or not. There is nothing embarrassing about discovering one’s self. It would be a problem if people would identify with an issue and don’t have any willingness to seek help. Sometimes overreacting is better than not reacting.", ">\n\nThe majority of people who are self-diagnosed with autism have done extensive research into it to come to that conclusion. I personally went through the DSM criteria with a fine-tooth comb, made a list of all the ways I met it and discovered that there’s not a single criteria i don’t meet for autism. I didn’t read about anything else but autism for weeks, approaching it from all angles before coming to the conclusion that it’s highly unlikely I am not autistic. I’m waiting to hear back about an assessment, but I’m not waiting to go and be told something I already know before I start advocating for myself. \nOh, and I absolutely did not want to be ‘different’, in fact my life mission to just blend in and be average is the root cause of most of my problems, but here we are.", ">\n\nThis self diagnosing young people do isn’t the problem. The problem is that our society encourages it.\nOur culture is not set up to accommodate a wide spectrum of human needs. You may need things that I don’t. I may need things that you don’t. But in most business settings, academic settings, or even places like restaurants or leisure places, the world isn’t built to accommodate everyone. Our world and society is a “one size fits all” approach, and most people don’t fit snugly inside of that system. \nIf you can classify what is “wrong” or “different” about you into an easily digestible form, people are generally more able and more willing to accommodate you.\nFor example: if I tell my coworkers that I need to leave work early because of a headache, I’ll be shamed for it. And in some cases I’ll be told that “headaches aren’t that bad!” Or “You don’t need to leave.” Or “I have a headache too, just deal with it!”\nBut if I tell my workers that I need to leave due to a painful neurological condition that’s flaring up (I have chronic migraine, which is a neurological condition), they will respect it 100% of the time. It’s met with sympathy and not criticism.\nThis happens for all sorts of things. “Sorry Im late, I slept in.” Sounds a lot worse then, “sorry I’m late, my insomnia has been terrible lately.” \nOur culture forces us to use these labels even when they’re untrue just to receive sympathy or acceptance. The problem isn’t people who decide to use these labels, the root problem is that our society refuses to embrace and accommodate people who are outside of the “norm.”", ">\n\nSpeaking as someone who's had an autism diagnosis since age 7: if someone declares they're autistic when they're not, that's obnoxious at worst. If someone is told they're not autistic when they are, that can cause lifelong harm from denied care and understanding. I have seen this happen to a close friend of mine.\nTherefore, I'd much rather err on the side of acceptance. If you think you're defending me and others like me from impersonators, we'd rather not have your help.\n\nI know people will disagree but it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women. Women statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nCase in point: women are diagnosed with autism far less than men. Recent studies have pointed to decades of systematic misdiagnosis. The more visible autistic symptoms sometimes manifest differently in girls, the way they're socialized may help them hide it from a young age, and of course lots of doctors just say \"your daughter can't be autistic, that's a boy thing.\"\nWe're learning that there are hundreds of thousands of autistic women who slipped through the cracks and were denied the recognition and support they needed because of dismissive, gatekeeping attitudes just like yours.", ">\n\nThere’s a difference between having a disorder and relating to a disorder. If the tools or language associated with a disorder helps someone live better though then cool, it’s all still odd. Also autism presents differently in woman, and a majority of our research on it is on men. Best practice is probably to support them and encourage them to seek treatment.", ">\n\nAutism is severely misdiagnosed in women. Completely under diagnosed. Actually, plenty of things are. The actual problem that we have is parents refusing to let their children get professional help or a diagnosis. Most doctors will diagnose you with BPD as a woman(aka the new female hysteria of our century), maybe put you on some anti psychotics and send you your way. In most countries, a diagnosis/specialist is not readily available, or there is a long waiting list. Even so, the doctors are not know it all. I have seen plenty of doctors, I got different diagnosis almost each time. They ask you some general questions (about your mood, the way you sleep, if you can concentrate, if you harm yourself, if you have suicidal ideation, if you can socialize properly, if your parents were diagnosed with anything, if you have hallucinations or delusions, the works) and then based on that, they will give you a diagnosis. If you use your common sense and information on the internet (given you are knowledgeable on the subject), you can take a good guess on what's wrong. Obviously, some people will exaggerate like with anything (seeing the shadow dude once in your childhood is not a sign of psychosis, neither is hearing your name called when you are alone once in a blue moon), but if you have visual and auditory hallucinations, perhaps weird tactile feelings/hallucinations (spiders are crawling on me, etc), delusions, tend to be forgetful and out of teach with reality, there is a good chance you do have psychosis.", ">\n\nOkay, to start: what do you think autism and ADHD are? They aren't mental illnesses nor are they mental health conditions. \nTo address some of your other points; \nStudies have shown that autism has a gender expression of 1:1. The only reason that women are under diagnosed is because of misunderstandings towards autism, then the diagnosis is conducted incorrectly. Thus it ends up getting conflated with mental illness, E.G BPD, and is diagnosed as a psychiatric disorder instead. This is a detriment to the patient as the care regimes are black and white different. Often times this severely damages the woman.\nFrom data sets that I recall reading, malingering hasn't risen much, if at all, in recent times. I remember it being around 8% of the global population who are engaging in this behaviour, to different extents. I think what's happened is that social media has turned a torch onto it and it's risen in popularity in an algorithmic way. You see it more because it's pushed by the algorithm more because people are searching for it more. It isn't actually occurring any more or less than historically. Most of that attention is negative attention, I should add. \nSo there's two things to take away from that.\n1) The actual act of pretending to be mentally ill, or to have a disability, which is called malingering, is in fact a form of mental unwellness itself. It's a cry for help. The people who do these things are usually very unstable and should be treated with a degree of empathy. The dangerous types who are using mental illness to scam others, or to manipulate them, make up a very small percentage of the overall amount of people in that group and tend to abuse one on one. \n2) The predominant response to this is generally negative. There isn't really any reason to publicly malinger unless you're unstable, this is because a rational person would likely know this, and know the damage it would cause themselves. Self-diagnosis is a very long, and self-aware, process that takes place over years of the individuals life, and proceeds official diagnosis. \nNo one SDs and says \"Okay that's it now! Let me start a TikTok!\" You'd still want support, and you'd still seek support. So that would end up with a doctor, who would see that you're lying, and treat you for whatever was prompting you to malinger. Anyone who has made this commitment knows that keeping it private is a sensible thing to do in a world that isn't inclusive, and often very stigmatising. Sometimes official diagnosis can take YEARS. \nThis kind of propaganda has been going around for a long time in an effort to discredit disabled people and people with mental illnesses. It's not new. People said the same things back in the 90s. People will always be afraid, and dismissive, of things they do not understand. I invite you to try and understand.", ">\n\nI self-diagnosed myself with endometriosis for 10 years before a doctor finally listened to me, opened me up, and found my insides littered with lesions all over my organs. I’m now not able to get pregnant and I might need to get part of my bowel taken out someday. This could’ve been avoided if someone had just listened to me when I was 16. \nSelf-diagnosing is a necessity in a misogynist world! No one takes us seriously! Especially medical professionals. \nThe best antidote for this is to listen to women who self-diagnose. Why do they think they have XYZ? Is it heavily interfering with their life? I think that’s a much larger problem.", ">\n\nIts been proven that there is a bias to diagnose as opposed to not diagnose a mental illness in psychology. So op is actually kinda correct. The definition of a mental illness is in effect being stretched so far that people who are just kinda weird are being diagnosed with \"on the spectrum\". This is actually causing a problem in early learning because parents start treating their kids as essentially learning challenged when they're really not. So it is starting to become an excuse ...", ">\n\nWe live in a society that loves to medicate people. I know it’s different but Did ppl forget about the opioid epidemic? They’ll diagnose your ass with anything if they can", ">\n\nYa I tend to agree. And no one is really saying so I will I guess, but id wager that 50% of psychologist \"professionals\" are totally full of shit. The actual number of psychologists that are are doing real research and clinical studies is EXTREMELY small compared to how many \"psychologists\" are out there. Just like chiropractors, half of them are hacks..", ">\n\nAnd ill say one more thing, though it is anecdotal, but i have direct family that works in special education for young children, and that system is fucked with a capital F. Thay are constantly fighting against parents and programs who try to box kids in the \"autistic\" zone, when they are just really quite or shy, or have pee problems. But parents want an excuse and reason for their behavior, and reduce them to a sub standard education and treatment for the rest of their lives. It's heart breaking. Especially in public schools.", ">\n\nI’m 32 years old. \nI didn’t self diagnose for attention although I remember the days of tumblr where everyone self diagnosed for clout.\nIt took me a decade to realize what is really happening. During the decade before I realized what may have been happening I was told the following:\nI’m rude\nI’m bossy\nI have a RBF/I look mad\nI also only managed to make my first real friend at age 27.\nWhat I was really displaying was:\nBeing overly blunt and just trying to get my point across came off rude when I didn’t intend it to be that way\nTrying to have things done at a certain time and way that no one else thought was important to follow\nUnmasking\nNoticed other things too that I just thought was me being weird:\nVocal stimming\nOral stimming-chewing, smoking, vaping\nRepetitive motions\nRocking\nEasily overwhelmed by too much sensory input\nHigh startle reflex \nInability to regulate my body’s needs-I don’t know I’m hungry until I’m ravenous; don’t recognize the need to use the bathroom until it’s causing me to rush off, don’t realize I’m cold until I’m shaking\nI could go on.\nI want an assessment so bad. But assessments for adults are EXTREMELY hard to setup, if you can even set them up at all. Some states don’t even offer them. I’ve been looking but they are only for children and seem to look for severe cases.\n14 years of thinking I was just a bitch who couldn’t make friends because I was too weird…turns out it might be autism. And turns out I’ll most likely never get a true diagnosis. But the RAADS test gave me a 127 score so that might be the closest I’ll ever get.", ">\n\ni kind of self diagnosed autism? i’ve been to many psychiatrists and therapists for years and they always see adhd in the half an hour and prescribe meds for that, which makes me not go there again. if they dug a little deeper they could have seen autism, i spoke to my current psychiatrist about if its possible i have it, she didn’t want to confirm or deny as i was moving out of state from friends and family and am at an age where i can have kids in the next 10 years since she doesn’t want me being concerned for them. \nI think there’s still lots of stigma around autism even with professionals and especially when identifying it in women. \nI don’t want to be autistic, but i can recognise a lot of different patterns comparing myself and others. I’ve researched it a ton especially in how it shows in women compared to men and in all the articles i found myself relating.\nNow i don’t say im autistic, i say im a little sus of being it tho lmao. and try pass it off casually. I find it’s a lot easier for me to understand and embrace my differences compared to trying to hide it and try be like everyone else or wonder why im not like everyone else. \nBeing older i can also recognise how a lot of my family on one side have suffered mentally and because of obvious neurodivergence. so im pretty sure, like the rest of my mentally challenged brain, has been inherited genetically through that side. \nAll that being said. I self diagnosed when i was about 12 that im highly likely to be depressed and anxious in attempt to get my mom to believe me i needed help, and now 8 years later i can identify that this has been an issue forever for me and that i likely cannot go off my meds because i will just go back to how i used to be. Im still ocd with all my meds, but its better than being anxious and depressed all the time, Having ocd throughout the day is like heaven to me in comparison to how i used to be. obviously the ocd isnt new, just a lot more heard in my brain now.", ">\n\nOk, I know some people self diagnoze themselves with [insert some mental illness here] out of attention or whatever, and that's totally not ok.\nHowever, if you read all the symptoms and do proper research on a mental illness and everything clicks in to you, I'd say you can be fairly confident on a self diagnosis (although, it might be worth it to double check with a professional, especially if you want any sort of treatment). But also for some people, it might not be affordable to go to a professional...", ">\n\nI live in Canada, I've engaged with the medical system, doctors don't care and just want you out, ERs are a 8 hour wait for someone to ignore one thing and won't even entertain other issues even if they are related. Self-diagnosis is really the only way to get any kind of proper treatment at all. \nThe doctors will rubber stamp just about anything you ask for except pain killers but in terms of diagnosis you're way better off doing it yourself, sure you don't have 8 years of medical school but the doctors won't give you 5 mins of their time, they are not better than google and you give a lot more of a shit than they will and at the end of the day it's your body.", ">\n\nBack in the 90s when I was a teenager, the kids/teenagers/young adults who wanted attention, and wanted to be different, adopted the goth lifestyle. Dressing up in all black. White foundation with black lipstick and eyeshadow. It was the trendy way to be different, to be viewed as outcasts of society. To not fit in. \nThe goth lifestyle of the 2020s is self diagnosis. Same shit, different day.\nWhenever someone claims autism, or somewhere on the spectrum, I just roll my eyes and imagine that person just sucks at life.", ">\n\nI just think it’s a little more harmful nowadays due to the prevalence of social media. Ppl get sucked into groups and mindsets before they even have a real life chance. Then they hyper fixate on that they might be mentally Ill rather then just trying to live life to the fullest", ">\n\nI 100% agree with you", ">\n\nBecause it's the age of spin this generation has something for everybody. And all of them are Google doctors. Lol", ">\n\nTook my uncle till he was 38 even thought it was apparent to everyone. Hell he got expelled from two schools", ">\n\nI get what you're saying. I frankly find it weird that more people don't find this weird. People self-diagnosing themselves as all kinds of things not only completely misrepresents the actual conditions, thereby making people even more confused as to what they actually are and how they present, but also leads people to run to a psychiatrist claiming false symptoms and getting medication for something they don't have, which is NOT a good thing. People should never be taking medication unless it is necessary. We are a heavily over-medicated society and this is a big factor in that. Caffeine to wake up in the morning, \"immuno-boosters\" and mood stabilizers during the day, sleeping pills to sleep at night. The caffeine and sleeping pills are addictive and can really mess up your circadian rhythm, and the mood stabilizers can really fuck you up if you don't need them. Instead of rushing to diagnose and medicate everyone, we need to educate them on human behavior and show them that their \"mental health\" problems are completely normal.\nOh, so you get nervous right before you make huge life decisions? That's not Anxiety Disorder, it's just anxiety.\nOh, you are really sad because your cat died? That's not Clinical Depression, you are just grieving.\nOh, you went from really happy to really sad when you were previously happy and something really shitty happened to you and soured your mood? That's not Bipolar Disorder, that's just life.\nOh, you like to be more organized than the people around you? That's not Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, you just like to be organized.\nPeople really misunderstand the nature of these conditions and it hinders our collective progress in treating them, like dramatically inflating the number of actual conditions in the population, making it increasingly more difficult to determine how common and how varied they are. After all, in most cases it is not the psychiatrist or psychologist who makes you better, you make you better. Medication can help and other people can show you the path to success, but the problem will never get solved unless you play an active role in the treatment. Some conditions can never be solved, only lessened, while others are virtually untreatable. We need to stop making these conditions seem cool. They aren't. They are serious and need to be taken seriously.", ">\n\nHeavily agree and I appreciate how well this comment is worded. Wish I coulda worded mine a little better", ">\n\nYa I saw you getting shredded in the comments and figured I'd sum it up for you. 🤣", ">\n\nLmao bro I didn’t expect this many. I was thinking maybe like 20 ppl would reply", ">\n\nYou need to self diagnose in many cases in order to get adequate help.", ">\n\nI knew when I had ADD and IBS, and I was able to get my suspicions confirmed by my respective doctors. Doctors are there to help the patients understand themselves, whereas the patients have to go home every day and live with what they actually have. Do not be so quick to judge.", ">\n\nJust to add here - Autism in women is less prevalent because it presents differently and is often not picked up by standardised diagnostic tests (that were developed on an almost exclusively male sample). I think that also goes to show that there’s p significant issues with what we consider ‘scientific’ and research based in the first place.", ">\n\nI grew up in a small town and we had quite a few autistic boys but only one autistic girl. Literally only one out of like 6-8 grades. So that’s like a 10-1 ratio. It’s gotta be a lot statistically smaller then males. I don’t doubt it happens I just know it’s a lot less", ">\n\nYou think your small town’s makeup is generalizable to all of society? That isn’t how statistics work.", ">\n\nSo my question would be - so what do we do?\nYou think people are diagnosing themselves to gain attention. Fine, but what's the next step?\nSee, I think I might be bipolar 2. But I went on a journey where I looked into the techniques for dealing with this issue. That led me to cognitive behavior therapy.\nThat actually made me more convinced that this was my issue because I have taught myself a lot of cognitive behavior therapy techniques to address the same issues. These practices have really helped me.\nIt sounds like your issue is that these people are getting attention for it. To me, these are people who need someone to help guide them. That would have helped me a lot when I was younger. Society today doesn't really give us the tools to sort this out, but just the knowledge that these things exist can push someone down the rabbit hole to learn about therapy that could really help.\nI think you should ask yourself what your motivations are. Do you really want them to understand themselves? Or are you more interested in steering the conversation toward other topics?\nPersonally, I would deal with these people by paying them forward. I would tell them to understand the practices that typically help these people, and see if they are relevant. I would tell them to seek professional help, and to refrain from diagnosing themselves, but I would encourage them to be critical of themselves and to learn more.\nImo, the way out is through.", ">\n\nI agree with you but it’s not mostly women. Maybe by happenstance that’s the case in your circle but broadly men do this too.", ">\n\nDoctor's are consulting the Mayo Clinic website after talking to a patient and getting their symptoms. I bring that up to say this; a doctor's training is needed for very serious diseases and tricky diagnoses, but a semi-intelligent person could look up their symptoms and get a lot of the more minor stuff right.", ">\n\nI've never been diagnosed as clinically depressed or anything, but that doesn't mean that I don't suffer from depression a lot of the time (these last few years, more often than not). I see a therapist. I take antidepressants. \nI have a friend who has aphantasia. It isn't really a \"diagnosable\" condition, but it describes what he has trouble with: creating images in his mind.", ">\n\nThat’s different then going online and claiming perfectly normal traits mean you’re autistic", ">\n\nNeurodivergence ≠ mental illness.", ">\n\nThey know themselves and their experiences better than you.", ">\n\nOP, I'm seeing some differences between your post and what you're saying in the comments. \nMy question is, do you have a problem with people self-diagnosing, or is your issue more about people drawing a lot of public attention to their diagnoses?", ">\n\nOverall both but definitely the attention part more so for obvious reasons. The self diagnosing part due to the fact that it can make people believe it can be an excuse for their actions good or bad. I think In a weird way it can allow people to take away the responsibility of their own actions and attribute to their mental illness", ">\n\nAs someone who has been diagnosed with ADHD, having people self diagnosing doesn't bother me at all, because I went the path of not knowing at all what I had and letting doctors figure out by themselves... and it took me 4 years and a half to finally have a concrete answer that no doctors would have found out if I didn't start searching on my own. You can't walk into every doctor's office with the assumption they'll figure out what you have, because it's not their speciality, or they still have an outdated view (not every doctor are kept up to date with new discovers), or they're biased, etc... \nI've never been annoyed by people who self diagnose. Hell, if I knew what was about to happen to me, I would have done the same way sooner.", ">\n\nMost women today arent faking it, they are noticing the symptoms no one else noticed and trying to find help. Its not easy to grow up with this kind of stuff. Is not coincidence you think women are less likely to be born to autism instead of thinking how weird it is that for some reason most autism diagnosis happen to men, that is the misogyny in the medical comunity.\nSelf diagnosis means this women will go to doctors and it most case scenarios they will get diagnoses because they have this issue all their life.\nSocial media is giving people awareness of the issue in medicine and how it affects women. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Misogyny in medicine also leads to people not knowing the difference between a heart attack in a woman and a man. It leads to women thinking its something else because internet and books will tell you how a man will feel a heart attack, even doctors sometimes dont know this.", ">\n\nGetting a diagnosis or treatment is borderline impossible for a lot of people. So self diagnosis is sometimes the only way they can help themselves.", ">\n\nNot a mental illness. But, I am a trans person and I pretty much self-diagnosed and self-medicated. I just had physicians do blood test.\nI educated myself on how everything works in about eight month period. I did that over a decade.\nI don’t regret my decision, and if I did. The regret would be not starting any sooner, especially when people who aren’t physicians or therapists are having a final say about these things." ]

[ "The diagnosis process for a lot of psychiatric conditions are surveys and questionaires. You can go to a psychiatrist and ask if you're anxious and they'll give you multiple choice questions and diagnose off of that. Or you can just google the form yourself and self diagnose. A lot of psychiatric disorders are about how we feel and think. Not about sending off some blood sample to a lab and getting a positive result come back.\n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. For such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nWhat you're describing are all neuroses that could indicate some deeper psychiatric condition. Whether a person has a mental health condition or not, thinking of ourselves as weak victims is never helpful in any context, yet it's something we all feel from time to time.\nI'm a disability support worker, so when someone tells me they've got a self diagnosed condition, it's not offensive to me or any disabled person I know, it doesn't come across like they're invalidating anyone else's condition. However I do think everyone should talk to a doctor about any condition they feel they might have.", ">\n\nPiggybacking off of this: You’ve spent your whole entire life inside your own brain. A therapist will spend a period of hours with you and give you a diagnosis. Who do you think knows your personal reality better than yourself?", ">\n\nYeah exactly, especially with conditions such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, PTSD, and many other psychiatric conditions. These are things people know they have even before they get a diagnosis. The diagnosis stage is more about treatment and management.\nPeople might be unaware of how severe or mild their condition is, some people think they have only mild PTSD despite constant nightmares and suicidal ideation. Some people will think they have severe ADHD because they can't concentrate for long times on things that don't interest them. It's good to get some perspective from experts but ultimately people know when they are struggling to focus or to struggling to stop stressing all the time or struggling to not be miserable. Struggling with our thoughts and feelings is evidence enough to self diagnose.", ">\n\nI was recently diagnosed with ADHD as a woman so I find this viewpoint interesting.\nFirstly, autism is not a mental illness. An autistic person may have mental illness in conjunction with autism, but autism alone lies under the neurodivergent umbrella. Neurodivergency can include autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and other similar conditions.\nWhy women are often underdiagnosed\nThese are serious disabilities that can really impede a person's life, especially if they struggle to find help and acceptance in their community. A lot of women start their journey towards diagnosis later in life due to a number of factors such as:\n\nPoor diagnostic tools and inexperienced professionals\nA misunderstanding that autism and ADHD are more common in boys\nAdvanced masking techniques to cover their 'traits'\n\nWhy women are often diagnosed later in life.\nThe process for many women and men who are diagnosed later in life often includes a level of burnout or breakdown. After a while everything becomes too much, the mask begins to slip and your traits go into overdrive.\nWhy does self-diagnosing seem to be on the rise?\nA common way of finding out you could possibly be neurodivergent is through media and people who are aware of these traits appear.\nIn the past few years, I have seen an increasing awareness of neurodivergence in women pop up in the media. This is useful for people like myself who had no idea wtf was wrong with them for a very long time. For me, a GP actually suggested I seek a diagnosis due to some struggles I was going through.\nAs someone who went through this process self-diagnosing is commonly the first step as an adult. You might be directed to a questionnaire and are asked to evaluate yourself and your experiences thinking back to your childhood. If there's some merit in your experiences than you move to the next step which involves seeking a professional. Waitlists are often months to years long so many people live in limbo for a long time.\nMethods of living with ADHD can help everyone. And everyone experiences ADHD traits from time to time. Given a large amount of stress we have all suffered collectively, I don't doubt there are a lot of people with increased mental health issues that mirror neurodivergent traits. Some mental illnesses can get very severe and alter your brain chemistry and behaviour.\nMy takeaway from this is that the mental health systems set up to assist these people are a much larger issue and cause for serious concern than self-diagnosing.\nApologies for the spelling and grammar errors. Grammarly and Reddit don't play nice.", ">\n\nI think it's two things. One, people have identity crises, especially teenagers. We all know that type of person who tries on identities like hats. That's pretty embarrassing. You usually grow out of that.\nTwo, from personal experience, giving yourself a label or a diagnosis makes it feel more contained and easy to communicate. It's easier to tell someone that you have X and have them understand what you're going through rather than telling them you have these vague symptoms resembling what you imagine X is like. In that respect, it is pretty understandable, possibly good, and not embarrassing. There's something that is sort of reassuring if you can finally get a word to put on what you're experiencing.\nPeople often sympathize with the diagnosis but not with the symptoms. Tell people at work you're autistic and they will sympathize with you and possibly not attack you. Tell them you do not understand social cues and they will probably just make fun of you.", ">\n\nI understand the desire to put a label with a disease, and this is not necessarily bad, but the diagnosis needs to be correct. If you want to tell others that you are autistic or depressed; you must actually be those things. A person can almost never correctly assertion their disease, only their symptoms. People might better understand you if you say your autistic, but you may incorrectly understand and describe yourself. If one wishes to put a name with symptoms, they should find a doctor to pick the label", ">\n\nfor sure but unfortunately our medical system is a joke and even if you are experiencing very severe symptoms it can be nearly impossible to see a professional or take months on a waiting list.\nEven then a professional may be reluctant to slap a label on you for fear of what the consequences of that might be. I saw someone for a very long time who resisted any sort of actual diagnosis because the truth is that what I was experiencing didn't fit neatly into any of the boxes and pretty much belonged in this vague \"other\" category which isn't particularly helpful. Not to mention that misdiagnosis happens all the time even by professionals. \nI just think it is sort of understandable because I think a lot of stuff is kind of a spectrum anyway and just different levels of severity. Things can be really confusing and hard to nail down and thus communicate in a way that causes someone else to be understanding rather than judgemental.", ">\n\nAre you under the impression this is a new phenomenon? Because it's definitely not.\nPeople - especially young people! - crave identity. The world is a confusing place, knowing who you are makes it a little easier. Sometimes it's self-diagnosing mental illness or learning disabilities, or exploring sexual identity, or cliques, or subcultures. There's nothing embarrassing about it, it just is what it is.", ">\n\nIt’s ok to want to express individuality but not to the extent of totally destroying the definition of a real thing and making it hard for actual mentally Ill ppl to get a diagnosis. Why can’t people just accept that they’re different rather then giving themselves a label?", ">\n\npeople on TikTok claiming to have disorders that they don't doesn't affect the precision of psychiatrists diagnosing actual patients. There's no TikTok-said section in the DSM. Why do you think that it does?", ">\n\nIt just encourages more people to get diagnosed possibly skewing the meaning of the mental illness", ">\n\nSkewing it towards statistical accuracy? If people are actually diagnosed at higher rates, we have a better Guage of population-level mental illness, neurodivergency, etc. Better data is more usable, so that research actually means something actionable, ASIDE from the identity boost for young people.", ">\n\nI think what OP is driving at, but utterly failing to explain, is that they think that the fakers will be accommodated by the psychiatric system and diagnosed on the basis of fake symptoms. my sense is that isn't a problem but I don't have data.", ">\n\nDefinitely explained it a little better then I could lol", ">\n\nWhere do you see evidence of that? Any articles about fakers? How about a statistic? If not, it’s just a fear you seem to have.", ">\n\nI think the salient line here is this one:\n\nNeurologists were able to quickly determine that the subjects were not \nsuffering from Tourette's, but psychogenic tics driven by anxiety.", ">\n\nWomen are not born with less autism, but are much less likely to be diagnosed as children than boys. This is partly because boys generally have similar symptoms and behaviors. \nSo of course more women are self diagnosing autism, since their diagnoses were missed as children on a much higher rate.", ">\n\nAlright, I'm diagnosed OCD, PTSD, chronic depression. Diagnosed by a professional so I think I have some grounds to talk about this.\nFirst, let's tackle your women comment about autism. You see, I understand where you're coming from, but you lack the nuance of recognizing that mental illness, and illness in general, is heavily under-diagnosed in women. The medical culture is heavily favored towards men and is rampant with mysogyny, and that's not just me saying it as I've had medical professionals blatantly tell me it's a problem in the field when questioned about it. I've also had some tell me that it's just because women whine a lot, so yanno make of that statement what you will.\nNow that we've covered that let me address the self-diagnosing issue. So, do you want to know what my therapist thinks of self-diagnosing? Well, when I asked them about it they said that self-diagnosing is an important first step to seeking help. Psychiatrist said the same thing. It's normal, expected even, for people to self-diagnose their issues then seek help for them. You can't exactly just peer into someone's brain, no, that person has to tell you what they think is wrong and why they think it is. \nWhat you actually have a problem with is not self-diagnosis, but with people not seeking or not being able to get medical assistance and assuming they're right. You have a problem with people using these issues for attention, which I do too, but once again self-diagnosing is not the problem. Finally, you have a problem with the medical system that forces people into the position of trying to figure out their mental illnesses, but having no ability to get help for them.", ">\n\nI think I did it", ">\n\nSadly no lol, it was not done properly. Do you need a link to the rules?", ">\n\nI already read them i think I’ll figure it out in a bit sorry for the hold up", ">\n\nBecause everyone else is being aggressive: you have to comment with ∆ or !delta and then explain how your view has been changed", ">\n\nThis delta has been rejected. You can't award OP a delta.\nAllowing this would wrongly suggest that you can post here with the aim of convincing others.\nIf you were explaining when/how to award a delta, please use a reddit quote for the symbol next time.\n^Delta System Explained ^| ^Deltaboards", ">\n\nWhat gives you the authority or knowledge to know this is the problem?", ">\n\nYou don’t think it’s a problem that a lot of young ppl are willing to go to the extent of saying they are mentally Ill either for attention or to excuse their weirdness? Just accept that your different. It’s not wrong to believe you’re different without a label", ">\n\nYou did not even try to answer my question.", ">\n\nI’m sorry I was confused on what you meant", ">\n\nIf you are mad at people for self diagnosing themselves because they don't have the knowledge or authority to do so.... what gives you the knowledge or authority to diagnosis this as the problem behavior... basically are you just a kid that is annoyed, or is there some actual studies out there that is claiming this is a problem.", ">\n\nIf you don’t think that people consistently seeking attention for mental illness or craving a label so badly to justify themselves rather then being themselves. That just shows what your views are", ">\n\nDont you think we should leave the diagnosing to the professionals?", ">\n\nI mean yeah", ">\n\nWould you agree that you are diagnosing these people by saying that they are only seeking attention and do not have a real mental illness?", ">\n\nI’m assuming", ">\n\nThere may be some truth to people wanting to be different, however with mental illnesses being more accepted in today's society, many people are a lot more comfortable with being neurodivergent. Additionally, self diagnosis is common because the alternative is spending upwards to $1000-$2000 for a clinical diagnosis.", ">\n\nI know costs suck, but self diagnosis can be much more harmful. A web.md page that tells you your depressed when you may actually be bipolar can lead to really messed up results. I would even go as far as to say that no diagnosis at all is preferable to an uninformed one", ">\n\nWell.\n​\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad \n\nSo you already know why they're doing what they're doing in addition the fact that you know that they're not Autistic? If your claim is that they can't know and only a doctor can, what makes you more qualified? You start out your argument admitting that you have a bias.\n\nthey’re “neurodivergent.\n\nNeurodivergent is an umbrella that covers both Autism and ADHD, which sometimes get mistaken for each other. So if you're upset that they're self-diagnosing, this term should be more welcome than \"Autistic\" because it's more generalized.\n\nnd when you ask them how they know they’ll say “oh I have this weird tick when I uh laugh when someone says something funny “ or “I have a hyper fixation on this topic so I must be autistic\n\nHow else should they communicate it to you? The list of aspects of Autism, especially for how it presents in women, sounds a lot like this. You're not a doctor, they don't have to prove anything to you by going down the entire list of every possible part of their daily experience that might be on the spectrum.\n\nWomen statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nNope. Women are diagnosed less often than men because the original diagnostic criteria for Autism was for Autism as it presents in males. It presents differently for females and is harder to diagnose, especially at younger ages. \n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized\n\nTodays youth want to be victimized? Why would anyone want to be victimized? Something tells me you're missing the mark with this terminology.\n\nor have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. \n\nSo if someone is Autistic and that makes them weird, you'd rather them just be forced to not get to have a name for it, and get the therapeutic treatment that would help them?\n\nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really [are] without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nSome people are autistic. If they find out and it makes them feel good, that doesn't mean they're craving attention. And if they are craving attention, it's because they're normal people and everyone does. \nIf someone thinks they're autistic but it turns out they're actually not, chances are they suspected it for a reason. They might have ADHD, a personality disorder, a mental health issue, or simply a slightly different way of experiencing the world that feels unique to them and there's nothing wrong with that. \nYou seem to think that other people do things for you. People generally don't. They do things for themselves. This is especially true of people on the Autism Spectrum who may not be able to easily use other people's experiences to reference when constructing their view of the world, and can only use their own. Your interpretation wherein they do it to evoke a response from you says more about you than it does about them.", ">\n\nYou’re being deliberately obtuse. OP is completely correct. Most of the people these days who say “I’m ADHD” or “I’m autistic” or “I’m neurodivergent” are absolutely not diagnosed as such and are doing it to seem unique or get attention or as some excuse for why they did x y or z.", ">\n\nI'd like to point out that while some are perhaps attention seeking, many people self diagnose simply because they don't have access to free medical/psychological professionals to get proper diagnosis and help with their issues. I also know someone who doesn't want to get an official diagnosis because he's afrad it will affect his insurance rates or somehow come back to bite him if he's offically labeled with having a neurological disorder. \nThere is a wealth of knowledge on these subjects available online for those interested. And if they are truly interested in self diagnose they can likely do that accurately enough for all intents and purposes. Most of these people who search for the sake of better understanding themselves or their loved ones will openly admit that it's a self diagnoses, or say they THINK they have x,y, or z. But in some situations it's just as well to say they have it if they feel certain anyway, and it's just a passing comment, and not a discussion on the matter. \nIn other words, just because they self diagnose doesn't mean they're wrong, nor does it explain their motives. I also don't see how attention seeking (for those who ARE doing that) is really hurting anyone else. Fakers gonna be fake, that's more a \"them\" kind of problem. ANNOYING, but mostly harmless.", ">\n\nUnless you have a doctor's diagnosis you don't have the disorder. Even if you are broke there are programs to help with costs. \nAnd yes it does affect me when someone is treating me like shit and tries using the I have such and such as an excuse and then people get mad at ME for calling them in their bullshit.", ">\n\nNo. You have to have the disorder before you CAN be diagnosed, so obviously there are undiagnosed people who in fact \"have the disorder \". Your refusal to acknowledge an undiagnosed disorder does not mean they don't have it. Your personal experience with people supposedly using a fake diagnosis to treat you badly, sounds unusual. How do you know they DIDN'T have it? People who do lie and just want to be jerks will do that regardless of what methods they decide to try. The methods are irrelevant. And that motive is not typical of most self diagnosers .", ">\n\nSounds unusual? You must not get out a lot because it's become a pretty regular thing. Every single person I know (about 8) that have self diagnosed themselves as neurodivergent or with a mental illness like Bi-polar all use it to excuse their shitty ass behaviors. \nToo many disorders can mirror other ones. Just because they think they have 2/3 symptoms doesn't make them right by a long shot. Keep living in your bubble.", ">\n\nYou don't have to have a relationship with anyone. If they treat you badly, regardless of an official diagnosis or not, you don't have to tolerate them. It makes no difference what they have or don't have. What would it change if they got diagnosed and actually have it?", ">\n\nSelf diagnosing has been a thing forever\nAnd it's not a problem im 99% sure me or any other autistic person doesn't really give 2 fucks about people who wanna fake disorders. It doesn't stop us from getting help, we have doctors notes, medical files, sometimes even volunteers, you need those files to get into let's say a special education class, or a life skills course.\nSo unless you were diagnosed by a professional you're probably not gonna make it far faking it.\n(Excuse my shitty punctuation)", ">\n\nIt doesn’t bother you that they’re making others take the actual meaning away from what you were born with? I mean I’m sure autism hasn’t made your life easy and seeing ppl claim it for attention to be quirky probably has to annoy you a little right?", ">\n\nAt the end of the day I still have ADHD and I still need help with it. More people being diagnosed with it doesn’t change that fact. In fact I was diagnosed because I realized I related to so many tiktok memes, and I’m sure others are in my same boat. \nIn fact I think so many people talking about ADHD helps. It means more people who possibly have tips for me, people who are suffering who can’t afford treatment have an easy way to learn about how to improve their lives, and more people who are aware of my disorder.", ">\n\nI think people do diagnose themselves too often without seeking professional help. BUT mental illness is not the same as being neurodivergent.", ">\n\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad that they’ll go as far to say they’re “neurodivergent.”\n\nWhile this is the case, I don't really see how it's a \"problem\" per se. I guarantee that these people still make lifestyle decisions based on what they think is best, or based on what they want to do.\n\nbut it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women\n\nDo you have any statistics for that? I haven't experienced it that way in my own anecdotal experience, and I'd be curious to look into the data to see how much that truly does skew in that direction.\n\nwanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness \nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nI understand what you're trying to say here, but I don't really think these things are connected as much as you think they are. People see something wrong with themselves, so they either playfully or seriously consider the fact that it could be a condition that they have similar symptoms to. Not that it never happens, but just because someone categorizes themselves into a disability group that could potentially excuse their \"quirks\", doesn't mean they think that behavior is unacceptable in any way. People see a problem, and assume it's linked to this other issue that seems similar that they already know about.", ">\n\nI agree with the conclusion that self-diagnosis is a real issue, and I wouldn't be surprised if the data indicated it was on the rise. I wouldn't necessarily frame it as a simple desire to \"be victimized\" however. While it is purely speculation, I do believe there are a number of conditions which might lead towards a more frequent experience of symptoms associated with mental illness - a rising wealth gap, perpetual anxiety from a 24-hour news cycle, intensification of self-commodification, the student debt crisis in certain countries like the US, and so on. So people are experiencing symptoms like low energy, mood swings, etc. that can be associated with mental illness. The issue with self-diagnosis then becomes that it may correctly identify the symptom, but incorrectly identify the cause.\nThis video from the YouTuber HealthyGamerGG does a good job of explaining what some of the issues with self-diagnosis are, and for me it was a good starting place for thinking about this more. \nEDIT: I forgot this video literally starts with this same topic being brought up on this same subreddit lol", ">\n\nA great theory based on reasonable causes with an educational video from a psychologist(I assume) as evidence to back it up. I applaud you sir. 👏", ">\n\nWhy are you embarrassed by other people's issues?", ">\n\nI’m a 30yo male. If I had not first self diagnosed with ASD and OCD, I never would have found the language and resources to get a formal diagnosis and help.\nPrior generations have been so fixated on avoidance of diagnosing mental disorders, and research was previously so lacking that we are only just now (through those that do get diagnosed) realizing how common mental disorders are. That plus the lack of mental health resources for neurotypical and neurodivergent I think is how we end up in this situation of many recognizing their symptoms in the new discourse, but lacking the resources to overcome the barriers to proper diagnosis and treatment.", ">\n\nIt’s not the best thing, no. \nAs an adult FINALLY diagnosed (by a licensed therapist) at 41, I can tell you why ‘self diagnosis’ is so tempting. \nIn the US at least- mental health, and official medical diagnosis are almost completely inaccessible, especially as an adult. Most of us grew up before Autism was a spectrum, and ADHD was just boys who acted out in class. We felt like aliens. We couldn’t understand why we didn’t have many friends, or why we didn’t like the ‘right things’, and generally spend the bill of our lives feeling ‘wrong’, ‘broken’ or just simply like we didn’t belong. \nFinally understanding the WHY, and even better, finding tools to addresses our issues is a huge huge weight off the chest. The relief of having a name and a strategy- either therapy or medicine is such an amazing relief!!", ">\n\nI only kinda agree if I had not done my own research I would have never found out I have sjorgens syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis I know TikTok people tend to diagnose themselves and it makes it look cringe but when you live with a incurable illness sometimes you have to work to find a diagnosis", ">\n\nWell, what do you do of you absolutely know you're neurodivergent, but your parents decided not to get you checked? My mom once told me \"we knew you had something, we just didn't get you checked because they would have just put you on pills\". So I struggled with being different, socially unaware, impulsive, obnoxious, agressive, selfish, for the better part of my life without having the self awareness to understand why I was these things, and why people wouldn't want to be around me. \nIn my late 20''s I asked the question, what if I'm actually autistic? I looked up the symptoms, and 9/10 matched. As a child I couldn't handle loud noises, restrictive clothing, I didn't talk until I was 3. I would throw fits for seemingly no reason, I had obsessive interests. I've always really struggled with eye contact, and I never cared for conversation unless it was something I liked. I mean, when the final piece of a puzzle fits so incredibly well, it's really hard for it to be wrong. \nSelf diagnosing actually really helped me grow as aj individual. I became aware of all my divergent behaviors, and why it might be annoying for someone else to deal with. I came to the realization that I was the one who was different, therefore I needed to change. It's way harder to make everyone around you cater to your needs than to overcome the things that upset you. I'm at peace, I have good friends that I can connect with on a pretty deep level. I no longer smash coffee tables when I lose, I can now appreciate that if I lose it just means I have more to learn. I can keep my house clean, I can reasonably hold myself accountable. What exactly is the harm in all that?\nBesides, it would be pretty pointless for me to try and get a diagnosis now, I've put the effort in and largely come out the other side. Anyone diagnosing me would just say I was normal, but they wouldn't have the intimate knowledge of me that I do. I guess it doesn't matter if people don't believe me, I don't go around shouting that I'm autistic. I will say, it would be really nice if people appreciated the effort I put in to get to get to a place of normalcy, something others take for granted, but it's okay, we all have our struggles.", ">\n\nI feel you on all that. To play devil's advocate, mental healthcare in the U.S. is not cheap. Many people go to the internet and confirm their bias about their current health", ">\n\nI feel you on that too OP. I agree 100% with your entire statement.", ">\n\nIt's a problem, but not a new one. In the 1990s there was briefly a surge of people with a type of delusional parasitosis, that is, the false belief that they were infested with parasites. Except this one was supposedly an infestation with tiny fibres. They would come to doctors with a whole list of symptoms to back up their incorrect self-diagnosis.\nTo a certain extent, these are social contagions, which come and go, and often actually end up leading to people having real problems. Like, the young women you mention, a couple of decades ago may well have ended up with anorexia, or self-cutting. These days it might be a self-declaration of autism or a belief that they have gender dysphoria or that they have multiple systems living in their minds.", ">\n\nWow I did not know that. Maybe it’s just so prevalent today due to social media. Social media has only made these things worse imo", ">\n\nEven before it being self diagnosis of a mental illness it was always something. Remember all the emo and goth teenager?", ">\n\nIt depends on the context. For example, if they've done a substantial amount of research, can name a good amount of symptoms they have and reasons they have whatever mental illness and don't have access to the necessary tools to get a medical diagnosis, it's totally different. Some people don't have the money to go out and get a diagnosis, or sometimes it would be better to not get a medical diagnosis. I believe that the reason that a lot of people self diagnose themselves with things like Autism is because they want an explanation as to why they are different, and they could be right or wrong. I think the most important part is that if you go to a psychologist (or even two, I know a lot of people prefer getting second opinions) and they say you don't have it, that you need to admit you were wrong. It's ok to be wrong about your mental health, and the key is to keep looking and to not give up. I can completely understand the frustration in people completely missing how difficult it actually may be to have a mental illness. I was clinically diagnosed with Depression, Anxiety, and PTSD when I was seven, and I've had some experience with people faking mental disorders for attention, and more often then not, they have another mental disorder that needs attention. Recently I had a (now ex) boyfriend insist he had PTSD after being tested twice and the psychiatrist saying that he didn't have it. What he does have is Depression and Anxiety, but he absolutely insisted he has PTSD despite never exhibiting symptoms and the only evidence being a test he took online that was supposedly a \"real PTSD test.\" People faking mental illnesses only harms people who really have them, as these people tend to exaggerate symptoms and use their self diagnosis for attention. I believe that I am autistic, but I don't list it as a diagnosis because while I have read articles and taken the RAADS-r test, I don't have an official diagnosis, and I could very well be wrong. As for women faking illnesses more often, something I've noticed is that things like Autism, ADHD, ADD, etc are more often diagnosed in boys rather than girls- mostly because when they were first discovered, most of the research was done in boys. Autism shows up differently in girls, and can often be blown off as early puberty hormones. If their hyperfixations are those of stereotypical feminine things, it's just a girl liking whatever, and if they hyperfixate in stereotypical masculine interests, they tend to just be viewed as weird, but not autistic. It's normal for people to question, but I agree that to a certain point, self diagnosis can be harmful, but only if not done correctly.", ">\n\nFirst and foremost not a new problem at all, very common, we used to call it \"Being a hypochondriac\" until it aparrently became reconized which in it self is confusing and a bit contradictory.\nANYWAY\nIt isnt really a problem, no doctor is gonna write the perscription for medication without a diagnosis of some sort.\nAt most there is the vauge \"But what about those who actually have it who arent taken serious\" dont worry, we wouldnt have anyway. Thats kinda how invisible illnesses work.\nOverall the 101 hypochondriacs screaming about the symptoms they read in the ICD might help make the knowledge more common and help people better reconize if their colleagues or friends happen to show symptoms of something.", ">\n\nIt’s pretty expensive in the US to get diagnosed. Personally, I’ve self diagnosed myself out of frustration of the way I process things. I’ve always felt slow & my anxiety/depression was deep because of it, but I was raised in a family that doesn’t believe in mental illness. It was always “if you work hard enough, all your problems will go away”. Meanwhile, i was racking my brain on how to make myself think faster/smarter & it would result in psychotic episodes. I’ve gotten fired from jobs, dropped out of school. I started self harming because I hated myself and my brain & almost commit suicide bc I had no idea what was going on.\nThe relief I felt once I finally got a therapist who validated me & was the first to talk to me about mental Illness. It blew my mind and all of a sudden things actually made sense to me. I currently think I have ADD, and sometimes I’ll tell people that but will preface it by saying I’m not professionally diagnosed. Still, I use mental tools that help me get through the day and build my confidence. I’m a lot better at processing conversations, making lists that help me remember things, unmasking, slowing down my thoughts… etc. I’m less frustrated and can see the beauty in how I process things. I still want to get diagnosed but I have to get health insurance….. lol", ">\n\nSelf diagnosis, regardless of being factual is a process where the individual realizes that they might have a mental health issue. People who can do this are more likely to seek professional help compared to the people who think they are “fine”. Going to a professional, licensed psychologist or a psychiatrist will eventually diagnose them with the correct disorder from there, and professionals have the skills to communicate with them and they can together evaluate if the person’s complaint is the issue or not. There is nothing embarrassing about discovering one’s self. It would be a problem if people would identify with an issue and don’t have any willingness to seek help. Sometimes overreacting is better than not reacting.", ">\n\nThe majority of people who are self-diagnosed with autism have done extensive research into it to come to that conclusion. I personally went through the DSM criteria with a fine-tooth comb, made a list of all the ways I met it and discovered that there’s not a single criteria i don’t meet for autism. I didn’t read about anything else but autism for weeks, approaching it from all angles before coming to the conclusion that it’s highly unlikely I am not autistic. I’m waiting to hear back about an assessment, but I’m not waiting to go and be told something I already know before I start advocating for myself. \nOh, and I absolutely did not want to be ‘different’, in fact my life mission to just blend in and be average is the root cause of most of my problems, but here we are.", ">\n\nThis self diagnosing young people do isn’t the problem. The problem is that our society encourages it.\nOur culture is not set up to accommodate a wide spectrum of human needs. You may need things that I don’t. I may need things that you don’t. But in most business settings, academic settings, or even places like restaurants or leisure places, the world isn’t built to accommodate everyone. Our world and society is a “one size fits all” approach, and most people don’t fit snugly inside of that system. \nIf you can classify what is “wrong” or “different” about you into an easily digestible form, people are generally more able and more willing to accommodate you.\nFor example: if I tell my coworkers that I need to leave work early because of a headache, I’ll be shamed for it. And in some cases I’ll be told that “headaches aren’t that bad!” Or “You don’t need to leave.” Or “I have a headache too, just deal with it!”\nBut if I tell my workers that I need to leave due to a painful neurological condition that’s flaring up (I have chronic migraine, which is a neurological condition), they will respect it 100% of the time. It’s met with sympathy and not criticism.\nThis happens for all sorts of things. “Sorry Im late, I slept in.” Sounds a lot worse then, “sorry I’m late, my insomnia has been terrible lately.” \nOur culture forces us to use these labels even when they’re untrue just to receive sympathy or acceptance. The problem isn’t people who decide to use these labels, the root problem is that our society refuses to embrace and accommodate people who are outside of the “norm.”", ">\n\nSpeaking as someone who's had an autism diagnosis since age 7: if someone declares they're autistic when they're not, that's obnoxious at worst. If someone is told they're not autistic when they are, that can cause lifelong harm from denied care and understanding. I have seen this happen to a close friend of mine.\nTherefore, I'd much rather err on the side of acceptance. If you think you're defending me and others like me from impersonators, we'd rather not have your help.\n\nI know people will disagree but it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women. Women statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nCase in point: women are diagnosed with autism far less than men. Recent studies have pointed to decades of systematic misdiagnosis. The more visible autistic symptoms sometimes manifest differently in girls, the way they're socialized may help them hide it from a young age, and of course lots of doctors just say \"your daughter can't be autistic, that's a boy thing.\"\nWe're learning that there are hundreds of thousands of autistic women who slipped through the cracks and were denied the recognition and support they needed because of dismissive, gatekeeping attitudes just like yours.", ">\n\nThere’s a difference between having a disorder and relating to a disorder. If the tools or language associated with a disorder helps someone live better though then cool, it’s all still odd. Also autism presents differently in woman, and a majority of our research on it is on men. Best practice is probably to support them and encourage them to seek treatment.", ">\n\nAutism is severely misdiagnosed in women. Completely under diagnosed. Actually, plenty of things are. The actual problem that we have is parents refusing to let their children get professional help or a diagnosis. Most doctors will diagnose you with BPD as a woman(aka the new female hysteria of our century), maybe put you on some anti psychotics and send you your way. In most countries, a diagnosis/specialist is not readily available, or there is a long waiting list. Even so, the doctors are not know it all. I have seen plenty of doctors, I got different diagnosis almost each time. They ask you some general questions (about your mood, the way you sleep, if you can concentrate, if you harm yourself, if you have suicidal ideation, if you can socialize properly, if your parents were diagnosed with anything, if you have hallucinations or delusions, the works) and then based on that, they will give you a diagnosis. If you use your common sense and information on the internet (given you are knowledgeable on the subject), you can take a good guess on what's wrong. Obviously, some people will exaggerate like with anything (seeing the shadow dude once in your childhood is not a sign of psychosis, neither is hearing your name called when you are alone once in a blue moon), but if you have visual and auditory hallucinations, perhaps weird tactile feelings/hallucinations (spiders are crawling on me, etc), delusions, tend to be forgetful and out of teach with reality, there is a good chance you do have psychosis.", ">\n\nOkay, to start: what do you think autism and ADHD are? They aren't mental illnesses nor are they mental health conditions. \nTo address some of your other points; \nStudies have shown that autism has a gender expression of 1:1. The only reason that women are under diagnosed is because of misunderstandings towards autism, then the diagnosis is conducted incorrectly. Thus it ends up getting conflated with mental illness, E.G BPD, and is diagnosed as a psychiatric disorder instead. This is a detriment to the patient as the care regimes are black and white different. Often times this severely damages the woman.\nFrom data sets that I recall reading, malingering hasn't risen much, if at all, in recent times. I remember it being around 8% of the global population who are engaging in this behaviour, to different extents. I think what's happened is that social media has turned a torch onto it and it's risen in popularity in an algorithmic way. You see it more because it's pushed by the algorithm more because people are searching for it more. It isn't actually occurring any more or less than historically. Most of that attention is negative attention, I should add. \nSo there's two things to take away from that.\n1) The actual act of pretending to be mentally ill, or to have a disability, which is called malingering, is in fact a form of mental unwellness itself. It's a cry for help. The people who do these things are usually very unstable and should be treated with a degree of empathy. The dangerous types who are using mental illness to scam others, or to manipulate them, make up a very small percentage of the overall amount of people in that group and tend to abuse one on one. \n2) The predominant response to this is generally negative. There isn't really any reason to publicly malinger unless you're unstable, this is because a rational person would likely know this, and know the damage it would cause themselves. Self-diagnosis is a very long, and self-aware, process that takes place over years of the individuals life, and proceeds official diagnosis. \nNo one SDs and says \"Okay that's it now! Let me start a TikTok!\" You'd still want support, and you'd still seek support. So that would end up with a doctor, who would see that you're lying, and treat you for whatever was prompting you to malinger. Anyone who has made this commitment knows that keeping it private is a sensible thing to do in a world that isn't inclusive, and often very stigmatising. Sometimes official diagnosis can take YEARS. \nThis kind of propaganda has been going around for a long time in an effort to discredit disabled people and people with mental illnesses. It's not new. People said the same things back in the 90s. People will always be afraid, and dismissive, of things they do not understand. I invite you to try and understand.", ">\n\nI self-diagnosed myself with endometriosis for 10 years before a doctor finally listened to me, opened me up, and found my insides littered with lesions all over my organs. I’m now not able to get pregnant and I might need to get part of my bowel taken out someday. This could’ve been avoided if someone had just listened to me when I was 16. \nSelf-diagnosing is a necessity in a misogynist world! No one takes us seriously! Especially medical professionals. \nThe best antidote for this is to listen to women who self-diagnose. Why do they think they have XYZ? Is it heavily interfering with their life? I think that’s a much larger problem.", ">\n\nIts been proven that there is a bias to diagnose as opposed to not diagnose a mental illness in psychology. So op is actually kinda correct. The definition of a mental illness is in effect being stretched so far that people who are just kinda weird are being diagnosed with \"on the spectrum\". This is actually causing a problem in early learning because parents start treating their kids as essentially learning challenged when they're really not. So it is starting to become an excuse ...", ">\n\nWe live in a society that loves to medicate people. I know it’s different but Did ppl forget about the opioid epidemic? They’ll diagnose your ass with anything if they can", ">\n\nYa I tend to agree. And no one is really saying so I will I guess, but id wager that 50% of psychologist \"professionals\" are totally full of shit. The actual number of psychologists that are are doing real research and clinical studies is EXTREMELY small compared to how many \"psychologists\" are out there. Just like chiropractors, half of them are hacks..", ">\n\nAnd ill say one more thing, though it is anecdotal, but i have direct family that works in special education for young children, and that system is fucked with a capital F. Thay are constantly fighting against parents and programs who try to box kids in the \"autistic\" zone, when they are just really quite or shy, or have pee problems. But parents want an excuse and reason for their behavior, and reduce them to a sub standard education and treatment for the rest of their lives. It's heart breaking. Especially in public schools.", ">\n\nI’m 32 years old. \nI didn’t self diagnose for attention although I remember the days of tumblr where everyone self diagnosed for clout.\nIt took me a decade to realize what is really happening. During the decade before I realized what may have been happening I was told the following:\nI’m rude\nI’m bossy\nI have a RBF/I look mad\nI also only managed to make my first real friend at age 27.\nWhat I was really displaying was:\nBeing overly blunt and just trying to get my point across came off rude when I didn’t intend it to be that way\nTrying to have things done at a certain time and way that no one else thought was important to follow\nUnmasking\nNoticed other things too that I just thought was me being weird:\nVocal stimming\nOral stimming-chewing, smoking, vaping\nRepetitive motions\nRocking\nEasily overwhelmed by too much sensory input\nHigh startle reflex \nInability to regulate my body’s needs-I don’t know I’m hungry until I’m ravenous; don’t recognize the need to use the bathroom until it’s causing me to rush off, don’t realize I’m cold until I’m shaking\nI could go on.\nI want an assessment so bad. But assessments for adults are EXTREMELY hard to setup, if you can even set them up at all. Some states don’t even offer them. I’ve been looking but they are only for children and seem to look for severe cases.\n14 years of thinking I was just a bitch who couldn’t make friends because I was too weird…turns out it might be autism. And turns out I’ll most likely never get a true diagnosis. But the RAADS test gave me a 127 score so that might be the closest I’ll ever get.", ">\n\ni kind of self diagnosed autism? i’ve been to many psychiatrists and therapists for years and they always see adhd in the half an hour and prescribe meds for that, which makes me not go there again. if they dug a little deeper they could have seen autism, i spoke to my current psychiatrist about if its possible i have it, she didn’t want to confirm or deny as i was moving out of state from friends and family and am at an age where i can have kids in the next 10 years since she doesn’t want me being concerned for them. \nI think there’s still lots of stigma around autism even with professionals and especially when identifying it in women. \nI don’t want to be autistic, but i can recognise a lot of different patterns comparing myself and others. I’ve researched it a ton especially in how it shows in women compared to men and in all the articles i found myself relating.\nNow i don’t say im autistic, i say im a little sus of being it tho lmao. and try pass it off casually. I find it’s a lot easier for me to understand and embrace my differences compared to trying to hide it and try be like everyone else or wonder why im not like everyone else. \nBeing older i can also recognise how a lot of my family on one side have suffered mentally and because of obvious neurodivergence. so im pretty sure, like the rest of my mentally challenged brain, has been inherited genetically through that side. \nAll that being said. I self diagnosed when i was about 12 that im highly likely to be depressed and anxious in attempt to get my mom to believe me i needed help, and now 8 years later i can identify that this has been an issue forever for me and that i likely cannot go off my meds because i will just go back to how i used to be. Im still ocd with all my meds, but its better than being anxious and depressed all the time, Having ocd throughout the day is like heaven to me in comparison to how i used to be. obviously the ocd isnt new, just a lot more heard in my brain now.", ">\n\nOk, I know some people self diagnoze themselves with [insert some mental illness here] out of attention or whatever, and that's totally not ok.\nHowever, if you read all the symptoms and do proper research on a mental illness and everything clicks in to you, I'd say you can be fairly confident on a self diagnosis (although, it might be worth it to double check with a professional, especially if you want any sort of treatment). But also for some people, it might not be affordable to go to a professional...", ">\n\nI live in Canada, I've engaged with the medical system, doctors don't care and just want you out, ERs are a 8 hour wait for someone to ignore one thing and won't even entertain other issues even if they are related. Self-diagnosis is really the only way to get any kind of proper treatment at all. \nThe doctors will rubber stamp just about anything you ask for except pain killers but in terms of diagnosis you're way better off doing it yourself, sure you don't have 8 years of medical school but the doctors won't give you 5 mins of their time, they are not better than google and you give a lot more of a shit than they will and at the end of the day it's your body.", ">\n\nBack in the 90s when I was a teenager, the kids/teenagers/young adults who wanted attention, and wanted to be different, adopted the goth lifestyle. Dressing up in all black. White foundation with black lipstick and eyeshadow. It was the trendy way to be different, to be viewed as outcasts of society. To not fit in. \nThe goth lifestyle of the 2020s is self diagnosis. Same shit, different day.\nWhenever someone claims autism, or somewhere on the spectrum, I just roll my eyes and imagine that person just sucks at life.", ">\n\nI just think it’s a little more harmful nowadays due to the prevalence of social media. Ppl get sucked into groups and mindsets before they even have a real life chance. Then they hyper fixate on that they might be mentally Ill rather then just trying to live life to the fullest", ">\n\nI 100% agree with you", ">\n\nBecause it's the age of spin this generation has something for everybody. And all of them are Google doctors. Lol", ">\n\nTook my uncle till he was 38 even thought it was apparent to everyone. Hell he got expelled from two schools", ">\n\nI get what you're saying. I frankly find it weird that more people don't find this weird. People self-diagnosing themselves as all kinds of things not only completely misrepresents the actual conditions, thereby making people even more confused as to what they actually are and how they present, but also leads people to run to a psychiatrist claiming false symptoms and getting medication for something they don't have, which is NOT a good thing. People should never be taking medication unless it is necessary. We are a heavily over-medicated society and this is a big factor in that. Caffeine to wake up in the morning, \"immuno-boosters\" and mood stabilizers during the day, sleeping pills to sleep at night. The caffeine and sleeping pills are addictive and can really mess up your circadian rhythm, and the mood stabilizers can really fuck you up if you don't need them. Instead of rushing to diagnose and medicate everyone, we need to educate them on human behavior and show them that their \"mental health\" problems are completely normal.\nOh, so you get nervous right before you make huge life decisions? That's not Anxiety Disorder, it's just anxiety.\nOh, you are really sad because your cat died? That's not Clinical Depression, you are just grieving.\nOh, you went from really happy to really sad when you were previously happy and something really shitty happened to you and soured your mood? That's not Bipolar Disorder, that's just life.\nOh, you like to be more organized than the people around you? That's not Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, you just like to be organized.\nPeople really misunderstand the nature of these conditions and it hinders our collective progress in treating them, like dramatically inflating the number of actual conditions in the population, making it increasingly more difficult to determine how common and how varied they are. After all, in most cases it is not the psychiatrist or psychologist who makes you better, you make you better. Medication can help and other people can show you the path to success, but the problem will never get solved unless you play an active role in the treatment. Some conditions can never be solved, only lessened, while others are virtually untreatable. We need to stop making these conditions seem cool. They aren't. They are serious and need to be taken seriously.", ">\n\nHeavily agree and I appreciate how well this comment is worded. Wish I coulda worded mine a little better", ">\n\nYa I saw you getting shredded in the comments and figured I'd sum it up for you. 🤣", ">\n\nLmao bro I didn’t expect this many. I was thinking maybe like 20 ppl would reply", ">\n\nYou need to self diagnose in many cases in order to get adequate help.", ">\n\nI knew when I had ADD and IBS, and I was able to get my suspicions confirmed by my respective doctors. Doctors are there to help the patients understand themselves, whereas the patients have to go home every day and live with what they actually have. Do not be so quick to judge.", ">\n\nJust to add here - Autism in women is less prevalent because it presents differently and is often not picked up by standardised diagnostic tests (that were developed on an almost exclusively male sample). I think that also goes to show that there’s p significant issues with what we consider ‘scientific’ and research based in the first place.", ">\n\nI grew up in a small town and we had quite a few autistic boys but only one autistic girl. Literally only one out of like 6-8 grades. So that’s like a 10-1 ratio. It’s gotta be a lot statistically smaller then males. I don’t doubt it happens I just know it’s a lot less", ">\n\nYou think your small town’s makeup is generalizable to all of society? That isn’t how statistics work.", ">\n\nSo my question would be - so what do we do?\nYou think people are diagnosing themselves to gain attention. Fine, but what's the next step?\nSee, I think I might be bipolar 2. But I went on a journey where I looked into the techniques for dealing with this issue. That led me to cognitive behavior therapy.\nThat actually made me more convinced that this was my issue because I have taught myself a lot of cognitive behavior therapy techniques to address the same issues. These practices have really helped me.\nIt sounds like your issue is that these people are getting attention for it. To me, these are people who need someone to help guide them. That would have helped me a lot when I was younger. Society today doesn't really give us the tools to sort this out, but just the knowledge that these things exist can push someone down the rabbit hole to learn about therapy that could really help.\nI think you should ask yourself what your motivations are. Do you really want them to understand themselves? Or are you more interested in steering the conversation toward other topics?\nPersonally, I would deal with these people by paying them forward. I would tell them to understand the practices that typically help these people, and see if they are relevant. I would tell them to seek professional help, and to refrain from diagnosing themselves, but I would encourage them to be critical of themselves and to learn more.\nImo, the way out is through.", ">\n\nI agree with you but it’s not mostly women. Maybe by happenstance that’s the case in your circle but broadly men do this too.", ">\n\nDoctor's are consulting the Mayo Clinic website after talking to a patient and getting their symptoms. I bring that up to say this; a doctor's training is needed for very serious diseases and tricky diagnoses, but a semi-intelligent person could look up their symptoms and get a lot of the more minor stuff right.", ">\n\nI've never been diagnosed as clinically depressed or anything, but that doesn't mean that I don't suffer from depression a lot of the time (these last few years, more often than not). I see a therapist. I take antidepressants. \nI have a friend who has aphantasia. It isn't really a \"diagnosable\" condition, but it describes what he has trouble with: creating images in his mind.", ">\n\nThat’s different then going online and claiming perfectly normal traits mean you’re autistic", ">\n\nNeurodivergence ≠ mental illness.", ">\n\nThey know themselves and their experiences better than you.", ">\n\nOP, I'm seeing some differences between your post and what you're saying in the comments. \nMy question is, do you have a problem with people self-diagnosing, or is your issue more about people drawing a lot of public attention to their diagnoses?", ">\n\nOverall both but definitely the attention part more so for obvious reasons. The self diagnosing part due to the fact that it can make people believe it can be an excuse for their actions good or bad. I think In a weird way it can allow people to take away the responsibility of their own actions and attribute to their mental illness", ">\n\nAs someone who has been diagnosed with ADHD, having people self diagnosing doesn't bother me at all, because I went the path of not knowing at all what I had and letting doctors figure out by themselves... and it took me 4 years and a half to finally have a concrete answer that no doctors would have found out if I didn't start searching on my own. You can't walk into every doctor's office with the assumption they'll figure out what you have, because it's not their speciality, or they still have an outdated view (not every doctor are kept up to date with new discovers), or they're biased, etc... \nI've never been annoyed by people who self diagnose. Hell, if I knew what was about to happen to me, I would have done the same way sooner.", ">\n\nMost women today arent faking it, they are noticing the symptoms no one else noticed and trying to find help. Its not easy to grow up with this kind of stuff. Is not coincidence you think women are less likely to be born to autism instead of thinking how weird it is that for some reason most autism diagnosis happen to men, that is the misogyny in the medical comunity.\nSelf diagnosis means this women will go to doctors and it most case scenarios they will get diagnoses because they have this issue all their life.\nSocial media is giving people awareness of the issue in medicine and how it affects women. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Misogyny in medicine also leads to people not knowing the difference between a heart attack in a woman and a man. It leads to women thinking its something else because internet and books will tell you how a man will feel a heart attack, even doctors sometimes dont know this.", ">\n\nGetting a diagnosis or treatment is borderline impossible for a lot of people. So self diagnosis is sometimes the only way they can help themselves.", ">\n\nNot a mental illness. But, I am a trans person and I pretty much self-diagnosed and self-medicated. I just had physicians do blood test.\nI educated myself on how everything works in about eight month period. I did that over a decade.\nI don’t regret my decision, and if I did. The regret would be not starting any sooner, especially when people who aren’t physicians or therapists are having a final say about these things.", ">\n\nIt is very noticeable and annoying, buuuut it’s proven autism manifest differently in females. Plus women are (very) often under diagnosed and dismissed for many many things by doctors, which is absolutely disgusting. Aaaand the cost of healthcare is outrageous." ]

[ "The diagnosis process for a lot of psychiatric conditions are surveys and questionaires. You can go to a psychiatrist and ask if you're anxious and they'll give you multiple choice questions and diagnose off of that. Or you can just google the form yourself and self diagnose. A lot of psychiatric disorders are about how we feel and think. Not about sending off some blood sample to a lab and getting a positive result come back.\n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. For such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nWhat you're describing are all neuroses that could indicate some deeper psychiatric condition. Whether a person has a mental health condition or not, thinking of ourselves as weak victims is never helpful in any context, yet it's something we all feel from time to time.\nI'm a disability support worker, so when someone tells me they've got a self diagnosed condition, it's not offensive to me or any disabled person I know, it doesn't come across like they're invalidating anyone else's condition. However I do think everyone should talk to a doctor about any condition they feel they might have.", ">\n\nPiggybacking off of this: You’ve spent your whole entire life inside your own brain. A therapist will spend a period of hours with you and give you a diagnosis. Who do you think knows your personal reality better than yourself?", ">\n\nYeah exactly, especially with conditions such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, PTSD, and many other psychiatric conditions. These are things people know they have even before they get a diagnosis. The diagnosis stage is more about treatment and management.\nPeople might be unaware of how severe or mild their condition is, some people think they have only mild PTSD despite constant nightmares and suicidal ideation. Some people will think they have severe ADHD because they can't concentrate for long times on things that don't interest them. It's good to get some perspective from experts but ultimately people know when they are struggling to focus or to struggling to stop stressing all the time or struggling to not be miserable. Struggling with our thoughts and feelings is evidence enough to self diagnose.", ">\n\nI was recently diagnosed with ADHD as a woman so I find this viewpoint interesting.\nFirstly, autism is not a mental illness. An autistic person may have mental illness in conjunction with autism, but autism alone lies under the neurodivergent umbrella. Neurodivergency can include autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and other similar conditions.\nWhy women are often underdiagnosed\nThese are serious disabilities that can really impede a person's life, especially if they struggle to find help and acceptance in their community. A lot of women start their journey towards diagnosis later in life due to a number of factors such as:\n\nPoor diagnostic tools and inexperienced professionals\nA misunderstanding that autism and ADHD are more common in boys\nAdvanced masking techniques to cover their 'traits'\n\nWhy women are often diagnosed later in life.\nThe process for many women and men who are diagnosed later in life often includes a level of burnout or breakdown. After a while everything becomes too much, the mask begins to slip and your traits go into overdrive.\nWhy does self-diagnosing seem to be on the rise?\nA common way of finding out you could possibly be neurodivergent is through media and people who are aware of these traits appear.\nIn the past few years, I have seen an increasing awareness of neurodivergence in women pop up in the media. This is useful for people like myself who had no idea wtf was wrong with them for a very long time. For me, a GP actually suggested I seek a diagnosis due to some struggles I was going through.\nAs someone who went through this process self-diagnosing is commonly the first step as an adult. You might be directed to a questionnaire and are asked to evaluate yourself and your experiences thinking back to your childhood. If there's some merit in your experiences than you move to the next step which involves seeking a professional. Waitlists are often months to years long so many people live in limbo for a long time.\nMethods of living with ADHD can help everyone. And everyone experiences ADHD traits from time to time. Given a large amount of stress we have all suffered collectively, I don't doubt there are a lot of people with increased mental health issues that mirror neurodivergent traits. Some mental illnesses can get very severe and alter your brain chemistry and behaviour.\nMy takeaway from this is that the mental health systems set up to assist these people are a much larger issue and cause for serious concern than self-diagnosing.\nApologies for the spelling and grammar errors. Grammarly and Reddit don't play nice.", ">\n\nI think it's two things. One, people have identity crises, especially teenagers. We all know that type of person who tries on identities like hats. That's pretty embarrassing. You usually grow out of that.\nTwo, from personal experience, giving yourself a label or a diagnosis makes it feel more contained and easy to communicate. It's easier to tell someone that you have X and have them understand what you're going through rather than telling them you have these vague symptoms resembling what you imagine X is like. In that respect, it is pretty understandable, possibly good, and not embarrassing. There's something that is sort of reassuring if you can finally get a word to put on what you're experiencing.\nPeople often sympathize with the diagnosis but not with the symptoms. Tell people at work you're autistic and they will sympathize with you and possibly not attack you. Tell them you do not understand social cues and they will probably just make fun of you.", ">\n\nI understand the desire to put a label with a disease, and this is not necessarily bad, but the diagnosis needs to be correct. If you want to tell others that you are autistic or depressed; you must actually be those things. A person can almost never correctly assertion their disease, only their symptoms. People might better understand you if you say your autistic, but you may incorrectly understand and describe yourself. If one wishes to put a name with symptoms, they should find a doctor to pick the label", ">\n\nfor sure but unfortunately our medical system is a joke and even if you are experiencing very severe symptoms it can be nearly impossible to see a professional or take months on a waiting list.\nEven then a professional may be reluctant to slap a label on you for fear of what the consequences of that might be. I saw someone for a very long time who resisted any sort of actual diagnosis because the truth is that what I was experiencing didn't fit neatly into any of the boxes and pretty much belonged in this vague \"other\" category which isn't particularly helpful. Not to mention that misdiagnosis happens all the time even by professionals. \nI just think it is sort of understandable because I think a lot of stuff is kind of a spectrum anyway and just different levels of severity. Things can be really confusing and hard to nail down and thus communicate in a way that causes someone else to be understanding rather than judgemental.", ">\n\nAre you under the impression this is a new phenomenon? Because it's definitely not.\nPeople - especially young people! - crave identity. The world is a confusing place, knowing who you are makes it a little easier. Sometimes it's self-diagnosing mental illness or learning disabilities, or exploring sexual identity, or cliques, or subcultures. There's nothing embarrassing about it, it just is what it is.", ">\n\nIt’s ok to want to express individuality but not to the extent of totally destroying the definition of a real thing and making it hard for actual mentally Ill ppl to get a diagnosis. Why can’t people just accept that they’re different rather then giving themselves a label?", ">\n\npeople on TikTok claiming to have disorders that they don't doesn't affect the precision of psychiatrists diagnosing actual patients. There's no TikTok-said section in the DSM. Why do you think that it does?", ">\n\nIt just encourages more people to get diagnosed possibly skewing the meaning of the mental illness", ">\n\nSkewing it towards statistical accuracy? If people are actually diagnosed at higher rates, we have a better Guage of population-level mental illness, neurodivergency, etc. Better data is more usable, so that research actually means something actionable, ASIDE from the identity boost for young people.", ">\n\nI think what OP is driving at, but utterly failing to explain, is that they think that the fakers will be accommodated by the psychiatric system and diagnosed on the basis of fake symptoms. my sense is that isn't a problem but I don't have data.", ">\n\nDefinitely explained it a little better then I could lol", ">\n\nWhere do you see evidence of that? Any articles about fakers? How about a statistic? If not, it’s just a fear you seem to have.", ">\n\nI think the salient line here is this one:\n\nNeurologists were able to quickly determine that the subjects were not \nsuffering from Tourette's, but psychogenic tics driven by anxiety.", ">\n\nWomen are not born with less autism, but are much less likely to be diagnosed as children than boys. This is partly because boys generally have similar symptoms and behaviors. \nSo of course more women are self diagnosing autism, since their diagnoses were missed as children on a much higher rate.", ">\n\nAlright, I'm diagnosed OCD, PTSD, chronic depression. Diagnosed by a professional so I think I have some grounds to talk about this.\nFirst, let's tackle your women comment about autism. You see, I understand where you're coming from, but you lack the nuance of recognizing that mental illness, and illness in general, is heavily under-diagnosed in women. The medical culture is heavily favored towards men and is rampant with mysogyny, and that's not just me saying it as I've had medical professionals blatantly tell me it's a problem in the field when questioned about it. I've also had some tell me that it's just because women whine a lot, so yanno make of that statement what you will.\nNow that we've covered that let me address the self-diagnosing issue. So, do you want to know what my therapist thinks of self-diagnosing? Well, when I asked them about it they said that self-diagnosing is an important first step to seeking help. Psychiatrist said the same thing. It's normal, expected even, for people to self-diagnose their issues then seek help for them. You can't exactly just peer into someone's brain, no, that person has to tell you what they think is wrong and why they think it is. \nWhat you actually have a problem with is not self-diagnosis, but with people not seeking or not being able to get medical assistance and assuming they're right. You have a problem with people using these issues for attention, which I do too, but once again self-diagnosing is not the problem. Finally, you have a problem with the medical system that forces people into the position of trying to figure out their mental illnesses, but having no ability to get help for them.", ">\n\nI think I did it", ">\n\nSadly no lol, it was not done properly. Do you need a link to the rules?", ">\n\nI already read them i think I’ll figure it out in a bit sorry for the hold up", ">\n\nBecause everyone else is being aggressive: you have to comment with ∆ or !delta and then explain how your view has been changed", ">\n\nThis delta has been rejected. You can't award OP a delta.\nAllowing this would wrongly suggest that you can post here with the aim of convincing others.\nIf you were explaining when/how to award a delta, please use a reddit quote for the symbol next time.\n^Delta System Explained ^| ^Deltaboards", ">\n\nWhat gives you the authority or knowledge to know this is the problem?", ">\n\nYou don’t think it’s a problem that a lot of young ppl are willing to go to the extent of saying they are mentally Ill either for attention or to excuse their weirdness? Just accept that your different. It’s not wrong to believe you’re different without a label", ">\n\nYou did not even try to answer my question.", ">\n\nI’m sorry I was confused on what you meant", ">\n\nIf you are mad at people for self diagnosing themselves because they don't have the knowledge or authority to do so.... what gives you the knowledge or authority to diagnosis this as the problem behavior... basically are you just a kid that is annoyed, or is there some actual studies out there that is claiming this is a problem.", ">\n\nIf you don’t think that people consistently seeking attention for mental illness or craving a label so badly to justify themselves rather then being themselves. That just shows what your views are", ">\n\nDont you think we should leave the diagnosing to the professionals?", ">\n\nI mean yeah", ">\n\nWould you agree that you are diagnosing these people by saying that they are only seeking attention and do not have a real mental illness?", ">\n\nI’m assuming", ">\n\nThere may be some truth to people wanting to be different, however with mental illnesses being more accepted in today's society, many people are a lot more comfortable with being neurodivergent. Additionally, self diagnosis is common because the alternative is spending upwards to $1000-$2000 for a clinical diagnosis.", ">\n\nI know costs suck, but self diagnosis can be much more harmful. A web.md page that tells you your depressed when you may actually be bipolar can lead to really messed up results. I would even go as far as to say that no diagnosis at all is preferable to an uninformed one", ">\n\nWell.\n​\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad \n\nSo you already know why they're doing what they're doing in addition the fact that you know that they're not Autistic? If your claim is that they can't know and only a doctor can, what makes you more qualified? You start out your argument admitting that you have a bias.\n\nthey’re “neurodivergent.\n\nNeurodivergent is an umbrella that covers both Autism and ADHD, which sometimes get mistaken for each other. So if you're upset that they're self-diagnosing, this term should be more welcome than \"Autistic\" because it's more generalized.\n\nnd when you ask them how they know they’ll say “oh I have this weird tick when I uh laugh when someone says something funny “ or “I have a hyper fixation on this topic so I must be autistic\n\nHow else should they communicate it to you? The list of aspects of Autism, especially for how it presents in women, sounds a lot like this. You're not a doctor, they don't have to prove anything to you by going down the entire list of every possible part of their daily experience that might be on the spectrum.\n\nWomen statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nNope. Women are diagnosed less often than men because the original diagnostic criteria for Autism was for Autism as it presents in males. It presents differently for females and is harder to diagnose, especially at younger ages. \n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized\n\nTodays youth want to be victimized? Why would anyone want to be victimized? Something tells me you're missing the mark with this terminology.\n\nor have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. \n\nSo if someone is Autistic and that makes them weird, you'd rather them just be forced to not get to have a name for it, and get the therapeutic treatment that would help them?\n\nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really [are] without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nSome people are autistic. If they find out and it makes them feel good, that doesn't mean they're craving attention. And if they are craving attention, it's because they're normal people and everyone does. \nIf someone thinks they're autistic but it turns out they're actually not, chances are they suspected it for a reason. They might have ADHD, a personality disorder, a mental health issue, or simply a slightly different way of experiencing the world that feels unique to them and there's nothing wrong with that. \nYou seem to think that other people do things for you. People generally don't. They do things for themselves. This is especially true of people on the Autism Spectrum who may not be able to easily use other people's experiences to reference when constructing their view of the world, and can only use their own. Your interpretation wherein they do it to evoke a response from you says more about you than it does about them.", ">\n\nYou’re being deliberately obtuse. OP is completely correct. Most of the people these days who say “I’m ADHD” or “I’m autistic” or “I’m neurodivergent” are absolutely not diagnosed as such and are doing it to seem unique or get attention or as some excuse for why they did x y or z.", ">\n\nI'd like to point out that while some are perhaps attention seeking, many people self diagnose simply because they don't have access to free medical/psychological professionals to get proper diagnosis and help with their issues. I also know someone who doesn't want to get an official diagnosis because he's afrad it will affect his insurance rates or somehow come back to bite him if he's offically labeled with having a neurological disorder. \nThere is a wealth of knowledge on these subjects available online for those interested. And if they are truly interested in self diagnose they can likely do that accurately enough for all intents and purposes. Most of these people who search for the sake of better understanding themselves or their loved ones will openly admit that it's a self diagnoses, or say they THINK they have x,y, or z. But in some situations it's just as well to say they have it if they feel certain anyway, and it's just a passing comment, and not a discussion on the matter. \nIn other words, just because they self diagnose doesn't mean they're wrong, nor does it explain their motives. I also don't see how attention seeking (for those who ARE doing that) is really hurting anyone else. Fakers gonna be fake, that's more a \"them\" kind of problem. ANNOYING, but mostly harmless.", ">\n\nUnless you have a doctor's diagnosis you don't have the disorder. Even if you are broke there are programs to help with costs. \nAnd yes it does affect me when someone is treating me like shit and tries using the I have such and such as an excuse and then people get mad at ME for calling them in their bullshit.", ">\n\nNo. You have to have the disorder before you CAN be diagnosed, so obviously there are undiagnosed people who in fact \"have the disorder \". Your refusal to acknowledge an undiagnosed disorder does not mean they don't have it. Your personal experience with people supposedly using a fake diagnosis to treat you badly, sounds unusual. How do you know they DIDN'T have it? People who do lie and just want to be jerks will do that regardless of what methods they decide to try. The methods are irrelevant. And that motive is not typical of most self diagnosers .", ">\n\nSounds unusual? You must not get out a lot because it's become a pretty regular thing. Every single person I know (about 8) that have self diagnosed themselves as neurodivergent or with a mental illness like Bi-polar all use it to excuse their shitty ass behaviors. \nToo many disorders can mirror other ones. Just because they think they have 2/3 symptoms doesn't make them right by a long shot. Keep living in your bubble.", ">\n\nYou don't have to have a relationship with anyone. If they treat you badly, regardless of an official diagnosis or not, you don't have to tolerate them. It makes no difference what they have or don't have. What would it change if they got diagnosed and actually have it?", ">\n\nSelf diagnosing has been a thing forever\nAnd it's not a problem im 99% sure me or any other autistic person doesn't really give 2 fucks about people who wanna fake disorders. It doesn't stop us from getting help, we have doctors notes, medical files, sometimes even volunteers, you need those files to get into let's say a special education class, or a life skills course.\nSo unless you were diagnosed by a professional you're probably not gonna make it far faking it.\n(Excuse my shitty punctuation)", ">\n\nIt doesn’t bother you that they’re making others take the actual meaning away from what you were born with? I mean I’m sure autism hasn’t made your life easy and seeing ppl claim it for attention to be quirky probably has to annoy you a little right?", ">\n\nAt the end of the day I still have ADHD and I still need help with it. More people being diagnosed with it doesn’t change that fact. In fact I was diagnosed because I realized I related to so many tiktok memes, and I’m sure others are in my same boat. \nIn fact I think so many people talking about ADHD helps. It means more people who possibly have tips for me, people who are suffering who can’t afford treatment have an easy way to learn about how to improve their lives, and more people who are aware of my disorder.", ">\n\nI think people do diagnose themselves too often without seeking professional help. BUT mental illness is not the same as being neurodivergent.", ">\n\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad that they’ll go as far to say they’re “neurodivergent.”\n\nWhile this is the case, I don't really see how it's a \"problem\" per se. I guarantee that these people still make lifestyle decisions based on what they think is best, or based on what they want to do.\n\nbut it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women\n\nDo you have any statistics for that? I haven't experienced it that way in my own anecdotal experience, and I'd be curious to look into the data to see how much that truly does skew in that direction.\n\nwanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness \nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nI understand what you're trying to say here, but I don't really think these things are connected as much as you think they are. People see something wrong with themselves, so they either playfully or seriously consider the fact that it could be a condition that they have similar symptoms to. Not that it never happens, but just because someone categorizes themselves into a disability group that could potentially excuse their \"quirks\", doesn't mean they think that behavior is unacceptable in any way. People see a problem, and assume it's linked to this other issue that seems similar that they already know about.", ">\n\nI agree with the conclusion that self-diagnosis is a real issue, and I wouldn't be surprised if the data indicated it was on the rise. I wouldn't necessarily frame it as a simple desire to \"be victimized\" however. While it is purely speculation, I do believe there are a number of conditions which might lead towards a more frequent experience of symptoms associated with mental illness - a rising wealth gap, perpetual anxiety from a 24-hour news cycle, intensification of self-commodification, the student debt crisis in certain countries like the US, and so on. So people are experiencing symptoms like low energy, mood swings, etc. that can be associated with mental illness. The issue with self-diagnosis then becomes that it may correctly identify the symptom, but incorrectly identify the cause.\nThis video from the YouTuber HealthyGamerGG does a good job of explaining what some of the issues with self-diagnosis are, and for me it was a good starting place for thinking about this more. \nEDIT: I forgot this video literally starts with this same topic being brought up on this same subreddit lol", ">\n\nA great theory based on reasonable causes with an educational video from a psychologist(I assume) as evidence to back it up. I applaud you sir. 👏", ">\n\nWhy are you embarrassed by other people's issues?", ">\n\nI’m a 30yo male. If I had not first self diagnosed with ASD and OCD, I never would have found the language and resources to get a formal diagnosis and help.\nPrior generations have been so fixated on avoidance of diagnosing mental disorders, and research was previously so lacking that we are only just now (through those that do get diagnosed) realizing how common mental disorders are. That plus the lack of mental health resources for neurotypical and neurodivergent I think is how we end up in this situation of many recognizing their symptoms in the new discourse, but lacking the resources to overcome the barriers to proper diagnosis and treatment.", ">\n\nIt’s not the best thing, no. \nAs an adult FINALLY diagnosed (by a licensed therapist) at 41, I can tell you why ‘self diagnosis’ is so tempting. \nIn the US at least- mental health, and official medical diagnosis are almost completely inaccessible, especially as an adult. Most of us grew up before Autism was a spectrum, and ADHD was just boys who acted out in class. We felt like aliens. We couldn’t understand why we didn’t have many friends, or why we didn’t like the ‘right things’, and generally spend the bill of our lives feeling ‘wrong’, ‘broken’ or just simply like we didn’t belong. \nFinally understanding the WHY, and even better, finding tools to addresses our issues is a huge huge weight off the chest. The relief of having a name and a strategy- either therapy or medicine is such an amazing relief!!", ">\n\nI only kinda agree if I had not done my own research I would have never found out I have sjorgens syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis I know TikTok people tend to diagnose themselves and it makes it look cringe but when you live with a incurable illness sometimes you have to work to find a diagnosis", ">\n\nWell, what do you do of you absolutely know you're neurodivergent, but your parents decided not to get you checked? My mom once told me \"we knew you had something, we just didn't get you checked because they would have just put you on pills\". So I struggled with being different, socially unaware, impulsive, obnoxious, agressive, selfish, for the better part of my life without having the self awareness to understand why I was these things, and why people wouldn't want to be around me. \nIn my late 20''s I asked the question, what if I'm actually autistic? I looked up the symptoms, and 9/10 matched. As a child I couldn't handle loud noises, restrictive clothing, I didn't talk until I was 3. I would throw fits for seemingly no reason, I had obsessive interests. I've always really struggled with eye contact, and I never cared for conversation unless it was something I liked. I mean, when the final piece of a puzzle fits so incredibly well, it's really hard for it to be wrong. \nSelf diagnosing actually really helped me grow as aj individual. I became aware of all my divergent behaviors, and why it might be annoying for someone else to deal with. I came to the realization that I was the one who was different, therefore I needed to change. It's way harder to make everyone around you cater to your needs than to overcome the things that upset you. I'm at peace, I have good friends that I can connect with on a pretty deep level. I no longer smash coffee tables when I lose, I can now appreciate that if I lose it just means I have more to learn. I can keep my house clean, I can reasonably hold myself accountable. What exactly is the harm in all that?\nBesides, it would be pretty pointless for me to try and get a diagnosis now, I've put the effort in and largely come out the other side. Anyone diagnosing me would just say I was normal, but they wouldn't have the intimate knowledge of me that I do. I guess it doesn't matter if people don't believe me, I don't go around shouting that I'm autistic. I will say, it would be really nice if people appreciated the effort I put in to get to get to a place of normalcy, something others take for granted, but it's okay, we all have our struggles.", ">\n\nI feel you on all that. To play devil's advocate, mental healthcare in the U.S. is not cheap. Many people go to the internet and confirm their bias about their current health", ">\n\nI feel you on that too OP. I agree 100% with your entire statement.", ">\n\nIt's a problem, but not a new one. In the 1990s there was briefly a surge of people with a type of delusional parasitosis, that is, the false belief that they were infested with parasites. Except this one was supposedly an infestation with tiny fibres. They would come to doctors with a whole list of symptoms to back up their incorrect self-diagnosis.\nTo a certain extent, these are social contagions, which come and go, and often actually end up leading to people having real problems. Like, the young women you mention, a couple of decades ago may well have ended up with anorexia, or self-cutting. These days it might be a self-declaration of autism or a belief that they have gender dysphoria or that they have multiple systems living in their minds.", ">\n\nWow I did not know that. Maybe it’s just so prevalent today due to social media. Social media has only made these things worse imo", ">\n\nEven before it being self diagnosis of a mental illness it was always something. Remember all the emo and goth teenager?", ">\n\nIt depends on the context. For example, if they've done a substantial amount of research, can name a good amount of symptoms they have and reasons they have whatever mental illness and don't have access to the necessary tools to get a medical diagnosis, it's totally different. Some people don't have the money to go out and get a diagnosis, or sometimes it would be better to not get a medical diagnosis. I believe that the reason that a lot of people self diagnose themselves with things like Autism is because they want an explanation as to why they are different, and they could be right or wrong. I think the most important part is that if you go to a psychologist (or even two, I know a lot of people prefer getting second opinions) and they say you don't have it, that you need to admit you were wrong. It's ok to be wrong about your mental health, and the key is to keep looking and to not give up. I can completely understand the frustration in people completely missing how difficult it actually may be to have a mental illness. I was clinically diagnosed with Depression, Anxiety, and PTSD when I was seven, and I've had some experience with people faking mental disorders for attention, and more often then not, they have another mental disorder that needs attention. Recently I had a (now ex) boyfriend insist he had PTSD after being tested twice and the psychiatrist saying that he didn't have it. What he does have is Depression and Anxiety, but he absolutely insisted he has PTSD despite never exhibiting symptoms and the only evidence being a test he took online that was supposedly a \"real PTSD test.\" People faking mental illnesses only harms people who really have them, as these people tend to exaggerate symptoms and use their self diagnosis for attention. I believe that I am autistic, but I don't list it as a diagnosis because while I have read articles and taken the RAADS-r test, I don't have an official diagnosis, and I could very well be wrong. As for women faking illnesses more often, something I've noticed is that things like Autism, ADHD, ADD, etc are more often diagnosed in boys rather than girls- mostly because when they were first discovered, most of the research was done in boys. Autism shows up differently in girls, and can often be blown off as early puberty hormones. If their hyperfixations are those of stereotypical feminine things, it's just a girl liking whatever, and if they hyperfixate in stereotypical masculine interests, they tend to just be viewed as weird, but not autistic. It's normal for people to question, but I agree that to a certain point, self diagnosis can be harmful, but only if not done correctly.", ">\n\nFirst and foremost not a new problem at all, very common, we used to call it \"Being a hypochondriac\" until it aparrently became reconized which in it self is confusing and a bit contradictory.\nANYWAY\nIt isnt really a problem, no doctor is gonna write the perscription for medication without a diagnosis of some sort.\nAt most there is the vauge \"But what about those who actually have it who arent taken serious\" dont worry, we wouldnt have anyway. Thats kinda how invisible illnesses work.\nOverall the 101 hypochondriacs screaming about the symptoms they read in the ICD might help make the knowledge more common and help people better reconize if their colleagues or friends happen to show symptoms of something.", ">\n\nIt’s pretty expensive in the US to get diagnosed. Personally, I’ve self diagnosed myself out of frustration of the way I process things. I’ve always felt slow & my anxiety/depression was deep because of it, but I was raised in a family that doesn’t believe in mental illness. It was always “if you work hard enough, all your problems will go away”. Meanwhile, i was racking my brain on how to make myself think faster/smarter & it would result in psychotic episodes. I’ve gotten fired from jobs, dropped out of school. I started self harming because I hated myself and my brain & almost commit suicide bc I had no idea what was going on.\nThe relief I felt once I finally got a therapist who validated me & was the first to talk to me about mental Illness. It blew my mind and all of a sudden things actually made sense to me. I currently think I have ADD, and sometimes I’ll tell people that but will preface it by saying I’m not professionally diagnosed. Still, I use mental tools that help me get through the day and build my confidence. I’m a lot better at processing conversations, making lists that help me remember things, unmasking, slowing down my thoughts… etc. I’m less frustrated and can see the beauty in how I process things. I still want to get diagnosed but I have to get health insurance….. lol", ">\n\nSelf diagnosis, regardless of being factual is a process where the individual realizes that they might have a mental health issue. People who can do this are more likely to seek professional help compared to the people who think they are “fine”. Going to a professional, licensed psychologist or a psychiatrist will eventually diagnose them with the correct disorder from there, and professionals have the skills to communicate with them and they can together evaluate if the person’s complaint is the issue or not. There is nothing embarrassing about discovering one’s self. It would be a problem if people would identify with an issue and don’t have any willingness to seek help. Sometimes overreacting is better than not reacting.", ">\n\nThe majority of people who are self-diagnosed with autism have done extensive research into it to come to that conclusion. I personally went through the DSM criteria with a fine-tooth comb, made a list of all the ways I met it and discovered that there’s not a single criteria i don’t meet for autism. I didn’t read about anything else but autism for weeks, approaching it from all angles before coming to the conclusion that it’s highly unlikely I am not autistic. I’m waiting to hear back about an assessment, but I’m not waiting to go and be told something I already know before I start advocating for myself. \nOh, and I absolutely did not want to be ‘different’, in fact my life mission to just blend in and be average is the root cause of most of my problems, but here we are.", ">\n\nThis self diagnosing young people do isn’t the problem. The problem is that our society encourages it.\nOur culture is not set up to accommodate a wide spectrum of human needs. You may need things that I don’t. I may need things that you don’t. But in most business settings, academic settings, or even places like restaurants or leisure places, the world isn’t built to accommodate everyone. Our world and society is a “one size fits all” approach, and most people don’t fit snugly inside of that system. \nIf you can classify what is “wrong” or “different” about you into an easily digestible form, people are generally more able and more willing to accommodate you.\nFor example: if I tell my coworkers that I need to leave work early because of a headache, I’ll be shamed for it. And in some cases I’ll be told that “headaches aren’t that bad!” Or “You don’t need to leave.” Or “I have a headache too, just deal with it!”\nBut if I tell my workers that I need to leave due to a painful neurological condition that’s flaring up (I have chronic migraine, which is a neurological condition), they will respect it 100% of the time. It’s met with sympathy and not criticism.\nThis happens for all sorts of things. “Sorry Im late, I slept in.” Sounds a lot worse then, “sorry I’m late, my insomnia has been terrible lately.” \nOur culture forces us to use these labels even when they’re untrue just to receive sympathy or acceptance. The problem isn’t people who decide to use these labels, the root problem is that our society refuses to embrace and accommodate people who are outside of the “norm.”", ">\n\nSpeaking as someone who's had an autism diagnosis since age 7: if someone declares they're autistic when they're not, that's obnoxious at worst. If someone is told they're not autistic when they are, that can cause lifelong harm from denied care and understanding. I have seen this happen to a close friend of mine.\nTherefore, I'd much rather err on the side of acceptance. If you think you're defending me and others like me from impersonators, we'd rather not have your help.\n\nI know people will disagree but it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women. Women statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nCase in point: women are diagnosed with autism far less than men. Recent studies have pointed to decades of systematic misdiagnosis. The more visible autistic symptoms sometimes manifest differently in girls, the way they're socialized may help them hide it from a young age, and of course lots of doctors just say \"your daughter can't be autistic, that's a boy thing.\"\nWe're learning that there are hundreds of thousands of autistic women who slipped through the cracks and were denied the recognition and support they needed because of dismissive, gatekeeping attitudes just like yours.", ">\n\nThere’s a difference between having a disorder and relating to a disorder. If the tools or language associated with a disorder helps someone live better though then cool, it’s all still odd. Also autism presents differently in woman, and a majority of our research on it is on men. Best practice is probably to support them and encourage them to seek treatment.", ">\n\nAutism is severely misdiagnosed in women. Completely under diagnosed. Actually, plenty of things are. The actual problem that we have is parents refusing to let their children get professional help or a diagnosis. Most doctors will diagnose you with BPD as a woman(aka the new female hysteria of our century), maybe put you on some anti psychotics and send you your way. In most countries, a diagnosis/specialist is not readily available, or there is a long waiting list. Even so, the doctors are not know it all. I have seen plenty of doctors, I got different diagnosis almost each time. They ask you some general questions (about your mood, the way you sleep, if you can concentrate, if you harm yourself, if you have suicidal ideation, if you can socialize properly, if your parents were diagnosed with anything, if you have hallucinations or delusions, the works) and then based on that, they will give you a diagnosis. If you use your common sense and information on the internet (given you are knowledgeable on the subject), you can take a good guess on what's wrong. Obviously, some people will exaggerate like with anything (seeing the shadow dude once in your childhood is not a sign of psychosis, neither is hearing your name called when you are alone once in a blue moon), but if you have visual and auditory hallucinations, perhaps weird tactile feelings/hallucinations (spiders are crawling on me, etc), delusions, tend to be forgetful and out of teach with reality, there is a good chance you do have psychosis.", ">\n\nOkay, to start: what do you think autism and ADHD are? They aren't mental illnesses nor are they mental health conditions. \nTo address some of your other points; \nStudies have shown that autism has a gender expression of 1:1. The only reason that women are under diagnosed is because of misunderstandings towards autism, then the diagnosis is conducted incorrectly. Thus it ends up getting conflated with mental illness, E.G BPD, and is diagnosed as a psychiatric disorder instead. This is a detriment to the patient as the care regimes are black and white different. Often times this severely damages the woman.\nFrom data sets that I recall reading, malingering hasn't risen much, if at all, in recent times. I remember it being around 8% of the global population who are engaging in this behaviour, to different extents. I think what's happened is that social media has turned a torch onto it and it's risen in popularity in an algorithmic way. You see it more because it's pushed by the algorithm more because people are searching for it more. It isn't actually occurring any more or less than historically. Most of that attention is negative attention, I should add. \nSo there's two things to take away from that.\n1) The actual act of pretending to be mentally ill, or to have a disability, which is called malingering, is in fact a form of mental unwellness itself. It's a cry for help. The people who do these things are usually very unstable and should be treated with a degree of empathy. The dangerous types who are using mental illness to scam others, or to manipulate them, make up a very small percentage of the overall amount of people in that group and tend to abuse one on one. \n2) The predominant response to this is generally negative. There isn't really any reason to publicly malinger unless you're unstable, this is because a rational person would likely know this, and know the damage it would cause themselves. Self-diagnosis is a very long, and self-aware, process that takes place over years of the individuals life, and proceeds official diagnosis. \nNo one SDs and says \"Okay that's it now! Let me start a TikTok!\" You'd still want support, and you'd still seek support. So that would end up with a doctor, who would see that you're lying, and treat you for whatever was prompting you to malinger. Anyone who has made this commitment knows that keeping it private is a sensible thing to do in a world that isn't inclusive, and often very stigmatising. Sometimes official diagnosis can take YEARS. \nThis kind of propaganda has been going around for a long time in an effort to discredit disabled people and people with mental illnesses. It's not new. People said the same things back in the 90s. People will always be afraid, and dismissive, of things they do not understand. I invite you to try and understand.", ">\n\nI self-diagnosed myself with endometriosis for 10 years before a doctor finally listened to me, opened me up, and found my insides littered with lesions all over my organs. I’m now not able to get pregnant and I might need to get part of my bowel taken out someday. This could’ve been avoided if someone had just listened to me when I was 16. \nSelf-diagnosing is a necessity in a misogynist world! No one takes us seriously! Especially medical professionals. \nThe best antidote for this is to listen to women who self-diagnose. Why do they think they have XYZ? Is it heavily interfering with their life? I think that’s a much larger problem.", ">\n\nIts been proven that there is a bias to diagnose as opposed to not diagnose a mental illness in psychology. So op is actually kinda correct. The definition of a mental illness is in effect being stretched so far that people who are just kinda weird are being diagnosed with \"on the spectrum\". This is actually causing a problem in early learning because parents start treating their kids as essentially learning challenged when they're really not. So it is starting to become an excuse ...", ">\n\nWe live in a society that loves to medicate people. I know it’s different but Did ppl forget about the opioid epidemic? They’ll diagnose your ass with anything if they can", ">\n\nYa I tend to agree. And no one is really saying so I will I guess, but id wager that 50% of psychologist \"professionals\" are totally full of shit. The actual number of psychologists that are are doing real research and clinical studies is EXTREMELY small compared to how many \"psychologists\" are out there. Just like chiropractors, half of them are hacks..", ">\n\nAnd ill say one more thing, though it is anecdotal, but i have direct family that works in special education for young children, and that system is fucked with a capital F. Thay are constantly fighting against parents and programs who try to box kids in the \"autistic\" zone, when they are just really quite or shy, or have pee problems. But parents want an excuse and reason for their behavior, and reduce them to a sub standard education and treatment for the rest of their lives. It's heart breaking. Especially in public schools.", ">\n\nI’m 32 years old. \nI didn’t self diagnose for attention although I remember the days of tumblr where everyone self diagnosed for clout.\nIt took me a decade to realize what is really happening. During the decade before I realized what may have been happening I was told the following:\nI’m rude\nI’m bossy\nI have a RBF/I look mad\nI also only managed to make my first real friend at age 27.\nWhat I was really displaying was:\nBeing overly blunt and just trying to get my point across came off rude when I didn’t intend it to be that way\nTrying to have things done at a certain time and way that no one else thought was important to follow\nUnmasking\nNoticed other things too that I just thought was me being weird:\nVocal stimming\nOral stimming-chewing, smoking, vaping\nRepetitive motions\nRocking\nEasily overwhelmed by too much sensory input\nHigh startle reflex \nInability to regulate my body’s needs-I don’t know I’m hungry until I’m ravenous; don’t recognize the need to use the bathroom until it’s causing me to rush off, don’t realize I’m cold until I’m shaking\nI could go on.\nI want an assessment so bad. But assessments for adults are EXTREMELY hard to setup, if you can even set them up at all. Some states don’t even offer them. I’ve been looking but they are only for children and seem to look for severe cases.\n14 years of thinking I was just a bitch who couldn’t make friends because I was too weird…turns out it might be autism. And turns out I’ll most likely never get a true diagnosis. But the RAADS test gave me a 127 score so that might be the closest I’ll ever get.", ">\n\ni kind of self diagnosed autism? i’ve been to many psychiatrists and therapists for years and they always see adhd in the half an hour and prescribe meds for that, which makes me not go there again. if they dug a little deeper they could have seen autism, i spoke to my current psychiatrist about if its possible i have it, she didn’t want to confirm or deny as i was moving out of state from friends and family and am at an age where i can have kids in the next 10 years since she doesn’t want me being concerned for them. \nI think there’s still lots of stigma around autism even with professionals and especially when identifying it in women. \nI don’t want to be autistic, but i can recognise a lot of different patterns comparing myself and others. I’ve researched it a ton especially in how it shows in women compared to men and in all the articles i found myself relating.\nNow i don’t say im autistic, i say im a little sus of being it tho lmao. and try pass it off casually. I find it’s a lot easier for me to understand and embrace my differences compared to trying to hide it and try be like everyone else or wonder why im not like everyone else. \nBeing older i can also recognise how a lot of my family on one side have suffered mentally and because of obvious neurodivergence. so im pretty sure, like the rest of my mentally challenged brain, has been inherited genetically through that side. \nAll that being said. I self diagnosed when i was about 12 that im highly likely to be depressed and anxious in attempt to get my mom to believe me i needed help, and now 8 years later i can identify that this has been an issue forever for me and that i likely cannot go off my meds because i will just go back to how i used to be. Im still ocd with all my meds, but its better than being anxious and depressed all the time, Having ocd throughout the day is like heaven to me in comparison to how i used to be. obviously the ocd isnt new, just a lot more heard in my brain now.", ">\n\nOk, I know some people self diagnoze themselves with [insert some mental illness here] out of attention or whatever, and that's totally not ok.\nHowever, if you read all the symptoms and do proper research on a mental illness and everything clicks in to you, I'd say you can be fairly confident on a self diagnosis (although, it might be worth it to double check with a professional, especially if you want any sort of treatment). But also for some people, it might not be affordable to go to a professional...", ">\n\nI live in Canada, I've engaged with the medical system, doctors don't care and just want you out, ERs are a 8 hour wait for someone to ignore one thing and won't even entertain other issues even if they are related. Self-diagnosis is really the only way to get any kind of proper treatment at all. \nThe doctors will rubber stamp just about anything you ask for except pain killers but in terms of diagnosis you're way better off doing it yourself, sure you don't have 8 years of medical school but the doctors won't give you 5 mins of their time, they are not better than google and you give a lot more of a shit than they will and at the end of the day it's your body.", ">\n\nBack in the 90s when I was a teenager, the kids/teenagers/young adults who wanted attention, and wanted to be different, adopted the goth lifestyle. Dressing up in all black. White foundation with black lipstick and eyeshadow. It was the trendy way to be different, to be viewed as outcasts of society. To not fit in. \nThe goth lifestyle of the 2020s is self diagnosis. Same shit, different day.\nWhenever someone claims autism, or somewhere on the spectrum, I just roll my eyes and imagine that person just sucks at life.", ">\n\nI just think it’s a little more harmful nowadays due to the prevalence of social media. Ppl get sucked into groups and mindsets before they even have a real life chance. Then they hyper fixate on that they might be mentally Ill rather then just trying to live life to the fullest", ">\n\nI 100% agree with you", ">\n\nBecause it's the age of spin this generation has something for everybody. And all of them are Google doctors. Lol", ">\n\nTook my uncle till he was 38 even thought it was apparent to everyone. Hell he got expelled from two schools", ">\n\nI get what you're saying. I frankly find it weird that more people don't find this weird. People self-diagnosing themselves as all kinds of things not only completely misrepresents the actual conditions, thereby making people even more confused as to what they actually are and how they present, but also leads people to run to a psychiatrist claiming false symptoms and getting medication for something they don't have, which is NOT a good thing. People should never be taking medication unless it is necessary. We are a heavily over-medicated society and this is a big factor in that. Caffeine to wake up in the morning, \"immuno-boosters\" and mood stabilizers during the day, sleeping pills to sleep at night. The caffeine and sleeping pills are addictive and can really mess up your circadian rhythm, and the mood stabilizers can really fuck you up if you don't need them. Instead of rushing to diagnose and medicate everyone, we need to educate them on human behavior and show them that their \"mental health\" problems are completely normal.\nOh, so you get nervous right before you make huge life decisions? That's not Anxiety Disorder, it's just anxiety.\nOh, you are really sad because your cat died? That's not Clinical Depression, you are just grieving.\nOh, you went from really happy to really sad when you were previously happy and something really shitty happened to you and soured your mood? That's not Bipolar Disorder, that's just life.\nOh, you like to be more organized than the people around you? That's not Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, you just like to be organized.\nPeople really misunderstand the nature of these conditions and it hinders our collective progress in treating them, like dramatically inflating the number of actual conditions in the population, making it increasingly more difficult to determine how common and how varied they are. After all, in most cases it is not the psychiatrist or psychologist who makes you better, you make you better. Medication can help and other people can show you the path to success, but the problem will never get solved unless you play an active role in the treatment. Some conditions can never be solved, only lessened, while others are virtually untreatable. We need to stop making these conditions seem cool. They aren't. They are serious and need to be taken seriously.", ">\n\nHeavily agree and I appreciate how well this comment is worded. Wish I coulda worded mine a little better", ">\n\nYa I saw you getting shredded in the comments and figured I'd sum it up for you. 🤣", ">\n\nLmao bro I didn’t expect this many. I was thinking maybe like 20 ppl would reply", ">\n\nYou need to self diagnose in many cases in order to get adequate help.", ">\n\nI knew when I had ADD and IBS, and I was able to get my suspicions confirmed by my respective doctors. Doctors are there to help the patients understand themselves, whereas the patients have to go home every day and live with what they actually have. Do not be so quick to judge.", ">\n\nJust to add here - Autism in women is less prevalent because it presents differently and is often not picked up by standardised diagnostic tests (that were developed on an almost exclusively male sample). I think that also goes to show that there’s p significant issues with what we consider ‘scientific’ and research based in the first place.", ">\n\nI grew up in a small town and we had quite a few autistic boys but only one autistic girl. Literally only one out of like 6-8 grades. So that’s like a 10-1 ratio. It’s gotta be a lot statistically smaller then males. I don’t doubt it happens I just know it’s a lot less", ">\n\nYou think your small town’s makeup is generalizable to all of society? That isn’t how statistics work.", ">\n\nSo my question would be - so what do we do?\nYou think people are diagnosing themselves to gain attention. Fine, but what's the next step?\nSee, I think I might be bipolar 2. But I went on a journey where I looked into the techniques for dealing with this issue. That led me to cognitive behavior therapy.\nThat actually made me more convinced that this was my issue because I have taught myself a lot of cognitive behavior therapy techniques to address the same issues. These practices have really helped me.\nIt sounds like your issue is that these people are getting attention for it. To me, these are people who need someone to help guide them. That would have helped me a lot when I was younger. Society today doesn't really give us the tools to sort this out, but just the knowledge that these things exist can push someone down the rabbit hole to learn about therapy that could really help.\nI think you should ask yourself what your motivations are. Do you really want them to understand themselves? Or are you more interested in steering the conversation toward other topics?\nPersonally, I would deal with these people by paying them forward. I would tell them to understand the practices that typically help these people, and see if they are relevant. I would tell them to seek professional help, and to refrain from diagnosing themselves, but I would encourage them to be critical of themselves and to learn more.\nImo, the way out is through.", ">\n\nI agree with you but it’s not mostly women. Maybe by happenstance that’s the case in your circle but broadly men do this too.", ">\n\nDoctor's are consulting the Mayo Clinic website after talking to a patient and getting their symptoms. I bring that up to say this; a doctor's training is needed for very serious diseases and tricky diagnoses, but a semi-intelligent person could look up their symptoms and get a lot of the more minor stuff right.", ">\n\nI've never been diagnosed as clinically depressed or anything, but that doesn't mean that I don't suffer from depression a lot of the time (these last few years, more often than not). I see a therapist. I take antidepressants. \nI have a friend who has aphantasia. It isn't really a \"diagnosable\" condition, but it describes what he has trouble with: creating images in his mind.", ">\n\nThat’s different then going online and claiming perfectly normal traits mean you’re autistic", ">\n\nNeurodivergence ≠ mental illness.", ">\n\nThey know themselves and their experiences better than you.", ">\n\nOP, I'm seeing some differences between your post and what you're saying in the comments. \nMy question is, do you have a problem with people self-diagnosing, or is your issue more about people drawing a lot of public attention to their diagnoses?", ">\n\nOverall both but definitely the attention part more so for obvious reasons. The self diagnosing part due to the fact that it can make people believe it can be an excuse for their actions good or bad. I think In a weird way it can allow people to take away the responsibility of their own actions and attribute to their mental illness", ">\n\nAs someone who has been diagnosed with ADHD, having people self diagnosing doesn't bother me at all, because I went the path of not knowing at all what I had and letting doctors figure out by themselves... and it took me 4 years and a half to finally have a concrete answer that no doctors would have found out if I didn't start searching on my own. You can't walk into every doctor's office with the assumption they'll figure out what you have, because it's not their speciality, or they still have an outdated view (not every doctor are kept up to date with new discovers), or they're biased, etc... \nI've never been annoyed by people who self diagnose. Hell, if I knew what was about to happen to me, I would have done the same way sooner.", ">\n\nMost women today arent faking it, they are noticing the symptoms no one else noticed and trying to find help. Its not easy to grow up with this kind of stuff. Is not coincidence you think women are less likely to be born to autism instead of thinking how weird it is that for some reason most autism diagnosis happen to men, that is the misogyny in the medical comunity.\nSelf diagnosis means this women will go to doctors and it most case scenarios they will get diagnoses because they have this issue all their life.\nSocial media is giving people awareness of the issue in medicine and how it affects women. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Misogyny in medicine also leads to people not knowing the difference between a heart attack in a woman and a man. It leads to women thinking its something else because internet and books will tell you how a man will feel a heart attack, even doctors sometimes dont know this.", ">\n\nGetting a diagnosis or treatment is borderline impossible for a lot of people. So self diagnosis is sometimes the only way they can help themselves.", ">\n\nNot a mental illness. But, I am a trans person and I pretty much self-diagnosed and self-medicated. I just had physicians do blood test.\nI educated myself on how everything works in about eight month period. I did that over a decade.\nI don’t regret my decision, and if I did. The regret would be not starting any sooner, especially when people who aren’t physicians or therapists are having a final say about these things.", ">\n\nIt is very noticeable and annoying, buuuut it’s proven autism manifest differently in females. Plus women are (very) often under diagnosed and dismissed for many many things by doctors, which is absolutely disgusting. Aaaand the cost of healthcare is outrageous.", ">\n\nwomen being less likely to be diagnosed with autism has nothing to do with an actual gender gap in who does and doesn’t have autism and everything to do with the fact autistic women are diagnosed with personality disorders and mental illnesses due to stigmas. most autism research was done on men and therefore women are underrepresented and more often than not misdiagnosed. autism actually occurs at a similar rate in both sexes. also, it’s not a mental illness, it’s a neurological condition (not that mental illnesses aren’t, but illness implies there’s something wrong, which there isn’t in autistic people). i agree that self diagnosing leads to misinformation and harms those who are clinically diagnosed though." ]

[ "The diagnosis process for a lot of psychiatric conditions are surveys and questionaires. You can go to a psychiatrist and ask if you're anxious and they'll give you multiple choice questions and diagnose off of that. Or you can just google the form yourself and self diagnose. A lot of psychiatric disorders are about how we feel and think. Not about sending off some blood sample to a lab and getting a positive result come back.\n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. For such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nWhat you're describing are all neuroses that could indicate some deeper psychiatric condition. Whether a person has a mental health condition or not, thinking of ourselves as weak victims is never helpful in any context, yet it's something we all feel from time to time.\nI'm a disability support worker, so when someone tells me they've got a self diagnosed condition, it's not offensive to me or any disabled person I know, it doesn't come across like they're invalidating anyone else's condition. However I do think everyone should talk to a doctor about any condition they feel they might have.", ">\n\nPiggybacking off of this: You’ve spent your whole entire life inside your own brain. A therapist will spend a period of hours with you and give you a diagnosis. Who do you think knows your personal reality better than yourself?", ">\n\nYeah exactly, especially with conditions such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, PTSD, and many other psychiatric conditions. These are things people know they have even before they get a diagnosis. The diagnosis stage is more about treatment and management.\nPeople might be unaware of how severe or mild their condition is, some people think they have only mild PTSD despite constant nightmares and suicidal ideation. Some people will think they have severe ADHD because they can't concentrate for long times on things that don't interest them. It's good to get some perspective from experts but ultimately people know when they are struggling to focus or to struggling to stop stressing all the time or struggling to not be miserable. Struggling with our thoughts and feelings is evidence enough to self diagnose.", ">\n\nI was recently diagnosed with ADHD as a woman so I find this viewpoint interesting.\nFirstly, autism is not a mental illness. An autistic person may have mental illness in conjunction with autism, but autism alone lies under the neurodivergent umbrella. Neurodivergency can include autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and other similar conditions.\nWhy women are often underdiagnosed\nThese are serious disabilities that can really impede a person's life, especially if they struggle to find help and acceptance in their community. A lot of women start their journey towards diagnosis later in life due to a number of factors such as:\n\nPoor diagnostic tools and inexperienced professionals\nA misunderstanding that autism and ADHD are more common in boys\nAdvanced masking techniques to cover their 'traits'\n\nWhy women are often diagnosed later in life.\nThe process for many women and men who are diagnosed later in life often includes a level of burnout or breakdown. After a while everything becomes too much, the mask begins to slip and your traits go into overdrive.\nWhy does self-diagnosing seem to be on the rise?\nA common way of finding out you could possibly be neurodivergent is through media and people who are aware of these traits appear.\nIn the past few years, I have seen an increasing awareness of neurodivergence in women pop up in the media. This is useful for people like myself who had no idea wtf was wrong with them for a very long time. For me, a GP actually suggested I seek a diagnosis due to some struggles I was going through.\nAs someone who went through this process self-diagnosing is commonly the first step as an adult. You might be directed to a questionnaire and are asked to evaluate yourself and your experiences thinking back to your childhood. If there's some merit in your experiences than you move to the next step which involves seeking a professional. Waitlists are often months to years long so many people live in limbo for a long time.\nMethods of living with ADHD can help everyone. And everyone experiences ADHD traits from time to time. Given a large amount of stress we have all suffered collectively, I don't doubt there are a lot of people with increased mental health issues that mirror neurodivergent traits. Some mental illnesses can get very severe and alter your brain chemistry and behaviour.\nMy takeaway from this is that the mental health systems set up to assist these people are a much larger issue and cause for serious concern than self-diagnosing.\nApologies for the spelling and grammar errors. Grammarly and Reddit don't play nice.", ">\n\nI think it's two things. One, people have identity crises, especially teenagers. We all know that type of person who tries on identities like hats. That's pretty embarrassing. You usually grow out of that.\nTwo, from personal experience, giving yourself a label or a diagnosis makes it feel more contained and easy to communicate. It's easier to tell someone that you have X and have them understand what you're going through rather than telling them you have these vague symptoms resembling what you imagine X is like. In that respect, it is pretty understandable, possibly good, and not embarrassing. There's something that is sort of reassuring if you can finally get a word to put on what you're experiencing.\nPeople often sympathize with the diagnosis but not with the symptoms. Tell people at work you're autistic and they will sympathize with you and possibly not attack you. Tell them you do not understand social cues and they will probably just make fun of you.", ">\n\nI understand the desire to put a label with a disease, and this is not necessarily bad, but the diagnosis needs to be correct. If you want to tell others that you are autistic or depressed; you must actually be those things. A person can almost never correctly assertion their disease, only their symptoms. People might better understand you if you say your autistic, but you may incorrectly understand and describe yourself. If one wishes to put a name with symptoms, they should find a doctor to pick the label", ">\n\nfor sure but unfortunately our medical system is a joke and even if you are experiencing very severe symptoms it can be nearly impossible to see a professional or take months on a waiting list.\nEven then a professional may be reluctant to slap a label on you for fear of what the consequences of that might be. I saw someone for a very long time who resisted any sort of actual diagnosis because the truth is that what I was experiencing didn't fit neatly into any of the boxes and pretty much belonged in this vague \"other\" category which isn't particularly helpful. Not to mention that misdiagnosis happens all the time even by professionals. \nI just think it is sort of understandable because I think a lot of stuff is kind of a spectrum anyway and just different levels of severity. Things can be really confusing and hard to nail down and thus communicate in a way that causes someone else to be understanding rather than judgemental.", ">\n\nAre you under the impression this is a new phenomenon? Because it's definitely not.\nPeople - especially young people! - crave identity. The world is a confusing place, knowing who you are makes it a little easier. Sometimes it's self-diagnosing mental illness or learning disabilities, or exploring sexual identity, or cliques, or subcultures. There's nothing embarrassing about it, it just is what it is.", ">\n\nIt’s ok to want to express individuality but not to the extent of totally destroying the definition of a real thing and making it hard for actual mentally Ill ppl to get a diagnosis. Why can’t people just accept that they’re different rather then giving themselves a label?", ">\n\npeople on TikTok claiming to have disorders that they don't doesn't affect the precision of psychiatrists diagnosing actual patients. There's no TikTok-said section in the DSM. Why do you think that it does?", ">\n\nIt just encourages more people to get diagnosed possibly skewing the meaning of the mental illness", ">\n\nSkewing it towards statistical accuracy? If people are actually diagnosed at higher rates, we have a better Guage of population-level mental illness, neurodivergency, etc. Better data is more usable, so that research actually means something actionable, ASIDE from the identity boost for young people.", ">\n\nI think what OP is driving at, but utterly failing to explain, is that they think that the fakers will be accommodated by the psychiatric system and diagnosed on the basis of fake symptoms. my sense is that isn't a problem but I don't have data.", ">\n\nDefinitely explained it a little better then I could lol", ">\n\nWhere do you see evidence of that? Any articles about fakers? How about a statistic? If not, it’s just a fear you seem to have.", ">\n\nI think the salient line here is this one:\n\nNeurologists were able to quickly determine that the subjects were not \nsuffering from Tourette's, but psychogenic tics driven by anxiety.", ">\n\nWomen are not born with less autism, but are much less likely to be diagnosed as children than boys. This is partly because boys generally have similar symptoms and behaviors. \nSo of course more women are self diagnosing autism, since their diagnoses were missed as children on a much higher rate.", ">\n\nAlright, I'm diagnosed OCD, PTSD, chronic depression. Diagnosed by a professional so I think I have some grounds to talk about this.\nFirst, let's tackle your women comment about autism. You see, I understand where you're coming from, but you lack the nuance of recognizing that mental illness, and illness in general, is heavily under-diagnosed in women. The medical culture is heavily favored towards men and is rampant with mysogyny, and that's not just me saying it as I've had medical professionals blatantly tell me it's a problem in the field when questioned about it. I've also had some tell me that it's just because women whine a lot, so yanno make of that statement what you will.\nNow that we've covered that let me address the self-diagnosing issue. So, do you want to know what my therapist thinks of self-diagnosing? Well, when I asked them about it they said that self-diagnosing is an important first step to seeking help. Psychiatrist said the same thing. It's normal, expected even, for people to self-diagnose their issues then seek help for them. You can't exactly just peer into someone's brain, no, that person has to tell you what they think is wrong and why they think it is. \nWhat you actually have a problem with is not self-diagnosis, but with people not seeking or not being able to get medical assistance and assuming they're right. You have a problem with people using these issues for attention, which I do too, but once again self-diagnosing is not the problem. Finally, you have a problem with the medical system that forces people into the position of trying to figure out their mental illnesses, but having no ability to get help for them.", ">\n\nI think I did it", ">\n\nSadly no lol, it was not done properly. Do you need a link to the rules?", ">\n\nI already read them i think I’ll figure it out in a bit sorry for the hold up", ">\n\nBecause everyone else is being aggressive: you have to comment with ∆ or !delta and then explain how your view has been changed", ">\n\nThis delta has been rejected. You can't award OP a delta.\nAllowing this would wrongly suggest that you can post here with the aim of convincing others.\nIf you were explaining when/how to award a delta, please use a reddit quote for the symbol next time.\n^Delta System Explained ^| ^Deltaboards", ">\n\nWhat gives you the authority or knowledge to know this is the problem?", ">\n\nYou don’t think it’s a problem that a lot of young ppl are willing to go to the extent of saying they are mentally Ill either for attention or to excuse their weirdness? Just accept that your different. It’s not wrong to believe you’re different without a label", ">\n\nYou did not even try to answer my question.", ">\n\nI’m sorry I was confused on what you meant", ">\n\nIf you are mad at people for self diagnosing themselves because they don't have the knowledge or authority to do so.... what gives you the knowledge or authority to diagnosis this as the problem behavior... basically are you just a kid that is annoyed, or is there some actual studies out there that is claiming this is a problem.", ">\n\nIf you don’t think that people consistently seeking attention for mental illness or craving a label so badly to justify themselves rather then being themselves. That just shows what your views are", ">\n\nDont you think we should leave the diagnosing to the professionals?", ">\n\nI mean yeah", ">\n\nWould you agree that you are diagnosing these people by saying that they are only seeking attention and do not have a real mental illness?", ">\n\nI’m assuming", ">\n\nThere may be some truth to people wanting to be different, however with mental illnesses being more accepted in today's society, many people are a lot more comfortable with being neurodivergent. Additionally, self diagnosis is common because the alternative is spending upwards to $1000-$2000 for a clinical diagnosis.", ">\n\nI know costs suck, but self diagnosis can be much more harmful. A web.md page that tells you your depressed when you may actually be bipolar can lead to really messed up results. I would even go as far as to say that no diagnosis at all is preferable to an uninformed one", ">\n\nWell.\n​\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad \n\nSo you already know why they're doing what they're doing in addition the fact that you know that they're not Autistic? If your claim is that they can't know and only a doctor can, what makes you more qualified? You start out your argument admitting that you have a bias.\n\nthey’re “neurodivergent.\n\nNeurodivergent is an umbrella that covers both Autism and ADHD, which sometimes get mistaken for each other. So if you're upset that they're self-diagnosing, this term should be more welcome than \"Autistic\" because it's more generalized.\n\nnd when you ask them how they know they’ll say “oh I have this weird tick when I uh laugh when someone says something funny “ or “I have a hyper fixation on this topic so I must be autistic\n\nHow else should they communicate it to you? The list of aspects of Autism, especially for how it presents in women, sounds a lot like this. You're not a doctor, they don't have to prove anything to you by going down the entire list of every possible part of their daily experience that might be on the spectrum.\n\nWomen statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nNope. Women are diagnosed less often than men because the original diagnostic criteria for Autism was for Autism as it presents in males. It presents differently for females and is harder to diagnose, especially at younger ages. \n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized\n\nTodays youth want to be victimized? Why would anyone want to be victimized? Something tells me you're missing the mark with this terminology.\n\nor have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. \n\nSo if someone is Autistic and that makes them weird, you'd rather them just be forced to not get to have a name for it, and get the therapeutic treatment that would help them?\n\nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really [are] without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nSome people are autistic. If they find out and it makes them feel good, that doesn't mean they're craving attention. And if they are craving attention, it's because they're normal people and everyone does. \nIf someone thinks they're autistic but it turns out they're actually not, chances are they suspected it for a reason. They might have ADHD, a personality disorder, a mental health issue, or simply a slightly different way of experiencing the world that feels unique to them and there's nothing wrong with that. \nYou seem to think that other people do things for you. People generally don't. They do things for themselves. This is especially true of people on the Autism Spectrum who may not be able to easily use other people's experiences to reference when constructing their view of the world, and can only use their own. Your interpretation wherein they do it to evoke a response from you says more about you than it does about them.", ">\n\nYou’re being deliberately obtuse. OP is completely correct. Most of the people these days who say “I’m ADHD” or “I’m autistic” or “I’m neurodivergent” are absolutely not diagnosed as such and are doing it to seem unique or get attention or as some excuse for why they did x y or z.", ">\n\nI'd like to point out that while some are perhaps attention seeking, many people self diagnose simply because they don't have access to free medical/psychological professionals to get proper diagnosis and help with their issues. I also know someone who doesn't want to get an official diagnosis because he's afrad it will affect his insurance rates or somehow come back to bite him if he's offically labeled with having a neurological disorder. \nThere is a wealth of knowledge on these subjects available online for those interested. And if they are truly interested in self diagnose they can likely do that accurately enough for all intents and purposes. Most of these people who search for the sake of better understanding themselves or their loved ones will openly admit that it's a self diagnoses, or say they THINK they have x,y, or z. But in some situations it's just as well to say they have it if they feel certain anyway, and it's just a passing comment, and not a discussion on the matter. \nIn other words, just because they self diagnose doesn't mean they're wrong, nor does it explain their motives. I also don't see how attention seeking (for those who ARE doing that) is really hurting anyone else. Fakers gonna be fake, that's more a \"them\" kind of problem. ANNOYING, but mostly harmless.", ">\n\nUnless you have a doctor's diagnosis you don't have the disorder. Even if you are broke there are programs to help with costs. \nAnd yes it does affect me when someone is treating me like shit and tries using the I have such and such as an excuse and then people get mad at ME for calling them in their bullshit.", ">\n\nNo. You have to have the disorder before you CAN be diagnosed, so obviously there are undiagnosed people who in fact \"have the disorder \". Your refusal to acknowledge an undiagnosed disorder does not mean they don't have it. Your personal experience with people supposedly using a fake diagnosis to treat you badly, sounds unusual. How do you know they DIDN'T have it? People who do lie and just want to be jerks will do that regardless of what methods they decide to try. The methods are irrelevant. And that motive is not typical of most self diagnosers .", ">\n\nSounds unusual? You must not get out a lot because it's become a pretty regular thing. Every single person I know (about 8) that have self diagnosed themselves as neurodivergent or with a mental illness like Bi-polar all use it to excuse their shitty ass behaviors. \nToo many disorders can mirror other ones. Just because they think they have 2/3 symptoms doesn't make them right by a long shot. Keep living in your bubble.", ">\n\nYou don't have to have a relationship with anyone. If they treat you badly, regardless of an official diagnosis or not, you don't have to tolerate them. It makes no difference what they have or don't have. What would it change if they got diagnosed and actually have it?", ">\n\nSelf diagnosing has been a thing forever\nAnd it's not a problem im 99% sure me or any other autistic person doesn't really give 2 fucks about people who wanna fake disorders. It doesn't stop us from getting help, we have doctors notes, medical files, sometimes even volunteers, you need those files to get into let's say a special education class, or a life skills course.\nSo unless you were diagnosed by a professional you're probably not gonna make it far faking it.\n(Excuse my shitty punctuation)", ">\n\nIt doesn’t bother you that they’re making others take the actual meaning away from what you were born with? I mean I’m sure autism hasn’t made your life easy and seeing ppl claim it for attention to be quirky probably has to annoy you a little right?", ">\n\nAt the end of the day I still have ADHD and I still need help with it. More people being diagnosed with it doesn’t change that fact. In fact I was diagnosed because I realized I related to so many tiktok memes, and I’m sure others are in my same boat. \nIn fact I think so many people talking about ADHD helps. It means more people who possibly have tips for me, people who are suffering who can’t afford treatment have an easy way to learn about how to improve their lives, and more people who are aware of my disorder.", ">\n\nI think people do diagnose themselves too often without seeking professional help. BUT mental illness is not the same as being neurodivergent.", ">\n\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad that they’ll go as far to say they’re “neurodivergent.”\n\nWhile this is the case, I don't really see how it's a \"problem\" per se. I guarantee that these people still make lifestyle decisions based on what they think is best, or based on what they want to do.\n\nbut it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women\n\nDo you have any statistics for that? I haven't experienced it that way in my own anecdotal experience, and I'd be curious to look into the data to see how much that truly does skew in that direction.\n\nwanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness \nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nI understand what you're trying to say here, but I don't really think these things are connected as much as you think they are. People see something wrong with themselves, so they either playfully or seriously consider the fact that it could be a condition that they have similar symptoms to. Not that it never happens, but just because someone categorizes themselves into a disability group that could potentially excuse their \"quirks\", doesn't mean they think that behavior is unacceptable in any way. People see a problem, and assume it's linked to this other issue that seems similar that they already know about.", ">\n\nI agree with the conclusion that self-diagnosis is a real issue, and I wouldn't be surprised if the data indicated it was on the rise. I wouldn't necessarily frame it as a simple desire to \"be victimized\" however. While it is purely speculation, I do believe there are a number of conditions which might lead towards a more frequent experience of symptoms associated with mental illness - a rising wealth gap, perpetual anxiety from a 24-hour news cycle, intensification of self-commodification, the student debt crisis in certain countries like the US, and so on. So people are experiencing symptoms like low energy, mood swings, etc. that can be associated with mental illness. The issue with self-diagnosis then becomes that it may correctly identify the symptom, but incorrectly identify the cause.\nThis video from the YouTuber HealthyGamerGG does a good job of explaining what some of the issues with self-diagnosis are, and for me it was a good starting place for thinking about this more. \nEDIT: I forgot this video literally starts with this same topic being brought up on this same subreddit lol", ">\n\nA great theory based on reasonable causes with an educational video from a psychologist(I assume) as evidence to back it up. I applaud you sir. 👏", ">\n\nWhy are you embarrassed by other people's issues?", ">\n\nI’m a 30yo male. If I had not first self diagnosed with ASD and OCD, I never would have found the language and resources to get a formal diagnosis and help.\nPrior generations have been so fixated on avoidance of diagnosing mental disorders, and research was previously so lacking that we are only just now (through those that do get diagnosed) realizing how common mental disorders are. That plus the lack of mental health resources for neurotypical and neurodivergent I think is how we end up in this situation of many recognizing their symptoms in the new discourse, but lacking the resources to overcome the barriers to proper diagnosis and treatment.", ">\n\nIt’s not the best thing, no. \nAs an adult FINALLY diagnosed (by a licensed therapist) at 41, I can tell you why ‘self diagnosis’ is so tempting. \nIn the US at least- mental health, and official medical diagnosis are almost completely inaccessible, especially as an adult. Most of us grew up before Autism was a spectrum, and ADHD was just boys who acted out in class. We felt like aliens. We couldn’t understand why we didn’t have many friends, or why we didn’t like the ‘right things’, and generally spend the bill of our lives feeling ‘wrong’, ‘broken’ or just simply like we didn’t belong. \nFinally understanding the WHY, and even better, finding tools to addresses our issues is a huge huge weight off the chest. The relief of having a name and a strategy- either therapy or medicine is such an amazing relief!!", ">\n\nI only kinda agree if I had not done my own research I would have never found out I have sjorgens syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis I know TikTok people tend to diagnose themselves and it makes it look cringe but when you live with a incurable illness sometimes you have to work to find a diagnosis", ">\n\nWell, what do you do of you absolutely know you're neurodivergent, but your parents decided not to get you checked? My mom once told me \"we knew you had something, we just didn't get you checked because they would have just put you on pills\". So I struggled with being different, socially unaware, impulsive, obnoxious, agressive, selfish, for the better part of my life without having the self awareness to understand why I was these things, and why people wouldn't want to be around me. \nIn my late 20''s I asked the question, what if I'm actually autistic? I looked up the symptoms, and 9/10 matched. As a child I couldn't handle loud noises, restrictive clothing, I didn't talk until I was 3. I would throw fits for seemingly no reason, I had obsessive interests. I've always really struggled with eye contact, and I never cared for conversation unless it was something I liked. I mean, when the final piece of a puzzle fits so incredibly well, it's really hard for it to be wrong. \nSelf diagnosing actually really helped me grow as aj individual. I became aware of all my divergent behaviors, and why it might be annoying for someone else to deal with. I came to the realization that I was the one who was different, therefore I needed to change. It's way harder to make everyone around you cater to your needs than to overcome the things that upset you. I'm at peace, I have good friends that I can connect with on a pretty deep level. I no longer smash coffee tables when I lose, I can now appreciate that if I lose it just means I have more to learn. I can keep my house clean, I can reasonably hold myself accountable. What exactly is the harm in all that?\nBesides, it would be pretty pointless for me to try and get a diagnosis now, I've put the effort in and largely come out the other side. Anyone diagnosing me would just say I was normal, but they wouldn't have the intimate knowledge of me that I do. I guess it doesn't matter if people don't believe me, I don't go around shouting that I'm autistic. I will say, it would be really nice if people appreciated the effort I put in to get to get to a place of normalcy, something others take for granted, but it's okay, we all have our struggles.", ">\n\nI feel you on all that. To play devil's advocate, mental healthcare in the U.S. is not cheap. Many people go to the internet and confirm their bias about their current health", ">\n\nI feel you on that too OP. I agree 100% with your entire statement.", ">\n\nIt's a problem, but not a new one. In the 1990s there was briefly a surge of people with a type of delusional parasitosis, that is, the false belief that they were infested with parasites. Except this one was supposedly an infestation with tiny fibres. They would come to doctors with a whole list of symptoms to back up their incorrect self-diagnosis.\nTo a certain extent, these are social contagions, which come and go, and often actually end up leading to people having real problems. Like, the young women you mention, a couple of decades ago may well have ended up with anorexia, or self-cutting. These days it might be a self-declaration of autism or a belief that they have gender dysphoria or that they have multiple systems living in their minds.", ">\n\nWow I did not know that. Maybe it’s just so prevalent today due to social media. Social media has only made these things worse imo", ">\n\nEven before it being self diagnosis of a mental illness it was always something. Remember all the emo and goth teenager?", ">\n\nIt depends on the context. For example, if they've done a substantial amount of research, can name a good amount of symptoms they have and reasons they have whatever mental illness and don't have access to the necessary tools to get a medical diagnosis, it's totally different. Some people don't have the money to go out and get a diagnosis, or sometimes it would be better to not get a medical diagnosis. I believe that the reason that a lot of people self diagnose themselves with things like Autism is because they want an explanation as to why they are different, and they could be right or wrong. I think the most important part is that if you go to a psychologist (or even two, I know a lot of people prefer getting second opinions) and they say you don't have it, that you need to admit you were wrong. It's ok to be wrong about your mental health, and the key is to keep looking and to not give up. I can completely understand the frustration in people completely missing how difficult it actually may be to have a mental illness. I was clinically diagnosed with Depression, Anxiety, and PTSD when I was seven, and I've had some experience with people faking mental disorders for attention, and more often then not, they have another mental disorder that needs attention. Recently I had a (now ex) boyfriend insist he had PTSD after being tested twice and the psychiatrist saying that he didn't have it. What he does have is Depression and Anxiety, but he absolutely insisted he has PTSD despite never exhibiting symptoms and the only evidence being a test he took online that was supposedly a \"real PTSD test.\" People faking mental illnesses only harms people who really have them, as these people tend to exaggerate symptoms and use their self diagnosis for attention. I believe that I am autistic, but I don't list it as a diagnosis because while I have read articles and taken the RAADS-r test, I don't have an official diagnosis, and I could very well be wrong. As for women faking illnesses more often, something I've noticed is that things like Autism, ADHD, ADD, etc are more often diagnosed in boys rather than girls- mostly because when they were first discovered, most of the research was done in boys. Autism shows up differently in girls, and can often be blown off as early puberty hormones. If their hyperfixations are those of stereotypical feminine things, it's just a girl liking whatever, and if they hyperfixate in stereotypical masculine interests, they tend to just be viewed as weird, but not autistic. It's normal for people to question, but I agree that to a certain point, self diagnosis can be harmful, but only if not done correctly.", ">\n\nFirst and foremost not a new problem at all, very common, we used to call it \"Being a hypochondriac\" until it aparrently became reconized which in it self is confusing and a bit contradictory.\nANYWAY\nIt isnt really a problem, no doctor is gonna write the perscription for medication without a diagnosis of some sort.\nAt most there is the vauge \"But what about those who actually have it who arent taken serious\" dont worry, we wouldnt have anyway. Thats kinda how invisible illnesses work.\nOverall the 101 hypochondriacs screaming about the symptoms they read in the ICD might help make the knowledge more common and help people better reconize if their colleagues or friends happen to show symptoms of something.", ">\n\nIt’s pretty expensive in the US to get diagnosed. Personally, I’ve self diagnosed myself out of frustration of the way I process things. I’ve always felt slow & my anxiety/depression was deep because of it, but I was raised in a family that doesn’t believe in mental illness. It was always “if you work hard enough, all your problems will go away”. Meanwhile, i was racking my brain on how to make myself think faster/smarter & it would result in psychotic episodes. I’ve gotten fired from jobs, dropped out of school. I started self harming because I hated myself and my brain & almost commit suicide bc I had no idea what was going on.\nThe relief I felt once I finally got a therapist who validated me & was the first to talk to me about mental Illness. It blew my mind and all of a sudden things actually made sense to me. I currently think I have ADD, and sometimes I’ll tell people that but will preface it by saying I’m not professionally diagnosed. Still, I use mental tools that help me get through the day and build my confidence. I’m a lot better at processing conversations, making lists that help me remember things, unmasking, slowing down my thoughts… etc. I’m less frustrated and can see the beauty in how I process things. I still want to get diagnosed but I have to get health insurance….. lol", ">\n\nSelf diagnosis, regardless of being factual is a process where the individual realizes that they might have a mental health issue. People who can do this are more likely to seek professional help compared to the people who think they are “fine”. Going to a professional, licensed psychologist or a psychiatrist will eventually diagnose them with the correct disorder from there, and professionals have the skills to communicate with them and they can together evaluate if the person’s complaint is the issue or not. There is nothing embarrassing about discovering one’s self. It would be a problem if people would identify with an issue and don’t have any willingness to seek help. Sometimes overreacting is better than not reacting.", ">\n\nThe majority of people who are self-diagnosed with autism have done extensive research into it to come to that conclusion. I personally went through the DSM criteria with a fine-tooth comb, made a list of all the ways I met it and discovered that there’s not a single criteria i don’t meet for autism. I didn’t read about anything else but autism for weeks, approaching it from all angles before coming to the conclusion that it’s highly unlikely I am not autistic. I’m waiting to hear back about an assessment, but I’m not waiting to go and be told something I already know before I start advocating for myself. \nOh, and I absolutely did not want to be ‘different’, in fact my life mission to just blend in and be average is the root cause of most of my problems, but here we are.", ">\n\nThis self diagnosing young people do isn’t the problem. The problem is that our society encourages it.\nOur culture is not set up to accommodate a wide spectrum of human needs. You may need things that I don’t. I may need things that you don’t. But in most business settings, academic settings, or even places like restaurants or leisure places, the world isn’t built to accommodate everyone. Our world and society is a “one size fits all” approach, and most people don’t fit snugly inside of that system. \nIf you can classify what is “wrong” or “different” about you into an easily digestible form, people are generally more able and more willing to accommodate you.\nFor example: if I tell my coworkers that I need to leave work early because of a headache, I’ll be shamed for it. And in some cases I’ll be told that “headaches aren’t that bad!” Or “You don’t need to leave.” Or “I have a headache too, just deal with it!”\nBut if I tell my workers that I need to leave due to a painful neurological condition that’s flaring up (I have chronic migraine, which is a neurological condition), they will respect it 100% of the time. It’s met with sympathy and not criticism.\nThis happens for all sorts of things. “Sorry Im late, I slept in.” Sounds a lot worse then, “sorry I’m late, my insomnia has been terrible lately.” \nOur culture forces us to use these labels even when they’re untrue just to receive sympathy or acceptance. The problem isn’t people who decide to use these labels, the root problem is that our society refuses to embrace and accommodate people who are outside of the “norm.”", ">\n\nSpeaking as someone who's had an autism diagnosis since age 7: if someone declares they're autistic when they're not, that's obnoxious at worst. If someone is told they're not autistic when they are, that can cause lifelong harm from denied care and understanding. I have seen this happen to a close friend of mine.\nTherefore, I'd much rather err on the side of acceptance. If you think you're defending me and others like me from impersonators, we'd rather not have your help.\n\nI know people will disagree but it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women. Women statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nCase in point: women are diagnosed with autism far less than men. Recent studies have pointed to decades of systematic misdiagnosis. The more visible autistic symptoms sometimes manifest differently in girls, the way they're socialized may help them hide it from a young age, and of course lots of doctors just say \"your daughter can't be autistic, that's a boy thing.\"\nWe're learning that there are hundreds of thousands of autistic women who slipped through the cracks and were denied the recognition and support they needed because of dismissive, gatekeeping attitudes just like yours.", ">\n\nThere’s a difference between having a disorder and relating to a disorder. If the tools or language associated with a disorder helps someone live better though then cool, it’s all still odd. Also autism presents differently in woman, and a majority of our research on it is on men. Best practice is probably to support them and encourage them to seek treatment.", ">\n\nAutism is severely misdiagnosed in women. Completely under diagnosed. Actually, plenty of things are. The actual problem that we have is parents refusing to let their children get professional help or a diagnosis. Most doctors will diagnose you with BPD as a woman(aka the new female hysteria of our century), maybe put you on some anti psychotics and send you your way. In most countries, a diagnosis/specialist is not readily available, or there is a long waiting list. Even so, the doctors are not know it all. I have seen plenty of doctors, I got different diagnosis almost each time. They ask you some general questions (about your mood, the way you sleep, if you can concentrate, if you harm yourself, if you have suicidal ideation, if you can socialize properly, if your parents were diagnosed with anything, if you have hallucinations or delusions, the works) and then based on that, they will give you a diagnosis. If you use your common sense and information on the internet (given you are knowledgeable on the subject), you can take a good guess on what's wrong. Obviously, some people will exaggerate like with anything (seeing the shadow dude once in your childhood is not a sign of psychosis, neither is hearing your name called when you are alone once in a blue moon), but if you have visual and auditory hallucinations, perhaps weird tactile feelings/hallucinations (spiders are crawling on me, etc), delusions, tend to be forgetful and out of teach with reality, there is a good chance you do have psychosis.", ">\n\nOkay, to start: what do you think autism and ADHD are? They aren't mental illnesses nor are they mental health conditions. \nTo address some of your other points; \nStudies have shown that autism has a gender expression of 1:1. The only reason that women are under diagnosed is because of misunderstandings towards autism, then the diagnosis is conducted incorrectly. Thus it ends up getting conflated with mental illness, E.G BPD, and is diagnosed as a psychiatric disorder instead. This is a detriment to the patient as the care regimes are black and white different. Often times this severely damages the woman.\nFrom data sets that I recall reading, malingering hasn't risen much, if at all, in recent times. I remember it being around 8% of the global population who are engaging in this behaviour, to different extents. I think what's happened is that social media has turned a torch onto it and it's risen in popularity in an algorithmic way. You see it more because it's pushed by the algorithm more because people are searching for it more. It isn't actually occurring any more or less than historically. Most of that attention is negative attention, I should add. \nSo there's two things to take away from that.\n1) The actual act of pretending to be mentally ill, or to have a disability, which is called malingering, is in fact a form of mental unwellness itself. It's a cry for help. The people who do these things are usually very unstable and should be treated with a degree of empathy. The dangerous types who are using mental illness to scam others, or to manipulate them, make up a very small percentage of the overall amount of people in that group and tend to abuse one on one. \n2) The predominant response to this is generally negative. There isn't really any reason to publicly malinger unless you're unstable, this is because a rational person would likely know this, and know the damage it would cause themselves. Self-diagnosis is a very long, and self-aware, process that takes place over years of the individuals life, and proceeds official diagnosis. \nNo one SDs and says \"Okay that's it now! Let me start a TikTok!\" You'd still want support, and you'd still seek support. So that would end up with a doctor, who would see that you're lying, and treat you for whatever was prompting you to malinger. Anyone who has made this commitment knows that keeping it private is a sensible thing to do in a world that isn't inclusive, and often very stigmatising. Sometimes official diagnosis can take YEARS. \nThis kind of propaganda has been going around for a long time in an effort to discredit disabled people and people with mental illnesses. It's not new. People said the same things back in the 90s. People will always be afraid, and dismissive, of things they do not understand. I invite you to try and understand.", ">\n\nI self-diagnosed myself with endometriosis for 10 years before a doctor finally listened to me, opened me up, and found my insides littered with lesions all over my organs. I’m now not able to get pregnant and I might need to get part of my bowel taken out someday. This could’ve been avoided if someone had just listened to me when I was 16. \nSelf-diagnosing is a necessity in a misogynist world! No one takes us seriously! Especially medical professionals. \nThe best antidote for this is to listen to women who self-diagnose. Why do they think they have XYZ? Is it heavily interfering with their life? I think that’s a much larger problem.", ">\n\nIts been proven that there is a bias to diagnose as opposed to not diagnose a mental illness in psychology. So op is actually kinda correct. The definition of a mental illness is in effect being stretched so far that people who are just kinda weird are being diagnosed with \"on the spectrum\". This is actually causing a problem in early learning because parents start treating their kids as essentially learning challenged when they're really not. So it is starting to become an excuse ...", ">\n\nWe live in a society that loves to medicate people. I know it’s different but Did ppl forget about the opioid epidemic? They’ll diagnose your ass with anything if they can", ">\n\nYa I tend to agree. And no one is really saying so I will I guess, but id wager that 50% of psychologist \"professionals\" are totally full of shit. The actual number of psychologists that are are doing real research and clinical studies is EXTREMELY small compared to how many \"psychologists\" are out there. Just like chiropractors, half of them are hacks..", ">\n\nAnd ill say one more thing, though it is anecdotal, but i have direct family that works in special education for young children, and that system is fucked with a capital F. Thay are constantly fighting against parents and programs who try to box kids in the \"autistic\" zone, when they are just really quite or shy, or have pee problems. But parents want an excuse and reason for their behavior, and reduce them to a sub standard education and treatment for the rest of their lives. It's heart breaking. Especially in public schools.", ">\n\nI’m 32 years old. \nI didn’t self diagnose for attention although I remember the days of tumblr where everyone self diagnosed for clout.\nIt took me a decade to realize what is really happening. During the decade before I realized what may have been happening I was told the following:\nI’m rude\nI’m bossy\nI have a RBF/I look mad\nI also only managed to make my first real friend at age 27.\nWhat I was really displaying was:\nBeing overly blunt and just trying to get my point across came off rude when I didn’t intend it to be that way\nTrying to have things done at a certain time and way that no one else thought was important to follow\nUnmasking\nNoticed other things too that I just thought was me being weird:\nVocal stimming\nOral stimming-chewing, smoking, vaping\nRepetitive motions\nRocking\nEasily overwhelmed by too much sensory input\nHigh startle reflex \nInability to regulate my body’s needs-I don’t know I’m hungry until I’m ravenous; don’t recognize the need to use the bathroom until it’s causing me to rush off, don’t realize I’m cold until I’m shaking\nI could go on.\nI want an assessment so bad. But assessments for adults are EXTREMELY hard to setup, if you can even set them up at all. Some states don’t even offer them. I’ve been looking but they are only for children and seem to look for severe cases.\n14 years of thinking I was just a bitch who couldn’t make friends because I was too weird…turns out it might be autism. And turns out I’ll most likely never get a true diagnosis. But the RAADS test gave me a 127 score so that might be the closest I’ll ever get.", ">\n\ni kind of self diagnosed autism? i’ve been to many psychiatrists and therapists for years and they always see adhd in the half an hour and prescribe meds for that, which makes me not go there again. if they dug a little deeper they could have seen autism, i spoke to my current psychiatrist about if its possible i have it, she didn’t want to confirm or deny as i was moving out of state from friends and family and am at an age where i can have kids in the next 10 years since she doesn’t want me being concerned for them. \nI think there’s still lots of stigma around autism even with professionals and especially when identifying it in women. \nI don’t want to be autistic, but i can recognise a lot of different patterns comparing myself and others. I’ve researched it a ton especially in how it shows in women compared to men and in all the articles i found myself relating.\nNow i don’t say im autistic, i say im a little sus of being it tho lmao. and try pass it off casually. I find it’s a lot easier for me to understand and embrace my differences compared to trying to hide it and try be like everyone else or wonder why im not like everyone else. \nBeing older i can also recognise how a lot of my family on one side have suffered mentally and because of obvious neurodivergence. so im pretty sure, like the rest of my mentally challenged brain, has been inherited genetically through that side. \nAll that being said. I self diagnosed when i was about 12 that im highly likely to be depressed and anxious in attempt to get my mom to believe me i needed help, and now 8 years later i can identify that this has been an issue forever for me and that i likely cannot go off my meds because i will just go back to how i used to be. Im still ocd with all my meds, but its better than being anxious and depressed all the time, Having ocd throughout the day is like heaven to me in comparison to how i used to be. obviously the ocd isnt new, just a lot more heard in my brain now.", ">\n\nOk, I know some people self diagnoze themselves with [insert some mental illness here] out of attention or whatever, and that's totally not ok.\nHowever, if you read all the symptoms and do proper research on a mental illness and everything clicks in to you, I'd say you can be fairly confident on a self diagnosis (although, it might be worth it to double check with a professional, especially if you want any sort of treatment). But also for some people, it might not be affordable to go to a professional...", ">\n\nI live in Canada, I've engaged with the medical system, doctors don't care and just want you out, ERs are a 8 hour wait for someone to ignore one thing and won't even entertain other issues even if they are related. Self-diagnosis is really the only way to get any kind of proper treatment at all. \nThe doctors will rubber stamp just about anything you ask for except pain killers but in terms of diagnosis you're way better off doing it yourself, sure you don't have 8 years of medical school but the doctors won't give you 5 mins of their time, they are not better than google and you give a lot more of a shit than they will and at the end of the day it's your body.", ">\n\nBack in the 90s when I was a teenager, the kids/teenagers/young adults who wanted attention, and wanted to be different, adopted the goth lifestyle. Dressing up in all black. White foundation with black lipstick and eyeshadow. It was the trendy way to be different, to be viewed as outcasts of society. To not fit in. \nThe goth lifestyle of the 2020s is self diagnosis. Same shit, different day.\nWhenever someone claims autism, or somewhere on the spectrum, I just roll my eyes and imagine that person just sucks at life.", ">\n\nI just think it’s a little more harmful nowadays due to the prevalence of social media. Ppl get sucked into groups and mindsets before they even have a real life chance. Then they hyper fixate on that they might be mentally Ill rather then just trying to live life to the fullest", ">\n\nI 100% agree with you", ">\n\nBecause it's the age of spin this generation has something for everybody. And all of them are Google doctors. Lol", ">\n\nTook my uncle till he was 38 even thought it was apparent to everyone. Hell he got expelled from two schools", ">\n\nI get what you're saying. I frankly find it weird that more people don't find this weird. People self-diagnosing themselves as all kinds of things not only completely misrepresents the actual conditions, thereby making people even more confused as to what they actually are and how they present, but also leads people to run to a psychiatrist claiming false symptoms and getting medication for something they don't have, which is NOT a good thing. People should never be taking medication unless it is necessary. We are a heavily over-medicated society and this is a big factor in that. Caffeine to wake up in the morning, \"immuno-boosters\" and mood stabilizers during the day, sleeping pills to sleep at night. The caffeine and sleeping pills are addictive and can really mess up your circadian rhythm, and the mood stabilizers can really fuck you up if you don't need them. Instead of rushing to diagnose and medicate everyone, we need to educate them on human behavior and show them that their \"mental health\" problems are completely normal.\nOh, so you get nervous right before you make huge life decisions? That's not Anxiety Disorder, it's just anxiety.\nOh, you are really sad because your cat died? That's not Clinical Depression, you are just grieving.\nOh, you went from really happy to really sad when you were previously happy and something really shitty happened to you and soured your mood? That's not Bipolar Disorder, that's just life.\nOh, you like to be more organized than the people around you? That's not Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, you just like to be organized.\nPeople really misunderstand the nature of these conditions and it hinders our collective progress in treating them, like dramatically inflating the number of actual conditions in the population, making it increasingly more difficult to determine how common and how varied they are. After all, in most cases it is not the psychiatrist or psychologist who makes you better, you make you better. Medication can help and other people can show you the path to success, but the problem will never get solved unless you play an active role in the treatment. Some conditions can never be solved, only lessened, while others are virtually untreatable. We need to stop making these conditions seem cool. They aren't. They are serious and need to be taken seriously.", ">\n\nHeavily agree and I appreciate how well this comment is worded. Wish I coulda worded mine a little better", ">\n\nYa I saw you getting shredded in the comments and figured I'd sum it up for you. 🤣", ">\n\nLmao bro I didn’t expect this many. I was thinking maybe like 20 ppl would reply", ">\n\nYou need to self diagnose in many cases in order to get adequate help.", ">\n\nI knew when I had ADD and IBS, and I was able to get my suspicions confirmed by my respective doctors. Doctors are there to help the patients understand themselves, whereas the patients have to go home every day and live with what they actually have. Do not be so quick to judge.", ">\n\nJust to add here - Autism in women is less prevalent because it presents differently and is often not picked up by standardised diagnostic tests (that were developed on an almost exclusively male sample). I think that also goes to show that there’s p significant issues with what we consider ‘scientific’ and research based in the first place.", ">\n\nI grew up in a small town and we had quite a few autistic boys but only one autistic girl. Literally only one out of like 6-8 grades. So that’s like a 10-1 ratio. It’s gotta be a lot statistically smaller then males. I don’t doubt it happens I just know it’s a lot less", ">\n\nYou think your small town’s makeup is generalizable to all of society? That isn’t how statistics work.", ">\n\nSo my question would be - so what do we do?\nYou think people are diagnosing themselves to gain attention. Fine, but what's the next step?\nSee, I think I might be bipolar 2. But I went on a journey where I looked into the techniques for dealing with this issue. That led me to cognitive behavior therapy.\nThat actually made me more convinced that this was my issue because I have taught myself a lot of cognitive behavior therapy techniques to address the same issues. These practices have really helped me.\nIt sounds like your issue is that these people are getting attention for it. To me, these are people who need someone to help guide them. That would have helped me a lot when I was younger. Society today doesn't really give us the tools to sort this out, but just the knowledge that these things exist can push someone down the rabbit hole to learn about therapy that could really help.\nI think you should ask yourself what your motivations are. Do you really want them to understand themselves? Or are you more interested in steering the conversation toward other topics?\nPersonally, I would deal with these people by paying them forward. I would tell them to understand the practices that typically help these people, and see if they are relevant. I would tell them to seek professional help, and to refrain from diagnosing themselves, but I would encourage them to be critical of themselves and to learn more.\nImo, the way out is through.", ">\n\nI agree with you but it’s not mostly women. Maybe by happenstance that’s the case in your circle but broadly men do this too.", ">\n\nDoctor's are consulting the Mayo Clinic website after talking to a patient and getting their symptoms. I bring that up to say this; a doctor's training is needed for very serious diseases and tricky diagnoses, but a semi-intelligent person could look up their symptoms and get a lot of the more minor stuff right.", ">\n\nI've never been diagnosed as clinically depressed or anything, but that doesn't mean that I don't suffer from depression a lot of the time (these last few years, more often than not). I see a therapist. I take antidepressants. \nI have a friend who has aphantasia. It isn't really a \"diagnosable\" condition, but it describes what he has trouble with: creating images in his mind.", ">\n\nThat’s different then going online and claiming perfectly normal traits mean you’re autistic", ">\n\nNeurodivergence ≠ mental illness.", ">\n\nThey know themselves and their experiences better than you.", ">\n\nOP, I'm seeing some differences between your post and what you're saying in the comments. \nMy question is, do you have a problem with people self-diagnosing, or is your issue more about people drawing a lot of public attention to their diagnoses?", ">\n\nOverall both but definitely the attention part more so for obvious reasons. The self diagnosing part due to the fact that it can make people believe it can be an excuse for their actions good or bad. I think In a weird way it can allow people to take away the responsibility of their own actions and attribute to their mental illness", ">\n\nAs someone who has been diagnosed with ADHD, having people self diagnosing doesn't bother me at all, because I went the path of not knowing at all what I had and letting doctors figure out by themselves... and it took me 4 years and a half to finally have a concrete answer that no doctors would have found out if I didn't start searching on my own. You can't walk into every doctor's office with the assumption they'll figure out what you have, because it's not their speciality, or they still have an outdated view (not every doctor are kept up to date with new discovers), or they're biased, etc... \nI've never been annoyed by people who self diagnose. Hell, if I knew what was about to happen to me, I would have done the same way sooner.", ">\n\nMost women today arent faking it, they are noticing the symptoms no one else noticed and trying to find help. Its not easy to grow up with this kind of stuff. Is not coincidence you think women are less likely to be born to autism instead of thinking how weird it is that for some reason most autism diagnosis happen to men, that is the misogyny in the medical comunity.\nSelf diagnosis means this women will go to doctors and it most case scenarios they will get diagnoses because they have this issue all their life.\nSocial media is giving people awareness of the issue in medicine and how it affects women. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Misogyny in medicine also leads to people not knowing the difference between a heart attack in a woman and a man. It leads to women thinking its something else because internet and books will tell you how a man will feel a heart attack, even doctors sometimes dont know this.", ">\n\nGetting a diagnosis or treatment is borderline impossible for a lot of people. So self diagnosis is sometimes the only way they can help themselves.", ">\n\nNot a mental illness. But, I am a trans person and I pretty much self-diagnosed and self-medicated. I just had physicians do blood test.\nI educated myself on how everything works in about eight month period. I did that over a decade.\nI don’t regret my decision, and if I did. The regret would be not starting any sooner, especially when people who aren’t physicians or therapists are having a final say about these things.", ">\n\nIt is very noticeable and annoying, buuuut it’s proven autism manifest differently in females. Plus women are (very) often under diagnosed and dismissed for many many things by doctors, which is absolutely disgusting. Aaaand the cost of healthcare is outrageous.", ">\n\nwomen being less likely to be diagnosed with autism has nothing to do with an actual gender gap in who does and doesn’t have autism and everything to do with the fact autistic women are diagnosed with personality disorders and mental illnesses due to stigmas. most autism research was done on men and therefore women are underrepresented and more often than not misdiagnosed. autism actually occurs at a similar rate in both sexes. also, it’s not a mental illness, it’s a neurological condition (not that mental illnesses aren’t, but illness implies there’s something wrong, which there isn’t in autistic people). i agree that self diagnosing leads to misinformation and harms those who are clinically diagnosed though.", ">\n\nA lot of medical diagnoses are based on white male studies, so yes you would see more women finding out they have certain mental illnesses now as professionals are realizing it can show differently in females vs males. Adhd, for example, was considered something only seen in young boys that would grow out of it, now they are realizing that you don't in fact grow out of it and women can have it too. \nMental illness was a taboo subject back in the day as well, especially for women. It was only in 1980 I think that hysteria was no longer considered a mental illness. Women would be diagnosed with 'hysteria' and committed for symptoms like anxiety and anger. So now a lot of women are learning more about their mental health because they feel safe to do so. \nMy mother is in her early 70's and still refuses to tell anyone her own health issues or even mine, I have cancer and we were going to go on a trip as it's unknown how much longer I have and she refused to ask for the day off because she wouldn't tell them the reason why." ]

[ "The diagnosis process for a lot of psychiatric conditions are surveys and questionaires. You can go to a psychiatrist and ask if you're anxious and they'll give you multiple choice questions and diagnose off of that. Or you can just google the form yourself and self diagnose. A lot of psychiatric disorders are about how we feel and think. Not about sending off some blood sample to a lab and getting a positive result come back.\n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. For such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nWhat you're describing are all neuroses that could indicate some deeper psychiatric condition. Whether a person has a mental health condition or not, thinking of ourselves as weak victims is never helpful in any context, yet it's something we all feel from time to time.\nI'm a disability support worker, so when someone tells me they've got a self diagnosed condition, it's not offensive to me or any disabled person I know, it doesn't come across like they're invalidating anyone else's condition. However I do think everyone should talk to a doctor about any condition they feel they might have.", ">\n\nPiggybacking off of this: You’ve spent your whole entire life inside your own brain. A therapist will spend a period of hours with you and give you a diagnosis. Who do you think knows your personal reality better than yourself?", ">\n\nYeah exactly, especially with conditions such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, PTSD, and many other psychiatric conditions. These are things people know they have even before they get a diagnosis. The diagnosis stage is more about treatment and management.\nPeople might be unaware of how severe or mild their condition is, some people think they have only mild PTSD despite constant nightmares and suicidal ideation. Some people will think they have severe ADHD because they can't concentrate for long times on things that don't interest them. It's good to get some perspective from experts but ultimately people know when they are struggling to focus or to struggling to stop stressing all the time or struggling to not be miserable. Struggling with our thoughts and feelings is evidence enough to self diagnose.", ">\n\nI was recently diagnosed with ADHD as a woman so I find this viewpoint interesting.\nFirstly, autism is not a mental illness. An autistic person may have mental illness in conjunction with autism, but autism alone lies under the neurodivergent umbrella. Neurodivergency can include autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and other similar conditions.\nWhy women are often underdiagnosed\nThese are serious disabilities that can really impede a person's life, especially if they struggle to find help and acceptance in their community. A lot of women start their journey towards diagnosis later in life due to a number of factors such as:\n\nPoor diagnostic tools and inexperienced professionals\nA misunderstanding that autism and ADHD are more common in boys\nAdvanced masking techniques to cover their 'traits'\n\nWhy women are often diagnosed later in life.\nThe process for many women and men who are diagnosed later in life often includes a level of burnout or breakdown. After a while everything becomes too much, the mask begins to slip and your traits go into overdrive.\nWhy does self-diagnosing seem to be on the rise?\nA common way of finding out you could possibly be neurodivergent is through media and people who are aware of these traits appear.\nIn the past few years, I have seen an increasing awareness of neurodivergence in women pop up in the media. This is useful for people like myself who had no idea wtf was wrong with them for a very long time. For me, a GP actually suggested I seek a diagnosis due to some struggles I was going through.\nAs someone who went through this process self-diagnosing is commonly the first step as an adult. You might be directed to a questionnaire and are asked to evaluate yourself and your experiences thinking back to your childhood. If there's some merit in your experiences than you move to the next step which involves seeking a professional. Waitlists are often months to years long so many people live in limbo for a long time.\nMethods of living with ADHD can help everyone. And everyone experiences ADHD traits from time to time. Given a large amount of stress we have all suffered collectively, I don't doubt there are a lot of people with increased mental health issues that mirror neurodivergent traits. Some mental illnesses can get very severe and alter your brain chemistry and behaviour.\nMy takeaway from this is that the mental health systems set up to assist these people are a much larger issue and cause for serious concern than self-diagnosing.\nApologies for the spelling and grammar errors. Grammarly and Reddit don't play nice.", ">\n\nI think it's two things. One, people have identity crises, especially teenagers. We all know that type of person who tries on identities like hats. That's pretty embarrassing. You usually grow out of that.\nTwo, from personal experience, giving yourself a label or a diagnosis makes it feel more contained and easy to communicate. It's easier to tell someone that you have X and have them understand what you're going through rather than telling them you have these vague symptoms resembling what you imagine X is like. In that respect, it is pretty understandable, possibly good, and not embarrassing. There's something that is sort of reassuring if you can finally get a word to put on what you're experiencing.\nPeople often sympathize with the diagnosis but not with the symptoms. Tell people at work you're autistic and they will sympathize with you and possibly not attack you. Tell them you do not understand social cues and they will probably just make fun of you.", ">\n\nI understand the desire to put a label with a disease, and this is not necessarily bad, but the diagnosis needs to be correct. If you want to tell others that you are autistic or depressed; you must actually be those things. A person can almost never correctly assertion their disease, only their symptoms. People might better understand you if you say your autistic, but you may incorrectly understand and describe yourself. If one wishes to put a name with symptoms, they should find a doctor to pick the label", ">\n\nfor sure but unfortunately our medical system is a joke and even if you are experiencing very severe symptoms it can be nearly impossible to see a professional or take months on a waiting list.\nEven then a professional may be reluctant to slap a label on you for fear of what the consequences of that might be. I saw someone for a very long time who resisted any sort of actual diagnosis because the truth is that what I was experiencing didn't fit neatly into any of the boxes and pretty much belonged in this vague \"other\" category which isn't particularly helpful. Not to mention that misdiagnosis happens all the time even by professionals. \nI just think it is sort of understandable because I think a lot of stuff is kind of a spectrum anyway and just different levels of severity. Things can be really confusing and hard to nail down and thus communicate in a way that causes someone else to be understanding rather than judgemental.", ">\n\nAre you under the impression this is a new phenomenon? Because it's definitely not.\nPeople - especially young people! - crave identity. The world is a confusing place, knowing who you are makes it a little easier. Sometimes it's self-diagnosing mental illness or learning disabilities, or exploring sexual identity, or cliques, or subcultures. There's nothing embarrassing about it, it just is what it is.", ">\n\nIt’s ok to want to express individuality but not to the extent of totally destroying the definition of a real thing and making it hard for actual mentally Ill ppl to get a diagnosis. Why can’t people just accept that they’re different rather then giving themselves a label?", ">\n\npeople on TikTok claiming to have disorders that they don't doesn't affect the precision of psychiatrists diagnosing actual patients. There's no TikTok-said section in the DSM. Why do you think that it does?", ">\n\nIt just encourages more people to get diagnosed possibly skewing the meaning of the mental illness", ">\n\nSkewing it towards statistical accuracy? If people are actually diagnosed at higher rates, we have a better Guage of population-level mental illness, neurodivergency, etc. Better data is more usable, so that research actually means something actionable, ASIDE from the identity boost for young people.", ">\n\nI think what OP is driving at, but utterly failing to explain, is that they think that the fakers will be accommodated by the psychiatric system and diagnosed on the basis of fake symptoms. my sense is that isn't a problem but I don't have data.", ">\n\nDefinitely explained it a little better then I could lol", ">\n\nWhere do you see evidence of that? Any articles about fakers? How about a statistic? If not, it’s just a fear you seem to have.", ">\n\nI think the salient line here is this one:\n\nNeurologists were able to quickly determine that the subjects were not \nsuffering from Tourette's, but psychogenic tics driven by anxiety.", ">\n\nWomen are not born with less autism, but are much less likely to be diagnosed as children than boys. This is partly because boys generally have similar symptoms and behaviors. \nSo of course more women are self diagnosing autism, since their diagnoses were missed as children on a much higher rate.", ">\n\nAlright, I'm diagnosed OCD, PTSD, chronic depression. Diagnosed by a professional so I think I have some grounds to talk about this.\nFirst, let's tackle your women comment about autism. You see, I understand where you're coming from, but you lack the nuance of recognizing that mental illness, and illness in general, is heavily under-diagnosed in women. The medical culture is heavily favored towards men and is rampant with mysogyny, and that's not just me saying it as I've had medical professionals blatantly tell me it's a problem in the field when questioned about it. I've also had some tell me that it's just because women whine a lot, so yanno make of that statement what you will.\nNow that we've covered that let me address the self-diagnosing issue. So, do you want to know what my therapist thinks of self-diagnosing? Well, when I asked them about it they said that self-diagnosing is an important first step to seeking help. Psychiatrist said the same thing. It's normal, expected even, for people to self-diagnose their issues then seek help for them. You can't exactly just peer into someone's brain, no, that person has to tell you what they think is wrong and why they think it is. \nWhat you actually have a problem with is not self-diagnosis, but with people not seeking or not being able to get medical assistance and assuming they're right. You have a problem with people using these issues for attention, which I do too, but once again self-diagnosing is not the problem. Finally, you have a problem with the medical system that forces people into the position of trying to figure out their mental illnesses, but having no ability to get help for them.", ">\n\nI think I did it", ">\n\nSadly no lol, it was not done properly. Do you need a link to the rules?", ">\n\nI already read them i think I’ll figure it out in a bit sorry for the hold up", ">\n\nBecause everyone else is being aggressive: you have to comment with ∆ or !delta and then explain how your view has been changed", ">\n\nThis delta has been rejected. You can't award OP a delta.\nAllowing this would wrongly suggest that you can post here with the aim of convincing others.\nIf you were explaining when/how to award a delta, please use a reddit quote for the symbol next time.\n^Delta System Explained ^| ^Deltaboards", ">\n\nWhat gives you the authority or knowledge to know this is the problem?", ">\n\nYou don’t think it’s a problem that a lot of young ppl are willing to go to the extent of saying they are mentally Ill either for attention or to excuse their weirdness? Just accept that your different. It’s not wrong to believe you’re different without a label", ">\n\nYou did not even try to answer my question.", ">\n\nI’m sorry I was confused on what you meant", ">\n\nIf you are mad at people for self diagnosing themselves because they don't have the knowledge or authority to do so.... what gives you the knowledge or authority to diagnosis this as the problem behavior... basically are you just a kid that is annoyed, or is there some actual studies out there that is claiming this is a problem.", ">\n\nIf you don’t think that people consistently seeking attention for mental illness or craving a label so badly to justify themselves rather then being themselves. That just shows what your views are", ">\n\nDont you think we should leave the diagnosing to the professionals?", ">\n\nI mean yeah", ">\n\nWould you agree that you are diagnosing these people by saying that they are only seeking attention and do not have a real mental illness?", ">\n\nI’m assuming", ">\n\nThere may be some truth to people wanting to be different, however with mental illnesses being more accepted in today's society, many people are a lot more comfortable with being neurodivergent. Additionally, self diagnosis is common because the alternative is spending upwards to $1000-$2000 for a clinical diagnosis.", ">\n\nI know costs suck, but self diagnosis can be much more harmful. A web.md page that tells you your depressed when you may actually be bipolar can lead to really messed up results. I would even go as far as to say that no diagnosis at all is preferable to an uninformed one", ">\n\nWell.\n​\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad \n\nSo you already know why they're doing what they're doing in addition the fact that you know that they're not Autistic? If your claim is that they can't know and only a doctor can, what makes you more qualified? You start out your argument admitting that you have a bias.\n\nthey’re “neurodivergent.\n\nNeurodivergent is an umbrella that covers both Autism and ADHD, which sometimes get mistaken for each other. So if you're upset that they're self-diagnosing, this term should be more welcome than \"Autistic\" because it's more generalized.\n\nnd when you ask them how they know they’ll say “oh I have this weird tick when I uh laugh when someone says something funny “ or “I have a hyper fixation on this topic so I must be autistic\n\nHow else should they communicate it to you? The list of aspects of Autism, especially for how it presents in women, sounds a lot like this. You're not a doctor, they don't have to prove anything to you by going down the entire list of every possible part of their daily experience that might be on the spectrum.\n\nWomen statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nNope. Women are diagnosed less often than men because the original diagnostic criteria for Autism was for Autism as it presents in males. It presents differently for females and is harder to diagnose, especially at younger ages. \n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized\n\nTodays youth want to be victimized? Why would anyone want to be victimized? Something tells me you're missing the mark with this terminology.\n\nor have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. \n\nSo if someone is Autistic and that makes them weird, you'd rather them just be forced to not get to have a name for it, and get the therapeutic treatment that would help them?\n\nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really [are] without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nSome people are autistic. If they find out and it makes them feel good, that doesn't mean they're craving attention. And if they are craving attention, it's because they're normal people and everyone does. \nIf someone thinks they're autistic but it turns out they're actually not, chances are they suspected it for a reason. They might have ADHD, a personality disorder, a mental health issue, or simply a slightly different way of experiencing the world that feels unique to them and there's nothing wrong with that. \nYou seem to think that other people do things for you. People generally don't. They do things for themselves. This is especially true of people on the Autism Spectrum who may not be able to easily use other people's experiences to reference when constructing their view of the world, and can only use their own. Your interpretation wherein they do it to evoke a response from you says more about you than it does about them.", ">\n\nYou’re being deliberately obtuse. OP is completely correct. Most of the people these days who say “I’m ADHD” or “I’m autistic” or “I’m neurodivergent” are absolutely not diagnosed as such and are doing it to seem unique or get attention or as some excuse for why they did x y or z.", ">\n\nI'd like to point out that while some are perhaps attention seeking, many people self diagnose simply because they don't have access to free medical/psychological professionals to get proper diagnosis and help with their issues. I also know someone who doesn't want to get an official diagnosis because he's afrad it will affect his insurance rates or somehow come back to bite him if he's offically labeled with having a neurological disorder. \nThere is a wealth of knowledge on these subjects available online for those interested. And if they are truly interested in self diagnose they can likely do that accurately enough for all intents and purposes. Most of these people who search for the sake of better understanding themselves or their loved ones will openly admit that it's a self diagnoses, or say they THINK they have x,y, or z. But in some situations it's just as well to say they have it if they feel certain anyway, and it's just a passing comment, and not a discussion on the matter. \nIn other words, just because they self diagnose doesn't mean they're wrong, nor does it explain their motives. I also don't see how attention seeking (for those who ARE doing that) is really hurting anyone else. Fakers gonna be fake, that's more a \"them\" kind of problem. ANNOYING, but mostly harmless.", ">\n\nUnless you have a doctor's diagnosis you don't have the disorder. Even if you are broke there are programs to help with costs. \nAnd yes it does affect me when someone is treating me like shit and tries using the I have such and such as an excuse and then people get mad at ME for calling them in their bullshit.", ">\n\nNo. You have to have the disorder before you CAN be diagnosed, so obviously there are undiagnosed people who in fact \"have the disorder \". Your refusal to acknowledge an undiagnosed disorder does not mean they don't have it. Your personal experience with people supposedly using a fake diagnosis to treat you badly, sounds unusual. How do you know they DIDN'T have it? People who do lie and just want to be jerks will do that regardless of what methods they decide to try. The methods are irrelevant. And that motive is not typical of most self diagnosers .", ">\n\nSounds unusual? You must not get out a lot because it's become a pretty regular thing. Every single person I know (about 8) that have self diagnosed themselves as neurodivergent or with a mental illness like Bi-polar all use it to excuse their shitty ass behaviors. \nToo many disorders can mirror other ones. Just because they think they have 2/3 symptoms doesn't make them right by a long shot. Keep living in your bubble.", ">\n\nYou don't have to have a relationship with anyone. If they treat you badly, regardless of an official diagnosis or not, you don't have to tolerate them. It makes no difference what they have or don't have. What would it change if they got diagnosed and actually have it?", ">\n\nSelf diagnosing has been a thing forever\nAnd it's not a problem im 99% sure me or any other autistic person doesn't really give 2 fucks about people who wanna fake disorders. It doesn't stop us from getting help, we have doctors notes, medical files, sometimes even volunteers, you need those files to get into let's say a special education class, or a life skills course.\nSo unless you were diagnosed by a professional you're probably not gonna make it far faking it.\n(Excuse my shitty punctuation)", ">\n\nIt doesn’t bother you that they’re making others take the actual meaning away from what you were born with? I mean I’m sure autism hasn’t made your life easy and seeing ppl claim it for attention to be quirky probably has to annoy you a little right?", ">\n\nAt the end of the day I still have ADHD and I still need help with it. More people being diagnosed with it doesn’t change that fact. In fact I was diagnosed because I realized I related to so many tiktok memes, and I’m sure others are in my same boat. \nIn fact I think so many people talking about ADHD helps. It means more people who possibly have tips for me, people who are suffering who can’t afford treatment have an easy way to learn about how to improve their lives, and more people who are aware of my disorder.", ">\n\nI think people do diagnose themselves too often without seeking professional help. BUT mental illness is not the same as being neurodivergent.", ">\n\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad that they’ll go as far to say they’re “neurodivergent.”\n\nWhile this is the case, I don't really see how it's a \"problem\" per se. I guarantee that these people still make lifestyle decisions based on what they think is best, or based on what they want to do.\n\nbut it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women\n\nDo you have any statistics for that? I haven't experienced it that way in my own anecdotal experience, and I'd be curious to look into the data to see how much that truly does skew in that direction.\n\nwanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness \nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nI understand what you're trying to say here, but I don't really think these things are connected as much as you think they are. People see something wrong with themselves, so they either playfully or seriously consider the fact that it could be a condition that they have similar symptoms to. Not that it never happens, but just because someone categorizes themselves into a disability group that could potentially excuse their \"quirks\", doesn't mean they think that behavior is unacceptable in any way. People see a problem, and assume it's linked to this other issue that seems similar that they already know about.", ">\n\nI agree with the conclusion that self-diagnosis is a real issue, and I wouldn't be surprised if the data indicated it was on the rise. I wouldn't necessarily frame it as a simple desire to \"be victimized\" however. While it is purely speculation, I do believe there are a number of conditions which might lead towards a more frequent experience of symptoms associated with mental illness - a rising wealth gap, perpetual anxiety from a 24-hour news cycle, intensification of self-commodification, the student debt crisis in certain countries like the US, and so on. So people are experiencing symptoms like low energy, mood swings, etc. that can be associated with mental illness. The issue with self-diagnosis then becomes that it may correctly identify the symptom, but incorrectly identify the cause.\nThis video from the YouTuber HealthyGamerGG does a good job of explaining what some of the issues with self-diagnosis are, and for me it was a good starting place for thinking about this more. \nEDIT: I forgot this video literally starts with this same topic being brought up on this same subreddit lol", ">\n\nA great theory based on reasonable causes with an educational video from a psychologist(I assume) as evidence to back it up. I applaud you sir. 👏", ">\n\nWhy are you embarrassed by other people's issues?", ">\n\nI’m a 30yo male. If I had not first self diagnosed with ASD and OCD, I never would have found the language and resources to get a formal diagnosis and help.\nPrior generations have been so fixated on avoidance of diagnosing mental disorders, and research was previously so lacking that we are only just now (through those that do get diagnosed) realizing how common mental disorders are. That plus the lack of mental health resources for neurotypical and neurodivergent I think is how we end up in this situation of many recognizing their symptoms in the new discourse, but lacking the resources to overcome the barriers to proper diagnosis and treatment.", ">\n\nIt’s not the best thing, no. \nAs an adult FINALLY diagnosed (by a licensed therapist) at 41, I can tell you why ‘self diagnosis’ is so tempting. \nIn the US at least- mental health, and official medical diagnosis are almost completely inaccessible, especially as an adult. Most of us grew up before Autism was a spectrum, and ADHD was just boys who acted out in class. We felt like aliens. We couldn’t understand why we didn’t have many friends, or why we didn’t like the ‘right things’, and generally spend the bill of our lives feeling ‘wrong’, ‘broken’ or just simply like we didn’t belong. \nFinally understanding the WHY, and even better, finding tools to addresses our issues is a huge huge weight off the chest. The relief of having a name and a strategy- either therapy or medicine is such an amazing relief!!", ">\n\nI only kinda agree if I had not done my own research I would have never found out I have sjorgens syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis I know TikTok people tend to diagnose themselves and it makes it look cringe but when you live with a incurable illness sometimes you have to work to find a diagnosis", ">\n\nWell, what do you do of you absolutely know you're neurodivergent, but your parents decided not to get you checked? My mom once told me \"we knew you had something, we just didn't get you checked because they would have just put you on pills\". So I struggled with being different, socially unaware, impulsive, obnoxious, agressive, selfish, for the better part of my life without having the self awareness to understand why I was these things, and why people wouldn't want to be around me. \nIn my late 20''s I asked the question, what if I'm actually autistic? I looked up the symptoms, and 9/10 matched. As a child I couldn't handle loud noises, restrictive clothing, I didn't talk until I was 3. I would throw fits for seemingly no reason, I had obsessive interests. I've always really struggled with eye contact, and I never cared for conversation unless it was something I liked. I mean, when the final piece of a puzzle fits so incredibly well, it's really hard for it to be wrong. \nSelf diagnosing actually really helped me grow as aj individual. I became aware of all my divergent behaviors, and why it might be annoying for someone else to deal with. I came to the realization that I was the one who was different, therefore I needed to change. It's way harder to make everyone around you cater to your needs than to overcome the things that upset you. I'm at peace, I have good friends that I can connect with on a pretty deep level. I no longer smash coffee tables when I lose, I can now appreciate that if I lose it just means I have more to learn. I can keep my house clean, I can reasonably hold myself accountable. What exactly is the harm in all that?\nBesides, it would be pretty pointless for me to try and get a diagnosis now, I've put the effort in and largely come out the other side. Anyone diagnosing me would just say I was normal, but they wouldn't have the intimate knowledge of me that I do. I guess it doesn't matter if people don't believe me, I don't go around shouting that I'm autistic. I will say, it would be really nice if people appreciated the effort I put in to get to get to a place of normalcy, something others take for granted, but it's okay, we all have our struggles.", ">\n\nI feel you on all that. To play devil's advocate, mental healthcare in the U.S. is not cheap. Many people go to the internet and confirm their bias about their current health", ">\n\nI feel you on that too OP. I agree 100% with your entire statement.", ">\n\nIt's a problem, but not a new one. In the 1990s there was briefly a surge of people with a type of delusional parasitosis, that is, the false belief that they were infested with parasites. Except this one was supposedly an infestation with tiny fibres. They would come to doctors with a whole list of symptoms to back up their incorrect self-diagnosis.\nTo a certain extent, these are social contagions, which come and go, and often actually end up leading to people having real problems. Like, the young women you mention, a couple of decades ago may well have ended up with anorexia, or self-cutting. These days it might be a self-declaration of autism or a belief that they have gender dysphoria or that they have multiple systems living in their minds.", ">\n\nWow I did not know that. Maybe it’s just so prevalent today due to social media. Social media has only made these things worse imo", ">\n\nEven before it being self diagnosis of a mental illness it was always something. Remember all the emo and goth teenager?", ">\n\nIt depends on the context. For example, if they've done a substantial amount of research, can name a good amount of symptoms they have and reasons they have whatever mental illness and don't have access to the necessary tools to get a medical diagnosis, it's totally different. Some people don't have the money to go out and get a diagnosis, or sometimes it would be better to not get a medical diagnosis. I believe that the reason that a lot of people self diagnose themselves with things like Autism is because they want an explanation as to why they are different, and they could be right or wrong. I think the most important part is that if you go to a psychologist (or even two, I know a lot of people prefer getting second opinions) and they say you don't have it, that you need to admit you were wrong. It's ok to be wrong about your mental health, and the key is to keep looking and to not give up. I can completely understand the frustration in people completely missing how difficult it actually may be to have a mental illness. I was clinically diagnosed with Depression, Anxiety, and PTSD when I was seven, and I've had some experience with people faking mental disorders for attention, and more often then not, they have another mental disorder that needs attention. Recently I had a (now ex) boyfriend insist he had PTSD after being tested twice and the psychiatrist saying that he didn't have it. What he does have is Depression and Anxiety, but he absolutely insisted he has PTSD despite never exhibiting symptoms and the only evidence being a test he took online that was supposedly a \"real PTSD test.\" People faking mental illnesses only harms people who really have them, as these people tend to exaggerate symptoms and use their self diagnosis for attention. I believe that I am autistic, but I don't list it as a diagnosis because while I have read articles and taken the RAADS-r test, I don't have an official diagnosis, and I could very well be wrong. As for women faking illnesses more often, something I've noticed is that things like Autism, ADHD, ADD, etc are more often diagnosed in boys rather than girls- mostly because when they were first discovered, most of the research was done in boys. Autism shows up differently in girls, and can often be blown off as early puberty hormones. If their hyperfixations are those of stereotypical feminine things, it's just a girl liking whatever, and if they hyperfixate in stereotypical masculine interests, they tend to just be viewed as weird, but not autistic. It's normal for people to question, but I agree that to a certain point, self diagnosis can be harmful, but only if not done correctly.", ">\n\nFirst and foremost not a new problem at all, very common, we used to call it \"Being a hypochondriac\" until it aparrently became reconized which in it self is confusing and a bit contradictory.\nANYWAY\nIt isnt really a problem, no doctor is gonna write the perscription for medication without a diagnosis of some sort.\nAt most there is the vauge \"But what about those who actually have it who arent taken serious\" dont worry, we wouldnt have anyway. Thats kinda how invisible illnesses work.\nOverall the 101 hypochondriacs screaming about the symptoms they read in the ICD might help make the knowledge more common and help people better reconize if their colleagues or friends happen to show symptoms of something.", ">\n\nIt’s pretty expensive in the US to get diagnosed. Personally, I’ve self diagnosed myself out of frustration of the way I process things. I’ve always felt slow & my anxiety/depression was deep because of it, but I was raised in a family that doesn’t believe in mental illness. It was always “if you work hard enough, all your problems will go away”. Meanwhile, i was racking my brain on how to make myself think faster/smarter & it would result in psychotic episodes. I’ve gotten fired from jobs, dropped out of school. I started self harming because I hated myself and my brain & almost commit suicide bc I had no idea what was going on.\nThe relief I felt once I finally got a therapist who validated me & was the first to talk to me about mental Illness. It blew my mind and all of a sudden things actually made sense to me. I currently think I have ADD, and sometimes I’ll tell people that but will preface it by saying I’m not professionally diagnosed. Still, I use mental tools that help me get through the day and build my confidence. I’m a lot better at processing conversations, making lists that help me remember things, unmasking, slowing down my thoughts… etc. I’m less frustrated and can see the beauty in how I process things. I still want to get diagnosed but I have to get health insurance….. lol", ">\n\nSelf diagnosis, regardless of being factual is a process where the individual realizes that they might have a mental health issue. People who can do this are more likely to seek professional help compared to the people who think they are “fine”. Going to a professional, licensed psychologist or a psychiatrist will eventually diagnose them with the correct disorder from there, and professionals have the skills to communicate with them and they can together evaluate if the person’s complaint is the issue or not. There is nothing embarrassing about discovering one’s self. It would be a problem if people would identify with an issue and don’t have any willingness to seek help. Sometimes overreacting is better than not reacting.", ">\n\nThe majority of people who are self-diagnosed with autism have done extensive research into it to come to that conclusion. I personally went through the DSM criteria with a fine-tooth comb, made a list of all the ways I met it and discovered that there’s not a single criteria i don’t meet for autism. I didn’t read about anything else but autism for weeks, approaching it from all angles before coming to the conclusion that it’s highly unlikely I am not autistic. I’m waiting to hear back about an assessment, but I’m not waiting to go and be told something I already know before I start advocating for myself. \nOh, and I absolutely did not want to be ‘different’, in fact my life mission to just blend in and be average is the root cause of most of my problems, but here we are.", ">\n\nThis self diagnosing young people do isn’t the problem. The problem is that our society encourages it.\nOur culture is not set up to accommodate a wide spectrum of human needs. You may need things that I don’t. I may need things that you don’t. But in most business settings, academic settings, or even places like restaurants or leisure places, the world isn’t built to accommodate everyone. Our world and society is a “one size fits all” approach, and most people don’t fit snugly inside of that system. \nIf you can classify what is “wrong” or “different” about you into an easily digestible form, people are generally more able and more willing to accommodate you.\nFor example: if I tell my coworkers that I need to leave work early because of a headache, I’ll be shamed for it. And in some cases I’ll be told that “headaches aren’t that bad!” Or “You don’t need to leave.” Or “I have a headache too, just deal with it!”\nBut if I tell my workers that I need to leave due to a painful neurological condition that’s flaring up (I have chronic migraine, which is a neurological condition), they will respect it 100% of the time. It’s met with sympathy and not criticism.\nThis happens for all sorts of things. “Sorry Im late, I slept in.” Sounds a lot worse then, “sorry I’m late, my insomnia has been terrible lately.” \nOur culture forces us to use these labels even when they’re untrue just to receive sympathy or acceptance. The problem isn’t people who decide to use these labels, the root problem is that our society refuses to embrace and accommodate people who are outside of the “norm.”", ">\n\nSpeaking as someone who's had an autism diagnosis since age 7: if someone declares they're autistic when they're not, that's obnoxious at worst. If someone is told they're not autistic when they are, that can cause lifelong harm from denied care and understanding. I have seen this happen to a close friend of mine.\nTherefore, I'd much rather err on the side of acceptance. If you think you're defending me and others like me from impersonators, we'd rather not have your help.\n\nI know people will disagree but it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women. Women statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nCase in point: women are diagnosed with autism far less than men. Recent studies have pointed to decades of systematic misdiagnosis. The more visible autistic symptoms sometimes manifest differently in girls, the way they're socialized may help them hide it from a young age, and of course lots of doctors just say \"your daughter can't be autistic, that's a boy thing.\"\nWe're learning that there are hundreds of thousands of autistic women who slipped through the cracks and were denied the recognition and support they needed because of dismissive, gatekeeping attitudes just like yours.", ">\n\nThere’s a difference between having a disorder and relating to a disorder. If the tools or language associated with a disorder helps someone live better though then cool, it’s all still odd. Also autism presents differently in woman, and a majority of our research on it is on men. Best practice is probably to support them and encourage them to seek treatment.", ">\n\nAutism is severely misdiagnosed in women. Completely under diagnosed. Actually, plenty of things are. The actual problem that we have is parents refusing to let their children get professional help or a diagnosis. Most doctors will diagnose you with BPD as a woman(aka the new female hysteria of our century), maybe put you on some anti psychotics and send you your way. In most countries, a diagnosis/specialist is not readily available, or there is a long waiting list. Even so, the doctors are not know it all. I have seen plenty of doctors, I got different diagnosis almost each time. They ask you some general questions (about your mood, the way you sleep, if you can concentrate, if you harm yourself, if you have suicidal ideation, if you can socialize properly, if your parents were diagnosed with anything, if you have hallucinations or delusions, the works) and then based on that, they will give you a diagnosis. If you use your common sense and information on the internet (given you are knowledgeable on the subject), you can take a good guess on what's wrong. Obviously, some people will exaggerate like with anything (seeing the shadow dude once in your childhood is not a sign of psychosis, neither is hearing your name called when you are alone once in a blue moon), but if you have visual and auditory hallucinations, perhaps weird tactile feelings/hallucinations (spiders are crawling on me, etc), delusions, tend to be forgetful and out of teach with reality, there is a good chance you do have psychosis.", ">\n\nOkay, to start: what do you think autism and ADHD are? They aren't mental illnesses nor are they mental health conditions. \nTo address some of your other points; \nStudies have shown that autism has a gender expression of 1:1. The only reason that women are under diagnosed is because of misunderstandings towards autism, then the diagnosis is conducted incorrectly. Thus it ends up getting conflated with mental illness, E.G BPD, and is diagnosed as a psychiatric disorder instead. This is a detriment to the patient as the care regimes are black and white different. Often times this severely damages the woman.\nFrom data sets that I recall reading, malingering hasn't risen much, if at all, in recent times. I remember it being around 8% of the global population who are engaging in this behaviour, to different extents. I think what's happened is that social media has turned a torch onto it and it's risen in popularity in an algorithmic way. You see it more because it's pushed by the algorithm more because people are searching for it more. It isn't actually occurring any more or less than historically. Most of that attention is negative attention, I should add. \nSo there's two things to take away from that.\n1) The actual act of pretending to be mentally ill, or to have a disability, which is called malingering, is in fact a form of mental unwellness itself. It's a cry for help. The people who do these things are usually very unstable and should be treated with a degree of empathy. The dangerous types who are using mental illness to scam others, or to manipulate them, make up a very small percentage of the overall amount of people in that group and tend to abuse one on one. \n2) The predominant response to this is generally negative. There isn't really any reason to publicly malinger unless you're unstable, this is because a rational person would likely know this, and know the damage it would cause themselves. Self-diagnosis is a very long, and self-aware, process that takes place over years of the individuals life, and proceeds official diagnosis. \nNo one SDs and says \"Okay that's it now! Let me start a TikTok!\" You'd still want support, and you'd still seek support. So that would end up with a doctor, who would see that you're lying, and treat you for whatever was prompting you to malinger. Anyone who has made this commitment knows that keeping it private is a sensible thing to do in a world that isn't inclusive, and often very stigmatising. Sometimes official diagnosis can take YEARS. \nThis kind of propaganda has been going around for a long time in an effort to discredit disabled people and people with mental illnesses. It's not new. People said the same things back in the 90s. People will always be afraid, and dismissive, of things they do not understand. I invite you to try and understand.", ">\n\nI self-diagnosed myself with endometriosis for 10 years before a doctor finally listened to me, opened me up, and found my insides littered with lesions all over my organs. I’m now not able to get pregnant and I might need to get part of my bowel taken out someday. This could’ve been avoided if someone had just listened to me when I was 16. \nSelf-diagnosing is a necessity in a misogynist world! No one takes us seriously! Especially medical professionals. \nThe best antidote for this is to listen to women who self-diagnose. Why do they think they have XYZ? Is it heavily interfering with their life? I think that’s a much larger problem.", ">\n\nIts been proven that there is a bias to diagnose as opposed to not diagnose a mental illness in psychology. So op is actually kinda correct. The definition of a mental illness is in effect being stretched so far that people who are just kinda weird are being diagnosed with \"on the spectrum\". This is actually causing a problem in early learning because parents start treating their kids as essentially learning challenged when they're really not. So it is starting to become an excuse ...", ">\n\nWe live in a society that loves to medicate people. I know it’s different but Did ppl forget about the opioid epidemic? They’ll diagnose your ass with anything if they can", ">\n\nYa I tend to agree. And no one is really saying so I will I guess, but id wager that 50% of psychologist \"professionals\" are totally full of shit. The actual number of psychologists that are are doing real research and clinical studies is EXTREMELY small compared to how many \"psychologists\" are out there. Just like chiropractors, half of them are hacks..", ">\n\nAnd ill say one more thing, though it is anecdotal, but i have direct family that works in special education for young children, and that system is fucked with a capital F. Thay are constantly fighting against parents and programs who try to box kids in the \"autistic\" zone, when they are just really quite or shy, or have pee problems. But parents want an excuse and reason for their behavior, and reduce them to a sub standard education and treatment for the rest of their lives. It's heart breaking. Especially in public schools.", ">\n\nI’m 32 years old. \nI didn’t self diagnose for attention although I remember the days of tumblr where everyone self diagnosed for clout.\nIt took me a decade to realize what is really happening. During the decade before I realized what may have been happening I was told the following:\nI’m rude\nI’m bossy\nI have a RBF/I look mad\nI also only managed to make my first real friend at age 27.\nWhat I was really displaying was:\nBeing overly blunt and just trying to get my point across came off rude when I didn’t intend it to be that way\nTrying to have things done at a certain time and way that no one else thought was important to follow\nUnmasking\nNoticed other things too that I just thought was me being weird:\nVocal stimming\nOral stimming-chewing, smoking, vaping\nRepetitive motions\nRocking\nEasily overwhelmed by too much sensory input\nHigh startle reflex \nInability to regulate my body’s needs-I don’t know I’m hungry until I’m ravenous; don’t recognize the need to use the bathroom until it’s causing me to rush off, don’t realize I’m cold until I’m shaking\nI could go on.\nI want an assessment so bad. But assessments for adults are EXTREMELY hard to setup, if you can even set them up at all. Some states don’t even offer them. I’ve been looking but they are only for children and seem to look for severe cases.\n14 years of thinking I was just a bitch who couldn’t make friends because I was too weird…turns out it might be autism. And turns out I’ll most likely never get a true diagnosis. But the RAADS test gave me a 127 score so that might be the closest I’ll ever get.", ">\n\ni kind of self diagnosed autism? i’ve been to many psychiatrists and therapists for years and they always see adhd in the half an hour and prescribe meds for that, which makes me not go there again. if they dug a little deeper they could have seen autism, i spoke to my current psychiatrist about if its possible i have it, she didn’t want to confirm or deny as i was moving out of state from friends and family and am at an age where i can have kids in the next 10 years since she doesn’t want me being concerned for them. \nI think there’s still lots of stigma around autism even with professionals and especially when identifying it in women. \nI don’t want to be autistic, but i can recognise a lot of different patterns comparing myself and others. I’ve researched it a ton especially in how it shows in women compared to men and in all the articles i found myself relating.\nNow i don’t say im autistic, i say im a little sus of being it tho lmao. and try pass it off casually. I find it’s a lot easier for me to understand and embrace my differences compared to trying to hide it and try be like everyone else or wonder why im not like everyone else. \nBeing older i can also recognise how a lot of my family on one side have suffered mentally and because of obvious neurodivergence. so im pretty sure, like the rest of my mentally challenged brain, has been inherited genetically through that side. \nAll that being said. I self diagnosed when i was about 12 that im highly likely to be depressed and anxious in attempt to get my mom to believe me i needed help, and now 8 years later i can identify that this has been an issue forever for me and that i likely cannot go off my meds because i will just go back to how i used to be. Im still ocd with all my meds, but its better than being anxious and depressed all the time, Having ocd throughout the day is like heaven to me in comparison to how i used to be. obviously the ocd isnt new, just a lot more heard in my brain now.", ">\n\nOk, I know some people self diagnoze themselves with [insert some mental illness here] out of attention or whatever, and that's totally not ok.\nHowever, if you read all the symptoms and do proper research on a mental illness and everything clicks in to you, I'd say you can be fairly confident on a self diagnosis (although, it might be worth it to double check with a professional, especially if you want any sort of treatment). But also for some people, it might not be affordable to go to a professional...", ">\n\nI live in Canada, I've engaged with the medical system, doctors don't care and just want you out, ERs are a 8 hour wait for someone to ignore one thing and won't even entertain other issues even if they are related. Self-diagnosis is really the only way to get any kind of proper treatment at all. \nThe doctors will rubber stamp just about anything you ask for except pain killers but in terms of diagnosis you're way better off doing it yourself, sure you don't have 8 years of medical school but the doctors won't give you 5 mins of their time, they are not better than google and you give a lot more of a shit than they will and at the end of the day it's your body.", ">\n\nBack in the 90s when I was a teenager, the kids/teenagers/young adults who wanted attention, and wanted to be different, adopted the goth lifestyle. Dressing up in all black. White foundation with black lipstick and eyeshadow. It was the trendy way to be different, to be viewed as outcasts of society. To not fit in. \nThe goth lifestyle of the 2020s is self diagnosis. Same shit, different day.\nWhenever someone claims autism, or somewhere on the spectrum, I just roll my eyes and imagine that person just sucks at life.", ">\n\nI just think it’s a little more harmful nowadays due to the prevalence of social media. Ppl get sucked into groups and mindsets before they even have a real life chance. Then they hyper fixate on that they might be mentally Ill rather then just trying to live life to the fullest", ">\n\nI 100% agree with you", ">\n\nBecause it's the age of spin this generation has something for everybody. And all of them are Google doctors. Lol", ">\n\nTook my uncle till he was 38 even thought it was apparent to everyone. Hell he got expelled from two schools", ">\n\nI get what you're saying. I frankly find it weird that more people don't find this weird. People self-diagnosing themselves as all kinds of things not only completely misrepresents the actual conditions, thereby making people even more confused as to what they actually are and how they present, but also leads people to run to a psychiatrist claiming false symptoms and getting medication for something they don't have, which is NOT a good thing. People should never be taking medication unless it is necessary. We are a heavily over-medicated society and this is a big factor in that. Caffeine to wake up in the morning, \"immuno-boosters\" and mood stabilizers during the day, sleeping pills to sleep at night. The caffeine and sleeping pills are addictive and can really mess up your circadian rhythm, and the mood stabilizers can really fuck you up if you don't need them. Instead of rushing to diagnose and medicate everyone, we need to educate them on human behavior and show them that their \"mental health\" problems are completely normal.\nOh, so you get nervous right before you make huge life decisions? That's not Anxiety Disorder, it's just anxiety.\nOh, you are really sad because your cat died? That's not Clinical Depression, you are just grieving.\nOh, you went from really happy to really sad when you were previously happy and something really shitty happened to you and soured your mood? That's not Bipolar Disorder, that's just life.\nOh, you like to be more organized than the people around you? That's not Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, you just like to be organized.\nPeople really misunderstand the nature of these conditions and it hinders our collective progress in treating them, like dramatically inflating the number of actual conditions in the population, making it increasingly more difficult to determine how common and how varied they are. After all, in most cases it is not the psychiatrist or psychologist who makes you better, you make you better. Medication can help and other people can show you the path to success, but the problem will never get solved unless you play an active role in the treatment. Some conditions can never be solved, only lessened, while others are virtually untreatable. We need to stop making these conditions seem cool. They aren't. They are serious and need to be taken seriously.", ">\n\nHeavily agree and I appreciate how well this comment is worded. Wish I coulda worded mine a little better", ">\n\nYa I saw you getting shredded in the comments and figured I'd sum it up for you. 🤣", ">\n\nLmao bro I didn’t expect this many. I was thinking maybe like 20 ppl would reply", ">\n\nYou need to self diagnose in many cases in order to get adequate help.", ">\n\nI knew when I had ADD and IBS, and I was able to get my suspicions confirmed by my respective doctors. Doctors are there to help the patients understand themselves, whereas the patients have to go home every day and live with what they actually have. Do not be so quick to judge.", ">\n\nJust to add here - Autism in women is less prevalent because it presents differently and is often not picked up by standardised diagnostic tests (that were developed on an almost exclusively male sample). I think that also goes to show that there’s p significant issues with what we consider ‘scientific’ and research based in the first place.", ">\n\nI grew up in a small town and we had quite a few autistic boys but only one autistic girl. Literally only one out of like 6-8 grades. So that’s like a 10-1 ratio. It’s gotta be a lot statistically smaller then males. I don’t doubt it happens I just know it’s a lot less", ">\n\nYou think your small town’s makeup is generalizable to all of society? That isn’t how statistics work.", ">\n\nSo my question would be - so what do we do?\nYou think people are diagnosing themselves to gain attention. Fine, but what's the next step?\nSee, I think I might be bipolar 2. But I went on a journey where I looked into the techniques for dealing with this issue. That led me to cognitive behavior therapy.\nThat actually made me more convinced that this was my issue because I have taught myself a lot of cognitive behavior therapy techniques to address the same issues. These practices have really helped me.\nIt sounds like your issue is that these people are getting attention for it. To me, these are people who need someone to help guide them. That would have helped me a lot when I was younger. Society today doesn't really give us the tools to sort this out, but just the knowledge that these things exist can push someone down the rabbit hole to learn about therapy that could really help.\nI think you should ask yourself what your motivations are. Do you really want them to understand themselves? Or are you more interested in steering the conversation toward other topics?\nPersonally, I would deal with these people by paying them forward. I would tell them to understand the practices that typically help these people, and see if they are relevant. I would tell them to seek professional help, and to refrain from diagnosing themselves, but I would encourage them to be critical of themselves and to learn more.\nImo, the way out is through.", ">\n\nI agree with you but it’s not mostly women. Maybe by happenstance that’s the case in your circle but broadly men do this too.", ">\n\nDoctor's are consulting the Mayo Clinic website after talking to a patient and getting their symptoms. I bring that up to say this; a doctor's training is needed for very serious diseases and tricky diagnoses, but a semi-intelligent person could look up their symptoms and get a lot of the more minor stuff right.", ">\n\nI've never been diagnosed as clinically depressed or anything, but that doesn't mean that I don't suffer from depression a lot of the time (these last few years, more often than not). I see a therapist. I take antidepressants. \nI have a friend who has aphantasia. It isn't really a \"diagnosable\" condition, but it describes what he has trouble with: creating images in his mind.", ">\n\nThat’s different then going online and claiming perfectly normal traits mean you’re autistic", ">\n\nNeurodivergence ≠ mental illness.", ">\n\nThey know themselves and their experiences better than you.", ">\n\nOP, I'm seeing some differences between your post and what you're saying in the comments. \nMy question is, do you have a problem with people self-diagnosing, or is your issue more about people drawing a lot of public attention to their diagnoses?", ">\n\nOverall both but definitely the attention part more so for obvious reasons. The self diagnosing part due to the fact that it can make people believe it can be an excuse for their actions good or bad. I think In a weird way it can allow people to take away the responsibility of their own actions and attribute to their mental illness", ">\n\nAs someone who has been diagnosed with ADHD, having people self diagnosing doesn't bother me at all, because I went the path of not knowing at all what I had and letting doctors figure out by themselves... and it took me 4 years and a half to finally have a concrete answer that no doctors would have found out if I didn't start searching on my own. You can't walk into every doctor's office with the assumption they'll figure out what you have, because it's not their speciality, or they still have an outdated view (not every doctor are kept up to date with new discovers), or they're biased, etc... \nI've never been annoyed by people who self diagnose. Hell, if I knew what was about to happen to me, I would have done the same way sooner.", ">\n\nMost women today arent faking it, they are noticing the symptoms no one else noticed and trying to find help. Its not easy to grow up with this kind of stuff. Is not coincidence you think women are less likely to be born to autism instead of thinking how weird it is that for some reason most autism diagnosis happen to men, that is the misogyny in the medical comunity.\nSelf diagnosis means this women will go to doctors and it most case scenarios they will get diagnoses because they have this issue all their life.\nSocial media is giving people awareness of the issue in medicine and how it affects women. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Misogyny in medicine also leads to people not knowing the difference between a heart attack in a woman and a man. It leads to women thinking its something else because internet and books will tell you how a man will feel a heart attack, even doctors sometimes dont know this.", ">\n\nGetting a diagnosis or treatment is borderline impossible for a lot of people. So self diagnosis is sometimes the only way they can help themselves.", ">\n\nNot a mental illness. But, I am a trans person and I pretty much self-diagnosed and self-medicated. I just had physicians do blood test.\nI educated myself on how everything works in about eight month period. I did that over a decade.\nI don’t regret my decision, and if I did. The regret would be not starting any sooner, especially when people who aren’t physicians or therapists are having a final say about these things.", ">\n\nIt is very noticeable and annoying, buuuut it’s proven autism manifest differently in females. Plus women are (very) often under diagnosed and dismissed for many many things by doctors, which is absolutely disgusting. Aaaand the cost of healthcare is outrageous.", ">\n\nwomen being less likely to be diagnosed with autism has nothing to do with an actual gender gap in who does and doesn’t have autism and everything to do with the fact autistic women are diagnosed with personality disorders and mental illnesses due to stigmas. most autism research was done on men and therefore women are underrepresented and more often than not misdiagnosed. autism actually occurs at a similar rate in both sexes. also, it’s not a mental illness, it’s a neurological condition (not that mental illnesses aren’t, but illness implies there’s something wrong, which there isn’t in autistic people). i agree that self diagnosing leads to misinformation and harms those who are clinically diagnosed though.", ">\n\nA lot of medical diagnoses are based on white male studies, so yes you would see more women finding out they have certain mental illnesses now as professionals are realizing it can show differently in females vs males. Adhd, for example, was considered something only seen in young boys that would grow out of it, now they are realizing that you don't in fact grow out of it and women can have it too. \nMental illness was a taboo subject back in the day as well, especially for women. It was only in 1980 I think that hysteria was no longer considered a mental illness. Women would be diagnosed with 'hysteria' and committed for symptoms like anxiety and anger. So now a lot of women are learning more about their mental health because they feel safe to do so. \nMy mother is in her early 70's and still refuses to tell anyone her own health issues or even mine, I have cancer and we were going to go on a trip as it's unknown how much longer I have and she refused to ask for the day off because she wouldn't tell them the reason why.", ">\n\nI detest self diagnosis, though once you’ve studied advanced level abnormal psychology shit happens. \nAs far as kids go, the generalized anxiety and depressive spectrum diagnoses can occasionally be accurate however that would warrant professional intervention regardless.\nOne serious issue among others; if an adolescent “decides” they have major depressive disorder that can become a self fulfilling prophecy and cause despair and reluctance to seek treatment" ]

[ "The diagnosis process for a lot of psychiatric conditions are surveys and questionaires. You can go to a psychiatrist and ask if you're anxious and they'll give you multiple choice questions and diagnose off of that. Or you can just google the form yourself and self diagnose. A lot of psychiatric disorders are about how we feel and think. Not about sending off some blood sample to a lab and getting a positive result come back.\n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. For such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nWhat you're describing are all neuroses that could indicate some deeper psychiatric condition. Whether a person has a mental health condition or not, thinking of ourselves as weak victims is never helpful in any context, yet it's something we all feel from time to time.\nI'm a disability support worker, so when someone tells me they've got a self diagnosed condition, it's not offensive to me or any disabled person I know, it doesn't come across like they're invalidating anyone else's condition. However I do think everyone should talk to a doctor about any condition they feel they might have.", ">\n\nPiggybacking off of this: You’ve spent your whole entire life inside your own brain. A therapist will spend a period of hours with you and give you a diagnosis. Who do you think knows your personal reality better than yourself?", ">\n\nYeah exactly, especially with conditions such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, PTSD, and many other psychiatric conditions. These are things people know they have even before they get a diagnosis. The diagnosis stage is more about treatment and management.\nPeople might be unaware of how severe or mild their condition is, some people think they have only mild PTSD despite constant nightmares and suicidal ideation. Some people will think they have severe ADHD because they can't concentrate for long times on things that don't interest them. It's good to get some perspective from experts but ultimately people know when they are struggling to focus or to struggling to stop stressing all the time or struggling to not be miserable. Struggling with our thoughts and feelings is evidence enough to self diagnose.", ">\n\nI was recently diagnosed with ADHD as a woman so I find this viewpoint interesting.\nFirstly, autism is not a mental illness. An autistic person may have mental illness in conjunction with autism, but autism alone lies under the neurodivergent umbrella. Neurodivergency can include autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and other similar conditions.\nWhy women are often underdiagnosed\nThese are serious disabilities that can really impede a person's life, especially if they struggle to find help and acceptance in their community. A lot of women start their journey towards diagnosis later in life due to a number of factors such as:\n\nPoor diagnostic tools and inexperienced professionals\nA misunderstanding that autism and ADHD are more common in boys\nAdvanced masking techniques to cover their 'traits'\n\nWhy women are often diagnosed later in life.\nThe process for many women and men who are diagnosed later in life often includes a level of burnout or breakdown. After a while everything becomes too much, the mask begins to slip and your traits go into overdrive.\nWhy does self-diagnosing seem to be on the rise?\nA common way of finding out you could possibly be neurodivergent is through media and people who are aware of these traits appear.\nIn the past few years, I have seen an increasing awareness of neurodivergence in women pop up in the media. This is useful for people like myself who had no idea wtf was wrong with them for a very long time. For me, a GP actually suggested I seek a diagnosis due to some struggles I was going through.\nAs someone who went through this process self-diagnosing is commonly the first step as an adult. You might be directed to a questionnaire and are asked to evaluate yourself and your experiences thinking back to your childhood. If there's some merit in your experiences than you move to the next step which involves seeking a professional. Waitlists are often months to years long so many people live in limbo for a long time.\nMethods of living with ADHD can help everyone. And everyone experiences ADHD traits from time to time. Given a large amount of stress we have all suffered collectively, I don't doubt there are a lot of people with increased mental health issues that mirror neurodivergent traits. Some mental illnesses can get very severe and alter your brain chemistry and behaviour.\nMy takeaway from this is that the mental health systems set up to assist these people are a much larger issue and cause for serious concern than self-diagnosing.\nApologies for the spelling and grammar errors. Grammarly and Reddit don't play nice.", ">\n\nI think it's two things. One, people have identity crises, especially teenagers. We all know that type of person who tries on identities like hats. That's pretty embarrassing. You usually grow out of that.\nTwo, from personal experience, giving yourself a label or a diagnosis makes it feel more contained and easy to communicate. It's easier to tell someone that you have X and have them understand what you're going through rather than telling them you have these vague symptoms resembling what you imagine X is like. In that respect, it is pretty understandable, possibly good, and not embarrassing. There's something that is sort of reassuring if you can finally get a word to put on what you're experiencing.\nPeople often sympathize with the diagnosis but not with the symptoms. Tell people at work you're autistic and they will sympathize with you and possibly not attack you. Tell them you do not understand social cues and they will probably just make fun of you.", ">\n\nI understand the desire to put a label with a disease, and this is not necessarily bad, but the diagnosis needs to be correct. If you want to tell others that you are autistic or depressed; you must actually be those things. A person can almost never correctly assertion their disease, only their symptoms. People might better understand you if you say your autistic, but you may incorrectly understand and describe yourself. If one wishes to put a name with symptoms, they should find a doctor to pick the label", ">\n\nfor sure but unfortunately our medical system is a joke and even if you are experiencing very severe symptoms it can be nearly impossible to see a professional or take months on a waiting list.\nEven then a professional may be reluctant to slap a label on you for fear of what the consequences of that might be. I saw someone for a very long time who resisted any sort of actual diagnosis because the truth is that what I was experiencing didn't fit neatly into any of the boxes and pretty much belonged in this vague \"other\" category which isn't particularly helpful. Not to mention that misdiagnosis happens all the time even by professionals. \nI just think it is sort of understandable because I think a lot of stuff is kind of a spectrum anyway and just different levels of severity. Things can be really confusing and hard to nail down and thus communicate in a way that causes someone else to be understanding rather than judgemental.", ">\n\nAre you under the impression this is a new phenomenon? Because it's definitely not.\nPeople - especially young people! - crave identity. The world is a confusing place, knowing who you are makes it a little easier. Sometimes it's self-diagnosing mental illness or learning disabilities, or exploring sexual identity, or cliques, or subcultures. There's nothing embarrassing about it, it just is what it is.", ">\n\nIt’s ok to want to express individuality but not to the extent of totally destroying the definition of a real thing and making it hard for actual mentally Ill ppl to get a diagnosis. Why can’t people just accept that they’re different rather then giving themselves a label?", ">\n\npeople on TikTok claiming to have disorders that they don't doesn't affect the precision of psychiatrists diagnosing actual patients. There's no TikTok-said section in the DSM. Why do you think that it does?", ">\n\nIt just encourages more people to get diagnosed possibly skewing the meaning of the mental illness", ">\n\nSkewing it towards statistical accuracy? If people are actually diagnosed at higher rates, we have a better Guage of population-level mental illness, neurodivergency, etc. Better data is more usable, so that research actually means something actionable, ASIDE from the identity boost for young people.", ">\n\nI think what OP is driving at, but utterly failing to explain, is that they think that the fakers will be accommodated by the psychiatric system and diagnosed on the basis of fake symptoms. my sense is that isn't a problem but I don't have data.", ">\n\nDefinitely explained it a little better then I could lol", ">\n\nWhere do you see evidence of that? Any articles about fakers? How about a statistic? If not, it’s just a fear you seem to have.", ">\n\nI think the salient line here is this one:\n\nNeurologists were able to quickly determine that the subjects were not \nsuffering from Tourette's, but psychogenic tics driven by anxiety.", ">\n\nWomen are not born with less autism, but are much less likely to be diagnosed as children than boys. This is partly because boys generally have similar symptoms and behaviors. \nSo of course more women are self diagnosing autism, since their diagnoses were missed as children on a much higher rate.", ">\n\nAlright, I'm diagnosed OCD, PTSD, chronic depression. Diagnosed by a professional so I think I have some grounds to talk about this.\nFirst, let's tackle your women comment about autism. You see, I understand where you're coming from, but you lack the nuance of recognizing that mental illness, and illness in general, is heavily under-diagnosed in women. The medical culture is heavily favored towards men and is rampant with mysogyny, and that's not just me saying it as I've had medical professionals blatantly tell me it's a problem in the field when questioned about it. I've also had some tell me that it's just because women whine a lot, so yanno make of that statement what you will.\nNow that we've covered that let me address the self-diagnosing issue. So, do you want to know what my therapist thinks of self-diagnosing? Well, when I asked them about it they said that self-diagnosing is an important first step to seeking help. Psychiatrist said the same thing. It's normal, expected even, for people to self-diagnose their issues then seek help for them. You can't exactly just peer into someone's brain, no, that person has to tell you what they think is wrong and why they think it is. \nWhat you actually have a problem with is not self-diagnosis, but with people not seeking or not being able to get medical assistance and assuming they're right. You have a problem with people using these issues for attention, which I do too, but once again self-diagnosing is not the problem. Finally, you have a problem with the medical system that forces people into the position of trying to figure out their mental illnesses, but having no ability to get help for them.", ">\n\nI think I did it", ">\n\nSadly no lol, it was not done properly. Do you need a link to the rules?", ">\n\nI already read them i think I’ll figure it out in a bit sorry for the hold up", ">\n\nBecause everyone else is being aggressive: you have to comment with ∆ or !delta and then explain how your view has been changed", ">\n\nThis delta has been rejected. You can't award OP a delta.\nAllowing this would wrongly suggest that you can post here with the aim of convincing others.\nIf you were explaining when/how to award a delta, please use a reddit quote for the symbol next time.\n^Delta System Explained ^| ^Deltaboards", ">\n\nWhat gives you the authority or knowledge to know this is the problem?", ">\n\nYou don’t think it’s a problem that a lot of young ppl are willing to go to the extent of saying they are mentally Ill either for attention or to excuse their weirdness? Just accept that your different. It’s not wrong to believe you’re different without a label", ">\n\nYou did not even try to answer my question.", ">\n\nI’m sorry I was confused on what you meant", ">\n\nIf you are mad at people for self diagnosing themselves because they don't have the knowledge or authority to do so.... what gives you the knowledge or authority to diagnosis this as the problem behavior... basically are you just a kid that is annoyed, or is there some actual studies out there that is claiming this is a problem.", ">\n\nIf you don’t think that people consistently seeking attention for mental illness or craving a label so badly to justify themselves rather then being themselves. That just shows what your views are", ">\n\nDont you think we should leave the diagnosing to the professionals?", ">\n\nI mean yeah", ">\n\nWould you agree that you are diagnosing these people by saying that they are only seeking attention and do not have a real mental illness?", ">\n\nI’m assuming", ">\n\nThere may be some truth to people wanting to be different, however with mental illnesses being more accepted in today's society, many people are a lot more comfortable with being neurodivergent. Additionally, self diagnosis is common because the alternative is spending upwards to $1000-$2000 for a clinical diagnosis.", ">\n\nI know costs suck, but self diagnosis can be much more harmful. A web.md page that tells you your depressed when you may actually be bipolar can lead to really messed up results. I would even go as far as to say that no diagnosis at all is preferable to an uninformed one", ">\n\nWell.\n​\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad \n\nSo you already know why they're doing what they're doing in addition the fact that you know that they're not Autistic? If your claim is that they can't know and only a doctor can, what makes you more qualified? You start out your argument admitting that you have a bias.\n\nthey’re “neurodivergent.\n\nNeurodivergent is an umbrella that covers both Autism and ADHD, which sometimes get mistaken for each other. So if you're upset that they're self-diagnosing, this term should be more welcome than \"Autistic\" because it's more generalized.\n\nnd when you ask them how they know they’ll say “oh I have this weird tick when I uh laugh when someone says something funny “ or “I have a hyper fixation on this topic so I must be autistic\n\nHow else should they communicate it to you? The list of aspects of Autism, especially for how it presents in women, sounds a lot like this. You're not a doctor, they don't have to prove anything to you by going down the entire list of every possible part of their daily experience that might be on the spectrum.\n\nWomen statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nNope. Women are diagnosed less often than men because the original diagnostic criteria for Autism was for Autism as it presents in males. It presents differently for females and is harder to diagnose, especially at younger ages. \n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized\n\nTodays youth want to be victimized? Why would anyone want to be victimized? Something tells me you're missing the mark with this terminology.\n\nor have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. \n\nSo if someone is Autistic and that makes them weird, you'd rather them just be forced to not get to have a name for it, and get the therapeutic treatment that would help them?\n\nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really [are] without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nSome people are autistic. If they find out and it makes them feel good, that doesn't mean they're craving attention. And if they are craving attention, it's because they're normal people and everyone does. \nIf someone thinks they're autistic but it turns out they're actually not, chances are they suspected it for a reason. They might have ADHD, a personality disorder, a mental health issue, or simply a slightly different way of experiencing the world that feels unique to them and there's nothing wrong with that. \nYou seem to think that other people do things for you. People generally don't. They do things for themselves. This is especially true of people on the Autism Spectrum who may not be able to easily use other people's experiences to reference when constructing their view of the world, and can only use their own. Your interpretation wherein they do it to evoke a response from you says more about you than it does about them.", ">\n\nYou’re being deliberately obtuse. OP is completely correct. Most of the people these days who say “I’m ADHD” or “I’m autistic” or “I’m neurodivergent” are absolutely not diagnosed as such and are doing it to seem unique or get attention or as some excuse for why they did x y or z.", ">\n\nI'd like to point out that while some are perhaps attention seeking, many people self diagnose simply because they don't have access to free medical/psychological professionals to get proper diagnosis and help with their issues. I also know someone who doesn't want to get an official diagnosis because he's afrad it will affect his insurance rates or somehow come back to bite him if he's offically labeled with having a neurological disorder. \nThere is a wealth of knowledge on these subjects available online for those interested. And if they are truly interested in self diagnose they can likely do that accurately enough for all intents and purposes. Most of these people who search for the sake of better understanding themselves or their loved ones will openly admit that it's a self diagnoses, or say they THINK they have x,y, or z. But in some situations it's just as well to say they have it if they feel certain anyway, and it's just a passing comment, and not a discussion on the matter. \nIn other words, just because they self diagnose doesn't mean they're wrong, nor does it explain their motives. I also don't see how attention seeking (for those who ARE doing that) is really hurting anyone else. Fakers gonna be fake, that's more a \"them\" kind of problem. ANNOYING, but mostly harmless.", ">\n\nUnless you have a doctor's diagnosis you don't have the disorder. Even if you are broke there are programs to help with costs. \nAnd yes it does affect me when someone is treating me like shit and tries using the I have such and such as an excuse and then people get mad at ME for calling them in their bullshit.", ">\n\nNo. You have to have the disorder before you CAN be diagnosed, so obviously there are undiagnosed people who in fact \"have the disorder \". Your refusal to acknowledge an undiagnosed disorder does not mean they don't have it. Your personal experience with people supposedly using a fake diagnosis to treat you badly, sounds unusual. How do you know they DIDN'T have it? People who do lie and just want to be jerks will do that regardless of what methods they decide to try. The methods are irrelevant. And that motive is not typical of most self diagnosers .", ">\n\nSounds unusual? You must not get out a lot because it's become a pretty regular thing. Every single person I know (about 8) that have self diagnosed themselves as neurodivergent or with a mental illness like Bi-polar all use it to excuse their shitty ass behaviors. \nToo many disorders can mirror other ones. Just because they think they have 2/3 symptoms doesn't make them right by a long shot. Keep living in your bubble.", ">\n\nYou don't have to have a relationship with anyone. If they treat you badly, regardless of an official diagnosis or not, you don't have to tolerate them. It makes no difference what they have or don't have. What would it change if they got diagnosed and actually have it?", ">\n\nSelf diagnosing has been a thing forever\nAnd it's not a problem im 99% sure me or any other autistic person doesn't really give 2 fucks about people who wanna fake disorders. It doesn't stop us from getting help, we have doctors notes, medical files, sometimes even volunteers, you need those files to get into let's say a special education class, or a life skills course.\nSo unless you were diagnosed by a professional you're probably not gonna make it far faking it.\n(Excuse my shitty punctuation)", ">\n\nIt doesn’t bother you that they’re making others take the actual meaning away from what you were born with? I mean I’m sure autism hasn’t made your life easy and seeing ppl claim it for attention to be quirky probably has to annoy you a little right?", ">\n\nAt the end of the day I still have ADHD and I still need help with it. More people being diagnosed with it doesn’t change that fact. In fact I was diagnosed because I realized I related to so many tiktok memes, and I’m sure others are in my same boat. \nIn fact I think so many people talking about ADHD helps. It means more people who possibly have tips for me, people who are suffering who can’t afford treatment have an easy way to learn about how to improve their lives, and more people who are aware of my disorder.", ">\n\nI think people do diagnose themselves too often without seeking professional help. BUT mental illness is not the same as being neurodivergent.", ">\n\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad that they’ll go as far to say they’re “neurodivergent.”\n\nWhile this is the case, I don't really see how it's a \"problem\" per se. I guarantee that these people still make lifestyle decisions based on what they think is best, or based on what they want to do.\n\nbut it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women\n\nDo you have any statistics for that? I haven't experienced it that way in my own anecdotal experience, and I'd be curious to look into the data to see how much that truly does skew in that direction.\n\nwanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness \nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nI understand what you're trying to say here, but I don't really think these things are connected as much as you think they are. People see something wrong with themselves, so they either playfully or seriously consider the fact that it could be a condition that they have similar symptoms to. Not that it never happens, but just because someone categorizes themselves into a disability group that could potentially excuse their \"quirks\", doesn't mean they think that behavior is unacceptable in any way. People see a problem, and assume it's linked to this other issue that seems similar that they already know about.", ">\n\nI agree with the conclusion that self-diagnosis is a real issue, and I wouldn't be surprised if the data indicated it was on the rise. I wouldn't necessarily frame it as a simple desire to \"be victimized\" however. While it is purely speculation, I do believe there are a number of conditions which might lead towards a more frequent experience of symptoms associated with mental illness - a rising wealth gap, perpetual anxiety from a 24-hour news cycle, intensification of self-commodification, the student debt crisis in certain countries like the US, and so on. So people are experiencing symptoms like low energy, mood swings, etc. that can be associated with mental illness. The issue with self-diagnosis then becomes that it may correctly identify the symptom, but incorrectly identify the cause.\nThis video from the YouTuber HealthyGamerGG does a good job of explaining what some of the issues with self-diagnosis are, and for me it was a good starting place for thinking about this more. \nEDIT: I forgot this video literally starts with this same topic being brought up on this same subreddit lol", ">\n\nA great theory based on reasonable causes with an educational video from a psychologist(I assume) as evidence to back it up. I applaud you sir. 👏", ">\n\nWhy are you embarrassed by other people's issues?", ">\n\nI’m a 30yo male. If I had not first self diagnosed with ASD and OCD, I never would have found the language and resources to get a formal diagnosis and help.\nPrior generations have been so fixated on avoidance of diagnosing mental disorders, and research was previously so lacking that we are only just now (through those that do get diagnosed) realizing how common mental disorders are. That plus the lack of mental health resources for neurotypical and neurodivergent I think is how we end up in this situation of many recognizing their symptoms in the new discourse, but lacking the resources to overcome the barriers to proper diagnosis and treatment.", ">\n\nIt’s not the best thing, no. \nAs an adult FINALLY diagnosed (by a licensed therapist) at 41, I can tell you why ‘self diagnosis’ is so tempting. \nIn the US at least- mental health, and official medical diagnosis are almost completely inaccessible, especially as an adult. Most of us grew up before Autism was a spectrum, and ADHD was just boys who acted out in class. We felt like aliens. We couldn’t understand why we didn’t have many friends, or why we didn’t like the ‘right things’, and generally spend the bill of our lives feeling ‘wrong’, ‘broken’ or just simply like we didn’t belong. \nFinally understanding the WHY, and even better, finding tools to addresses our issues is a huge huge weight off the chest. The relief of having a name and a strategy- either therapy or medicine is such an amazing relief!!", ">\n\nI only kinda agree if I had not done my own research I would have never found out I have sjorgens syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis I know TikTok people tend to diagnose themselves and it makes it look cringe but when you live with a incurable illness sometimes you have to work to find a diagnosis", ">\n\nWell, what do you do of you absolutely know you're neurodivergent, but your parents decided not to get you checked? My mom once told me \"we knew you had something, we just didn't get you checked because they would have just put you on pills\". So I struggled with being different, socially unaware, impulsive, obnoxious, agressive, selfish, for the better part of my life without having the self awareness to understand why I was these things, and why people wouldn't want to be around me. \nIn my late 20''s I asked the question, what if I'm actually autistic? I looked up the symptoms, and 9/10 matched. As a child I couldn't handle loud noises, restrictive clothing, I didn't talk until I was 3. I would throw fits for seemingly no reason, I had obsessive interests. I've always really struggled with eye contact, and I never cared for conversation unless it was something I liked. I mean, when the final piece of a puzzle fits so incredibly well, it's really hard for it to be wrong. \nSelf diagnosing actually really helped me grow as aj individual. I became aware of all my divergent behaviors, and why it might be annoying for someone else to deal with. I came to the realization that I was the one who was different, therefore I needed to change. It's way harder to make everyone around you cater to your needs than to overcome the things that upset you. I'm at peace, I have good friends that I can connect with on a pretty deep level. I no longer smash coffee tables when I lose, I can now appreciate that if I lose it just means I have more to learn. I can keep my house clean, I can reasonably hold myself accountable. What exactly is the harm in all that?\nBesides, it would be pretty pointless for me to try and get a diagnosis now, I've put the effort in and largely come out the other side. Anyone diagnosing me would just say I was normal, but they wouldn't have the intimate knowledge of me that I do. I guess it doesn't matter if people don't believe me, I don't go around shouting that I'm autistic. I will say, it would be really nice if people appreciated the effort I put in to get to get to a place of normalcy, something others take for granted, but it's okay, we all have our struggles.", ">\n\nI feel you on all that. To play devil's advocate, mental healthcare in the U.S. is not cheap. Many people go to the internet and confirm their bias about their current health", ">\n\nI feel you on that too OP. I agree 100% with your entire statement.", ">\n\nIt's a problem, but not a new one. In the 1990s there was briefly a surge of people with a type of delusional parasitosis, that is, the false belief that they were infested with parasites. Except this one was supposedly an infestation with tiny fibres. They would come to doctors with a whole list of symptoms to back up their incorrect self-diagnosis.\nTo a certain extent, these are social contagions, which come and go, and often actually end up leading to people having real problems. Like, the young women you mention, a couple of decades ago may well have ended up with anorexia, or self-cutting. These days it might be a self-declaration of autism or a belief that they have gender dysphoria or that they have multiple systems living in their minds.", ">\n\nWow I did not know that. Maybe it’s just so prevalent today due to social media. Social media has only made these things worse imo", ">\n\nEven before it being self diagnosis of a mental illness it was always something. Remember all the emo and goth teenager?", ">\n\nIt depends on the context. For example, if they've done a substantial amount of research, can name a good amount of symptoms they have and reasons they have whatever mental illness and don't have access to the necessary tools to get a medical diagnosis, it's totally different. Some people don't have the money to go out and get a diagnosis, or sometimes it would be better to not get a medical diagnosis. I believe that the reason that a lot of people self diagnose themselves with things like Autism is because they want an explanation as to why they are different, and they could be right or wrong. I think the most important part is that if you go to a psychologist (or even two, I know a lot of people prefer getting second opinions) and they say you don't have it, that you need to admit you were wrong. It's ok to be wrong about your mental health, and the key is to keep looking and to not give up. I can completely understand the frustration in people completely missing how difficult it actually may be to have a mental illness. I was clinically diagnosed with Depression, Anxiety, and PTSD when I was seven, and I've had some experience with people faking mental disorders for attention, and more often then not, they have another mental disorder that needs attention. Recently I had a (now ex) boyfriend insist he had PTSD after being tested twice and the psychiatrist saying that he didn't have it. What he does have is Depression and Anxiety, but he absolutely insisted he has PTSD despite never exhibiting symptoms and the only evidence being a test he took online that was supposedly a \"real PTSD test.\" People faking mental illnesses only harms people who really have them, as these people tend to exaggerate symptoms and use their self diagnosis for attention. I believe that I am autistic, but I don't list it as a diagnosis because while I have read articles and taken the RAADS-r test, I don't have an official diagnosis, and I could very well be wrong. As for women faking illnesses more often, something I've noticed is that things like Autism, ADHD, ADD, etc are more often diagnosed in boys rather than girls- mostly because when they were first discovered, most of the research was done in boys. Autism shows up differently in girls, and can often be blown off as early puberty hormones. If their hyperfixations are those of stereotypical feminine things, it's just a girl liking whatever, and if they hyperfixate in stereotypical masculine interests, they tend to just be viewed as weird, but not autistic. It's normal for people to question, but I agree that to a certain point, self diagnosis can be harmful, but only if not done correctly.", ">\n\nFirst and foremost not a new problem at all, very common, we used to call it \"Being a hypochondriac\" until it aparrently became reconized which in it self is confusing and a bit contradictory.\nANYWAY\nIt isnt really a problem, no doctor is gonna write the perscription for medication without a diagnosis of some sort.\nAt most there is the vauge \"But what about those who actually have it who arent taken serious\" dont worry, we wouldnt have anyway. Thats kinda how invisible illnesses work.\nOverall the 101 hypochondriacs screaming about the symptoms they read in the ICD might help make the knowledge more common and help people better reconize if their colleagues or friends happen to show symptoms of something.", ">\n\nIt’s pretty expensive in the US to get diagnosed. Personally, I’ve self diagnosed myself out of frustration of the way I process things. I’ve always felt slow & my anxiety/depression was deep because of it, but I was raised in a family that doesn’t believe in mental illness. It was always “if you work hard enough, all your problems will go away”. Meanwhile, i was racking my brain on how to make myself think faster/smarter & it would result in psychotic episodes. I’ve gotten fired from jobs, dropped out of school. I started self harming because I hated myself and my brain & almost commit suicide bc I had no idea what was going on.\nThe relief I felt once I finally got a therapist who validated me & was the first to talk to me about mental Illness. It blew my mind and all of a sudden things actually made sense to me. I currently think I have ADD, and sometimes I’ll tell people that but will preface it by saying I’m not professionally diagnosed. Still, I use mental tools that help me get through the day and build my confidence. I’m a lot better at processing conversations, making lists that help me remember things, unmasking, slowing down my thoughts… etc. I’m less frustrated and can see the beauty in how I process things. I still want to get diagnosed but I have to get health insurance….. lol", ">\n\nSelf diagnosis, regardless of being factual is a process where the individual realizes that they might have a mental health issue. People who can do this are more likely to seek professional help compared to the people who think they are “fine”. Going to a professional, licensed psychologist or a psychiatrist will eventually diagnose them with the correct disorder from there, and professionals have the skills to communicate with them and they can together evaluate if the person’s complaint is the issue or not. There is nothing embarrassing about discovering one’s self. It would be a problem if people would identify with an issue and don’t have any willingness to seek help. Sometimes overreacting is better than not reacting.", ">\n\nThe majority of people who are self-diagnosed with autism have done extensive research into it to come to that conclusion. I personally went through the DSM criteria with a fine-tooth comb, made a list of all the ways I met it and discovered that there’s not a single criteria i don’t meet for autism. I didn’t read about anything else but autism for weeks, approaching it from all angles before coming to the conclusion that it’s highly unlikely I am not autistic. I’m waiting to hear back about an assessment, but I’m not waiting to go and be told something I already know before I start advocating for myself. \nOh, and I absolutely did not want to be ‘different’, in fact my life mission to just blend in and be average is the root cause of most of my problems, but here we are.", ">\n\nThis self diagnosing young people do isn’t the problem. The problem is that our society encourages it.\nOur culture is not set up to accommodate a wide spectrum of human needs. You may need things that I don’t. I may need things that you don’t. But in most business settings, academic settings, or even places like restaurants or leisure places, the world isn’t built to accommodate everyone. Our world and society is a “one size fits all” approach, and most people don’t fit snugly inside of that system. \nIf you can classify what is “wrong” or “different” about you into an easily digestible form, people are generally more able and more willing to accommodate you.\nFor example: if I tell my coworkers that I need to leave work early because of a headache, I’ll be shamed for it. And in some cases I’ll be told that “headaches aren’t that bad!” Or “You don’t need to leave.” Or “I have a headache too, just deal with it!”\nBut if I tell my workers that I need to leave due to a painful neurological condition that’s flaring up (I have chronic migraine, which is a neurological condition), they will respect it 100% of the time. It’s met with sympathy and not criticism.\nThis happens for all sorts of things. “Sorry Im late, I slept in.” Sounds a lot worse then, “sorry I’m late, my insomnia has been terrible lately.” \nOur culture forces us to use these labels even when they’re untrue just to receive sympathy or acceptance. The problem isn’t people who decide to use these labels, the root problem is that our society refuses to embrace and accommodate people who are outside of the “norm.”", ">\n\nSpeaking as someone who's had an autism diagnosis since age 7: if someone declares they're autistic when they're not, that's obnoxious at worst. If someone is told they're not autistic when they are, that can cause lifelong harm from denied care and understanding. I have seen this happen to a close friend of mine.\nTherefore, I'd much rather err on the side of acceptance. If you think you're defending me and others like me from impersonators, we'd rather not have your help.\n\nI know people will disagree but it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women. Women statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nCase in point: women are diagnosed with autism far less than men. Recent studies have pointed to decades of systematic misdiagnosis. The more visible autistic symptoms sometimes manifest differently in girls, the way they're socialized may help them hide it from a young age, and of course lots of doctors just say \"your daughter can't be autistic, that's a boy thing.\"\nWe're learning that there are hundreds of thousands of autistic women who slipped through the cracks and were denied the recognition and support they needed because of dismissive, gatekeeping attitudes just like yours.", ">\n\nThere’s a difference between having a disorder and relating to a disorder. If the tools or language associated with a disorder helps someone live better though then cool, it’s all still odd. Also autism presents differently in woman, and a majority of our research on it is on men. Best practice is probably to support them and encourage them to seek treatment.", ">\n\nAutism is severely misdiagnosed in women. Completely under diagnosed. Actually, plenty of things are. The actual problem that we have is parents refusing to let their children get professional help or a diagnosis. Most doctors will diagnose you with BPD as a woman(aka the new female hysteria of our century), maybe put you on some anti psychotics and send you your way. In most countries, a diagnosis/specialist is not readily available, or there is a long waiting list. Even so, the doctors are not know it all. I have seen plenty of doctors, I got different diagnosis almost each time. They ask you some general questions (about your mood, the way you sleep, if you can concentrate, if you harm yourself, if you have suicidal ideation, if you can socialize properly, if your parents were diagnosed with anything, if you have hallucinations or delusions, the works) and then based on that, they will give you a diagnosis. If you use your common sense and information on the internet (given you are knowledgeable on the subject), you can take a good guess on what's wrong. Obviously, some people will exaggerate like with anything (seeing the shadow dude once in your childhood is not a sign of psychosis, neither is hearing your name called when you are alone once in a blue moon), but if you have visual and auditory hallucinations, perhaps weird tactile feelings/hallucinations (spiders are crawling on me, etc), delusions, tend to be forgetful and out of teach with reality, there is a good chance you do have psychosis.", ">\n\nOkay, to start: what do you think autism and ADHD are? They aren't mental illnesses nor are they mental health conditions. \nTo address some of your other points; \nStudies have shown that autism has a gender expression of 1:1. The only reason that women are under diagnosed is because of misunderstandings towards autism, then the diagnosis is conducted incorrectly. Thus it ends up getting conflated with mental illness, E.G BPD, and is diagnosed as a psychiatric disorder instead. This is a detriment to the patient as the care regimes are black and white different. Often times this severely damages the woman.\nFrom data sets that I recall reading, malingering hasn't risen much, if at all, in recent times. I remember it being around 8% of the global population who are engaging in this behaviour, to different extents. I think what's happened is that social media has turned a torch onto it and it's risen in popularity in an algorithmic way. You see it more because it's pushed by the algorithm more because people are searching for it more. It isn't actually occurring any more or less than historically. Most of that attention is negative attention, I should add. \nSo there's two things to take away from that.\n1) The actual act of pretending to be mentally ill, or to have a disability, which is called malingering, is in fact a form of mental unwellness itself. It's a cry for help. The people who do these things are usually very unstable and should be treated with a degree of empathy. The dangerous types who are using mental illness to scam others, or to manipulate them, make up a very small percentage of the overall amount of people in that group and tend to abuse one on one. \n2) The predominant response to this is generally negative. There isn't really any reason to publicly malinger unless you're unstable, this is because a rational person would likely know this, and know the damage it would cause themselves. Self-diagnosis is a very long, and self-aware, process that takes place over years of the individuals life, and proceeds official diagnosis. \nNo one SDs and says \"Okay that's it now! Let me start a TikTok!\" You'd still want support, and you'd still seek support. So that would end up with a doctor, who would see that you're lying, and treat you for whatever was prompting you to malinger. Anyone who has made this commitment knows that keeping it private is a sensible thing to do in a world that isn't inclusive, and often very stigmatising. Sometimes official diagnosis can take YEARS. \nThis kind of propaganda has been going around for a long time in an effort to discredit disabled people and people with mental illnesses. It's not new. People said the same things back in the 90s. People will always be afraid, and dismissive, of things they do not understand. I invite you to try and understand.", ">\n\nI self-diagnosed myself with endometriosis for 10 years before a doctor finally listened to me, opened me up, and found my insides littered with lesions all over my organs. I’m now not able to get pregnant and I might need to get part of my bowel taken out someday. This could’ve been avoided if someone had just listened to me when I was 16. \nSelf-diagnosing is a necessity in a misogynist world! No one takes us seriously! Especially medical professionals. \nThe best antidote for this is to listen to women who self-diagnose. Why do they think they have XYZ? Is it heavily interfering with their life? I think that’s a much larger problem.", ">\n\nIts been proven that there is a bias to diagnose as opposed to not diagnose a mental illness in psychology. So op is actually kinda correct. The definition of a mental illness is in effect being stretched so far that people who are just kinda weird are being diagnosed with \"on the spectrum\". This is actually causing a problem in early learning because parents start treating their kids as essentially learning challenged when they're really not. So it is starting to become an excuse ...", ">\n\nWe live in a society that loves to medicate people. I know it’s different but Did ppl forget about the opioid epidemic? They’ll diagnose your ass with anything if they can", ">\n\nYa I tend to agree. And no one is really saying so I will I guess, but id wager that 50% of psychologist \"professionals\" are totally full of shit. The actual number of psychologists that are are doing real research and clinical studies is EXTREMELY small compared to how many \"psychologists\" are out there. Just like chiropractors, half of them are hacks..", ">\n\nAnd ill say one more thing, though it is anecdotal, but i have direct family that works in special education for young children, and that system is fucked with a capital F. Thay are constantly fighting against parents and programs who try to box kids in the \"autistic\" zone, when they are just really quite or shy, or have pee problems. But parents want an excuse and reason for their behavior, and reduce them to a sub standard education and treatment for the rest of their lives. It's heart breaking. Especially in public schools.", ">\n\nI’m 32 years old. \nI didn’t self diagnose for attention although I remember the days of tumblr where everyone self diagnosed for clout.\nIt took me a decade to realize what is really happening. During the decade before I realized what may have been happening I was told the following:\nI’m rude\nI’m bossy\nI have a RBF/I look mad\nI also only managed to make my first real friend at age 27.\nWhat I was really displaying was:\nBeing overly blunt and just trying to get my point across came off rude when I didn’t intend it to be that way\nTrying to have things done at a certain time and way that no one else thought was important to follow\nUnmasking\nNoticed other things too that I just thought was me being weird:\nVocal stimming\nOral stimming-chewing, smoking, vaping\nRepetitive motions\nRocking\nEasily overwhelmed by too much sensory input\nHigh startle reflex \nInability to regulate my body’s needs-I don’t know I’m hungry until I’m ravenous; don’t recognize the need to use the bathroom until it’s causing me to rush off, don’t realize I’m cold until I’m shaking\nI could go on.\nI want an assessment so bad. But assessments for adults are EXTREMELY hard to setup, if you can even set them up at all. Some states don’t even offer them. I’ve been looking but they are only for children and seem to look for severe cases.\n14 years of thinking I was just a bitch who couldn’t make friends because I was too weird…turns out it might be autism. And turns out I’ll most likely never get a true diagnosis. But the RAADS test gave me a 127 score so that might be the closest I’ll ever get.", ">\n\ni kind of self diagnosed autism? i’ve been to many psychiatrists and therapists for years and they always see adhd in the half an hour and prescribe meds for that, which makes me not go there again. if they dug a little deeper they could have seen autism, i spoke to my current psychiatrist about if its possible i have it, she didn’t want to confirm or deny as i was moving out of state from friends and family and am at an age where i can have kids in the next 10 years since she doesn’t want me being concerned for them. \nI think there’s still lots of stigma around autism even with professionals and especially when identifying it in women. \nI don’t want to be autistic, but i can recognise a lot of different patterns comparing myself and others. I’ve researched it a ton especially in how it shows in women compared to men and in all the articles i found myself relating.\nNow i don’t say im autistic, i say im a little sus of being it tho lmao. and try pass it off casually. I find it’s a lot easier for me to understand and embrace my differences compared to trying to hide it and try be like everyone else or wonder why im not like everyone else. \nBeing older i can also recognise how a lot of my family on one side have suffered mentally and because of obvious neurodivergence. so im pretty sure, like the rest of my mentally challenged brain, has been inherited genetically through that side. \nAll that being said. I self diagnosed when i was about 12 that im highly likely to be depressed and anxious in attempt to get my mom to believe me i needed help, and now 8 years later i can identify that this has been an issue forever for me and that i likely cannot go off my meds because i will just go back to how i used to be. Im still ocd with all my meds, but its better than being anxious and depressed all the time, Having ocd throughout the day is like heaven to me in comparison to how i used to be. obviously the ocd isnt new, just a lot more heard in my brain now.", ">\n\nOk, I know some people self diagnoze themselves with [insert some mental illness here] out of attention or whatever, and that's totally not ok.\nHowever, if you read all the symptoms and do proper research on a mental illness and everything clicks in to you, I'd say you can be fairly confident on a self diagnosis (although, it might be worth it to double check with a professional, especially if you want any sort of treatment). But also for some people, it might not be affordable to go to a professional...", ">\n\nI live in Canada, I've engaged with the medical system, doctors don't care and just want you out, ERs are a 8 hour wait for someone to ignore one thing and won't even entertain other issues even if they are related. Self-diagnosis is really the only way to get any kind of proper treatment at all. \nThe doctors will rubber stamp just about anything you ask for except pain killers but in terms of diagnosis you're way better off doing it yourself, sure you don't have 8 years of medical school but the doctors won't give you 5 mins of their time, they are not better than google and you give a lot more of a shit than they will and at the end of the day it's your body.", ">\n\nBack in the 90s when I was a teenager, the kids/teenagers/young adults who wanted attention, and wanted to be different, adopted the goth lifestyle. Dressing up in all black. White foundation with black lipstick and eyeshadow. It was the trendy way to be different, to be viewed as outcasts of society. To not fit in. \nThe goth lifestyle of the 2020s is self diagnosis. Same shit, different day.\nWhenever someone claims autism, or somewhere on the spectrum, I just roll my eyes and imagine that person just sucks at life.", ">\n\nI just think it’s a little more harmful nowadays due to the prevalence of social media. Ppl get sucked into groups and mindsets before they even have a real life chance. Then they hyper fixate on that they might be mentally Ill rather then just trying to live life to the fullest", ">\n\nI 100% agree with you", ">\n\nBecause it's the age of spin this generation has something for everybody. And all of them are Google doctors. Lol", ">\n\nTook my uncle till he was 38 even thought it was apparent to everyone. Hell he got expelled from two schools", ">\n\nI get what you're saying. I frankly find it weird that more people don't find this weird. People self-diagnosing themselves as all kinds of things not only completely misrepresents the actual conditions, thereby making people even more confused as to what they actually are and how they present, but also leads people to run to a psychiatrist claiming false symptoms and getting medication for something they don't have, which is NOT a good thing. People should never be taking medication unless it is necessary. We are a heavily over-medicated society and this is a big factor in that. Caffeine to wake up in the morning, \"immuno-boosters\" and mood stabilizers during the day, sleeping pills to sleep at night. The caffeine and sleeping pills are addictive and can really mess up your circadian rhythm, and the mood stabilizers can really fuck you up if you don't need them. Instead of rushing to diagnose and medicate everyone, we need to educate them on human behavior and show them that their \"mental health\" problems are completely normal.\nOh, so you get nervous right before you make huge life decisions? That's not Anxiety Disorder, it's just anxiety.\nOh, you are really sad because your cat died? That's not Clinical Depression, you are just grieving.\nOh, you went from really happy to really sad when you were previously happy and something really shitty happened to you and soured your mood? That's not Bipolar Disorder, that's just life.\nOh, you like to be more organized than the people around you? That's not Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, you just like to be organized.\nPeople really misunderstand the nature of these conditions and it hinders our collective progress in treating them, like dramatically inflating the number of actual conditions in the population, making it increasingly more difficult to determine how common and how varied they are. After all, in most cases it is not the psychiatrist or psychologist who makes you better, you make you better. Medication can help and other people can show you the path to success, but the problem will never get solved unless you play an active role in the treatment. Some conditions can never be solved, only lessened, while others are virtually untreatable. We need to stop making these conditions seem cool. They aren't. They are serious and need to be taken seriously.", ">\n\nHeavily agree and I appreciate how well this comment is worded. Wish I coulda worded mine a little better", ">\n\nYa I saw you getting shredded in the comments and figured I'd sum it up for you. 🤣", ">\n\nLmao bro I didn’t expect this many. I was thinking maybe like 20 ppl would reply", ">\n\nYou need to self diagnose in many cases in order to get adequate help.", ">\n\nI knew when I had ADD and IBS, and I was able to get my suspicions confirmed by my respective doctors. Doctors are there to help the patients understand themselves, whereas the patients have to go home every day and live with what they actually have. Do not be so quick to judge.", ">\n\nJust to add here - Autism in women is less prevalent because it presents differently and is often not picked up by standardised diagnostic tests (that were developed on an almost exclusively male sample). I think that also goes to show that there’s p significant issues with what we consider ‘scientific’ and research based in the first place.", ">\n\nI grew up in a small town and we had quite a few autistic boys but only one autistic girl. Literally only one out of like 6-8 grades. So that’s like a 10-1 ratio. It’s gotta be a lot statistically smaller then males. I don’t doubt it happens I just know it’s a lot less", ">\n\nYou think your small town’s makeup is generalizable to all of society? That isn’t how statistics work.", ">\n\nSo my question would be - so what do we do?\nYou think people are diagnosing themselves to gain attention. Fine, but what's the next step?\nSee, I think I might be bipolar 2. But I went on a journey where I looked into the techniques for dealing with this issue. That led me to cognitive behavior therapy.\nThat actually made me more convinced that this was my issue because I have taught myself a lot of cognitive behavior therapy techniques to address the same issues. These practices have really helped me.\nIt sounds like your issue is that these people are getting attention for it. To me, these are people who need someone to help guide them. That would have helped me a lot when I was younger. Society today doesn't really give us the tools to sort this out, but just the knowledge that these things exist can push someone down the rabbit hole to learn about therapy that could really help.\nI think you should ask yourself what your motivations are. Do you really want them to understand themselves? Or are you more interested in steering the conversation toward other topics?\nPersonally, I would deal with these people by paying them forward. I would tell them to understand the practices that typically help these people, and see if they are relevant. I would tell them to seek professional help, and to refrain from diagnosing themselves, but I would encourage them to be critical of themselves and to learn more.\nImo, the way out is through.", ">\n\nI agree with you but it’s not mostly women. Maybe by happenstance that’s the case in your circle but broadly men do this too.", ">\n\nDoctor's are consulting the Mayo Clinic website after talking to a patient and getting their symptoms. I bring that up to say this; a doctor's training is needed for very serious diseases and tricky diagnoses, but a semi-intelligent person could look up their symptoms and get a lot of the more minor stuff right.", ">\n\nI've never been diagnosed as clinically depressed or anything, but that doesn't mean that I don't suffer from depression a lot of the time (these last few years, more often than not). I see a therapist. I take antidepressants. \nI have a friend who has aphantasia. It isn't really a \"diagnosable\" condition, but it describes what he has trouble with: creating images in his mind.", ">\n\nThat’s different then going online and claiming perfectly normal traits mean you’re autistic", ">\n\nNeurodivergence ≠ mental illness.", ">\n\nThey know themselves and their experiences better than you.", ">\n\nOP, I'm seeing some differences between your post and what you're saying in the comments. \nMy question is, do you have a problem with people self-diagnosing, or is your issue more about people drawing a lot of public attention to their diagnoses?", ">\n\nOverall both but definitely the attention part more so for obvious reasons. The self diagnosing part due to the fact that it can make people believe it can be an excuse for their actions good or bad. I think In a weird way it can allow people to take away the responsibility of their own actions and attribute to their mental illness", ">\n\nAs someone who has been diagnosed with ADHD, having people self diagnosing doesn't bother me at all, because I went the path of not knowing at all what I had and letting doctors figure out by themselves... and it took me 4 years and a half to finally have a concrete answer that no doctors would have found out if I didn't start searching on my own. You can't walk into every doctor's office with the assumption they'll figure out what you have, because it's not their speciality, or they still have an outdated view (not every doctor are kept up to date with new discovers), or they're biased, etc... \nI've never been annoyed by people who self diagnose. Hell, if I knew what was about to happen to me, I would have done the same way sooner.", ">\n\nMost women today arent faking it, they are noticing the symptoms no one else noticed and trying to find help. Its not easy to grow up with this kind of stuff. Is not coincidence you think women are less likely to be born to autism instead of thinking how weird it is that for some reason most autism diagnosis happen to men, that is the misogyny in the medical comunity.\nSelf diagnosis means this women will go to doctors and it most case scenarios they will get diagnoses because they have this issue all their life.\nSocial media is giving people awareness of the issue in medicine and how it affects women. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Misogyny in medicine also leads to people not knowing the difference between a heart attack in a woman and a man. It leads to women thinking its something else because internet and books will tell you how a man will feel a heart attack, even doctors sometimes dont know this.", ">\n\nGetting a diagnosis or treatment is borderline impossible for a lot of people. So self diagnosis is sometimes the only way they can help themselves.", ">\n\nNot a mental illness. But, I am a trans person and I pretty much self-diagnosed and self-medicated. I just had physicians do blood test.\nI educated myself on how everything works in about eight month period. I did that over a decade.\nI don’t regret my decision, and if I did. The regret would be not starting any sooner, especially when people who aren’t physicians or therapists are having a final say about these things.", ">\n\nIt is very noticeable and annoying, buuuut it’s proven autism manifest differently in females. Plus women are (very) often under diagnosed and dismissed for many many things by doctors, which is absolutely disgusting. Aaaand the cost of healthcare is outrageous.", ">\n\nwomen being less likely to be diagnosed with autism has nothing to do with an actual gender gap in who does and doesn’t have autism and everything to do with the fact autistic women are diagnosed with personality disorders and mental illnesses due to stigmas. most autism research was done on men and therefore women are underrepresented and more often than not misdiagnosed. autism actually occurs at a similar rate in both sexes. also, it’s not a mental illness, it’s a neurological condition (not that mental illnesses aren’t, but illness implies there’s something wrong, which there isn’t in autistic people). i agree that self diagnosing leads to misinformation and harms those who are clinically diagnosed though.", ">\n\nA lot of medical diagnoses are based on white male studies, so yes you would see more women finding out they have certain mental illnesses now as professionals are realizing it can show differently in females vs males. Adhd, for example, was considered something only seen in young boys that would grow out of it, now they are realizing that you don't in fact grow out of it and women can have it too. \nMental illness was a taboo subject back in the day as well, especially for women. It was only in 1980 I think that hysteria was no longer considered a mental illness. Women would be diagnosed with 'hysteria' and committed for symptoms like anxiety and anger. So now a lot of women are learning more about their mental health because they feel safe to do so. \nMy mother is in her early 70's and still refuses to tell anyone her own health issues or even mine, I have cancer and we were going to go on a trip as it's unknown how much longer I have and she refused to ask for the day off because she wouldn't tell them the reason why.", ">\n\nI detest self diagnosis, though once you’ve studied advanced level abnormal psychology shit happens. \nAs far as kids go, the generalized anxiety and depressive spectrum diagnoses can occasionally be accurate however that would warrant professional intervention regardless.\nOne serious issue among others; if an adolescent “decides” they have major depressive disorder that can become a self fulfilling prophecy and cause despair and reluctance to seek treatment", ">\n\nLook at the price and lack of availability of mental health care, and the total lack of privacy of internet connected devices. Most practitioners don’t offer in person visits anymore, and even if they do they probably do digital records or have their phone present. Ofc people are self diagnosing." ]

[ "The diagnosis process for a lot of psychiatric conditions are surveys and questionaires. You can go to a psychiatrist and ask if you're anxious and they'll give you multiple choice questions and diagnose off of that. Or you can just google the form yourself and self diagnose. A lot of psychiatric disorders are about how we feel and think. Not about sending off some blood sample to a lab and getting a positive result come back.\n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. For such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nWhat you're describing are all neuroses that could indicate some deeper psychiatric condition. Whether a person has a mental health condition or not, thinking of ourselves as weak victims is never helpful in any context, yet it's something we all feel from time to time.\nI'm a disability support worker, so when someone tells me they've got a self diagnosed condition, it's not offensive to me or any disabled person I know, it doesn't come across like they're invalidating anyone else's condition. However I do think everyone should talk to a doctor about any condition they feel they might have.", ">\n\nPiggybacking off of this: You’ve spent your whole entire life inside your own brain. A therapist will spend a period of hours with you and give you a diagnosis. Who do you think knows your personal reality better than yourself?", ">\n\nYeah exactly, especially with conditions such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, PTSD, and many other psychiatric conditions. These are things people know they have even before they get a diagnosis. The diagnosis stage is more about treatment and management.\nPeople might be unaware of how severe or mild their condition is, some people think they have only mild PTSD despite constant nightmares and suicidal ideation. Some people will think they have severe ADHD because they can't concentrate for long times on things that don't interest them. It's good to get some perspective from experts but ultimately people know when they are struggling to focus or to struggling to stop stressing all the time or struggling to not be miserable. Struggling with our thoughts and feelings is evidence enough to self diagnose.", ">\n\nI was recently diagnosed with ADHD as a woman so I find this viewpoint interesting.\nFirstly, autism is not a mental illness. An autistic person may have mental illness in conjunction with autism, but autism alone lies under the neurodivergent umbrella. Neurodivergency can include autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and other similar conditions.\nWhy women are often underdiagnosed\nThese are serious disabilities that can really impede a person's life, especially if they struggle to find help and acceptance in their community. A lot of women start their journey towards diagnosis later in life due to a number of factors such as:\n\nPoor diagnostic tools and inexperienced professionals\nA misunderstanding that autism and ADHD are more common in boys\nAdvanced masking techniques to cover their 'traits'\n\nWhy women are often diagnosed later in life.\nThe process for many women and men who are diagnosed later in life often includes a level of burnout or breakdown. After a while everything becomes too much, the mask begins to slip and your traits go into overdrive.\nWhy does self-diagnosing seem to be on the rise?\nA common way of finding out you could possibly be neurodivergent is through media and people who are aware of these traits appear.\nIn the past few years, I have seen an increasing awareness of neurodivergence in women pop up in the media. This is useful for people like myself who had no idea wtf was wrong with them for a very long time. For me, a GP actually suggested I seek a diagnosis due to some struggles I was going through.\nAs someone who went through this process self-diagnosing is commonly the first step as an adult. You might be directed to a questionnaire and are asked to evaluate yourself and your experiences thinking back to your childhood. If there's some merit in your experiences than you move to the next step which involves seeking a professional. Waitlists are often months to years long so many people live in limbo for a long time.\nMethods of living with ADHD can help everyone. And everyone experiences ADHD traits from time to time. Given a large amount of stress we have all suffered collectively, I don't doubt there are a lot of people with increased mental health issues that mirror neurodivergent traits. Some mental illnesses can get very severe and alter your brain chemistry and behaviour.\nMy takeaway from this is that the mental health systems set up to assist these people are a much larger issue and cause for serious concern than self-diagnosing.\nApologies for the spelling and grammar errors. Grammarly and Reddit don't play nice.", ">\n\nI think it's two things. One, people have identity crises, especially teenagers. We all know that type of person who tries on identities like hats. That's pretty embarrassing. You usually grow out of that.\nTwo, from personal experience, giving yourself a label or a diagnosis makes it feel more contained and easy to communicate. It's easier to tell someone that you have X and have them understand what you're going through rather than telling them you have these vague symptoms resembling what you imagine X is like. In that respect, it is pretty understandable, possibly good, and not embarrassing. There's something that is sort of reassuring if you can finally get a word to put on what you're experiencing.\nPeople often sympathize with the diagnosis but not with the symptoms. Tell people at work you're autistic and they will sympathize with you and possibly not attack you. Tell them you do not understand social cues and they will probably just make fun of you.", ">\n\nI understand the desire to put a label with a disease, and this is not necessarily bad, but the diagnosis needs to be correct. If you want to tell others that you are autistic or depressed; you must actually be those things. A person can almost never correctly assertion their disease, only their symptoms. People might better understand you if you say your autistic, but you may incorrectly understand and describe yourself. If one wishes to put a name with symptoms, they should find a doctor to pick the label", ">\n\nfor sure but unfortunately our medical system is a joke and even if you are experiencing very severe symptoms it can be nearly impossible to see a professional or take months on a waiting list.\nEven then a professional may be reluctant to slap a label on you for fear of what the consequences of that might be. I saw someone for a very long time who resisted any sort of actual diagnosis because the truth is that what I was experiencing didn't fit neatly into any of the boxes and pretty much belonged in this vague \"other\" category which isn't particularly helpful. Not to mention that misdiagnosis happens all the time even by professionals. \nI just think it is sort of understandable because I think a lot of stuff is kind of a spectrum anyway and just different levels of severity. Things can be really confusing and hard to nail down and thus communicate in a way that causes someone else to be understanding rather than judgemental.", ">\n\nAre you under the impression this is a new phenomenon? Because it's definitely not.\nPeople - especially young people! - crave identity. The world is a confusing place, knowing who you are makes it a little easier. Sometimes it's self-diagnosing mental illness or learning disabilities, or exploring sexual identity, or cliques, or subcultures. There's nothing embarrassing about it, it just is what it is.", ">\n\nIt’s ok to want to express individuality but not to the extent of totally destroying the definition of a real thing and making it hard for actual mentally Ill ppl to get a diagnosis. Why can’t people just accept that they’re different rather then giving themselves a label?", ">\n\npeople on TikTok claiming to have disorders that they don't doesn't affect the precision of psychiatrists diagnosing actual patients. There's no TikTok-said section in the DSM. Why do you think that it does?", ">\n\nIt just encourages more people to get diagnosed possibly skewing the meaning of the mental illness", ">\n\nSkewing it towards statistical accuracy? If people are actually diagnosed at higher rates, we have a better Guage of population-level mental illness, neurodivergency, etc. Better data is more usable, so that research actually means something actionable, ASIDE from the identity boost for young people.", ">\n\nI think what OP is driving at, but utterly failing to explain, is that they think that the fakers will be accommodated by the psychiatric system and diagnosed on the basis of fake symptoms. my sense is that isn't a problem but I don't have data.", ">\n\nDefinitely explained it a little better then I could lol", ">\n\nWhere do you see evidence of that? Any articles about fakers? How about a statistic? If not, it’s just a fear you seem to have.", ">\n\nI think the salient line here is this one:\n\nNeurologists were able to quickly determine that the subjects were not \nsuffering from Tourette's, but psychogenic tics driven by anxiety.", ">\n\nWomen are not born with less autism, but are much less likely to be diagnosed as children than boys. This is partly because boys generally have similar symptoms and behaviors. \nSo of course more women are self diagnosing autism, since their diagnoses were missed as children on a much higher rate.", ">\n\nAlright, I'm diagnosed OCD, PTSD, chronic depression. Diagnosed by a professional so I think I have some grounds to talk about this.\nFirst, let's tackle your women comment about autism. You see, I understand where you're coming from, but you lack the nuance of recognizing that mental illness, and illness in general, is heavily under-diagnosed in women. The medical culture is heavily favored towards men and is rampant with mysogyny, and that's not just me saying it as I've had medical professionals blatantly tell me it's a problem in the field when questioned about it. I've also had some tell me that it's just because women whine a lot, so yanno make of that statement what you will.\nNow that we've covered that let me address the self-diagnosing issue. So, do you want to know what my therapist thinks of self-diagnosing? Well, when I asked them about it they said that self-diagnosing is an important first step to seeking help. Psychiatrist said the same thing. It's normal, expected even, for people to self-diagnose their issues then seek help for them. You can't exactly just peer into someone's brain, no, that person has to tell you what they think is wrong and why they think it is. \nWhat you actually have a problem with is not self-diagnosis, but with people not seeking or not being able to get medical assistance and assuming they're right. You have a problem with people using these issues for attention, which I do too, but once again self-diagnosing is not the problem. Finally, you have a problem with the medical system that forces people into the position of trying to figure out their mental illnesses, but having no ability to get help for them.", ">\n\nI think I did it", ">\n\nSadly no lol, it was not done properly. Do you need a link to the rules?", ">\n\nI already read them i think I’ll figure it out in a bit sorry for the hold up", ">\n\nBecause everyone else is being aggressive: you have to comment with ∆ or !delta and then explain how your view has been changed", ">\n\nThis delta has been rejected. You can't award OP a delta.\nAllowing this would wrongly suggest that you can post here with the aim of convincing others.\nIf you were explaining when/how to award a delta, please use a reddit quote for the symbol next time.\n^Delta System Explained ^| ^Deltaboards", ">\n\nWhat gives you the authority or knowledge to know this is the problem?", ">\n\nYou don’t think it’s a problem that a lot of young ppl are willing to go to the extent of saying they are mentally Ill either for attention or to excuse their weirdness? Just accept that your different. It’s not wrong to believe you’re different without a label", ">\n\nYou did not even try to answer my question.", ">\n\nI’m sorry I was confused on what you meant", ">\n\nIf you are mad at people for self diagnosing themselves because they don't have the knowledge or authority to do so.... what gives you the knowledge or authority to diagnosis this as the problem behavior... basically are you just a kid that is annoyed, or is there some actual studies out there that is claiming this is a problem.", ">\n\nIf you don’t think that people consistently seeking attention for mental illness or craving a label so badly to justify themselves rather then being themselves. That just shows what your views are", ">\n\nDont you think we should leave the diagnosing to the professionals?", ">\n\nI mean yeah", ">\n\nWould you agree that you are diagnosing these people by saying that they are only seeking attention and do not have a real mental illness?", ">\n\nI’m assuming", ">\n\nThere may be some truth to people wanting to be different, however with mental illnesses being more accepted in today's society, many people are a lot more comfortable with being neurodivergent. Additionally, self diagnosis is common because the alternative is spending upwards to $1000-$2000 for a clinical diagnosis.", ">\n\nI know costs suck, but self diagnosis can be much more harmful. A web.md page that tells you your depressed when you may actually be bipolar can lead to really messed up results. I would even go as far as to say that no diagnosis at all is preferable to an uninformed one", ">\n\nWell.\n​\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad \n\nSo you already know why they're doing what they're doing in addition the fact that you know that they're not Autistic? If your claim is that they can't know and only a doctor can, what makes you more qualified? You start out your argument admitting that you have a bias.\n\nthey’re “neurodivergent.\n\nNeurodivergent is an umbrella that covers both Autism and ADHD, which sometimes get mistaken for each other. So if you're upset that they're self-diagnosing, this term should be more welcome than \"Autistic\" because it's more generalized.\n\nnd when you ask them how they know they’ll say “oh I have this weird tick when I uh laugh when someone says something funny “ or “I have a hyper fixation on this topic so I must be autistic\n\nHow else should they communicate it to you? The list of aspects of Autism, especially for how it presents in women, sounds a lot like this. You're not a doctor, they don't have to prove anything to you by going down the entire list of every possible part of their daily experience that might be on the spectrum.\n\nWomen statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nNope. Women are diagnosed less often than men because the original diagnostic criteria for Autism was for Autism as it presents in males. It presents differently for females and is harder to diagnose, especially at younger ages. \n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized\n\nTodays youth want to be victimized? Why would anyone want to be victimized? Something tells me you're missing the mark with this terminology.\n\nor have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. \n\nSo if someone is Autistic and that makes them weird, you'd rather them just be forced to not get to have a name for it, and get the therapeutic treatment that would help them?\n\nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really [are] without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nSome people are autistic. If they find out and it makes them feel good, that doesn't mean they're craving attention. And if they are craving attention, it's because they're normal people and everyone does. \nIf someone thinks they're autistic but it turns out they're actually not, chances are they suspected it for a reason. They might have ADHD, a personality disorder, a mental health issue, or simply a slightly different way of experiencing the world that feels unique to them and there's nothing wrong with that. \nYou seem to think that other people do things for you. People generally don't. They do things for themselves. This is especially true of people on the Autism Spectrum who may not be able to easily use other people's experiences to reference when constructing their view of the world, and can only use their own. Your interpretation wherein they do it to evoke a response from you says more about you than it does about them.", ">\n\nYou’re being deliberately obtuse. OP is completely correct. Most of the people these days who say “I’m ADHD” or “I’m autistic” or “I’m neurodivergent” are absolutely not diagnosed as such and are doing it to seem unique or get attention or as some excuse for why they did x y or z.", ">\n\nI'd like to point out that while some are perhaps attention seeking, many people self diagnose simply because they don't have access to free medical/psychological professionals to get proper diagnosis and help with their issues. I also know someone who doesn't want to get an official diagnosis because he's afrad it will affect his insurance rates or somehow come back to bite him if he's offically labeled with having a neurological disorder. \nThere is a wealth of knowledge on these subjects available online for those interested. And if they are truly interested in self diagnose they can likely do that accurately enough for all intents and purposes. Most of these people who search for the sake of better understanding themselves or their loved ones will openly admit that it's a self diagnoses, or say they THINK they have x,y, or z. But in some situations it's just as well to say they have it if they feel certain anyway, and it's just a passing comment, and not a discussion on the matter. \nIn other words, just because they self diagnose doesn't mean they're wrong, nor does it explain their motives. I also don't see how attention seeking (for those who ARE doing that) is really hurting anyone else. Fakers gonna be fake, that's more a \"them\" kind of problem. ANNOYING, but mostly harmless.", ">\n\nUnless you have a doctor's diagnosis you don't have the disorder. Even if you are broke there are programs to help with costs. \nAnd yes it does affect me when someone is treating me like shit and tries using the I have such and such as an excuse and then people get mad at ME for calling them in their bullshit.", ">\n\nNo. You have to have the disorder before you CAN be diagnosed, so obviously there are undiagnosed people who in fact \"have the disorder \". Your refusal to acknowledge an undiagnosed disorder does not mean they don't have it. Your personal experience with people supposedly using a fake diagnosis to treat you badly, sounds unusual. How do you know they DIDN'T have it? People who do lie and just want to be jerks will do that regardless of what methods they decide to try. The methods are irrelevant. And that motive is not typical of most self diagnosers .", ">\n\nSounds unusual? You must not get out a lot because it's become a pretty regular thing. Every single person I know (about 8) that have self diagnosed themselves as neurodivergent or with a mental illness like Bi-polar all use it to excuse their shitty ass behaviors. \nToo many disorders can mirror other ones. Just because they think they have 2/3 symptoms doesn't make them right by a long shot. Keep living in your bubble.", ">\n\nYou don't have to have a relationship with anyone. If they treat you badly, regardless of an official diagnosis or not, you don't have to tolerate them. It makes no difference what they have or don't have. What would it change if they got diagnosed and actually have it?", ">\n\nSelf diagnosing has been a thing forever\nAnd it's not a problem im 99% sure me or any other autistic person doesn't really give 2 fucks about people who wanna fake disorders. It doesn't stop us from getting help, we have doctors notes, medical files, sometimes even volunteers, you need those files to get into let's say a special education class, or a life skills course.\nSo unless you were diagnosed by a professional you're probably not gonna make it far faking it.\n(Excuse my shitty punctuation)", ">\n\nIt doesn’t bother you that they’re making others take the actual meaning away from what you were born with? I mean I’m sure autism hasn’t made your life easy and seeing ppl claim it for attention to be quirky probably has to annoy you a little right?", ">\n\nAt the end of the day I still have ADHD and I still need help with it. More people being diagnosed with it doesn’t change that fact. In fact I was diagnosed because I realized I related to so many tiktok memes, and I’m sure others are in my same boat. \nIn fact I think so many people talking about ADHD helps. It means more people who possibly have tips for me, people who are suffering who can’t afford treatment have an easy way to learn about how to improve their lives, and more people who are aware of my disorder.", ">\n\nI think people do diagnose themselves too often without seeking professional help. BUT mental illness is not the same as being neurodivergent.", ">\n\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad that they’ll go as far to say they’re “neurodivergent.”\n\nWhile this is the case, I don't really see how it's a \"problem\" per se. I guarantee that these people still make lifestyle decisions based on what they think is best, or based on what they want to do.\n\nbut it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women\n\nDo you have any statistics for that? I haven't experienced it that way in my own anecdotal experience, and I'd be curious to look into the data to see how much that truly does skew in that direction.\n\nwanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness \nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nI understand what you're trying to say here, but I don't really think these things are connected as much as you think they are. People see something wrong with themselves, so they either playfully or seriously consider the fact that it could be a condition that they have similar symptoms to. Not that it never happens, but just because someone categorizes themselves into a disability group that could potentially excuse their \"quirks\", doesn't mean they think that behavior is unacceptable in any way. People see a problem, and assume it's linked to this other issue that seems similar that they already know about.", ">\n\nI agree with the conclusion that self-diagnosis is a real issue, and I wouldn't be surprised if the data indicated it was on the rise. I wouldn't necessarily frame it as a simple desire to \"be victimized\" however. While it is purely speculation, I do believe there are a number of conditions which might lead towards a more frequent experience of symptoms associated with mental illness - a rising wealth gap, perpetual anxiety from a 24-hour news cycle, intensification of self-commodification, the student debt crisis in certain countries like the US, and so on. So people are experiencing symptoms like low energy, mood swings, etc. that can be associated with mental illness. The issue with self-diagnosis then becomes that it may correctly identify the symptom, but incorrectly identify the cause.\nThis video from the YouTuber HealthyGamerGG does a good job of explaining what some of the issues with self-diagnosis are, and for me it was a good starting place for thinking about this more. \nEDIT: I forgot this video literally starts with this same topic being brought up on this same subreddit lol", ">\n\nA great theory based on reasonable causes with an educational video from a psychologist(I assume) as evidence to back it up. I applaud you sir. 👏", ">\n\nWhy are you embarrassed by other people's issues?", ">\n\nI’m a 30yo male. If I had not first self diagnosed with ASD and OCD, I never would have found the language and resources to get a formal diagnosis and help.\nPrior generations have been so fixated on avoidance of diagnosing mental disorders, and research was previously so lacking that we are only just now (through those that do get diagnosed) realizing how common mental disorders are. That plus the lack of mental health resources for neurotypical and neurodivergent I think is how we end up in this situation of many recognizing their symptoms in the new discourse, but lacking the resources to overcome the barriers to proper diagnosis and treatment.", ">\n\nIt’s not the best thing, no. \nAs an adult FINALLY diagnosed (by a licensed therapist) at 41, I can tell you why ‘self diagnosis’ is so tempting. \nIn the US at least- mental health, and official medical diagnosis are almost completely inaccessible, especially as an adult. Most of us grew up before Autism was a spectrum, and ADHD was just boys who acted out in class. We felt like aliens. We couldn’t understand why we didn’t have many friends, or why we didn’t like the ‘right things’, and generally spend the bill of our lives feeling ‘wrong’, ‘broken’ or just simply like we didn’t belong. \nFinally understanding the WHY, and even better, finding tools to addresses our issues is a huge huge weight off the chest. The relief of having a name and a strategy- either therapy or medicine is such an amazing relief!!", ">\n\nI only kinda agree if I had not done my own research I would have never found out I have sjorgens syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis I know TikTok people tend to diagnose themselves and it makes it look cringe but when you live with a incurable illness sometimes you have to work to find a diagnosis", ">\n\nWell, what do you do of you absolutely know you're neurodivergent, but your parents decided not to get you checked? My mom once told me \"we knew you had something, we just didn't get you checked because they would have just put you on pills\". So I struggled with being different, socially unaware, impulsive, obnoxious, agressive, selfish, for the better part of my life without having the self awareness to understand why I was these things, and why people wouldn't want to be around me. \nIn my late 20''s I asked the question, what if I'm actually autistic? I looked up the symptoms, and 9/10 matched. As a child I couldn't handle loud noises, restrictive clothing, I didn't talk until I was 3. I would throw fits for seemingly no reason, I had obsessive interests. I've always really struggled with eye contact, and I never cared for conversation unless it was something I liked. I mean, when the final piece of a puzzle fits so incredibly well, it's really hard for it to be wrong. \nSelf diagnosing actually really helped me grow as aj individual. I became aware of all my divergent behaviors, and why it might be annoying for someone else to deal with. I came to the realization that I was the one who was different, therefore I needed to change. It's way harder to make everyone around you cater to your needs than to overcome the things that upset you. I'm at peace, I have good friends that I can connect with on a pretty deep level. I no longer smash coffee tables when I lose, I can now appreciate that if I lose it just means I have more to learn. I can keep my house clean, I can reasonably hold myself accountable. What exactly is the harm in all that?\nBesides, it would be pretty pointless for me to try and get a diagnosis now, I've put the effort in and largely come out the other side. Anyone diagnosing me would just say I was normal, but they wouldn't have the intimate knowledge of me that I do. I guess it doesn't matter if people don't believe me, I don't go around shouting that I'm autistic. I will say, it would be really nice if people appreciated the effort I put in to get to get to a place of normalcy, something others take for granted, but it's okay, we all have our struggles.", ">\n\nI feel you on all that. To play devil's advocate, mental healthcare in the U.S. is not cheap. Many people go to the internet and confirm their bias about their current health", ">\n\nI feel you on that too OP. I agree 100% with your entire statement.", ">\n\nIt's a problem, but not a new one. In the 1990s there was briefly a surge of people with a type of delusional parasitosis, that is, the false belief that they were infested with parasites. Except this one was supposedly an infestation with tiny fibres. They would come to doctors with a whole list of symptoms to back up their incorrect self-diagnosis.\nTo a certain extent, these are social contagions, which come and go, and often actually end up leading to people having real problems. Like, the young women you mention, a couple of decades ago may well have ended up with anorexia, or self-cutting. These days it might be a self-declaration of autism or a belief that they have gender dysphoria or that they have multiple systems living in their minds.", ">\n\nWow I did not know that. Maybe it’s just so prevalent today due to social media. Social media has only made these things worse imo", ">\n\nEven before it being self diagnosis of a mental illness it was always something. Remember all the emo and goth teenager?", ">\n\nIt depends on the context. For example, if they've done a substantial amount of research, can name a good amount of symptoms they have and reasons they have whatever mental illness and don't have access to the necessary tools to get a medical diagnosis, it's totally different. Some people don't have the money to go out and get a diagnosis, or sometimes it would be better to not get a medical diagnosis. I believe that the reason that a lot of people self diagnose themselves with things like Autism is because they want an explanation as to why they are different, and they could be right or wrong. I think the most important part is that if you go to a psychologist (or even two, I know a lot of people prefer getting second opinions) and they say you don't have it, that you need to admit you were wrong. It's ok to be wrong about your mental health, and the key is to keep looking and to not give up. I can completely understand the frustration in people completely missing how difficult it actually may be to have a mental illness. I was clinically diagnosed with Depression, Anxiety, and PTSD when I was seven, and I've had some experience with people faking mental disorders for attention, and more often then not, they have another mental disorder that needs attention. Recently I had a (now ex) boyfriend insist he had PTSD after being tested twice and the psychiatrist saying that he didn't have it. What he does have is Depression and Anxiety, but he absolutely insisted he has PTSD despite never exhibiting symptoms and the only evidence being a test he took online that was supposedly a \"real PTSD test.\" People faking mental illnesses only harms people who really have them, as these people tend to exaggerate symptoms and use their self diagnosis for attention. I believe that I am autistic, but I don't list it as a diagnosis because while I have read articles and taken the RAADS-r test, I don't have an official diagnosis, and I could very well be wrong. As for women faking illnesses more often, something I've noticed is that things like Autism, ADHD, ADD, etc are more often diagnosed in boys rather than girls- mostly because when they were first discovered, most of the research was done in boys. Autism shows up differently in girls, and can often be blown off as early puberty hormones. If their hyperfixations are those of stereotypical feminine things, it's just a girl liking whatever, and if they hyperfixate in stereotypical masculine interests, they tend to just be viewed as weird, but not autistic. It's normal for people to question, but I agree that to a certain point, self diagnosis can be harmful, but only if not done correctly.", ">\n\nFirst and foremost not a new problem at all, very common, we used to call it \"Being a hypochondriac\" until it aparrently became reconized which in it self is confusing and a bit contradictory.\nANYWAY\nIt isnt really a problem, no doctor is gonna write the perscription for medication without a diagnosis of some sort.\nAt most there is the vauge \"But what about those who actually have it who arent taken serious\" dont worry, we wouldnt have anyway. Thats kinda how invisible illnesses work.\nOverall the 101 hypochondriacs screaming about the symptoms they read in the ICD might help make the knowledge more common and help people better reconize if their colleagues or friends happen to show symptoms of something.", ">\n\nIt’s pretty expensive in the US to get diagnosed. Personally, I’ve self diagnosed myself out of frustration of the way I process things. I’ve always felt slow & my anxiety/depression was deep because of it, but I was raised in a family that doesn’t believe in mental illness. It was always “if you work hard enough, all your problems will go away”. Meanwhile, i was racking my brain on how to make myself think faster/smarter & it would result in psychotic episodes. I’ve gotten fired from jobs, dropped out of school. I started self harming because I hated myself and my brain & almost commit suicide bc I had no idea what was going on.\nThe relief I felt once I finally got a therapist who validated me & was the first to talk to me about mental Illness. It blew my mind and all of a sudden things actually made sense to me. I currently think I have ADD, and sometimes I’ll tell people that but will preface it by saying I’m not professionally diagnosed. Still, I use mental tools that help me get through the day and build my confidence. I’m a lot better at processing conversations, making lists that help me remember things, unmasking, slowing down my thoughts… etc. I’m less frustrated and can see the beauty in how I process things. I still want to get diagnosed but I have to get health insurance….. lol", ">\n\nSelf diagnosis, regardless of being factual is a process where the individual realizes that they might have a mental health issue. People who can do this are more likely to seek professional help compared to the people who think they are “fine”. Going to a professional, licensed psychologist or a psychiatrist will eventually diagnose them with the correct disorder from there, and professionals have the skills to communicate with them and they can together evaluate if the person’s complaint is the issue or not. There is nothing embarrassing about discovering one’s self. It would be a problem if people would identify with an issue and don’t have any willingness to seek help. Sometimes overreacting is better than not reacting.", ">\n\nThe majority of people who are self-diagnosed with autism have done extensive research into it to come to that conclusion. I personally went through the DSM criteria with a fine-tooth comb, made a list of all the ways I met it and discovered that there’s not a single criteria i don’t meet for autism. I didn’t read about anything else but autism for weeks, approaching it from all angles before coming to the conclusion that it’s highly unlikely I am not autistic. I’m waiting to hear back about an assessment, but I’m not waiting to go and be told something I already know before I start advocating for myself. \nOh, and I absolutely did not want to be ‘different’, in fact my life mission to just blend in and be average is the root cause of most of my problems, but here we are.", ">\n\nThis self diagnosing young people do isn’t the problem. The problem is that our society encourages it.\nOur culture is not set up to accommodate a wide spectrum of human needs. You may need things that I don’t. I may need things that you don’t. But in most business settings, academic settings, or even places like restaurants or leisure places, the world isn’t built to accommodate everyone. Our world and society is a “one size fits all” approach, and most people don’t fit snugly inside of that system. \nIf you can classify what is “wrong” or “different” about you into an easily digestible form, people are generally more able and more willing to accommodate you.\nFor example: if I tell my coworkers that I need to leave work early because of a headache, I’ll be shamed for it. And in some cases I’ll be told that “headaches aren’t that bad!” Or “You don’t need to leave.” Or “I have a headache too, just deal with it!”\nBut if I tell my workers that I need to leave due to a painful neurological condition that’s flaring up (I have chronic migraine, which is a neurological condition), they will respect it 100% of the time. It’s met with sympathy and not criticism.\nThis happens for all sorts of things. “Sorry Im late, I slept in.” Sounds a lot worse then, “sorry I’m late, my insomnia has been terrible lately.” \nOur culture forces us to use these labels even when they’re untrue just to receive sympathy or acceptance. The problem isn’t people who decide to use these labels, the root problem is that our society refuses to embrace and accommodate people who are outside of the “norm.”", ">\n\nSpeaking as someone who's had an autism diagnosis since age 7: if someone declares they're autistic when they're not, that's obnoxious at worst. If someone is told they're not autistic when they are, that can cause lifelong harm from denied care and understanding. I have seen this happen to a close friend of mine.\nTherefore, I'd much rather err on the side of acceptance. If you think you're defending me and others like me from impersonators, we'd rather not have your help.\n\nI know people will disagree but it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women. Women statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nCase in point: women are diagnosed with autism far less than men. Recent studies have pointed to decades of systematic misdiagnosis. The more visible autistic symptoms sometimes manifest differently in girls, the way they're socialized may help them hide it from a young age, and of course lots of doctors just say \"your daughter can't be autistic, that's a boy thing.\"\nWe're learning that there are hundreds of thousands of autistic women who slipped through the cracks and were denied the recognition and support they needed because of dismissive, gatekeeping attitudes just like yours.", ">\n\nThere’s a difference between having a disorder and relating to a disorder. If the tools or language associated with a disorder helps someone live better though then cool, it’s all still odd. Also autism presents differently in woman, and a majority of our research on it is on men. Best practice is probably to support them and encourage them to seek treatment.", ">\n\nAutism is severely misdiagnosed in women. Completely under diagnosed. Actually, plenty of things are. The actual problem that we have is parents refusing to let their children get professional help or a diagnosis. Most doctors will diagnose you with BPD as a woman(aka the new female hysteria of our century), maybe put you on some anti psychotics and send you your way. In most countries, a diagnosis/specialist is not readily available, or there is a long waiting list. Even so, the doctors are not know it all. I have seen plenty of doctors, I got different diagnosis almost each time. They ask you some general questions (about your mood, the way you sleep, if you can concentrate, if you harm yourself, if you have suicidal ideation, if you can socialize properly, if your parents were diagnosed with anything, if you have hallucinations or delusions, the works) and then based on that, they will give you a diagnosis. If you use your common sense and information on the internet (given you are knowledgeable on the subject), you can take a good guess on what's wrong. Obviously, some people will exaggerate like with anything (seeing the shadow dude once in your childhood is not a sign of psychosis, neither is hearing your name called when you are alone once in a blue moon), but if you have visual and auditory hallucinations, perhaps weird tactile feelings/hallucinations (spiders are crawling on me, etc), delusions, tend to be forgetful and out of teach with reality, there is a good chance you do have psychosis.", ">\n\nOkay, to start: what do you think autism and ADHD are? They aren't mental illnesses nor are they mental health conditions. \nTo address some of your other points; \nStudies have shown that autism has a gender expression of 1:1. The only reason that women are under diagnosed is because of misunderstandings towards autism, then the diagnosis is conducted incorrectly. Thus it ends up getting conflated with mental illness, E.G BPD, and is diagnosed as a psychiatric disorder instead. This is a detriment to the patient as the care regimes are black and white different. Often times this severely damages the woman.\nFrom data sets that I recall reading, malingering hasn't risen much, if at all, in recent times. I remember it being around 8% of the global population who are engaging in this behaviour, to different extents. I think what's happened is that social media has turned a torch onto it and it's risen in popularity in an algorithmic way. You see it more because it's pushed by the algorithm more because people are searching for it more. It isn't actually occurring any more or less than historically. Most of that attention is negative attention, I should add. \nSo there's two things to take away from that.\n1) The actual act of pretending to be mentally ill, or to have a disability, which is called malingering, is in fact a form of mental unwellness itself. It's a cry for help. The people who do these things are usually very unstable and should be treated with a degree of empathy. The dangerous types who are using mental illness to scam others, or to manipulate them, make up a very small percentage of the overall amount of people in that group and tend to abuse one on one. \n2) The predominant response to this is generally negative. There isn't really any reason to publicly malinger unless you're unstable, this is because a rational person would likely know this, and know the damage it would cause themselves. Self-diagnosis is a very long, and self-aware, process that takes place over years of the individuals life, and proceeds official diagnosis. \nNo one SDs and says \"Okay that's it now! Let me start a TikTok!\" You'd still want support, and you'd still seek support. So that would end up with a doctor, who would see that you're lying, and treat you for whatever was prompting you to malinger. Anyone who has made this commitment knows that keeping it private is a sensible thing to do in a world that isn't inclusive, and often very stigmatising. Sometimes official diagnosis can take YEARS. \nThis kind of propaganda has been going around for a long time in an effort to discredit disabled people and people with mental illnesses. It's not new. People said the same things back in the 90s. People will always be afraid, and dismissive, of things they do not understand. I invite you to try and understand.", ">\n\nI self-diagnosed myself with endometriosis for 10 years before a doctor finally listened to me, opened me up, and found my insides littered with lesions all over my organs. I’m now not able to get pregnant and I might need to get part of my bowel taken out someday. This could’ve been avoided if someone had just listened to me when I was 16. \nSelf-diagnosing is a necessity in a misogynist world! No one takes us seriously! Especially medical professionals. \nThe best antidote for this is to listen to women who self-diagnose. Why do they think they have XYZ? Is it heavily interfering with their life? I think that’s a much larger problem.", ">\n\nIts been proven that there is a bias to diagnose as opposed to not diagnose a mental illness in psychology. So op is actually kinda correct. The definition of a mental illness is in effect being stretched so far that people who are just kinda weird are being diagnosed with \"on the spectrum\". This is actually causing a problem in early learning because parents start treating their kids as essentially learning challenged when they're really not. So it is starting to become an excuse ...", ">\n\nWe live in a society that loves to medicate people. I know it’s different but Did ppl forget about the opioid epidemic? They’ll diagnose your ass with anything if they can", ">\n\nYa I tend to agree. And no one is really saying so I will I guess, but id wager that 50% of psychologist \"professionals\" are totally full of shit. The actual number of psychologists that are are doing real research and clinical studies is EXTREMELY small compared to how many \"psychologists\" are out there. Just like chiropractors, half of them are hacks..", ">\n\nAnd ill say one more thing, though it is anecdotal, but i have direct family that works in special education for young children, and that system is fucked with a capital F. Thay are constantly fighting against parents and programs who try to box kids in the \"autistic\" zone, when they are just really quite or shy, or have pee problems. But parents want an excuse and reason for their behavior, and reduce them to a sub standard education and treatment for the rest of their lives. It's heart breaking. Especially in public schools.", ">\n\nI’m 32 years old. \nI didn’t self diagnose for attention although I remember the days of tumblr where everyone self diagnosed for clout.\nIt took me a decade to realize what is really happening. During the decade before I realized what may have been happening I was told the following:\nI’m rude\nI’m bossy\nI have a RBF/I look mad\nI also only managed to make my first real friend at age 27.\nWhat I was really displaying was:\nBeing overly blunt and just trying to get my point across came off rude when I didn’t intend it to be that way\nTrying to have things done at a certain time and way that no one else thought was important to follow\nUnmasking\nNoticed other things too that I just thought was me being weird:\nVocal stimming\nOral stimming-chewing, smoking, vaping\nRepetitive motions\nRocking\nEasily overwhelmed by too much sensory input\nHigh startle reflex \nInability to regulate my body’s needs-I don’t know I’m hungry until I’m ravenous; don’t recognize the need to use the bathroom until it’s causing me to rush off, don’t realize I’m cold until I’m shaking\nI could go on.\nI want an assessment so bad. But assessments for adults are EXTREMELY hard to setup, if you can even set them up at all. Some states don’t even offer them. I’ve been looking but they are only for children and seem to look for severe cases.\n14 years of thinking I was just a bitch who couldn’t make friends because I was too weird…turns out it might be autism. And turns out I’ll most likely never get a true diagnosis. But the RAADS test gave me a 127 score so that might be the closest I’ll ever get.", ">\n\ni kind of self diagnosed autism? i’ve been to many psychiatrists and therapists for years and they always see adhd in the half an hour and prescribe meds for that, which makes me not go there again. if they dug a little deeper they could have seen autism, i spoke to my current psychiatrist about if its possible i have it, she didn’t want to confirm or deny as i was moving out of state from friends and family and am at an age where i can have kids in the next 10 years since she doesn’t want me being concerned for them. \nI think there’s still lots of stigma around autism even with professionals and especially when identifying it in women. \nI don’t want to be autistic, but i can recognise a lot of different patterns comparing myself and others. I’ve researched it a ton especially in how it shows in women compared to men and in all the articles i found myself relating.\nNow i don’t say im autistic, i say im a little sus of being it tho lmao. and try pass it off casually. I find it’s a lot easier for me to understand and embrace my differences compared to trying to hide it and try be like everyone else or wonder why im not like everyone else. \nBeing older i can also recognise how a lot of my family on one side have suffered mentally and because of obvious neurodivergence. so im pretty sure, like the rest of my mentally challenged brain, has been inherited genetically through that side. \nAll that being said. I self diagnosed when i was about 12 that im highly likely to be depressed and anxious in attempt to get my mom to believe me i needed help, and now 8 years later i can identify that this has been an issue forever for me and that i likely cannot go off my meds because i will just go back to how i used to be. Im still ocd with all my meds, but its better than being anxious and depressed all the time, Having ocd throughout the day is like heaven to me in comparison to how i used to be. obviously the ocd isnt new, just a lot more heard in my brain now.", ">\n\nOk, I know some people self diagnoze themselves with [insert some mental illness here] out of attention or whatever, and that's totally not ok.\nHowever, if you read all the symptoms and do proper research on a mental illness and everything clicks in to you, I'd say you can be fairly confident on a self diagnosis (although, it might be worth it to double check with a professional, especially if you want any sort of treatment). But also for some people, it might not be affordable to go to a professional...", ">\n\nI live in Canada, I've engaged with the medical system, doctors don't care and just want you out, ERs are a 8 hour wait for someone to ignore one thing and won't even entertain other issues even if they are related. Self-diagnosis is really the only way to get any kind of proper treatment at all. \nThe doctors will rubber stamp just about anything you ask for except pain killers but in terms of diagnosis you're way better off doing it yourself, sure you don't have 8 years of medical school but the doctors won't give you 5 mins of their time, they are not better than google and you give a lot more of a shit than they will and at the end of the day it's your body.", ">\n\nBack in the 90s when I was a teenager, the kids/teenagers/young adults who wanted attention, and wanted to be different, adopted the goth lifestyle. Dressing up in all black. White foundation with black lipstick and eyeshadow. It was the trendy way to be different, to be viewed as outcasts of society. To not fit in. \nThe goth lifestyle of the 2020s is self diagnosis. Same shit, different day.\nWhenever someone claims autism, or somewhere on the spectrum, I just roll my eyes and imagine that person just sucks at life.", ">\n\nI just think it’s a little more harmful nowadays due to the prevalence of social media. Ppl get sucked into groups and mindsets before they even have a real life chance. Then they hyper fixate on that they might be mentally Ill rather then just trying to live life to the fullest", ">\n\nI 100% agree with you", ">\n\nBecause it's the age of spin this generation has something for everybody. And all of them are Google doctors. Lol", ">\n\nTook my uncle till he was 38 even thought it was apparent to everyone. Hell he got expelled from two schools", ">\n\nI get what you're saying. I frankly find it weird that more people don't find this weird. People self-diagnosing themselves as all kinds of things not only completely misrepresents the actual conditions, thereby making people even more confused as to what they actually are and how they present, but also leads people to run to a psychiatrist claiming false symptoms and getting medication for something they don't have, which is NOT a good thing. People should never be taking medication unless it is necessary. We are a heavily over-medicated society and this is a big factor in that. Caffeine to wake up in the morning, \"immuno-boosters\" and mood stabilizers during the day, sleeping pills to sleep at night. The caffeine and sleeping pills are addictive and can really mess up your circadian rhythm, and the mood stabilizers can really fuck you up if you don't need them. Instead of rushing to diagnose and medicate everyone, we need to educate them on human behavior and show them that their \"mental health\" problems are completely normal.\nOh, so you get nervous right before you make huge life decisions? That's not Anxiety Disorder, it's just anxiety.\nOh, you are really sad because your cat died? That's not Clinical Depression, you are just grieving.\nOh, you went from really happy to really sad when you were previously happy and something really shitty happened to you and soured your mood? That's not Bipolar Disorder, that's just life.\nOh, you like to be more organized than the people around you? That's not Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, you just like to be organized.\nPeople really misunderstand the nature of these conditions and it hinders our collective progress in treating them, like dramatically inflating the number of actual conditions in the population, making it increasingly more difficult to determine how common and how varied they are. After all, in most cases it is not the psychiatrist or psychologist who makes you better, you make you better. Medication can help and other people can show you the path to success, but the problem will never get solved unless you play an active role in the treatment. Some conditions can never be solved, only lessened, while others are virtually untreatable. We need to stop making these conditions seem cool. They aren't. They are serious and need to be taken seriously.", ">\n\nHeavily agree and I appreciate how well this comment is worded. Wish I coulda worded mine a little better", ">\n\nYa I saw you getting shredded in the comments and figured I'd sum it up for you. 🤣", ">\n\nLmao bro I didn’t expect this many. I was thinking maybe like 20 ppl would reply", ">\n\nYou need to self diagnose in many cases in order to get adequate help.", ">\n\nI knew when I had ADD and IBS, and I was able to get my suspicions confirmed by my respective doctors. Doctors are there to help the patients understand themselves, whereas the patients have to go home every day and live with what they actually have. Do not be so quick to judge.", ">\n\nJust to add here - Autism in women is less prevalent because it presents differently and is often not picked up by standardised diagnostic tests (that were developed on an almost exclusively male sample). I think that also goes to show that there’s p significant issues with what we consider ‘scientific’ and research based in the first place.", ">\n\nI grew up in a small town and we had quite a few autistic boys but only one autistic girl. Literally only one out of like 6-8 grades. So that’s like a 10-1 ratio. It’s gotta be a lot statistically smaller then males. I don’t doubt it happens I just know it’s a lot less", ">\n\nYou think your small town’s makeup is generalizable to all of society? That isn’t how statistics work.", ">\n\nSo my question would be - so what do we do?\nYou think people are diagnosing themselves to gain attention. Fine, but what's the next step?\nSee, I think I might be bipolar 2. But I went on a journey where I looked into the techniques for dealing with this issue. That led me to cognitive behavior therapy.\nThat actually made me more convinced that this was my issue because I have taught myself a lot of cognitive behavior therapy techniques to address the same issues. These practices have really helped me.\nIt sounds like your issue is that these people are getting attention for it. To me, these are people who need someone to help guide them. That would have helped me a lot when I was younger. Society today doesn't really give us the tools to sort this out, but just the knowledge that these things exist can push someone down the rabbit hole to learn about therapy that could really help.\nI think you should ask yourself what your motivations are. Do you really want them to understand themselves? Or are you more interested in steering the conversation toward other topics?\nPersonally, I would deal with these people by paying them forward. I would tell them to understand the practices that typically help these people, and see if they are relevant. I would tell them to seek professional help, and to refrain from diagnosing themselves, but I would encourage them to be critical of themselves and to learn more.\nImo, the way out is through.", ">\n\nI agree with you but it’s not mostly women. Maybe by happenstance that’s the case in your circle but broadly men do this too.", ">\n\nDoctor's are consulting the Mayo Clinic website after talking to a patient and getting their symptoms. I bring that up to say this; a doctor's training is needed for very serious diseases and tricky diagnoses, but a semi-intelligent person could look up their symptoms and get a lot of the more minor stuff right.", ">\n\nI've never been diagnosed as clinically depressed or anything, but that doesn't mean that I don't suffer from depression a lot of the time (these last few years, more often than not). I see a therapist. I take antidepressants. \nI have a friend who has aphantasia. It isn't really a \"diagnosable\" condition, but it describes what he has trouble with: creating images in his mind.", ">\n\nThat’s different then going online and claiming perfectly normal traits mean you’re autistic", ">\n\nNeurodivergence ≠ mental illness.", ">\n\nThey know themselves and their experiences better than you.", ">\n\nOP, I'm seeing some differences between your post and what you're saying in the comments. \nMy question is, do you have a problem with people self-diagnosing, or is your issue more about people drawing a lot of public attention to their diagnoses?", ">\n\nOverall both but definitely the attention part more so for obvious reasons. The self diagnosing part due to the fact that it can make people believe it can be an excuse for their actions good or bad. I think In a weird way it can allow people to take away the responsibility of their own actions and attribute to their mental illness", ">\n\nAs someone who has been diagnosed with ADHD, having people self diagnosing doesn't bother me at all, because I went the path of not knowing at all what I had and letting doctors figure out by themselves... and it took me 4 years and a half to finally have a concrete answer that no doctors would have found out if I didn't start searching on my own. You can't walk into every doctor's office with the assumption they'll figure out what you have, because it's not their speciality, or they still have an outdated view (not every doctor are kept up to date with new discovers), or they're biased, etc... \nI've never been annoyed by people who self diagnose. Hell, if I knew what was about to happen to me, I would have done the same way sooner.", ">\n\nMost women today arent faking it, they are noticing the symptoms no one else noticed and trying to find help. Its not easy to grow up with this kind of stuff. Is not coincidence you think women are less likely to be born to autism instead of thinking how weird it is that for some reason most autism diagnosis happen to men, that is the misogyny in the medical comunity.\nSelf diagnosis means this women will go to doctors and it most case scenarios they will get diagnoses because they have this issue all their life.\nSocial media is giving people awareness of the issue in medicine and how it affects women. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Misogyny in medicine also leads to people not knowing the difference between a heart attack in a woman and a man. It leads to women thinking its something else because internet and books will tell you how a man will feel a heart attack, even doctors sometimes dont know this.", ">\n\nGetting a diagnosis or treatment is borderline impossible for a lot of people. So self diagnosis is sometimes the only way they can help themselves.", ">\n\nNot a mental illness. But, I am a trans person and I pretty much self-diagnosed and self-medicated. I just had physicians do blood test.\nI educated myself on how everything works in about eight month period. I did that over a decade.\nI don’t regret my decision, and if I did. The regret would be not starting any sooner, especially when people who aren’t physicians or therapists are having a final say about these things.", ">\n\nIt is very noticeable and annoying, buuuut it’s proven autism manifest differently in females. Plus women are (very) often under diagnosed and dismissed for many many things by doctors, which is absolutely disgusting. Aaaand the cost of healthcare is outrageous.", ">\n\nwomen being less likely to be diagnosed with autism has nothing to do with an actual gender gap in who does and doesn’t have autism and everything to do with the fact autistic women are diagnosed with personality disorders and mental illnesses due to stigmas. most autism research was done on men and therefore women are underrepresented and more often than not misdiagnosed. autism actually occurs at a similar rate in both sexes. also, it’s not a mental illness, it’s a neurological condition (not that mental illnesses aren’t, but illness implies there’s something wrong, which there isn’t in autistic people). i agree that self diagnosing leads to misinformation and harms those who are clinically diagnosed though.", ">\n\nA lot of medical diagnoses are based on white male studies, so yes you would see more women finding out they have certain mental illnesses now as professionals are realizing it can show differently in females vs males. Adhd, for example, was considered something only seen in young boys that would grow out of it, now they are realizing that you don't in fact grow out of it and women can have it too. \nMental illness was a taboo subject back in the day as well, especially for women. It was only in 1980 I think that hysteria was no longer considered a mental illness. Women would be diagnosed with 'hysteria' and committed for symptoms like anxiety and anger. So now a lot of women are learning more about their mental health because they feel safe to do so. \nMy mother is in her early 70's and still refuses to tell anyone her own health issues or even mine, I have cancer and we were going to go on a trip as it's unknown how much longer I have and she refused to ask for the day off because she wouldn't tell them the reason why.", ">\n\nI detest self diagnosis, though once you’ve studied advanced level abnormal psychology shit happens. \nAs far as kids go, the generalized anxiety and depressive spectrum diagnoses can occasionally be accurate however that would warrant professional intervention regardless.\nOne serious issue among others; if an adolescent “decides” they have major depressive disorder that can become a self fulfilling prophecy and cause despair and reluctance to seek treatment", ">\n\nLook at the price and lack of availability of mental health care, and the total lack of privacy of internet connected devices. Most practitioners don’t offer in person visits anymore, and even if they do they probably do digital records or have their phone present. Ofc people are self diagnosing.", ">\n\nCounterpoint: many people do not have the means to access diagnoses for mental illnesses and other disorders, and it can sometimes be the only way to explain their feelings to others. Autism diagnoses in particular are extremely difficult to access for adults and even teens. I suspected I had autism for years and the only way I was able to get a diagnosis was through the mental health treatment program I was in during highschool which had a psychologist there. I only could attend because I live in Canada with universal healthcare. Many, many people are not as fortunate as me. Most people in the world cannot access diagnosis in the first place, including many in richer countries. \nYour comment about women statistically 'being born with autism on a far lesser scale than men' misses the well-known problem of underdiagnosis of autism in women. Autism presents itself differently in women than men (I can say as an autistic woman who knows other autistic women) and the criteria for autism were based on cis white men. Autism in women is is often misdiagnosed as CPTSD (which many autistic people ALSO unfortunately have), borderline personality disorder, anxiety, depression, etc. \nAlthough self-diagnosis is often problematic and used by teenagers to feel special, for the people who take it seriously and are intellectually honest there currently isn't really a better alternative for them to try and explain their experiences when they cannot access diagnoses." ]

[ "The diagnosis process for a lot of psychiatric conditions are surveys and questionaires. You can go to a psychiatrist and ask if you're anxious and they'll give you multiple choice questions and diagnose off of that. Or you can just google the form yourself and self diagnose. A lot of psychiatric disorders are about how we feel and think. Not about sending off some blood sample to a lab and getting a positive result come back.\n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. For such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nWhat you're describing are all neuroses that could indicate some deeper psychiatric condition. Whether a person has a mental health condition or not, thinking of ourselves as weak victims is never helpful in any context, yet it's something we all feel from time to time.\nI'm a disability support worker, so when someone tells me they've got a self diagnosed condition, it's not offensive to me or any disabled person I know, it doesn't come across like they're invalidating anyone else's condition. However I do think everyone should talk to a doctor about any condition they feel they might have.", ">\n\nPiggybacking off of this: You’ve spent your whole entire life inside your own brain. A therapist will spend a period of hours with you and give you a diagnosis. Who do you think knows your personal reality better than yourself?", ">\n\nYeah exactly, especially with conditions such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, PTSD, and many other psychiatric conditions. These are things people know they have even before they get a diagnosis. The diagnosis stage is more about treatment and management.\nPeople might be unaware of how severe or mild their condition is, some people think they have only mild PTSD despite constant nightmares and suicidal ideation. Some people will think they have severe ADHD because they can't concentrate for long times on things that don't interest them. It's good to get some perspective from experts but ultimately people know when they are struggling to focus or to struggling to stop stressing all the time or struggling to not be miserable. Struggling with our thoughts and feelings is evidence enough to self diagnose.", ">\n\nI was recently diagnosed with ADHD as a woman so I find this viewpoint interesting.\nFirstly, autism is not a mental illness. An autistic person may have mental illness in conjunction with autism, but autism alone lies under the neurodivergent umbrella. Neurodivergency can include autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and other similar conditions.\nWhy women are often underdiagnosed\nThese are serious disabilities that can really impede a person's life, especially if they struggle to find help and acceptance in their community. A lot of women start their journey towards diagnosis later in life due to a number of factors such as:\n\nPoor diagnostic tools and inexperienced professionals\nA misunderstanding that autism and ADHD are more common in boys\nAdvanced masking techniques to cover their 'traits'\n\nWhy women are often diagnosed later in life.\nThe process for many women and men who are diagnosed later in life often includes a level of burnout or breakdown. After a while everything becomes too much, the mask begins to slip and your traits go into overdrive.\nWhy does self-diagnosing seem to be on the rise?\nA common way of finding out you could possibly be neurodivergent is through media and people who are aware of these traits appear.\nIn the past few years, I have seen an increasing awareness of neurodivergence in women pop up in the media. This is useful for people like myself who had no idea wtf was wrong with them for a very long time. For me, a GP actually suggested I seek a diagnosis due to some struggles I was going through.\nAs someone who went through this process self-diagnosing is commonly the first step as an adult. You might be directed to a questionnaire and are asked to evaluate yourself and your experiences thinking back to your childhood. If there's some merit in your experiences than you move to the next step which involves seeking a professional. Waitlists are often months to years long so many people live in limbo for a long time.\nMethods of living with ADHD can help everyone. And everyone experiences ADHD traits from time to time. Given a large amount of stress we have all suffered collectively, I don't doubt there are a lot of people with increased mental health issues that mirror neurodivergent traits. Some mental illnesses can get very severe and alter your brain chemistry and behaviour.\nMy takeaway from this is that the mental health systems set up to assist these people are a much larger issue and cause for serious concern than self-diagnosing.\nApologies for the spelling and grammar errors. Grammarly and Reddit don't play nice.", ">\n\nI think it's two things. One, people have identity crises, especially teenagers. We all know that type of person who tries on identities like hats. That's pretty embarrassing. You usually grow out of that.\nTwo, from personal experience, giving yourself a label or a diagnosis makes it feel more contained and easy to communicate. It's easier to tell someone that you have X and have them understand what you're going through rather than telling them you have these vague symptoms resembling what you imagine X is like. In that respect, it is pretty understandable, possibly good, and not embarrassing. There's something that is sort of reassuring if you can finally get a word to put on what you're experiencing.\nPeople often sympathize with the diagnosis but not with the symptoms. Tell people at work you're autistic and they will sympathize with you and possibly not attack you. Tell them you do not understand social cues and they will probably just make fun of you.", ">\n\nI understand the desire to put a label with a disease, and this is not necessarily bad, but the diagnosis needs to be correct. If you want to tell others that you are autistic or depressed; you must actually be those things. A person can almost never correctly assertion their disease, only their symptoms. People might better understand you if you say your autistic, but you may incorrectly understand and describe yourself. If one wishes to put a name with symptoms, they should find a doctor to pick the label", ">\n\nfor sure but unfortunately our medical system is a joke and even if you are experiencing very severe symptoms it can be nearly impossible to see a professional or take months on a waiting list.\nEven then a professional may be reluctant to slap a label on you for fear of what the consequences of that might be. I saw someone for a very long time who resisted any sort of actual diagnosis because the truth is that what I was experiencing didn't fit neatly into any of the boxes and pretty much belonged in this vague \"other\" category which isn't particularly helpful. Not to mention that misdiagnosis happens all the time even by professionals. \nI just think it is sort of understandable because I think a lot of stuff is kind of a spectrum anyway and just different levels of severity. Things can be really confusing and hard to nail down and thus communicate in a way that causes someone else to be understanding rather than judgemental.", ">\n\nAre you under the impression this is a new phenomenon? Because it's definitely not.\nPeople - especially young people! - crave identity. The world is a confusing place, knowing who you are makes it a little easier. Sometimes it's self-diagnosing mental illness or learning disabilities, or exploring sexual identity, or cliques, or subcultures. There's nothing embarrassing about it, it just is what it is.", ">\n\nIt’s ok to want to express individuality but not to the extent of totally destroying the definition of a real thing and making it hard for actual mentally Ill ppl to get a diagnosis. Why can’t people just accept that they’re different rather then giving themselves a label?", ">\n\npeople on TikTok claiming to have disorders that they don't doesn't affect the precision of psychiatrists diagnosing actual patients. There's no TikTok-said section in the DSM. Why do you think that it does?", ">\n\nIt just encourages more people to get diagnosed possibly skewing the meaning of the mental illness", ">\n\nSkewing it towards statistical accuracy? If people are actually diagnosed at higher rates, we have a better Guage of population-level mental illness, neurodivergency, etc. Better data is more usable, so that research actually means something actionable, ASIDE from the identity boost for young people.", ">\n\nI think what OP is driving at, but utterly failing to explain, is that they think that the fakers will be accommodated by the psychiatric system and diagnosed on the basis of fake symptoms. my sense is that isn't a problem but I don't have data.", ">\n\nDefinitely explained it a little better then I could lol", ">\n\nWhere do you see evidence of that? Any articles about fakers? How about a statistic? If not, it’s just a fear you seem to have.", ">\n\nI think the salient line here is this one:\n\nNeurologists were able to quickly determine that the subjects were not \nsuffering from Tourette's, but psychogenic tics driven by anxiety.", ">\n\nWomen are not born with less autism, but are much less likely to be diagnosed as children than boys. This is partly because boys generally have similar symptoms and behaviors. \nSo of course more women are self diagnosing autism, since their diagnoses were missed as children on a much higher rate.", ">\n\nAlright, I'm diagnosed OCD, PTSD, chronic depression. Diagnosed by a professional so I think I have some grounds to talk about this.\nFirst, let's tackle your women comment about autism. You see, I understand where you're coming from, but you lack the nuance of recognizing that mental illness, and illness in general, is heavily under-diagnosed in women. The medical culture is heavily favored towards men and is rampant with mysogyny, and that's not just me saying it as I've had medical professionals blatantly tell me it's a problem in the field when questioned about it. I've also had some tell me that it's just because women whine a lot, so yanno make of that statement what you will.\nNow that we've covered that let me address the self-diagnosing issue. So, do you want to know what my therapist thinks of self-diagnosing? Well, when I asked them about it they said that self-diagnosing is an important first step to seeking help. Psychiatrist said the same thing. It's normal, expected even, for people to self-diagnose their issues then seek help for them. You can't exactly just peer into someone's brain, no, that person has to tell you what they think is wrong and why they think it is. \nWhat you actually have a problem with is not self-diagnosis, but with people not seeking or not being able to get medical assistance and assuming they're right. You have a problem with people using these issues for attention, which I do too, but once again self-diagnosing is not the problem. Finally, you have a problem with the medical system that forces people into the position of trying to figure out their mental illnesses, but having no ability to get help for them.", ">\n\nI think I did it", ">\n\nSadly no lol, it was not done properly. Do you need a link to the rules?", ">\n\nI already read them i think I’ll figure it out in a bit sorry for the hold up", ">\n\nBecause everyone else is being aggressive: you have to comment with ∆ or !delta and then explain how your view has been changed", ">\n\nThis delta has been rejected. You can't award OP a delta.\nAllowing this would wrongly suggest that you can post here with the aim of convincing others.\nIf you were explaining when/how to award a delta, please use a reddit quote for the symbol next time.\n^Delta System Explained ^| ^Deltaboards", ">\n\nWhat gives you the authority or knowledge to know this is the problem?", ">\n\nYou don’t think it’s a problem that a lot of young ppl are willing to go to the extent of saying they are mentally Ill either for attention or to excuse their weirdness? Just accept that your different. It’s not wrong to believe you’re different without a label", ">\n\nYou did not even try to answer my question.", ">\n\nI’m sorry I was confused on what you meant", ">\n\nIf you are mad at people for self diagnosing themselves because they don't have the knowledge or authority to do so.... what gives you the knowledge or authority to diagnosis this as the problem behavior... basically are you just a kid that is annoyed, or is there some actual studies out there that is claiming this is a problem.", ">\n\nIf you don’t think that people consistently seeking attention for mental illness or craving a label so badly to justify themselves rather then being themselves. That just shows what your views are", ">\n\nDont you think we should leave the diagnosing to the professionals?", ">\n\nI mean yeah", ">\n\nWould you agree that you are diagnosing these people by saying that they are only seeking attention and do not have a real mental illness?", ">\n\nI’m assuming", ">\n\nThere may be some truth to people wanting to be different, however with mental illnesses being more accepted in today's society, many people are a lot more comfortable with being neurodivergent. Additionally, self diagnosis is common because the alternative is spending upwards to $1000-$2000 for a clinical diagnosis.", ">\n\nI know costs suck, but self diagnosis can be much more harmful. A web.md page that tells you your depressed when you may actually be bipolar can lead to really messed up results. I would even go as far as to say that no diagnosis at all is preferable to an uninformed one", ">\n\nWell.\n​\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad \n\nSo you already know why they're doing what they're doing in addition the fact that you know that they're not Autistic? If your claim is that they can't know and only a doctor can, what makes you more qualified? You start out your argument admitting that you have a bias.\n\nthey’re “neurodivergent.\n\nNeurodivergent is an umbrella that covers both Autism and ADHD, which sometimes get mistaken for each other. So if you're upset that they're self-diagnosing, this term should be more welcome than \"Autistic\" because it's more generalized.\n\nnd when you ask them how they know they’ll say “oh I have this weird tick when I uh laugh when someone says something funny “ or “I have a hyper fixation on this topic so I must be autistic\n\nHow else should they communicate it to you? The list of aspects of Autism, especially for how it presents in women, sounds a lot like this. You're not a doctor, they don't have to prove anything to you by going down the entire list of every possible part of their daily experience that might be on the spectrum.\n\nWomen statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nNope. Women are diagnosed less often than men because the original diagnostic criteria for Autism was for Autism as it presents in males. It presents differently for females and is harder to diagnose, especially at younger ages. \n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized\n\nTodays youth want to be victimized? Why would anyone want to be victimized? Something tells me you're missing the mark with this terminology.\n\nor have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. \n\nSo if someone is Autistic and that makes them weird, you'd rather them just be forced to not get to have a name for it, and get the therapeutic treatment that would help them?\n\nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really [are] without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nSome people are autistic. If they find out and it makes them feel good, that doesn't mean they're craving attention. And if they are craving attention, it's because they're normal people and everyone does. \nIf someone thinks they're autistic but it turns out they're actually not, chances are they suspected it for a reason. They might have ADHD, a personality disorder, a mental health issue, or simply a slightly different way of experiencing the world that feels unique to them and there's nothing wrong with that. \nYou seem to think that other people do things for you. People generally don't. They do things for themselves. This is especially true of people on the Autism Spectrum who may not be able to easily use other people's experiences to reference when constructing their view of the world, and can only use their own. Your interpretation wherein they do it to evoke a response from you says more about you than it does about them.", ">\n\nYou’re being deliberately obtuse. OP is completely correct. Most of the people these days who say “I’m ADHD” or “I’m autistic” or “I’m neurodivergent” are absolutely not diagnosed as such and are doing it to seem unique or get attention or as some excuse for why they did x y or z.", ">\n\nI'd like to point out that while some are perhaps attention seeking, many people self diagnose simply because they don't have access to free medical/psychological professionals to get proper diagnosis and help with their issues. I also know someone who doesn't want to get an official diagnosis because he's afrad it will affect his insurance rates or somehow come back to bite him if he's offically labeled with having a neurological disorder. \nThere is a wealth of knowledge on these subjects available online for those interested. And if they are truly interested in self diagnose they can likely do that accurately enough for all intents and purposes. Most of these people who search for the sake of better understanding themselves or their loved ones will openly admit that it's a self diagnoses, or say they THINK they have x,y, or z. But in some situations it's just as well to say they have it if they feel certain anyway, and it's just a passing comment, and not a discussion on the matter. \nIn other words, just because they self diagnose doesn't mean they're wrong, nor does it explain their motives. I also don't see how attention seeking (for those who ARE doing that) is really hurting anyone else. Fakers gonna be fake, that's more a \"them\" kind of problem. ANNOYING, but mostly harmless.", ">\n\nUnless you have a doctor's diagnosis you don't have the disorder. Even if you are broke there are programs to help with costs. \nAnd yes it does affect me when someone is treating me like shit and tries using the I have such and such as an excuse and then people get mad at ME for calling them in their bullshit.", ">\n\nNo. You have to have the disorder before you CAN be diagnosed, so obviously there are undiagnosed people who in fact \"have the disorder \". Your refusal to acknowledge an undiagnosed disorder does not mean they don't have it. Your personal experience with people supposedly using a fake diagnosis to treat you badly, sounds unusual. How do you know they DIDN'T have it? People who do lie and just want to be jerks will do that regardless of what methods they decide to try. The methods are irrelevant. And that motive is not typical of most self diagnosers .", ">\n\nSounds unusual? You must not get out a lot because it's become a pretty regular thing. Every single person I know (about 8) that have self diagnosed themselves as neurodivergent or with a mental illness like Bi-polar all use it to excuse their shitty ass behaviors. \nToo many disorders can mirror other ones. Just because they think they have 2/3 symptoms doesn't make them right by a long shot. Keep living in your bubble.", ">\n\nYou don't have to have a relationship with anyone. If they treat you badly, regardless of an official diagnosis or not, you don't have to tolerate them. It makes no difference what they have or don't have. What would it change if they got diagnosed and actually have it?", ">\n\nSelf diagnosing has been a thing forever\nAnd it's not a problem im 99% sure me or any other autistic person doesn't really give 2 fucks about people who wanna fake disorders. It doesn't stop us from getting help, we have doctors notes, medical files, sometimes even volunteers, you need those files to get into let's say a special education class, or a life skills course.\nSo unless you were diagnosed by a professional you're probably not gonna make it far faking it.\n(Excuse my shitty punctuation)", ">\n\nIt doesn’t bother you that they’re making others take the actual meaning away from what you were born with? I mean I’m sure autism hasn’t made your life easy and seeing ppl claim it for attention to be quirky probably has to annoy you a little right?", ">\n\nAt the end of the day I still have ADHD and I still need help with it. More people being diagnosed with it doesn’t change that fact. In fact I was diagnosed because I realized I related to so many tiktok memes, and I’m sure others are in my same boat. \nIn fact I think so many people talking about ADHD helps. It means more people who possibly have tips for me, people who are suffering who can’t afford treatment have an easy way to learn about how to improve their lives, and more people who are aware of my disorder.", ">\n\nI think people do diagnose themselves too often without seeking professional help. BUT mental illness is not the same as being neurodivergent.", ">\n\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad that they’ll go as far to say they’re “neurodivergent.”\n\nWhile this is the case, I don't really see how it's a \"problem\" per se. I guarantee that these people still make lifestyle decisions based on what they think is best, or based on what they want to do.\n\nbut it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women\n\nDo you have any statistics for that? I haven't experienced it that way in my own anecdotal experience, and I'd be curious to look into the data to see how much that truly does skew in that direction.\n\nwanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness \nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nI understand what you're trying to say here, but I don't really think these things are connected as much as you think they are. People see something wrong with themselves, so they either playfully or seriously consider the fact that it could be a condition that they have similar symptoms to. Not that it never happens, but just because someone categorizes themselves into a disability group that could potentially excuse their \"quirks\", doesn't mean they think that behavior is unacceptable in any way. People see a problem, and assume it's linked to this other issue that seems similar that they already know about.", ">\n\nI agree with the conclusion that self-diagnosis is a real issue, and I wouldn't be surprised if the data indicated it was on the rise. I wouldn't necessarily frame it as a simple desire to \"be victimized\" however. While it is purely speculation, I do believe there are a number of conditions which might lead towards a more frequent experience of symptoms associated with mental illness - a rising wealth gap, perpetual anxiety from a 24-hour news cycle, intensification of self-commodification, the student debt crisis in certain countries like the US, and so on. So people are experiencing symptoms like low energy, mood swings, etc. that can be associated with mental illness. The issue with self-diagnosis then becomes that it may correctly identify the symptom, but incorrectly identify the cause.\nThis video from the YouTuber HealthyGamerGG does a good job of explaining what some of the issues with self-diagnosis are, and for me it was a good starting place for thinking about this more. \nEDIT: I forgot this video literally starts with this same topic being brought up on this same subreddit lol", ">\n\nA great theory based on reasonable causes with an educational video from a psychologist(I assume) as evidence to back it up. I applaud you sir. 👏", ">\n\nWhy are you embarrassed by other people's issues?", ">\n\nI’m a 30yo male. If I had not first self diagnosed with ASD and OCD, I never would have found the language and resources to get a formal diagnosis and help.\nPrior generations have been so fixated on avoidance of diagnosing mental disorders, and research was previously so lacking that we are only just now (through those that do get diagnosed) realizing how common mental disorders are. That plus the lack of mental health resources for neurotypical and neurodivergent I think is how we end up in this situation of many recognizing their symptoms in the new discourse, but lacking the resources to overcome the barriers to proper diagnosis and treatment.", ">\n\nIt’s not the best thing, no. \nAs an adult FINALLY diagnosed (by a licensed therapist) at 41, I can tell you why ‘self diagnosis’ is so tempting. \nIn the US at least- mental health, and official medical diagnosis are almost completely inaccessible, especially as an adult. Most of us grew up before Autism was a spectrum, and ADHD was just boys who acted out in class. We felt like aliens. We couldn’t understand why we didn’t have many friends, or why we didn’t like the ‘right things’, and generally spend the bill of our lives feeling ‘wrong’, ‘broken’ or just simply like we didn’t belong. \nFinally understanding the WHY, and even better, finding tools to addresses our issues is a huge huge weight off the chest. The relief of having a name and a strategy- either therapy or medicine is such an amazing relief!!", ">\n\nI only kinda agree if I had not done my own research I would have never found out I have sjorgens syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis I know TikTok people tend to diagnose themselves and it makes it look cringe but when you live with a incurable illness sometimes you have to work to find a diagnosis", ">\n\nWell, what do you do of you absolutely know you're neurodivergent, but your parents decided not to get you checked? My mom once told me \"we knew you had something, we just didn't get you checked because they would have just put you on pills\". So I struggled with being different, socially unaware, impulsive, obnoxious, agressive, selfish, for the better part of my life without having the self awareness to understand why I was these things, and why people wouldn't want to be around me. \nIn my late 20''s I asked the question, what if I'm actually autistic? I looked up the symptoms, and 9/10 matched. As a child I couldn't handle loud noises, restrictive clothing, I didn't talk until I was 3. I would throw fits for seemingly no reason, I had obsessive interests. I've always really struggled with eye contact, and I never cared for conversation unless it was something I liked. I mean, when the final piece of a puzzle fits so incredibly well, it's really hard for it to be wrong. \nSelf diagnosing actually really helped me grow as aj individual. I became aware of all my divergent behaviors, and why it might be annoying for someone else to deal with. I came to the realization that I was the one who was different, therefore I needed to change. It's way harder to make everyone around you cater to your needs than to overcome the things that upset you. I'm at peace, I have good friends that I can connect with on a pretty deep level. I no longer smash coffee tables when I lose, I can now appreciate that if I lose it just means I have more to learn. I can keep my house clean, I can reasonably hold myself accountable. What exactly is the harm in all that?\nBesides, it would be pretty pointless for me to try and get a diagnosis now, I've put the effort in and largely come out the other side. Anyone diagnosing me would just say I was normal, but they wouldn't have the intimate knowledge of me that I do. I guess it doesn't matter if people don't believe me, I don't go around shouting that I'm autistic. I will say, it would be really nice if people appreciated the effort I put in to get to get to a place of normalcy, something others take for granted, but it's okay, we all have our struggles.", ">\n\nI feel you on all that. To play devil's advocate, mental healthcare in the U.S. is not cheap. Many people go to the internet and confirm their bias about their current health", ">\n\nI feel you on that too OP. I agree 100% with your entire statement.", ">\n\nIt's a problem, but not a new one. In the 1990s there was briefly a surge of people with a type of delusional parasitosis, that is, the false belief that they were infested with parasites. Except this one was supposedly an infestation with tiny fibres. They would come to doctors with a whole list of symptoms to back up their incorrect self-diagnosis.\nTo a certain extent, these are social contagions, which come and go, and often actually end up leading to people having real problems. Like, the young women you mention, a couple of decades ago may well have ended up with anorexia, or self-cutting. These days it might be a self-declaration of autism or a belief that they have gender dysphoria or that they have multiple systems living in their minds.", ">\n\nWow I did not know that. Maybe it’s just so prevalent today due to social media. Social media has only made these things worse imo", ">\n\nEven before it being self diagnosis of a mental illness it was always something. Remember all the emo and goth teenager?", ">\n\nIt depends on the context. For example, if they've done a substantial amount of research, can name a good amount of symptoms they have and reasons they have whatever mental illness and don't have access to the necessary tools to get a medical diagnosis, it's totally different. Some people don't have the money to go out and get a diagnosis, or sometimes it would be better to not get a medical diagnosis. I believe that the reason that a lot of people self diagnose themselves with things like Autism is because they want an explanation as to why they are different, and they could be right or wrong. I think the most important part is that if you go to a psychologist (or even two, I know a lot of people prefer getting second opinions) and they say you don't have it, that you need to admit you were wrong. It's ok to be wrong about your mental health, and the key is to keep looking and to not give up. I can completely understand the frustration in people completely missing how difficult it actually may be to have a mental illness. I was clinically diagnosed with Depression, Anxiety, and PTSD when I was seven, and I've had some experience with people faking mental disorders for attention, and more often then not, they have another mental disorder that needs attention. Recently I had a (now ex) boyfriend insist he had PTSD after being tested twice and the psychiatrist saying that he didn't have it. What he does have is Depression and Anxiety, but he absolutely insisted he has PTSD despite never exhibiting symptoms and the only evidence being a test he took online that was supposedly a \"real PTSD test.\" People faking mental illnesses only harms people who really have them, as these people tend to exaggerate symptoms and use their self diagnosis for attention. I believe that I am autistic, but I don't list it as a diagnosis because while I have read articles and taken the RAADS-r test, I don't have an official diagnosis, and I could very well be wrong. As for women faking illnesses more often, something I've noticed is that things like Autism, ADHD, ADD, etc are more often diagnosed in boys rather than girls- mostly because when they were first discovered, most of the research was done in boys. Autism shows up differently in girls, and can often be blown off as early puberty hormones. If their hyperfixations are those of stereotypical feminine things, it's just a girl liking whatever, and if they hyperfixate in stereotypical masculine interests, they tend to just be viewed as weird, but not autistic. It's normal for people to question, but I agree that to a certain point, self diagnosis can be harmful, but only if not done correctly.", ">\n\nFirst and foremost not a new problem at all, very common, we used to call it \"Being a hypochondriac\" until it aparrently became reconized which in it self is confusing and a bit contradictory.\nANYWAY\nIt isnt really a problem, no doctor is gonna write the perscription for medication without a diagnosis of some sort.\nAt most there is the vauge \"But what about those who actually have it who arent taken serious\" dont worry, we wouldnt have anyway. Thats kinda how invisible illnesses work.\nOverall the 101 hypochondriacs screaming about the symptoms they read in the ICD might help make the knowledge more common and help people better reconize if their colleagues or friends happen to show symptoms of something.", ">\n\nIt’s pretty expensive in the US to get diagnosed. Personally, I’ve self diagnosed myself out of frustration of the way I process things. I’ve always felt slow & my anxiety/depression was deep because of it, but I was raised in a family that doesn’t believe in mental illness. It was always “if you work hard enough, all your problems will go away”. Meanwhile, i was racking my brain on how to make myself think faster/smarter & it would result in psychotic episodes. I’ve gotten fired from jobs, dropped out of school. I started self harming because I hated myself and my brain & almost commit suicide bc I had no idea what was going on.\nThe relief I felt once I finally got a therapist who validated me & was the first to talk to me about mental Illness. It blew my mind and all of a sudden things actually made sense to me. I currently think I have ADD, and sometimes I’ll tell people that but will preface it by saying I’m not professionally diagnosed. Still, I use mental tools that help me get through the day and build my confidence. I’m a lot better at processing conversations, making lists that help me remember things, unmasking, slowing down my thoughts… etc. I’m less frustrated and can see the beauty in how I process things. I still want to get diagnosed but I have to get health insurance….. lol", ">\n\nSelf diagnosis, regardless of being factual is a process where the individual realizes that they might have a mental health issue. People who can do this are more likely to seek professional help compared to the people who think they are “fine”. Going to a professional, licensed psychologist or a psychiatrist will eventually diagnose them with the correct disorder from there, and professionals have the skills to communicate with them and they can together evaluate if the person’s complaint is the issue or not. There is nothing embarrassing about discovering one’s self. It would be a problem if people would identify with an issue and don’t have any willingness to seek help. Sometimes overreacting is better than not reacting.", ">\n\nThe majority of people who are self-diagnosed with autism have done extensive research into it to come to that conclusion. I personally went through the DSM criteria with a fine-tooth comb, made a list of all the ways I met it and discovered that there’s not a single criteria i don’t meet for autism. I didn’t read about anything else but autism for weeks, approaching it from all angles before coming to the conclusion that it’s highly unlikely I am not autistic. I’m waiting to hear back about an assessment, but I’m not waiting to go and be told something I already know before I start advocating for myself. \nOh, and I absolutely did not want to be ‘different’, in fact my life mission to just blend in and be average is the root cause of most of my problems, but here we are.", ">\n\nThis self diagnosing young people do isn’t the problem. The problem is that our society encourages it.\nOur culture is not set up to accommodate a wide spectrum of human needs. You may need things that I don’t. I may need things that you don’t. But in most business settings, academic settings, or even places like restaurants or leisure places, the world isn’t built to accommodate everyone. Our world and society is a “one size fits all” approach, and most people don’t fit snugly inside of that system. \nIf you can classify what is “wrong” or “different” about you into an easily digestible form, people are generally more able and more willing to accommodate you.\nFor example: if I tell my coworkers that I need to leave work early because of a headache, I’ll be shamed for it. And in some cases I’ll be told that “headaches aren’t that bad!” Or “You don’t need to leave.” Or “I have a headache too, just deal with it!”\nBut if I tell my workers that I need to leave due to a painful neurological condition that’s flaring up (I have chronic migraine, which is a neurological condition), they will respect it 100% of the time. It’s met with sympathy and not criticism.\nThis happens for all sorts of things. “Sorry Im late, I slept in.” Sounds a lot worse then, “sorry I’m late, my insomnia has been terrible lately.” \nOur culture forces us to use these labels even when they’re untrue just to receive sympathy or acceptance. The problem isn’t people who decide to use these labels, the root problem is that our society refuses to embrace and accommodate people who are outside of the “norm.”", ">\n\nSpeaking as someone who's had an autism diagnosis since age 7: if someone declares they're autistic when they're not, that's obnoxious at worst. If someone is told they're not autistic when they are, that can cause lifelong harm from denied care and understanding. I have seen this happen to a close friend of mine.\nTherefore, I'd much rather err on the side of acceptance. If you think you're defending me and others like me from impersonators, we'd rather not have your help.\n\nI know people will disagree but it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women. Women statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nCase in point: women are diagnosed with autism far less than men. Recent studies have pointed to decades of systematic misdiagnosis. The more visible autistic symptoms sometimes manifest differently in girls, the way they're socialized may help them hide it from a young age, and of course lots of doctors just say \"your daughter can't be autistic, that's a boy thing.\"\nWe're learning that there are hundreds of thousands of autistic women who slipped through the cracks and were denied the recognition and support they needed because of dismissive, gatekeeping attitudes just like yours.", ">\n\nThere’s a difference between having a disorder and relating to a disorder. If the tools or language associated with a disorder helps someone live better though then cool, it’s all still odd. Also autism presents differently in woman, and a majority of our research on it is on men. Best practice is probably to support them and encourage them to seek treatment.", ">\n\nAutism is severely misdiagnosed in women. Completely under diagnosed. Actually, plenty of things are. The actual problem that we have is parents refusing to let their children get professional help or a diagnosis. Most doctors will diagnose you with BPD as a woman(aka the new female hysteria of our century), maybe put you on some anti psychotics and send you your way. In most countries, a diagnosis/specialist is not readily available, or there is a long waiting list. Even so, the doctors are not know it all. I have seen plenty of doctors, I got different diagnosis almost each time. They ask you some general questions (about your mood, the way you sleep, if you can concentrate, if you harm yourself, if you have suicidal ideation, if you can socialize properly, if your parents were diagnosed with anything, if you have hallucinations or delusions, the works) and then based on that, they will give you a diagnosis. If you use your common sense and information on the internet (given you are knowledgeable on the subject), you can take a good guess on what's wrong. Obviously, some people will exaggerate like with anything (seeing the shadow dude once in your childhood is not a sign of psychosis, neither is hearing your name called when you are alone once in a blue moon), but if you have visual and auditory hallucinations, perhaps weird tactile feelings/hallucinations (spiders are crawling on me, etc), delusions, tend to be forgetful and out of teach with reality, there is a good chance you do have psychosis.", ">\n\nOkay, to start: what do you think autism and ADHD are? They aren't mental illnesses nor are they mental health conditions. \nTo address some of your other points; \nStudies have shown that autism has a gender expression of 1:1. The only reason that women are under diagnosed is because of misunderstandings towards autism, then the diagnosis is conducted incorrectly. Thus it ends up getting conflated with mental illness, E.G BPD, and is diagnosed as a psychiatric disorder instead. This is a detriment to the patient as the care regimes are black and white different. Often times this severely damages the woman.\nFrom data sets that I recall reading, malingering hasn't risen much, if at all, in recent times. I remember it being around 8% of the global population who are engaging in this behaviour, to different extents. I think what's happened is that social media has turned a torch onto it and it's risen in popularity in an algorithmic way. You see it more because it's pushed by the algorithm more because people are searching for it more. It isn't actually occurring any more or less than historically. Most of that attention is negative attention, I should add. \nSo there's two things to take away from that.\n1) The actual act of pretending to be mentally ill, or to have a disability, which is called malingering, is in fact a form of mental unwellness itself. It's a cry for help. The people who do these things are usually very unstable and should be treated with a degree of empathy. The dangerous types who are using mental illness to scam others, or to manipulate them, make up a very small percentage of the overall amount of people in that group and tend to abuse one on one. \n2) The predominant response to this is generally negative. There isn't really any reason to publicly malinger unless you're unstable, this is because a rational person would likely know this, and know the damage it would cause themselves. Self-diagnosis is a very long, and self-aware, process that takes place over years of the individuals life, and proceeds official diagnosis. \nNo one SDs and says \"Okay that's it now! Let me start a TikTok!\" You'd still want support, and you'd still seek support. So that would end up with a doctor, who would see that you're lying, and treat you for whatever was prompting you to malinger. Anyone who has made this commitment knows that keeping it private is a sensible thing to do in a world that isn't inclusive, and often very stigmatising. Sometimes official diagnosis can take YEARS. \nThis kind of propaganda has been going around for a long time in an effort to discredit disabled people and people with mental illnesses. It's not new. People said the same things back in the 90s. People will always be afraid, and dismissive, of things they do not understand. I invite you to try and understand.", ">\n\nI self-diagnosed myself with endometriosis for 10 years before a doctor finally listened to me, opened me up, and found my insides littered with lesions all over my organs. I’m now not able to get pregnant and I might need to get part of my bowel taken out someday. This could’ve been avoided if someone had just listened to me when I was 16. \nSelf-diagnosing is a necessity in a misogynist world! No one takes us seriously! Especially medical professionals. \nThe best antidote for this is to listen to women who self-diagnose. Why do they think they have XYZ? Is it heavily interfering with their life? I think that’s a much larger problem.", ">\n\nIts been proven that there is a bias to diagnose as opposed to not diagnose a mental illness in psychology. So op is actually kinda correct. The definition of a mental illness is in effect being stretched so far that people who are just kinda weird are being diagnosed with \"on the spectrum\". This is actually causing a problem in early learning because parents start treating their kids as essentially learning challenged when they're really not. So it is starting to become an excuse ...", ">\n\nWe live in a society that loves to medicate people. I know it’s different but Did ppl forget about the opioid epidemic? They’ll diagnose your ass with anything if they can", ">\n\nYa I tend to agree. And no one is really saying so I will I guess, but id wager that 50% of psychologist \"professionals\" are totally full of shit. The actual number of psychologists that are are doing real research and clinical studies is EXTREMELY small compared to how many \"psychologists\" are out there. Just like chiropractors, half of them are hacks..", ">\n\nAnd ill say one more thing, though it is anecdotal, but i have direct family that works in special education for young children, and that system is fucked with a capital F. Thay are constantly fighting against parents and programs who try to box kids in the \"autistic\" zone, when they are just really quite or shy, or have pee problems. But parents want an excuse and reason for their behavior, and reduce them to a sub standard education and treatment for the rest of their lives. It's heart breaking. Especially in public schools.", ">\n\nI’m 32 years old. \nI didn’t self diagnose for attention although I remember the days of tumblr where everyone self diagnosed for clout.\nIt took me a decade to realize what is really happening. During the decade before I realized what may have been happening I was told the following:\nI’m rude\nI’m bossy\nI have a RBF/I look mad\nI also only managed to make my first real friend at age 27.\nWhat I was really displaying was:\nBeing overly blunt and just trying to get my point across came off rude when I didn’t intend it to be that way\nTrying to have things done at a certain time and way that no one else thought was important to follow\nUnmasking\nNoticed other things too that I just thought was me being weird:\nVocal stimming\nOral stimming-chewing, smoking, vaping\nRepetitive motions\nRocking\nEasily overwhelmed by too much sensory input\nHigh startle reflex \nInability to regulate my body’s needs-I don’t know I’m hungry until I’m ravenous; don’t recognize the need to use the bathroom until it’s causing me to rush off, don’t realize I’m cold until I’m shaking\nI could go on.\nI want an assessment so bad. But assessments for adults are EXTREMELY hard to setup, if you can even set them up at all. Some states don’t even offer them. I’ve been looking but they are only for children and seem to look for severe cases.\n14 years of thinking I was just a bitch who couldn’t make friends because I was too weird…turns out it might be autism. And turns out I’ll most likely never get a true diagnosis. But the RAADS test gave me a 127 score so that might be the closest I’ll ever get.", ">\n\ni kind of self diagnosed autism? i’ve been to many psychiatrists and therapists for years and they always see adhd in the half an hour and prescribe meds for that, which makes me not go there again. if they dug a little deeper they could have seen autism, i spoke to my current psychiatrist about if its possible i have it, she didn’t want to confirm or deny as i was moving out of state from friends and family and am at an age where i can have kids in the next 10 years since she doesn’t want me being concerned for them. \nI think there’s still lots of stigma around autism even with professionals and especially when identifying it in women. \nI don’t want to be autistic, but i can recognise a lot of different patterns comparing myself and others. I’ve researched it a ton especially in how it shows in women compared to men and in all the articles i found myself relating.\nNow i don’t say im autistic, i say im a little sus of being it tho lmao. and try pass it off casually. I find it’s a lot easier for me to understand and embrace my differences compared to trying to hide it and try be like everyone else or wonder why im not like everyone else. \nBeing older i can also recognise how a lot of my family on one side have suffered mentally and because of obvious neurodivergence. so im pretty sure, like the rest of my mentally challenged brain, has been inherited genetically through that side. \nAll that being said. I self diagnosed when i was about 12 that im highly likely to be depressed and anxious in attempt to get my mom to believe me i needed help, and now 8 years later i can identify that this has been an issue forever for me and that i likely cannot go off my meds because i will just go back to how i used to be. Im still ocd with all my meds, but its better than being anxious and depressed all the time, Having ocd throughout the day is like heaven to me in comparison to how i used to be. obviously the ocd isnt new, just a lot more heard in my brain now.", ">\n\nOk, I know some people self diagnoze themselves with [insert some mental illness here] out of attention or whatever, and that's totally not ok.\nHowever, if you read all the symptoms and do proper research on a mental illness and everything clicks in to you, I'd say you can be fairly confident on a self diagnosis (although, it might be worth it to double check with a professional, especially if you want any sort of treatment). But also for some people, it might not be affordable to go to a professional...", ">\n\nI live in Canada, I've engaged with the medical system, doctors don't care and just want you out, ERs are a 8 hour wait for someone to ignore one thing and won't even entertain other issues even if they are related. Self-diagnosis is really the only way to get any kind of proper treatment at all. \nThe doctors will rubber stamp just about anything you ask for except pain killers but in terms of diagnosis you're way better off doing it yourself, sure you don't have 8 years of medical school but the doctors won't give you 5 mins of their time, they are not better than google and you give a lot more of a shit than they will and at the end of the day it's your body.", ">\n\nBack in the 90s when I was a teenager, the kids/teenagers/young adults who wanted attention, and wanted to be different, adopted the goth lifestyle. Dressing up in all black. White foundation with black lipstick and eyeshadow. It was the trendy way to be different, to be viewed as outcasts of society. To not fit in. \nThe goth lifestyle of the 2020s is self diagnosis. Same shit, different day.\nWhenever someone claims autism, or somewhere on the spectrum, I just roll my eyes and imagine that person just sucks at life.", ">\n\nI just think it’s a little more harmful nowadays due to the prevalence of social media. Ppl get sucked into groups and mindsets before they even have a real life chance. Then they hyper fixate on that they might be mentally Ill rather then just trying to live life to the fullest", ">\n\nI 100% agree with you", ">\n\nBecause it's the age of spin this generation has something for everybody. And all of them are Google doctors. Lol", ">\n\nTook my uncle till he was 38 even thought it was apparent to everyone. Hell he got expelled from two schools", ">\n\nI get what you're saying. I frankly find it weird that more people don't find this weird. People self-diagnosing themselves as all kinds of things not only completely misrepresents the actual conditions, thereby making people even more confused as to what they actually are and how they present, but also leads people to run to a psychiatrist claiming false symptoms and getting medication for something they don't have, which is NOT a good thing. People should never be taking medication unless it is necessary. We are a heavily over-medicated society and this is a big factor in that. Caffeine to wake up in the morning, \"immuno-boosters\" and mood stabilizers during the day, sleeping pills to sleep at night. The caffeine and sleeping pills are addictive and can really mess up your circadian rhythm, and the mood stabilizers can really fuck you up if you don't need them. Instead of rushing to diagnose and medicate everyone, we need to educate them on human behavior and show them that their \"mental health\" problems are completely normal.\nOh, so you get nervous right before you make huge life decisions? That's not Anxiety Disorder, it's just anxiety.\nOh, you are really sad because your cat died? That's not Clinical Depression, you are just grieving.\nOh, you went from really happy to really sad when you were previously happy and something really shitty happened to you and soured your mood? That's not Bipolar Disorder, that's just life.\nOh, you like to be more organized than the people around you? That's not Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, you just like to be organized.\nPeople really misunderstand the nature of these conditions and it hinders our collective progress in treating them, like dramatically inflating the number of actual conditions in the population, making it increasingly more difficult to determine how common and how varied they are. After all, in most cases it is not the psychiatrist or psychologist who makes you better, you make you better. Medication can help and other people can show you the path to success, but the problem will never get solved unless you play an active role in the treatment. Some conditions can never be solved, only lessened, while others are virtually untreatable. We need to stop making these conditions seem cool. They aren't. They are serious and need to be taken seriously.", ">\n\nHeavily agree and I appreciate how well this comment is worded. Wish I coulda worded mine a little better", ">\n\nYa I saw you getting shredded in the comments and figured I'd sum it up for you. 🤣", ">\n\nLmao bro I didn’t expect this many. I was thinking maybe like 20 ppl would reply", ">\n\nYou need to self diagnose in many cases in order to get adequate help.", ">\n\nI knew when I had ADD and IBS, and I was able to get my suspicions confirmed by my respective doctors. Doctors are there to help the patients understand themselves, whereas the patients have to go home every day and live with what they actually have. Do not be so quick to judge.", ">\n\nJust to add here - Autism in women is less prevalent because it presents differently and is often not picked up by standardised diagnostic tests (that were developed on an almost exclusively male sample). I think that also goes to show that there’s p significant issues with what we consider ‘scientific’ and research based in the first place.", ">\n\nI grew up in a small town and we had quite a few autistic boys but only one autistic girl. Literally only one out of like 6-8 grades. So that’s like a 10-1 ratio. It’s gotta be a lot statistically smaller then males. I don’t doubt it happens I just know it’s a lot less", ">\n\nYou think your small town’s makeup is generalizable to all of society? That isn’t how statistics work.", ">\n\nSo my question would be - so what do we do?\nYou think people are diagnosing themselves to gain attention. Fine, but what's the next step?\nSee, I think I might be bipolar 2. But I went on a journey where I looked into the techniques for dealing with this issue. That led me to cognitive behavior therapy.\nThat actually made me more convinced that this was my issue because I have taught myself a lot of cognitive behavior therapy techniques to address the same issues. These practices have really helped me.\nIt sounds like your issue is that these people are getting attention for it. To me, these are people who need someone to help guide them. That would have helped me a lot when I was younger. Society today doesn't really give us the tools to sort this out, but just the knowledge that these things exist can push someone down the rabbit hole to learn about therapy that could really help.\nI think you should ask yourself what your motivations are. Do you really want them to understand themselves? Or are you more interested in steering the conversation toward other topics?\nPersonally, I would deal with these people by paying them forward. I would tell them to understand the practices that typically help these people, and see if they are relevant. I would tell them to seek professional help, and to refrain from diagnosing themselves, but I would encourage them to be critical of themselves and to learn more.\nImo, the way out is through.", ">\n\nI agree with you but it’s not mostly women. Maybe by happenstance that’s the case in your circle but broadly men do this too.", ">\n\nDoctor's are consulting the Mayo Clinic website after talking to a patient and getting their symptoms. I bring that up to say this; a doctor's training is needed for very serious diseases and tricky diagnoses, but a semi-intelligent person could look up their symptoms and get a lot of the more minor stuff right.", ">\n\nI've never been diagnosed as clinically depressed or anything, but that doesn't mean that I don't suffer from depression a lot of the time (these last few years, more often than not). I see a therapist. I take antidepressants. \nI have a friend who has aphantasia. It isn't really a \"diagnosable\" condition, but it describes what he has trouble with: creating images in his mind.", ">\n\nThat’s different then going online and claiming perfectly normal traits mean you’re autistic", ">\n\nNeurodivergence ≠ mental illness.", ">\n\nThey know themselves and their experiences better than you.", ">\n\nOP, I'm seeing some differences between your post and what you're saying in the comments. \nMy question is, do you have a problem with people self-diagnosing, or is your issue more about people drawing a lot of public attention to their diagnoses?", ">\n\nOverall both but definitely the attention part more so for obvious reasons. The self diagnosing part due to the fact that it can make people believe it can be an excuse for their actions good or bad. I think In a weird way it can allow people to take away the responsibility of their own actions and attribute to their mental illness", ">\n\nAs someone who has been diagnosed with ADHD, having people self diagnosing doesn't bother me at all, because I went the path of not knowing at all what I had and letting doctors figure out by themselves... and it took me 4 years and a half to finally have a concrete answer that no doctors would have found out if I didn't start searching on my own. You can't walk into every doctor's office with the assumption they'll figure out what you have, because it's not their speciality, or they still have an outdated view (not every doctor are kept up to date with new discovers), or they're biased, etc... \nI've never been annoyed by people who self diagnose. Hell, if I knew what was about to happen to me, I would have done the same way sooner.", ">\n\nMost women today arent faking it, they are noticing the symptoms no one else noticed and trying to find help. Its not easy to grow up with this kind of stuff. Is not coincidence you think women are less likely to be born to autism instead of thinking how weird it is that for some reason most autism diagnosis happen to men, that is the misogyny in the medical comunity.\nSelf diagnosis means this women will go to doctors and it most case scenarios they will get diagnoses because they have this issue all their life.\nSocial media is giving people awareness of the issue in medicine and how it affects women. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Misogyny in medicine also leads to people not knowing the difference between a heart attack in a woman and a man. It leads to women thinking its something else because internet and books will tell you how a man will feel a heart attack, even doctors sometimes dont know this.", ">\n\nGetting a diagnosis or treatment is borderline impossible for a lot of people. So self diagnosis is sometimes the only way they can help themselves.", ">\n\nNot a mental illness. But, I am a trans person and I pretty much self-diagnosed and self-medicated. I just had physicians do blood test.\nI educated myself on how everything works in about eight month period. I did that over a decade.\nI don’t regret my decision, and if I did. The regret would be not starting any sooner, especially when people who aren’t physicians or therapists are having a final say about these things.", ">\n\nIt is very noticeable and annoying, buuuut it’s proven autism manifest differently in females. Plus women are (very) often under diagnosed and dismissed for many many things by doctors, which is absolutely disgusting. Aaaand the cost of healthcare is outrageous.", ">\n\nwomen being less likely to be diagnosed with autism has nothing to do with an actual gender gap in who does and doesn’t have autism and everything to do with the fact autistic women are diagnosed with personality disorders and mental illnesses due to stigmas. most autism research was done on men and therefore women are underrepresented and more often than not misdiagnosed. autism actually occurs at a similar rate in both sexes. also, it’s not a mental illness, it’s a neurological condition (not that mental illnesses aren’t, but illness implies there’s something wrong, which there isn’t in autistic people). i agree that self diagnosing leads to misinformation and harms those who are clinically diagnosed though.", ">\n\nA lot of medical diagnoses are based on white male studies, so yes you would see more women finding out they have certain mental illnesses now as professionals are realizing it can show differently in females vs males. Adhd, for example, was considered something only seen in young boys that would grow out of it, now they are realizing that you don't in fact grow out of it and women can have it too. \nMental illness was a taboo subject back in the day as well, especially for women. It was only in 1980 I think that hysteria was no longer considered a mental illness. Women would be diagnosed with 'hysteria' and committed for symptoms like anxiety and anger. So now a lot of women are learning more about their mental health because they feel safe to do so. \nMy mother is in her early 70's and still refuses to tell anyone her own health issues or even mine, I have cancer and we were going to go on a trip as it's unknown how much longer I have and she refused to ask for the day off because she wouldn't tell them the reason why.", ">\n\nI detest self diagnosis, though once you’ve studied advanced level abnormal psychology shit happens. \nAs far as kids go, the generalized anxiety and depressive spectrum diagnoses can occasionally be accurate however that would warrant professional intervention regardless.\nOne serious issue among others; if an adolescent “decides” they have major depressive disorder that can become a self fulfilling prophecy and cause despair and reluctance to seek treatment", ">\n\nLook at the price and lack of availability of mental health care, and the total lack of privacy of internet connected devices. Most practitioners don’t offer in person visits anymore, and even if they do they probably do digital records or have their phone present. Ofc people are self diagnosing.", ">\n\nCounterpoint: many people do not have the means to access diagnoses for mental illnesses and other disorders, and it can sometimes be the only way to explain their feelings to others. Autism diagnoses in particular are extremely difficult to access for adults and even teens. I suspected I had autism for years and the only way I was able to get a diagnosis was through the mental health treatment program I was in during highschool which had a psychologist there. I only could attend because I live in Canada with universal healthcare. Many, many people are not as fortunate as me. Most people in the world cannot access diagnosis in the first place, including many in richer countries. \nYour comment about women statistically 'being born with autism on a far lesser scale than men' misses the well-known problem of underdiagnosis of autism in women. Autism presents itself differently in women than men (I can say as an autistic woman who knows other autistic women) and the criteria for autism were based on cis white men. Autism in women is is often misdiagnosed as CPTSD (which many autistic people ALSO unfortunately have), borderline personality disorder, anxiety, depression, etc. \nAlthough self-diagnosis is often problematic and used by teenagers to feel special, for the people who take it seriously and are intellectually honest there currently isn't really a better alternative for them to try and explain their experiences when they cannot access diagnoses.", ">\n\nWhat you are describing is NOT a new phenomenon. I was born in 1975 and have been observing this phenomenon my entire life. Nothing new about it at all." ]

[ "The diagnosis process for a lot of psychiatric conditions are surveys and questionaires. You can go to a psychiatrist and ask if you're anxious and they'll give you multiple choice questions and diagnose off of that. Or you can just google the form yourself and self diagnose. A lot of psychiatric disorders are about how we feel and think. Not about sending off some blood sample to a lab and getting a positive result come back.\n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. For such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nWhat you're describing are all neuroses that could indicate some deeper psychiatric condition. Whether a person has a mental health condition or not, thinking of ourselves as weak victims is never helpful in any context, yet it's something we all feel from time to time.\nI'm a disability support worker, so when someone tells me they've got a self diagnosed condition, it's not offensive to me or any disabled person I know, it doesn't come across like they're invalidating anyone else's condition. However I do think everyone should talk to a doctor about any condition they feel they might have.", ">\n\nPiggybacking off of this: You’ve spent your whole entire life inside your own brain. A therapist will spend a period of hours with you and give you a diagnosis. Who do you think knows your personal reality better than yourself?", ">\n\nYeah exactly, especially with conditions such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, PTSD, and many other psychiatric conditions. These are things people know they have even before they get a diagnosis. The diagnosis stage is more about treatment and management.\nPeople might be unaware of how severe or mild their condition is, some people think they have only mild PTSD despite constant nightmares and suicidal ideation. Some people will think they have severe ADHD because they can't concentrate for long times on things that don't interest them. It's good to get some perspective from experts but ultimately people know when they are struggling to focus or to struggling to stop stressing all the time or struggling to not be miserable. Struggling with our thoughts and feelings is evidence enough to self diagnose.", ">\n\nI was recently diagnosed with ADHD as a woman so I find this viewpoint interesting.\nFirstly, autism is not a mental illness. An autistic person may have mental illness in conjunction with autism, but autism alone lies under the neurodivergent umbrella. Neurodivergency can include autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and other similar conditions.\nWhy women are often underdiagnosed\nThese are serious disabilities that can really impede a person's life, especially if they struggle to find help and acceptance in their community. A lot of women start their journey towards diagnosis later in life due to a number of factors such as:\n\nPoor diagnostic tools and inexperienced professionals\nA misunderstanding that autism and ADHD are more common in boys\nAdvanced masking techniques to cover their 'traits'\n\nWhy women are often diagnosed later in life.\nThe process for many women and men who are diagnosed later in life often includes a level of burnout or breakdown. After a while everything becomes too much, the mask begins to slip and your traits go into overdrive.\nWhy does self-diagnosing seem to be on the rise?\nA common way of finding out you could possibly be neurodivergent is through media and people who are aware of these traits appear.\nIn the past few years, I have seen an increasing awareness of neurodivergence in women pop up in the media. This is useful for people like myself who had no idea wtf was wrong with them for a very long time. For me, a GP actually suggested I seek a diagnosis due to some struggles I was going through.\nAs someone who went through this process self-diagnosing is commonly the first step as an adult. You might be directed to a questionnaire and are asked to evaluate yourself and your experiences thinking back to your childhood. If there's some merit in your experiences than you move to the next step which involves seeking a professional. Waitlists are often months to years long so many people live in limbo for a long time.\nMethods of living with ADHD can help everyone. And everyone experiences ADHD traits from time to time. Given a large amount of stress we have all suffered collectively, I don't doubt there are a lot of people with increased mental health issues that mirror neurodivergent traits. Some mental illnesses can get very severe and alter your brain chemistry and behaviour.\nMy takeaway from this is that the mental health systems set up to assist these people are a much larger issue and cause for serious concern than self-diagnosing.\nApologies for the spelling and grammar errors. Grammarly and Reddit don't play nice.", ">\n\nI think it's two things. One, people have identity crises, especially teenagers. We all know that type of person who tries on identities like hats. That's pretty embarrassing. You usually grow out of that.\nTwo, from personal experience, giving yourself a label or a diagnosis makes it feel more contained and easy to communicate. It's easier to tell someone that you have X and have them understand what you're going through rather than telling them you have these vague symptoms resembling what you imagine X is like. In that respect, it is pretty understandable, possibly good, and not embarrassing. There's something that is sort of reassuring if you can finally get a word to put on what you're experiencing.\nPeople often sympathize with the diagnosis but not with the symptoms. Tell people at work you're autistic and they will sympathize with you and possibly not attack you. Tell them you do not understand social cues and they will probably just make fun of you.", ">\n\nI understand the desire to put a label with a disease, and this is not necessarily bad, but the diagnosis needs to be correct. If you want to tell others that you are autistic or depressed; you must actually be those things. A person can almost never correctly assertion their disease, only their symptoms. People might better understand you if you say your autistic, but you may incorrectly understand and describe yourself. If one wishes to put a name with symptoms, they should find a doctor to pick the label", ">\n\nfor sure but unfortunately our medical system is a joke and even if you are experiencing very severe symptoms it can be nearly impossible to see a professional or take months on a waiting list.\nEven then a professional may be reluctant to slap a label on you for fear of what the consequences of that might be. I saw someone for a very long time who resisted any sort of actual diagnosis because the truth is that what I was experiencing didn't fit neatly into any of the boxes and pretty much belonged in this vague \"other\" category which isn't particularly helpful. Not to mention that misdiagnosis happens all the time even by professionals. \nI just think it is sort of understandable because I think a lot of stuff is kind of a spectrum anyway and just different levels of severity. Things can be really confusing and hard to nail down and thus communicate in a way that causes someone else to be understanding rather than judgemental.", ">\n\nAre you under the impression this is a new phenomenon? Because it's definitely not.\nPeople - especially young people! - crave identity. The world is a confusing place, knowing who you are makes it a little easier. Sometimes it's self-diagnosing mental illness or learning disabilities, or exploring sexual identity, or cliques, or subcultures. There's nothing embarrassing about it, it just is what it is.", ">\n\nIt’s ok to want to express individuality but not to the extent of totally destroying the definition of a real thing and making it hard for actual mentally Ill ppl to get a diagnosis. Why can’t people just accept that they’re different rather then giving themselves a label?", ">\n\npeople on TikTok claiming to have disorders that they don't doesn't affect the precision of psychiatrists diagnosing actual patients. There's no TikTok-said section in the DSM. Why do you think that it does?", ">\n\nIt just encourages more people to get diagnosed possibly skewing the meaning of the mental illness", ">\n\nSkewing it towards statistical accuracy? If people are actually diagnosed at higher rates, we have a better Guage of population-level mental illness, neurodivergency, etc. Better data is more usable, so that research actually means something actionable, ASIDE from the identity boost for young people.", ">\n\nI think what OP is driving at, but utterly failing to explain, is that they think that the fakers will be accommodated by the psychiatric system and diagnosed on the basis of fake symptoms. my sense is that isn't a problem but I don't have data.", ">\n\nDefinitely explained it a little better then I could lol", ">\n\nWhere do you see evidence of that? Any articles about fakers? How about a statistic? If not, it’s just a fear you seem to have.", ">\n\nI think the salient line here is this one:\n\nNeurologists were able to quickly determine that the subjects were not \nsuffering from Tourette's, but psychogenic tics driven by anxiety.", ">\n\nWomen are not born with less autism, but are much less likely to be diagnosed as children than boys. This is partly because boys generally have similar symptoms and behaviors. \nSo of course more women are self diagnosing autism, since their diagnoses were missed as children on a much higher rate.", ">\n\nAlright, I'm diagnosed OCD, PTSD, chronic depression. Diagnosed by a professional so I think I have some grounds to talk about this.\nFirst, let's tackle your women comment about autism. You see, I understand where you're coming from, but you lack the nuance of recognizing that mental illness, and illness in general, is heavily under-diagnosed in women. The medical culture is heavily favored towards men and is rampant with mysogyny, and that's not just me saying it as I've had medical professionals blatantly tell me it's a problem in the field when questioned about it. I've also had some tell me that it's just because women whine a lot, so yanno make of that statement what you will.\nNow that we've covered that let me address the self-diagnosing issue. So, do you want to know what my therapist thinks of self-diagnosing? Well, when I asked them about it they said that self-diagnosing is an important first step to seeking help. Psychiatrist said the same thing. It's normal, expected even, for people to self-diagnose their issues then seek help for them. You can't exactly just peer into someone's brain, no, that person has to tell you what they think is wrong and why they think it is. \nWhat you actually have a problem with is not self-diagnosis, but with people not seeking or not being able to get medical assistance and assuming they're right. You have a problem with people using these issues for attention, which I do too, but once again self-diagnosing is not the problem. Finally, you have a problem with the medical system that forces people into the position of trying to figure out their mental illnesses, but having no ability to get help for them.", ">\n\nI think I did it", ">\n\nSadly no lol, it was not done properly. Do you need a link to the rules?", ">\n\nI already read them i think I’ll figure it out in a bit sorry for the hold up", ">\n\nBecause everyone else is being aggressive: you have to comment with ∆ or !delta and then explain how your view has been changed", ">\n\nThis delta has been rejected. You can't award OP a delta.\nAllowing this would wrongly suggest that you can post here with the aim of convincing others.\nIf you were explaining when/how to award a delta, please use a reddit quote for the symbol next time.\n^Delta System Explained ^| ^Deltaboards", ">\n\nWhat gives you the authority or knowledge to know this is the problem?", ">\n\nYou don’t think it’s a problem that a lot of young ppl are willing to go to the extent of saying they are mentally Ill either for attention or to excuse their weirdness? Just accept that your different. It’s not wrong to believe you’re different without a label", ">\n\nYou did not even try to answer my question.", ">\n\nI’m sorry I was confused on what you meant", ">\n\nIf you are mad at people for self diagnosing themselves because they don't have the knowledge or authority to do so.... what gives you the knowledge or authority to diagnosis this as the problem behavior... basically are you just a kid that is annoyed, or is there some actual studies out there that is claiming this is a problem.", ">\n\nIf you don’t think that people consistently seeking attention for mental illness or craving a label so badly to justify themselves rather then being themselves. That just shows what your views are", ">\n\nDont you think we should leave the diagnosing to the professionals?", ">\n\nI mean yeah", ">\n\nWould you agree that you are diagnosing these people by saying that they are only seeking attention and do not have a real mental illness?", ">\n\nI’m assuming", ">\n\nThere may be some truth to people wanting to be different, however with mental illnesses being more accepted in today's society, many people are a lot more comfortable with being neurodivergent. Additionally, self diagnosis is common because the alternative is spending upwards to $1000-$2000 for a clinical diagnosis.", ">\n\nI know costs suck, but self diagnosis can be much more harmful. A web.md page that tells you your depressed when you may actually be bipolar can lead to really messed up results. I would even go as far as to say that no diagnosis at all is preferable to an uninformed one", ">\n\nWell.\n​\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad \n\nSo you already know why they're doing what they're doing in addition the fact that you know that they're not Autistic? If your claim is that they can't know and only a doctor can, what makes you more qualified? You start out your argument admitting that you have a bias.\n\nthey’re “neurodivergent.\n\nNeurodivergent is an umbrella that covers both Autism and ADHD, which sometimes get mistaken for each other. So if you're upset that they're self-diagnosing, this term should be more welcome than \"Autistic\" because it's more generalized.\n\nnd when you ask them how they know they’ll say “oh I have this weird tick when I uh laugh when someone says something funny “ or “I have a hyper fixation on this topic so I must be autistic\n\nHow else should they communicate it to you? The list of aspects of Autism, especially for how it presents in women, sounds a lot like this. You're not a doctor, they don't have to prove anything to you by going down the entire list of every possible part of their daily experience that might be on the spectrum.\n\nWomen statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nNope. Women are diagnosed less often than men because the original diagnostic criteria for Autism was for Autism as it presents in males. It presents differently for females and is harder to diagnose, especially at younger ages. \n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized\n\nTodays youth want to be victimized? Why would anyone want to be victimized? Something tells me you're missing the mark with this terminology.\n\nor have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. \n\nSo if someone is Autistic and that makes them weird, you'd rather them just be forced to not get to have a name for it, and get the therapeutic treatment that would help them?\n\nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really [are] without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nSome people are autistic. If they find out and it makes them feel good, that doesn't mean they're craving attention. And if they are craving attention, it's because they're normal people and everyone does. \nIf someone thinks they're autistic but it turns out they're actually not, chances are they suspected it for a reason. They might have ADHD, a personality disorder, a mental health issue, or simply a slightly different way of experiencing the world that feels unique to them and there's nothing wrong with that. \nYou seem to think that other people do things for you. People generally don't. They do things for themselves. This is especially true of people on the Autism Spectrum who may not be able to easily use other people's experiences to reference when constructing their view of the world, and can only use their own. Your interpretation wherein they do it to evoke a response from you says more about you than it does about them.", ">\n\nYou’re being deliberately obtuse. OP is completely correct. Most of the people these days who say “I’m ADHD” or “I’m autistic” or “I’m neurodivergent” are absolutely not diagnosed as such and are doing it to seem unique or get attention or as some excuse for why they did x y or z.", ">\n\nI'd like to point out that while some are perhaps attention seeking, many people self diagnose simply because they don't have access to free medical/psychological professionals to get proper diagnosis and help with their issues. I also know someone who doesn't want to get an official diagnosis because he's afrad it will affect his insurance rates or somehow come back to bite him if he's offically labeled with having a neurological disorder. \nThere is a wealth of knowledge on these subjects available online for those interested. And if they are truly interested in self diagnose they can likely do that accurately enough for all intents and purposes. Most of these people who search for the sake of better understanding themselves or their loved ones will openly admit that it's a self diagnoses, or say they THINK they have x,y, or z. But in some situations it's just as well to say they have it if they feel certain anyway, and it's just a passing comment, and not a discussion on the matter. \nIn other words, just because they self diagnose doesn't mean they're wrong, nor does it explain their motives. I also don't see how attention seeking (for those who ARE doing that) is really hurting anyone else. Fakers gonna be fake, that's more a \"them\" kind of problem. ANNOYING, but mostly harmless.", ">\n\nUnless you have a doctor's diagnosis you don't have the disorder. Even if you are broke there are programs to help with costs. \nAnd yes it does affect me when someone is treating me like shit and tries using the I have such and such as an excuse and then people get mad at ME for calling them in their bullshit.", ">\n\nNo. You have to have the disorder before you CAN be diagnosed, so obviously there are undiagnosed people who in fact \"have the disorder \". Your refusal to acknowledge an undiagnosed disorder does not mean they don't have it. Your personal experience with people supposedly using a fake diagnosis to treat you badly, sounds unusual. How do you know they DIDN'T have it? People who do lie and just want to be jerks will do that regardless of what methods they decide to try. The methods are irrelevant. And that motive is not typical of most self diagnosers .", ">\n\nSounds unusual? You must not get out a lot because it's become a pretty regular thing. Every single person I know (about 8) that have self diagnosed themselves as neurodivergent or with a mental illness like Bi-polar all use it to excuse their shitty ass behaviors. \nToo many disorders can mirror other ones. Just because they think they have 2/3 symptoms doesn't make them right by a long shot. Keep living in your bubble.", ">\n\nYou don't have to have a relationship with anyone. If they treat you badly, regardless of an official diagnosis or not, you don't have to tolerate them. It makes no difference what they have or don't have. What would it change if they got diagnosed and actually have it?", ">\n\nSelf diagnosing has been a thing forever\nAnd it's not a problem im 99% sure me or any other autistic person doesn't really give 2 fucks about people who wanna fake disorders. It doesn't stop us from getting help, we have doctors notes, medical files, sometimes even volunteers, you need those files to get into let's say a special education class, or a life skills course.\nSo unless you were diagnosed by a professional you're probably not gonna make it far faking it.\n(Excuse my shitty punctuation)", ">\n\nIt doesn’t bother you that they’re making others take the actual meaning away from what you were born with? I mean I’m sure autism hasn’t made your life easy and seeing ppl claim it for attention to be quirky probably has to annoy you a little right?", ">\n\nAt the end of the day I still have ADHD and I still need help with it. More people being diagnosed with it doesn’t change that fact. In fact I was diagnosed because I realized I related to so many tiktok memes, and I’m sure others are in my same boat. \nIn fact I think so many people talking about ADHD helps. It means more people who possibly have tips for me, people who are suffering who can’t afford treatment have an easy way to learn about how to improve their lives, and more people who are aware of my disorder.", ">\n\nI think people do diagnose themselves too often without seeking professional help. BUT mental illness is not the same as being neurodivergent.", ">\n\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad that they’ll go as far to say they’re “neurodivergent.”\n\nWhile this is the case, I don't really see how it's a \"problem\" per se. I guarantee that these people still make lifestyle decisions based on what they think is best, or based on what they want to do.\n\nbut it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women\n\nDo you have any statistics for that? I haven't experienced it that way in my own anecdotal experience, and I'd be curious to look into the data to see how much that truly does skew in that direction.\n\nwanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness \nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nI understand what you're trying to say here, but I don't really think these things are connected as much as you think they are. People see something wrong with themselves, so they either playfully or seriously consider the fact that it could be a condition that they have similar symptoms to. Not that it never happens, but just because someone categorizes themselves into a disability group that could potentially excuse their \"quirks\", doesn't mean they think that behavior is unacceptable in any way. People see a problem, and assume it's linked to this other issue that seems similar that they already know about.", ">\n\nI agree with the conclusion that self-diagnosis is a real issue, and I wouldn't be surprised if the data indicated it was on the rise. I wouldn't necessarily frame it as a simple desire to \"be victimized\" however. While it is purely speculation, I do believe there are a number of conditions which might lead towards a more frequent experience of symptoms associated with mental illness - a rising wealth gap, perpetual anxiety from a 24-hour news cycle, intensification of self-commodification, the student debt crisis in certain countries like the US, and so on. So people are experiencing symptoms like low energy, mood swings, etc. that can be associated with mental illness. The issue with self-diagnosis then becomes that it may correctly identify the symptom, but incorrectly identify the cause.\nThis video from the YouTuber HealthyGamerGG does a good job of explaining what some of the issues with self-diagnosis are, and for me it was a good starting place for thinking about this more. \nEDIT: I forgot this video literally starts with this same topic being brought up on this same subreddit lol", ">\n\nA great theory based on reasonable causes with an educational video from a psychologist(I assume) as evidence to back it up. I applaud you sir. 👏", ">\n\nWhy are you embarrassed by other people's issues?", ">\n\nI’m a 30yo male. If I had not first self diagnosed with ASD and OCD, I never would have found the language and resources to get a formal diagnosis and help.\nPrior generations have been so fixated on avoidance of diagnosing mental disorders, and research was previously so lacking that we are only just now (through those that do get diagnosed) realizing how common mental disorders are. That plus the lack of mental health resources for neurotypical and neurodivergent I think is how we end up in this situation of many recognizing their symptoms in the new discourse, but lacking the resources to overcome the barriers to proper diagnosis and treatment.", ">\n\nIt’s not the best thing, no. \nAs an adult FINALLY diagnosed (by a licensed therapist) at 41, I can tell you why ‘self diagnosis’ is so tempting. \nIn the US at least- mental health, and official medical diagnosis are almost completely inaccessible, especially as an adult. Most of us grew up before Autism was a spectrum, and ADHD was just boys who acted out in class. We felt like aliens. We couldn’t understand why we didn’t have many friends, or why we didn’t like the ‘right things’, and generally spend the bill of our lives feeling ‘wrong’, ‘broken’ or just simply like we didn’t belong. \nFinally understanding the WHY, and even better, finding tools to addresses our issues is a huge huge weight off the chest. The relief of having a name and a strategy- either therapy or medicine is such an amazing relief!!", ">\n\nI only kinda agree if I had not done my own research I would have never found out I have sjorgens syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis I know TikTok people tend to diagnose themselves and it makes it look cringe but when you live with a incurable illness sometimes you have to work to find a diagnosis", ">\n\nWell, what do you do of you absolutely know you're neurodivergent, but your parents decided not to get you checked? My mom once told me \"we knew you had something, we just didn't get you checked because they would have just put you on pills\". So I struggled with being different, socially unaware, impulsive, obnoxious, agressive, selfish, for the better part of my life without having the self awareness to understand why I was these things, and why people wouldn't want to be around me. \nIn my late 20''s I asked the question, what if I'm actually autistic? I looked up the symptoms, and 9/10 matched. As a child I couldn't handle loud noises, restrictive clothing, I didn't talk until I was 3. I would throw fits for seemingly no reason, I had obsessive interests. I've always really struggled with eye contact, and I never cared for conversation unless it was something I liked. I mean, when the final piece of a puzzle fits so incredibly well, it's really hard for it to be wrong. \nSelf diagnosing actually really helped me grow as aj individual. I became aware of all my divergent behaviors, and why it might be annoying for someone else to deal with. I came to the realization that I was the one who was different, therefore I needed to change. It's way harder to make everyone around you cater to your needs than to overcome the things that upset you. I'm at peace, I have good friends that I can connect with on a pretty deep level. I no longer smash coffee tables when I lose, I can now appreciate that if I lose it just means I have more to learn. I can keep my house clean, I can reasonably hold myself accountable. What exactly is the harm in all that?\nBesides, it would be pretty pointless for me to try and get a diagnosis now, I've put the effort in and largely come out the other side. Anyone diagnosing me would just say I was normal, but they wouldn't have the intimate knowledge of me that I do. I guess it doesn't matter if people don't believe me, I don't go around shouting that I'm autistic. I will say, it would be really nice if people appreciated the effort I put in to get to get to a place of normalcy, something others take for granted, but it's okay, we all have our struggles.", ">\n\nI feel you on all that. To play devil's advocate, mental healthcare in the U.S. is not cheap. Many people go to the internet and confirm their bias about their current health", ">\n\nI feel you on that too OP. I agree 100% with your entire statement.", ">\n\nIt's a problem, but not a new one. In the 1990s there was briefly a surge of people with a type of delusional parasitosis, that is, the false belief that they were infested with parasites. Except this one was supposedly an infestation with tiny fibres. They would come to doctors with a whole list of symptoms to back up their incorrect self-diagnosis.\nTo a certain extent, these are social contagions, which come and go, and often actually end up leading to people having real problems. Like, the young women you mention, a couple of decades ago may well have ended up with anorexia, or self-cutting. These days it might be a self-declaration of autism or a belief that they have gender dysphoria or that they have multiple systems living in their minds.", ">\n\nWow I did not know that. Maybe it’s just so prevalent today due to social media. Social media has only made these things worse imo", ">\n\nEven before it being self diagnosis of a mental illness it was always something. Remember all the emo and goth teenager?", ">\n\nIt depends on the context. For example, if they've done a substantial amount of research, can name a good amount of symptoms they have and reasons they have whatever mental illness and don't have access to the necessary tools to get a medical diagnosis, it's totally different. Some people don't have the money to go out and get a diagnosis, or sometimes it would be better to not get a medical diagnosis. I believe that the reason that a lot of people self diagnose themselves with things like Autism is because they want an explanation as to why they are different, and they could be right or wrong. I think the most important part is that if you go to a psychologist (or even two, I know a lot of people prefer getting second opinions) and they say you don't have it, that you need to admit you were wrong. It's ok to be wrong about your mental health, and the key is to keep looking and to not give up. I can completely understand the frustration in people completely missing how difficult it actually may be to have a mental illness. I was clinically diagnosed with Depression, Anxiety, and PTSD when I was seven, and I've had some experience with people faking mental disorders for attention, and more often then not, they have another mental disorder that needs attention. Recently I had a (now ex) boyfriend insist he had PTSD after being tested twice and the psychiatrist saying that he didn't have it. What he does have is Depression and Anxiety, but he absolutely insisted he has PTSD despite never exhibiting symptoms and the only evidence being a test he took online that was supposedly a \"real PTSD test.\" People faking mental illnesses only harms people who really have them, as these people tend to exaggerate symptoms and use their self diagnosis for attention. I believe that I am autistic, but I don't list it as a diagnosis because while I have read articles and taken the RAADS-r test, I don't have an official diagnosis, and I could very well be wrong. As for women faking illnesses more often, something I've noticed is that things like Autism, ADHD, ADD, etc are more often diagnosed in boys rather than girls- mostly because when they were first discovered, most of the research was done in boys. Autism shows up differently in girls, and can often be blown off as early puberty hormones. If their hyperfixations are those of stereotypical feminine things, it's just a girl liking whatever, and if they hyperfixate in stereotypical masculine interests, they tend to just be viewed as weird, but not autistic. It's normal for people to question, but I agree that to a certain point, self diagnosis can be harmful, but only if not done correctly.", ">\n\nFirst and foremost not a new problem at all, very common, we used to call it \"Being a hypochondriac\" until it aparrently became reconized which in it self is confusing and a bit contradictory.\nANYWAY\nIt isnt really a problem, no doctor is gonna write the perscription for medication without a diagnosis of some sort.\nAt most there is the vauge \"But what about those who actually have it who arent taken serious\" dont worry, we wouldnt have anyway. Thats kinda how invisible illnesses work.\nOverall the 101 hypochondriacs screaming about the symptoms they read in the ICD might help make the knowledge more common and help people better reconize if their colleagues or friends happen to show symptoms of something.", ">\n\nIt’s pretty expensive in the US to get diagnosed. Personally, I’ve self diagnosed myself out of frustration of the way I process things. I’ve always felt slow & my anxiety/depression was deep because of it, but I was raised in a family that doesn’t believe in mental illness. It was always “if you work hard enough, all your problems will go away”. Meanwhile, i was racking my brain on how to make myself think faster/smarter & it would result in psychotic episodes. I’ve gotten fired from jobs, dropped out of school. I started self harming because I hated myself and my brain & almost commit suicide bc I had no idea what was going on.\nThe relief I felt once I finally got a therapist who validated me & was the first to talk to me about mental Illness. It blew my mind and all of a sudden things actually made sense to me. I currently think I have ADD, and sometimes I’ll tell people that but will preface it by saying I’m not professionally diagnosed. Still, I use mental tools that help me get through the day and build my confidence. I’m a lot better at processing conversations, making lists that help me remember things, unmasking, slowing down my thoughts… etc. I’m less frustrated and can see the beauty in how I process things. I still want to get diagnosed but I have to get health insurance….. lol", ">\n\nSelf diagnosis, regardless of being factual is a process where the individual realizes that they might have a mental health issue. People who can do this are more likely to seek professional help compared to the people who think they are “fine”. Going to a professional, licensed psychologist or a psychiatrist will eventually diagnose them with the correct disorder from there, and professionals have the skills to communicate with them and they can together evaluate if the person’s complaint is the issue or not. There is nothing embarrassing about discovering one’s self. It would be a problem if people would identify with an issue and don’t have any willingness to seek help. Sometimes overreacting is better than not reacting.", ">\n\nThe majority of people who are self-diagnosed with autism have done extensive research into it to come to that conclusion. I personally went through the DSM criteria with a fine-tooth comb, made a list of all the ways I met it and discovered that there’s not a single criteria i don’t meet for autism. I didn’t read about anything else but autism for weeks, approaching it from all angles before coming to the conclusion that it’s highly unlikely I am not autistic. I’m waiting to hear back about an assessment, but I’m not waiting to go and be told something I already know before I start advocating for myself. \nOh, and I absolutely did not want to be ‘different’, in fact my life mission to just blend in and be average is the root cause of most of my problems, but here we are.", ">\n\nThis self diagnosing young people do isn’t the problem. The problem is that our society encourages it.\nOur culture is not set up to accommodate a wide spectrum of human needs. You may need things that I don’t. I may need things that you don’t. But in most business settings, academic settings, or even places like restaurants or leisure places, the world isn’t built to accommodate everyone. Our world and society is a “one size fits all” approach, and most people don’t fit snugly inside of that system. \nIf you can classify what is “wrong” or “different” about you into an easily digestible form, people are generally more able and more willing to accommodate you.\nFor example: if I tell my coworkers that I need to leave work early because of a headache, I’ll be shamed for it. And in some cases I’ll be told that “headaches aren’t that bad!” Or “You don’t need to leave.” Or “I have a headache too, just deal with it!”\nBut if I tell my workers that I need to leave due to a painful neurological condition that’s flaring up (I have chronic migraine, which is a neurological condition), they will respect it 100% of the time. It’s met with sympathy and not criticism.\nThis happens for all sorts of things. “Sorry Im late, I slept in.” Sounds a lot worse then, “sorry I’m late, my insomnia has been terrible lately.” \nOur culture forces us to use these labels even when they’re untrue just to receive sympathy or acceptance. The problem isn’t people who decide to use these labels, the root problem is that our society refuses to embrace and accommodate people who are outside of the “norm.”", ">\n\nSpeaking as someone who's had an autism diagnosis since age 7: if someone declares they're autistic when they're not, that's obnoxious at worst. If someone is told they're not autistic when they are, that can cause lifelong harm from denied care and understanding. I have seen this happen to a close friend of mine.\nTherefore, I'd much rather err on the side of acceptance. If you think you're defending me and others like me from impersonators, we'd rather not have your help.\n\nI know people will disagree but it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women. Women statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nCase in point: women are diagnosed with autism far less than men. Recent studies have pointed to decades of systematic misdiagnosis. The more visible autistic symptoms sometimes manifest differently in girls, the way they're socialized may help them hide it from a young age, and of course lots of doctors just say \"your daughter can't be autistic, that's a boy thing.\"\nWe're learning that there are hundreds of thousands of autistic women who slipped through the cracks and were denied the recognition and support they needed because of dismissive, gatekeeping attitudes just like yours.", ">\n\nThere’s a difference between having a disorder and relating to a disorder. If the tools or language associated with a disorder helps someone live better though then cool, it’s all still odd. Also autism presents differently in woman, and a majority of our research on it is on men. Best practice is probably to support them and encourage them to seek treatment.", ">\n\nAutism is severely misdiagnosed in women. Completely under diagnosed. Actually, plenty of things are. The actual problem that we have is parents refusing to let their children get professional help or a diagnosis. Most doctors will diagnose you with BPD as a woman(aka the new female hysteria of our century), maybe put you on some anti psychotics and send you your way. In most countries, a diagnosis/specialist is not readily available, or there is a long waiting list. Even so, the doctors are not know it all. I have seen plenty of doctors, I got different diagnosis almost each time. They ask you some general questions (about your mood, the way you sleep, if you can concentrate, if you harm yourself, if you have suicidal ideation, if you can socialize properly, if your parents were diagnosed with anything, if you have hallucinations or delusions, the works) and then based on that, they will give you a diagnosis. If you use your common sense and information on the internet (given you are knowledgeable on the subject), you can take a good guess on what's wrong. Obviously, some people will exaggerate like with anything (seeing the shadow dude once in your childhood is not a sign of psychosis, neither is hearing your name called when you are alone once in a blue moon), but if you have visual and auditory hallucinations, perhaps weird tactile feelings/hallucinations (spiders are crawling on me, etc), delusions, tend to be forgetful and out of teach with reality, there is a good chance you do have psychosis.", ">\n\nOkay, to start: what do you think autism and ADHD are? They aren't mental illnesses nor are they mental health conditions. \nTo address some of your other points; \nStudies have shown that autism has a gender expression of 1:1. The only reason that women are under diagnosed is because of misunderstandings towards autism, then the diagnosis is conducted incorrectly. Thus it ends up getting conflated with mental illness, E.G BPD, and is diagnosed as a psychiatric disorder instead. This is a detriment to the patient as the care regimes are black and white different. Often times this severely damages the woman.\nFrom data sets that I recall reading, malingering hasn't risen much, if at all, in recent times. I remember it being around 8% of the global population who are engaging in this behaviour, to different extents. I think what's happened is that social media has turned a torch onto it and it's risen in popularity in an algorithmic way. You see it more because it's pushed by the algorithm more because people are searching for it more. It isn't actually occurring any more or less than historically. Most of that attention is negative attention, I should add. \nSo there's two things to take away from that.\n1) The actual act of pretending to be mentally ill, or to have a disability, which is called malingering, is in fact a form of mental unwellness itself. It's a cry for help. The people who do these things are usually very unstable and should be treated with a degree of empathy. The dangerous types who are using mental illness to scam others, or to manipulate them, make up a very small percentage of the overall amount of people in that group and tend to abuse one on one. \n2) The predominant response to this is generally negative. There isn't really any reason to publicly malinger unless you're unstable, this is because a rational person would likely know this, and know the damage it would cause themselves. Self-diagnosis is a very long, and self-aware, process that takes place over years of the individuals life, and proceeds official diagnosis. \nNo one SDs and says \"Okay that's it now! Let me start a TikTok!\" You'd still want support, and you'd still seek support. So that would end up with a doctor, who would see that you're lying, and treat you for whatever was prompting you to malinger. Anyone who has made this commitment knows that keeping it private is a sensible thing to do in a world that isn't inclusive, and often very stigmatising. Sometimes official diagnosis can take YEARS. \nThis kind of propaganda has been going around for a long time in an effort to discredit disabled people and people with mental illnesses. It's not new. People said the same things back in the 90s. People will always be afraid, and dismissive, of things they do not understand. I invite you to try and understand.", ">\n\nI self-diagnosed myself with endometriosis for 10 years before a doctor finally listened to me, opened me up, and found my insides littered with lesions all over my organs. I’m now not able to get pregnant and I might need to get part of my bowel taken out someday. This could’ve been avoided if someone had just listened to me when I was 16. \nSelf-diagnosing is a necessity in a misogynist world! No one takes us seriously! Especially medical professionals. \nThe best antidote for this is to listen to women who self-diagnose. Why do they think they have XYZ? Is it heavily interfering with their life? I think that’s a much larger problem.", ">\n\nIts been proven that there is a bias to diagnose as opposed to not diagnose a mental illness in psychology. So op is actually kinda correct. The definition of a mental illness is in effect being stretched so far that people who are just kinda weird are being diagnosed with \"on the spectrum\". This is actually causing a problem in early learning because parents start treating their kids as essentially learning challenged when they're really not. So it is starting to become an excuse ...", ">\n\nWe live in a society that loves to medicate people. I know it’s different but Did ppl forget about the opioid epidemic? They’ll diagnose your ass with anything if they can", ">\n\nYa I tend to agree. And no one is really saying so I will I guess, but id wager that 50% of psychologist \"professionals\" are totally full of shit. The actual number of psychologists that are are doing real research and clinical studies is EXTREMELY small compared to how many \"psychologists\" are out there. Just like chiropractors, half of them are hacks..", ">\n\nAnd ill say one more thing, though it is anecdotal, but i have direct family that works in special education for young children, and that system is fucked with a capital F. Thay are constantly fighting against parents and programs who try to box kids in the \"autistic\" zone, when they are just really quite or shy, or have pee problems. But parents want an excuse and reason for their behavior, and reduce them to a sub standard education and treatment for the rest of their lives. It's heart breaking. Especially in public schools.", ">\n\nI’m 32 years old. \nI didn’t self diagnose for attention although I remember the days of tumblr where everyone self diagnosed for clout.\nIt took me a decade to realize what is really happening. During the decade before I realized what may have been happening I was told the following:\nI’m rude\nI’m bossy\nI have a RBF/I look mad\nI also only managed to make my first real friend at age 27.\nWhat I was really displaying was:\nBeing overly blunt and just trying to get my point across came off rude when I didn’t intend it to be that way\nTrying to have things done at a certain time and way that no one else thought was important to follow\nUnmasking\nNoticed other things too that I just thought was me being weird:\nVocal stimming\nOral stimming-chewing, smoking, vaping\nRepetitive motions\nRocking\nEasily overwhelmed by too much sensory input\nHigh startle reflex \nInability to regulate my body’s needs-I don’t know I’m hungry until I’m ravenous; don’t recognize the need to use the bathroom until it’s causing me to rush off, don’t realize I’m cold until I’m shaking\nI could go on.\nI want an assessment so bad. But assessments for adults are EXTREMELY hard to setup, if you can even set them up at all. Some states don’t even offer them. I’ve been looking but they are only for children and seem to look for severe cases.\n14 years of thinking I was just a bitch who couldn’t make friends because I was too weird…turns out it might be autism. And turns out I’ll most likely never get a true diagnosis. But the RAADS test gave me a 127 score so that might be the closest I’ll ever get.", ">\n\ni kind of self diagnosed autism? i’ve been to many psychiatrists and therapists for years and they always see adhd in the half an hour and prescribe meds for that, which makes me not go there again. if they dug a little deeper they could have seen autism, i spoke to my current psychiatrist about if its possible i have it, she didn’t want to confirm or deny as i was moving out of state from friends and family and am at an age where i can have kids in the next 10 years since she doesn’t want me being concerned for them. \nI think there’s still lots of stigma around autism even with professionals and especially when identifying it in women. \nI don’t want to be autistic, but i can recognise a lot of different patterns comparing myself and others. I’ve researched it a ton especially in how it shows in women compared to men and in all the articles i found myself relating.\nNow i don’t say im autistic, i say im a little sus of being it tho lmao. and try pass it off casually. I find it’s a lot easier for me to understand and embrace my differences compared to trying to hide it and try be like everyone else or wonder why im not like everyone else. \nBeing older i can also recognise how a lot of my family on one side have suffered mentally and because of obvious neurodivergence. so im pretty sure, like the rest of my mentally challenged brain, has been inherited genetically through that side. \nAll that being said. I self diagnosed when i was about 12 that im highly likely to be depressed and anxious in attempt to get my mom to believe me i needed help, and now 8 years later i can identify that this has been an issue forever for me and that i likely cannot go off my meds because i will just go back to how i used to be. Im still ocd with all my meds, but its better than being anxious and depressed all the time, Having ocd throughout the day is like heaven to me in comparison to how i used to be. obviously the ocd isnt new, just a lot more heard in my brain now.", ">\n\nOk, I know some people self diagnoze themselves with [insert some mental illness here] out of attention or whatever, and that's totally not ok.\nHowever, if you read all the symptoms and do proper research on a mental illness and everything clicks in to you, I'd say you can be fairly confident on a self diagnosis (although, it might be worth it to double check with a professional, especially if you want any sort of treatment). But also for some people, it might not be affordable to go to a professional...", ">\n\nI live in Canada, I've engaged with the medical system, doctors don't care and just want you out, ERs are a 8 hour wait for someone to ignore one thing and won't even entertain other issues even if they are related. Self-diagnosis is really the only way to get any kind of proper treatment at all. \nThe doctors will rubber stamp just about anything you ask for except pain killers but in terms of diagnosis you're way better off doing it yourself, sure you don't have 8 years of medical school but the doctors won't give you 5 mins of their time, they are not better than google and you give a lot more of a shit than they will and at the end of the day it's your body.", ">\n\nBack in the 90s when I was a teenager, the kids/teenagers/young adults who wanted attention, and wanted to be different, adopted the goth lifestyle. Dressing up in all black. White foundation with black lipstick and eyeshadow. It was the trendy way to be different, to be viewed as outcasts of society. To not fit in. \nThe goth lifestyle of the 2020s is self diagnosis. Same shit, different day.\nWhenever someone claims autism, or somewhere on the spectrum, I just roll my eyes and imagine that person just sucks at life.", ">\n\nI just think it’s a little more harmful nowadays due to the prevalence of social media. Ppl get sucked into groups and mindsets before they even have a real life chance. Then they hyper fixate on that they might be mentally Ill rather then just trying to live life to the fullest", ">\n\nI 100% agree with you", ">\n\nBecause it's the age of spin this generation has something for everybody. And all of them are Google doctors. Lol", ">\n\nTook my uncle till he was 38 even thought it was apparent to everyone. Hell he got expelled from two schools", ">\n\nI get what you're saying. I frankly find it weird that more people don't find this weird. People self-diagnosing themselves as all kinds of things not only completely misrepresents the actual conditions, thereby making people even more confused as to what they actually are and how they present, but also leads people to run to a psychiatrist claiming false symptoms and getting medication for something they don't have, which is NOT a good thing. People should never be taking medication unless it is necessary. We are a heavily over-medicated society and this is a big factor in that. Caffeine to wake up in the morning, \"immuno-boosters\" and mood stabilizers during the day, sleeping pills to sleep at night. The caffeine and sleeping pills are addictive and can really mess up your circadian rhythm, and the mood stabilizers can really fuck you up if you don't need them. Instead of rushing to diagnose and medicate everyone, we need to educate them on human behavior and show them that their \"mental health\" problems are completely normal.\nOh, so you get nervous right before you make huge life decisions? That's not Anxiety Disorder, it's just anxiety.\nOh, you are really sad because your cat died? That's not Clinical Depression, you are just grieving.\nOh, you went from really happy to really sad when you were previously happy and something really shitty happened to you and soured your mood? That's not Bipolar Disorder, that's just life.\nOh, you like to be more organized than the people around you? That's not Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, you just like to be organized.\nPeople really misunderstand the nature of these conditions and it hinders our collective progress in treating them, like dramatically inflating the number of actual conditions in the population, making it increasingly more difficult to determine how common and how varied they are. After all, in most cases it is not the psychiatrist or psychologist who makes you better, you make you better. Medication can help and other people can show you the path to success, but the problem will never get solved unless you play an active role in the treatment. Some conditions can never be solved, only lessened, while others are virtually untreatable. We need to stop making these conditions seem cool. They aren't. They are serious and need to be taken seriously.", ">\n\nHeavily agree and I appreciate how well this comment is worded. Wish I coulda worded mine a little better", ">\n\nYa I saw you getting shredded in the comments and figured I'd sum it up for you. 🤣", ">\n\nLmao bro I didn’t expect this many. I was thinking maybe like 20 ppl would reply", ">\n\nYou need to self diagnose in many cases in order to get adequate help.", ">\n\nI knew when I had ADD and IBS, and I was able to get my suspicions confirmed by my respective doctors. Doctors are there to help the patients understand themselves, whereas the patients have to go home every day and live with what they actually have. Do not be so quick to judge.", ">\n\nJust to add here - Autism in women is less prevalent because it presents differently and is often not picked up by standardised diagnostic tests (that were developed on an almost exclusively male sample). I think that also goes to show that there’s p significant issues with what we consider ‘scientific’ and research based in the first place.", ">\n\nI grew up in a small town and we had quite a few autistic boys but only one autistic girl. Literally only one out of like 6-8 grades. So that’s like a 10-1 ratio. It’s gotta be a lot statistically smaller then males. I don’t doubt it happens I just know it’s a lot less", ">\n\nYou think your small town’s makeup is generalizable to all of society? That isn’t how statistics work.", ">\n\nSo my question would be - so what do we do?\nYou think people are diagnosing themselves to gain attention. Fine, but what's the next step?\nSee, I think I might be bipolar 2. But I went on a journey where I looked into the techniques for dealing with this issue. That led me to cognitive behavior therapy.\nThat actually made me more convinced that this was my issue because I have taught myself a lot of cognitive behavior therapy techniques to address the same issues. These practices have really helped me.\nIt sounds like your issue is that these people are getting attention for it. To me, these are people who need someone to help guide them. That would have helped me a lot when I was younger. Society today doesn't really give us the tools to sort this out, but just the knowledge that these things exist can push someone down the rabbit hole to learn about therapy that could really help.\nI think you should ask yourself what your motivations are. Do you really want them to understand themselves? Or are you more interested in steering the conversation toward other topics?\nPersonally, I would deal with these people by paying them forward. I would tell them to understand the practices that typically help these people, and see if they are relevant. I would tell them to seek professional help, and to refrain from diagnosing themselves, but I would encourage them to be critical of themselves and to learn more.\nImo, the way out is through.", ">\n\nI agree with you but it’s not mostly women. Maybe by happenstance that’s the case in your circle but broadly men do this too.", ">\n\nDoctor's are consulting the Mayo Clinic website after talking to a patient and getting their symptoms. I bring that up to say this; a doctor's training is needed for very serious diseases and tricky diagnoses, but a semi-intelligent person could look up their symptoms and get a lot of the more minor stuff right.", ">\n\nI've never been diagnosed as clinically depressed or anything, but that doesn't mean that I don't suffer from depression a lot of the time (these last few years, more often than not). I see a therapist. I take antidepressants. \nI have a friend who has aphantasia. It isn't really a \"diagnosable\" condition, but it describes what he has trouble with: creating images in his mind.", ">\n\nThat’s different then going online and claiming perfectly normal traits mean you’re autistic", ">\n\nNeurodivergence ≠ mental illness.", ">\n\nThey know themselves and their experiences better than you.", ">\n\nOP, I'm seeing some differences between your post and what you're saying in the comments. \nMy question is, do you have a problem with people self-diagnosing, or is your issue more about people drawing a lot of public attention to their diagnoses?", ">\n\nOverall both but definitely the attention part more so for obvious reasons. The self diagnosing part due to the fact that it can make people believe it can be an excuse for their actions good or bad. I think In a weird way it can allow people to take away the responsibility of their own actions and attribute to their mental illness", ">\n\nAs someone who has been diagnosed with ADHD, having people self diagnosing doesn't bother me at all, because I went the path of not knowing at all what I had and letting doctors figure out by themselves... and it took me 4 years and a half to finally have a concrete answer that no doctors would have found out if I didn't start searching on my own. You can't walk into every doctor's office with the assumption they'll figure out what you have, because it's not their speciality, or they still have an outdated view (not every doctor are kept up to date with new discovers), or they're biased, etc... \nI've never been annoyed by people who self diagnose. Hell, if I knew what was about to happen to me, I would have done the same way sooner.", ">\n\nMost women today arent faking it, they are noticing the symptoms no one else noticed and trying to find help. Its not easy to grow up with this kind of stuff. Is not coincidence you think women are less likely to be born to autism instead of thinking how weird it is that for some reason most autism diagnosis happen to men, that is the misogyny in the medical comunity.\nSelf diagnosis means this women will go to doctors and it most case scenarios they will get diagnoses because they have this issue all their life.\nSocial media is giving people awareness of the issue in medicine and how it affects women. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Misogyny in medicine also leads to people not knowing the difference between a heart attack in a woman and a man. It leads to women thinking its something else because internet and books will tell you how a man will feel a heart attack, even doctors sometimes dont know this.", ">\n\nGetting a diagnosis or treatment is borderline impossible for a lot of people. So self diagnosis is sometimes the only way they can help themselves.", ">\n\nNot a mental illness. But, I am a trans person and I pretty much self-diagnosed and self-medicated. I just had physicians do blood test.\nI educated myself on how everything works in about eight month period. I did that over a decade.\nI don’t regret my decision, and if I did. The regret would be not starting any sooner, especially when people who aren’t physicians or therapists are having a final say about these things.", ">\n\nIt is very noticeable and annoying, buuuut it’s proven autism manifest differently in females. Plus women are (very) often under diagnosed and dismissed for many many things by doctors, which is absolutely disgusting. Aaaand the cost of healthcare is outrageous.", ">\n\nwomen being less likely to be diagnosed with autism has nothing to do with an actual gender gap in who does and doesn’t have autism and everything to do with the fact autistic women are diagnosed with personality disorders and mental illnesses due to stigmas. most autism research was done on men and therefore women are underrepresented and more often than not misdiagnosed. autism actually occurs at a similar rate in both sexes. also, it’s not a mental illness, it’s a neurological condition (not that mental illnesses aren’t, but illness implies there’s something wrong, which there isn’t in autistic people). i agree that self diagnosing leads to misinformation and harms those who are clinically diagnosed though.", ">\n\nA lot of medical diagnoses are based on white male studies, so yes you would see more women finding out they have certain mental illnesses now as professionals are realizing it can show differently in females vs males. Adhd, for example, was considered something only seen in young boys that would grow out of it, now they are realizing that you don't in fact grow out of it and women can have it too. \nMental illness was a taboo subject back in the day as well, especially for women. It was only in 1980 I think that hysteria was no longer considered a mental illness. Women would be diagnosed with 'hysteria' and committed for symptoms like anxiety and anger. So now a lot of women are learning more about their mental health because they feel safe to do so. \nMy mother is in her early 70's and still refuses to tell anyone her own health issues or even mine, I have cancer and we were going to go on a trip as it's unknown how much longer I have and she refused to ask for the day off because she wouldn't tell them the reason why.", ">\n\nI detest self diagnosis, though once you’ve studied advanced level abnormal psychology shit happens. \nAs far as kids go, the generalized anxiety and depressive spectrum diagnoses can occasionally be accurate however that would warrant professional intervention regardless.\nOne serious issue among others; if an adolescent “decides” they have major depressive disorder that can become a self fulfilling prophecy and cause despair and reluctance to seek treatment", ">\n\nLook at the price and lack of availability of mental health care, and the total lack of privacy of internet connected devices. Most practitioners don’t offer in person visits anymore, and even if they do they probably do digital records or have their phone present. Ofc people are self diagnosing.", ">\n\nCounterpoint: many people do not have the means to access diagnoses for mental illnesses and other disorders, and it can sometimes be the only way to explain their feelings to others. Autism diagnoses in particular are extremely difficult to access for adults and even teens. I suspected I had autism for years and the only way I was able to get a diagnosis was through the mental health treatment program I was in during highschool which had a psychologist there. I only could attend because I live in Canada with universal healthcare. Many, many people are not as fortunate as me. Most people in the world cannot access diagnosis in the first place, including many in richer countries. \nYour comment about women statistically 'being born with autism on a far lesser scale than men' misses the well-known problem of underdiagnosis of autism in women. Autism presents itself differently in women than men (I can say as an autistic woman who knows other autistic women) and the criteria for autism were based on cis white men. Autism in women is is often misdiagnosed as CPTSD (which many autistic people ALSO unfortunately have), borderline personality disorder, anxiety, depression, etc. \nAlthough self-diagnosis is often problematic and used by teenagers to feel special, for the people who take it seriously and are intellectually honest there currently isn't really a better alternative for them to try and explain their experiences when they cannot access diagnoses.", ">\n\nWhat you are describing is NOT a new phenomenon. I was born in 1975 and have been observing this phenomenon my entire life. Nothing new about it at all.", ">\n\nSelf diagnosis is often the first step in going to go and get an actual diagnosis. Getting diagnosed with a mental disorder, especially as an adult, is basically impossible if you aren't actively seeking it out. For several reasons, one of which is that pretty much all the diagnostic criteria are written about children. \nI'm properly diagnosed and even on disability for mental disorders and I knew what I had for years before I got diagnosed. \nI understand there's a feeling of \"stolen valour\" to it. And there is indeed a subset of people doing it for attention or because it's fashionable, OCD in particular being a common example, but the good that comes from self diagnosis more than outweighs the bad." ]

[ "The diagnosis process for a lot of psychiatric conditions are surveys and questionaires. You can go to a psychiatrist and ask if you're anxious and they'll give you multiple choice questions and diagnose off of that. Or you can just google the form yourself and self diagnose. A lot of psychiatric disorders are about how we feel and think. Not about sending off some blood sample to a lab and getting a positive result come back.\n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. For such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nWhat you're describing are all neuroses that could indicate some deeper psychiatric condition. Whether a person has a mental health condition or not, thinking of ourselves as weak victims is never helpful in any context, yet it's something we all feel from time to time.\nI'm a disability support worker, so when someone tells me they've got a self diagnosed condition, it's not offensive to me or any disabled person I know, it doesn't come across like they're invalidating anyone else's condition. However I do think everyone should talk to a doctor about any condition they feel they might have.", ">\n\nPiggybacking off of this: You’ve spent your whole entire life inside your own brain. A therapist will spend a period of hours with you and give you a diagnosis. Who do you think knows your personal reality better than yourself?", ">\n\nYeah exactly, especially with conditions such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, PTSD, and many other psychiatric conditions. These are things people know they have even before they get a diagnosis. The diagnosis stage is more about treatment and management.\nPeople might be unaware of how severe or mild their condition is, some people think they have only mild PTSD despite constant nightmares and suicidal ideation. Some people will think they have severe ADHD because they can't concentrate for long times on things that don't interest them. It's good to get some perspective from experts but ultimately people know when they are struggling to focus or to struggling to stop stressing all the time or struggling to not be miserable. Struggling with our thoughts and feelings is evidence enough to self diagnose.", ">\n\nI was recently diagnosed with ADHD as a woman so I find this viewpoint interesting.\nFirstly, autism is not a mental illness. An autistic person may have mental illness in conjunction with autism, but autism alone lies under the neurodivergent umbrella. Neurodivergency can include autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and other similar conditions.\nWhy women are often underdiagnosed\nThese are serious disabilities that can really impede a person's life, especially if they struggle to find help and acceptance in their community. A lot of women start their journey towards diagnosis later in life due to a number of factors such as:\n\nPoor diagnostic tools and inexperienced professionals\nA misunderstanding that autism and ADHD are more common in boys\nAdvanced masking techniques to cover their 'traits'\n\nWhy women are often diagnosed later in life.\nThe process for many women and men who are diagnosed later in life often includes a level of burnout or breakdown. After a while everything becomes too much, the mask begins to slip and your traits go into overdrive.\nWhy does self-diagnosing seem to be on the rise?\nA common way of finding out you could possibly be neurodivergent is through media and people who are aware of these traits appear.\nIn the past few years, I have seen an increasing awareness of neurodivergence in women pop up in the media. This is useful for people like myself who had no idea wtf was wrong with them for a very long time. For me, a GP actually suggested I seek a diagnosis due to some struggles I was going through.\nAs someone who went through this process self-diagnosing is commonly the first step as an adult. You might be directed to a questionnaire and are asked to evaluate yourself and your experiences thinking back to your childhood. If there's some merit in your experiences than you move to the next step which involves seeking a professional. Waitlists are often months to years long so many people live in limbo for a long time.\nMethods of living with ADHD can help everyone. And everyone experiences ADHD traits from time to time. Given a large amount of stress we have all suffered collectively, I don't doubt there are a lot of people with increased mental health issues that mirror neurodivergent traits. Some mental illnesses can get very severe and alter your brain chemistry and behaviour.\nMy takeaway from this is that the mental health systems set up to assist these people are a much larger issue and cause for serious concern than self-diagnosing.\nApologies for the spelling and grammar errors. Grammarly and Reddit don't play nice.", ">\n\nI think it's two things. One, people have identity crises, especially teenagers. We all know that type of person who tries on identities like hats. That's pretty embarrassing. You usually grow out of that.\nTwo, from personal experience, giving yourself a label or a diagnosis makes it feel more contained and easy to communicate. It's easier to tell someone that you have X and have them understand what you're going through rather than telling them you have these vague symptoms resembling what you imagine X is like. In that respect, it is pretty understandable, possibly good, and not embarrassing. There's something that is sort of reassuring if you can finally get a word to put on what you're experiencing.\nPeople often sympathize with the diagnosis but not with the symptoms. Tell people at work you're autistic and they will sympathize with you and possibly not attack you. Tell them you do not understand social cues and they will probably just make fun of you.", ">\n\nI understand the desire to put a label with a disease, and this is not necessarily bad, but the diagnosis needs to be correct. If you want to tell others that you are autistic or depressed; you must actually be those things. A person can almost never correctly assertion their disease, only their symptoms. People might better understand you if you say your autistic, but you may incorrectly understand and describe yourself. If one wishes to put a name with symptoms, they should find a doctor to pick the label", ">\n\nfor sure but unfortunately our medical system is a joke and even if you are experiencing very severe symptoms it can be nearly impossible to see a professional or take months on a waiting list.\nEven then a professional may be reluctant to slap a label on you for fear of what the consequences of that might be. I saw someone for a very long time who resisted any sort of actual diagnosis because the truth is that what I was experiencing didn't fit neatly into any of the boxes and pretty much belonged in this vague \"other\" category which isn't particularly helpful. Not to mention that misdiagnosis happens all the time even by professionals. \nI just think it is sort of understandable because I think a lot of stuff is kind of a spectrum anyway and just different levels of severity. Things can be really confusing and hard to nail down and thus communicate in a way that causes someone else to be understanding rather than judgemental.", ">\n\nAre you under the impression this is a new phenomenon? Because it's definitely not.\nPeople - especially young people! - crave identity. The world is a confusing place, knowing who you are makes it a little easier. Sometimes it's self-diagnosing mental illness or learning disabilities, or exploring sexual identity, or cliques, or subcultures. There's nothing embarrassing about it, it just is what it is.", ">\n\nIt’s ok to want to express individuality but not to the extent of totally destroying the definition of a real thing and making it hard for actual mentally Ill ppl to get a diagnosis. Why can’t people just accept that they’re different rather then giving themselves a label?", ">\n\npeople on TikTok claiming to have disorders that they don't doesn't affect the precision of psychiatrists diagnosing actual patients. There's no TikTok-said section in the DSM. Why do you think that it does?", ">\n\nIt just encourages more people to get diagnosed possibly skewing the meaning of the mental illness", ">\n\nSkewing it towards statistical accuracy? If people are actually diagnosed at higher rates, we have a better Guage of population-level mental illness, neurodivergency, etc. Better data is more usable, so that research actually means something actionable, ASIDE from the identity boost for young people.", ">\n\nI think what OP is driving at, but utterly failing to explain, is that they think that the fakers will be accommodated by the psychiatric system and diagnosed on the basis of fake symptoms. my sense is that isn't a problem but I don't have data.", ">\n\nDefinitely explained it a little better then I could lol", ">\n\nWhere do you see evidence of that? Any articles about fakers? How about a statistic? If not, it’s just a fear you seem to have.", ">\n\nI think the salient line here is this one:\n\nNeurologists were able to quickly determine that the subjects were not \nsuffering from Tourette's, but psychogenic tics driven by anxiety.", ">\n\nWomen are not born with less autism, but are much less likely to be diagnosed as children than boys. This is partly because boys generally have similar symptoms and behaviors. \nSo of course more women are self diagnosing autism, since their diagnoses were missed as children on a much higher rate.", ">\n\nAlright, I'm diagnosed OCD, PTSD, chronic depression. Diagnosed by a professional so I think I have some grounds to talk about this.\nFirst, let's tackle your women comment about autism. You see, I understand where you're coming from, but you lack the nuance of recognizing that mental illness, and illness in general, is heavily under-diagnosed in women. The medical culture is heavily favored towards men and is rampant with mysogyny, and that's not just me saying it as I've had medical professionals blatantly tell me it's a problem in the field when questioned about it. I've also had some tell me that it's just because women whine a lot, so yanno make of that statement what you will.\nNow that we've covered that let me address the self-diagnosing issue. So, do you want to know what my therapist thinks of self-diagnosing? Well, when I asked them about it they said that self-diagnosing is an important first step to seeking help. Psychiatrist said the same thing. It's normal, expected even, for people to self-diagnose their issues then seek help for them. You can't exactly just peer into someone's brain, no, that person has to tell you what they think is wrong and why they think it is. \nWhat you actually have a problem with is not self-diagnosis, but with people not seeking or not being able to get medical assistance and assuming they're right. You have a problem with people using these issues for attention, which I do too, but once again self-diagnosing is not the problem. Finally, you have a problem with the medical system that forces people into the position of trying to figure out their mental illnesses, but having no ability to get help for them.", ">\n\nI think I did it", ">\n\nSadly no lol, it was not done properly. Do you need a link to the rules?", ">\n\nI already read them i think I’ll figure it out in a bit sorry for the hold up", ">\n\nBecause everyone else is being aggressive: you have to comment with ∆ or !delta and then explain how your view has been changed", ">\n\nThis delta has been rejected. You can't award OP a delta.\nAllowing this would wrongly suggest that you can post here with the aim of convincing others.\nIf you were explaining when/how to award a delta, please use a reddit quote for the symbol next time.\n^Delta System Explained ^| ^Deltaboards", ">\n\nWhat gives you the authority or knowledge to know this is the problem?", ">\n\nYou don’t think it’s a problem that a lot of young ppl are willing to go to the extent of saying they are mentally Ill either for attention or to excuse their weirdness? Just accept that your different. It’s not wrong to believe you’re different without a label", ">\n\nYou did not even try to answer my question.", ">\n\nI’m sorry I was confused on what you meant", ">\n\nIf you are mad at people for self diagnosing themselves because they don't have the knowledge or authority to do so.... what gives you the knowledge or authority to diagnosis this as the problem behavior... basically are you just a kid that is annoyed, or is there some actual studies out there that is claiming this is a problem.", ">\n\nIf you don’t think that people consistently seeking attention for mental illness or craving a label so badly to justify themselves rather then being themselves. That just shows what your views are", ">\n\nDont you think we should leave the diagnosing to the professionals?", ">\n\nI mean yeah", ">\n\nWould you agree that you are diagnosing these people by saying that they are only seeking attention and do not have a real mental illness?", ">\n\nI’m assuming", ">\n\nThere may be some truth to people wanting to be different, however with mental illnesses being more accepted in today's society, many people are a lot more comfortable with being neurodivergent. Additionally, self diagnosis is common because the alternative is spending upwards to $1000-$2000 for a clinical diagnosis.", ">\n\nI know costs suck, but self diagnosis can be much more harmful. A web.md page that tells you your depressed when you may actually be bipolar can lead to really messed up results. I would even go as far as to say that no diagnosis at all is preferable to an uninformed one", ">\n\nWell.\n​\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad \n\nSo you already know why they're doing what they're doing in addition the fact that you know that they're not Autistic? If your claim is that they can't know and only a doctor can, what makes you more qualified? You start out your argument admitting that you have a bias.\n\nthey’re “neurodivergent.\n\nNeurodivergent is an umbrella that covers both Autism and ADHD, which sometimes get mistaken for each other. So if you're upset that they're self-diagnosing, this term should be more welcome than \"Autistic\" because it's more generalized.\n\nnd when you ask them how they know they’ll say “oh I have this weird tick when I uh laugh when someone says something funny “ or “I have a hyper fixation on this topic so I must be autistic\n\nHow else should they communicate it to you? The list of aspects of Autism, especially for how it presents in women, sounds a lot like this. You're not a doctor, they don't have to prove anything to you by going down the entire list of every possible part of their daily experience that might be on the spectrum.\n\nWomen statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nNope. Women are diagnosed less often than men because the original diagnostic criteria for Autism was for Autism as it presents in males. It presents differently for females and is harder to diagnose, especially at younger ages. \n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized\n\nTodays youth want to be victimized? Why would anyone want to be victimized? Something tells me you're missing the mark with this terminology.\n\nor have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. \n\nSo if someone is Autistic and that makes them weird, you'd rather them just be forced to not get to have a name for it, and get the therapeutic treatment that would help them?\n\nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really [are] without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nSome people are autistic. If they find out and it makes them feel good, that doesn't mean they're craving attention. And if they are craving attention, it's because they're normal people and everyone does. \nIf someone thinks they're autistic but it turns out they're actually not, chances are they suspected it for a reason. They might have ADHD, a personality disorder, a mental health issue, or simply a slightly different way of experiencing the world that feels unique to them and there's nothing wrong with that. \nYou seem to think that other people do things for you. People generally don't. They do things for themselves. This is especially true of people on the Autism Spectrum who may not be able to easily use other people's experiences to reference when constructing their view of the world, and can only use their own. Your interpretation wherein they do it to evoke a response from you says more about you than it does about them.", ">\n\nYou’re being deliberately obtuse. OP is completely correct. Most of the people these days who say “I’m ADHD” or “I’m autistic” or “I’m neurodivergent” are absolutely not diagnosed as such and are doing it to seem unique or get attention or as some excuse for why they did x y or z.", ">\n\nI'd like to point out that while some are perhaps attention seeking, many people self diagnose simply because they don't have access to free medical/psychological professionals to get proper diagnosis and help with their issues. I also know someone who doesn't want to get an official diagnosis because he's afrad it will affect his insurance rates or somehow come back to bite him if he's offically labeled with having a neurological disorder. \nThere is a wealth of knowledge on these subjects available online for those interested. And if they are truly interested in self diagnose they can likely do that accurately enough for all intents and purposes. Most of these people who search for the sake of better understanding themselves or their loved ones will openly admit that it's a self diagnoses, or say they THINK they have x,y, or z. But in some situations it's just as well to say they have it if they feel certain anyway, and it's just a passing comment, and not a discussion on the matter. \nIn other words, just because they self diagnose doesn't mean they're wrong, nor does it explain their motives. I also don't see how attention seeking (for those who ARE doing that) is really hurting anyone else. Fakers gonna be fake, that's more a \"them\" kind of problem. ANNOYING, but mostly harmless.", ">\n\nUnless you have a doctor's diagnosis you don't have the disorder. Even if you are broke there are programs to help with costs. \nAnd yes it does affect me when someone is treating me like shit and tries using the I have such and such as an excuse and then people get mad at ME for calling them in their bullshit.", ">\n\nNo. You have to have the disorder before you CAN be diagnosed, so obviously there are undiagnosed people who in fact \"have the disorder \". Your refusal to acknowledge an undiagnosed disorder does not mean they don't have it. Your personal experience with people supposedly using a fake diagnosis to treat you badly, sounds unusual. How do you know they DIDN'T have it? People who do lie and just want to be jerks will do that regardless of what methods they decide to try. The methods are irrelevant. And that motive is not typical of most self diagnosers .", ">\n\nSounds unusual? You must not get out a lot because it's become a pretty regular thing. Every single person I know (about 8) that have self diagnosed themselves as neurodivergent or with a mental illness like Bi-polar all use it to excuse their shitty ass behaviors. \nToo many disorders can mirror other ones. Just because they think they have 2/3 symptoms doesn't make them right by a long shot. Keep living in your bubble.", ">\n\nYou don't have to have a relationship with anyone. If they treat you badly, regardless of an official diagnosis or not, you don't have to tolerate them. It makes no difference what they have or don't have. What would it change if they got diagnosed and actually have it?", ">\n\nSelf diagnosing has been a thing forever\nAnd it's not a problem im 99% sure me or any other autistic person doesn't really give 2 fucks about people who wanna fake disorders. It doesn't stop us from getting help, we have doctors notes, medical files, sometimes even volunteers, you need those files to get into let's say a special education class, or a life skills course.\nSo unless you were diagnosed by a professional you're probably not gonna make it far faking it.\n(Excuse my shitty punctuation)", ">\n\nIt doesn’t bother you that they’re making others take the actual meaning away from what you were born with? I mean I’m sure autism hasn’t made your life easy and seeing ppl claim it for attention to be quirky probably has to annoy you a little right?", ">\n\nAt the end of the day I still have ADHD and I still need help with it. More people being diagnosed with it doesn’t change that fact. In fact I was diagnosed because I realized I related to so many tiktok memes, and I’m sure others are in my same boat. \nIn fact I think so many people talking about ADHD helps. It means more people who possibly have tips for me, people who are suffering who can’t afford treatment have an easy way to learn about how to improve their lives, and more people who are aware of my disorder.", ">\n\nI think people do diagnose themselves too often without seeking professional help. BUT mental illness is not the same as being neurodivergent.", ">\n\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad that they’ll go as far to say they’re “neurodivergent.”\n\nWhile this is the case, I don't really see how it's a \"problem\" per se. I guarantee that these people still make lifestyle decisions based on what they think is best, or based on what they want to do.\n\nbut it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women\n\nDo you have any statistics for that? I haven't experienced it that way in my own anecdotal experience, and I'd be curious to look into the data to see how much that truly does skew in that direction.\n\nwanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness \nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nI understand what you're trying to say here, but I don't really think these things are connected as much as you think they are. People see something wrong with themselves, so they either playfully or seriously consider the fact that it could be a condition that they have similar symptoms to. Not that it never happens, but just because someone categorizes themselves into a disability group that could potentially excuse their \"quirks\", doesn't mean they think that behavior is unacceptable in any way. People see a problem, and assume it's linked to this other issue that seems similar that they already know about.", ">\n\nI agree with the conclusion that self-diagnosis is a real issue, and I wouldn't be surprised if the data indicated it was on the rise. I wouldn't necessarily frame it as a simple desire to \"be victimized\" however. While it is purely speculation, I do believe there are a number of conditions which might lead towards a more frequent experience of symptoms associated with mental illness - a rising wealth gap, perpetual anxiety from a 24-hour news cycle, intensification of self-commodification, the student debt crisis in certain countries like the US, and so on. So people are experiencing symptoms like low energy, mood swings, etc. that can be associated with mental illness. The issue with self-diagnosis then becomes that it may correctly identify the symptom, but incorrectly identify the cause.\nThis video from the YouTuber HealthyGamerGG does a good job of explaining what some of the issues with self-diagnosis are, and for me it was a good starting place for thinking about this more. \nEDIT: I forgot this video literally starts with this same topic being brought up on this same subreddit lol", ">\n\nA great theory based on reasonable causes with an educational video from a psychologist(I assume) as evidence to back it up. I applaud you sir. 👏", ">\n\nWhy are you embarrassed by other people's issues?", ">\n\nI’m a 30yo male. If I had not first self diagnosed with ASD and OCD, I never would have found the language and resources to get a formal diagnosis and help.\nPrior generations have been so fixated on avoidance of diagnosing mental disorders, and research was previously so lacking that we are only just now (through those that do get diagnosed) realizing how common mental disorders are. That plus the lack of mental health resources for neurotypical and neurodivergent I think is how we end up in this situation of many recognizing their symptoms in the new discourse, but lacking the resources to overcome the barriers to proper diagnosis and treatment.", ">\n\nIt’s not the best thing, no. \nAs an adult FINALLY diagnosed (by a licensed therapist) at 41, I can tell you why ‘self diagnosis’ is so tempting. \nIn the US at least- mental health, and official medical diagnosis are almost completely inaccessible, especially as an adult. Most of us grew up before Autism was a spectrum, and ADHD was just boys who acted out in class. We felt like aliens. We couldn’t understand why we didn’t have many friends, or why we didn’t like the ‘right things’, and generally spend the bill of our lives feeling ‘wrong’, ‘broken’ or just simply like we didn’t belong. \nFinally understanding the WHY, and even better, finding tools to addresses our issues is a huge huge weight off the chest. The relief of having a name and a strategy- either therapy or medicine is such an amazing relief!!", ">\n\nI only kinda agree if I had not done my own research I would have never found out I have sjorgens syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis I know TikTok people tend to diagnose themselves and it makes it look cringe but when you live with a incurable illness sometimes you have to work to find a diagnosis", ">\n\nWell, what do you do of you absolutely know you're neurodivergent, but your parents decided not to get you checked? My mom once told me \"we knew you had something, we just didn't get you checked because they would have just put you on pills\". So I struggled with being different, socially unaware, impulsive, obnoxious, agressive, selfish, for the better part of my life without having the self awareness to understand why I was these things, and why people wouldn't want to be around me. \nIn my late 20''s I asked the question, what if I'm actually autistic? I looked up the symptoms, and 9/10 matched. As a child I couldn't handle loud noises, restrictive clothing, I didn't talk until I was 3. I would throw fits for seemingly no reason, I had obsessive interests. I've always really struggled with eye contact, and I never cared for conversation unless it was something I liked. I mean, when the final piece of a puzzle fits so incredibly well, it's really hard for it to be wrong. \nSelf diagnosing actually really helped me grow as aj individual. I became aware of all my divergent behaviors, and why it might be annoying for someone else to deal with. I came to the realization that I was the one who was different, therefore I needed to change. It's way harder to make everyone around you cater to your needs than to overcome the things that upset you. I'm at peace, I have good friends that I can connect with on a pretty deep level. I no longer smash coffee tables when I lose, I can now appreciate that if I lose it just means I have more to learn. I can keep my house clean, I can reasonably hold myself accountable. What exactly is the harm in all that?\nBesides, it would be pretty pointless for me to try and get a diagnosis now, I've put the effort in and largely come out the other side. Anyone diagnosing me would just say I was normal, but they wouldn't have the intimate knowledge of me that I do. I guess it doesn't matter if people don't believe me, I don't go around shouting that I'm autistic. I will say, it would be really nice if people appreciated the effort I put in to get to get to a place of normalcy, something others take for granted, but it's okay, we all have our struggles.", ">\n\nI feel you on all that. To play devil's advocate, mental healthcare in the U.S. is not cheap. Many people go to the internet and confirm their bias about their current health", ">\n\nI feel you on that too OP. I agree 100% with your entire statement.", ">\n\nIt's a problem, but not a new one. In the 1990s there was briefly a surge of people with a type of delusional parasitosis, that is, the false belief that they were infested with parasites. Except this one was supposedly an infestation with tiny fibres. They would come to doctors with a whole list of symptoms to back up their incorrect self-diagnosis.\nTo a certain extent, these are social contagions, which come and go, and often actually end up leading to people having real problems. Like, the young women you mention, a couple of decades ago may well have ended up with anorexia, or self-cutting. These days it might be a self-declaration of autism or a belief that they have gender dysphoria or that they have multiple systems living in their minds.", ">\n\nWow I did not know that. Maybe it’s just so prevalent today due to social media. Social media has only made these things worse imo", ">\n\nEven before it being self diagnosis of a mental illness it was always something. Remember all the emo and goth teenager?", ">\n\nIt depends on the context. For example, if they've done a substantial amount of research, can name a good amount of symptoms they have and reasons they have whatever mental illness and don't have access to the necessary tools to get a medical diagnosis, it's totally different. Some people don't have the money to go out and get a diagnosis, or sometimes it would be better to not get a medical diagnosis. I believe that the reason that a lot of people self diagnose themselves with things like Autism is because they want an explanation as to why they are different, and they could be right or wrong. I think the most important part is that if you go to a psychologist (or even two, I know a lot of people prefer getting second opinions) and they say you don't have it, that you need to admit you were wrong. It's ok to be wrong about your mental health, and the key is to keep looking and to not give up. I can completely understand the frustration in people completely missing how difficult it actually may be to have a mental illness. I was clinically diagnosed with Depression, Anxiety, and PTSD when I was seven, and I've had some experience with people faking mental disorders for attention, and more often then not, they have another mental disorder that needs attention. Recently I had a (now ex) boyfriend insist he had PTSD after being tested twice and the psychiatrist saying that he didn't have it. What he does have is Depression and Anxiety, but he absolutely insisted he has PTSD despite never exhibiting symptoms and the only evidence being a test he took online that was supposedly a \"real PTSD test.\" People faking mental illnesses only harms people who really have them, as these people tend to exaggerate symptoms and use their self diagnosis for attention. I believe that I am autistic, but I don't list it as a diagnosis because while I have read articles and taken the RAADS-r test, I don't have an official diagnosis, and I could very well be wrong. As for women faking illnesses more often, something I've noticed is that things like Autism, ADHD, ADD, etc are more often diagnosed in boys rather than girls- mostly because when they were first discovered, most of the research was done in boys. Autism shows up differently in girls, and can often be blown off as early puberty hormones. If their hyperfixations are those of stereotypical feminine things, it's just a girl liking whatever, and if they hyperfixate in stereotypical masculine interests, they tend to just be viewed as weird, but not autistic. It's normal for people to question, but I agree that to a certain point, self diagnosis can be harmful, but only if not done correctly.", ">\n\nFirst and foremost not a new problem at all, very common, we used to call it \"Being a hypochondriac\" until it aparrently became reconized which in it self is confusing and a bit contradictory.\nANYWAY\nIt isnt really a problem, no doctor is gonna write the perscription for medication without a diagnosis of some sort.\nAt most there is the vauge \"But what about those who actually have it who arent taken serious\" dont worry, we wouldnt have anyway. Thats kinda how invisible illnesses work.\nOverall the 101 hypochondriacs screaming about the symptoms they read in the ICD might help make the knowledge more common and help people better reconize if their colleagues or friends happen to show symptoms of something.", ">\n\nIt’s pretty expensive in the US to get diagnosed. Personally, I’ve self diagnosed myself out of frustration of the way I process things. I’ve always felt slow & my anxiety/depression was deep because of it, but I was raised in a family that doesn’t believe in mental illness. It was always “if you work hard enough, all your problems will go away”. Meanwhile, i was racking my brain on how to make myself think faster/smarter & it would result in psychotic episodes. I’ve gotten fired from jobs, dropped out of school. I started self harming because I hated myself and my brain & almost commit suicide bc I had no idea what was going on.\nThe relief I felt once I finally got a therapist who validated me & was the first to talk to me about mental Illness. It blew my mind and all of a sudden things actually made sense to me. I currently think I have ADD, and sometimes I’ll tell people that but will preface it by saying I’m not professionally diagnosed. Still, I use mental tools that help me get through the day and build my confidence. I’m a lot better at processing conversations, making lists that help me remember things, unmasking, slowing down my thoughts… etc. I’m less frustrated and can see the beauty in how I process things. I still want to get diagnosed but I have to get health insurance….. lol", ">\n\nSelf diagnosis, regardless of being factual is a process where the individual realizes that they might have a mental health issue. People who can do this are more likely to seek professional help compared to the people who think they are “fine”. Going to a professional, licensed psychologist or a psychiatrist will eventually diagnose them with the correct disorder from there, and professionals have the skills to communicate with them and they can together evaluate if the person’s complaint is the issue or not. There is nothing embarrassing about discovering one’s self. It would be a problem if people would identify with an issue and don’t have any willingness to seek help. Sometimes overreacting is better than not reacting.", ">\n\nThe majority of people who are self-diagnosed with autism have done extensive research into it to come to that conclusion. I personally went through the DSM criteria with a fine-tooth comb, made a list of all the ways I met it and discovered that there’s not a single criteria i don’t meet for autism. I didn’t read about anything else but autism for weeks, approaching it from all angles before coming to the conclusion that it’s highly unlikely I am not autistic. I’m waiting to hear back about an assessment, but I’m not waiting to go and be told something I already know before I start advocating for myself. \nOh, and I absolutely did not want to be ‘different’, in fact my life mission to just blend in and be average is the root cause of most of my problems, but here we are.", ">\n\nThis self diagnosing young people do isn’t the problem. The problem is that our society encourages it.\nOur culture is not set up to accommodate a wide spectrum of human needs. You may need things that I don’t. I may need things that you don’t. But in most business settings, academic settings, or even places like restaurants or leisure places, the world isn’t built to accommodate everyone. Our world and society is a “one size fits all” approach, and most people don’t fit snugly inside of that system. \nIf you can classify what is “wrong” or “different” about you into an easily digestible form, people are generally more able and more willing to accommodate you.\nFor example: if I tell my coworkers that I need to leave work early because of a headache, I’ll be shamed for it. And in some cases I’ll be told that “headaches aren’t that bad!” Or “You don’t need to leave.” Or “I have a headache too, just deal with it!”\nBut if I tell my workers that I need to leave due to a painful neurological condition that’s flaring up (I have chronic migraine, which is a neurological condition), they will respect it 100% of the time. It’s met with sympathy and not criticism.\nThis happens for all sorts of things. “Sorry Im late, I slept in.” Sounds a lot worse then, “sorry I’m late, my insomnia has been terrible lately.” \nOur culture forces us to use these labels even when they’re untrue just to receive sympathy or acceptance. The problem isn’t people who decide to use these labels, the root problem is that our society refuses to embrace and accommodate people who are outside of the “norm.”", ">\n\nSpeaking as someone who's had an autism diagnosis since age 7: if someone declares they're autistic when they're not, that's obnoxious at worst. If someone is told they're not autistic when they are, that can cause lifelong harm from denied care and understanding. I have seen this happen to a close friend of mine.\nTherefore, I'd much rather err on the side of acceptance. If you think you're defending me and others like me from impersonators, we'd rather not have your help.\n\nI know people will disagree but it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women. Women statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nCase in point: women are diagnosed with autism far less than men. Recent studies have pointed to decades of systematic misdiagnosis. The more visible autistic symptoms sometimes manifest differently in girls, the way they're socialized may help them hide it from a young age, and of course lots of doctors just say \"your daughter can't be autistic, that's a boy thing.\"\nWe're learning that there are hundreds of thousands of autistic women who slipped through the cracks and were denied the recognition and support they needed because of dismissive, gatekeeping attitudes just like yours.", ">\n\nThere’s a difference between having a disorder and relating to a disorder. If the tools or language associated with a disorder helps someone live better though then cool, it’s all still odd. Also autism presents differently in woman, and a majority of our research on it is on men. Best practice is probably to support them and encourage them to seek treatment.", ">\n\nAutism is severely misdiagnosed in women. Completely under diagnosed. Actually, plenty of things are. The actual problem that we have is parents refusing to let their children get professional help or a diagnosis. Most doctors will diagnose you with BPD as a woman(aka the new female hysteria of our century), maybe put you on some anti psychotics and send you your way. In most countries, a diagnosis/specialist is not readily available, or there is a long waiting list. Even so, the doctors are not know it all. I have seen plenty of doctors, I got different diagnosis almost each time. They ask you some general questions (about your mood, the way you sleep, if you can concentrate, if you harm yourself, if you have suicidal ideation, if you can socialize properly, if your parents were diagnosed with anything, if you have hallucinations or delusions, the works) and then based on that, they will give you a diagnosis. If you use your common sense and information on the internet (given you are knowledgeable on the subject), you can take a good guess on what's wrong. Obviously, some people will exaggerate like with anything (seeing the shadow dude once in your childhood is not a sign of psychosis, neither is hearing your name called when you are alone once in a blue moon), but if you have visual and auditory hallucinations, perhaps weird tactile feelings/hallucinations (spiders are crawling on me, etc), delusions, tend to be forgetful and out of teach with reality, there is a good chance you do have psychosis.", ">\n\nOkay, to start: what do you think autism and ADHD are? They aren't mental illnesses nor are they mental health conditions. \nTo address some of your other points; \nStudies have shown that autism has a gender expression of 1:1. The only reason that women are under diagnosed is because of misunderstandings towards autism, then the diagnosis is conducted incorrectly. Thus it ends up getting conflated with mental illness, E.G BPD, and is diagnosed as a psychiatric disorder instead. This is a detriment to the patient as the care regimes are black and white different. Often times this severely damages the woman.\nFrom data sets that I recall reading, malingering hasn't risen much, if at all, in recent times. I remember it being around 8% of the global population who are engaging in this behaviour, to different extents. I think what's happened is that social media has turned a torch onto it and it's risen in popularity in an algorithmic way. You see it more because it's pushed by the algorithm more because people are searching for it more. It isn't actually occurring any more or less than historically. Most of that attention is negative attention, I should add. \nSo there's two things to take away from that.\n1) The actual act of pretending to be mentally ill, or to have a disability, which is called malingering, is in fact a form of mental unwellness itself. It's a cry for help. The people who do these things are usually very unstable and should be treated with a degree of empathy. The dangerous types who are using mental illness to scam others, or to manipulate them, make up a very small percentage of the overall amount of people in that group and tend to abuse one on one. \n2) The predominant response to this is generally negative. There isn't really any reason to publicly malinger unless you're unstable, this is because a rational person would likely know this, and know the damage it would cause themselves. Self-diagnosis is a very long, and self-aware, process that takes place over years of the individuals life, and proceeds official diagnosis. \nNo one SDs and says \"Okay that's it now! Let me start a TikTok!\" You'd still want support, and you'd still seek support. So that would end up with a doctor, who would see that you're lying, and treat you for whatever was prompting you to malinger. Anyone who has made this commitment knows that keeping it private is a sensible thing to do in a world that isn't inclusive, and often very stigmatising. Sometimes official diagnosis can take YEARS. \nThis kind of propaganda has been going around for a long time in an effort to discredit disabled people and people with mental illnesses. It's not new. People said the same things back in the 90s. People will always be afraid, and dismissive, of things they do not understand. I invite you to try and understand.", ">\n\nI self-diagnosed myself with endometriosis for 10 years before a doctor finally listened to me, opened me up, and found my insides littered with lesions all over my organs. I’m now not able to get pregnant and I might need to get part of my bowel taken out someday. This could’ve been avoided if someone had just listened to me when I was 16. \nSelf-diagnosing is a necessity in a misogynist world! No one takes us seriously! Especially medical professionals. \nThe best antidote for this is to listen to women who self-diagnose. Why do they think they have XYZ? Is it heavily interfering with their life? I think that’s a much larger problem.", ">\n\nIts been proven that there is a bias to diagnose as opposed to not diagnose a mental illness in psychology. So op is actually kinda correct. The definition of a mental illness is in effect being stretched so far that people who are just kinda weird are being diagnosed with \"on the spectrum\". This is actually causing a problem in early learning because parents start treating their kids as essentially learning challenged when they're really not. So it is starting to become an excuse ...", ">\n\nWe live in a society that loves to medicate people. I know it’s different but Did ppl forget about the opioid epidemic? They’ll diagnose your ass with anything if they can", ">\n\nYa I tend to agree. And no one is really saying so I will I guess, but id wager that 50% of psychologist \"professionals\" are totally full of shit. The actual number of psychologists that are are doing real research and clinical studies is EXTREMELY small compared to how many \"psychologists\" are out there. Just like chiropractors, half of them are hacks..", ">\n\nAnd ill say one more thing, though it is anecdotal, but i have direct family that works in special education for young children, and that system is fucked with a capital F. Thay are constantly fighting against parents and programs who try to box kids in the \"autistic\" zone, when they are just really quite or shy, or have pee problems. But parents want an excuse and reason for their behavior, and reduce them to a sub standard education and treatment for the rest of their lives. It's heart breaking. Especially in public schools.", ">\n\nI’m 32 years old. \nI didn’t self diagnose for attention although I remember the days of tumblr where everyone self diagnosed for clout.\nIt took me a decade to realize what is really happening. During the decade before I realized what may have been happening I was told the following:\nI’m rude\nI’m bossy\nI have a RBF/I look mad\nI also only managed to make my first real friend at age 27.\nWhat I was really displaying was:\nBeing overly blunt and just trying to get my point across came off rude when I didn’t intend it to be that way\nTrying to have things done at a certain time and way that no one else thought was important to follow\nUnmasking\nNoticed other things too that I just thought was me being weird:\nVocal stimming\nOral stimming-chewing, smoking, vaping\nRepetitive motions\nRocking\nEasily overwhelmed by too much sensory input\nHigh startle reflex \nInability to regulate my body’s needs-I don’t know I’m hungry until I’m ravenous; don’t recognize the need to use the bathroom until it’s causing me to rush off, don’t realize I’m cold until I’m shaking\nI could go on.\nI want an assessment so bad. But assessments for adults are EXTREMELY hard to setup, if you can even set them up at all. Some states don’t even offer them. I’ve been looking but they are only for children and seem to look for severe cases.\n14 years of thinking I was just a bitch who couldn’t make friends because I was too weird…turns out it might be autism. And turns out I’ll most likely never get a true diagnosis. But the RAADS test gave me a 127 score so that might be the closest I’ll ever get.", ">\n\ni kind of self diagnosed autism? i’ve been to many psychiatrists and therapists for years and they always see adhd in the half an hour and prescribe meds for that, which makes me not go there again. if they dug a little deeper they could have seen autism, i spoke to my current psychiatrist about if its possible i have it, she didn’t want to confirm or deny as i was moving out of state from friends and family and am at an age where i can have kids in the next 10 years since she doesn’t want me being concerned for them. \nI think there’s still lots of stigma around autism even with professionals and especially when identifying it in women. \nI don’t want to be autistic, but i can recognise a lot of different patterns comparing myself and others. I’ve researched it a ton especially in how it shows in women compared to men and in all the articles i found myself relating.\nNow i don’t say im autistic, i say im a little sus of being it tho lmao. and try pass it off casually. I find it’s a lot easier for me to understand and embrace my differences compared to trying to hide it and try be like everyone else or wonder why im not like everyone else. \nBeing older i can also recognise how a lot of my family on one side have suffered mentally and because of obvious neurodivergence. so im pretty sure, like the rest of my mentally challenged brain, has been inherited genetically through that side. \nAll that being said. I self diagnosed when i was about 12 that im highly likely to be depressed and anxious in attempt to get my mom to believe me i needed help, and now 8 years later i can identify that this has been an issue forever for me and that i likely cannot go off my meds because i will just go back to how i used to be. Im still ocd with all my meds, but its better than being anxious and depressed all the time, Having ocd throughout the day is like heaven to me in comparison to how i used to be. obviously the ocd isnt new, just a lot more heard in my brain now.", ">\n\nOk, I know some people self diagnoze themselves with [insert some mental illness here] out of attention or whatever, and that's totally not ok.\nHowever, if you read all the symptoms and do proper research on a mental illness and everything clicks in to you, I'd say you can be fairly confident on a self diagnosis (although, it might be worth it to double check with a professional, especially if you want any sort of treatment). But also for some people, it might not be affordable to go to a professional...", ">\n\nI live in Canada, I've engaged with the medical system, doctors don't care and just want you out, ERs are a 8 hour wait for someone to ignore one thing and won't even entertain other issues even if they are related. Self-diagnosis is really the only way to get any kind of proper treatment at all. \nThe doctors will rubber stamp just about anything you ask for except pain killers but in terms of diagnosis you're way better off doing it yourself, sure you don't have 8 years of medical school but the doctors won't give you 5 mins of their time, they are not better than google and you give a lot more of a shit than they will and at the end of the day it's your body.", ">\n\nBack in the 90s when I was a teenager, the kids/teenagers/young adults who wanted attention, and wanted to be different, adopted the goth lifestyle. Dressing up in all black. White foundation with black lipstick and eyeshadow. It was the trendy way to be different, to be viewed as outcasts of society. To not fit in. \nThe goth lifestyle of the 2020s is self diagnosis. Same shit, different day.\nWhenever someone claims autism, or somewhere on the spectrum, I just roll my eyes and imagine that person just sucks at life.", ">\n\nI just think it’s a little more harmful nowadays due to the prevalence of social media. Ppl get sucked into groups and mindsets before they even have a real life chance. Then they hyper fixate on that they might be mentally Ill rather then just trying to live life to the fullest", ">\n\nI 100% agree with you", ">\n\nBecause it's the age of spin this generation has something for everybody. And all of them are Google doctors. Lol", ">\n\nTook my uncle till he was 38 even thought it was apparent to everyone. Hell he got expelled from two schools", ">\n\nI get what you're saying. I frankly find it weird that more people don't find this weird. People self-diagnosing themselves as all kinds of things not only completely misrepresents the actual conditions, thereby making people even more confused as to what they actually are and how they present, but also leads people to run to a psychiatrist claiming false symptoms and getting medication for something they don't have, which is NOT a good thing. People should never be taking medication unless it is necessary. We are a heavily over-medicated society and this is a big factor in that. Caffeine to wake up in the morning, \"immuno-boosters\" and mood stabilizers during the day, sleeping pills to sleep at night. The caffeine and sleeping pills are addictive and can really mess up your circadian rhythm, and the mood stabilizers can really fuck you up if you don't need them. Instead of rushing to diagnose and medicate everyone, we need to educate them on human behavior and show them that their \"mental health\" problems are completely normal.\nOh, so you get nervous right before you make huge life decisions? That's not Anxiety Disorder, it's just anxiety.\nOh, you are really sad because your cat died? That's not Clinical Depression, you are just grieving.\nOh, you went from really happy to really sad when you were previously happy and something really shitty happened to you and soured your mood? That's not Bipolar Disorder, that's just life.\nOh, you like to be more organized than the people around you? That's not Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, you just like to be organized.\nPeople really misunderstand the nature of these conditions and it hinders our collective progress in treating them, like dramatically inflating the number of actual conditions in the population, making it increasingly more difficult to determine how common and how varied they are. After all, in most cases it is not the psychiatrist or psychologist who makes you better, you make you better. Medication can help and other people can show you the path to success, but the problem will never get solved unless you play an active role in the treatment. Some conditions can never be solved, only lessened, while others are virtually untreatable. We need to stop making these conditions seem cool. They aren't. They are serious and need to be taken seriously.", ">\n\nHeavily agree and I appreciate how well this comment is worded. Wish I coulda worded mine a little better", ">\n\nYa I saw you getting shredded in the comments and figured I'd sum it up for you. 🤣", ">\n\nLmao bro I didn’t expect this many. I was thinking maybe like 20 ppl would reply", ">\n\nYou need to self diagnose in many cases in order to get adequate help.", ">\n\nI knew when I had ADD and IBS, and I was able to get my suspicions confirmed by my respective doctors. Doctors are there to help the patients understand themselves, whereas the patients have to go home every day and live with what they actually have. Do not be so quick to judge.", ">\n\nJust to add here - Autism in women is less prevalent because it presents differently and is often not picked up by standardised diagnostic tests (that were developed on an almost exclusively male sample). I think that also goes to show that there’s p significant issues with what we consider ‘scientific’ and research based in the first place.", ">\n\nI grew up in a small town and we had quite a few autistic boys but only one autistic girl. Literally only one out of like 6-8 grades. So that’s like a 10-1 ratio. It’s gotta be a lot statistically smaller then males. I don’t doubt it happens I just know it’s a lot less", ">\n\nYou think your small town’s makeup is generalizable to all of society? That isn’t how statistics work.", ">\n\nSo my question would be - so what do we do?\nYou think people are diagnosing themselves to gain attention. Fine, but what's the next step?\nSee, I think I might be bipolar 2. But I went on a journey where I looked into the techniques for dealing with this issue. That led me to cognitive behavior therapy.\nThat actually made me more convinced that this was my issue because I have taught myself a lot of cognitive behavior therapy techniques to address the same issues. These practices have really helped me.\nIt sounds like your issue is that these people are getting attention for it. To me, these are people who need someone to help guide them. That would have helped me a lot when I was younger. Society today doesn't really give us the tools to sort this out, but just the knowledge that these things exist can push someone down the rabbit hole to learn about therapy that could really help.\nI think you should ask yourself what your motivations are. Do you really want them to understand themselves? Or are you more interested in steering the conversation toward other topics?\nPersonally, I would deal with these people by paying them forward. I would tell them to understand the practices that typically help these people, and see if they are relevant. I would tell them to seek professional help, and to refrain from diagnosing themselves, but I would encourage them to be critical of themselves and to learn more.\nImo, the way out is through.", ">\n\nI agree with you but it’s not mostly women. Maybe by happenstance that’s the case in your circle but broadly men do this too.", ">\n\nDoctor's are consulting the Mayo Clinic website after talking to a patient and getting their symptoms. I bring that up to say this; a doctor's training is needed for very serious diseases and tricky diagnoses, but a semi-intelligent person could look up their symptoms and get a lot of the more minor stuff right.", ">\n\nI've never been diagnosed as clinically depressed or anything, but that doesn't mean that I don't suffer from depression a lot of the time (these last few years, more often than not). I see a therapist. I take antidepressants. \nI have a friend who has aphantasia. It isn't really a \"diagnosable\" condition, but it describes what he has trouble with: creating images in his mind.", ">\n\nThat’s different then going online and claiming perfectly normal traits mean you’re autistic", ">\n\nNeurodivergence ≠ mental illness.", ">\n\nThey know themselves and their experiences better than you.", ">\n\nOP, I'm seeing some differences between your post and what you're saying in the comments. \nMy question is, do you have a problem with people self-diagnosing, or is your issue more about people drawing a lot of public attention to their diagnoses?", ">\n\nOverall both but definitely the attention part more so for obvious reasons. The self diagnosing part due to the fact that it can make people believe it can be an excuse for their actions good or bad. I think In a weird way it can allow people to take away the responsibility of their own actions and attribute to their mental illness", ">\n\nAs someone who has been diagnosed with ADHD, having people self diagnosing doesn't bother me at all, because I went the path of not knowing at all what I had and letting doctors figure out by themselves... and it took me 4 years and a half to finally have a concrete answer that no doctors would have found out if I didn't start searching on my own. You can't walk into every doctor's office with the assumption they'll figure out what you have, because it's not their speciality, or they still have an outdated view (not every doctor are kept up to date with new discovers), or they're biased, etc... \nI've never been annoyed by people who self diagnose. Hell, if I knew what was about to happen to me, I would have done the same way sooner.", ">\n\nMost women today arent faking it, they are noticing the symptoms no one else noticed and trying to find help. Its not easy to grow up with this kind of stuff. Is not coincidence you think women are less likely to be born to autism instead of thinking how weird it is that for some reason most autism diagnosis happen to men, that is the misogyny in the medical comunity.\nSelf diagnosis means this women will go to doctors and it most case scenarios they will get diagnoses because they have this issue all their life.\nSocial media is giving people awareness of the issue in medicine and how it affects women. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Misogyny in medicine also leads to people not knowing the difference between a heart attack in a woman and a man. It leads to women thinking its something else because internet and books will tell you how a man will feel a heart attack, even doctors sometimes dont know this.", ">\n\nGetting a diagnosis or treatment is borderline impossible for a lot of people. So self diagnosis is sometimes the only way they can help themselves.", ">\n\nNot a mental illness. But, I am a trans person and I pretty much self-diagnosed and self-medicated. I just had physicians do blood test.\nI educated myself on how everything works in about eight month period. I did that over a decade.\nI don’t regret my decision, and if I did. The regret would be not starting any sooner, especially when people who aren’t physicians or therapists are having a final say about these things.", ">\n\nIt is very noticeable and annoying, buuuut it’s proven autism manifest differently in females. Plus women are (very) often under diagnosed and dismissed for many many things by doctors, which is absolutely disgusting. Aaaand the cost of healthcare is outrageous.", ">\n\nwomen being less likely to be diagnosed with autism has nothing to do with an actual gender gap in who does and doesn’t have autism and everything to do with the fact autistic women are diagnosed with personality disorders and mental illnesses due to stigmas. most autism research was done on men and therefore women are underrepresented and more often than not misdiagnosed. autism actually occurs at a similar rate in both sexes. also, it’s not a mental illness, it’s a neurological condition (not that mental illnesses aren’t, but illness implies there’s something wrong, which there isn’t in autistic people). i agree that self diagnosing leads to misinformation and harms those who are clinically diagnosed though.", ">\n\nA lot of medical diagnoses are based on white male studies, so yes you would see more women finding out they have certain mental illnesses now as professionals are realizing it can show differently in females vs males. Adhd, for example, was considered something only seen in young boys that would grow out of it, now they are realizing that you don't in fact grow out of it and women can have it too. \nMental illness was a taboo subject back in the day as well, especially for women. It was only in 1980 I think that hysteria was no longer considered a mental illness. Women would be diagnosed with 'hysteria' and committed for symptoms like anxiety and anger. So now a lot of women are learning more about their mental health because they feel safe to do so. \nMy mother is in her early 70's and still refuses to tell anyone her own health issues or even mine, I have cancer and we were going to go on a trip as it's unknown how much longer I have and she refused to ask for the day off because she wouldn't tell them the reason why.", ">\n\nI detest self diagnosis, though once you’ve studied advanced level abnormal psychology shit happens. \nAs far as kids go, the generalized anxiety and depressive spectrum diagnoses can occasionally be accurate however that would warrant professional intervention regardless.\nOne serious issue among others; if an adolescent “decides” they have major depressive disorder that can become a self fulfilling prophecy and cause despair and reluctance to seek treatment", ">\n\nLook at the price and lack of availability of mental health care, and the total lack of privacy of internet connected devices. Most practitioners don’t offer in person visits anymore, and even if they do they probably do digital records or have their phone present. Ofc people are self diagnosing.", ">\n\nCounterpoint: many people do not have the means to access diagnoses for mental illnesses and other disorders, and it can sometimes be the only way to explain their feelings to others. Autism diagnoses in particular are extremely difficult to access for adults and even teens. I suspected I had autism for years and the only way I was able to get a diagnosis was through the mental health treatment program I was in during highschool which had a psychologist there. I only could attend because I live in Canada with universal healthcare. Many, many people are not as fortunate as me. Most people in the world cannot access diagnosis in the first place, including many in richer countries. \nYour comment about women statistically 'being born with autism on a far lesser scale than men' misses the well-known problem of underdiagnosis of autism in women. Autism presents itself differently in women than men (I can say as an autistic woman who knows other autistic women) and the criteria for autism were based on cis white men. Autism in women is is often misdiagnosed as CPTSD (which many autistic people ALSO unfortunately have), borderline personality disorder, anxiety, depression, etc. \nAlthough self-diagnosis is often problematic and used by teenagers to feel special, for the people who take it seriously and are intellectually honest there currently isn't really a better alternative for them to try and explain their experiences when they cannot access diagnoses.", ">\n\nWhat you are describing is NOT a new phenomenon. I was born in 1975 and have been observing this phenomenon my entire life. Nothing new about it at all.", ">\n\nSelf diagnosis is often the first step in going to go and get an actual diagnosis. Getting diagnosed with a mental disorder, especially as an adult, is basically impossible if you aren't actively seeking it out. For several reasons, one of which is that pretty much all the diagnostic criteria are written about children. \nI'm properly diagnosed and even on disability for mental disorders and I knew what I had for years before I got diagnosed. \nI understand there's a feeling of \"stolen valour\" to it. And there is indeed a subset of people doing it for attention or because it's fashionable, OCD in particular being a common example, but the good that comes from self diagnosis more than outweighs the bad.", ">\n\nCorrect me if I’m wrong, but don’t all, or at least most mental disorders lie on a spectrum?" ]

[ "The diagnosis process for a lot of psychiatric conditions are surveys and questionaires. You can go to a psychiatrist and ask if you're anxious and they'll give you multiple choice questions and diagnose off of that. Or you can just google the form yourself and self diagnose. A lot of psychiatric disorders are about how we feel and think. Not about sending off some blood sample to a lab and getting a positive result come back.\n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. For such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nWhat you're describing are all neuroses that could indicate some deeper psychiatric condition. Whether a person has a mental health condition or not, thinking of ourselves as weak victims is never helpful in any context, yet it's something we all feel from time to time.\nI'm a disability support worker, so when someone tells me they've got a self diagnosed condition, it's not offensive to me or any disabled person I know, it doesn't come across like they're invalidating anyone else's condition. However I do think everyone should talk to a doctor about any condition they feel they might have.", ">\n\nPiggybacking off of this: You’ve spent your whole entire life inside your own brain. A therapist will spend a period of hours with you and give you a diagnosis. Who do you think knows your personal reality better than yourself?", ">\n\nYeah exactly, especially with conditions such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, PTSD, and many other psychiatric conditions. These are things people know they have even before they get a diagnosis. The diagnosis stage is more about treatment and management.\nPeople might be unaware of how severe or mild their condition is, some people think they have only mild PTSD despite constant nightmares and suicidal ideation. Some people will think they have severe ADHD because they can't concentrate for long times on things that don't interest them. It's good to get some perspective from experts but ultimately people know when they are struggling to focus or to struggling to stop stressing all the time or struggling to not be miserable. Struggling with our thoughts and feelings is evidence enough to self diagnose.", ">\n\nI was recently diagnosed with ADHD as a woman so I find this viewpoint interesting.\nFirstly, autism is not a mental illness. An autistic person may have mental illness in conjunction with autism, but autism alone lies under the neurodivergent umbrella. Neurodivergency can include autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and other similar conditions.\nWhy women are often underdiagnosed\nThese are serious disabilities that can really impede a person's life, especially if they struggle to find help and acceptance in their community. A lot of women start their journey towards diagnosis later in life due to a number of factors such as:\n\nPoor diagnostic tools and inexperienced professionals\nA misunderstanding that autism and ADHD are more common in boys\nAdvanced masking techniques to cover their 'traits'\n\nWhy women are often diagnosed later in life.\nThe process for many women and men who are diagnosed later in life often includes a level of burnout or breakdown. After a while everything becomes too much, the mask begins to slip and your traits go into overdrive.\nWhy does self-diagnosing seem to be on the rise?\nA common way of finding out you could possibly be neurodivergent is through media and people who are aware of these traits appear.\nIn the past few years, I have seen an increasing awareness of neurodivergence in women pop up in the media. This is useful for people like myself who had no idea wtf was wrong with them for a very long time. For me, a GP actually suggested I seek a diagnosis due to some struggles I was going through.\nAs someone who went through this process self-diagnosing is commonly the first step as an adult. You might be directed to a questionnaire and are asked to evaluate yourself and your experiences thinking back to your childhood. If there's some merit in your experiences than you move to the next step which involves seeking a professional. Waitlists are often months to years long so many people live in limbo for a long time.\nMethods of living with ADHD can help everyone. And everyone experiences ADHD traits from time to time. Given a large amount of stress we have all suffered collectively, I don't doubt there are a lot of people with increased mental health issues that mirror neurodivergent traits. Some mental illnesses can get very severe and alter your brain chemistry and behaviour.\nMy takeaway from this is that the mental health systems set up to assist these people are a much larger issue and cause for serious concern than self-diagnosing.\nApologies for the spelling and grammar errors. Grammarly and Reddit don't play nice.", ">\n\nI think it's two things. One, people have identity crises, especially teenagers. We all know that type of person who tries on identities like hats. That's pretty embarrassing. You usually grow out of that.\nTwo, from personal experience, giving yourself a label or a diagnosis makes it feel more contained and easy to communicate. It's easier to tell someone that you have X and have them understand what you're going through rather than telling them you have these vague symptoms resembling what you imagine X is like. In that respect, it is pretty understandable, possibly good, and not embarrassing. There's something that is sort of reassuring if you can finally get a word to put on what you're experiencing.\nPeople often sympathize with the diagnosis but not with the symptoms. Tell people at work you're autistic and they will sympathize with you and possibly not attack you. Tell them you do not understand social cues and they will probably just make fun of you.", ">\n\nI understand the desire to put a label with a disease, and this is not necessarily bad, but the diagnosis needs to be correct. If you want to tell others that you are autistic or depressed; you must actually be those things. A person can almost never correctly assertion their disease, only their symptoms. People might better understand you if you say your autistic, but you may incorrectly understand and describe yourself. If one wishes to put a name with symptoms, they should find a doctor to pick the label", ">\n\nfor sure but unfortunately our medical system is a joke and even if you are experiencing very severe symptoms it can be nearly impossible to see a professional or take months on a waiting list.\nEven then a professional may be reluctant to slap a label on you for fear of what the consequences of that might be. I saw someone for a very long time who resisted any sort of actual diagnosis because the truth is that what I was experiencing didn't fit neatly into any of the boxes and pretty much belonged in this vague \"other\" category which isn't particularly helpful. Not to mention that misdiagnosis happens all the time even by professionals. \nI just think it is sort of understandable because I think a lot of stuff is kind of a spectrum anyway and just different levels of severity. Things can be really confusing and hard to nail down and thus communicate in a way that causes someone else to be understanding rather than judgemental.", ">\n\nAre you under the impression this is a new phenomenon? Because it's definitely not.\nPeople - especially young people! - crave identity. The world is a confusing place, knowing who you are makes it a little easier. Sometimes it's self-diagnosing mental illness or learning disabilities, or exploring sexual identity, or cliques, or subcultures. There's nothing embarrassing about it, it just is what it is.", ">\n\nIt’s ok to want to express individuality but not to the extent of totally destroying the definition of a real thing and making it hard for actual mentally Ill ppl to get a diagnosis. Why can’t people just accept that they’re different rather then giving themselves a label?", ">\n\npeople on TikTok claiming to have disorders that they don't doesn't affect the precision of psychiatrists diagnosing actual patients. There's no TikTok-said section in the DSM. Why do you think that it does?", ">\n\nIt just encourages more people to get diagnosed possibly skewing the meaning of the mental illness", ">\n\nSkewing it towards statistical accuracy? If people are actually diagnosed at higher rates, we have a better Guage of population-level mental illness, neurodivergency, etc. Better data is more usable, so that research actually means something actionable, ASIDE from the identity boost for young people.", ">\n\nI think what OP is driving at, but utterly failing to explain, is that they think that the fakers will be accommodated by the psychiatric system and diagnosed on the basis of fake symptoms. my sense is that isn't a problem but I don't have data.", ">\n\nDefinitely explained it a little better then I could lol", ">\n\nWhere do you see evidence of that? Any articles about fakers? How about a statistic? If not, it’s just a fear you seem to have.", ">\n\nI think the salient line here is this one:\n\nNeurologists were able to quickly determine that the subjects were not \nsuffering from Tourette's, but psychogenic tics driven by anxiety.", ">\n\nWomen are not born with less autism, but are much less likely to be diagnosed as children than boys. This is partly because boys generally have similar symptoms and behaviors. \nSo of course more women are self diagnosing autism, since their diagnoses were missed as children on a much higher rate.", ">\n\nAlright, I'm diagnosed OCD, PTSD, chronic depression. Diagnosed by a professional so I think I have some grounds to talk about this.\nFirst, let's tackle your women comment about autism. You see, I understand where you're coming from, but you lack the nuance of recognizing that mental illness, and illness in general, is heavily under-diagnosed in women. The medical culture is heavily favored towards men and is rampant with mysogyny, and that's not just me saying it as I've had medical professionals blatantly tell me it's a problem in the field when questioned about it. I've also had some tell me that it's just because women whine a lot, so yanno make of that statement what you will.\nNow that we've covered that let me address the self-diagnosing issue. So, do you want to know what my therapist thinks of self-diagnosing? Well, when I asked them about it they said that self-diagnosing is an important first step to seeking help. Psychiatrist said the same thing. It's normal, expected even, for people to self-diagnose their issues then seek help for them. You can't exactly just peer into someone's brain, no, that person has to tell you what they think is wrong and why they think it is. \nWhat you actually have a problem with is not self-diagnosis, but with people not seeking or not being able to get medical assistance and assuming they're right. You have a problem with people using these issues for attention, which I do too, but once again self-diagnosing is not the problem. Finally, you have a problem with the medical system that forces people into the position of trying to figure out their mental illnesses, but having no ability to get help for them.", ">\n\nI think I did it", ">\n\nSadly no lol, it was not done properly. Do you need a link to the rules?", ">\n\nI already read them i think I’ll figure it out in a bit sorry for the hold up", ">\n\nBecause everyone else is being aggressive: you have to comment with ∆ or !delta and then explain how your view has been changed", ">\n\nThis delta has been rejected. You can't award OP a delta.\nAllowing this would wrongly suggest that you can post here with the aim of convincing others.\nIf you were explaining when/how to award a delta, please use a reddit quote for the symbol next time.\n^Delta System Explained ^| ^Deltaboards", ">\n\nWhat gives you the authority or knowledge to know this is the problem?", ">\n\nYou don’t think it’s a problem that a lot of young ppl are willing to go to the extent of saying they are mentally Ill either for attention or to excuse their weirdness? Just accept that your different. It’s not wrong to believe you’re different without a label", ">\n\nYou did not even try to answer my question.", ">\n\nI’m sorry I was confused on what you meant", ">\n\nIf you are mad at people for self diagnosing themselves because they don't have the knowledge or authority to do so.... what gives you the knowledge or authority to diagnosis this as the problem behavior... basically are you just a kid that is annoyed, or is there some actual studies out there that is claiming this is a problem.", ">\n\nIf you don’t think that people consistently seeking attention for mental illness or craving a label so badly to justify themselves rather then being themselves. That just shows what your views are", ">\n\nDont you think we should leave the diagnosing to the professionals?", ">\n\nI mean yeah", ">\n\nWould you agree that you are diagnosing these people by saying that they are only seeking attention and do not have a real mental illness?", ">\n\nI’m assuming", ">\n\nThere may be some truth to people wanting to be different, however with mental illnesses being more accepted in today's society, many people are a lot more comfortable with being neurodivergent. Additionally, self diagnosis is common because the alternative is spending upwards to $1000-$2000 for a clinical diagnosis.", ">\n\nI know costs suck, but self diagnosis can be much more harmful. A web.md page that tells you your depressed when you may actually be bipolar can lead to really messed up results. I would even go as far as to say that no diagnosis at all is preferable to an uninformed one", ">\n\nWell.\n​\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad \n\nSo you already know why they're doing what they're doing in addition the fact that you know that they're not Autistic? If your claim is that they can't know and only a doctor can, what makes you more qualified? You start out your argument admitting that you have a bias.\n\nthey’re “neurodivergent.\n\nNeurodivergent is an umbrella that covers both Autism and ADHD, which sometimes get mistaken for each other. So if you're upset that they're self-diagnosing, this term should be more welcome than \"Autistic\" because it's more generalized.\n\nnd when you ask them how they know they’ll say “oh I have this weird tick when I uh laugh when someone says something funny “ or “I have a hyper fixation on this topic so I must be autistic\n\nHow else should they communicate it to you? The list of aspects of Autism, especially for how it presents in women, sounds a lot like this. You're not a doctor, they don't have to prove anything to you by going down the entire list of every possible part of their daily experience that might be on the spectrum.\n\nWomen statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nNope. Women are diagnosed less often than men because the original diagnostic criteria for Autism was for Autism as it presents in males. It presents differently for females and is harder to diagnose, especially at younger ages. \n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized\n\nTodays youth want to be victimized? Why would anyone want to be victimized? Something tells me you're missing the mark with this terminology.\n\nor have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. \n\nSo if someone is Autistic and that makes them weird, you'd rather them just be forced to not get to have a name for it, and get the therapeutic treatment that would help them?\n\nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really [are] without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nSome people are autistic. If they find out and it makes them feel good, that doesn't mean they're craving attention. And if they are craving attention, it's because they're normal people and everyone does. \nIf someone thinks they're autistic but it turns out they're actually not, chances are they suspected it for a reason. They might have ADHD, a personality disorder, a mental health issue, or simply a slightly different way of experiencing the world that feels unique to them and there's nothing wrong with that. \nYou seem to think that other people do things for you. People generally don't. They do things for themselves. This is especially true of people on the Autism Spectrum who may not be able to easily use other people's experiences to reference when constructing their view of the world, and can only use their own. Your interpretation wherein they do it to evoke a response from you says more about you than it does about them.", ">\n\nYou’re being deliberately obtuse. OP is completely correct. Most of the people these days who say “I’m ADHD” or “I’m autistic” or “I’m neurodivergent” are absolutely not diagnosed as such and are doing it to seem unique or get attention or as some excuse for why they did x y or z.", ">\n\nI'd like to point out that while some are perhaps attention seeking, many people self diagnose simply because they don't have access to free medical/psychological professionals to get proper diagnosis and help with their issues. I also know someone who doesn't want to get an official diagnosis because he's afrad it will affect his insurance rates or somehow come back to bite him if he's offically labeled with having a neurological disorder. \nThere is a wealth of knowledge on these subjects available online for those interested. And if they are truly interested in self diagnose they can likely do that accurately enough for all intents and purposes. Most of these people who search for the sake of better understanding themselves or their loved ones will openly admit that it's a self diagnoses, or say they THINK they have x,y, or z. But in some situations it's just as well to say they have it if they feel certain anyway, and it's just a passing comment, and not a discussion on the matter. \nIn other words, just because they self diagnose doesn't mean they're wrong, nor does it explain their motives. I also don't see how attention seeking (for those who ARE doing that) is really hurting anyone else. Fakers gonna be fake, that's more a \"them\" kind of problem. ANNOYING, but mostly harmless.", ">\n\nUnless you have a doctor's diagnosis you don't have the disorder. Even if you are broke there are programs to help with costs. \nAnd yes it does affect me when someone is treating me like shit and tries using the I have such and such as an excuse and then people get mad at ME for calling them in their bullshit.", ">\n\nNo. You have to have the disorder before you CAN be diagnosed, so obviously there are undiagnosed people who in fact \"have the disorder \". Your refusal to acknowledge an undiagnosed disorder does not mean they don't have it. Your personal experience with people supposedly using a fake diagnosis to treat you badly, sounds unusual. How do you know they DIDN'T have it? People who do lie and just want to be jerks will do that regardless of what methods they decide to try. The methods are irrelevant. And that motive is not typical of most self diagnosers .", ">\n\nSounds unusual? You must not get out a lot because it's become a pretty regular thing. Every single person I know (about 8) that have self diagnosed themselves as neurodivergent or with a mental illness like Bi-polar all use it to excuse their shitty ass behaviors. \nToo many disorders can mirror other ones. Just because they think they have 2/3 symptoms doesn't make them right by a long shot. Keep living in your bubble.", ">\n\nYou don't have to have a relationship with anyone. If they treat you badly, regardless of an official diagnosis or not, you don't have to tolerate them. It makes no difference what they have or don't have. What would it change if they got diagnosed and actually have it?", ">\n\nSelf diagnosing has been a thing forever\nAnd it's not a problem im 99% sure me or any other autistic person doesn't really give 2 fucks about people who wanna fake disorders. It doesn't stop us from getting help, we have doctors notes, medical files, sometimes even volunteers, you need those files to get into let's say a special education class, or a life skills course.\nSo unless you were diagnosed by a professional you're probably not gonna make it far faking it.\n(Excuse my shitty punctuation)", ">\n\nIt doesn’t bother you that they’re making others take the actual meaning away from what you were born with? I mean I’m sure autism hasn’t made your life easy and seeing ppl claim it for attention to be quirky probably has to annoy you a little right?", ">\n\nAt the end of the day I still have ADHD and I still need help with it. More people being diagnosed with it doesn’t change that fact. In fact I was diagnosed because I realized I related to so many tiktok memes, and I’m sure others are in my same boat. \nIn fact I think so many people talking about ADHD helps. It means more people who possibly have tips for me, people who are suffering who can’t afford treatment have an easy way to learn about how to improve their lives, and more people who are aware of my disorder.", ">\n\nI think people do diagnose themselves too often without seeking professional help. BUT mental illness is not the same as being neurodivergent.", ">\n\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad that they’ll go as far to say they’re “neurodivergent.”\n\nWhile this is the case, I don't really see how it's a \"problem\" per se. I guarantee that these people still make lifestyle decisions based on what they think is best, or based on what they want to do.\n\nbut it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women\n\nDo you have any statistics for that? I haven't experienced it that way in my own anecdotal experience, and I'd be curious to look into the data to see how much that truly does skew in that direction.\n\nwanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness \nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nI understand what you're trying to say here, but I don't really think these things are connected as much as you think they are. People see something wrong with themselves, so they either playfully or seriously consider the fact that it could be a condition that they have similar symptoms to. Not that it never happens, but just because someone categorizes themselves into a disability group that could potentially excuse their \"quirks\", doesn't mean they think that behavior is unacceptable in any way. People see a problem, and assume it's linked to this other issue that seems similar that they already know about.", ">\n\nI agree with the conclusion that self-diagnosis is a real issue, and I wouldn't be surprised if the data indicated it was on the rise. I wouldn't necessarily frame it as a simple desire to \"be victimized\" however. While it is purely speculation, I do believe there are a number of conditions which might lead towards a more frequent experience of symptoms associated with mental illness - a rising wealth gap, perpetual anxiety from a 24-hour news cycle, intensification of self-commodification, the student debt crisis in certain countries like the US, and so on. So people are experiencing symptoms like low energy, mood swings, etc. that can be associated with mental illness. The issue with self-diagnosis then becomes that it may correctly identify the symptom, but incorrectly identify the cause.\nThis video from the YouTuber HealthyGamerGG does a good job of explaining what some of the issues with self-diagnosis are, and for me it was a good starting place for thinking about this more. \nEDIT: I forgot this video literally starts with this same topic being brought up on this same subreddit lol", ">\n\nA great theory based on reasonable causes with an educational video from a psychologist(I assume) as evidence to back it up. I applaud you sir. 👏", ">\n\nWhy are you embarrassed by other people's issues?", ">\n\nI’m a 30yo male. If I had not first self diagnosed with ASD and OCD, I never would have found the language and resources to get a formal diagnosis and help.\nPrior generations have been so fixated on avoidance of diagnosing mental disorders, and research was previously so lacking that we are only just now (through those that do get diagnosed) realizing how common mental disorders are. That plus the lack of mental health resources for neurotypical and neurodivergent I think is how we end up in this situation of many recognizing their symptoms in the new discourse, but lacking the resources to overcome the barriers to proper diagnosis and treatment.", ">\n\nIt’s not the best thing, no. \nAs an adult FINALLY diagnosed (by a licensed therapist) at 41, I can tell you why ‘self diagnosis’ is so tempting. \nIn the US at least- mental health, and official medical diagnosis are almost completely inaccessible, especially as an adult. Most of us grew up before Autism was a spectrum, and ADHD was just boys who acted out in class. We felt like aliens. We couldn’t understand why we didn’t have many friends, or why we didn’t like the ‘right things’, and generally spend the bill of our lives feeling ‘wrong’, ‘broken’ or just simply like we didn’t belong. \nFinally understanding the WHY, and even better, finding tools to addresses our issues is a huge huge weight off the chest. The relief of having a name and a strategy- either therapy or medicine is such an amazing relief!!", ">\n\nI only kinda agree if I had not done my own research I would have never found out I have sjorgens syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis I know TikTok people tend to diagnose themselves and it makes it look cringe but when you live with a incurable illness sometimes you have to work to find a diagnosis", ">\n\nWell, what do you do of you absolutely know you're neurodivergent, but your parents decided not to get you checked? My mom once told me \"we knew you had something, we just didn't get you checked because they would have just put you on pills\". So I struggled with being different, socially unaware, impulsive, obnoxious, agressive, selfish, for the better part of my life without having the self awareness to understand why I was these things, and why people wouldn't want to be around me. \nIn my late 20''s I asked the question, what if I'm actually autistic? I looked up the symptoms, and 9/10 matched. As a child I couldn't handle loud noises, restrictive clothing, I didn't talk until I was 3. I would throw fits for seemingly no reason, I had obsessive interests. I've always really struggled with eye contact, and I never cared for conversation unless it was something I liked. I mean, when the final piece of a puzzle fits so incredibly well, it's really hard for it to be wrong. \nSelf diagnosing actually really helped me grow as aj individual. I became aware of all my divergent behaviors, and why it might be annoying for someone else to deal with. I came to the realization that I was the one who was different, therefore I needed to change. It's way harder to make everyone around you cater to your needs than to overcome the things that upset you. I'm at peace, I have good friends that I can connect with on a pretty deep level. I no longer smash coffee tables when I lose, I can now appreciate that if I lose it just means I have more to learn. I can keep my house clean, I can reasonably hold myself accountable. What exactly is the harm in all that?\nBesides, it would be pretty pointless for me to try and get a diagnosis now, I've put the effort in and largely come out the other side. Anyone diagnosing me would just say I was normal, but they wouldn't have the intimate knowledge of me that I do. I guess it doesn't matter if people don't believe me, I don't go around shouting that I'm autistic. I will say, it would be really nice if people appreciated the effort I put in to get to get to a place of normalcy, something others take for granted, but it's okay, we all have our struggles.", ">\n\nI feel you on all that. To play devil's advocate, mental healthcare in the U.S. is not cheap. Many people go to the internet and confirm their bias about their current health", ">\n\nI feel you on that too OP. I agree 100% with your entire statement.", ">\n\nIt's a problem, but not a new one. In the 1990s there was briefly a surge of people with a type of delusional parasitosis, that is, the false belief that they were infested with parasites. Except this one was supposedly an infestation with tiny fibres. They would come to doctors with a whole list of symptoms to back up their incorrect self-diagnosis.\nTo a certain extent, these are social contagions, which come and go, and often actually end up leading to people having real problems. Like, the young women you mention, a couple of decades ago may well have ended up with anorexia, or self-cutting. These days it might be a self-declaration of autism or a belief that they have gender dysphoria or that they have multiple systems living in their minds.", ">\n\nWow I did not know that. Maybe it’s just so prevalent today due to social media. Social media has only made these things worse imo", ">\n\nEven before it being self diagnosis of a mental illness it was always something. Remember all the emo and goth teenager?", ">\n\nIt depends on the context. For example, if they've done a substantial amount of research, can name a good amount of symptoms they have and reasons they have whatever mental illness and don't have access to the necessary tools to get a medical diagnosis, it's totally different. Some people don't have the money to go out and get a diagnosis, or sometimes it would be better to not get a medical diagnosis. I believe that the reason that a lot of people self diagnose themselves with things like Autism is because they want an explanation as to why they are different, and they could be right or wrong. I think the most important part is that if you go to a psychologist (or even two, I know a lot of people prefer getting second opinions) and they say you don't have it, that you need to admit you were wrong. It's ok to be wrong about your mental health, and the key is to keep looking and to not give up. I can completely understand the frustration in people completely missing how difficult it actually may be to have a mental illness. I was clinically diagnosed with Depression, Anxiety, and PTSD when I was seven, and I've had some experience with people faking mental disorders for attention, and more often then not, they have another mental disorder that needs attention. Recently I had a (now ex) boyfriend insist he had PTSD after being tested twice and the psychiatrist saying that he didn't have it. What he does have is Depression and Anxiety, but he absolutely insisted he has PTSD despite never exhibiting symptoms and the only evidence being a test he took online that was supposedly a \"real PTSD test.\" People faking mental illnesses only harms people who really have them, as these people tend to exaggerate symptoms and use their self diagnosis for attention. I believe that I am autistic, but I don't list it as a diagnosis because while I have read articles and taken the RAADS-r test, I don't have an official diagnosis, and I could very well be wrong. As for women faking illnesses more often, something I've noticed is that things like Autism, ADHD, ADD, etc are more often diagnosed in boys rather than girls- mostly because when they were first discovered, most of the research was done in boys. Autism shows up differently in girls, and can often be blown off as early puberty hormones. If their hyperfixations are those of stereotypical feminine things, it's just a girl liking whatever, and if they hyperfixate in stereotypical masculine interests, they tend to just be viewed as weird, but not autistic. It's normal for people to question, but I agree that to a certain point, self diagnosis can be harmful, but only if not done correctly.", ">\n\nFirst and foremost not a new problem at all, very common, we used to call it \"Being a hypochondriac\" until it aparrently became reconized which in it self is confusing and a bit contradictory.\nANYWAY\nIt isnt really a problem, no doctor is gonna write the perscription for medication without a diagnosis of some sort.\nAt most there is the vauge \"But what about those who actually have it who arent taken serious\" dont worry, we wouldnt have anyway. Thats kinda how invisible illnesses work.\nOverall the 101 hypochondriacs screaming about the symptoms they read in the ICD might help make the knowledge more common and help people better reconize if their colleagues or friends happen to show symptoms of something.", ">\n\nIt’s pretty expensive in the US to get diagnosed. Personally, I’ve self diagnosed myself out of frustration of the way I process things. I’ve always felt slow & my anxiety/depression was deep because of it, but I was raised in a family that doesn’t believe in mental illness. It was always “if you work hard enough, all your problems will go away”. Meanwhile, i was racking my brain on how to make myself think faster/smarter & it would result in psychotic episodes. I’ve gotten fired from jobs, dropped out of school. I started self harming because I hated myself and my brain & almost commit suicide bc I had no idea what was going on.\nThe relief I felt once I finally got a therapist who validated me & was the first to talk to me about mental Illness. It blew my mind and all of a sudden things actually made sense to me. I currently think I have ADD, and sometimes I’ll tell people that but will preface it by saying I’m not professionally diagnosed. Still, I use mental tools that help me get through the day and build my confidence. I’m a lot better at processing conversations, making lists that help me remember things, unmasking, slowing down my thoughts… etc. I’m less frustrated and can see the beauty in how I process things. I still want to get diagnosed but I have to get health insurance….. lol", ">\n\nSelf diagnosis, regardless of being factual is a process where the individual realizes that they might have a mental health issue. People who can do this are more likely to seek professional help compared to the people who think they are “fine”. Going to a professional, licensed psychologist or a psychiatrist will eventually diagnose them with the correct disorder from there, and professionals have the skills to communicate with them and they can together evaluate if the person’s complaint is the issue or not. There is nothing embarrassing about discovering one’s self. It would be a problem if people would identify with an issue and don’t have any willingness to seek help. Sometimes overreacting is better than not reacting.", ">\n\nThe majority of people who are self-diagnosed with autism have done extensive research into it to come to that conclusion. I personally went through the DSM criteria with a fine-tooth comb, made a list of all the ways I met it and discovered that there’s not a single criteria i don’t meet for autism. I didn’t read about anything else but autism for weeks, approaching it from all angles before coming to the conclusion that it’s highly unlikely I am not autistic. I’m waiting to hear back about an assessment, but I’m not waiting to go and be told something I already know before I start advocating for myself. \nOh, and I absolutely did not want to be ‘different’, in fact my life mission to just blend in and be average is the root cause of most of my problems, but here we are.", ">\n\nThis self diagnosing young people do isn’t the problem. The problem is that our society encourages it.\nOur culture is not set up to accommodate a wide spectrum of human needs. You may need things that I don’t. I may need things that you don’t. But in most business settings, academic settings, or even places like restaurants or leisure places, the world isn’t built to accommodate everyone. Our world and society is a “one size fits all” approach, and most people don’t fit snugly inside of that system. \nIf you can classify what is “wrong” or “different” about you into an easily digestible form, people are generally more able and more willing to accommodate you.\nFor example: if I tell my coworkers that I need to leave work early because of a headache, I’ll be shamed for it. And in some cases I’ll be told that “headaches aren’t that bad!” Or “You don’t need to leave.” Or “I have a headache too, just deal with it!”\nBut if I tell my workers that I need to leave due to a painful neurological condition that’s flaring up (I have chronic migraine, which is a neurological condition), they will respect it 100% of the time. It’s met with sympathy and not criticism.\nThis happens for all sorts of things. “Sorry Im late, I slept in.” Sounds a lot worse then, “sorry I’m late, my insomnia has been terrible lately.” \nOur culture forces us to use these labels even when they’re untrue just to receive sympathy or acceptance. The problem isn’t people who decide to use these labels, the root problem is that our society refuses to embrace and accommodate people who are outside of the “norm.”", ">\n\nSpeaking as someone who's had an autism diagnosis since age 7: if someone declares they're autistic when they're not, that's obnoxious at worst. If someone is told they're not autistic when they are, that can cause lifelong harm from denied care and understanding. I have seen this happen to a close friend of mine.\nTherefore, I'd much rather err on the side of acceptance. If you think you're defending me and others like me from impersonators, we'd rather not have your help.\n\nI know people will disagree but it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women. Women statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nCase in point: women are diagnosed with autism far less than men. Recent studies have pointed to decades of systematic misdiagnosis. The more visible autistic symptoms sometimes manifest differently in girls, the way they're socialized may help them hide it from a young age, and of course lots of doctors just say \"your daughter can't be autistic, that's a boy thing.\"\nWe're learning that there are hundreds of thousands of autistic women who slipped through the cracks and were denied the recognition and support they needed because of dismissive, gatekeeping attitudes just like yours.", ">\n\nThere’s a difference between having a disorder and relating to a disorder. If the tools or language associated with a disorder helps someone live better though then cool, it’s all still odd. Also autism presents differently in woman, and a majority of our research on it is on men. Best practice is probably to support them and encourage them to seek treatment.", ">\n\nAutism is severely misdiagnosed in women. Completely under diagnosed. Actually, plenty of things are. The actual problem that we have is parents refusing to let their children get professional help or a diagnosis. Most doctors will diagnose you with BPD as a woman(aka the new female hysteria of our century), maybe put you on some anti psychotics and send you your way. In most countries, a diagnosis/specialist is not readily available, or there is a long waiting list. Even so, the doctors are not know it all. I have seen plenty of doctors, I got different diagnosis almost each time. They ask you some general questions (about your mood, the way you sleep, if you can concentrate, if you harm yourself, if you have suicidal ideation, if you can socialize properly, if your parents were diagnosed with anything, if you have hallucinations or delusions, the works) and then based on that, they will give you a diagnosis. If you use your common sense and information on the internet (given you are knowledgeable on the subject), you can take a good guess on what's wrong. Obviously, some people will exaggerate like with anything (seeing the shadow dude once in your childhood is not a sign of psychosis, neither is hearing your name called when you are alone once in a blue moon), but if you have visual and auditory hallucinations, perhaps weird tactile feelings/hallucinations (spiders are crawling on me, etc), delusions, tend to be forgetful and out of teach with reality, there is a good chance you do have psychosis.", ">\n\nOkay, to start: what do you think autism and ADHD are? They aren't mental illnesses nor are they mental health conditions. \nTo address some of your other points; \nStudies have shown that autism has a gender expression of 1:1. The only reason that women are under diagnosed is because of misunderstandings towards autism, then the diagnosis is conducted incorrectly. Thus it ends up getting conflated with mental illness, E.G BPD, and is diagnosed as a psychiatric disorder instead. This is a detriment to the patient as the care regimes are black and white different. Often times this severely damages the woman.\nFrom data sets that I recall reading, malingering hasn't risen much, if at all, in recent times. I remember it being around 8% of the global population who are engaging in this behaviour, to different extents. I think what's happened is that social media has turned a torch onto it and it's risen in popularity in an algorithmic way. You see it more because it's pushed by the algorithm more because people are searching for it more. It isn't actually occurring any more or less than historically. Most of that attention is negative attention, I should add. \nSo there's two things to take away from that.\n1) The actual act of pretending to be mentally ill, or to have a disability, which is called malingering, is in fact a form of mental unwellness itself. It's a cry for help. The people who do these things are usually very unstable and should be treated with a degree of empathy. The dangerous types who are using mental illness to scam others, or to manipulate them, make up a very small percentage of the overall amount of people in that group and tend to abuse one on one. \n2) The predominant response to this is generally negative. There isn't really any reason to publicly malinger unless you're unstable, this is because a rational person would likely know this, and know the damage it would cause themselves. Self-diagnosis is a very long, and self-aware, process that takes place over years of the individuals life, and proceeds official diagnosis. \nNo one SDs and says \"Okay that's it now! Let me start a TikTok!\" You'd still want support, and you'd still seek support. So that would end up with a doctor, who would see that you're lying, and treat you for whatever was prompting you to malinger. Anyone who has made this commitment knows that keeping it private is a sensible thing to do in a world that isn't inclusive, and often very stigmatising. Sometimes official diagnosis can take YEARS. \nThis kind of propaganda has been going around for a long time in an effort to discredit disabled people and people with mental illnesses. It's not new. People said the same things back in the 90s. People will always be afraid, and dismissive, of things they do not understand. I invite you to try and understand.", ">\n\nI self-diagnosed myself with endometriosis for 10 years before a doctor finally listened to me, opened me up, and found my insides littered with lesions all over my organs. I’m now not able to get pregnant and I might need to get part of my bowel taken out someday. This could’ve been avoided if someone had just listened to me when I was 16. \nSelf-diagnosing is a necessity in a misogynist world! No one takes us seriously! Especially medical professionals. \nThe best antidote for this is to listen to women who self-diagnose. Why do they think they have XYZ? Is it heavily interfering with their life? I think that’s a much larger problem.", ">\n\nIts been proven that there is a bias to diagnose as opposed to not diagnose a mental illness in psychology. So op is actually kinda correct. The definition of a mental illness is in effect being stretched so far that people who are just kinda weird are being diagnosed with \"on the spectrum\". This is actually causing a problem in early learning because parents start treating their kids as essentially learning challenged when they're really not. So it is starting to become an excuse ...", ">\n\nWe live in a society that loves to medicate people. I know it’s different but Did ppl forget about the opioid epidemic? They’ll diagnose your ass with anything if they can", ">\n\nYa I tend to agree. And no one is really saying so I will I guess, but id wager that 50% of psychologist \"professionals\" are totally full of shit. The actual number of psychologists that are are doing real research and clinical studies is EXTREMELY small compared to how many \"psychologists\" are out there. Just like chiropractors, half of them are hacks..", ">\n\nAnd ill say one more thing, though it is anecdotal, but i have direct family that works in special education for young children, and that system is fucked with a capital F. Thay are constantly fighting against parents and programs who try to box kids in the \"autistic\" zone, when they are just really quite or shy, or have pee problems. But parents want an excuse and reason for their behavior, and reduce them to a sub standard education and treatment for the rest of their lives. It's heart breaking. Especially in public schools.", ">\n\nI’m 32 years old. \nI didn’t self diagnose for attention although I remember the days of tumblr where everyone self diagnosed for clout.\nIt took me a decade to realize what is really happening. During the decade before I realized what may have been happening I was told the following:\nI’m rude\nI’m bossy\nI have a RBF/I look mad\nI also only managed to make my first real friend at age 27.\nWhat I was really displaying was:\nBeing overly blunt and just trying to get my point across came off rude when I didn’t intend it to be that way\nTrying to have things done at a certain time and way that no one else thought was important to follow\nUnmasking\nNoticed other things too that I just thought was me being weird:\nVocal stimming\nOral stimming-chewing, smoking, vaping\nRepetitive motions\nRocking\nEasily overwhelmed by too much sensory input\nHigh startle reflex \nInability to regulate my body’s needs-I don’t know I’m hungry until I’m ravenous; don’t recognize the need to use the bathroom until it’s causing me to rush off, don’t realize I’m cold until I’m shaking\nI could go on.\nI want an assessment so bad. But assessments for adults are EXTREMELY hard to setup, if you can even set them up at all. Some states don’t even offer them. I’ve been looking but they are only for children and seem to look for severe cases.\n14 years of thinking I was just a bitch who couldn’t make friends because I was too weird…turns out it might be autism. And turns out I’ll most likely never get a true diagnosis. But the RAADS test gave me a 127 score so that might be the closest I’ll ever get.", ">\n\ni kind of self diagnosed autism? i’ve been to many psychiatrists and therapists for years and they always see adhd in the half an hour and prescribe meds for that, which makes me not go there again. if they dug a little deeper they could have seen autism, i spoke to my current psychiatrist about if its possible i have it, she didn’t want to confirm or deny as i was moving out of state from friends and family and am at an age where i can have kids in the next 10 years since she doesn’t want me being concerned for them. \nI think there’s still lots of stigma around autism even with professionals and especially when identifying it in women. \nI don’t want to be autistic, but i can recognise a lot of different patterns comparing myself and others. I’ve researched it a ton especially in how it shows in women compared to men and in all the articles i found myself relating.\nNow i don’t say im autistic, i say im a little sus of being it tho lmao. and try pass it off casually. I find it’s a lot easier for me to understand and embrace my differences compared to trying to hide it and try be like everyone else or wonder why im not like everyone else. \nBeing older i can also recognise how a lot of my family on one side have suffered mentally and because of obvious neurodivergence. so im pretty sure, like the rest of my mentally challenged brain, has been inherited genetically through that side. \nAll that being said. I self diagnosed when i was about 12 that im highly likely to be depressed and anxious in attempt to get my mom to believe me i needed help, and now 8 years later i can identify that this has been an issue forever for me and that i likely cannot go off my meds because i will just go back to how i used to be. Im still ocd with all my meds, but its better than being anxious and depressed all the time, Having ocd throughout the day is like heaven to me in comparison to how i used to be. obviously the ocd isnt new, just a lot more heard in my brain now.", ">\n\nOk, I know some people self diagnoze themselves with [insert some mental illness here] out of attention or whatever, and that's totally not ok.\nHowever, if you read all the symptoms and do proper research on a mental illness and everything clicks in to you, I'd say you can be fairly confident on a self diagnosis (although, it might be worth it to double check with a professional, especially if you want any sort of treatment). But also for some people, it might not be affordable to go to a professional...", ">\n\nI live in Canada, I've engaged with the medical system, doctors don't care and just want you out, ERs are a 8 hour wait for someone to ignore one thing and won't even entertain other issues even if they are related. Self-diagnosis is really the only way to get any kind of proper treatment at all. \nThe doctors will rubber stamp just about anything you ask for except pain killers but in terms of diagnosis you're way better off doing it yourself, sure you don't have 8 years of medical school but the doctors won't give you 5 mins of their time, they are not better than google and you give a lot more of a shit than they will and at the end of the day it's your body.", ">\n\nBack in the 90s when I was a teenager, the kids/teenagers/young adults who wanted attention, and wanted to be different, adopted the goth lifestyle. Dressing up in all black. White foundation with black lipstick and eyeshadow. It was the trendy way to be different, to be viewed as outcasts of society. To not fit in. \nThe goth lifestyle of the 2020s is self diagnosis. Same shit, different day.\nWhenever someone claims autism, or somewhere on the spectrum, I just roll my eyes and imagine that person just sucks at life.", ">\n\nI just think it’s a little more harmful nowadays due to the prevalence of social media. Ppl get sucked into groups and mindsets before they even have a real life chance. Then they hyper fixate on that they might be mentally Ill rather then just trying to live life to the fullest", ">\n\nI 100% agree with you", ">\n\nBecause it's the age of spin this generation has something for everybody. And all of them are Google doctors. Lol", ">\n\nTook my uncle till he was 38 even thought it was apparent to everyone. Hell he got expelled from two schools", ">\n\nI get what you're saying. I frankly find it weird that more people don't find this weird. People self-diagnosing themselves as all kinds of things not only completely misrepresents the actual conditions, thereby making people even more confused as to what they actually are and how they present, but also leads people to run to a psychiatrist claiming false symptoms and getting medication for something they don't have, which is NOT a good thing. People should never be taking medication unless it is necessary. We are a heavily over-medicated society and this is a big factor in that. Caffeine to wake up in the morning, \"immuno-boosters\" and mood stabilizers during the day, sleeping pills to sleep at night. The caffeine and sleeping pills are addictive and can really mess up your circadian rhythm, and the mood stabilizers can really fuck you up if you don't need them. Instead of rushing to diagnose and medicate everyone, we need to educate them on human behavior and show them that their \"mental health\" problems are completely normal.\nOh, so you get nervous right before you make huge life decisions? That's not Anxiety Disorder, it's just anxiety.\nOh, you are really sad because your cat died? That's not Clinical Depression, you are just grieving.\nOh, you went from really happy to really sad when you were previously happy and something really shitty happened to you and soured your mood? That's not Bipolar Disorder, that's just life.\nOh, you like to be more organized than the people around you? That's not Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, you just like to be organized.\nPeople really misunderstand the nature of these conditions and it hinders our collective progress in treating them, like dramatically inflating the number of actual conditions in the population, making it increasingly more difficult to determine how common and how varied they are. After all, in most cases it is not the psychiatrist or psychologist who makes you better, you make you better. Medication can help and other people can show you the path to success, but the problem will never get solved unless you play an active role in the treatment. Some conditions can never be solved, only lessened, while others are virtually untreatable. We need to stop making these conditions seem cool. They aren't. They are serious and need to be taken seriously.", ">\n\nHeavily agree and I appreciate how well this comment is worded. Wish I coulda worded mine a little better", ">\n\nYa I saw you getting shredded in the comments and figured I'd sum it up for you. 🤣", ">\n\nLmao bro I didn’t expect this many. I was thinking maybe like 20 ppl would reply", ">\n\nYou need to self diagnose in many cases in order to get adequate help.", ">\n\nI knew when I had ADD and IBS, and I was able to get my suspicions confirmed by my respective doctors. Doctors are there to help the patients understand themselves, whereas the patients have to go home every day and live with what they actually have. Do not be so quick to judge.", ">\n\nJust to add here - Autism in women is less prevalent because it presents differently and is often not picked up by standardised diagnostic tests (that were developed on an almost exclusively male sample). I think that also goes to show that there’s p significant issues with what we consider ‘scientific’ and research based in the first place.", ">\n\nI grew up in a small town and we had quite a few autistic boys but only one autistic girl. Literally only one out of like 6-8 grades. So that’s like a 10-1 ratio. It’s gotta be a lot statistically smaller then males. I don’t doubt it happens I just know it’s a lot less", ">\n\nYou think your small town’s makeup is generalizable to all of society? That isn’t how statistics work.", ">\n\nSo my question would be - so what do we do?\nYou think people are diagnosing themselves to gain attention. Fine, but what's the next step?\nSee, I think I might be bipolar 2. But I went on a journey where I looked into the techniques for dealing with this issue. That led me to cognitive behavior therapy.\nThat actually made me more convinced that this was my issue because I have taught myself a lot of cognitive behavior therapy techniques to address the same issues. These practices have really helped me.\nIt sounds like your issue is that these people are getting attention for it. To me, these are people who need someone to help guide them. That would have helped me a lot when I was younger. Society today doesn't really give us the tools to sort this out, but just the knowledge that these things exist can push someone down the rabbit hole to learn about therapy that could really help.\nI think you should ask yourself what your motivations are. Do you really want them to understand themselves? Or are you more interested in steering the conversation toward other topics?\nPersonally, I would deal with these people by paying them forward. I would tell them to understand the practices that typically help these people, and see if they are relevant. I would tell them to seek professional help, and to refrain from diagnosing themselves, but I would encourage them to be critical of themselves and to learn more.\nImo, the way out is through.", ">\n\nI agree with you but it’s not mostly women. Maybe by happenstance that’s the case in your circle but broadly men do this too.", ">\n\nDoctor's are consulting the Mayo Clinic website after talking to a patient and getting their symptoms. I bring that up to say this; a doctor's training is needed for very serious diseases and tricky diagnoses, but a semi-intelligent person could look up their symptoms and get a lot of the more minor stuff right.", ">\n\nI've never been diagnosed as clinically depressed or anything, but that doesn't mean that I don't suffer from depression a lot of the time (these last few years, more often than not). I see a therapist. I take antidepressants. \nI have a friend who has aphantasia. It isn't really a \"diagnosable\" condition, but it describes what he has trouble with: creating images in his mind.", ">\n\nThat’s different then going online and claiming perfectly normal traits mean you’re autistic", ">\n\nNeurodivergence ≠ mental illness.", ">\n\nThey know themselves and their experiences better than you.", ">\n\nOP, I'm seeing some differences between your post and what you're saying in the comments. \nMy question is, do you have a problem with people self-diagnosing, or is your issue more about people drawing a lot of public attention to their diagnoses?", ">\n\nOverall both but definitely the attention part more so for obvious reasons. The self diagnosing part due to the fact that it can make people believe it can be an excuse for their actions good or bad. I think In a weird way it can allow people to take away the responsibility of their own actions and attribute to their mental illness", ">\n\nAs someone who has been diagnosed with ADHD, having people self diagnosing doesn't bother me at all, because I went the path of not knowing at all what I had and letting doctors figure out by themselves... and it took me 4 years and a half to finally have a concrete answer that no doctors would have found out if I didn't start searching on my own. You can't walk into every doctor's office with the assumption they'll figure out what you have, because it's not their speciality, or they still have an outdated view (not every doctor are kept up to date with new discovers), or they're biased, etc... \nI've never been annoyed by people who self diagnose. Hell, if I knew what was about to happen to me, I would have done the same way sooner.", ">\n\nMost women today arent faking it, they are noticing the symptoms no one else noticed and trying to find help. Its not easy to grow up with this kind of stuff. Is not coincidence you think women are less likely to be born to autism instead of thinking how weird it is that for some reason most autism diagnosis happen to men, that is the misogyny in the medical comunity.\nSelf diagnosis means this women will go to doctors and it most case scenarios they will get diagnoses because they have this issue all their life.\nSocial media is giving people awareness of the issue in medicine and how it affects women. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Misogyny in medicine also leads to people not knowing the difference between a heart attack in a woman and a man. It leads to women thinking its something else because internet and books will tell you how a man will feel a heart attack, even doctors sometimes dont know this.", ">\n\nGetting a diagnosis or treatment is borderline impossible for a lot of people. So self diagnosis is sometimes the only way they can help themselves.", ">\n\nNot a mental illness. But, I am a trans person and I pretty much self-diagnosed and self-medicated. I just had physicians do blood test.\nI educated myself on how everything works in about eight month period. I did that over a decade.\nI don’t regret my decision, and if I did. The regret would be not starting any sooner, especially when people who aren’t physicians or therapists are having a final say about these things.", ">\n\nIt is very noticeable and annoying, buuuut it’s proven autism manifest differently in females. Plus women are (very) often under diagnosed and dismissed for many many things by doctors, which is absolutely disgusting. Aaaand the cost of healthcare is outrageous.", ">\n\nwomen being less likely to be diagnosed with autism has nothing to do with an actual gender gap in who does and doesn’t have autism and everything to do with the fact autistic women are diagnosed with personality disorders and mental illnesses due to stigmas. most autism research was done on men and therefore women are underrepresented and more often than not misdiagnosed. autism actually occurs at a similar rate in both sexes. also, it’s not a mental illness, it’s a neurological condition (not that mental illnesses aren’t, but illness implies there’s something wrong, which there isn’t in autistic people). i agree that self diagnosing leads to misinformation and harms those who are clinically diagnosed though.", ">\n\nA lot of medical diagnoses are based on white male studies, so yes you would see more women finding out they have certain mental illnesses now as professionals are realizing it can show differently in females vs males. Adhd, for example, was considered something only seen in young boys that would grow out of it, now they are realizing that you don't in fact grow out of it and women can have it too. \nMental illness was a taboo subject back in the day as well, especially for women. It was only in 1980 I think that hysteria was no longer considered a mental illness. Women would be diagnosed with 'hysteria' and committed for symptoms like anxiety and anger. So now a lot of women are learning more about their mental health because they feel safe to do so. \nMy mother is in her early 70's and still refuses to tell anyone her own health issues or even mine, I have cancer and we were going to go on a trip as it's unknown how much longer I have and she refused to ask for the day off because she wouldn't tell them the reason why.", ">\n\nI detest self diagnosis, though once you’ve studied advanced level abnormal psychology shit happens. \nAs far as kids go, the generalized anxiety and depressive spectrum diagnoses can occasionally be accurate however that would warrant professional intervention regardless.\nOne serious issue among others; if an adolescent “decides” they have major depressive disorder that can become a self fulfilling prophecy and cause despair and reluctance to seek treatment", ">\n\nLook at the price and lack of availability of mental health care, and the total lack of privacy of internet connected devices. Most practitioners don’t offer in person visits anymore, and even if they do they probably do digital records or have their phone present. Ofc people are self diagnosing.", ">\n\nCounterpoint: many people do not have the means to access diagnoses for mental illnesses and other disorders, and it can sometimes be the only way to explain their feelings to others. Autism diagnoses in particular are extremely difficult to access for adults and even teens. I suspected I had autism for years and the only way I was able to get a diagnosis was through the mental health treatment program I was in during highschool which had a psychologist there. I only could attend because I live in Canada with universal healthcare. Many, many people are not as fortunate as me. Most people in the world cannot access diagnosis in the first place, including many in richer countries. \nYour comment about women statistically 'being born with autism on a far lesser scale than men' misses the well-known problem of underdiagnosis of autism in women. Autism presents itself differently in women than men (I can say as an autistic woman who knows other autistic women) and the criteria for autism were based on cis white men. Autism in women is is often misdiagnosed as CPTSD (which many autistic people ALSO unfortunately have), borderline personality disorder, anxiety, depression, etc. \nAlthough self-diagnosis is often problematic and used by teenagers to feel special, for the people who take it seriously and are intellectually honest there currently isn't really a better alternative for them to try and explain their experiences when they cannot access diagnoses.", ">\n\nWhat you are describing is NOT a new phenomenon. I was born in 1975 and have been observing this phenomenon my entire life. Nothing new about it at all.", ">\n\nSelf diagnosis is often the first step in going to go and get an actual diagnosis. Getting diagnosed with a mental disorder, especially as an adult, is basically impossible if you aren't actively seeking it out. For several reasons, one of which is that pretty much all the diagnostic criteria are written about children. \nI'm properly diagnosed and even on disability for mental disorders and I knew what I had for years before I got diagnosed. \nI understand there's a feeling of \"stolen valour\" to it. And there is indeed a subset of people doing it for attention or because it's fashionable, OCD in particular being a common example, but the good that comes from self diagnosis more than outweighs the bad.", ">\n\nCorrect me if I’m wrong, but don’t all, or at least most mental disorders lie on a spectrum?", ">\n\nI was diagnosed ADD/ ADHD as a child an im getting re-evaluated next month because i think the diagnosis must be bullshit.\nI have a close friend that wasn't diagnosed ADD/ADHD until they were 22 and in an Ivy league vet program\nThe amount of people that say they cant do well in school simply because they have add/ adhd is bullshit if u ask me. Also, people justify abusing adderal because theyre ADHD and i think thats BS too. I decided never to take it and just abuse caffeine instead to avoid the health side effects" ]

[ "The diagnosis process for a lot of psychiatric conditions are surveys and questionaires. You can go to a psychiatrist and ask if you're anxious and they'll give you multiple choice questions and diagnose off of that. Or you can just google the form yourself and self diagnose. A lot of psychiatric disorders are about how we feel and think. Not about sending off some blood sample to a lab and getting a positive result come back.\n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. For such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nWhat you're describing are all neuroses that could indicate some deeper psychiatric condition. Whether a person has a mental health condition or not, thinking of ourselves as weak victims is never helpful in any context, yet it's something we all feel from time to time.\nI'm a disability support worker, so when someone tells me they've got a self diagnosed condition, it's not offensive to me or any disabled person I know, it doesn't come across like they're invalidating anyone else's condition. However I do think everyone should talk to a doctor about any condition they feel they might have.", ">\n\nPiggybacking off of this: You’ve spent your whole entire life inside your own brain. A therapist will spend a period of hours with you and give you a diagnosis. Who do you think knows your personal reality better than yourself?", ">\n\nYeah exactly, especially with conditions such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, PTSD, and many other psychiatric conditions. These are things people know they have even before they get a diagnosis. The diagnosis stage is more about treatment and management.\nPeople might be unaware of how severe or mild their condition is, some people think they have only mild PTSD despite constant nightmares and suicidal ideation. Some people will think they have severe ADHD because they can't concentrate for long times on things that don't interest them. It's good to get some perspective from experts but ultimately people know when they are struggling to focus or to struggling to stop stressing all the time or struggling to not be miserable. Struggling with our thoughts and feelings is evidence enough to self diagnose.", ">\n\nI was recently diagnosed with ADHD as a woman so I find this viewpoint interesting.\nFirstly, autism is not a mental illness. An autistic person may have mental illness in conjunction with autism, but autism alone lies under the neurodivergent umbrella. Neurodivergency can include autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and other similar conditions.\nWhy women are often underdiagnosed\nThese are serious disabilities that can really impede a person's life, especially if they struggle to find help and acceptance in their community. A lot of women start their journey towards diagnosis later in life due to a number of factors such as:\n\nPoor diagnostic tools and inexperienced professionals\nA misunderstanding that autism and ADHD are more common in boys\nAdvanced masking techniques to cover their 'traits'\n\nWhy women are often diagnosed later in life.\nThe process for many women and men who are diagnosed later in life often includes a level of burnout or breakdown. After a while everything becomes too much, the mask begins to slip and your traits go into overdrive.\nWhy does self-diagnosing seem to be on the rise?\nA common way of finding out you could possibly be neurodivergent is through media and people who are aware of these traits appear.\nIn the past few years, I have seen an increasing awareness of neurodivergence in women pop up in the media. This is useful for people like myself who had no idea wtf was wrong with them for a very long time. For me, a GP actually suggested I seek a diagnosis due to some struggles I was going through.\nAs someone who went through this process self-diagnosing is commonly the first step as an adult. You might be directed to a questionnaire and are asked to evaluate yourself and your experiences thinking back to your childhood. If there's some merit in your experiences than you move to the next step which involves seeking a professional. Waitlists are often months to years long so many people live in limbo for a long time.\nMethods of living with ADHD can help everyone. And everyone experiences ADHD traits from time to time. Given a large amount of stress we have all suffered collectively, I don't doubt there are a lot of people with increased mental health issues that mirror neurodivergent traits. Some mental illnesses can get very severe and alter your brain chemistry and behaviour.\nMy takeaway from this is that the mental health systems set up to assist these people are a much larger issue and cause for serious concern than self-diagnosing.\nApologies for the spelling and grammar errors. Grammarly and Reddit don't play nice.", ">\n\nI think it's two things. One, people have identity crises, especially teenagers. We all know that type of person who tries on identities like hats. That's pretty embarrassing. You usually grow out of that.\nTwo, from personal experience, giving yourself a label or a diagnosis makes it feel more contained and easy to communicate. It's easier to tell someone that you have X and have them understand what you're going through rather than telling them you have these vague symptoms resembling what you imagine X is like. In that respect, it is pretty understandable, possibly good, and not embarrassing. There's something that is sort of reassuring if you can finally get a word to put on what you're experiencing.\nPeople often sympathize with the diagnosis but not with the symptoms. Tell people at work you're autistic and they will sympathize with you and possibly not attack you. Tell them you do not understand social cues and they will probably just make fun of you.", ">\n\nI understand the desire to put a label with a disease, and this is not necessarily bad, but the diagnosis needs to be correct. If you want to tell others that you are autistic or depressed; you must actually be those things. A person can almost never correctly assertion their disease, only their symptoms. People might better understand you if you say your autistic, but you may incorrectly understand and describe yourself. If one wishes to put a name with symptoms, they should find a doctor to pick the label", ">\n\nfor sure but unfortunately our medical system is a joke and even if you are experiencing very severe symptoms it can be nearly impossible to see a professional or take months on a waiting list.\nEven then a professional may be reluctant to slap a label on you for fear of what the consequences of that might be. I saw someone for a very long time who resisted any sort of actual diagnosis because the truth is that what I was experiencing didn't fit neatly into any of the boxes and pretty much belonged in this vague \"other\" category which isn't particularly helpful. Not to mention that misdiagnosis happens all the time even by professionals. \nI just think it is sort of understandable because I think a lot of stuff is kind of a spectrum anyway and just different levels of severity. Things can be really confusing and hard to nail down and thus communicate in a way that causes someone else to be understanding rather than judgemental.", ">\n\nAre you under the impression this is a new phenomenon? Because it's definitely not.\nPeople - especially young people! - crave identity. The world is a confusing place, knowing who you are makes it a little easier. Sometimes it's self-diagnosing mental illness or learning disabilities, or exploring sexual identity, or cliques, or subcultures. There's nothing embarrassing about it, it just is what it is.", ">\n\nIt’s ok to want to express individuality but not to the extent of totally destroying the definition of a real thing and making it hard for actual mentally Ill ppl to get a diagnosis. Why can’t people just accept that they’re different rather then giving themselves a label?", ">\n\npeople on TikTok claiming to have disorders that they don't doesn't affect the precision of psychiatrists diagnosing actual patients. There's no TikTok-said section in the DSM. Why do you think that it does?", ">\n\nIt just encourages more people to get diagnosed possibly skewing the meaning of the mental illness", ">\n\nSkewing it towards statistical accuracy? If people are actually diagnosed at higher rates, we have a better Guage of population-level mental illness, neurodivergency, etc. Better data is more usable, so that research actually means something actionable, ASIDE from the identity boost for young people.", ">\n\nI think what OP is driving at, but utterly failing to explain, is that they think that the fakers will be accommodated by the psychiatric system and diagnosed on the basis of fake symptoms. my sense is that isn't a problem but I don't have data.", ">\n\nDefinitely explained it a little better then I could lol", ">\n\nWhere do you see evidence of that? Any articles about fakers? How about a statistic? If not, it’s just a fear you seem to have.", ">\n\nI think the salient line here is this one:\n\nNeurologists were able to quickly determine that the subjects were not \nsuffering from Tourette's, but psychogenic tics driven by anxiety.", ">\n\nWomen are not born with less autism, but are much less likely to be diagnosed as children than boys. This is partly because boys generally have similar symptoms and behaviors. \nSo of course more women are self diagnosing autism, since their diagnoses were missed as children on a much higher rate.", ">\n\nAlright, I'm diagnosed OCD, PTSD, chronic depression. Diagnosed by a professional so I think I have some grounds to talk about this.\nFirst, let's tackle your women comment about autism. You see, I understand where you're coming from, but you lack the nuance of recognizing that mental illness, and illness in general, is heavily under-diagnosed in women. The medical culture is heavily favored towards men and is rampant with mysogyny, and that's not just me saying it as I've had medical professionals blatantly tell me it's a problem in the field when questioned about it. I've also had some tell me that it's just because women whine a lot, so yanno make of that statement what you will.\nNow that we've covered that let me address the self-diagnosing issue. So, do you want to know what my therapist thinks of self-diagnosing? Well, when I asked them about it they said that self-diagnosing is an important first step to seeking help. Psychiatrist said the same thing. It's normal, expected even, for people to self-diagnose their issues then seek help for them. You can't exactly just peer into someone's brain, no, that person has to tell you what they think is wrong and why they think it is. \nWhat you actually have a problem with is not self-diagnosis, but with people not seeking or not being able to get medical assistance and assuming they're right. You have a problem with people using these issues for attention, which I do too, but once again self-diagnosing is not the problem. Finally, you have a problem with the medical system that forces people into the position of trying to figure out their mental illnesses, but having no ability to get help for them.", ">\n\nI think I did it", ">\n\nSadly no lol, it was not done properly. Do you need a link to the rules?", ">\n\nI already read them i think I’ll figure it out in a bit sorry for the hold up", ">\n\nBecause everyone else is being aggressive: you have to comment with ∆ or !delta and then explain how your view has been changed", ">\n\nThis delta has been rejected. You can't award OP a delta.\nAllowing this would wrongly suggest that you can post here with the aim of convincing others.\nIf you were explaining when/how to award a delta, please use a reddit quote for the symbol next time.\n^Delta System Explained ^| ^Deltaboards", ">\n\nWhat gives you the authority or knowledge to know this is the problem?", ">\n\nYou don’t think it’s a problem that a lot of young ppl are willing to go to the extent of saying they are mentally Ill either for attention or to excuse their weirdness? Just accept that your different. It’s not wrong to believe you’re different without a label", ">\n\nYou did not even try to answer my question.", ">\n\nI’m sorry I was confused on what you meant", ">\n\nIf you are mad at people for self diagnosing themselves because they don't have the knowledge or authority to do so.... what gives you the knowledge or authority to diagnosis this as the problem behavior... basically are you just a kid that is annoyed, or is there some actual studies out there that is claiming this is a problem.", ">\n\nIf you don’t think that people consistently seeking attention for mental illness or craving a label so badly to justify themselves rather then being themselves. That just shows what your views are", ">\n\nDont you think we should leave the diagnosing to the professionals?", ">\n\nI mean yeah", ">\n\nWould you agree that you are diagnosing these people by saying that they are only seeking attention and do not have a real mental illness?", ">\n\nI’m assuming", ">\n\nThere may be some truth to people wanting to be different, however with mental illnesses being more accepted in today's society, many people are a lot more comfortable with being neurodivergent. Additionally, self diagnosis is common because the alternative is spending upwards to $1000-$2000 for a clinical diagnosis.", ">\n\nI know costs suck, but self diagnosis can be much more harmful. A web.md page that tells you your depressed when you may actually be bipolar can lead to really messed up results. I would even go as far as to say that no diagnosis at all is preferable to an uninformed one", ">\n\nWell.\n​\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad \n\nSo you already know why they're doing what they're doing in addition the fact that you know that they're not Autistic? If your claim is that they can't know and only a doctor can, what makes you more qualified? You start out your argument admitting that you have a bias.\n\nthey’re “neurodivergent.\n\nNeurodivergent is an umbrella that covers both Autism and ADHD, which sometimes get mistaken for each other. So if you're upset that they're self-diagnosing, this term should be more welcome than \"Autistic\" because it's more generalized.\n\nnd when you ask them how they know they’ll say “oh I have this weird tick when I uh laugh when someone says something funny “ or “I have a hyper fixation on this topic so I must be autistic\n\nHow else should they communicate it to you? The list of aspects of Autism, especially for how it presents in women, sounds a lot like this. You're not a doctor, they don't have to prove anything to you by going down the entire list of every possible part of their daily experience that might be on the spectrum.\n\nWomen statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nNope. Women are diagnosed less often than men because the original diagnostic criteria for Autism was for Autism as it presents in males. It presents differently for females and is harder to diagnose, especially at younger ages. \n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized\n\nTodays youth want to be victimized? Why would anyone want to be victimized? Something tells me you're missing the mark with this terminology.\n\nor have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. \n\nSo if someone is Autistic and that makes them weird, you'd rather them just be forced to not get to have a name for it, and get the therapeutic treatment that would help them?\n\nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really [are] without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nSome people are autistic. If they find out and it makes them feel good, that doesn't mean they're craving attention. And if they are craving attention, it's because they're normal people and everyone does. \nIf someone thinks they're autistic but it turns out they're actually not, chances are they suspected it for a reason. They might have ADHD, a personality disorder, a mental health issue, or simply a slightly different way of experiencing the world that feels unique to them and there's nothing wrong with that. \nYou seem to think that other people do things for you. People generally don't. They do things for themselves. This is especially true of people on the Autism Spectrum who may not be able to easily use other people's experiences to reference when constructing their view of the world, and can only use their own. Your interpretation wherein they do it to evoke a response from you says more about you than it does about them.", ">\n\nYou’re being deliberately obtuse. OP is completely correct. Most of the people these days who say “I’m ADHD” or “I’m autistic” or “I’m neurodivergent” are absolutely not diagnosed as such and are doing it to seem unique or get attention or as some excuse for why they did x y or z.", ">\n\nI'd like to point out that while some are perhaps attention seeking, many people self diagnose simply because they don't have access to free medical/psychological professionals to get proper diagnosis and help with their issues. I also know someone who doesn't want to get an official diagnosis because he's afrad it will affect his insurance rates or somehow come back to bite him if he's offically labeled with having a neurological disorder. \nThere is a wealth of knowledge on these subjects available online for those interested. And if they are truly interested in self diagnose they can likely do that accurately enough for all intents and purposes. Most of these people who search for the sake of better understanding themselves or their loved ones will openly admit that it's a self diagnoses, or say they THINK they have x,y, or z. But in some situations it's just as well to say they have it if they feel certain anyway, and it's just a passing comment, and not a discussion on the matter. \nIn other words, just because they self diagnose doesn't mean they're wrong, nor does it explain their motives. I also don't see how attention seeking (for those who ARE doing that) is really hurting anyone else. Fakers gonna be fake, that's more a \"them\" kind of problem. ANNOYING, but mostly harmless.", ">\n\nUnless you have a doctor's diagnosis you don't have the disorder. Even if you are broke there are programs to help with costs. \nAnd yes it does affect me when someone is treating me like shit and tries using the I have such and such as an excuse and then people get mad at ME for calling them in their bullshit.", ">\n\nNo. You have to have the disorder before you CAN be diagnosed, so obviously there are undiagnosed people who in fact \"have the disorder \". Your refusal to acknowledge an undiagnosed disorder does not mean they don't have it. Your personal experience with people supposedly using a fake diagnosis to treat you badly, sounds unusual. How do you know they DIDN'T have it? People who do lie and just want to be jerks will do that regardless of what methods they decide to try. The methods are irrelevant. And that motive is not typical of most self diagnosers .", ">\n\nSounds unusual? You must not get out a lot because it's become a pretty regular thing. Every single person I know (about 8) that have self diagnosed themselves as neurodivergent or with a mental illness like Bi-polar all use it to excuse their shitty ass behaviors. \nToo many disorders can mirror other ones. Just because they think they have 2/3 symptoms doesn't make them right by a long shot. Keep living in your bubble.", ">\n\nYou don't have to have a relationship with anyone. If they treat you badly, regardless of an official diagnosis or not, you don't have to tolerate them. It makes no difference what they have or don't have. What would it change if they got diagnosed and actually have it?", ">\n\nSelf diagnosing has been a thing forever\nAnd it's not a problem im 99% sure me or any other autistic person doesn't really give 2 fucks about people who wanna fake disorders. It doesn't stop us from getting help, we have doctors notes, medical files, sometimes even volunteers, you need those files to get into let's say a special education class, or a life skills course.\nSo unless you were diagnosed by a professional you're probably not gonna make it far faking it.\n(Excuse my shitty punctuation)", ">\n\nIt doesn’t bother you that they’re making others take the actual meaning away from what you were born with? I mean I’m sure autism hasn’t made your life easy and seeing ppl claim it for attention to be quirky probably has to annoy you a little right?", ">\n\nAt the end of the day I still have ADHD and I still need help with it. More people being diagnosed with it doesn’t change that fact. In fact I was diagnosed because I realized I related to so many tiktok memes, and I’m sure others are in my same boat. \nIn fact I think so many people talking about ADHD helps. It means more people who possibly have tips for me, people who are suffering who can’t afford treatment have an easy way to learn about how to improve their lives, and more people who are aware of my disorder.", ">\n\nI think people do diagnose themselves too often without seeking professional help. BUT mental illness is not the same as being neurodivergent.", ">\n\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad that they’ll go as far to say they’re “neurodivergent.”\n\nWhile this is the case, I don't really see how it's a \"problem\" per se. I guarantee that these people still make lifestyle decisions based on what they think is best, or based on what they want to do.\n\nbut it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women\n\nDo you have any statistics for that? I haven't experienced it that way in my own anecdotal experience, and I'd be curious to look into the data to see how much that truly does skew in that direction.\n\nwanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness \nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nI understand what you're trying to say here, but I don't really think these things are connected as much as you think they are. People see something wrong with themselves, so they either playfully or seriously consider the fact that it could be a condition that they have similar symptoms to. Not that it never happens, but just because someone categorizes themselves into a disability group that could potentially excuse their \"quirks\", doesn't mean they think that behavior is unacceptable in any way. People see a problem, and assume it's linked to this other issue that seems similar that they already know about.", ">\n\nI agree with the conclusion that self-diagnosis is a real issue, and I wouldn't be surprised if the data indicated it was on the rise. I wouldn't necessarily frame it as a simple desire to \"be victimized\" however. While it is purely speculation, I do believe there are a number of conditions which might lead towards a more frequent experience of symptoms associated with mental illness - a rising wealth gap, perpetual anxiety from a 24-hour news cycle, intensification of self-commodification, the student debt crisis in certain countries like the US, and so on. So people are experiencing symptoms like low energy, mood swings, etc. that can be associated with mental illness. The issue with self-diagnosis then becomes that it may correctly identify the symptom, but incorrectly identify the cause.\nThis video from the YouTuber HealthyGamerGG does a good job of explaining what some of the issues with self-diagnosis are, and for me it was a good starting place for thinking about this more. \nEDIT: I forgot this video literally starts with this same topic being brought up on this same subreddit lol", ">\n\nA great theory based on reasonable causes with an educational video from a psychologist(I assume) as evidence to back it up. I applaud you sir. 👏", ">\n\nWhy are you embarrassed by other people's issues?", ">\n\nI’m a 30yo male. If I had not first self diagnosed with ASD and OCD, I never would have found the language and resources to get a formal diagnosis and help.\nPrior generations have been so fixated on avoidance of diagnosing mental disorders, and research was previously so lacking that we are only just now (through those that do get diagnosed) realizing how common mental disorders are. That plus the lack of mental health resources for neurotypical and neurodivergent I think is how we end up in this situation of many recognizing their symptoms in the new discourse, but lacking the resources to overcome the barriers to proper diagnosis and treatment.", ">\n\nIt’s not the best thing, no. \nAs an adult FINALLY diagnosed (by a licensed therapist) at 41, I can tell you why ‘self diagnosis’ is so tempting. \nIn the US at least- mental health, and official medical diagnosis are almost completely inaccessible, especially as an adult. Most of us grew up before Autism was a spectrum, and ADHD was just boys who acted out in class. We felt like aliens. We couldn’t understand why we didn’t have many friends, or why we didn’t like the ‘right things’, and generally spend the bill of our lives feeling ‘wrong’, ‘broken’ or just simply like we didn’t belong. \nFinally understanding the WHY, and even better, finding tools to addresses our issues is a huge huge weight off the chest. The relief of having a name and a strategy- either therapy or medicine is such an amazing relief!!", ">\n\nI only kinda agree if I had not done my own research I would have never found out I have sjorgens syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis I know TikTok people tend to diagnose themselves and it makes it look cringe but when you live with a incurable illness sometimes you have to work to find a diagnosis", ">\n\nWell, what do you do of you absolutely know you're neurodivergent, but your parents decided not to get you checked? My mom once told me \"we knew you had something, we just didn't get you checked because they would have just put you on pills\". So I struggled with being different, socially unaware, impulsive, obnoxious, agressive, selfish, for the better part of my life without having the self awareness to understand why I was these things, and why people wouldn't want to be around me. \nIn my late 20''s I asked the question, what if I'm actually autistic? I looked up the symptoms, and 9/10 matched. As a child I couldn't handle loud noises, restrictive clothing, I didn't talk until I was 3. I would throw fits for seemingly no reason, I had obsessive interests. I've always really struggled with eye contact, and I never cared for conversation unless it was something I liked. I mean, when the final piece of a puzzle fits so incredibly well, it's really hard for it to be wrong. \nSelf diagnosing actually really helped me grow as aj individual. I became aware of all my divergent behaviors, and why it might be annoying for someone else to deal with. I came to the realization that I was the one who was different, therefore I needed to change. It's way harder to make everyone around you cater to your needs than to overcome the things that upset you. I'm at peace, I have good friends that I can connect with on a pretty deep level. I no longer smash coffee tables when I lose, I can now appreciate that if I lose it just means I have more to learn. I can keep my house clean, I can reasonably hold myself accountable. What exactly is the harm in all that?\nBesides, it would be pretty pointless for me to try and get a diagnosis now, I've put the effort in and largely come out the other side. Anyone diagnosing me would just say I was normal, but they wouldn't have the intimate knowledge of me that I do. I guess it doesn't matter if people don't believe me, I don't go around shouting that I'm autistic. I will say, it would be really nice if people appreciated the effort I put in to get to get to a place of normalcy, something others take for granted, but it's okay, we all have our struggles.", ">\n\nI feel you on all that. To play devil's advocate, mental healthcare in the U.S. is not cheap. Many people go to the internet and confirm their bias about their current health", ">\n\nI feel you on that too OP. I agree 100% with your entire statement.", ">\n\nIt's a problem, but not a new one. In the 1990s there was briefly a surge of people with a type of delusional parasitosis, that is, the false belief that they were infested with parasites. Except this one was supposedly an infestation with tiny fibres. They would come to doctors with a whole list of symptoms to back up their incorrect self-diagnosis.\nTo a certain extent, these are social contagions, which come and go, and often actually end up leading to people having real problems. Like, the young women you mention, a couple of decades ago may well have ended up with anorexia, or self-cutting. These days it might be a self-declaration of autism or a belief that they have gender dysphoria or that they have multiple systems living in their minds.", ">\n\nWow I did not know that. Maybe it’s just so prevalent today due to social media. Social media has only made these things worse imo", ">\n\nEven before it being self diagnosis of a mental illness it was always something. Remember all the emo and goth teenager?", ">\n\nIt depends on the context. For example, if they've done a substantial amount of research, can name a good amount of symptoms they have and reasons they have whatever mental illness and don't have access to the necessary tools to get a medical diagnosis, it's totally different. Some people don't have the money to go out and get a diagnosis, or sometimes it would be better to not get a medical diagnosis. I believe that the reason that a lot of people self diagnose themselves with things like Autism is because they want an explanation as to why they are different, and they could be right or wrong. I think the most important part is that if you go to a psychologist (or even two, I know a lot of people prefer getting second opinions) and they say you don't have it, that you need to admit you were wrong. It's ok to be wrong about your mental health, and the key is to keep looking and to not give up. I can completely understand the frustration in people completely missing how difficult it actually may be to have a mental illness. I was clinically diagnosed with Depression, Anxiety, and PTSD when I was seven, and I've had some experience with people faking mental disorders for attention, and more often then not, they have another mental disorder that needs attention. Recently I had a (now ex) boyfriend insist he had PTSD after being tested twice and the psychiatrist saying that he didn't have it. What he does have is Depression and Anxiety, but he absolutely insisted he has PTSD despite never exhibiting symptoms and the only evidence being a test he took online that was supposedly a \"real PTSD test.\" People faking mental illnesses only harms people who really have them, as these people tend to exaggerate symptoms and use their self diagnosis for attention. I believe that I am autistic, but I don't list it as a diagnosis because while I have read articles and taken the RAADS-r test, I don't have an official diagnosis, and I could very well be wrong. As for women faking illnesses more often, something I've noticed is that things like Autism, ADHD, ADD, etc are more often diagnosed in boys rather than girls- mostly because when they were first discovered, most of the research was done in boys. Autism shows up differently in girls, and can often be blown off as early puberty hormones. If their hyperfixations are those of stereotypical feminine things, it's just a girl liking whatever, and if they hyperfixate in stereotypical masculine interests, they tend to just be viewed as weird, but not autistic. It's normal for people to question, but I agree that to a certain point, self diagnosis can be harmful, but only if not done correctly.", ">\n\nFirst and foremost not a new problem at all, very common, we used to call it \"Being a hypochondriac\" until it aparrently became reconized which in it self is confusing and a bit contradictory.\nANYWAY\nIt isnt really a problem, no doctor is gonna write the perscription for medication without a diagnosis of some sort.\nAt most there is the vauge \"But what about those who actually have it who arent taken serious\" dont worry, we wouldnt have anyway. Thats kinda how invisible illnesses work.\nOverall the 101 hypochondriacs screaming about the symptoms they read in the ICD might help make the knowledge more common and help people better reconize if their colleagues or friends happen to show symptoms of something.", ">\n\nIt’s pretty expensive in the US to get diagnosed. Personally, I’ve self diagnosed myself out of frustration of the way I process things. I’ve always felt slow & my anxiety/depression was deep because of it, but I was raised in a family that doesn’t believe in mental illness. It was always “if you work hard enough, all your problems will go away”. Meanwhile, i was racking my brain on how to make myself think faster/smarter & it would result in psychotic episodes. I’ve gotten fired from jobs, dropped out of school. I started self harming because I hated myself and my brain & almost commit suicide bc I had no idea what was going on.\nThe relief I felt once I finally got a therapist who validated me & was the first to talk to me about mental Illness. It blew my mind and all of a sudden things actually made sense to me. I currently think I have ADD, and sometimes I’ll tell people that but will preface it by saying I’m not professionally diagnosed. Still, I use mental tools that help me get through the day and build my confidence. I’m a lot better at processing conversations, making lists that help me remember things, unmasking, slowing down my thoughts… etc. I’m less frustrated and can see the beauty in how I process things. I still want to get diagnosed but I have to get health insurance….. lol", ">\n\nSelf diagnosis, regardless of being factual is a process where the individual realizes that they might have a mental health issue. People who can do this are more likely to seek professional help compared to the people who think they are “fine”. Going to a professional, licensed psychologist or a psychiatrist will eventually diagnose them with the correct disorder from there, and professionals have the skills to communicate with them and they can together evaluate if the person’s complaint is the issue or not. There is nothing embarrassing about discovering one’s self. It would be a problem if people would identify with an issue and don’t have any willingness to seek help. Sometimes overreacting is better than not reacting.", ">\n\nThe majority of people who are self-diagnosed with autism have done extensive research into it to come to that conclusion. I personally went through the DSM criteria with a fine-tooth comb, made a list of all the ways I met it and discovered that there’s not a single criteria i don’t meet for autism. I didn’t read about anything else but autism for weeks, approaching it from all angles before coming to the conclusion that it’s highly unlikely I am not autistic. I’m waiting to hear back about an assessment, but I’m not waiting to go and be told something I already know before I start advocating for myself. \nOh, and I absolutely did not want to be ‘different’, in fact my life mission to just blend in and be average is the root cause of most of my problems, but here we are.", ">\n\nThis self diagnosing young people do isn’t the problem. The problem is that our society encourages it.\nOur culture is not set up to accommodate a wide spectrum of human needs. You may need things that I don’t. I may need things that you don’t. But in most business settings, academic settings, or even places like restaurants or leisure places, the world isn’t built to accommodate everyone. Our world and society is a “one size fits all” approach, and most people don’t fit snugly inside of that system. \nIf you can classify what is “wrong” or “different” about you into an easily digestible form, people are generally more able and more willing to accommodate you.\nFor example: if I tell my coworkers that I need to leave work early because of a headache, I’ll be shamed for it. And in some cases I’ll be told that “headaches aren’t that bad!” Or “You don’t need to leave.” Or “I have a headache too, just deal with it!”\nBut if I tell my workers that I need to leave due to a painful neurological condition that’s flaring up (I have chronic migraine, which is a neurological condition), they will respect it 100% of the time. It’s met with sympathy and not criticism.\nThis happens for all sorts of things. “Sorry Im late, I slept in.” Sounds a lot worse then, “sorry I’m late, my insomnia has been terrible lately.” \nOur culture forces us to use these labels even when they’re untrue just to receive sympathy or acceptance. The problem isn’t people who decide to use these labels, the root problem is that our society refuses to embrace and accommodate people who are outside of the “norm.”", ">\n\nSpeaking as someone who's had an autism diagnosis since age 7: if someone declares they're autistic when they're not, that's obnoxious at worst. If someone is told they're not autistic when they are, that can cause lifelong harm from denied care and understanding. I have seen this happen to a close friend of mine.\nTherefore, I'd much rather err on the side of acceptance. If you think you're defending me and others like me from impersonators, we'd rather not have your help.\n\nI know people will disagree but it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women. Women statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nCase in point: women are diagnosed with autism far less than men. Recent studies have pointed to decades of systematic misdiagnosis. The more visible autistic symptoms sometimes manifest differently in girls, the way they're socialized may help them hide it from a young age, and of course lots of doctors just say \"your daughter can't be autistic, that's a boy thing.\"\nWe're learning that there are hundreds of thousands of autistic women who slipped through the cracks and were denied the recognition and support they needed because of dismissive, gatekeeping attitudes just like yours.", ">\n\nThere’s a difference between having a disorder and relating to a disorder. If the tools or language associated with a disorder helps someone live better though then cool, it’s all still odd. Also autism presents differently in woman, and a majority of our research on it is on men. Best practice is probably to support them and encourage them to seek treatment.", ">\n\nAutism is severely misdiagnosed in women. Completely under diagnosed. Actually, plenty of things are. The actual problem that we have is parents refusing to let their children get professional help or a diagnosis. Most doctors will diagnose you with BPD as a woman(aka the new female hysteria of our century), maybe put you on some anti psychotics and send you your way. In most countries, a diagnosis/specialist is not readily available, or there is a long waiting list. Even so, the doctors are not know it all. I have seen plenty of doctors, I got different diagnosis almost each time. They ask you some general questions (about your mood, the way you sleep, if you can concentrate, if you harm yourself, if you have suicidal ideation, if you can socialize properly, if your parents were diagnosed with anything, if you have hallucinations or delusions, the works) and then based on that, they will give you a diagnosis. If you use your common sense and information on the internet (given you are knowledgeable on the subject), you can take a good guess on what's wrong. Obviously, some people will exaggerate like with anything (seeing the shadow dude once in your childhood is not a sign of psychosis, neither is hearing your name called when you are alone once in a blue moon), but if you have visual and auditory hallucinations, perhaps weird tactile feelings/hallucinations (spiders are crawling on me, etc), delusions, tend to be forgetful and out of teach with reality, there is a good chance you do have psychosis.", ">\n\nOkay, to start: what do you think autism and ADHD are? They aren't mental illnesses nor are they mental health conditions. \nTo address some of your other points; \nStudies have shown that autism has a gender expression of 1:1. The only reason that women are under diagnosed is because of misunderstandings towards autism, then the diagnosis is conducted incorrectly. Thus it ends up getting conflated with mental illness, E.G BPD, and is diagnosed as a psychiatric disorder instead. This is a detriment to the patient as the care regimes are black and white different. Often times this severely damages the woman.\nFrom data sets that I recall reading, malingering hasn't risen much, if at all, in recent times. I remember it being around 8% of the global population who are engaging in this behaviour, to different extents. I think what's happened is that social media has turned a torch onto it and it's risen in popularity in an algorithmic way. You see it more because it's pushed by the algorithm more because people are searching for it more. It isn't actually occurring any more or less than historically. Most of that attention is negative attention, I should add. \nSo there's two things to take away from that.\n1) The actual act of pretending to be mentally ill, or to have a disability, which is called malingering, is in fact a form of mental unwellness itself. It's a cry for help. The people who do these things are usually very unstable and should be treated with a degree of empathy. The dangerous types who are using mental illness to scam others, or to manipulate them, make up a very small percentage of the overall amount of people in that group and tend to abuse one on one. \n2) The predominant response to this is generally negative. There isn't really any reason to publicly malinger unless you're unstable, this is because a rational person would likely know this, and know the damage it would cause themselves. Self-diagnosis is a very long, and self-aware, process that takes place over years of the individuals life, and proceeds official diagnosis. \nNo one SDs and says \"Okay that's it now! Let me start a TikTok!\" You'd still want support, and you'd still seek support. So that would end up with a doctor, who would see that you're lying, and treat you for whatever was prompting you to malinger. Anyone who has made this commitment knows that keeping it private is a sensible thing to do in a world that isn't inclusive, and often very stigmatising. Sometimes official diagnosis can take YEARS. \nThis kind of propaganda has been going around for a long time in an effort to discredit disabled people and people with mental illnesses. It's not new. People said the same things back in the 90s. People will always be afraid, and dismissive, of things they do not understand. I invite you to try and understand.", ">\n\nI self-diagnosed myself with endometriosis for 10 years before a doctor finally listened to me, opened me up, and found my insides littered with lesions all over my organs. I’m now not able to get pregnant and I might need to get part of my bowel taken out someday. This could’ve been avoided if someone had just listened to me when I was 16. \nSelf-diagnosing is a necessity in a misogynist world! No one takes us seriously! Especially medical professionals. \nThe best antidote for this is to listen to women who self-diagnose. Why do they think they have XYZ? Is it heavily interfering with their life? I think that’s a much larger problem.", ">\n\nIts been proven that there is a bias to diagnose as opposed to not diagnose a mental illness in psychology. So op is actually kinda correct. The definition of a mental illness is in effect being stretched so far that people who are just kinda weird are being diagnosed with \"on the spectrum\". This is actually causing a problem in early learning because parents start treating their kids as essentially learning challenged when they're really not. So it is starting to become an excuse ...", ">\n\nWe live in a society that loves to medicate people. I know it’s different but Did ppl forget about the opioid epidemic? They’ll diagnose your ass with anything if they can", ">\n\nYa I tend to agree. And no one is really saying so I will I guess, but id wager that 50% of psychologist \"professionals\" are totally full of shit. The actual number of psychologists that are are doing real research and clinical studies is EXTREMELY small compared to how many \"psychologists\" are out there. Just like chiropractors, half of them are hacks..", ">\n\nAnd ill say one more thing, though it is anecdotal, but i have direct family that works in special education for young children, and that system is fucked with a capital F. Thay are constantly fighting against parents and programs who try to box kids in the \"autistic\" zone, when they are just really quite or shy, or have pee problems. But parents want an excuse and reason for their behavior, and reduce them to a sub standard education and treatment for the rest of their lives. It's heart breaking. Especially in public schools.", ">\n\nI’m 32 years old. \nI didn’t self diagnose for attention although I remember the days of tumblr where everyone self diagnosed for clout.\nIt took me a decade to realize what is really happening. During the decade before I realized what may have been happening I was told the following:\nI’m rude\nI’m bossy\nI have a RBF/I look mad\nI also only managed to make my first real friend at age 27.\nWhat I was really displaying was:\nBeing overly blunt and just trying to get my point across came off rude when I didn’t intend it to be that way\nTrying to have things done at a certain time and way that no one else thought was important to follow\nUnmasking\nNoticed other things too that I just thought was me being weird:\nVocal stimming\nOral stimming-chewing, smoking, vaping\nRepetitive motions\nRocking\nEasily overwhelmed by too much sensory input\nHigh startle reflex \nInability to regulate my body’s needs-I don’t know I’m hungry until I’m ravenous; don’t recognize the need to use the bathroom until it’s causing me to rush off, don’t realize I’m cold until I’m shaking\nI could go on.\nI want an assessment so bad. But assessments for adults are EXTREMELY hard to setup, if you can even set them up at all. Some states don’t even offer them. I’ve been looking but they are only for children and seem to look for severe cases.\n14 years of thinking I was just a bitch who couldn’t make friends because I was too weird…turns out it might be autism. And turns out I’ll most likely never get a true diagnosis. But the RAADS test gave me a 127 score so that might be the closest I’ll ever get.", ">\n\ni kind of self diagnosed autism? i’ve been to many psychiatrists and therapists for years and they always see adhd in the half an hour and prescribe meds for that, which makes me not go there again. if they dug a little deeper they could have seen autism, i spoke to my current psychiatrist about if its possible i have it, she didn’t want to confirm or deny as i was moving out of state from friends and family and am at an age where i can have kids in the next 10 years since she doesn’t want me being concerned for them. \nI think there’s still lots of stigma around autism even with professionals and especially when identifying it in women. \nI don’t want to be autistic, but i can recognise a lot of different patterns comparing myself and others. I’ve researched it a ton especially in how it shows in women compared to men and in all the articles i found myself relating.\nNow i don’t say im autistic, i say im a little sus of being it tho lmao. and try pass it off casually. I find it’s a lot easier for me to understand and embrace my differences compared to trying to hide it and try be like everyone else or wonder why im not like everyone else. \nBeing older i can also recognise how a lot of my family on one side have suffered mentally and because of obvious neurodivergence. so im pretty sure, like the rest of my mentally challenged brain, has been inherited genetically through that side. \nAll that being said. I self diagnosed when i was about 12 that im highly likely to be depressed and anxious in attempt to get my mom to believe me i needed help, and now 8 years later i can identify that this has been an issue forever for me and that i likely cannot go off my meds because i will just go back to how i used to be. Im still ocd with all my meds, but its better than being anxious and depressed all the time, Having ocd throughout the day is like heaven to me in comparison to how i used to be. obviously the ocd isnt new, just a lot more heard in my brain now.", ">\n\nOk, I know some people self diagnoze themselves with [insert some mental illness here] out of attention or whatever, and that's totally not ok.\nHowever, if you read all the symptoms and do proper research on a mental illness and everything clicks in to you, I'd say you can be fairly confident on a self diagnosis (although, it might be worth it to double check with a professional, especially if you want any sort of treatment). But also for some people, it might not be affordable to go to a professional...", ">\n\nI live in Canada, I've engaged with the medical system, doctors don't care and just want you out, ERs are a 8 hour wait for someone to ignore one thing and won't even entertain other issues even if they are related. Self-diagnosis is really the only way to get any kind of proper treatment at all. \nThe doctors will rubber stamp just about anything you ask for except pain killers but in terms of diagnosis you're way better off doing it yourself, sure you don't have 8 years of medical school but the doctors won't give you 5 mins of their time, they are not better than google and you give a lot more of a shit than they will and at the end of the day it's your body.", ">\n\nBack in the 90s when I was a teenager, the kids/teenagers/young adults who wanted attention, and wanted to be different, adopted the goth lifestyle. Dressing up in all black. White foundation with black lipstick and eyeshadow. It was the trendy way to be different, to be viewed as outcasts of society. To not fit in. \nThe goth lifestyle of the 2020s is self diagnosis. Same shit, different day.\nWhenever someone claims autism, or somewhere on the spectrum, I just roll my eyes and imagine that person just sucks at life.", ">\n\nI just think it’s a little more harmful nowadays due to the prevalence of social media. Ppl get sucked into groups and mindsets before they even have a real life chance. Then they hyper fixate on that they might be mentally Ill rather then just trying to live life to the fullest", ">\n\nI 100% agree with you", ">\n\nBecause it's the age of spin this generation has something for everybody. And all of them are Google doctors. Lol", ">\n\nTook my uncle till he was 38 even thought it was apparent to everyone. Hell he got expelled from two schools", ">\n\nI get what you're saying. I frankly find it weird that more people don't find this weird. People self-diagnosing themselves as all kinds of things not only completely misrepresents the actual conditions, thereby making people even more confused as to what they actually are and how they present, but also leads people to run to a psychiatrist claiming false symptoms and getting medication for something they don't have, which is NOT a good thing. People should never be taking medication unless it is necessary. We are a heavily over-medicated society and this is a big factor in that. Caffeine to wake up in the morning, \"immuno-boosters\" and mood stabilizers during the day, sleeping pills to sleep at night. The caffeine and sleeping pills are addictive and can really mess up your circadian rhythm, and the mood stabilizers can really fuck you up if you don't need them. Instead of rushing to diagnose and medicate everyone, we need to educate them on human behavior and show them that their \"mental health\" problems are completely normal.\nOh, so you get nervous right before you make huge life decisions? That's not Anxiety Disorder, it's just anxiety.\nOh, you are really sad because your cat died? That's not Clinical Depression, you are just grieving.\nOh, you went from really happy to really sad when you were previously happy and something really shitty happened to you and soured your mood? That's not Bipolar Disorder, that's just life.\nOh, you like to be more organized than the people around you? That's not Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, you just like to be organized.\nPeople really misunderstand the nature of these conditions and it hinders our collective progress in treating them, like dramatically inflating the number of actual conditions in the population, making it increasingly more difficult to determine how common and how varied they are. After all, in most cases it is not the psychiatrist or psychologist who makes you better, you make you better. Medication can help and other people can show you the path to success, but the problem will never get solved unless you play an active role in the treatment. Some conditions can never be solved, only lessened, while others are virtually untreatable. We need to stop making these conditions seem cool. They aren't. They are serious and need to be taken seriously.", ">\n\nHeavily agree and I appreciate how well this comment is worded. Wish I coulda worded mine a little better", ">\n\nYa I saw you getting shredded in the comments and figured I'd sum it up for you. 🤣", ">\n\nLmao bro I didn’t expect this many. I was thinking maybe like 20 ppl would reply", ">\n\nYou need to self diagnose in many cases in order to get adequate help.", ">\n\nI knew when I had ADD and IBS, and I was able to get my suspicions confirmed by my respective doctors. Doctors are there to help the patients understand themselves, whereas the patients have to go home every day and live with what they actually have. Do not be so quick to judge.", ">\n\nJust to add here - Autism in women is less prevalent because it presents differently and is often not picked up by standardised diagnostic tests (that were developed on an almost exclusively male sample). I think that also goes to show that there’s p significant issues with what we consider ‘scientific’ and research based in the first place.", ">\n\nI grew up in a small town and we had quite a few autistic boys but only one autistic girl. Literally only one out of like 6-8 grades. So that’s like a 10-1 ratio. It’s gotta be a lot statistically smaller then males. I don’t doubt it happens I just know it’s a lot less", ">\n\nYou think your small town’s makeup is generalizable to all of society? That isn’t how statistics work.", ">\n\nSo my question would be - so what do we do?\nYou think people are diagnosing themselves to gain attention. Fine, but what's the next step?\nSee, I think I might be bipolar 2. But I went on a journey where I looked into the techniques for dealing with this issue. That led me to cognitive behavior therapy.\nThat actually made me more convinced that this was my issue because I have taught myself a lot of cognitive behavior therapy techniques to address the same issues. These practices have really helped me.\nIt sounds like your issue is that these people are getting attention for it. To me, these are people who need someone to help guide them. That would have helped me a lot when I was younger. Society today doesn't really give us the tools to sort this out, but just the knowledge that these things exist can push someone down the rabbit hole to learn about therapy that could really help.\nI think you should ask yourself what your motivations are. Do you really want them to understand themselves? Or are you more interested in steering the conversation toward other topics?\nPersonally, I would deal with these people by paying them forward. I would tell them to understand the practices that typically help these people, and see if they are relevant. I would tell them to seek professional help, and to refrain from diagnosing themselves, but I would encourage them to be critical of themselves and to learn more.\nImo, the way out is through.", ">\n\nI agree with you but it’s not mostly women. Maybe by happenstance that’s the case in your circle but broadly men do this too.", ">\n\nDoctor's are consulting the Mayo Clinic website after talking to a patient and getting their symptoms. I bring that up to say this; a doctor's training is needed for very serious diseases and tricky diagnoses, but a semi-intelligent person could look up their symptoms and get a lot of the more minor stuff right.", ">\n\nI've never been diagnosed as clinically depressed or anything, but that doesn't mean that I don't suffer from depression a lot of the time (these last few years, more often than not). I see a therapist. I take antidepressants. \nI have a friend who has aphantasia. It isn't really a \"diagnosable\" condition, but it describes what he has trouble with: creating images in his mind.", ">\n\nThat’s different then going online and claiming perfectly normal traits mean you’re autistic", ">\n\nNeurodivergence ≠ mental illness.", ">\n\nThey know themselves and their experiences better than you.", ">\n\nOP, I'm seeing some differences between your post and what you're saying in the comments. \nMy question is, do you have a problem with people self-diagnosing, or is your issue more about people drawing a lot of public attention to their diagnoses?", ">\n\nOverall both but definitely the attention part more so for obvious reasons. The self diagnosing part due to the fact that it can make people believe it can be an excuse for their actions good or bad. I think In a weird way it can allow people to take away the responsibility of their own actions and attribute to their mental illness", ">\n\nAs someone who has been diagnosed with ADHD, having people self diagnosing doesn't bother me at all, because I went the path of not knowing at all what I had and letting doctors figure out by themselves... and it took me 4 years and a half to finally have a concrete answer that no doctors would have found out if I didn't start searching on my own. You can't walk into every doctor's office with the assumption they'll figure out what you have, because it's not their speciality, or they still have an outdated view (not every doctor are kept up to date with new discovers), or they're biased, etc... \nI've never been annoyed by people who self diagnose. Hell, if I knew what was about to happen to me, I would have done the same way sooner.", ">\n\nMost women today arent faking it, they are noticing the symptoms no one else noticed and trying to find help. Its not easy to grow up with this kind of stuff. Is not coincidence you think women are less likely to be born to autism instead of thinking how weird it is that for some reason most autism diagnosis happen to men, that is the misogyny in the medical comunity.\nSelf diagnosis means this women will go to doctors and it most case scenarios they will get diagnoses because they have this issue all their life.\nSocial media is giving people awareness of the issue in medicine and how it affects women. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Misogyny in medicine also leads to people not knowing the difference between a heart attack in a woman and a man. It leads to women thinking its something else because internet and books will tell you how a man will feel a heart attack, even doctors sometimes dont know this.", ">\n\nGetting a diagnosis or treatment is borderline impossible for a lot of people. So self diagnosis is sometimes the only way they can help themselves.", ">\n\nNot a mental illness. But, I am a trans person and I pretty much self-diagnosed and self-medicated. I just had physicians do blood test.\nI educated myself on how everything works in about eight month period. I did that over a decade.\nI don’t regret my decision, and if I did. The regret would be not starting any sooner, especially when people who aren’t physicians or therapists are having a final say about these things.", ">\n\nIt is very noticeable and annoying, buuuut it’s proven autism manifest differently in females. Plus women are (very) often under diagnosed and dismissed for many many things by doctors, which is absolutely disgusting. Aaaand the cost of healthcare is outrageous.", ">\n\nwomen being less likely to be diagnosed with autism has nothing to do with an actual gender gap in who does and doesn’t have autism and everything to do with the fact autistic women are diagnosed with personality disorders and mental illnesses due to stigmas. most autism research was done on men and therefore women are underrepresented and more often than not misdiagnosed. autism actually occurs at a similar rate in both sexes. also, it’s not a mental illness, it’s a neurological condition (not that mental illnesses aren’t, but illness implies there’s something wrong, which there isn’t in autistic people). i agree that self diagnosing leads to misinformation and harms those who are clinically diagnosed though.", ">\n\nA lot of medical diagnoses are based on white male studies, so yes you would see more women finding out they have certain mental illnesses now as professionals are realizing it can show differently in females vs males. Adhd, for example, was considered something only seen in young boys that would grow out of it, now they are realizing that you don't in fact grow out of it and women can have it too. \nMental illness was a taboo subject back in the day as well, especially for women. It was only in 1980 I think that hysteria was no longer considered a mental illness. Women would be diagnosed with 'hysteria' and committed for symptoms like anxiety and anger. So now a lot of women are learning more about their mental health because they feel safe to do so. \nMy mother is in her early 70's and still refuses to tell anyone her own health issues or even mine, I have cancer and we were going to go on a trip as it's unknown how much longer I have and she refused to ask for the day off because she wouldn't tell them the reason why.", ">\n\nI detest self diagnosis, though once you’ve studied advanced level abnormal psychology shit happens. \nAs far as kids go, the generalized anxiety and depressive spectrum diagnoses can occasionally be accurate however that would warrant professional intervention regardless.\nOne serious issue among others; if an adolescent “decides” they have major depressive disorder that can become a self fulfilling prophecy and cause despair and reluctance to seek treatment", ">\n\nLook at the price and lack of availability of mental health care, and the total lack of privacy of internet connected devices. Most practitioners don’t offer in person visits anymore, and even if they do they probably do digital records or have their phone present. Ofc people are self diagnosing.", ">\n\nCounterpoint: many people do not have the means to access diagnoses for mental illnesses and other disorders, and it can sometimes be the only way to explain their feelings to others. Autism diagnoses in particular are extremely difficult to access for adults and even teens. I suspected I had autism for years and the only way I was able to get a diagnosis was through the mental health treatment program I was in during highschool which had a psychologist there. I only could attend because I live in Canada with universal healthcare. Many, many people are not as fortunate as me. Most people in the world cannot access diagnosis in the first place, including many in richer countries. \nYour comment about women statistically 'being born with autism on a far lesser scale than men' misses the well-known problem of underdiagnosis of autism in women. Autism presents itself differently in women than men (I can say as an autistic woman who knows other autistic women) and the criteria for autism were based on cis white men. Autism in women is is often misdiagnosed as CPTSD (which many autistic people ALSO unfortunately have), borderline personality disorder, anxiety, depression, etc. \nAlthough self-diagnosis is often problematic and used by teenagers to feel special, for the people who take it seriously and are intellectually honest there currently isn't really a better alternative for them to try and explain their experiences when they cannot access diagnoses.", ">\n\nWhat you are describing is NOT a new phenomenon. I was born in 1975 and have been observing this phenomenon my entire life. Nothing new about it at all.", ">\n\nSelf diagnosis is often the first step in going to go and get an actual diagnosis. Getting diagnosed with a mental disorder, especially as an adult, is basically impossible if you aren't actively seeking it out. For several reasons, one of which is that pretty much all the diagnostic criteria are written about children. \nI'm properly diagnosed and even on disability for mental disorders and I knew what I had for years before I got diagnosed. \nI understand there's a feeling of \"stolen valour\" to it. And there is indeed a subset of people doing it for attention or because it's fashionable, OCD in particular being a common example, but the good that comes from self diagnosis more than outweighs the bad.", ">\n\nCorrect me if I’m wrong, but don’t all, or at least most mental disorders lie on a spectrum?", ">\n\nI was diagnosed ADD/ ADHD as a child an im getting re-evaluated next month because i think the diagnosis must be bullshit.\nI have a close friend that wasn't diagnosed ADD/ADHD until they were 22 and in an Ivy league vet program\nThe amount of people that say they cant do well in school simply because they have add/ adhd is bullshit if u ask me. Also, people justify abusing adderal because theyre ADHD and i think thats BS too. I decided never to take it and just abuse caffeine instead to avoid the health side effects", ">\n\nThe current US medical system is such garbage that self advocacy is important. \nSometimes it is wrong. Sometimes professionals ignore you or only pay attention to things insurance companies will pay for. Sonetimes they are also wrong. Or they're incentivized to get you out of a hospital bed ready or not. \nAdministrators and insurance companies get all the money. Nurses, aides, patients all suffer." ]

[ "The diagnosis process for a lot of psychiatric conditions are surveys and questionaires. You can go to a psychiatrist and ask if you're anxious and they'll give you multiple choice questions and diagnose off of that. Or you can just google the form yourself and self diagnose. A lot of psychiatric disorders are about how we feel and think. Not about sending off some blood sample to a lab and getting a positive result come back.\n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. For such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nWhat you're describing are all neuroses that could indicate some deeper psychiatric condition. Whether a person has a mental health condition or not, thinking of ourselves as weak victims is never helpful in any context, yet it's something we all feel from time to time.\nI'm a disability support worker, so when someone tells me they've got a self diagnosed condition, it's not offensive to me or any disabled person I know, it doesn't come across like they're invalidating anyone else's condition. However I do think everyone should talk to a doctor about any condition they feel they might have.", ">\n\nPiggybacking off of this: You’ve spent your whole entire life inside your own brain. A therapist will spend a period of hours with you and give you a diagnosis. Who do you think knows your personal reality better than yourself?", ">\n\nYeah exactly, especially with conditions such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, PTSD, and many other psychiatric conditions. These are things people know they have even before they get a diagnosis. The diagnosis stage is more about treatment and management.\nPeople might be unaware of how severe or mild their condition is, some people think they have only mild PTSD despite constant nightmares and suicidal ideation. Some people will think they have severe ADHD because they can't concentrate for long times on things that don't interest them. It's good to get some perspective from experts but ultimately people know when they are struggling to focus or to struggling to stop stressing all the time or struggling to not be miserable. Struggling with our thoughts and feelings is evidence enough to self diagnose.", ">\n\nI was recently diagnosed with ADHD as a woman so I find this viewpoint interesting.\nFirstly, autism is not a mental illness. An autistic person may have mental illness in conjunction with autism, but autism alone lies under the neurodivergent umbrella. Neurodivergency can include autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and other similar conditions.\nWhy women are often underdiagnosed\nThese are serious disabilities that can really impede a person's life, especially if they struggle to find help and acceptance in their community. A lot of women start their journey towards diagnosis later in life due to a number of factors such as:\n\nPoor diagnostic tools and inexperienced professionals\nA misunderstanding that autism and ADHD are more common in boys\nAdvanced masking techniques to cover their 'traits'\n\nWhy women are often diagnosed later in life.\nThe process for many women and men who are diagnosed later in life often includes a level of burnout or breakdown. After a while everything becomes too much, the mask begins to slip and your traits go into overdrive.\nWhy does self-diagnosing seem to be on the rise?\nA common way of finding out you could possibly be neurodivergent is through media and people who are aware of these traits appear.\nIn the past few years, I have seen an increasing awareness of neurodivergence in women pop up in the media. This is useful for people like myself who had no idea wtf was wrong with them for a very long time. For me, a GP actually suggested I seek a diagnosis due to some struggles I was going through.\nAs someone who went through this process self-diagnosing is commonly the first step as an adult. You might be directed to a questionnaire and are asked to evaluate yourself and your experiences thinking back to your childhood. If there's some merit in your experiences than you move to the next step which involves seeking a professional. Waitlists are often months to years long so many people live in limbo for a long time.\nMethods of living with ADHD can help everyone. And everyone experiences ADHD traits from time to time. Given a large amount of stress we have all suffered collectively, I don't doubt there are a lot of people with increased mental health issues that mirror neurodivergent traits. Some mental illnesses can get very severe and alter your brain chemistry and behaviour.\nMy takeaway from this is that the mental health systems set up to assist these people are a much larger issue and cause for serious concern than self-diagnosing.\nApologies for the spelling and grammar errors. Grammarly and Reddit don't play nice.", ">\n\nI think it's two things. One, people have identity crises, especially teenagers. We all know that type of person who tries on identities like hats. That's pretty embarrassing. You usually grow out of that.\nTwo, from personal experience, giving yourself a label or a diagnosis makes it feel more contained and easy to communicate. It's easier to tell someone that you have X and have them understand what you're going through rather than telling them you have these vague symptoms resembling what you imagine X is like. In that respect, it is pretty understandable, possibly good, and not embarrassing. There's something that is sort of reassuring if you can finally get a word to put on what you're experiencing.\nPeople often sympathize with the diagnosis but not with the symptoms. Tell people at work you're autistic and they will sympathize with you and possibly not attack you. Tell them you do not understand social cues and they will probably just make fun of you.", ">\n\nI understand the desire to put a label with a disease, and this is not necessarily bad, but the diagnosis needs to be correct. If you want to tell others that you are autistic or depressed; you must actually be those things. A person can almost never correctly assertion their disease, only their symptoms. People might better understand you if you say your autistic, but you may incorrectly understand and describe yourself. If one wishes to put a name with symptoms, they should find a doctor to pick the label", ">\n\nfor sure but unfortunately our medical system is a joke and even if you are experiencing very severe symptoms it can be nearly impossible to see a professional or take months on a waiting list.\nEven then a professional may be reluctant to slap a label on you for fear of what the consequences of that might be. I saw someone for a very long time who resisted any sort of actual diagnosis because the truth is that what I was experiencing didn't fit neatly into any of the boxes and pretty much belonged in this vague \"other\" category which isn't particularly helpful. Not to mention that misdiagnosis happens all the time even by professionals. \nI just think it is sort of understandable because I think a lot of stuff is kind of a spectrum anyway and just different levels of severity. Things can be really confusing and hard to nail down and thus communicate in a way that causes someone else to be understanding rather than judgemental.", ">\n\nAre you under the impression this is a new phenomenon? Because it's definitely not.\nPeople - especially young people! - crave identity. The world is a confusing place, knowing who you are makes it a little easier. Sometimes it's self-diagnosing mental illness or learning disabilities, or exploring sexual identity, or cliques, or subcultures. There's nothing embarrassing about it, it just is what it is.", ">\n\nIt’s ok to want to express individuality but not to the extent of totally destroying the definition of a real thing and making it hard for actual mentally Ill ppl to get a diagnosis. Why can’t people just accept that they’re different rather then giving themselves a label?", ">\n\npeople on TikTok claiming to have disorders that they don't doesn't affect the precision of psychiatrists diagnosing actual patients. There's no TikTok-said section in the DSM. Why do you think that it does?", ">\n\nIt just encourages more people to get diagnosed possibly skewing the meaning of the mental illness", ">\n\nSkewing it towards statistical accuracy? If people are actually diagnosed at higher rates, we have a better Guage of population-level mental illness, neurodivergency, etc. Better data is more usable, so that research actually means something actionable, ASIDE from the identity boost for young people.", ">\n\nI think what OP is driving at, but utterly failing to explain, is that they think that the fakers will be accommodated by the psychiatric system and diagnosed on the basis of fake symptoms. my sense is that isn't a problem but I don't have data.", ">\n\nDefinitely explained it a little better then I could lol", ">\n\nWhere do you see evidence of that? Any articles about fakers? How about a statistic? If not, it’s just a fear you seem to have.", ">\n\nI think the salient line here is this one:\n\nNeurologists were able to quickly determine that the subjects were not \nsuffering from Tourette's, but psychogenic tics driven by anxiety.", ">\n\nWomen are not born with less autism, but are much less likely to be diagnosed as children than boys. This is partly because boys generally have similar symptoms and behaviors. \nSo of course more women are self diagnosing autism, since their diagnoses were missed as children on a much higher rate.", ">\n\nAlright, I'm diagnosed OCD, PTSD, chronic depression. Diagnosed by a professional so I think I have some grounds to talk about this.\nFirst, let's tackle your women comment about autism. You see, I understand where you're coming from, but you lack the nuance of recognizing that mental illness, and illness in general, is heavily under-diagnosed in women. The medical culture is heavily favored towards men and is rampant with mysogyny, and that's not just me saying it as I've had medical professionals blatantly tell me it's a problem in the field when questioned about it. I've also had some tell me that it's just because women whine a lot, so yanno make of that statement what you will.\nNow that we've covered that let me address the self-diagnosing issue. So, do you want to know what my therapist thinks of self-diagnosing? Well, when I asked them about it they said that self-diagnosing is an important first step to seeking help. Psychiatrist said the same thing. It's normal, expected even, for people to self-diagnose their issues then seek help for them. You can't exactly just peer into someone's brain, no, that person has to tell you what they think is wrong and why they think it is. \nWhat you actually have a problem with is not self-diagnosis, but with people not seeking or not being able to get medical assistance and assuming they're right. You have a problem with people using these issues for attention, which I do too, but once again self-diagnosing is not the problem. Finally, you have a problem with the medical system that forces people into the position of trying to figure out their mental illnesses, but having no ability to get help for them.", ">\n\nI think I did it", ">\n\nSadly no lol, it was not done properly. Do you need a link to the rules?", ">\n\nI already read them i think I’ll figure it out in a bit sorry for the hold up", ">\n\nBecause everyone else is being aggressive: you have to comment with ∆ or !delta and then explain how your view has been changed", ">\n\nThis delta has been rejected. You can't award OP a delta.\nAllowing this would wrongly suggest that you can post here with the aim of convincing others.\nIf you were explaining when/how to award a delta, please use a reddit quote for the symbol next time.\n^Delta System Explained ^| ^Deltaboards", ">\n\nWhat gives you the authority or knowledge to know this is the problem?", ">\n\nYou don’t think it’s a problem that a lot of young ppl are willing to go to the extent of saying they are mentally Ill either for attention or to excuse their weirdness? Just accept that your different. It’s not wrong to believe you’re different without a label", ">\n\nYou did not even try to answer my question.", ">\n\nI’m sorry I was confused on what you meant", ">\n\nIf you are mad at people for self diagnosing themselves because they don't have the knowledge or authority to do so.... what gives you the knowledge or authority to diagnosis this as the problem behavior... basically are you just a kid that is annoyed, or is there some actual studies out there that is claiming this is a problem.", ">\n\nIf you don’t think that people consistently seeking attention for mental illness or craving a label so badly to justify themselves rather then being themselves. That just shows what your views are", ">\n\nDont you think we should leave the diagnosing to the professionals?", ">\n\nI mean yeah", ">\n\nWould you agree that you are diagnosing these people by saying that they are only seeking attention and do not have a real mental illness?", ">\n\nI’m assuming", ">\n\nThere may be some truth to people wanting to be different, however with mental illnesses being more accepted in today's society, many people are a lot more comfortable with being neurodivergent. Additionally, self diagnosis is common because the alternative is spending upwards to $1000-$2000 for a clinical diagnosis.", ">\n\nI know costs suck, but self diagnosis can be much more harmful. A web.md page that tells you your depressed when you may actually be bipolar can lead to really messed up results. I would even go as far as to say that no diagnosis at all is preferable to an uninformed one", ">\n\nWell.\n​\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad \n\nSo you already know why they're doing what they're doing in addition the fact that you know that they're not Autistic? If your claim is that they can't know and only a doctor can, what makes you more qualified? You start out your argument admitting that you have a bias.\n\nthey’re “neurodivergent.\n\nNeurodivergent is an umbrella that covers both Autism and ADHD, which sometimes get mistaken for each other. So if you're upset that they're self-diagnosing, this term should be more welcome than \"Autistic\" because it's more generalized.\n\nnd when you ask them how they know they’ll say “oh I have this weird tick when I uh laugh when someone says something funny “ or “I have a hyper fixation on this topic so I must be autistic\n\nHow else should they communicate it to you? The list of aspects of Autism, especially for how it presents in women, sounds a lot like this. You're not a doctor, they don't have to prove anything to you by going down the entire list of every possible part of their daily experience that might be on the spectrum.\n\nWomen statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nNope. Women are diagnosed less often than men because the original diagnostic criteria for Autism was for Autism as it presents in males. It presents differently for females and is harder to diagnose, especially at younger ages. \n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized\n\nTodays youth want to be victimized? Why would anyone want to be victimized? Something tells me you're missing the mark with this terminology.\n\nor have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. \n\nSo if someone is Autistic and that makes them weird, you'd rather them just be forced to not get to have a name for it, and get the therapeutic treatment that would help them?\n\nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really [are] without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nSome people are autistic. If they find out and it makes them feel good, that doesn't mean they're craving attention. And if they are craving attention, it's because they're normal people and everyone does. \nIf someone thinks they're autistic but it turns out they're actually not, chances are they suspected it for a reason. They might have ADHD, a personality disorder, a mental health issue, or simply a slightly different way of experiencing the world that feels unique to them and there's nothing wrong with that. \nYou seem to think that other people do things for you. People generally don't. They do things for themselves. This is especially true of people on the Autism Spectrum who may not be able to easily use other people's experiences to reference when constructing their view of the world, and can only use their own. Your interpretation wherein they do it to evoke a response from you says more about you than it does about them.", ">\n\nYou’re being deliberately obtuse. OP is completely correct. Most of the people these days who say “I’m ADHD” or “I’m autistic” or “I’m neurodivergent” are absolutely not diagnosed as such and are doing it to seem unique or get attention or as some excuse for why they did x y or z.", ">\n\nI'd like to point out that while some are perhaps attention seeking, many people self diagnose simply because they don't have access to free medical/psychological professionals to get proper diagnosis and help with their issues. I also know someone who doesn't want to get an official diagnosis because he's afrad it will affect his insurance rates or somehow come back to bite him if he's offically labeled with having a neurological disorder. \nThere is a wealth of knowledge on these subjects available online for those interested. And if they are truly interested in self diagnose they can likely do that accurately enough for all intents and purposes. Most of these people who search for the sake of better understanding themselves or their loved ones will openly admit that it's a self diagnoses, or say they THINK they have x,y, or z. But in some situations it's just as well to say they have it if they feel certain anyway, and it's just a passing comment, and not a discussion on the matter. \nIn other words, just because they self diagnose doesn't mean they're wrong, nor does it explain their motives. I also don't see how attention seeking (for those who ARE doing that) is really hurting anyone else. Fakers gonna be fake, that's more a \"them\" kind of problem. ANNOYING, but mostly harmless.", ">\n\nUnless you have a doctor's diagnosis you don't have the disorder. Even if you are broke there are programs to help with costs. \nAnd yes it does affect me when someone is treating me like shit and tries using the I have such and such as an excuse and then people get mad at ME for calling them in their bullshit.", ">\n\nNo. You have to have the disorder before you CAN be diagnosed, so obviously there are undiagnosed people who in fact \"have the disorder \". Your refusal to acknowledge an undiagnosed disorder does not mean they don't have it. Your personal experience with people supposedly using a fake diagnosis to treat you badly, sounds unusual. How do you know they DIDN'T have it? People who do lie and just want to be jerks will do that regardless of what methods they decide to try. The methods are irrelevant. And that motive is not typical of most self diagnosers .", ">\n\nSounds unusual? You must not get out a lot because it's become a pretty regular thing. Every single person I know (about 8) that have self diagnosed themselves as neurodivergent or with a mental illness like Bi-polar all use it to excuse their shitty ass behaviors. \nToo many disorders can mirror other ones. Just because they think they have 2/3 symptoms doesn't make them right by a long shot. Keep living in your bubble.", ">\n\nYou don't have to have a relationship with anyone. If they treat you badly, regardless of an official diagnosis or not, you don't have to tolerate them. It makes no difference what they have or don't have. What would it change if they got diagnosed and actually have it?", ">\n\nSelf diagnosing has been a thing forever\nAnd it's not a problem im 99% sure me or any other autistic person doesn't really give 2 fucks about people who wanna fake disorders. It doesn't stop us from getting help, we have doctors notes, medical files, sometimes even volunteers, you need those files to get into let's say a special education class, or a life skills course.\nSo unless you were diagnosed by a professional you're probably not gonna make it far faking it.\n(Excuse my shitty punctuation)", ">\n\nIt doesn’t bother you that they’re making others take the actual meaning away from what you were born with? I mean I’m sure autism hasn’t made your life easy and seeing ppl claim it for attention to be quirky probably has to annoy you a little right?", ">\n\nAt the end of the day I still have ADHD and I still need help with it. More people being diagnosed with it doesn’t change that fact. In fact I was diagnosed because I realized I related to so many tiktok memes, and I’m sure others are in my same boat. \nIn fact I think so many people talking about ADHD helps. It means more people who possibly have tips for me, people who are suffering who can’t afford treatment have an easy way to learn about how to improve their lives, and more people who are aware of my disorder.", ">\n\nI think people do diagnose themselves too often without seeking professional help. BUT mental illness is not the same as being neurodivergent.", ">\n\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad that they’ll go as far to say they’re “neurodivergent.”\n\nWhile this is the case, I don't really see how it's a \"problem\" per se. I guarantee that these people still make lifestyle decisions based on what they think is best, or based on what they want to do.\n\nbut it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women\n\nDo you have any statistics for that? I haven't experienced it that way in my own anecdotal experience, and I'd be curious to look into the data to see how much that truly does skew in that direction.\n\nwanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness \nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nI understand what you're trying to say here, but I don't really think these things are connected as much as you think they are. People see something wrong with themselves, so they either playfully or seriously consider the fact that it could be a condition that they have similar symptoms to. Not that it never happens, but just because someone categorizes themselves into a disability group that could potentially excuse their \"quirks\", doesn't mean they think that behavior is unacceptable in any way. People see a problem, and assume it's linked to this other issue that seems similar that they already know about.", ">\n\nI agree with the conclusion that self-diagnosis is a real issue, and I wouldn't be surprised if the data indicated it was on the rise. I wouldn't necessarily frame it as a simple desire to \"be victimized\" however. While it is purely speculation, I do believe there are a number of conditions which might lead towards a more frequent experience of symptoms associated with mental illness - a rising wealth gap, perpetual anxiety from a 24-hour news cycle, intensification of self-commodification, the student debt crisis in certain countries like the US, and so on. So people are experiencing symptoms like low energy, mood swings, etc. that can be associated with mental illness. The issue with self-diagnosis then becomes that it may correctly identify the symptom, but incorrectly identify the cause.\nThis video from the YouTuber HealthyGamerGG does a good job of explaining what some of the issues with self-diagnosis are, and for me it was a good starting place for thinking about this more. \nEDIT: I forgot this video literally starts with this same topic being brought up on this same subreddit lol", ">\n\nA great theory based on reasonable causes with an educational video from a psychologist(I assume) as evidence to back it up. I applaud you sir. 👏", ">\n\nWhy are you embarrassed by other people's issues?", ">\n\nI’m a 30yo male. If I had not first self diagnosed with ASD and OCD, I never would have found the language and resources to get a formal diagnosis and help.\nPrior generations have been so fixated on avoidance of diagnosing mental disorders, and research was previously so lacking that we are only just now (through those that do get diagnosed) realizing how common mental disorders are. That plus the lack of mental health resources for neurotypical and neurodivergent I think is how we end up in this situation of many recognizing their symptoms in the new discourse, but lacking the resources to overcome the barriers to proper diagnosis and treatment.", ">\n\nIt’s not the best thing, no. \nAs an adult FINALLY diagnosed (by a licensed therapist) at 41, I can tell you why ‘self diagnosis’ is so tempting. \nIn the US at least- mental health, and official medical diagnosis are almost completely inaccessible, especially as an adult. Most of us grew up before Autism was a spectrum, and ADHD was just boys who acted out in class. We felt like aliens. We couldn’t understand why we didn’t have many friends, or why we didn’t like the ‘right things’, and generally spend the bill of our lives feeling ‘wrong’, ‘broken’ or just simply like we didn’t belong. \nFinally understanding the WHY, and even better, finding tools to addresses our issues is a huge huge weight off the chest. The relief of having a name and a strategy- either therapy or medicine is such an amazing relief!!", ">\n\nI only kinda agree if I had not done my own research I would have never found out I have sjorgens syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis I know TikTok people tend to diagnose themselves and it makes it look cringe but when you live with a incurable illness sometimes you have to work to find a diagnosis", ">\n\nWell, what do you do of you absolutely know you're neurodivergent, but your parents decided not to get you checked? My mom once told me \"we knew you had something, we just didn't get you checked because they would have just put you on pills\". So I struggled with being different, socially unaware, impulsive, obnoxious, agressive, selfish, for the better part of my life without having the self awareness to understand why I was these things, and why people wouldn't want to be around me. \nIn my late 20''s I asked the question, what if I'm actually autistic? I looked up the symptoms, and 9/10 matched. As a child I couldn't handle loud noises, restrictive clothing, I didn't talk until I was 3. I would throw fits for seemingly no reason, I had obsessive interests. I've always really struggled with eye contact, and I never cared for conversation unless it was something I liked. I mean, when the final piece of a puzzle fits so incredibly well, it's really hard for it to be wrong. \nSelf diagnosing actually really helped me grow as aj individual. I became aware of all my divergent behaviors, and why it might be annoying for someone else to deal with. I came to the realization that I was the one who was different, therefore I needed to change. It's way harder to make everyone around you cater to your needs than to overcome the things that upset you. I'm at peace, I have good friends that I can connect with on a pretty deep level. I no longer smash coffee tables when I lose, I can now appreciate that if I lose it just means I have more to learn. I can keep my house clean, I can reasonably hold myself accountable. What exactly is the harm in all that?\nBesides, it would be pretty pointless for me to try and get a diagnosis now, I've put the effort in and largely come out the other side. Anyone diagnosing me would just say I was normal, but they wouldn't have the intimate knowledge of me that I do. I guess it doesn't matter if people don't believe me, I don't go around shouting that I'm autistic. I will say, it would be really nice if people appreciated the effort I put in to get to get to a place of normalcy, something others take for granted, but it's okay, we all have our struggles.", ">\n\nI feel you on all that. To play devil's advocate, mental healthcare in the U.S. is not cheap. Many people go to the internet and confirm their bias about their current health", ">\n\nI feel you on that too OP. I agree 100% with your entire statement.", ">\n\nIt's a problem, but not a new one. In the 1990s there was briefly a surge of people with a type of delusional parasitosis, that is, the false belief that they were infested with parasites. Except this one was supposedly an infestation with tiny fibres. They would come to doctors with a whole list of symptoms to back up their incorrect self-diagnosis.\nTo a certain extent, these are social contagions, which come and go, and often actually end up leading to people having real problems. Like, the young women you mention, a couple of decades ago may well have ended up with anorexia, or self-cutting. These days it might be a self-declaration of autism or a belief that they have gender dysphoria or that they have multiple systems living in their minds.", ">\n\nWow I did not know that. Maybe it’s just so prevalent today due to social media. Social media has only made these things worse imo", ">\n\nEven before it being self diagnosis of a mental illness it was always something. Remember all the emo and goth teenager?", ">\n\nIt depends on the context. For example, if they've done a substantial amount of research, can name a good amount of symptoms they have and reasons they have whatever mental illness and don't have access to the necessary tools to get a medical diagnosis, it's totally different. Some people don't have the money to go out and get a diagnosis, or sometimes it would be better to not get a medical diagnosis. I believe that the reason that a lot of people self diagnose themselves with things like Autism is because they want an explanation as to why they are different, and they could be right or wrong. I think the most important part is that if you go to a psychologist (or even two, I know a lot of people prefer getting second opinions) and they say you don't have it, that you need to admit you were wrong. It's ok to be wrong about your mental health, and the key is to keep looking and to not give up. I can completely understand the frustration in people completely missing how difficult it actually may be to have a mental illness. I was clinically diagnosed with Depression, Anxiety, and PTSD when I was seven, and I've had some experience with people faking mental disorders for attention, and more often then not, they have another mental disorder that needs attention. Recently I had a (now ex) boyfriend insist he had PTSD after being tested twice and the psychiatrist saying that he didn't have it. What he does have is Depression and Anxiety, but he absolutely insisted he has PTSD despite never exhibiting symptoms and the only evidence being a test he took online that was supposedly a \"real PTSD test.\" People faking mental illnesses only harms people who really have them, as these people tend to exaggerate symptoms and use their self diagnosis for attention. I believe that I am autistic, but I don't list it as a diagnosis because while I have read articles and taken the RAADS-r test, I don't have an official diagnosis, and I could very well be wrong. As for women faking illnesses more often, something I've noticed is that things like Autism, ADHD, ADD, etc are more often diagnosed in boys rather than girls- mostly because when they were first discovered, most of the research was done in boys. Autism shows up differently in girls, and can often be blown off as early puberty hormones. If their hyperfixations are those of stereotypical feminine things, it's just a girl liking whatever, and if they hyperfixate in stereotypical masculine interests, they tend to just be viewed as weird, but not autistic. It's normal for people to question, but I agree that to a certain point, self diagnosis can be harmful, but only if not done correctly.", ">\n\nFirst and foremost not a new problem at all, very common, we used to call it \"Being a hypochondriac\" until it aparrently became reconized which in it self is confusing and a bit contradictory.\nANYWAY\nIt isnt really a problem, no doctor is gonna write the perscription for medication without a diagnosis of some sort.\nAt most there is the vauge \"But what about those who actually have it who arent taken serious\" dont worry, we wouldnt have anyway. Thats kinda how invisible illnesses work.\nOverall the 101 hypochondriacs screaming about the symptoms they read in the ICD might help make the knowledge more common and help people better reconize if their colleagues or friends happen to show symptoms of something.", ">\n\nIt’s pretty expensive in the US to get diagnosed. Personally, I’ve self diagnosed myself out of frustration of the way I process things. I’ve always felt slow & my anxiety/depression was deep because of it, but I was raised in a family that doesn’t believe in mental illness. It was always “if you work hard enough, all your problems will go away”. Meanwhile, i was racking my brain on how to make myself think faster/smarter & it would result in psychotic episodes. I’ve gotten fired from jobs, dropped out of school. I started self harming because I hated myself and my brain & almost commit suicide bc I had no idea what was going on.\nThe relief I felt once I finally got a therapist who validated me & was the first to talk to me about mental Illness. It blew my mind and all of a sudden things actually made sense to me. I currently think I have ADD, and sometimes I’ll tell people that but will preface it by saying I’m not professionally diagnosed. Still, I use mental tools that help me get through the day and build my confidence. I’m a lot better at processing conversations, making lists that help me remember things, unmasking, slowing down my thoughts… etc. I’m less frustrated and can see the beauty in how I process things. I still want to get diagnosed but I have to get health insurance….. lol", ">\n\nSelf diagnosis, regardless of being factual is a process where the individual realizes that they might have a mental health issue. People who can do this are more likely to seek professional help compared to the people who think they are “fine”. Going to a professional, licensed psychologist or a psychiatrist will eventually diagnose them with the correct disorder from there, and professionals have the skills to communicate with them and they can together evaluate if the person’s complaint is the issue or not. There is nothing embarrassing about discovering one’s self. It would be a problem if people would identify with an issue and don’t have any willingness to seek help. Sometimes overreacting is better than not reacting.", ">\n\nThe majority of people who are self-diagnosed with autism have done extensive research into it to come to that conclusion. I personally went through the DSM criteria with a fine-tooth comb, made a list of all the ways I met it and discovered that there’s not a single criteria i don’t meet for autism. I didn’t read about anything else but autism for weeks, approaching it from all angles before coming to the conclusion that it’s highly unlikely I am not autistic. I’m waiting to hear back about an assessment, but I’m not waiting to go and be told something I already know before I start advocating for myself. \nOh, and I absolutely did not want to be ‘different’, in fact my life mission to just blend in and be average is the root cause of most of my problems, but here we are.", ">\n\nThis self diagnosing young people do isn’t the problem. The problem is that our society encourages it.\nOur culture is not set up to accommodate a wide spectrum of human needs. You may need things that I don’t. I may need things that you don’t. But in most business settings, academic settings, or even places like restaurants or leisure places, the world isn’t built to accommodate everyone. Our world and society is a “one size fits all” approach, and most people don’t fit snugly inside of that system. \nIf you can classify what is “wrong” or “different” about you into an easily digestible form, people are generally more able and more willing to accommodate you.\nFor example: if I tell my coworkers that I need to leave work early because of a headache, I’ll be shamed for it. And in some cases I’ll be told that “headaches aren’t that bad!” Or “You don’t need to leave.” Or “I have a headache too, just deal with it!”\nBut if I tell my workers that I need to leave due to a painful neurological condition that’s flaring up (I have chronic migraine, which is a neurological condition), they will respect it 100% of the time. It’s met with sympathy and not criticism.\nThis happens for all sorts of things. “Sorry Im late, I slept in.” Sounds a lot worse then, “sorry I’m late, my insomnia has been terrible lately.” \nOur culture forces us to use these labels even when they’re untrue just to receive sympathy or acceptance. The problem isn’t people who decide to use these labels, the root problem is that our society refuses to embrace and accommodate people who are outside of the “norm.”", ">\n\nSpeaking as someone who's had an autism diagnosis since age 7: if someone declares they're autistic when they're not, that's obnoxious at worst. If someone is told they're not autistic when they are, that can cause lifelong harm from denied care and understanding. I have seen this happen to a close friend of mine.\nTherefore, I'd much rather err on the side of acceptance. If you think you're defending me and others like me from impersonators, we'd rather not have your help.\n\nI know people will disagree but it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women. Women statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nCase in point: women are diagnosed with autism far less than men. Recent studies have pointed to decades of systematic misdiagnosis. The more visible autistic symptoms sometimes manifest differently in girls, the way they're socialized may help them hide it from a young age, and of course lots of doctors just say \"your daughter can't be autistic, that's a boy thing.\"\nWe're learning that there are hundreds of thousands of autistic women who slipped through the cracks and were denied the recognition and support they needed because of dismissive, gatekeeping attitudes just like yours.", ">\n\nThere’s a difference between having a disorder and relating to a disorder. If the tools or language associated with a disorder helps someone live better though then cool, it’s all still odd. Also autism presents differently in woman, and a majority of our research on it is on men. Best practice is probably to support them and encourage them to seek treatment.", ">\n\nAutism is severely misdiagnosed in women. Completely under diagnosed. Actually, plenty of things are. The actual problem that we have is parents refusing to let their children get professional help or a diagnosis. Most doctors will diagnose you with BPD as a woman(aka the new female hysteria of our century), maybe put you on some anti psychotics and send you your way. In most countries, a diagnosis/specialist is not readily available, or there is a long waiting list. Even so, the doctors are not know it all. I have seen plenty of doctors, I got different diagnosis almost each time. They ask you some general questions (about your mood, the way you sleep, if you can concentrate, if you harm yourself, if you have suicidal ideation, if you can socialize properly, if your parents were diagnosed with anything, if you have hallucinations or delusions, the works) and then based on that, they will give you a diagnosis. If you use your common sense and information on the internet (given you are knowledgeable on the subject), you can take a good guess on what's wrong. Obviously, some people will exaggerate like with anything (seeing the shadow dude once in your childhood is not a sign of psychosis, neither is hearing your name called when you are alone once in a blue moon), but if you have visual and auditory hallucinations, perhaps weird tactile feelings/hallucinations (spiders are crawling on me, etc), delusions, tend to be forgetful and out of teach with reality, there is a good chance you do have psychosis.", ">\n\nOkay, to start: what do you think autism and ADHD are? They aren't mental illnesses nor are they mental health conditions. \nTo address some of your other points; \nStudies have shown that autism has a gender expression of 1:1. The only reason that women are under diagnosed is because of misunderstandings towards autism, then the diagnosis is conducted incorrectly. Thus it ends up getting conflated with mental illness, E.G BPD, and is diagnosed as a psychiatric disorder instead. This is a detriment to the patient as the care regimes are black and white different. Often times this severely damages the woman.\nFrom data sets that I recall reading, malingering hasn't risen much, if at all, in recent times. I remember it being around 8% of the global population who are engaging in this behaviour, to different extents. I think what's happened is that social media has turned a torch onto it and it's risen in popularity in an algorithmic way. You see it more because it's pushed by the algorithm more because people are searching for it more. It isn't actually occurring any more or less than historically. Most of that attention is negative attention, I should add. \nSo there's two things to take away from that.\n1) The actual act of pretending to be mentally ill, or to have a disability, which is called malingering, is in fact a form of mental unwellness itself. It's a cry for help. The people who do these things are usually very unstable and should be treated with a degree of empathy. The dangerous types who are using mental illness to scam others, or to manipulate them, make up a very small percentage of the overall amount of people in that group and tend to abuse one on one. \n2) The predominant response to this is generally negative. There isn't really any reason to publicly malinger unless you're unstable, this is because a rational person would likely know this, and know the damage it would cause themselves. Self-diagnosis is a very long, and self-aware, process that takes place over years of the individuals life, and proceeds official diagnosis. \nNo one SDs and says \"Okay that's it now! Let me start a TikTok!\" You'd still want support, and you'd still seek support. So that would end up with a doctor, who would see that you're lying, and treat you for whatever was prompting you to malinger. Anyone who has made this commitment knows that keeping it private is a sensible thing to do in a world that isn't inclusive, and often very stigmatising. Sometimes official diagnosis can take YEARS. \nThis kind of propaganda has been going around for a long time in an effort to discredit disabled people and people with mental illnesses. It's not new. People said the same things back in the 90s. People will always be afraid, and dismissive, of things they do not understand. I invite you to try and understand.", ">\n\nI self-diagnosed myself with endometriosis for 10 years before a doctor finally listened to me, opened me up, and found my insides littered with lesions all over my organs. I’m now not able to get pregnant and I might need to get part of my bowel taken out someday. This could’ve been avoided if someone had just listened to me when I was 16. \nSelf-diagnosing is a necessity in a misogynist world! No one takes us seriously! Especially medical professionals. \nThe best antidote for this is to listen to women who self-diagnose. Why do they think they have XYZ? Is it heavily interfering with their life? I think that’s a much larger problem.", ">\n\nIts been proven that there is a bias to diagnose as opposed to not diagnose a mental illness in psychology. So op is actually kinda correct. The definition of a mental illness is in effect being stretched so far that people who are just kinda weird are being diagnosed with \"on the spectrum\". This is actually causing a problem in early learning because parents start treating their kids as essentially learning challenged when they're really not. So it is starting to become an excuse ...", ">\n\nWe live in a society that loves to medicate people. I know it’s different but Did ppl forget about the opioid epidemic? They’ll diagnose your ass with anything if they can", ">\n\nYa I tend to agree. And no one is really saying so I will I guess, but id wager that 50% of psychologist \"professionals\" are totally full of shit. The actual number of psychologists that are are doing real research and clinical studies is EXTREMELY small compared to how many \"psychologists\" are out there. Just like chiropractors, half of them are hacks..", ">\n\nAnd ill say one more thing, though it is anecdotal, but i have direct family that works in special education for young children, and that system is fucked with a capital F. Thay are constantly fighting against parents and programs who try to box kids in the \"autistic\" zone, when they are just really quite or shy, or have pee problems. But parents want an excuse and reason for their behavior, and reduce them to a sub standard education and treatment for the rest of their lives. It's heart breaking. Especially in public schools.", ">\n\nI’m 32 years old. \nI didn’t self diagnose for attention although I remember the days of tumblr where everyone self diagnosed for clout.\nIt took me a decade to realize what is really happening. During the decade before I realized what may have been happening I was told the following:\nI’m rude\nI’m bossy\nI have a RBF/I look mad\nI also only managed to make my first real friend at age 27.\nWhat I was really displaying was:\nBeing overly blunt and just trying to get my point across came off rude when I didn’t intend it to be that way\nTrying to have things done at a certain time and way that no one else thought was important to follow\nUnmasking\nNoticed other things too that I just thought was me being weird:\nVocal stimming\nOral stimming-chewing, smoking, vaping\nRepetitive motions\nRocking\nEasily overwhelmed by too much sensory input\nHigh startle reflex \nInability to regulate my body’s needs-I don’t know I’m hungry until I’m ravenous; don’t recognize the need to use the bathroom until it’s causing me to rush off, don’t realize I’m cold until I’m shaking\nI could go on.\nI want an assessment so bad. But assessments for adults are EXTREMELY hard to setup, if you can even set them up at all. Some states don’t even offer them. I’ve been looking but they are only for children and seem to look for severe cases.\n14 years of thinking I was just a bitch who couldn’t make friends because I was too weird…turns out it might be autism. And turns out I’ll most likely never get a true diagnosis. But the RAADS test gave me a 127 score so that might be the closest I’ll ever get.", ">\n\ni kind of self diagnosed autism? i’ve been to many psychiatrists and therapists for years and they always see adhd in the half an hour and prescribe meds for that, which makes me not go there again. if they dug a little deeper they could have seen autism, i spoke to my current psychiatrist about if its possible i have it, she didn’t want to confirm or deny as i was moving out of state from friends and family and am at an age where i can have kids in the next 10 years since she doesn’t want me being concerned for them. \nI think there’s still lots of stigma around autism even with professionals and especially when identifying it in women. \nI don’t want to be autistic, but i can recognise a lot of different patterns comparing myself and others. I’ve researched it a ton especially in how it shows in women compared to men and in all the articles i found myself relating.\nNow i don’t say im autistic, i say im a little sus of being it tho lmao. and try pass it off casually. I find it’s a lot easier for me to understand and embrace my differences compared to trying to hide it and try be like everyone else or wonder why im not like everyone else. \nBeing older i can also recognise how a lot of my family on one side have suffered mentally and because of obvious neurodivergence. so im pretty sure, like the rest of my mentally challenged brain, has been inherited genetically through that side. \nAll that being said. I self diagnosed when i was about 12 that im highly likely to be depressed and anxious in attempt to get my mom to believe me i needed help, and now 8 years later i can identify that this has been an issue forever for me and that i likely cannot go off my meds because i will just go back to how i used to be. Im still ocd with all my meds, but its better than being anxious and depressed all the time, Having ocd throughout the day is like heaven to me in comparison to how i used to be. obviously the ocd isnt new, just a lot more heard in my brain now.", ">\n\nOk, I know some people self diagnoze themselves with [insert some mental illness here] out of attention or whatever, and that's totally not ok.\nHowever, if you read all the symptoms and do proper research on a mental illness and everything clicks in to you, I'd say you can be fairly confident on a self diagnosis (although, it might be worth it to double check with a professional, especially if you want any sort of treatment). But also for some people, it might not be affordable to go to a professional...", ">\n\nI live in Canada, I've engaged with the medical system, doctors don't care and just want you out, ERs are a 8 hour wait for someone to ignore one thing and won't even entertain other issues even if they are related. Self-diagnosis is really the only way to get any kind of proper treatment at all. \nThe doctors will rubber stamp just about anything you ask for except pain killers but in terms of diagnosis you're way better off doing it yourself, sure you don't have 8 years of medical school but the doctors won't give you 5 mins of their time, they are not better than google and you give a lot more of a shit than they will and at the end of the day it's your body.", ">\n\nBack in the 90s when I was a teenager, the kids/teenagers/young adults who wanted attention, and wanted to be different, adopted the goth lifestyle. Dressing up in all black. White foundation with black lipstick and eyeshadow. It was the trendy way to be different, to be viewed as outcasts of society. To not fit in. \nThe goth lifestyle of the 2020s is self diagnosis. Same shit, different day.\nWhenever someone claims autism, or somewhere on the spectrum, I just roll my eyes and imagine that person just sucks at life.", ">\n\nI just think it’s a little more harmful nowadays due to the prevalence of social media. Ppl get sucked into groups and mindsets before they even have a real life chance. Then they hyper fixate on that they might be mentally Ill rather then just trying to live life to the fullest", ">\n\nI 100% agree with you", ">\n\nBecause it's the age of spin this generation has something for everybody. And all of them are Google doctors. Lol", ">\n\nTook my uncle till he was 38 even thought it was apparent to everyone. Hell he got expelled from two schools", ">\n\nI get what you're saying. I frankly find it weird that more people don't find this weird. People self-diagnosing themselves as all kinds of things not only completely misrepresents the actual conditions, thereby making people even more confused as to what they actually are and how they present, but also leads people to run to a psychiatrist claiming false symptoms and getting medication for something they don't have, which is NOT a good thing. People should never be taking medication unless it is necessary. We are a heavily over-medicated society and this is a big factor in that. Caffeine to wake up in the morning, \"immuno-boosters\" and mood stabilizers during the day, sleeping pills to sleep at night. The caffeine and sleeping pills are addictive and can really mess up your circadian rhythm, and the mood stabilizers can really fuck you up if you don't need them. Instead of rushing to diagnose and medicate everyone, we need to educate them on human behavior and show them that their \"mental health\" problems are completely normal.\nOh, so you get nervous right before you make huge life decisions? That's not Anxiety Disorder, it's just anxiety.\nOh, you are really sad because your cat died? That's not Clinical Depression, you are just grieving.\nOh, you went from really happy to really sad when you were previously happy and something really shitty happened to you and soured your mood? That's not Bipolar Disorder, that's just life.\nOh, you like to be more organized than the people around you? That's not Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, you just like to be organized.\nPeople really misunderstand the nature of these conditions and it hinders our collective progress in treating them, like dramatically inflating the number of actual conditions in the population, making it increasingly more difficult to determine how common and how varied they are. After all, in most cases it is not the psychiatrist or psychologist who makes you better, you make you better. Medication can help and other people can show you the path to success, but the problem will never get solved unless you play an active role in the treatment. Some conditions can never be solved, only lessened, while others are virtually untreatable. We need to stop making these conditions seem cool. They aren't. They are serious and need to be taken seriously.", ">\n\nHeavily agree and I appreciate how well this comment is worded. Wish I coulda worded mine a little better", ">\n\nYa I saw you getting shredded in the comments and figured I'd sum it up for you. 🤣", ">\n\nLmao bro I didn’t expect this many. I was thinking maybe like 20 ppl would reply", ">\n\nYou need to self diagnose in many cases in order to get adequate help.", ">\n\nI knew when I had ADD and IBS, and I was able to get my suspicions confirmed by my respective doctors. Doctors are there to help the patients understand themselves, whereas the patients have to go home every day and live with what they actually have. Do not be so quick to judge.", ">\n\nJust to add here - Autism in women is less prevalent because it presents differently and is often not picked up by standardised diagnostic tests (that were developed on an almost exclusively male sample). I think that also goes to show that there’s p significant issues with what we consider ‘scientific’ and research based in the first place.", ">\n\nI grew up in a small town and we had quite a few autistic boys but only one autistic girl. Literally only one out of like 6-8 grades. So that’s like a 10-1 ratio. It’s gotta be a lot statistically smaller then males. I don’t doubt it happens I just know it’s a lot less", ">\n\nYou think your small town’s makeup is generalizable to all of society? That isn’t how statistics work.", ">\n\nSo my question would be - so what do we do?\nYou think people are diagnosing themselves to gain attention. Fine, but what's the next step?\nSee, I think I might be bipolar 2. But I went on a journey where I looked into the techniques for dealing with this issue. That led me to cognitive behavior therapy.\nThat actually made me more convinced that this was my issue because I have taught myself a lot of cognitive behavior therapy techniques to address the same issues. These practices have really helped me.\nIt sounds like your issue is that these people are getting attention for it. To me, these are people who need someone to help guide them. That would have helped me a lot when I was younger. Society today doesn't really give us the tools to sort this out, but just the knowledge that these things exist can push someone down the rabbit hole to learn about therapy that could really help.\nI think you should ask yourself what your motivations are. Do you really want them to understand themselves? Or are you more interested in steering the conversation toward other topics?\nPersonally, I would deal with these people by paying them forward. I would tell them to understand the practices that typically help these people, and see if they are relevant. I would tell them to seek professional help, and to refrain from diagnosing themselves, but I would encourage them to be critical of themselves and to learn more.\nImo, the way out is through.", ">\n\nI agree with you but it’s not mostly women. Maybe by happenstance that’s the case in your circle but broadly men do this too.", ">\n\nDoctor's are consulting the Mayo Clinic website after talking to a patient and getting their symptoms. I bring that up to say this; a doctor's training is needed for very serious diseases and tricky diagnoses, but a semi-intelligent person could look up their symptoms and get a lot of the more minor stuff right.", ">\n\nI've never been diagnosed as clinically depressed or anything, but that doesn't mean that I don't suffer from depression a lot of the time (these last few years, more often than not). I see a therapist. I take antidepressants. \nI have a friend who has aphantasia. It isn't really a \"diagnosable\" condition, but it describes what he has trouble with: creating images in his mind.", ">\n\nThat’s different then going online and claiming perfectly normal traits mean you’re autistic", ">\n\nNeurodivergence ≠ mental illness.", ">\n\nThey know themselves and their experiences better than you.", ">\n\nOP, I'm seeing some differences between your post and what you're saying in the comments. \nMy question is, do you have a problem with people self-diagnosing, or is your issue more about people drawing a lot of public attention to their diagnoses?", ">\n\nOverall both but definitely the attention part more so for obvious reasons. The self diagnosing part due to the fact that it can make people believe it can be an excuse for their actions good or bad. I think In a weird way it can allow people to take away the responsibility of their own actions and attribute to their mental illness", ">\n\nAs someone who has been diagnosed with ADHD, having people self diagnosing doesn't bother me at all, because I went the path of not knowing at all what I had and letting doctors figure out by themselves... and it took me 4 years and a half to finally have a concrete answer that no doctors would have found out if I didn't start searching on my own. You can't walk into every doctor's office with the assumption they'll figure out what you have, because it's not their speciality, or they still have an outdated view (not every doctor are kept up to date with new discovers), or they're biased, etc... \nI've never been annoyed by people who self diagnose. Hell, if I knew what was about to happen to me, I would have done the same way sooner.", ">\n\nMost women today arent faking it, they are noticing the symptoms no one else noticed and trying to find help. Its not easy to grow up with this kind of stuff. Is not coincidence you think women are less likely to be born to autism instead of thinking how weird it is that for some reason most autism diagnosis happen to men, that is the misogyny in the medical comunity.\nSelf diagnosis means this women will go to doctors and it most case scenarios they will get diagnoses because they have this issue all their life.\nSocial media is giving people awareness of the issue in medicine and how it affects women. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Misogyny in medicine also leads to people not knowing the difference between a heart attack in a woman and a man. It leads to women thinking its something else because internet and books will tell you how a man will feel a heart attack, even doctors sometimes dont know this.", ">\n\nGetting a diagnosis or treatment is borderline impossible for a lot of people. So self diagnosis is sometimes the only way they can help themselves.", ">\n\nNot a mental illness. But, I am a trans person and I pretty much self-diagnosed and self-medicated. I just had physicians do blood test.\nI educated myself on how everything works in about eight month period. I did that over a decade.\nI don’t regret my decision, and if I did. The regret would be not starting any sooner, especially when people who aren’t physicians or therapists are having a final say about these things.", ">\n\nIt is very noticeable and annoying, buuuut it’s proven autism manifest differently in females. Plus women are (very) often under diagnosed and dismissed for many many things by doctors, which is absolutely disgusting. Aaaand the cost of healthcare is outrageous.", ">\n\nwomen being less likely to be diagnosed with autism has nothing to do with an actual gender gap in who does and doesn’t have autism and everything to do with the fact autistic women are diagnosed with personality disorders and mental illnesses due to stigmas. most autism research was done on men and therefore women are underrepresented and more often than not misdiagnosed. autism actually occurs at a similar rate in both sexes. also, it’s not a mental illness, it’s a neurological condition (not that mental illnesses aren’t, but illness implies there’s something wrong, which there isn’t in autistic people). i agree that self diagnosing leads to misinformation and harms those who are clinically diagnosed though.", ">\n\nA lot of medical diagnoses are based on white male studies, so yes you would see more women finding out they have certain mental illnesses now as professionals are realizing it can show differently in females vs males. Adhd, for example, was considered something only seen in young boys that would grow out of it, now they are realizing that you don't in fact grow out of it and women can have it too. \nMental illness was a taboo subject back in the day as well, especially for women. It was only in 1980 I think that hysteria was no longer considered a mental illness. Women would be diagnosed with 'hysteria' and committed for symptoms like anxiety and anger. So now a lot of women are learning more about their mental health because they feel safe to do so. \nMy mother is in her early 70's and still refuses to tell anyone her own health issues or even mine, I have cancer and we were going to go on a trip as it's unknown how much longer I have and she refused to ask for the day off because she wouldn't tell them the reason why.", ">\n\nI detest self diagnosis, though once you’ve studied advanced level abnormal psychology shit happens. \nAs far as kids go, the generalized anxiety and depressive spectrum diagnoses can occasionally be accurate however that would warrant professional intervention regardless.\nOne serious issue among others; if an adolescent “decides” they have major depressive disorder that can become a self fulfilling prophecy and cause despair and reluctance to seek treatment", ">\n\nLook at the price and lack of availability of mental health care, and the total lack of privacy of internet connected devices. Most practitioners don’t offer in person visits anymore, and even if they do they probably do digital records or have their phone present. Ofc people are self diagnosing.", ">\n\nCounterpoint: many people do not have the means to access diagnoses for mental illnesses and other disorders, and it can sometimes be the only way to explain their feelings to others. Autism diagnoses in particular are extremely difficult to access for adults and even teens. I suspected I had autism for years and the only way I was able to get a diagnosis was through the mental health treatment program I was in during highschool which had a psychologist there. I only could attend because I live in Canada with universal healthcare. Many, many people are not as fortunate as me. Most people in the world cannot access diagnosis in the first place, including many in richer countries. \nYour comment about women statistically 'being born with autism on a far lesser scale than men' misses the well-known problem of underdiagnosis of autism in women. Autism presents itself differently in women than men (I can say as an autistic woman who knows other autistic women) and the criteria for autism were based on cis white men. Autism in women is is often misdiagnosed as CPTSD (which many autistic people ALSO unfortunately have), borderline personality disorder, anxiety, depression, etc. \nAlthough self-diagnosis is often problematic and used by teenagers to feel special, for the people who take it seriously and are intellectually honest there currently isn't really a better alternative for them to try and explain their experiences when they cannot access diagnoses.", ">\n\nWhat you are describing is NOT a new phenomenon. I was born in 1975 and have been observing this phenomenon my entire life. Nothing new about it at all.", ">\n\nSelf diagnosis is often the first step in going to go and get an actual diagnosis. Getting diagnosed with a mental disorder, especially as an adult, is basically impossible if you aren't actively seeking it out. For several reasons, one of which is that pretty much all the diagnostic criteria are written about children. \nI'm properly diagnosed and even on disability for mental disorders and I knew what I had for years before I got diagnosed. \nI understand there's a feeling of \"stolen valour\" to it. And there is indeed a subset of people doing it for attention or because it's fashionable, OCD in particular being a common example, but the good that comes from self diagnosis more than outweighs the bad.", ">\n\nCorrect me if I’m wrong, but don’t all, or at least most mental disorders lie on a spectrum?", ">\n\nI was diagnosed ADD/ ADHD as a child an im getting re-evaluated next month because i think the diagnosis must be bullshit.\nI have a close friend that wasn't diagnosed ADD/ADHD until they were 22 and in an Ivy league vet program\nThe amount of people that say they cant do well in school simply because they have add/ adhd is bullshit if u ask me. Also, people justify abusing adderal because theyre ADHD and i think thats BS too. I decided never to take it and just abuse caffeine instead to avoid the health side effects", ">\n\nThe current US medical system is such garbage that self advocacy is important. \nSometimes it is wrong. Sometimes professionals ignore you or only pay attention to things insurance companies will pay for. Sonetimes they are also wrong. Or they're incentivized to get you out of a hospital bed ready or not. \nAdministrators and insurance companies get all the money. Nurses, aides, patients all suffer.", ">\n\nEspecially when they don't even understand what the disorder is in the first place. \"I'm a loner so I'm anitsocial.\" That's not what that means.... Or my favorite, \"I'm detailed oriented so I have OCD, lulz I am so le quirky! ;P\"" ]

[ "The diagnosis process for a lot of psychiatric conditions are surveys and questionaires. You can go to a psychiatrist and ask if you're anxious and they'll give you multiple choice questions and diagnose off of that. Or you can just google the form yourself and self diagnose. A lot of psychiatric disorders are about how we feel and think. Not about sending off some blood sample to a lab and getting a positive result come back.\n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. For such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nWhat you're describing are all neuroses that could indicate some deeper psychiatric condition. Whether a person has a mental health condition or not, thinking of ourselves as weak victims is never helpful in any context, yet it's something we all feel from time to time.\nI'm a disability support worker, so when someone tells me they've got a self diagnosed condition, it's not offensive to me or any disabled person I know, it doesn't come across like they're invalidating anyone else's condition. However I do think everyone should talk to a doctor about any condition they feel they might have.", ">\n\nPiggybacking off of this: You’ve spent your whole entire life inside your own brain. A therapist will spend a period of hours with you and give you a diagnosis. Who do you think knows your personal reality better than yourself?", ">\n\nYeah exactly, especially with conditions such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, PTSD, and many other psychiatric conditions. These are things people know they have even before they get a diagnosis. The diagnosis stage is more about treatment and management.\nPeople might be unaware of how severe or mild their condition is, some people think they have only mild PTSD despite constant nightmares and suicidal ideation. Some people will think they have severe ADHD because they can't concentrate for long times on things that don't interest them. It's good to get some perspective from experts but ultimately people know when they are struggling to focus or to struggling to stop stressing all the time or struggling to not be miserable. Struggling with our thoughts and feelings is evidence enough to self diagnose.", ">\n\nI was recently diagnosed with ADHD as a woman so I find this viewpoint interesting.\nFirstly, autism is not a mental illness. An autistic person may have mental illness in conjunction with autism, but autism alone lies under the neurodivergent umbrella. Neurodivergency can include autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and other similar conditions.\nWhy women are often underdiagnosed\nThese are serious disabilities that can really impede a person's life, especially if they struggle to find help and acceptance in their community. A lot of women start their journey towards diagnosis later in life due to a number of factors such as:\n\nPoor diagnostic tools and inexperienced professionals\nA misunderstanding that autism and ADHD are more common in boys\nAdvanced masking techniques to cover their 'traits'\n\nWhy women are often diagnosed later in life.\nThe process for many women and men who are diagnosed later in life often includes a level of burnout or breakdown. After a while everything becomes too much, the mask begins to slip and your traits go into overdrive.\nWhy does self-diagnosing seem to be on the rise?\nA common way of finding out you could possibly be neurodivergent is through media and people who are aware of these traits appear.\nIn the past few years, I have seen an increasing awareness of neurodivergence in women pop up in the media. This is useful for people like myself who had no idea wtf was wrong with them for a very long time. For me, a GP actually suggested I seek a diagnosis due to some struggles I was going through.\nAs someone who went through this process self-diagnosing is commonly the first step as an adult. You might be directed to a questionnaire and are asked to evaluate yourself and your experiences thinking back to your childhood. If there's some merit in your experiences than you move to the next step which involves seeking a professional. Waitlists are often months to years long so many people live in limbo for a long time.\nMethods of living with ADHD can help everyone. And everyone experiences ADHD traits from time to time. Given a large amount of stress we have all suffered collectively, I don't doubt there are a lot of people with increased mental health issues that mirror neurodivergent traits. Some mental illnesses can get very severe and alter your brain chemistry and behaviour.\nMy takeaway from this is that the mental health systems set up to assist these people are a much larger issue and cause for serious concern than self-diagnosing.\nApologies for the spelling and grammar errors. Grammarly and Reddit don't play nice.", ">\n\nI think it's two things. One, people have identity crises, especially teenagers. We all know that type of person who tries on identities like hats. That's pretty embarrassing. You usually grow out of that.\nTwo, from personal experience, giving yourself a label or a diagnosis makes it feel more contained and easy to communicate. It's easier to tell someone that you have X and have them understand what you're going through rather than telling them you have these vague symptoms resembling what you imagine X is like. In that respect, it is pretty understandable, possibly good, and not embarrassing. There's something that is sort of reassuring if you can finally get a word to put on what you're experiencing.\nPeople often sympathize with the diagnosis but not with the symptoms. Tell people at work you're autistic and they will sympathize with you and possibly not attack you. Tell them you do not understand social cues and they will probably just make fun of you.", ">\n\nI understand the desire to put a label with a disease, and this is not necessarily bad, but the diagnosis needs to be correct. If you want to tell others that you are autistic or depressed; you must actually be those things. A person can almost never correctly assertion their disease, only their symptoms. People might better understand you if you say your autistic, but you may incorrectly understand and describe yourself. If one wishes to put a name with symptoms, they should find a doctor to pick the label", ">\n\nfor sure but unfortunately our medical system is a joke and even if you are experiencing very severe symptoms it can be nearly impossible to see a professional or take months on a waiting list.\nEven then a professional may be reluctant to slap a label on you for fear of what the consequences of that might be. I saw someone for a very long time who resisted any sort of actual diagnosis because the truth is that what I was experiencing didn't fit neatly into any of the boxes and pretty much belonged in this vague \"other\" category which isn't particularly helpful. Not to mention that misdiagnosis happens all the time even by professionals. \nI just think it is sort of understandable because I think a lot of stuff is kind of a spectrum anyway and just different levels of severity. Things can be really confusing and hard to nail down and thus communicate in a way that causes someone else to be understanding rather than judgemental.", ">\n\nAre you under the impression this is a new phenomenon? Because it's definitely not.\nPeople - especially young people! - crave identity. The world is a confusing place, knowing who you are makes it a little easier. Sometimes it's self-diagnosing mental illness or learning disabilities, or exploring sexual identity, or cliques, or subcultures. There's nothing embarrassing about it, it just is what it is.", ">\n\nIt’s ok to want to express individuality but not to the extent of totally destroying the definition of a real thing and making it hard for actual mentally Ill ppl to get a diagnosis. Why can’t people just accept that they’re different rather then giving themselves a label?", ">\n\npeople on TikTok claiming to have disorders that they don't doesn't affect the precision of psychiatrists diagnosing actual patients. There's no TikTok-said section in the DSM. Why do you think that it does?", ">\n\nIt just encourages more people to get diagnosed possibly skewing the meaning of the mental illness", ">\n\nSkewing it towards statistical accuracy? If people are actually diagnosed at higher rates, we have a better Guage of population-level mental illness, neurodivergency, etc. Better data is more usable, so that research actually means something actionable, ASIDE from the identity boost for young people.", ">\n\nI think what OP is driving at, but utterly failing to explain, is that they think that the fakers will be accommodated by the psychiatric system and diagnosed on the basis of fake symptoms. my sense is that isn't a problem but I don't have data.", ">\n\nDefinitely explained it a little better then I could lol", ">\n\nWhere do you see evidence of that? Any articles about fakers? How about a statistic? If not, it’s just a fear you seem to have.", ">\n\nI think the salient line here is this one:\n\nNeurologists were able to quickly determine that the subjects were not \nsuffering from Tourette's, but psychogenic tics driven by anxiety.", ">\n\nWomen are not born with less autism, but are much less likely to be diagnosed as children than boys. This is partly because boys generally have similar symptoms and behaviors. \nSo of course more women are self diagnosing autism, since their diagnoses were missed as children on a much higher rate.", ">\n\nAlright, I'm diagnosed OCD, PTSD, chronic depression. Diagnosed by a professional so I think I have some grounds to talk about this.\nFirst, let's tackle your women comment about autism. You see, I understand where you're coming from, but you lack the nuance of recognizing that mental illness, and illness in general, is heavily under-diagnosed in women. The medical culture is heavily favored towards men and is rampant with mysogyny, and that's not just me saying it as I've had medical professionals blatantly tell me it's a problem in the field when questioned about it. I've also had some tell me that it's just because women whine a lot, so yanno make of that statement what you will.\nNow that we've covered that let me address the self-diagnosing issue. So, do you want to know what my therapist thinks of self-diagnosing? Well, when I asked them about it they said that self-diagnosing is an important first step to seeking help. Psychiatrist said the same thing. It's normal, expected even, for people to self-diagnose their issues then seek help for them. You can't exactly just peer into someone's brain, no, that person has to tell you what they think is wrong and why they think it is. \nWhat you actually have a problem with is not self-diagnosis, but with people not seeking or not being able to get medical assistance and assuming they're right. You have a problem with people using these issues for attention, which I do too, but once again self-diagnosing is not the problem. Finally, you have a problem with the medical system that forces people into the position of trying to figure out their mental illnesses, but having no ability to get help for them.", ">\n\nI think I did it", ">\n\nSadly no lol, it was not done properly. Do you need a link to the rules?", ">\n\nI already read them i think I’ll figure it out in a bit sorry for the hold up", ">\n\nBecause everyone else is being aggressive: you have to comment with ∆ or !delta and then explain how your view has been changed", ">\n\nThis delta has been rejected. You can't award OP a delta.\nAllowing this would wrongly suggest that you can post here with the aim of convincing others.\nIf you were explaining when/how to award a delta, please use a reddit quote for the symbol next time.\n^Delta System Explained ^| ^Deltaboards", ">\n\nWhat gives you the authority or knowledge to know this is the problem?", ">\n\nYou don’t think it’s a problem that a lot of young ppl are willing to go to the extent of saying they are mentally Ill either for attention or to excuse their weirdness? Just accept that your different. It’s not wrong to believe you’re different without a label", ">\n\nYou did not even try to answer my question.", ">\n\nI’m sorry I was confused on what you meant", ">\n\nIf you are mad at people for self diagnosing themselves because they don't have the knowledge or authority to do so.... what gives you the knowledge or authority to diagnosis this as the problem behavior... basically are you just a kid that is annoyed, or is there some actual studies out there that is claiming this is a problem.", ">\n\nIf you don’t think that people consistently seeking attention for mental illness or craving a label so badly to justify themselves rather then being themselves. That just shows what your views are", ">\n\nDont you think we should leave the diagnosing to the professionals?", ">\n\nI mean yeah", ">\n\nWould you agree that you are diagnosing these people by saying that they are only seeking attention and do not have a real mental illness?", ">\n\nI’m assuming", ">\n\nThere may be some truth to people wanting to be different, however with mental illnesses being more accepted in today's society, many people are a lot more comfortable with being neurodivergent. Additionally, self diagnosis is common because the alternative is spending upwards to $1000-$2000 for a clinical diagnosis.", ">\n\nI know costs suck, but self diagnosis can be much more harmful. A web.md page that tells you your depressed when you may actually be bipolar can lead to really messed up results. I would even go as far as to say that no diagnosis at all is preferable to an uninformed one", ">\n\nWell.\n​\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad \n\nSo you already know why they're doing what they're doing in addition the fact that you know that they're not Autistic? If your claim is that they can't know and only a doctor can, what makes you more qualified? You start out your argument admitting that you have a bias.\n\nthey’re “neurodivergent.\n\nNeurodivergent is an umbrella that covers both Autism and ADHD, which sometimes get mistaken for each other. So if you're upset that they're self-diagnosing, this term should be more welcome than \"Autistic\" because it's more generalized.\n\nnd when you ask them how they know they’ll say “oh I have this weird tick when I uh laugh when someone says something funny “ or “I have a hyper fixation on this topic so I must be autistic\n\nHow else should they communicate it to you? The list of aspects of Autism, especially for how it presents in women, sounds a lot like this. You're not a doctor, they don't have to prove anything to you by going down the entire list of every possible part of their daily experience that might be on the spectrum.\n\nWomen statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nNope. Women are diagnosed less often than men because the original diagnostic criteria for Autism was for Autism as it presents in males. It presents differently for females and is harder to diagnose, especially at younger ages. \n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized\n\nTodays youth want to be victimized? Why would anyone want to be victimized? Something tells me you're missing the mark with this terminology.\n\nor have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. \n\nSo if someone is Autistic and that makes them weird, you'd rather them just be forced to not get to have a name for it, and get the therapeutic treatment that would help them?\n\nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really [are] without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nSome people are autistic. If they find out and it makes them feel good, that doesn't mean they're craving attention. And if they are craving attention, it's because they're normal people and everyone does. \nIf someone thinks they're autistic but it turns out they're actually not, chances are they suspected it for a reason. They might have ADHD, a personality disorder, a mental health issue, or simply a slightly different way of experiencing the world that feels unique to them and there's nothing wrong with that. \nYou seem to think that other people do things for you. People generally don't. They do things for themselves. This is especially true of people on the Autism Spectrum who may not be able to easily use other people's experiences to reference when constructing their view of the world, and can only use their own. Your interpretation wherein they do it to evoke a response from you says more about you than it does about them.", ">\n\nYou’re being deliberately obtuse. OP is completely correct. Most of the people these days who say “I’m ADHD” or “I’m autistic” or “I’m neurodivergent” are absolutely not diagnosed as such and are doing it to seem unique or get attention or as some excuse for why they did x y or z.", ">\n\nI'd like to point out that while some are perhaps attention seeking, many people self diagnose simply because they don't have access to free medical/psychological professionals to get proper diagnosis and help with their issues. I also know someone who doesn't want to get an official diagnosis because he's afrad it will affect his insurance rates or somehow come back to bite him if he's offically labeled with having a neurological disorder. \nThere is a wealth of knowledge on these subjects available online for those interested. And if they are truly interested in self diagnose they can likely do that accurately enough for all intents and purposes. Most of these people who search for the sake of better understanding themselves or their loved ones will openly admit that it's a self diagnoses, or say they THINK they have x,y, or z. But in some situations it's just as well to say they have it if they feel certain anyway, and it's just a passing comment, and not a discussion on the matter. \nIn other words, just because they self diagnose doesn't mean they're wrong, nor does it explain their motives. I also don't see how attention seeking (for those who ARE doing that) is really hurting anyone else. Fakers gonna be fake, that's more a \"them\" kind of problem. ANNOYING, but mostly harmless.", ">\n\nUnless you have a doctor's diagnosis you don't have the disorder. Even if you are broke there are programs to help with costs. \nAnd yes it does affect me when someone is treating me like shit and tries using the I have such and such as an excuse and then people get mad at ME for calling them in their bullshit.", ">\n\nNo. You have to have the disorder before you CAN be diagnosed, so obviously there are undiagnosed people who in fact \"have the disorder \". Your refusal to acknowledge an undiagnosed disorder does not mean they don't have it. Your personal experience with people supposedly using a fake diagnosis to treat you badly, sounds unusual. How do you know they DIDN'T have it? People who do lie and just want to be jerks will do that regardless of what methods they decide to try. The methods are irrelevant. And that motive is not typical of most self diagnosers .", ">\n\nSounds unusual? You must not get out a lot because it's become a pretty regular thing. Every single person I know (about 8) that have self diagnosed themselves as neurodivergent or with a mental illness like Bi-polar all use it to excuse their shitty ass behaviors. \nToo many disorders can mirror other ones. Just because they think they have 2/3 symptoms doesn't make them right by a long shot. Keep living in your bubble.", ">\n\nYou don't have to have a relationship with anyone. If they treat you badly, regardless of an official diagnosis or not, you don't have to tolerate them. It makes no difference what they have or don't have. What would it change if they got diagnosed and actually have it?", ">\n\nSelf diagnosing has been a thing forever\nAnd it's not a problem im 99% sure me or any other autistic person doesn't really give 2 fucks about people who wanna fake disorders. It doesn't stop us from getting help, we have doctors notes, medical files, sometimes even volunteers, you need those files to get into let's say a special education class, or a life skills course.\nSo unless you were diagnosed by a professional you're probably not gonna make it far faking it.\n(Excuse my shitty punctuation)", ">\n\nIt doesn’t bother you that they’re making others take the actual meaning away from what you were born with? I mean I’m sure autism hasn’t made your life easy and seeing ppl claim it for attention to be quirky probably has to annoy you a little right?", ">\n\nAt the end of the day I still have ADHD and I still need help with it. More people being diagnosed with it doesn’t change that fact. In fact I was diagnosed because I realized I related to so many tiktok memes, and I’m sure others are in my same boat. \nIn fact I think so many people talking about ADHD helps. It means more people who possibly have tips for me, people who are suffering who can’t afford treatment have an easy way to learn about how to improve their lives, and more people who are aware of my disorder.", ">\n\nI think people do diagnose themselves too often without seeking professional help. BUT mental illness is not the same as being neurodivergent.", ">\n\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad that they’ll go as far to say they’re “neurodivergent.”\n\nWhile this is the case, I don't really see how it's a \"problem\" per se. I guarantee that these people still make lifestyle decisions based on what they think is best, or based on what they want to do.\n\nbut it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women\n\nDo you have any statistics for that? I haven't experienced it that way in my own anecdotal experience, and I'd be curious to look into the data to see how much that truly does skew in that direction.\n\nwanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness \nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nI understand what you're trying to say here, but I don't really think these things are connected as much as you think they are. People see something wrong with themselves, so they either playfully or seriously consider the fact that it could be a condition that they have similar symptoms to. Not that it never happens, but just because someone categorizes themselves into a disability group that could potentially excuse their \"quirks\", doesn't mean they think that behavior is unacceptable in any way. People see a problem, and assume it's linked to this other issue that seems similar that they already know about.", ">\n\nI agree with the conclusion that self-diagnosis is a real issue, and I wouldn't be surprised if the data indicated it was on the rise. I wouldn't necessarily frame it as a simple desire to \"be victimized\" however. While it is purely speculation, I do believe there are a number of conditions which might lead towards a more frequent experience of symptoms associated with mental illness - a rising wealth gap, perpetual anxiety from a 24-hour news cycle, intensification of self-commodification, the student debt crisis in certain countries like the US, and so on. So people are experiencing symptoms like low energy, mood swings, etc. that can be associated with mental illness. The issue with self-diagnosis then becomes that it may correctly identify the symptom, but incorrectly identify the cause.\nThis video from the YouTuber HealthyGamerGG does a good job of explaining what some of the issues with self-diagnosis are, and for me it was a good starting place for thinking about this more. \nEDIT: I forgot this video literally starts with this same topic being brought up on this same subreddit lol", ">\n\nA great theory based on reasonable causes with an educational video from a psychologist(I assume) as evidence to back it up. I applaud you sir. 👏", ">\n\nWhy are you embarrassed by other people's issues?", ">\n\nI’m a 30yo male. If I had not first self diagnosed with ASD and OCD, I never would have found the language and resources to get a formal diagnosis and help.\nPrior generations have been so fixated on avoidance of diagnosing mental disorders, and research was previously so lacking that we are only just now (through those that do get diagnosed) realizing how common mental disorders are. That plus the lack of mental health resources for neurotypical and neurodivergent I think is how we end up in this situation of many recognizing their symptoms in the new discourse, but lacking the resources to overcome the barriers to proper diagnosis and treatment.", ">\n\nIt’s not the best thing, no. \nAs an adult FINALLY diagnosed (by a licensed therapist) at 41, I can tell you why ‘self diagnosis’ is so tempting. \nIn the US at least- mental health, and official medical diagnosis are almost completely inaccessible, especially as an adult. Most of us grew up before Autism was a spectrum, and ADHD was just boys who acted out in class. We felt like aliens. We couldn’t understand why we didn’t have many friends, or why we didn’t like the ‘right things’, and generally spend the bill of our lives feeling ‘wrong’, ‘broken’ or just simply like we didn’t belong. \nFinally understanding the WHY, and even better, finding tools to addresses our issues is a huge huge weight off the chest. The relief of having a name and a strategy- either therapy or medicine is such an amazing relief!!", ">\n\nI only kinda agree if I had not done my own research I would have never found out I have sjorgens syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis I know TikTok people tend to diagnose themselves and it makes it look cringe but when you live with a incurable illness sometimes you have to work to find a diagnosis", ">\n\nWell, what do you do of you absolutely know you're neurodivergent, but your parents decided not to get you checked? My mom once told me \"we knew you had something, we just didn't get you checked because they would have just put you on pills\". So I struggled with being different, socially unaware, impulsive, obnoxious, agressive, selfish, for the better part of my life without having the self awareness to understand why I was these things, and why people wouldn't want to be around me. \nIn my late 20''s I asked the question, what if I'm actually autistic? I looked up the symptoms, and 9/10 matched. As a child I couldn't handle loud noises, restrictive clothing, I didn't talk until I was 3. I would throw fits for seemingly no reason, I had obsessive interests. I've always really struggled with eye contact, and I never cared for conversation unless it was something I liked. I mean, when the final piece of a puzzle fits so incredibly well, it's really hard for it to be wrong. \nSelf diagnosing actually really helped me grow as aj individual. I became aware of all my divergent behaviors, and why it might be annoying for someone else to deal with. I came to the realization that I was the one who was different, therefore I needed to change. It's way harder to make everyone around you cater to your needs than to overcome the things that upset you. I'm at peace, I have good friends that I can connect with on a pretty deep level. I no longer smash coffee tables when I lose, I can now appreciate that if I lose it just means I have more to learn. I can keep my house clean, I can reasonably hold myself accountable. What exactly is the harm in all that?\nBesides, it would be pretty pointless for me to try and get a diagnosis now, I've put the effort in and largely come out the other side. Anyone diagnosing me would just say I was normal, but they wouldn't have the intimate knowledge of me that I do. I guess it doesn't matter if people don't believe me, I don't go around shouting that I'm autistic. I will say, it would be really nice if people appreciated the effort I put in to get to get to a place of normalcy, something others take for granted, but it's okay, we all have our struggles.", ">\n\nI feel you on all that. To play devil's advocate, mental healthcare in the U.S. is not cheap. Many people go to the internet and confirm their bias about their current health", ">\n\nI feel you on that too OP. I agree 100% with your entire statement.", ">\n\nIt's a problem, but not a new one. In the 1990s there was briefly a surge of people with a type of delusional parasitosis, that is, the false belief that they were infested with parasites. Except this one was supposedly an infestation with tiny fibres. They would come to doctors with a whole list of symptoms to back up their incorrect self-diagnosis.\nTo a certain extent, these are social contagions, which come and go, and often actually end up leading to people having real problems. Like, the young women you mention, a couple of decades ago may well have ended up with anorexia, or self-cutting. These days it might be a self-declaration of autism or a belief that they have gender dysphoria or that they have multiple systems living in their minds.", ">\n\nWow I did not know that. Maybe it’s just so prevalent today due to social media. Social media has only made these things worse imo", ">\n\nEven before it being self diagnosis of a mental illness it was always something. Remember all the emo and goth teenager?", ">\n\nIt depends on the context. For example, if they've done a substantial amount of research, can name a good amount of symptoms they have and reasons they have whatever mental illness and don't have access to the necessary tools to get a medical diagnosis, it's totally different. Some people don't have the money to go out and get a diagnosis, or sometimes it would be better to not get a medical diagnosis. I believe that the reason that a lot of people self diagnose themselves with things like Autism is because they want an explanation as to why they are different, and they could be right or wrong. I think the most important part is that if you go to a psychologist (or even two, I know a lot of people prefer getting second opinions) and they say you don't have it, that you need to admit you were wrong. It's ok to be wrong about your mental health, and the key is to keep looking and to not give up. I can completely understand the frustration in people completely missing how difficult it actually may be to have a mental illness. I was clinically diagnosed with Depression, Anxiety, and PTSD when I was seven, and I've had some experience with people faking mental disorders for attention, and more often then not, they have another mental disorder that needs attention. Recently I had a (now ex) boyfriend insist he had PTSD after being tested twice and the psychiatrist saying that he didn't have it. What he does have is Depression and Anxiety, but he absolutely insisted he has PTSD despite never exhibiting symptoms and the only evidence being a test he took online that was supposedly a \"real PTSD test.\" People faking mental illnesses only harms people who really have them, as these people tend to exaggerate symptoms and use their self diagnosis for attention. I believe that I am autistic, but I don't list it as a diagnosis because while I have read articles and taken the RAADS-r test, I don't have an official diagnosis, and I could very well be wrong. As for women faking illnesses more often, something I've noticed is that things like Autism, ADHD, ADD, etc are more often diagnosed in boys rather than girls- mostly because when they were first discovered, most of the research was done in boys. Autism shows up differently in girls, and can often be blown off as early puberty hormones. If their hyperfixations are those of stereotypical feminine things, it's just a girl liking whatever, and if they hyperfixate in stereotypical masculine interests, they tend to just be viewed as weird, but not autistic. It's normal for people to question, but I agree that to a certain point, self diagnosis can be harmful, but only if not done correctly.", ">\n\nFirst and foremost not a new problem at all, very common, we used to call it \"Being a hypochondriac\" until it aparrently became reconized which in it self is confusing and a bit contradictory.\nANYWAY\nIt isnt really a problem, no doctor is gonna write the perscription for medication without a diagnosis of some sort.\nAt most there is the vauge \"But what about those who actually have it who arent taken serious\" dont worry, we wouldnt have anyway. Thats kinda how invisible illnesses work.\nOverall the 101 hypochondriacs screaming about the symptoms they read in the ICD might help make the knowledge more common and help people better reconize if their colleagues or friends happen to show symptoms of something.", ">\n\nIt’s pretty expensive in the US to get diagnosed. Personally, I’ve self diagnosed myself out of frustration of the way I process things. I’ve always felt slow & my anxiety/depression was deep because of it, but I was raised in a family that doesn’t believe in mental illness. It was always “if you work hard enough, all your problems will go away”. Meanwhile, i was racking my brain on how to make myself think faster/smarter & it would result in psychotic episodes. I’ve gotten fired from jobs, dropped out of school. I started self harming because I hated myself and my brain & almost commit suicide bc I had no idea what was going on.\nThe relief I felt once I finally got a therapist who validated me & was the first to talk to me about mental Illness. It blew my mind and all of a sudden things actually made sense to me. I currently think I have ADD, and sometimes I’ll tell people that but will preface it by saying I’m not professionally diagnosed. Still, I use mental tools that help me get through the day and build my confidence. I’m a lot better at processing conversations, making lists that help me remember things, unmasking, slowing down my thoughts… etc. I’m less frustrated and can see the beauty in how I process things. I still want to get diagnosed but I have to get health insurance….. lol", ">\n\nSelf diagnosis, regardless of being factual is a process where the individual realizes that they might have a mental health issue. People who can do this are more likely to seek professional help compared to the people who think they are “fine”. Going to a professional, licensed psychologist or a psychiatrist will eventually diagnose them with the correct disorder from there, and professionals have the skills to communicate with them and they can together evaluate if the person’s complaint is the issue or not. There is nothing embarrassing about discovering one’s self. It would be a problem if people would identify with an issue and don’t have any willingness to seek help. Sometimes overreacting is better than not reacting.", ">\n\nThe majority of people who are self-diagnosed with autism have done extensive research into it to come to that conclusion. I personally went through the DSM criteria with a fine-tooth comb, made a list of all the ways I met it and discovered that there’s not a single criteria i don’t meet for autism. I didn’t read about anything else but autism for weeks, approaching it from all angles before coming to the conclusion that it’s highly unlikely I am not autistic. I’m waiting to hear back about an assessment, but I’m not waiting to go and be told something I already know before I start advocating for myself. \nOh, and I absolutely did not want to be ‘different’, in fact my life mission to just blend in and be average is the root cause of most of my problems, but here we are.", ">\n\nThis self diagnosing young people do isn’t the problem. The problem is that our society encourages it.\nOur culture is not set up to accommodate a wide spectrum of human needs. You may need things that I don’t. I may need things that you don’t. But in most business settings, academic settings, or even places like restaurants or leisure places, the world isn’t built to accommodate everyone. Our world and society is a “one size fits all” approach, and most people don’t fit snugly inside of that system. \nIf you can classify what is “wrong” or “different” about you into an easily digestible form, people are generally more able and more willing to accommodate you.\nFor example: if I tell my coworkers that I need to leave work early because of a headache, I’ll be shamed for it. And in some cases I’ll be told that “headaches aren’t that bad!” Or “You don’t need to leave.” Or “I have a headache too, just deal with it!”\nBut if I tell my workers that I need to leave due to a painful neurological condition that’s flaring up (I have chronic migraine, which is a neurological condition), they will respect it 100% of the time. It’s met with sympathy and not criticism.\nThis happens for all sorts of things. “Sorry Im late, I slept in.” Sounds a lot worse then, “sorry I’m late, my insomnia has been terrible lately.” \nOur culture forces us to use these labels even when they’re untrue just to receive sympathy or acceptance. The problem isn’t people who decide to use these labels, the root problem is that our society refuses to embrace and accommodate people who are outside of the “norm.”", ">\n\nSpeaking as someone who's had an autism diagnosis since age 7: if someone declares they're autistic when they're not, that's obnoxious at worst. If someone is told they're not autistic when they are, that can cause lifelong harm from denied care and understanding. I have seen this happen to a close friend of mine.\nTherefore, I'd much rather err on the side of acceptance. If you think you're defending me and others like me from impersonators, we'd rather not have your help.\n\nI know people will disagree but it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women. Women statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nCase in point: women are diagnosed with autism far less than men. Recent studies have pointed to decades of systematic misdiagnosis. The more visible autistic symptoms sometimes manifest differently in girls, the way they're socialized may help them hide it from a young age, and of course lots of doctors just say \"your daughter can't be autistic, that's a boy thing.\"\nWe're learning that there are hundreds of thousands of autistic women who slipped through the cracks and were denied the recognition and support they needed because of dismissive, gatekeeping attitudes just like yours.", ">\n\nThere’s a difference between having a disorder and relating to a disorder. If the tools or language associated with a disorder helps someone live better though then cool, it’s all still odd. Also autism presents differently in woman, and a majority of our research on it is on men. Best practice is probably to support them and encourage them to seek treatment.", ">\n\nAutism is severely misdiagnosed in women. Completely under diagnosed. Actually, plenty of things are. The actual problem that we have is parents refusing to let their children get professional help or a diagnosis. Most doctors will diagnose you with BPD as a woman(aka the new female hysteria of our century), maybe put you on some anti psychotics and send you your way. In most countries, a diagnosis/specialist is not readily available, or there is a long waiting list. Even so, the doctors are not know it all. I have seen plenty of doctors, I got different diagnosis almost each time. They ask you some general questions (about your mood, the way you sleep, if you can concentrate, if you harm yourself, if you have suicidal ideation, if you can socialize properly, if your parents were diagnosed with anything, if you have hallucinations or delusions, the works) and then based on that, they will give you a diagnosis. If you use your common sense and information on the internet (given you are knowledgeable on the subject), you can take a good guess on what's wrong. Obviously, some people will exaggerate like with anything (seeing the shadow dude once in your childhood is not a sign of psychosis, neither is hearing your name called when you are alone once in a blue moon), but if you have visual and auditory hallucinations, perhaps weird tactile feelings/hallucinations (spiders are crawling on me, etc), delusions, tend to be forgetful and out of teach with reality, there is a good chance you do have psychosis.", ">\n\nOkay, to start: what do you think autism and ADHD are? They aren't mental illnesses nor are they mental health conditions. \nTo address some of your other points; \nStudies have shown that autism has a gender expression of 1:1. The only reason that women are under diagnosed is because of misunderstandings towards autism, then the diagnosis is conducted incorrectly. Thus it ends up getting conflated with mental illness, E.G BPD, and is diagnosed as a psychiatric disorder instead. This is a detriment to the patient as the care regimes are black and white different. Often times this severely damages the woman.\nFrom data sets that I recall reading, malingering hasn't risen much, if at all, in recent times. I remember it being around 8% of the global population who are engaging in this behaviour, to different extents. I think what's happened is that social media has turned a torch onto it and it's risen in popularity in an algorithmic way. You see it more because it's pushed by the algorithm more because people are searching for it more. It isn't actually occurring any more or less than historically. Most of that attention is negative attention, I should add. \nSo there's two things to take away from that.\n1) The actual act of pretending to be mentally ill, or to have a disability, which is called malingering, is in fact a form of mental unwellness itself. It's a cry for help. The people who do these things are usually very unstable and should be treated with a degree of empathy. The dangerous types who are using mental illness to scam others, or to manipulate them, make up a very small percentage of the overall amount of people in that group and tend to abuse one on one. \n2) The predominant response to this is generally negative. There isn't really any reason to publicly malinger unless you're unstable, this is because a rational person would likely know this, and know the damage it would cause themselves. Self-diagnosis is a very long, and self-aware, process that takes place over years of the individuals life, and proceeds official diagnosis. \nNo one SDs and says \"Okay that's it now! Let me start a TikTok!\" You'd still want support, and you'd still seek support. So that would end up with a doctor, who would see that you're lying, and treat you for whatever was prompting you to malinger. Anyone who has made this commitment knows that keeping it private is a sensible thing to do in a world that isn't inclusive, and often very stigmatising. Sometimes official diagnosis can take YEARS. \nThis kind of propaganda has been going around for a long time in an effort to discredit disabled people and people with mental illnesses. It's not new. People said the same things back in the 90s. People will always be afraid, and dismissive, of things they do not understand. I invite you to try and understand.", ">\n\nI self-diagnosed myself with endometriosis for 10 years before a doctor finally listened to me, opened me up, and found my insides littered with lesions all over my organs. I’m now not able to get pregnant and I might need to get part of my bowel taken out someday. This could’ve been avoided if someone had just listened to me when I was 16. \nSelf-diagnosing is a necessity in a misogynist world! No one takes us seriously! Especially medical professionals. \nThe best antidote for this is to listen to women who self-diagnose. Why do they think they have XYZ? Is it heavily interfering with their life? I think that’s a much larger problem.", ">\n\nIts been proven that there is a bias to diagnose as opposed to not diagnose a mental illness in psychology. So op is actually kinda correct. The definition of a mental illness is in effect being stretched so far that people who are just kinda weird are being diagnosed with \"on the spectrum\". This is actually causing a problem in early learning because parents start treating their kids as essentially learning challenged when they're really not. So it is starting to become an excuse ...", ">\n\nWe live in a society that loves to medicate people. I know it’s different but Did ppl forget about the opioid epidemic? They’ll diagnose your ass with anything if they can", ">\n\nYa I tend to agree. And no one is really saying so I will I guess, but id wager that 50% of psychologist \"professionals\" are totally full of shit. The actual number of psychologists that are are doing real research and clinical studies is EXTREMELY small compared to how many \"psychologists\" are out there. Just like chiropractors, half of them are hacks..", ">\n\nAnd ill say one more thing, though it is anecdotal, but i have direct family that works in special education for young children, and that system is fucked with a capital F. Thay are constantly fighting against parents and programs who try to box kids in the \"autistic\" zone, when they are just really quite or shy, or have pee problems. But parents want an excuse and reason for their behavior, and reduce them to a sub standard education and treatment for the rest of their lives. It's heart breaking. Especially in public schools.", ">\n\nI’m 32 years old. \nI didn’t self diagnose for attention although I remember the days of tumblr where everyone self diagnosed for clout.\nIt took me a decade to realize what is really happening. During the decade before I realized what may have been happening I was told the following:\nI’m rude\nI’m bossy\nI have a RBF/I look mad\nI also only managed to make my first real friend at age 27.\nWhat I was really displaying was:\nBeing overly blunt and just trying to get my point across came off rude when I didn’t intend it to be that way\nTrying to have things done at a certain time and way that no one else thought was important to follow\nUnmasking\nNoticed other things too that I just thought was me being weird:\nVocal stimming\nOral stimming-chewing, smoking, vaping\nRepetitive motions\nRocking\nEasily overwhelmed by too much sensory input\nHigh startle reflex \nInability to regulate my body’s needs-I don’t know I’m hungry until I’m ravenous; don’t recognize the need to use the bathroom until it’s causing me to rush off, don’t realize I’m cold until I’m shaking\nI could go on.\nI want an assessment so bad. But assessments for adults are EXTREMELY hard to setup, if you can even set them up at all. Some states don’t even offer them. I’ve been looking but they are only for children and seem to look for severe cases.\n14 years of thinking I was just a bitch who couldn’t make friends because I was too weird…turns out it might be autism. And turns out I’ll most likely never get a true diagnosis. But the RAADS test gave me a 127 score so that might be the closest I’ll ever get.", ">\n\ni kind of self diagnosed autism? i’ve been to many psychiatrists and therapists for years and they always see adhd in the half an hour and prescribe meds for that, which makes me not go there again. if they dug a little deeper they could have seen autism, i spoke to my current psychiatrist about if its possible i have it, she didn’t want to confirm or deny as i was moving out of state from friends and family and am at an age where i can have kids in the next 10 years since she doesn’t want me being concerned for them. \nI think there’s still lots of stigma around autism even with professionals and especially when identifying it in women. \nI don’t want to be autistic, but i can recognise a lot of different patterns comparing myself and others. I’ve researched it a ton especially in how it shows in women compared to men and in all the articles i found myself relating.\nNow i don’t say im autistic, i say im a little sus of being it tho lmao. and try pass it off casually. I find it’s a lot easier for me to understand and embrace my differences compared to trying to hide it and try be like everyone else or wonder why im not like everyone else. \nBeing older i can also recognise how a lot of my family on one side have suffered mentally and because of obvious neurodivergence. so im pretty sure, like the rest of my mentally challenged brain, has been inherited genetically through that side. \nAll that being said. I self diagnosed when i was about 12 that im highly likely to be depressed and anxious in attempt to get my mom to believe me i needed help, and now 8 years later i can identify that this has been an issue forever for me and that i likely cannot go off my meds because i will just go back to how i used to be. Im still ocd with all my meds, but its better than being anxious and depressed all the time, Having ocd throughout the day is like heaven to me in comparison to how i used to be. obviously the ocd isnt new, just a lot more heard in my brain now.", ">\n\nOk, I know some people self diagnoze themselves with [insert some mental illness here] out of attention or whatever, and that's totally not ok.\nHowever, if you read all the symptoms and do proper research on a mental illness and everything clicks in to you, I'd say you can be fairly confident on a self diagnosis (although, it might be worth it to double check with a professional, especially if you want any sort of treatment). But also for some people, it might not be affordable to go to a professional...", ">\n\nI live in Canada, I've engaged with the medical system, doctors don't care and just want you out, ERs are a 8 hour wait for someone to ignore one thing and won't even entertain other issues even if they are related. Self-diagnosis is really the only way to get any kind of proper treatment at all. \nThe doctors will rubber stamp just about anything you ask for except pain killers but in terms of diagnosis you're way better off doing it yourself, sure you don't have 8 years of medical school but the doctors won't give you 5 mins of their time, they are not better than google and you give a lot more of a shit than they will and at the end of the day it's your body.", ">\n\nBack in the 90s when I was a teenager, the kids/teenagers/young adults who wanted attention, and wanted to be different, adopted the goth lifestyle. Dressing up in all black. White foundation with black lipstick and eyeshadow. It was the trendy way to be different, to be viewed as outcasts of society. To not fit in. \nThe goth lifestyle of the 2020s is self diagnosis. Same shit, different day.\nWhenever someone claims autism, or somewhere on the spectrum, I just roll my eyes and imagine that person just sucks at life.", ">\n\nI just think it’s a little more harmful nowadays due to the prevalence of social media. Ppl get sucked into groups and mindsets before they even have a real life chance. Then they hyper fixate on that they might be mentally Ill rather then just trying to live life to the fullest", ">\n\nI 100% agree with you", ">\n\nBecause it's the age of spin this generation has something for everybody. And all of them are Google doctors. Lol", ">\n\nTook my uncle till he was 38 even thought it was apparent to everyone. Hell he got expelled from two schools", ">\n\nI get what you're saying. I frankly find it weird that more people don't find this weird. People self-diagnosing themselves as all kinds of things not only completely misrepresents the actual conditions, thereby making people even more confused as to what they actually are and how they present, but also leads people to run to a psychiatrist claiming false symptoms and getting medication for something they don't have, which is NOT a good thing. People should never be taking medication unless it is necessary. We are a heavily over-medicated society and this is a big factor in that. Caffeine to wake up in the morning, \"immuno-boosters\" and mood stabilizers during the day, sleeping pills to sleep at night. The caffeine and sleeping pills are addictive and can really mess up your circadian rhythm, and the mood stabilizers can really fuck you up if you don't need them. Instead of rushing to diagnose and medicate everyone, we need to educate them on human behavior and show them that their \"mental health\" problems are completely normal.\nOh, so you get nervous right before you make huge life decisions? That's not Anxiety Disorder, it's just anxiety.\nOh, you are really sad because your cat died? That's not Clinical Depression, you are just grieving.\nOh, you went from really happy to really sad when you were previously happy and something really shitty happened to you and soured your mood? That's not Bipolar Disorder, that's just life.\nOh, you like to be more organized than the people around you? That's not Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, you just like to be organized.\nPeople really misunderstand the nature of these conditions and it hinders our collective progress in treating them, like dramatically inflating the number of actual conditions in the population, making it increasingly more difficult to determine how common and how varied they are. After all, in most cases it is not the psychiatrist or psychologist who makes you better, you make you better. Medication can help and other people can show you the path to success, but the problem will never get solved unless you play an active role in the treatment. Some conditions can never be solved, only lessened, while others are virtually untreatable. We need to stop making these conditions seem cool. They aren't. They are serious and need to be taken seriously.", ">\n\nHeavily agree and I appreciate how well this comment is worded. Wish I coulda worded mine a little better", ">\n\nYa I saw you getting shredded in the comments and figured I'd sum it up for you. 🤣", ">\n\nLmao bro I didn’t expect this many. I was thinking maybe like 20 ppl would reply", ">\n\nYou need to self diagnose in many cases in order to get adequate help.", ">\n\nI knew when I had ADD and IBS, and I was able to get my suspicions confirmed by my respective doctors. Doctors are there to help the patients understand themselves, whereas the patients have to go home every day and live with what they actually have. Do not be so quick to judge.", ">\n\nJust to add here - Autism in women is less prevalent because it presents differently and is often not picked up by standardised diagnostic tests (that were developed on an almost exclusively male sample). I think that also goes to show that there’s p significant issues with what we consider ‘scientific’ and research based in the first place.", ">\n\nI grew up in a small town and we had quite a few autistic boys but only one autistic girl. Literally only one out of like 6-8 grades. So that’s like a 10-1 ratio. It’s gotta be a lot statistically smaller then males. I don’t doubt it happens I just know it’s a lot less", ">\n\nYou think your small town’s makeup is generalizable to all of society? That isn’t how statistics work.", ">\n\nSo my question would be - so what do we do?\nYou think people are diagnosing themselves to gain attention. Fine, but what's the next step?\nSee, I think I might be bipolar 2. But I went on a journey where I looked into the techniques for dealing with this issue. That led me to cognitive behavior therapy.\nThat actually made me more convinced that this was my issue because I have taught myself a lot of cognitive behavior therapy techniques to address the same issues. These practices have really helped me.\nIt sounds like your issue is that these people are getting attention for it. To me, these are people who need someone to help guide them. That would have helped me a lot when I was younger. Society today doesn't really give us the tools to sort this out, but just the knowledge that these things exist can push someone down the rabbit hole to learn about therapy that could really help.\nI think you should ask yourself what your motivations are. Do you really want them to understand themselves? Or are you more interested in steering the conversation toward other topics?\nPersonally, I would deal with these people by paying them forward. I would tell them to understand the practices that typically help these people, and see if they are relevant. I would tell them to seek professional help, and to refrain from diagnosing themselves, but I would encourage them to be critical of themselves and to learn more.\nImo, the way out is through.", ">\n\nI agree with you but it’s not mostly women. Maybe by happenstance that’s the case in your circle but broadly men do this too.", ">\n\nDoctor's are consulting the Mayo Clinic website after talking to a patient and getting their symptoms. I bring that up to say this; a doctor's training is needed for very serious diseases and tricky diagnoses, but a semi-intelligent person could look up their symptoms and get a lot of the more minor stuff right.", ">\n\nI've never been diagnosed as clinically depressed or anything, but that doesn't mean that I don't suffer from depression a lot of the time (these last few years, more often than not). I see a therapist. I take antidepressants. \nI have a friend who has aphantasia. It isn't really a \"diagnosable\" condition, but it describes what he has trouble with: creating images in his mind.", ">\n\nThat’s different then going online and claiming perfectly normal traits mean you’re autistic", ">\n\nNeurodivergence ≠ mental illness.", ">\n\nThey know themselves and their experiences better than you.", ">\n\nOP, I'm seeing some differences between your post and what you're saying in the comments. \nMy question is, do you have a problem with people self-diagnosing, or is your issue more about people drawing a lot of public attention to their diagnoses?", ">\n\nOverall both but definitely the attention part more so for obvious reasons. The self diagnosing part due to the fact that it can make people believe it can be an excuse for their actions good or bad. I think In a weird way it can allow people to take away the responsibility of their own actions and attribute to their mental illness", ">\n\nAs someone who has been diagnosed with ADHD, having people self diagnosing doesn't bother me at all, because I went the path of not knowing at all what I had and letting doctors figure out by themselves... and it took me 4 years and a half to finally have a concrete answer that no doctors would have found out if I didn't start searching on my own. You can't walk into every doctor's office with the assumption they'll figure out what you have, because it's not their speciality, or they still have an outdated view (not every doctor are kept up to date with new discovers), or they're biased, etc... \nI've never been annoyed by people who self diagnose. Hell, if I knew what was about to happen to me, I would have done the same way sooner.", ">\n\nMost women today arent faking it, they are noticing the symptoms no one else noticed and trying to find help. Its not easy to grow up with this kind of stuff. Is not coincidence you think women are less likely to be born to autism instead of thinking how weird it is that for some reason most autism diagnosis happen to men, that is the misogyny in the medical comunity.\nSelf diagnosis means this women will go to doctors and it most case scenarios they will get diagnoses because they have this issue all their life.\nSocial media is giving people awareness of the issue in medicine and how it affects women. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Misogyny in medicine also leads to people not knowing the difference between a heart attack in a woman and a man. It leads to women thinking its something else because internet and books will tell you how a man will feel a heart attack, even doctors sometimes dont know this.", ">\n\nGetting a diagnosis or treatment is borderline impossible for a lot of people. So self diagnosis is sometimes the only way they can help themselves.", ">\n\nNot a mental illness. But, I am a trans person and I pretty much self-diagnosed and self-medicated. I just had physicians do blood test.\nI educated myself on how everything works in about eight month period. I did that over a decade.\nI don’t regret my decision, and if I did. The regret would be not starting any sooner, especially when people who aren’t physicians or therapists are having a final say about these things.", ">\n\nIt is very noticeable and annoying, buuuut it’s proven autism manifest differently in females. Plus women are (very) often under diagnosed and dismissed for many many things by doctors, which is absolutely disgusting. Aaaand the cost of healthcare is outrageous.", ">\n\nwomen being less likely to be diagnosed with autism has nothing to do with an actual gender gap in who does and doesn’t have autism and everything to do with the fact autistic women are diagnosed with personality disorders and mental illnesses due to stigmas. most autism research was done on men and therefore women are underrepresented and more often than not misdiagnosed. autism actually occurs at a similar rate in both sexes. also, it’s not a mental illness, it’s a neurological condition (not that mental illnesses aren’t, but illness implies there’s something wrong, which there isn’t in autistic people). i agree that self diagnosing leads to misinformation and harms those who are clinically diagnosed though.", ">\n\nA lot of medical diagnoses are based on white male studies, so yes you would see more women finding out they have certain mental illnesses now as professionals are realizing it can show differently in females vs males. Adhd, for example, was considered something only seen in young boys that would grow out of it, now they are realizing that you don't in fact grow out of it and women can have it too. \nMental illness was a taboo subject back in the day as well, especially for women. It was only in 1980 I think that hysteria was no longer considered a mental illness. Women would be diagnosed with 'hysteria' and committed for symptoms like anxiety and anger. So now a lot of women are learning more about their mental health because they feel safe to do so. \nMy mother is in her early 70's and still refuses to tell anyone her own health issues or even mine, I have cancer and we were going to go on a trip as it's unknown how much longer I have and she refused to ask for the day off because she wouldn't tell them the reason why.", ">\n\nI detest self diagnosis, though once you’ve studied advanced level abnormal psychology shit happens. \nAs far as kids go, the generalized anxiety and depressive spectrum diagnoses can occasionally be accurate however that would warrant professional intervention regardless.\nOne serious issue among others; if an adolescent “decides” they have major depressive disorder that can become a self fulfilling prophecy and cause despair and reluctance to seek treatment", ">\n\nLook at the price and lack of availability of mental health care, and the total lack of privacy of internet connected devices. Most practitioners don’t offer in person visits anymore, and even if they do they probably do digital records or have their phone present. Ofc people are self diagnosing.", ">\n\nCounterpoint: many people do not have the means to access diagnoses for mental illnesses and other disorders, and it can sometimes be the only way to explain their feelings to others. Autism diagnoses in particular are extremely difficult to access for adults and even teens. I suspected I had autism for years and the only way I was able to get a diagnosis was through the mental health treatment program I was in during highschool which had a psychologist there. I only could attend because I live in Canada with universal healthcare. Many, many people are not as fortunate as me. Most people in the world cannot access diagnosis in the first place, including many in richer countries. \nYour comment about women statistically 'being born with autism on a far lesser scale than men' misses the well-known problem of underdiagnosis of autism in women. Autism presents itself differently in women than men (I can say as an autistic woman who knows other autistic women) and the criteria for autism were based on cis white men. Autism in women is is often misdiagnosed as CPTSD (which many autistic people ALSO unfortunately have), borderline personality disorder, anxiety, depression, etc. \nAlthough self-diagnosis is often problematic and used by teenagers to feel special, for the people who take it seriously and are intellectually honest there currently isn't really a better alternative for them to try and explain their experiences when they cannot access diagnoses.", ">\n\nWhat you are describing is NOT a new phenomenon. I was born in 1975 and have been observing this phenomenon my entire life. Nothing new about it at all.", ">\n\nSelf diagnosis is often the first step in going to go and get an actual diagnosis. Getting diagnosed with a mental disorder, especially as an adult, is basically impossible if you aren't actively seeking it out. For several reasons, one of which is that pretty much all the diagnostic criteria are written about children. \nI'm properly diagnosed and even on disability for mental disorders and I knew what I had for years before I got diagnosed. \nI understand there's a feeling of \"stolen valour\" to it. And there is indeed a subset of people doing it for attention or because it's fashionable, OCD in particular being a common example, but the good that comes from self diagnosis more than outweighs the bad.", ">\n\nCorrect me if I’m wrong, but don’t all, or at least most mental disorders lie on a spectrum?", ">\n\nI was diagnosed ADD/ ADHD as a child an im getting re-evaluated next month because i think the diagnosis must be bullshit.\nI have a close friend that wasn't diagnosed ADD/ADHD until they were 22 and in an Ivy league vet program\nThe amount of people that say they cant do well in school simply because they have add/ adhd is bullshit if u ask me. Also, people justify abusing adderal because theyre ADHD and i think thats BS too. I decided never to take it and just abuse caffeine instead to avoid the health side effects", ">\n\nThe current US medical system is such garbage that self advocacy is important. \nSometimes it is wrong. Sometimes professionals ignore you or only pay attention to things insurance companies will pay for. Sonetimes they are also wrong. Or they're incentivized to get you out of a hospital bed ready or not. \nAdministrators and insurance companies get all the money. Nurses, aides, patients all suffer.", ">\n\nEspecially when they don't even understand what the disorder is in the first place. \"I'm a loner so I'm anitsocial.\" That's not what that means.... Or my favorite, \"I'm detailed oriented so I have OCD, lulz I am so le quirky! ;P\"", ">\n\nPeople who struggle with certain things often seek out those with similar experiences. With social media and the internet, it’s easier than ever to find people with similar struggles and sometimes, those people are a group diagnosed with certain mental illnesses. \nDoes that mean every person who sees themselves in a diagnosis will have that diagnosis? Hell no. But I think it’s disingenuous to claim that it’s “for attention.” People want to find community they can relate to and are drawn to experiences that reflect their own.\nI’m saying this as someone who was diagnosed with ADHD at 25 — I started to suspect I might have it in my early 20s and started poking about online. I was officially assessed and diagnosed some time later, and that diagnosis has been validated by three therapists and two psychiatrists.\nPlenty of people misjudge themselves and plenty of people are very ready to leap into a box. Some of them may be wrong. Some may be doing it to try and excuse bad behavior. (Hell, I’ve known waaaay too many people who DID have diagnosed mental illnesses and seemed to think their diagnosis was a free pass to be shitty). However, I think calling it a “trend” or “for attention” misses the point of why and how people reach these conclusions. \nOne might also argue that you do not have the professional expertise regarding psychology to assume the validity or ulterior motives of someone else’s diagnosis. There’s a reason that a lot of psychologists out there are adamantly against diagnosing from a distance - you have significantly less insight into a someone’s mind than they do, and you’re projecting a lot of assumptions onto others’ behavior without any supporting evidence." ]

[ "The diagnosis process for a lot of psychiatric conditions are surveys and questionaires. You can go to a psychiatrist and ask if you're anxious and they'll give you multiple choice questions and diagnose off of that. Or you can just google the form yourself and self diagnose. A lot of psychiatric disorders are about how we feel and think. Not about sending off some blood sample to a lab and getting a positive result come back.\n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. For such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nWhat you're describing are all neuroses that could indicate some deeper psychiatric condition. Whether a person has a mental health condition or not, thinking of ourselves as weak victims is never helpful in any context, yet it's something we all feel from time to time.\nI'm a disability support worker, so when someone tells me they've got a self diagnosed condition, it's not offensive to me or any disabled person I know, it doesn't come across like they're invalidating anyone else's condition. However I do think everyone should talk to a doctor about any condition they feel they might have.", ">\n\nPiggybacking off of this: You’ve spent your whole entire life inside your own brain. A therapist will spend a period of hours with you and give you a diagnosis. Who do you think knows your personal reality better than yourself?", ">\n\nYeah exactly, especially with conditions such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, PTSD, and many other psychiatric conditions. These are things people know they have even before they get a diagnosis. The diagnosis stage is more about treatment and management.\nPeople might be unaware of how severe or mild their condition is, some people think they have only mild PTSD despite constant nightmares and suicidal ideation. Some people will think they have severe ADHD because they can't concentrate for long times on things that don't interest them. It's good to get some perspective from experts but ultimately people know when they are struggling to focus or to struggling to stop stressing all the time or struggling to not be miserable. Struggling with our thoughts and feelings is evidence enough to self diagnose.", ">\n\nI was recently diagnosed with ADHD as a woman so I find this viewpoint interesting.\nFirstly, autism is not a mental illness. An autistic person may have mental illness in conjunction with autism, but autism alone lies under the neurodivergent umbrella. Neurodivergency can include autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and other similar conditions.\nWhy women are often underdiagnosed\nThese are serious disabilities that can really impede a person's life, especially if they struggle to find help and acceptance in their community. A lot of women start their journey towards diagnosis later in life due to a number of factors such as:\n\nPoor diagnostic tools and inexperienced professionals\nA misunderstanding that autism and ADHD are more common in boys\nAdvanced masking techniques to cover their 'traits'\n\nWhy women are often diagnosed later in life.\nThe process for many women and men who are diagnosed later in life often includes a level of burnout or breakdown. After a while everything becomes too much, the mask begins to slip and your traits go into overdrive.\nWhy does self-diagnosing seem to be on the rise?\nA common way of finding out you could possibly be neurodivergent is through media and people who are aware of these traits appear.\nIn the past few years, I have seen an increasing awareness of neurodivergence in women pop up in the media. This is useful for people like myself who had no idea wtf was wrong with them for a very long time. For me, a GP actually suggested I seek a diagnosis due to some struggles I was going through.\nAs someone who went through this process self-diagnosing is commonly the first step as an adult. You might be directed to a questionnaire and are asked to evaluate yourself and your experiences thinking back to your childhood. If there's some merit in your experiences than you move to the next step which involves seeking a professional. Waitlists are often months to years long so many people live in limbo for a long time.\nMethods of living with ADHD can help everyone. And everyone experiences ADHD traits from time to time. Given a large amount of stress we have all suffered collectively, I don't doubt there are a lot of people with increased mental health issues that mirror neurodivergent traits. Some mental illnesses can get very severe and alter your brain chemistry and behaviour.\nMy takeaway from this is that the mental health systems set up to assist these people are a much larger issue and cause for serious concern than self-diagnosing.\nApologies for the spelling and grammar errors. Grammarly and Reddit don't play nice.", ">\n\nI think it's two things. One, people have identity crises, especially teenagers. We all know that type of person who tries on identities like hats. That's pretty embarrassing. You usually grow out of that.\nTwo, from personal experience, giving yourself a label or a diagnosis makes it feel more contained and easy to communicate. It's easier to tell someone that you have X and have them understand what you're going through rather than telling them you have these vague symptoms resembling what you imagine X is like. In that respect, it is pretty understandable, possibly good, and not embarrassing. There's something that is sort of reassuring if you can finally get a word to put on what you're experiencing.\nPeople often sympathize with the diagnosis but not with the symptoms. Tell people at work you're autistic and they will sympathize with you and possibly not attack you. Tell them you do not understand social cues and they will probably just make fun of you.", ">\n\nI understand the desire to put a label with a disease, and this is not necessarily bad, but the diagnosis needs to be correct. If you want to tell others that you are autistic or depressed; you must actually be those things. A person can almost never correctly assertion their disease, only their symptoms. People might better understand you if you say your autistic, but you may incorrectly understand and describe yourself. If one wishes to put a name with symptoms, they should find a doctor to pick the label", ">\n\nfor sure but unfortunately our medical system is a joke and even if you are experiencing very severe symptoms it can be nearly impossible to see a professional or take months on a waiting list.\nEven then a professional may be reluctant to slap a label on you for fear of what the consequences of that might be. I saw someone for a very long time who resisted any sort of actual diagnosis because the truth is that what I was experiencing didn't fit neatly into any of the boxes and pretty much belonged in this vague \"other\" category which isn't particularly helpful. Not to mention that misdiagnosis happens all the time even by professionals. \nI just think it is sort of understandable because I think a lot of stuff is kind of a spectrum anyway and just different levels of severity. Things can be really confusing and hard to nail down and thus communicate in a way that causes someone else to be understanding rather than judgemental.", ">\n\nAre you under the impression this is a new phenomenon? Because it's definitely not.\nPeople - especially young people! - crave identity. The world is a confusing place, knowing who you are makes it a little easier. Sometimes it's self-diagnosing mental illness or learning disabilities, or exploring sexual identity, or cliques, or subcultures. There's nothing embarrassing about it, it just is what it is.", ">\n\nIt’s ok to want to express individuality but not to the extent of totally destroying the definition of a real thing and making it hard for actual mentally Ill ppl to get a diagnosis. Why can’t people just accept that they’re different rather then giving themselves a label?", ">\n\npeople on TikTok claiming to have disorders that they don't doesn't affect the precision of psychiatrists diagnosing actual patients. There's no TikTok-said section in the DSM. Why do you think that it does?", ">\n\nIt just encourages more people to get diagnosed possibly skewing the meaning of the mental illness", ">\n\nSkewing it towards statistical accuracy? If people are actually diagnosed at higher rates, we have a better Guage of population-level mental illness, neurodivergency, etc. Better data is more usable, so that research actually means something actionable, ASIDE from the identity boost for young people.", ">\n\nI think what OP is driving at, but utterly failing to explain, is that they think that the fakers will be accommodated by the psychiatric system and diagnosed on the basis of fake symptoms. my sense is that isn't a problem but I don't have data.", ">\n\nDefinitely explained it a little better then I could lol", ">\n\nWhere do you see evidence of that? Any articles about fakers? How about a statistic? If not, it’s just a fear you seem to have.", ">\n\nI think the salient line here is this one:\n\nNeurologists were able to quickly determine that the subjects were not \nsuffering from Tourette's, but psychogenic tics driven by anxiety.", ">\n\nWomen are not born with less autism, but are much less likely to be diagnosed as children than boys. This is partly because boys generally have similar symptoms and behaviors. \nSo of course more women are self diagnosing autism, since their diagnoses were missed as children on a much higher rate.", ">\n\nAlright, I'm diagnosed OCD, PTSD, chronic depression. Diagnosed by a professional so I think I have some grounds to talk about this.\nFirst, let's tackle your women comment about autism. You see, I understand where you're coming from, but you lack the nuance of recognizing that mental illness, and illness in general, is heavily under-diagnosed in women. The medical culture is heavily favored towards men and is rampant with mysogyny, and that's not just me saying it as I've had medical professionals blatantly tell me it's a problem in the field when questioned about it. I've also had some tell me that it's just because women whine a lot, so yanno make of that statement what you will.\nNow that we've covered that let me address the self-diagnosing issue. So, do you want to know what my therapist thinks of self-diagnosing? Well, when I asked them about it they said that self-diagnosing is an important first step to seeking help. Psychiatrist said the same thing. It's normal, expected even, for people to self-diagnose their issues then seek help for them. You can't exactly just peer into someone's brain, no, that person has to tell you what they think is wrong and why they think it is. \nWhat you actually have a problem with is not self-diagnosis, but with people not seeking or not being able to get medical assistance and assuming they're right. You have a problem with people using these issues for attention, which I do too, but once again self-diagnosing is not the problem. Finally, you have a problem with the medical system that forces people into the position of trying to figure out their mental illnesses, but having no ability to get help for them.", ">\n\nI think I did it", ">\n\nSadly no lol, it was not done properly. Do you need a link to the rules?", ">\n\nI already read them i think I’ll figure it out in a bit sorry for the hold up", ">\n\nBecause everyone else is being aggressive: you have to comment with ∆ or !delta and then explain how your view has been changed", ">\n\nThis delta has been rejected. You can't award OP a delta.\nAllowing this would wrongly suggest that you can post here with the aim of convincing others.\nIf you were explaining when/how to award a delta, please use a reddit quote for the symbol next time.\n^Delta System Explained ^| ^Deltaboards", ">\n\nWhat gives you the authority or knowledge to know this is the problem?", ">\n\nYou don’t think it’s a problem that a lot of young ppl are willing to go to the extent of saying they are mentally Ill either for attention or to excuse their weirdness? Just accept that your different. It’s not wrong to believe you’re different without a label", ">\n\nYou did not even try to answer my question.", ">\n\nI’m sorry I was confused on what you meant", ">\n\nIf you are mad at people for self diagnosing themselves because they don't have the knowledge or authority to do so.... what gives you the knowledge or authority to diagnosis this as the problem behavior... basically are you just a kid that is annoyed, or is there some actual studies out there that is claiming this is a problem.", ">\n\nIf you don’t think that people consistently seeking attention for mental illness or craving a label so badly to justify themselves rather then being themselves. That just shows what your views are", ">\n\nDont you think we should leave the diagnosing to the professionals?", ">\n\nI mean yeah", ">\n\nWould you agree that you are diagnosing these people by saying that they are only seeking attention and do not have a real mental illness?", ">\n\nI’m assuming", ">\n\nThere may be some truth to people wanting to be different, however with mental illnesses being more accepted in today's society, many people are a lot more comfortable with being neurodivergent. Additionally, self diagnosis is common because the alternative is spending upwards to $1000-$2000 for a clinical diagnosis.", ">\n\nI know costs suck, but self diagnosis can be much more harmful. A web.md page that tells you your depressed when you may actually be bipolar can lead to really messed up results. I would even go as far as to say that no diagnosis at all is preferable to an uninformed one", ">\n\nWell.\n​\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad \n\nSo you already know why they're doing what they're doing in addition the fact that you know that they're not Autistic? If your claim is that they can't know and only a doctor can, what makes you more qualified? You start out your argument admitting that you have a bias.\n\nthey’re “neurodivergent.\n\nNeurodivergent is an umbrella that covers both Autism and ADHD, which sometimes get mistaken for each other. So if you're upset that they're self-diagnosing, this term should be more welcome than \"Autistic\" because it's more generalized.\n\nnd when you ask them how they know they’ll say “oh I have this weird tick when I uh laugh when someone says something funny “ or “I have a hyper fixation on this topic so I must be autistic\n\nHow else should they communicate it to you? The list of aspects of Autism, especially for how it presents in women, sounds a lot like this. You're not a doctor, they don't have to prove anything to you by going down the entire list of every possible part of their daily experience that might be on the spectrum.\n\nWomen statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nNope. Women are diagnosed less often than men because the original diagnostic criteria for Autism was for Autism as it presents in males. It presents differently for females and is harder to diagnose, especially at younger ages. \n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized\n\nTodays youth want to be victimized? Why would anyone want to be victimized? Something tells me you're missing the mark with this terminology.\n\nor have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. \n\nSo if someone is Autistic and that makes them weird, you'd rather them just be forced to not get to have a name for it, and get the therapeutic treatment that would help them?\n\nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really [are] without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nSome people are autistic. If they find out and it makes them feel good, that doesn't mean they're craving attention. And if they are craving attention, it's because they're normal people and everyone does. \nIf someone thinks they're autistic but it turns out they're actually not, chances are they suspected it for a reason. They might have ADHD, a personality disorder, a mental health issue, or simply a slightly different way of experiencing the world that feels unique to them and there's nothing wrong with that. \nYou seem to think that other people do things for you. People generally don't. They do things for themselves. This is especially true of people on the Autism Spectrum who may not be able to easily use other people's experiences to reference when constructing their view of the world, and can only use their own. Your interpretation wherein they do it to evoke a response from you says more about you than it does about them.", ">\n\nYou’re being deliberately obtuse. OP is completely correct. Most of the people these days who say “I’m ADHD” or “I’m autistic” or “I’m neurodivergent” are absolutely not diagnosed as such and are doing it to seem unique or get attention or as some excuse for why they did x y or z.", ">\n\nI'd like to point out that while some are perhaps attention seeking, many people self diagnose simply because they don't have access to free medical/psychological professionals to get proper diagnosis and help with their issues. I also know someone who doesn't want to get an official diagnosis because he's afrad it will affect his insurance rates or somehow come back to bite him if he's offically labeled with having a neurological disorder. \nThere is a wealth of knowledge on these subjects available online for those interested. And if they are truly interested in self diagnose they can likely do that accurately enough for all intents and purposes. Most of these people who search for the sake of better understanding themselves or their loved ones will openly admit that it's a self diagnoses, or say they THINK they have x,y, or z. But in some situations it's just as well to say they have it if they feel certain anyway, and it's just a passing comment, and not a discussion on the matter. \nIn other words, just because they self diagnose doesn't mean they're wrong, nor does it explain their motives. I also don't see how attention seeking (for those who ARE doing that) is really hurting anyone else. Fakers gonna be fake, that's more a \"them\" kind of problem. ANNOYING, but mostly harmless.", ">\n\nUnless you have a doctor's diagnosis you don't have the disorder. Even if you are broke there are programs to help with costs. \nAnd yes it does affect me when someone is treating me like shit and tries using the I have such and such as an excuse and then people get mad at ME for calling them in their bullshit.", ">\n\nNo. You have to have the disorder before you CAN be diagnosed, so obviously there are undiagnosed people who in fact \"have the disorder \". Your refusal to acknowledge an undiagnosed disorder does not mean they don't have it. Your personal experience with people supposedly using a fake diagnosis to treat you badly, sounds unusual. How do you know they DIDN'T have it? People who do lie and just want to be jerks will do that regardless of what methods they decide to try. The methods are irrelevant. And that motive is not typical of most self diagnosers .", ">\n\nSounds unusual? You must not get out a lot because it's become a pretty regular thing. Every single person I know (about 8) that have self diagnosed themselves as neurodivergent or with a mental illness like Bi-polar all use it to excuse their shitty ass behaviors. \nToo many disorders can mirror other ones. Just because they think they have 2/3 symptoms doesn't make them right by a long shot. Keep living in your bubble.", ">\n\nYou don't have to have a relationship with anyone. If they treat you badly, regardless of an official diagnosis or not, you don't have to tolerate them. It makes no difference what they have or don't have. What would it change if they got diagnosed and actually have it?", ">\n\nSelf diagnosing has been a thing forever\nAnd it's not a problem im 99% sure me or any other autistic person doesn't really give 2 fucks about people who wanna fake disorders. It doesn't stop us from getting help, we have doctors notes, medical files, sometimes even volunteers, you need those files to get into let's say a special education class, or a life skills course.\nSo unless you were diagnosed by a professional you're probably not gonna make it far faking it.\n(Excuse my shitty punctuation)", ">\n\nIt doesn’t bother you that they’re making others take the actual meaning away from what you were born with? I mean I’m sure autism hasn’t made your life easy and seeing ppl claim it for attention to be quirky probably has to annoy you a little right?", ">\n\nAt the end of the day I still have ADHD and I still need help with it. More people being diagnosed with it doesn’t change that fact. In fact I was diagnosed because I realized I related to so many tiktok memes, and I’m sure others are in my same boat. \nIn fact I think so many people talking about ADHD helps. It means more people who possibly have tips for me, people who are suffering who can’t afford treatment have an easy way to learn about how to improve their lives, and more people who are aware of my disorder.", ">\n\nI think people do diagnose themselves too often without seeking professional help. BUT mental illness is not the same as being neurodivergent.", ">\n\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad that they’ll go as far to say they’re “neurodivergent.”\n\nWhile this is the case, I don't really see how it's a \"problem\" per se. I guarantee that these people still make lifestyle decisions based on what they think is best, or based on what they want to do.\n\nbut it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women\n\nDo you have any statistics for that? I haven't experienced it that way in my own anecdotal experience, and I'd be curious to look into the data to see how much that truly does skew in that direction.\n\nwanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness \nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nI understand what you're trying to say here, but I don't really think these things are connected as much as you think they are. People see something wrong with themselves, so they either playfully or seriously consider the fact that it could be a condition that they have similar symptoms to. Not that it never happens, but just because someone categorizes themselves into a disability group that could potentially excuse their \"quirks\", doesn't mean they think that behavior is unacceptable in any way. People see a problem, and assume it's linked to this other issue that seems similar that they already know about.", ">\n\nI agree with the conclusion that self-diagnosis is a real issue, and I wouldn't be surprised if the data indicated it was on the rise. I wouldn't necessarily frame it as a simple desire to \"be victimized\" however. While it is purely speculation, I do believe there are a number of conditions which might lead towards a more frequent experience of symptoms associated with mental illness - a rising wealth gap, perpetual anxiety from a 24-hour news cycle, intensification of self-commodification, the student debt crisis in certain countries like the US, and so on. So people are experiencing symptoms like low energy, mood swings, etc. that can be associated with mental illness. The issue with self-diagnosis then becomes that it may correctly identify the symptom, but incorrectly identify the cause.\nThis video from the YouTuber HealthyGamerGG does a good job of explaining what some of the issues with self-diagnosis are, and for me it was a good starting place for thinking about this more. \nEDIT: I forgot this video literally starts with this same topic being brought up on this same subreddit lol", ">\n\nA great theory based on reasonable causes with an educational video from a psychologist(I assume) as evidence to back it up. I applaud you sir. 👏", ">\n\nWhy are you embarrassed by other people's issues?", ">\n\nI’m a 30yo male. If I had not first self diagnosed with ASD and OCD, I never would have found the language and resources to get a formal diagnosis and help.\nPrior generations have been so fixated on avoidance of diagnosing mental disorders, and research was previously so lacking that we are only just now (through those that do get diagnosed) realizing how common mental disorders are. That plus the lack of mental health resources for neurotypical and neurodivergent I think is how we end up in this situation of many recognizing their symptoms in the new discourse, but lacking the resources to overcome the barriers to proper diagnosis and treatment.", ">\n\nIt’s not the best thing, no. \nAs an adult FINALLY diagnosed (by a licensed therapist) at 41, I can tell you why ‘self diagnosis’ is so tempting. \nIn the US at least- mental health, and official medical diagnosis are almost completely inaccessible, especially as an adult. Most of us grew up before Autism was a spectrum, and ADHD was just boys who acted out in class. We felt like aliens. We couldn’t understand why we didn’t have many friends, or why we didn’t like the ‘right things’, and generally spend the bill of our lives feeling ‘wrong’, ‘broken’ or just simply like we didn’t belong. \nFinally understanding the WHY, and even better, finding tools to addresses our issues is a huge huge weight off the chest. The relief of having a name and a strategy- either therapy or medicine is such an amazing relief!!", ">\n\nI only kinda agree if I had not done my own research I would have never found out I have sjorgens syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis I know TikTok people tend to diagnose themselves and it makes it look cringe but when you live with a incurable illness sometimes you have to work to find a diagnosis", ">\n\nWell, what do you do of you absolutely know you're neurodivergent, but your parents decided not to get you checked? My mom once told me \"we knew you had something, we just didn't get you checked because they would have just put you on pills\". So I struggled with being different, socially unaware, impulsive, obnoxious, agressive, selfish, for the better part of my life without having the self awareness to understand why I was these things, and why people wouldn't want to be around me. \nIn my late 20''s I asked the question, what if I'm actually autistic? I looked up the symptoms, and 9/10 matched. As a child I couldn't handle loud noises, restrictive clothing, I didn't talk until I was 3. I would throw fits for seemingly no reason, I had obsessive interests. I've always really struggled with eye contact, and I never cared for conversation unless it was something I liked. I mean, when the final piece of a puzzle fits so incredibly well, it's really hard for it to be wrong. \nSelf diagnosing actually really helped me grow as aj individual. I became aware of all my divergent behaviors, and why it might be annoying for someone else to deal with. I came to the realization that I was the one who was different, therefore I needed to change. It's way harder to make everyone around you cater to your needs than to overcome the things that upset you. I'm at peace, I have good friends that I can connect with on a pretty deep level. I no longer smash coffee tables when I lose, I can now appreciate that if I lose it just means I have more to learn. I can keep my house clean, I can reasonably hold myself accountable. What exactly is the harm in all that?\nBesides, it would be pretty pointless for me to try and get a diagnosis now, I've put the effort in and largely come out the other side. Anyone diagnosing me would just say I was normal, but they wouldn't have the intimate knowledge of me that I do. I guess it doesn't matter if people don't believe me, I don't go around shouting that I'm autistic. I will say, it would be really nice if people appreciated the effort I put in to get to get to a place of normalcy, something others take for granted, but it's okay, we all have our struggles.", ">\n\nI feel you on all that. To play devil's advocate, mental healthcare in the U.S. is not cheap. Many people go to the internet and confirm their bias about their current health", ">\n\nI feel you on that too OP. I agree 100% with your entire statement.", ">\n\nIt's a problem, but not a new one. In the 1990s there was briefly a surge of people with a type of delusional parasitosis, that is, the false belief that they were infested with parasites. Except this one was supposedly an infestation with tiny fibres. They would come to doctors with a whole list of symptoms to back up their incorrect self-diagnosis.\nTo a certain extent, these are social contagions, which come and go, and often actually end up leading to people having real problems. Like, the young women you mention, a couple of decades ago may well have ended up with anorexia, or self-cutting. These days it might be a self-declaration of autism or a belief that they have gender dysphoria or that they have multiple systems living in their minds.", ">\n\nWow I did not know that. Maybe it’s just so prevalent today due to social media. Social media has only made these things worse imo", ">\n\nEven before it being self diagnosis of a mental illness it was always something. Remember all the emo and goth teenager?", ">\n\nIt depends on the context. For example, if they've done a substantial amount of research, can name a good amount of symptoms they have and reasons they have whatever mental illness and don't have access to the necessary tools to get a medical diagnosis, it's totally different. Some people don't have the money to go out and get a diagnosis, or sometimes it would be better to not get a medical diagnosis. I believe that the reason that a lot of people self diagnose themselves with things like Autism is because they want an explanation as to why they are different, and they could be right or wrong. I think the most important part is that if you go to a psychologist (or even two, I know a lot of people prefer getting second opinions) and they say you don't have it, that you need to admit you were wrong. It's ok to be wrong about your mental health, and the key is to keep looking and to not give up. I can completely understand the frustration in people completely missing how difficult it actually may be to have a mental illness. I was clinically diagnosed with Depression, Anxiety, and PTSD when I was seven, and I've had some experience with people faking mental disorders for attention, and more often then not, they have another mental disorder that needs attention. Recently I had a (now ex) boyfriend insist he had PTSD after being tested twice and the psychiatrist saying that he didn't have it. What he does have is Depression and Anxiety, but he absolutely insisted he has PTSD despite never exhibiting symptoms and the only evidence being a test he took online that was supposedly a \"real PTSD test.\" People faking mental illnesses only harms people who really have them, as these people tend to exaggerate symptoms and use their self diagnosis for attention. I believe that I am autistic, but I don't list it as a diagnosis because while I have read articles and taken the RAADS-r test, I don't have an official diagnosis, and I could very well be wrong. As for women faking illnesses more often, something I've noticed is that things like Autism, ADHD, ADD, etc are more often diagnosed in boys rather than girls- mostly because when they were first discovered, most of the research was done in boys. Autism shows up differently in girls, and can often be blown off as early puberty hormones. If their hyperfixations are those of stereotypical feminine things, it's just a girl liking whatever, and if they hyperfixate in stereotypical masculine interests, they tend to just be viewed as weird, but not autistic. It's normal for people to question, but I agree that to a certain point, self diagnosis can be harmful, but only if not done correctly.", ">\n\nFirst and foremost not a new problem at all, very common, we used to call it \"Being a hypochondriac\" until it aparrently became reconized which in it self is confusing and a bit contradictory.\nANYWAY\nIt isnt really a problem, no doctor is gonna write the perscription for medication without a diagnosis of some sort.\nAt most there is the vauge \"But what about those who actually have it who arent taken serious\" dont worry, we wouldnt have anyway. Thats kinda how invisible illnesses work.\nOverall the 101 hypochondriacs screaming about the symptoms they read in the ICD might help make the knowledge more common and help people better reconize if their colleagues or friends happen to show symptoms of something.", ">\n\nIt’s pretty expensive in the US to get diagnosed. Personally, I’ve self diagnosed myself out of frustration of the way I process things. I’ve always felt slow & my anxiety/depression was deep because of it, but I was raised in a family that doesn’t believe in mental illness. It was always “if you work hard enough, all your problems will go away”. Meanwhile, i was racking my brain on how to make myself think faster/smarter & it would result in psychotic episodes. I’ve gotten fired from jobs, dropped out of school. I started self harming because I hated myself and my brain & almost commit suicide bc I had no idea what was going on.\nThe relief I felt once I finally got a therapist who validated me & was the first to talk to me about mental Illness. It blew my mind and all of a sudden things actually made sense to me. I currently think I have ADD, and sometimes I’ll tell people that but will preface it by saying I’m not professionally diagnosed. Still, I use mental tools that help me get through the day and build my confidence. I’m a lot better at processing conversations, making lists that help me remember things, unmasking, slowing down my thoughts… etc. I’m less frustrated and can see the beauty in how I process things. I still want to get diagnosed but I have to get health insurance….. lol", ">\n\nSelf diagnosis, regardless of being factual is a process where the individual realizes that they might have a mental health issue. People who can do this are more likely to seek professional help compared to the people who think they are “fine”. Going to a professional, licensed psychologist or a psychiatrist will eventually diagnose them with the correct disorder from there, and professionals have the skills to communicate with them and they can together evaluate if the person’s complaint is the issue or not. There is nothing embarrassing about discovering one’s self. It would be a problem if people would identify with an issue and don’t have any willingness to seek help. Sometimes overreacting is better than not reacting.", ">\n\nThe majority of people who are self-diagnosed with autism have done extensive research into it to come to that conclusion. I personally went through the DSM criteria with a fine-tooth comb, made a list of all the ways I met it and discovered that there’s not a single criteria i don’t meet for autism. I didn’t read about anything else but autism for weeks, approaching it from all angles before coming to the conclusion that it’s highly unlikely I am not autistic. I’m waiting to hear back about an assessment, but I’m not waiting to go and be told something I already know before I start advocating for myself. \nOh, and I absolutely did not want to be ‘different’, in fact my life mission to just blend in and be average is the root cause of most of my problems, but here we are.", ">\n\nThis self diagnosing young people do isn’t the problem. The problem is that our society encourages it.\nOur culture is not set up to accommodate a wide spectrum of human needs. You may need things that I don’t. I may need things that you don’t. But in most business settings, academic settings, or even places like restaurants or leisure places, the world isn’t built to accommodate everyone. Our world and society is a “one size fits all” approach, and most people don’t fit snugly inside of that system. \nIf you can classify what is “wrong” or “different” about you into an easily digestible form, people are generally more able and more willing to accommodate you.\nFor example: if I tell my coworkers that I need to leave work early because of a headache, I’ll be shamed for it. And in some cases I’ll be told that “headaches aren’t that bad!” Or “You don’t need to leave.” Or “I have a headache too, just deal with it!”\nBut if I tell my workers that I need to leave due to a painful neurological condition that’s flaring up (I have chronic migraine, which is a neurological condition), they will respect it 100% of the time. It’s met with sympathy and not criticism.\nThis happens for all sorts of things. “Sorry Im late, I slept in.” Sounds a lot worse then, “sorry I’m late, my insomnia has been terrible lately.” \nOur culture forces us to use these labels even when they’re untrue just to receive sympathy or acceptance. The problem isn’t people who decide to use these labels, the root problem is that our society refuses to embrace and accommodate people who are outside of the “norm.”", ">\n\nSpeaking as someone who's had an autism diagnosis since age 7: if someone declares they're autistic when they're not, that's obnoxious at worst. If someone is told they're not autistic when they are, that can cause lifelong harm from denied care and understanding. I have seen this happen to a close friend of mine.\nTherefore, I'd much rather err on the side of acceptance. If you think you're defending me and others like me from impersonators, we'd rather not have your help.\n\nI know people will disagree but it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women. Women statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nCase in point: women are diagnosed with autism far less than men. Recent studies have pointed to decades of systematic misdiagnosis. The more visible autistic symptoms sometimes manifest differently in girls, the way they're socialized may help them hide it from a young age, and of course lots of doctors just say \"your daughter can't be autistic, that's a boy thing.\"\nWe're learning that there are hundreds of thousands of autistic women who slipped through the cracks and were denied the recognition and support they needed because of dismissive, gatekeeping attitudes just like yours.", ">\n\nThere’s a difference between having a disorder and relating to a disorder. If the tools or language associated with a disorder helps someone live better though then cool, it’s all still odd. Also autism presents differently in woman, and a majority of our research on it is on men. Best practice is probably to support them and encourage them to seek treatment.", ">\n\nAutism is severely misdiagnosed in women. Completely under diagnosed. Actually, plenty of things are. The actual problem that we have is parents refusing to let their children get professional help or a diagnosis. Most doctors will diagnose you with BPD as a woman(aka the new female hysteria of our century), maybe put you on some anti psychotics and send you your way. In most countries, a diagnosis/specialist is not readily available, or there is a long waiting list. Even so, the doctors are not know it all. I have seen plenty of doctors, I got different diagnosis almost each time. They ask you some general questions (about your mood, the way you sleep, if you can concentrate, if you harm yourself, if you have suicidal ideation, if you can socialize properly, if your parents were diagnosed with anything, if you have hallucinations or delusions, the works) and then based on that, they will give you a diagnosis. If you use your common sense and information on the internet (given you are knowledgeable on the subject), you can take a good guess on what's wrong. Obviously, some people will exaggerate like with anything (seeing the shadow dude once in your childhood is not a sign of psychosis, neither is hearing your name called when you are alone once in a blue moon), but if you have visual and auditory hallucinations, perhaps weird tactile feelings/hallucinations (spiders are crawling on me, etc), delusions, tend to be forgetful and out of teach with reality, there is a good chance you do have psychosis.", ">\n\nOkay, to start: what do you think autism and ADHD are? They aren't mental illnesses nor are they mental health conditions. \nTo address some of your other points; \nStudies have shown that autism has a gender expression of 1:1. The only reason that women are under diagnosed is because of misunderstandings towards autism, then the diagnosis is conducted incorrectly. Thus it ends up getting conflated with mental illness, E.G BPD, and is diagnosed as a psychiatric disorder instead. This is a detriment to the patient as the care regimes are black and white different. Often times this severely damages the woman.\nFrom data sets that I recall reading, malingering hasn't risen much, if at all, in recent times. I remember it being around 8% of the global population who are engaging in this behaviour, to different extents. I think what's happened is that social media has turned a torch onto it and it's risen in popularity in an algorithmic way. You see it more because it's pushed by the algorithm more because people are searching for it more. It isn't actually occurring any more or less than historically. Most of that attention is negative attention, I should add. \nSo there's two things to take away from that.\n1) The actual act of pretending to be mentally ill, or to have a disability, which is called malingering, is in fact a form of mental unwellness itself. It's a cry for help. The people who do these things are usually very unstable and should be treated with a degree of empathy. The dangerous types who are using mental illness to scam others, or to manipulate them, make up a very small percentage of the overall amount of people in that group and tend to abuse one on one. \n2) The predominant response to this is generally negative. There isn't really any reason to publicly malinger unless you're unstable, this is because a rational person would likely know this, and know the damage it would cause themselves. Self-diagnosis is a very long, and self-aware, process that takes place over years of the individuals life, and proceeds official diagnosis. \nNo one SDs and says \"Okay that's it now! Let me start a TikTok!\" You'd still want support, and you'd still seek support. So that would end up with a doctor, who would see that you're lying, and treat you for whatever was prompting you to malinger. Anyone who has made this commitment knows that keeping it private is a sensible thing to do in a world that isn't inclusive, and often very stigmatising. Sometimes official diagnosis can take YEARS. \nThis kind of propaganda has been going around for a long time in an effort to discredit disabled people and people with mental illnesses. It's not new. People said the same things back in the 90s. People will always be afraid, and dismissive, of things they do not understand. I invite you to try and understand.", ">\n\nI self-diagnosed myself with endometriosis for 10 years before a doctor finally listened to me, opened me up, and found my insides littered with lesions all over my organs. I’m now not able to get pregnant and I might need to get part of my bowel taken out someday. This could’ve been avoided if someone had just listened to me when I was 16. \nSelf-diagnosing is a necessity in a misogynist world! No one takes us seriously! Especially medical professionals. \nThe best antidote for this is to listen to women who self-diagnose. Why do they think they have XYZ? Is it heavily interfering with their life? I think that’s a much larger problem.", ">\n\nIts been proven that there is a bias to diagnose as opposed to not diagnose a mental illness in psychology. So op is actually kinda correct. The definition of a mental illness is in effect being stretched so far that people who are just kinda weird are being diagnosed with \"on the spectrum\". This is actually causing a problem in early learning because parents start treating their kids as essentially learning challenged when they're really not. So it is starting to become an excuse ...", ">\n\nWe live in a society that loves to medicate people. I know it’s different but Did ppl forget about the opioid epidemic? They’ll diagnose your ass with anything if they can", ">\n\nYa I tend to agree. And no one is really saying so I will I guess, but id wager that 50% of psychologist \"professionals\" are totally full of shit. The actual number of psychologists that are are doing real research and clinical studies is EXTREMELY small compared to how many \"psychologists\" are out there. Just like chiropractors, half of them are hacks..", ">\n\nAnd ill say one more thing, though it is anecdotal, but i have direct family that works in special education for young children, and that system is fucked with a capital F. Thay are constantly fighting against parents and programs who try to box kids in the \"autistic\" zone, when they are just really quite or shy, or have pee problems. But parents want an excuse and reason for their behavior, and reduce them to a sub standard education and treatment for the rest of their lives. It's heart breaking. Especially in public schools.", ">\n\nI’m 32 years old. \nI didn’t self diagnose for attention although I remember the days of tumblr where everyone self diagnosed for clout.\nIt took me a decade to realize what is really happening. During the decade before I realized what may have been happening I was told the following:\nI’m rude\nI’m bossy\nI have a RBF/I look mad\nI also only managed to make my first real friend at age 27.\nWhat I was really displaying was:\nBeing overly blunt and just trying to get my point across came off rude when I didn’t intend it to be that way\nTrying to have things done at a certain time and way that no one else thought was important to follow\nUnmasking\nNoticed other things too that I just thought was me being weird:\nVocal stimming\nOral stimming-chewing, smoking, vaping\nRepetitive motions\nRocking\nEasily overwhelmed by too much sensory input\nHigh startle reflex \nInability to regulate my body’s needs-I don’t know I’m hungry until I’m ravenous; don’t recognize the need to use the bathroom until it’s causing me to rush off, don’t realize I’m cold until I’m shaking\nI could go on.\nI want an assessment so bad. But assessments for adults are EXTREMELY hard to setup, if you can even set them up at all. Some states don’t even offer them. I’ve been looking but they are only for children and seem to look for severe cases.\n14 years of thinking I was just a bitch who couldn’t make friends because I was too weird…turns out it might be autism. And turns out I’ll most likely never get a true diagnosis. But the RAADS test gave me a 127 score so that might be the closest I’ll ever get.", ">\n\ni kind of self diagnosed autism? i’ve been to many psychiatrists and therapists for years and they always see adhd in the half an hour and prescribe meds for that, which makes me not go there again. if they dug a little deeper they could have seen autism, i spoke to my current psychiatrist about if its possible i have it, she didn’t want to confirm or deny as i was moving out of state from friends and family and am at an age where i can have kids in the next 10 years since she doesn’t want me being concerned for them. \nI think there’s still lots of stigma around autism even with professionals and especially when identifying it in women. \nI don’t want to be autistic, but i can recognise a lot of different patterns comparing myself and others. I’ve researched it a ton especially in how it shows in women compared to men and in all the articles i found myself relating.\nNow i don’t say im autistic, i say im a little sus of being it tho lmao. and try pass it off casually. I find it’s a lot easier for me to understand and embrace my differences compared to trying to hide it and try be like everyone else or wonder why im not like everyone else. \nBeing older i can also recognise how a lot of my family on one side have suffered mentally and because of obvious neurodivergence. so im pretty sure, like the rest of my mentally challenged brain, has been inherited genetically through that side. \nAll that being said. I self diagnosed when i was about 12 that im highly likely to be depressed and anxious in attempt to get my mom to believe me i needed help, and now 8 years later i can identify that this has been an issue forever for me and that i likely cannot go off my meds because i will just go back to how i used to be. Im still ocd with all my meds, but its better than being anxious and depressed all the time, Having ocd throughout the day is like heaven to me in comparison to how i used to be. obviously the ocd isnt new, just a lot more heard in my brain now.", ">\n\nOk, I know some people self diagnoze themselves with [insert some mental illness here] out of attention or whatever, and that's totally not ok.\nHowever, if you read all the symptoms and do proper research on a mental illness and everything clicks in to you, I'd say you can be fairly confident on a self diagnosis (although, it might be worth it to double check with a professional, especially if you want any sort of treatment). But also for some people, it might not be affordable to go to a professional...", ">\n\nI live in Canada, I've engaged with the medical system, doctors don't care and just want you out, ERs are a 8 hour wait for someone to ignore one thing and won't even entertain other issues even if they are related. Self-diagnosis is really the only way to get any kind of proper treatment at all. \nThe doctors will rubber stamp just about anything you ask for except pain killers but in terms of diagnosis you're way better off doing it yourself, sure you don't have 8 years of medical school but the doctors won't give you 5 mins of their time, they are not better than google and you give a lot more of a shit than they will and at the end of the day it's your body.", ">\n\nBack in the 90s when I was a teenager, the kids/teenagers/young adults who wanted attention, and wanted to be different, adopted the goth lifestyle. Dressing up in all black. White foundation with black lipstick and eyeshadow. It was the trendy way to be different, to be viewed as outcasts of society. To not fit in. \nThe goth lifestyle of the 2020s is self diagnosis. Same shit, different day.\nWhenever someone claims autism, or somewhere on the spectrum, I just roll my eyes and imagine that person just sucks at life.", ">\n\nI just think it’s a little more harmful nowadays due to the prevalence of social media. Ppl get sucked into groups and mindsets before they even have a real life chance. Then they hyper fixate on that they might be mentally Ill rather then just trying to live life to the fullest", ">\n\nI 100% agree with you", ">\n\nBecause it's the age of spin this generation has something for everybody. And all of them are Google doctors. Lol", ">\n\nTook my uncle till he was 38 even thought it was apparent to everyone. Hell he got expelled from two schools", ">\n\nI get what you're saying. I frankly find it weird that more people don't find this weird. People self-diagnosing themselves as all kinds of things not only completely misrepresents the actual conditions, thereby making people even more confused as to what they actually are and how they present, but also leads people to run to a psychiatrist claiming false symptoms and getting medication for something they don't have, which is NOT a good thing. People should never be taking medication unless it is necessary. We are a heavily over-medicated society and this is a big factor in that. Caffeine to wake up in the morning, \"immuno-boosters\" and mood stabilizers during the day, sleeping pills to sleep at night. The caffeine and sleeping pills are addictive and can really mess up your circadian rhythm, and the mood stabilizers can really fuck you up if you don't need them. Instead of rushing to diagnose and medicate everyone, we need to educate them on human behavior and show them that their \"mental health\" problems are completely normal.\nOh, so you get nervous right before you make huge life decisions? That's not Anxiety Disorder, it's just anxiety.\nOh, you are really sad because your cat died? That's not Clinical Depression, you are just grieving.\nOh, you went from really happy to really sad when you were previously happy and something really shitty happened to you and soured your mood? That's not Bipolar Disorder, that's just life.\nOh, you like to be more organized than the people around you? That's not Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, you just like to be organized.\nPeople really misunderstand the nature of these conditions and it hinders our collective progress in treating them, like dramatically inflating the number of actual conditions in the population, making it increasingly more difficult to determine how common and how varied they are. After all, in most cases it is not the psychiatrist or psychologist who makes you better, you make you better. Medication can help and other people can show you the path to success, but the problem will never get solved unless you play an active role in the treatment. Some conditions can never be solved, only lessened, while others are virtually untreatable. We need to stop making these conditions seem cool. They aren't. They are serious and need to be taken seriously.", ">\n\nHeavily agree and I appreciate how well this comment is worded. Wish I coulda worded mine a little better", ">\n\nYa I saw you getting shredded in the comments and figured I'd sum it up for you. 🤣", ">\n\nLmao bro I didn’t expect this many. I was thinking maybe like 20 ppl would reply", ">\n\nYou need to self diagnose in many cases in order to get adequate help.", ">\n\nI knew when I had ADD and IBS, and I was able to get my suspicions confirmed by my respective doctors. Doctors are there to help the patients understand themselves, whereas the patients have to go home every day and live with what they actually have. Do not be so quick to judge.", ">\n\nJust to add here - Autism in women is less prevalent because it presents differently and is often not picked up by standardised diagnostic tests (that were developed on an almost exclusively male sample). I think that also goes to show that there’s p significant issues with what we consider ‘scientific’ and research based in the first place.", ">\n\nI grew up in a small town and we had quite a few autistic boys but only one autistic girl. Literally only one out of like 6-8 grades. So that’s like a 10-1 ratio. It’s gotta be a lot statistically smaller then males. I don’t doubt it happens I just know it’s a lot less", ">\n\nYou think your small town’s makeup is generalizable to all of society? That isn’t how statistics work.", ">\n\nSo my question would be - so what do we do?\nYou think people are diagnosing themselves to gain attention. Fine, but what's the next step?\nSee, I think I might be bipolar 2. But I went on a journey where I looked into the techniques for dealing with this issue. That led me to cognitive behavior therapy.\nThat actually made me more convinced that this was my issue because I have taught myself a lot of cognitive behavior therapy techniques to address the same issues. These practices have really helped me.\nIt sounds like your issue is that these people are getting attention for it. To me, these are people who need someone to help guide them. That would have helped me a lot when I was younger. Society today doesn't really give us the tools to sort this out, but just the knowledge that these things exist can push someone down the rabbit hole to learn about therapy that could really help.\nI think you should ask yourself what your motivations are. Do you really want them to understand themselves? Or are you more interested in steering the conversation toward other topics?\nPersonally, I would deal with these people by paying them forward. I would tell them to understand the practices that typically help these people, and see if they are relevant. I would tell them to seek professional help, and to refrain from diagnosing themselves, but I would encourage them to be critical of themselves and to learn more.\nImo, the way out is through.", ">\n\nI agree with you but it’s not mostly women. Maybe by happenstance that’s the case in your circle but broadly men do this too.", ">\n\nDoctor's are consulting the Mayo Clinic website after talking to a patient and getting their symptoms. I bring that up to say this; a doctor's training is needed for very serious diseases and tricky diagnoses, but a semi-intelligent person could look up their symptoms and get a lot of the more minor stuff right.", ">\n\nI've never been diagnosed as clinically depressed or anything, but that doesn't mean that I don't suffer from depression a lot of the time (these last few years, more often than not). I see a therapist. I take antidepressants. \nI have a friend who has aphantasia. It isn't really a \"diagnosable\" condition, but it describes what he has trouble with: creating images in his mind.", ">\n\nThat’s different then going online and claiming perfectly normal traits mean you’re autistic", ">\n\nNeurodivergence ≠ mental illness.", ">\n\nThey know themselves and their experiences better than you.", ">\n\nOP, I'm seeing some differences between your post and what you're saying in the comments. \nMy question is, do you have a problem with people self-diagnosing, or is your issue more about people drawing a lot of public attention to their diagnoses?", ">\n\nOverall both but definitely the attention part more so for obvious reasons. The self diagnosing part due to the fact that it can make people believe it can be an excuse for their actions good or bad. I think In a weird way it can allow people to take away the responsibility of their own actions and attribute to their mental illness", ">\n\nAs someone who has been diagnosed with ADHD, having people self diagnosing doesn't bother me at all, because I went the path of not knowing at all what I had and letting doctors figure out by themselves... and it took me 4 years and a half to finally have a concrete answer that no doctors would have found out if I didn't start searching on my own. You can't walk into every doctor's office with the assumption they'll figure out what you have, because it's not their speciality, or they still have an outdated view (not every doctor are kept up to date with new discovers), or they're biased, etc... \nI've never been annoyed by people who self diagnose. Hell, if I knew what was about to happen to me, I would have done the same way sooner.", ">\n\nMost women today arent faking it, they are noticing the symptoms no one else noticed and trying to find help. Its not easy to grow up with this kind of stuff. Is not coincidence you think women are less likely to be born to autism instead of thinking how weird it is that for some reason most autism diagnosis happen to men, that is the misogyny in the medical comunity.\nSelf diagnosis means this women will go to doctors and it most case scenarios they will get diagnoses because they have this issue all their life.\nSocial media is giving people awareness of the issue in medicine and how it affects women. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Misogyny in medicine also leads to people not knowing the difference between a heart attack in a woman and a man. It leads to women thinking its something else because internet and books will tell you how a man will feel a heart attack, even doctors sometimes dont know this.", ">\n\nGetting a diagnosis or treatment is borderline impossible for a lot of people. So self diagnosis is sometimes the only way they can help themselves.", ">\n\nNot a mental illness. But, I am a trans person and I pretty much self-diagnosed and self-medicated. I just had physicians do blood test.\nI educated myself on how everything works in about eight month period. I did that over a decade.\nI don’t regret my decision, and if I did. The regret would be not starting any sooner, especially when people who aren’t physicians or therapists are having a final say about these things.", ">\n\nIt is very noticeable and annoying, buuuut it’s proven autism manifest differently in females. Plus women are (very) often under diagnosed and dismissed for many many things by doctors, which is absolutely disgusting. Aaaand the cost of healthcare is outrageous.", ">\n\nwomen being less likely to be diagnosed with autism has nothing to do with an actual gender gap in who does and doesn’t have autism and everything to do with the fact autistic women are diagnosed with personality disorders and mental illnesses due to stigmas. most autism research was done on men and therefore women are underrepresented and more often than not misdiagnosed. autism actually occurs at a similar rate in both sexes. also, it’s not a mental illness, it’s a neurological condition (not that mental illnesses aren’t, but illness implies there’s something wrong, which there isn’t in autistic people). i agree that self diagnosing leads to misinformation and harms those who are clinically diagnosed though.", ">\n\nA lot of medical diagnoses are based on white male studies, so yes you would see more women finding out they have certain mental illnesses now as professionals are realizing it can show differently in females vs males. Adhd, for example, was considered something only seen in young boys that would grow out of it, now they are realizing that you don't in fact grow out of it and women can have it too. \nMental illness was a taboo subject back in the day as well, especially for women. It was only in 1980 I think that hysteria was no longer considered a mental illness. Women would be diagnosed with 'hysteria' and committed for symptoms like anxiety and anger. So now a lot of women are learning more about their mental health because they feel safe to do so. \nMy mother is in her early 70's and still refuses to tell anyone her own health issues or even mine, I have cancer and we were going to go on a trip as it's unknown how much longer I have and she refused to ask for the day off because she wouldn't tell them the reason why.", ">\n\nI detest self diagnosis, though once you’ve studied advanced level abnormal psychology shit happens. \nAs far as kids go, the generalized anxiety and depressive spectrum diagnoses can occasionally be accurate however that would warrant professional intervention regardless.\nOne serious issue among others; if an adolescent “decides” they have major depressive disorder that can become a self fulfilling prophecy and cause despair and reluctance to seek treatment", ">\n\nLook at the price and lack of availability of mental health care, and the total lack of privacy of internet connected devices. Most practitioners don’t offer in person visits anymore, and even if they do they probably do digital records or have their phone present. Ofc people are self diagnosing.", ">\n\nCounterpoint: many people do not have the means to access diagnoses for mental illnesses and other disorders, and it can sometimes be the only way to explain their feelings to others. Autism diagnoses in particular are extremely difficult to access for adults and even teens. I suspected I had autism for years and the only way I was able to get a diagnosis was through the mental health treatment program I was in during highschool which had a psychologist there. I only could attend because I live in Canada with universal healthcare. Many, many people are not as fortunate as me. Most people in the world cannot access diagnosis in the first place, including many in richer countries. \nYour comment about women statistically 'being born with autism on a far lesser scale than men' misses the well-known problem of underdiagnosis of autism in women. Autism presents itself differently in women than men (I can say as an autistic woman who knows other autistic women) and the criteria for autism were based on cis white men. Autism in women is is often misdiagnosed as CPTSD (which many autistic people ALSO unfortunately have), borderline personality disorder, anxiety, depression, etc. \nAlthough self-diagnosis is often problematic and used by teenagers to feel special, for the people who take it seriously and are intellectually honest there currently isn't really a better alternative for them to try and explain their experiences when they cannot access diagnoses.", ">\n\nWhat you are describing is NOT a new phenomenon. I was born in 1975 and have been observing this phenomenon my entire life. Nothing new about it at all.", ">\n\nSelf diagnosis is often the first step in going to go and get an actual diagnosis. Getting diagnosed with a mental disorder, especially as an adult, is basically impossible if you aren't actively seeking it out. For several reasons, one of which is that pretty much all the diagnostic criteria are written about children. \nI'm properly diagnosed and even on disability for mental disorders and I knew what I had for years before I got diagnosed. \nI understand there's a feeling of \"stolen valour\" to it. And there is indeed a subset of people doing it for attention or because it's fashionable, OCD in particular being a common example, but the good that comes from self diagnosis more than outweighs the bad.", ">\n\nCorrect me if I’m wrong, but don’t all, or at least most mental disorders lie on a spectrum?", ">\n\nI was diagnosed ADD/ ADHD as a child an im getting re-evaluated next month because i think the diagnosis must be bullshit.\nI have a close friend that wasn't diagnosed ADD/ADHD until they were 22 and in an Ivy league vet program\nThe amount of people that say they cant do well in school simply because they have add/ adhd is bullshit if u ask me. Also, people justify abusing adderal because theyre ADHD and i think thats BS too. I decided never to take it and just abuse caffeine instead to avoid the health side effects", ">\n\nThe current US medical system is such garbage that self advocacy is important. \nSometimes it is wrong. Sometimes professionals ignore you or only pay attention to things insurance companies will pay for. Sonetimes they are also wrong. Or they're incentivized to get you out of a hospital bed ready or not. \nAdministrators and insurance companies get all the money. Nurses, aides, patients all suffer.", ">\n\nEspecially when they don't even understand what the disorder is in the first place. \"I'm a loner so I'm anitsocial.\" That's not what that means.... Or my favorite, \"I'm detailed oriented so I have OCD, lulz I am so le quirky! ;P\"", ">\n\nPeople who struggle with certain things often seek out those with similar experiences. With social media and the internet, it’s easier than ever to find people with similar struggles and sometimes, those people are a group diagnosed with certain mental illnesses. \nDoes that mean every person who sees themselves in a diagnosis will have that diagnosis? Hell no. But I think it’s disingenuous to claim that it’s “for attention.” People want to find community they can relate to and are drawn to experiences that reflect their own.\nI’m saying this as someone who was diagnosed with ADHD at 25 — I started to suspect I might have it in my early 20s and started poking about online. I was officially assessed and diagnosed some time later, and that diagnosis has been validated by three therapists and two psychiatrists.\nPlenty of people misjudge themselves and plenty of people are very ready to leap into a box. Some of them may be wrong. Some may be doing it to try and excuse bad behavior. (Hell, I’ve known waaaay too many people who DID have diagnosed mental illnesses and seemed to think their diagnosis was a free pass to be shitty). However, I think calling it a “trend” or “for attention” misses the point of why and how people reach these conclusions. \nOne might also argue that you do not have the professional expertise regarding psychology to assume the validity or ulterior motives of someone else’s diagnosis. There’s a reason that a lot of psychologists out there are adamantly against diagnosing from a distance - you have significantly less insight into a someone’s mind than they do, and you’re projecting a lot of assumptions onto others’ behavior without any supporting evidence.", ">\n\nIm gonna start out with, generally I agree its a problem-to an extent. Even though women have autism at a much lower rate they’re also under diagnosed/misdiagnosed at a higher rate. When it comes to why people are doing this, in my experience it’s people who are trying to figure out why they’re treated the way they are, why they struggle to do certain things that others don’t even see as an issue. They’re noticing their differences and feeling bad about it. When they can’t fix it they start trying to find a reason, a cause to help them both understand and feel better about themselves and ways they can move forward and actually improve their lives, as well as finding a group they can relate to when they have a hard time relating to the average person." ]

[ "The diagnosis process for a lot of psychiatric conditions are surveys and questionaires. You can go to a psychiatrist and ask if you're anxious and they'll give you multiple choice questions and diagnose off of that. Or you can just google the form yourself and self diagnose. A lot of psychiatric disorders are about how we feel and think. Not about sending off some blood sample to a lab and getting a positive result come back.\n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. For such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nWhat you're describing are all neuroses that could indicate some deeper psychiatric condition. Whether a person has a mental health condition or not, thinking of ourselves as weak victims is never helpful in any context, yet it's something we all feel from time to time.\nI'm a disability support worker, so when someone tells me they've got a self diagnosed condition, it's not offensive to me or any disabled person I know, it doesn't come across like they're invalidating anyone else's condition. However I do think everyone should talk to a doctor about any condition they feel they might have.", ">\n\nPiggybacking off of this: You’ve spent your whole entire life inside your own brain. A therapist will spend a period of hours with you and give you a diagnosis. Who do you think knows your personal reality better than yourself?", ">\n\nYeah exactly, especially with conditions such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, PTSD, and many other psychiatric conditions. These are things people know they have even before they get a diagnosis. The diagnosis stage is more about treatment and management.\nPeople might be unaware of how severe or mild their condition is, some people think they have only mild PTSD despite constant nightmares and suicidal ideation. Some people will think they have severe ADHD because they can't concentrate for long times on things that don't interest them. It's good to get some perspective from experts but ultimately people know when they are struggling to focus or to struggling to stop stressing all the time or struggling to not be miserable. Struggling with our thoughts and feelings is evidence enough to self diagnose.", ">\n\nI was recently diagnosed with ADHD as a woman so I find this viewpoint interesting.\nFirstly, autism is not a mental illness. An autistic person may have mental illness in conjunction with autism, but autism alone lies under the neurodivergent umbrella. Neurodivergency can include autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and other similar conditions.\nWhy women are often underdiagnosed\nThese are serious disabilities that can really impede a person's life, especially if they struggle to find help and acceptance in their community. A lot of women start their journey towards diagnosis later in life due to a number of factors such as:\n\nPoor diagnostic tools and inexperienced professionals\nA misunderstanding that autism and ADHD are more common in boys\nAdvanced masking techniques to cover their 'traits'\n\nWhy women are often diagnosed later in life.\nThe process for many women and men who are diagnosed later in life often includes a level of burnout or breakdown. After a while everything becomes too much, the mask begins to slip and your traits go into overdrive.\nWhy does self-diagnosing seem to be on the rise?\nA common way of finding out you could possibly be neurodivergent is through media and people who are aware of these traits appear.\nIn the past few years, I have seen an increasing awareness of neurodivergence in women pop up in the media. This is useful for people like myself who had no idea wtf was wrong with them for a very long time. For me, a GP actually suggested I seek a diagnosis due to some struggles I was going through.\nAs someone who went through this process self-diagnosing is commonly the first step as an adult. You might be directed to a questionnaire and are asked to evaluate yourself and your experiences thinking back to your childhood. If there's some merit in your experiences than you move to the next step which involves seeking a professional. Waitlists are often months to years long so many people live in limbo for a long time.\nMethods of living with ADHD can help everyone. And everyone experiences ADHD traits from time to time. Given a large amount of stress we have all suffered collectively, I don't doubt there are a lot of people with increased mental health issues that mirror neurodivergent traits. Some mental illnesses can get very severe and alter your brain chemistry and behaviour.\nMy takeaway from this is that the mental health systems set up to assist these people are a much larger issue and cause for serious concern than self-diagnosing.\nApologies for the spelling and grammar errors. Grammarly and Reddit don't play nice.", ">\n\nI think it's two things. One, people have identity crises, especially teenagers. We all know that type of person who tries on identities like hats. That's pretty embarrassing. You usually grow out of that.\nTwo, from personal experience, giving yourself a label or a diagnosis makes it feel more contained and easy to communicate. It's easier to tell someone that you have X and have them understand what you're going through rather than telling them you have these vague symptoms resembling what you imagine X is like. In that respect, it is pretty understandable, possibly good, and not embarrassing. There's something that is sort of reassuring if you can finally get a word to put on what you're experiencing.\nPeople often sympathize with the diagnosis but not with the symptoms. Tell people at work you're autistic and they will sympathize with you and possibly not attack you. Tell them you do not understand social cues and they will probably just make fun of you.", ">\n\nI understand the desire to put a label with a disease, and this is not necessarily bad, but the diagnosis needs to be correct. If you want to tell others that you are autistic or depressed; you must actually be those things. A person can almost never correctly assertion their disease, only their symptoms. People might better understand you if you say your autistic, but you may incorrectly understand and describe yourself. If one wishes to put a name with symptoms, they should find a doctor to pick the label", ">\n\nfor sure but unfortunately our medical system is a joke and even if you are experiencing very severe symptoms it can be nearly impossible to see a professional or take months on a waiting list.\nEven then a professional may be reluctant to slap a label on you for fear of what the consequences of that might be. I saw someone for a very long time who resisted any sort of actual diagnosis because the truth is that what I was experiencing didn't fit neatly into any of the boxes and pretty much belonged in this vague \"other\" category which isn't particularly helpful. Not to mention that misdiagnosis happens all the time even by professionals. \nI just think it is sort of understandable because I think a lot of stuff is kind of a spectrum anyway and just different levels of severity. Things can be really confusing and hard to nail down and thus communicate in a way that causes someone else to be understanding rather than judgemental.", ">\n\nAre you under the impression this is a new phenomenon? Because it's definitely not.\nPeople - especially young people! - crave identity. The world is a confusing place, knowing who you are makes it a little easier. Sometimes it's self-diagnosing mental illness or learning disabilities, or exploring sexual identity, or cliques, or subcultures. There's nothing embarrassing about it, it just is what it is.", ">\n\nIt’s ok to want to express individuality but not to the extent of totally destroying the definition of a real thing and making it hard for actual mentally Ill ppl to get a diagnosis. Why can’t people just accept that they’re different rather then giving themselves a label?", ">\n\npeople on TikTok claiming to have disorders that they don't doesn't affect the precision of psychiatrists diagnosing actual patients. There's no TikTok-said section in the DSM. Why do you think that it does?", ">\n\nIt just encourages more people to get diagnosed possibly skewing the meaning of the mental illness", ">\n\nSkewing it towards statistical accuracy? If people are actually diagnosed at higher rates, we have a better Guage of population-level mental illness, neurodivergency, etc. Better data is more usable, so that research actually means something actionable, ASIDE from the identity boost for young people.", ">\n\nI think what OP is driving at, but utterly failing to explain, is that they think that the fakers will be accommodated by the psychiatric system and diagnosed on the basis of fake symptoms. my sense is that isn't a problem but I don't have data.", ">\n\nDefinitely explained it a little better then I could lol", ">\n\nWhere do you see evidence of that? Any articles about fakers? How about a statistic? If not, it’s just a fear you seem to have.", ">\n\nI think the salient line here is this one:\n\nNeurologists were able to quickly determine that the subjects were not \nsuffering from Tourette's, but psychogenic tics driven by anxiety.", ">\n\nWomen are not born with less autism, but are much less likely to be diagnosed as children than boys. This is partly because boys generally have similar symptoms and behaviors. \nSo of course more women are self diagnosing autism, since their diagnoses were missed as children on a much higher rate.", ">\n\nAlright, I'm diagnosed OCD, PTSD, chronic depression. Diagnosed by a professional so I think I have some grounds to talk about this.\nFirst, let's tackle your women comment about autism. You see, I understand where you're coming from, but you lack the nuance of recognizing that mental illness, and illness in general, is heavily under-diagnosed in women. The medical culture is heavily favored towards men and is rampant with mysogyny, and that's not just me saying it as I've had medical professionals blatantly tell me it's a problem in the field when questioned about it. I've also had some tell me that it's just because women whine a lot, so yanno make of that statement what you will.\nNow that we've covered that let me address the self-diagnosing issue. So, do you want to know what my therapist thinks of self-diagnosing? Well, when I asked them about it they said that self-diagnosing is an important first step to seeking help. Psychiatrist said the same thing. It's normal, expected even, for people to self-diagnose their issues then seek help for them. You can't exactly just peer into someone's brain, no, that person has to tell you what they think is wrong and why they think it is. \nWhat you actually have a problem with is not self-diagnosis, but with people not seeking or not being able to get medical assistance and assuming they're right. You have a problem with people using these issues for attention, which I do too, but once again self-diagnosing is not the problem. Finally, you have a problem with the medical system that forces people into the position of trying to figure out their mental illnesses, but having no ability to get help for them.", ">\n\nI think I did it", ">\n\nSadly no lol, it was not done properly. Do you need a link to the rules?", ">\n\nI already read them i think I’ll figure it out in a bit sorry for the hold up", ">\n\nBecause everyone else is being aggressive: you have to comment with ∆ or !delta and then explain how your view has been changed", ">\n\nThis delta has been rejected. You can't award OP a delta.\nAllowing this would wrongly suggest that you can post here with the aim of convincing others.\nIf you were explaining when/how to award a delta, please use a reddit quote for the symbol next time.\n^Delta System Explained ^| ^Deltaboards", ">\n\nWhat gives you the authority or knowledge to know this is the problem?", ">\n\nYou don’t think it’s a problem that a lot of young ppl are willing to go to the extent of saying they are mentally Ill either for attention or to excuse their weirdness? Just accept that your different. It’s not wrong to believe you’re different without a label", ">\n\nYou did not even try to answer my question.", ">\n\nI’m sorry I was confused on what you meant", ">\n\nIf you are mad at people for self diagnosing themselves because they don't have the knowledge or authority to do so.... what gives you the knowledge or authority to diagnosis this as the problem behavior... basically are you just a kid that is annoyed, or is there some actual studies out there that is claiming this is a problem.", ">\n\nIf you don’t think that people consistently seeking attention for mental illness or craving a label so badly to justify themselves rather then being themselves. That just shows what your views are", ">\n\nDont you think we should leave the diagnosing to the professionals?", ">\n\nI mean yeah", ">\n\nWould you agree that you are diagnosing these people by saying that they are only seeking attention and do not have a real mental illness?", ">\n\nI’m assuming", ">\n\nThere may be some truth to people wanting to be different, however with mental illnesses being more accepted in today's society, many people are a lot more comfortable with being neurodivergent. Additionally, self diagnosis is common because the alternative is spending upwards to $1000-$2000 for a clinical diagnosis.", ">\n\nI know costs suck, but self diagnosis can be much more harmful. A web.md page that tells you your depressed when you may actually be bipolar can lead to really messed up results. I would even go as far as to say that no diagnosis at all is preferable to an uninformed one", ">\n\nWell.\n​\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad \n\nSo you already know why they're doing what they're doing in addition the fact that you know that they're not Autistic? If your claim is that they can't know and only a doctor can, what makes you more qualified? You start out your argument admitting that you have a bias.\n\nthey’re “neurodivergent.\n\nNeurodivergent is an umbrella that covers both Autism and ADHD, which sometimes get mistaken for each other. So if you're upset that they're self-diagnosing, this term should be more welcome than \"Autistic\" because it's more generalized.\n\nnd when you ask them how they know they’ll say “oh I have this weird tick when I uh laugh when someone says something funny “ or “I have a hyper fixation on this topic so I must be autistic\n\nHow else should they communicate it to you? The list of aspects of Autism, especially for how it presents in women, sounds a lot like this. You're not a doctor, they don't have to prove anything to you by going down the entire list of every possible part of their daily experience that might be on the spectrum.\n\nWomen statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nNope. Women are diagnosed less often than men because the original diagnostic criteria for Autism was for Autism as it presents in males. It presents differently for females and is harder to diagnose, especially at younger ages. \n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized\n\nTodays youth want to be victimized? Why would anyone want to be victimized? Something tells me you're missing the mark with this terminology.\n\nor have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. \n\nSo if someone is Autistic and that makes them weird, you'd rather them just be forced to not get to have a name for it, and get the therapeutic treatment that would help them?\n\nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really [are] without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nSome people are autistic. If they find out and it makes them feel good, that doesn't mean they're craving attention. And if they are craving attention, it's because they're normal people and everyone does. \nIf someone thinks they're autistic but it turns out they're actually not, chances are they suspected it for a reason. They might have ADHD, a personality disorder, a mental health issue, or simply a slightly different way of experiencing the world that feels unique to them and there's nothing wrong with that. \nYou seem to think that other people do things for you. People generally don't. They do things for themselves. This is especially true of people on the Autism Spectrum who may not be able to easily use other people's experiences to reference when constructing their view of the world, and can only use their own. Your interpretation wherein they do it to evoke a response from you says more about you than it does about them.", ">\n\nYou’re being deliberately obtuse. OP is completely correct. Most of the people these days who say “I’m ADHD” or “I’m autistic” or “I’m neurodivergent” are absolutely not diagnosed as such and are doing it to seem unique or get attention or as some excuse for why they did x y or z.", ">\n\nI'd like to point out that while some are perhaps attention seeking, many people self diagnose simply because they don't have access to free medical/psychological professionals to get proper diagnosis and help with their issues. I also know someone who doesn't want to get an official diagnosis because he's afrad it will affect his insurance rates or somehow come back to bite him if he's offically labeled with having a neurological disorder. \nThere is a wealth of knowledge on these subjects available online for those interested. And if they are truly interested in self diagnose they can likely do that accurately enough for all intents and purposes. Most of these people who search for the sake of better understanding themselves or their loved ones will openly admit that it's a self diagnoses, or say they THINK they have x,y, or z. But in some situations it's just as well to say they have it if they feel certain anyway, and it's just a passing comment, and not a discussion on the matter. \nIn other words, just because they self diagnose doesn't mean they're wrong, nor does it explain their motives. I also don't see how attention seeking (for those who ARE doing that) is really hurting anyone else. Fakers gonna be fake, that's more a \"them\" kind of problem. ANNOYING, but mostly harmless.", ">\n\nUnless you have a doctor's diagnosis you don't have the disorder. Even if you are broke there are programs to help with costs. \nAnd yes it does affect me when someone is treating me like shit and tries using the I have such and such as an excuse and then people get mad at ME for calling them in their bullshit.", ">\n\nNo. You have to have the disorder before you CAN be diagnosed, so obviously there are undiagnosed people who in fact \"have the disorder \". Your refusal to acknowledge an undiagnosed disorder does not mean they don't have it. Your personal experience with people supposedly using a fake diagnosis to treat you badly, sounds unusual. How do you know they DIDN'T have it? People who do lie and just want to be jerks will do that regardless of what methods they decide to try. The methods are irrelevant. And that motive is not typical of most self diagnosers .", ">\n\nSounds unusual? You must not get out a lot because it's become a pretty regular thing. Every single person I know (about 8) that have self diagnosed themselves as neurodivergent or with a mental illness like Bi-polar all use it to excuse their shitty ass behaviors. \nToo many disorders can mirror other ones. Just because they think they have 2/3 symptoms doesn't make them right by a long shot. Keep living in your bubble.", ">\n\nYou don't have to have a relationship with anyone. If they treat you badly, regardless of an official diagnosis or not, you don't have to tolerate them. It makes no difference what they have or don't have. What would it change if they got diagnosed and actually have it?", ">\n\nSelf diagnosing has been a thing forever\nAnd it's not a problem im 99% sure me or any other autistic person doesn't really give 2 fucks about people who wanna fake disorders. It doesn't stop us from getting help, we have doctors notes, medical files, sometimes even volunteers, you need those files to get into let's say a special education class, or a life skills course.\nSo unless you were diagnosed by a professional you're probably not gonna make it far faking it.\n(Excuse my shitty punctuation)", ">\n\nIt doesn’t bother you that they’re making others take the actual meaning away from what you were born with? I mean I’m sure autism hasn’t made your life easy and seeing ppl claim it for attention to be quirky probably has to annoy you a little right?", ">\n\nAt the end of the day I still have ADHD and I still need help with it. More people being diagnosed with it doesn’t change that fact. In fact I was diagnosed because I realized I related to so many tiktok memes, and I’m sure others are in my same boat. \nIn fact I think so many people talking about ADHD helps. It means more people who possibly have tips for me, people who are suffering who can’t afford treatment have an easy way to learn about how to improve their lives, and more people who are aware of my disorder.", ">\n\nI think people do diagnose themselves too often without seeking professional help. BUT mental illness is not the same as being neurodivergent.", ">\n\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad that they’ll go as far to say they’re “neurodivergent.”\n\nWhile this is the case, I don't really see how it's a \"problem\" per se. I guarantee that these people still make lifestyle decisions based on what they think is best, or based on what they want to do.\n\nbut it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women\n\nDo you have any statistics for that? I haven't experienced it that way in my own anecdotal experience, and I'd be curious to look into the data to see how much that truly does skew in that direction.\n\nwanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness \nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nI understand what you're trying to say here, but I don't really think these things are connected as much as you think they are. People see something wrong with themselves, so they either playfully or seriously consider the fact that it could be a condition that they have similar symptoms to. Not that it never happens, but just because someone categorizes themselves into a disability group that could potentially excuse their \"quirks\", doesn't mean they think that behavior is unacceptable in any way. People see a problem, and assume it's linked to this other issue that seems similar that they already know about.", ">\n\nI agree with the conclusion that self-diagnosis is a real issue, and I wouldn't be surprised if the data indicated it was on the rise. I wouldn't necessarily frame it as a simple desire to \"be victimized\" however. While it is purely speculation, I do believe there are a number of conditions which might lead towards a more frequent experience of symptoms associated with mental illness - a rising wealth gap, perpetual anxiety from a 24-hour news cycle, intensification of self-commodification, the student debt crisis in certain countries like the US, and so on. So people are experiencing symptoms like low energy, mood swings, etc. that can be associated with mental illness. The issue with self-diagnosis then becomes that it may correctly identify the symptom, but incorrectly identify the cause.\nThis video from the YouTuber HealthyGamerGG does a good job of explaining what some of the issues with self-diagnosis are, and for me it was a good starting place for thinking about this more. \nEDIT: I forgot this video literally starts with this same topic being brought up on this same subreddit lol", ">\n\nA great theory based on reasonable causes with an educational video from a psychologist(I assume) as evidence to back it up. I applaud you sir. 👏", ">\n\nWhy are you embarrassed by other people's issues?", ">\n\nI’m a 30yo male. If I had not first self diagnosed with ASD and OCD, I never would have found the language and resources to get a formal diagnosis and help.\nPrior generations have been so fixated on avoidance of diagnosing mental disorders, and research was previously so lacking that we are only just now (through those that do get diagnosed) realizing how common mental disorders are. That plus the lack of mental health resources for neurotypical and neurodivergent I think is how we end up in this situation of many recognizing their symptoms in the new discourse, but lacking the resources to overcome the barriers to proper diagnosis and treatment.", ">\n\nIt’s not the best thing, no. \nAs an adult FINALLY diagnosed (by a licensed therapist) at 41, I can tell you why ‘self diagnosis’ is so tempting. \nIn the US at least- mental health, and official medical diagnosis are almost completely inaccessible, especially as an adult. Most of us grew up before Autism was a spectrum, and ADHD was just boys who acted out in class. We felt like aliens. We couldn’t understand why we didn’t have many friends, or why we didn’t like the ‘right things’, and generally spend the bill of our lives feeling ‘wrong’, ‘broken’ or just simply like we didn’t belong. \nFinally understanding the WHY, and even better, finding tools to addresses our issues is a huge huge weight off the chest. The relief of having a name and a strategy- either therapy or medicine is such an amazing relief!!", ">\n\nI only kinda agree if I had not done my own research I would have never found out I have sjorgens syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis I know TikTok people tend to diagnose themselves and it makes it look cringe but when you live with a incurable illness sometimes you have to work to find a diagnosis", ">\n\nWell, what do you do of you absolutely know you're neurodivergent, but your parents decided not to get you checked? My mom once told me \"we knew you had something, we just didn't get you checked because they would have just put you on pills\". So I struggled with being different, socially unaware, impulsive, obnoxious, agressive, selfish, for the better part of my life without having the self awareness to understand why I was these things, and why people wouldn't want to be around me. \nIn my late 20''s I asked the question, what if I'm actually autistic? I looked up the symptoms, and 9/10 matched. As a child I couldn't handle loud noises, restrictive clothing, I didn't talk until I was 3. I would throw fits for seemingly no reason, I had obsessive interests. I've always really struggled with eye contact, and I never cared for conversation unless it was something I liked. I mean, when the final piece of a puzzle fits so incredibly well, it's really hard for it to be wrong. \nSelf diagnosing actually really helped me grow as aj individual. I became aware of all my divergent behaviors, and why it might be annoying for someone else to deal with. I came to the realization that I was the one who was different, therefore I needed to change. It's way harder to make everyone around you cater to your needs than to overcome the things that upset you. I'm at peace, I have good friends that I can connect with on a pretty deep level. I no longer smash coffee tables when I lose, I can now appreciate that if I lose it just means I have more to learn. I can keep my house clean, I can reasonably hold myself accountable. What exactly is the harm in all that?\nBesides, it would be pretty pointless for me to try and get a diagnosis now, I've put the effort in and largely come out the other side. Anyone diagnosing me would just say I was normal, but they wouldn't have the intimate knowledge of me that I do. I guess it doesn't matter if people don't believe me, I don't go around shouting that I'm autistic. I will say, it would be really nice if people appreciated the effort I put in to get to get to a place of normalcy, something others take for granted, but it's okay, we all have our struggles.", ">\n\nI feel you on all that. To play devil's advocate, mental healthcare in the U.S. is not cheap. Many people go to the internet and confirm their bias about their current health", ">\n\nI feel you on that too OP. I agree 100% with your entire statement.", ">\n\nIt's a problem, but not a new one. In the 1990s there was briefly a surge of people with a type of delusional parasitosis, that is, the false belief that they were infested with parasites. Except this one was supposedly an infestation with tiny fibres. They would come to doctors with a whole list of symptoms to back up their incorrect self-diagnosis.\nTo a certain extent, these are social contagions, which come and go, and often actually end up leading to people having real problems. Like, the young women you mention, a couple of decades ago may well have ended up with anorexia, or self-cutting. These days it might be a self-declaration of autism or a belief that they have gender dysphoria or that they have multiple systems living in their minds.", ">\n\nWow I did not know that. Maybe it’s just so prevalent today due to social media. Social media has only made these things worse imo", ">\n\nEven before it being self diagnosis of a mental illness it was always something. Remember all the emo and goth teenager?", ">\n\nIt depends on the context. For example, if they've done a substantial amount of research, can name a good amount of symptoms they have and reasons they have whatever mental illness and don't have access to the necessary tools to get a medical diagnosis, it's totally different. Some people don't have the money to go out and get a diagnosis, or sometimes it would be better to not get a medical diagnosis. I believe that the reason that a lot of people self diagnose themselves with things like Autism is because they want an explanation as to why they are different, and they could be right or wrong. I think the most important part is that if you go to a psychologist (or even two, I know a lot of people prefer getting second opinions) and they say you don't have it, that you need to admit you were wrong. It's ok to be wrong about your mental health, and the key is to keep looking and to not give up. I can completely understand the frustration in people completely missing how difficult it actually may be to have a mental illness. I was clinically diagnosed with Depression, Anxiety, and PTSD when I was seven, and I've had some experience with people faking mental disorders for attention, and more often then not, they have another mental disorder that needs attention. Recently I had a (now ex) boyfriend insist he had PTSD after being tested twice and the psychiatrist saying that he didn't have it. What he does have is Depression and Anxiety, but he absolutely insisted he has PTSD despite never exhibiting symptoms and the only evidence being a test he took online that was supposedly a \"real PTSD test.\" People faking mental illnesses only harms people who really have them, as these people tend to exaggerate symptoms and use their self diagnosis for attention. I believe that I am autistic, but I don't list it as a diagnosis because while I have read articles and taken the RAADS-r test, I don't have an official diagnosis, and I could very well be wrong. As for women faking illnesses more often, something I've noticed is that things like Autism, ADHD, ADD, etc are more often diagnosed in boys rather than girls- mostly because when they were first discovered, most of the research was done in boys. Autism shows up differently in girls, and can often be blown off as early puberty hormones. If their hyperfixations are those of stereotypical feminine things, it's just a girl liking whatever, and if they hyperfixate in stereotypical masculine interests, they tend to just be viewed as weird, but not autistic. It's normal for people to question, but I agree that to a certain point, self diagnosis can be harmful, but only if not done correctly.", ">\n\nFirst and foremost not a new problem at all, very common, we used to call it \"Being a hypochondriac\" until it aparrently became reconized which in it self is confusing and a bit contradictory.\nANYWAY\nIt isnt really a problem, no doctor is gonna write the perscription for medication without a diagnosis of some sort.\nAt most there is the vauge \"But what about those who actually have it who arent taken serious\" dont worry, we wouldnt have anyway. Thats kinda how invisible illnesses work.\nOverall the 101 hypochondriacs screaming about the symptoms they read in the ICD might help make the knowledge more common and help people better reconize if their colleagues or friends happen to show symptoms of something.", ">\n\nIt’s pretty expensive in the US to get diagnosed. Personally, I’ve self diagnosed myself out of frustration of the way I process things. I’ve always felt slow & my anxiety/depression was deep because of it, but I was raised in a family that doesn’t believe in mental illness. It was always “if you work hard enough, all your problems will go away”. Meanwhile, i was racking my brain on how to make myself think faster/smarter & it would result in psychotic episodes. I’ve gotten fired from jobs, dropped out of school. I started self harming because I hated myself and my brain & almost commit suicide bc I had no idea what was going on.\nThe relief I felt once I finally got a therapist who validated me & was the first to talk to me about mental Illness. It blew my mind and all of a sudden things actually made sense to me. I currently think I have ADD, and sometimes I’ll tell people that but will preface it by saying I’m not professionally diagnosed. Still, I use mental tools that help me get through the day and build my confidence. I’m a lot better at processing conversations, making lists that help me remember things, unmasking, slowing down my thoughts… etc. I’m less frustrated and can see the beauty in how I process things. I still want to get diagnosed but I have to get health insurance….. lol", ">\n\nSelf diagnosis, regardless of being factual is a process where the individual realizes that they might have a mental health issue. People who can do this are more likely to seek professional help compared to the people who think they are “fine”. Going to a professional, licensed psychologist or a psychiatrist will eventually diagnose them with the correct disorder from there, and professionals have the skills to communicate with them and they can together evaluate if the person’s complaint is the issue or not. There is nothing embarrassing about discovering one’s self. It would be a problem if people would identify with an issue and don’t have any willingness to seek help. Sometimes overreacting is better than not reacting.", ">\n\nThe majority of people who are self-diagnosed with autism have done extensive research into it to come to that conclusion. I personally went through the DSM criteria with a fine-tooth comb, made a list of all the ways I met it and discovered that there’s not a single criteria i don’t meet for autism. I didn’t read about anything else but autism for weeks, approaching it from all angles before coming to the conclusion that it’s highly unlikely I am not autistic. I’m waiting to hear back about an assessment, but I’m not waiting to go and be told something I already know before I start advocating for myself. \nOh, and I absolutely did not want to be ‘different’, in fact my life mission to just blend in and be average is the root cause of most of my problems, but here we are.", ">\n\nThis self diagnosing young people do isn’t the problem. The problem is that our society encourages it.\nOur culture is not set up to accommodate a wide spectrum of human needs. You may need things that I don’t. I may need things that you don’t. But in most business settings, academic settings, or even places like restaurants or leisure places, the world isn’t built to accommodate everyone. Our world and society is a “one size fits all” approach, and most people don’t fit snugly inside of that system. \nIf you can classify what is “wrong” or “different” about you into an easily digestible form, people are generally more able and more willing to accommodate you.\nFor example: if I tell my coworkers that I need to leave work early because of a headache, I’ll be shamed for it. And in some cases I’ll be told that “headaches aren’t that bad!” Or “You don’t need to leave.” Or “I have a headache too, just deal with it!”\nBut if I tell my workers that I need to leave due to a painful neurological condition that’s flaring up (I have chronic migraine, which is a neurological condition), they will respect it 100% of the time. It’s met with sympathy and not criticism.\nThis happens for all sorts of things. “Sorry Im late, I slept in.” Sounds a lot worse then, “sorry I’m late, my insomnia has been terrible lately.” \nOur culture forces us to use these labels even when they’re untrue just to receive sympathy or acceptance. The problem isn’t people who decide to use these labels, the root problem is that our society refuses to embrace and accommodate people who are outside of the “norm.”", ">\n\nSpeaking as someone who's had an autism diagnosis since age 7: if someone declares they're autistic when they're not, that's obnoxious at worst. If someone is told they're not autistic when they are, that can cause lifelong harm from denied care and understanding. I have seen this happen to a close friend of mine.\nTherefore, I'd much rather err on the side of acceptance. If you think you're defending me and others like me from impersonators, we'd rather not have your help.\n\nI know people will disagree but it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women. Women statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nCase in point: women are diagnosed with autism far less than men. Recent studies have pointed to decades of systematic misdiagnosis. The more visible autistic symptoms sometimes manifest differently in girls, the way they're socialized may help them hide it from a young age, and of course lots of doctors just say \"your daughter can't be autistic, that's a boy thing.\"\nWe're learning that there are hundreds of thousands of autistic women who slipped through the cracks and were denied the recognition and support they needed because of dismissive, gatekeeping attitudes just like yours.", ">\n\nThere’s a difference between having a disorder and relating to a disorder. If the tools or language associated with a disorder helps someone live better though then cool, it’s all still odd. Also autism presents differently in woman, and a majority of our research on it is on men. Best practice is probably to support them and encourage them to seek treatment.", ">\n\nAutism is severely misdiagnosed in women. Completely under diagnosed. Actually, plenty of things are. The actual problem that we have is parents refusing to let their children get professional help or a diagnosis. Most doctors will diagnose you with BPD as a woman(aka the new female hysteria of our century), maybe put you on some anti psychotics and send you your way. In most countries, a diagnosis/specialist is not readily available, or there is a long waiting list. Even so, the doctors are not know it all. I have seen plenty of doctors, I got different diagnosis almost each time. They ask you some general questions (about your mood, the way you sleep, if you can concentrate, if you harm yourself, if you have suicidal ideation, if you can socialize properly, if your parents were diagnosed with anything, if you have hallucinations or delusions, the works) and then based on that, they will give you a diagnosis. If you use your common sense and information on the internet (given you are knowledgeable on the subject), you can take a good guess on what's wrong. Obviously, some people will exaggerate like with anything (seeing the shadow dude once in your childhood is not a sign of psychosis, neither is hearing your name called when you are alone once in a blue moon), but if you have visual and auditory hallucinations, perhaps weird tactile feelings/hallucinations (spiders are crawling on me, etc), delusions, tend to be forgetful and out of teach with reality, there is a good chance you do have psychosis.", ">\n\nOkay, to start: what do you think autism and ADHD are? They aren't mental illnesses nor are they mental health conditions. \nTo address some of your other points; \nStudies have shown that autism has a gender expression of 1:1. The only reason that women are under diagnosed is because of misunderstandings towards autism, then the diagnosis is conducted incorrectly. Thus it ends up getting conflated with mental illness, E.G BPD, and is diagnosed as a psychiatric disorder instead. This is a detriment to the patient as the care regimes are black and white different. Often times this severely damages the woman.\nFrom data sets that I recall reading, malingering hasn't risen much, if at all, in recent times. I remember it being around 8% of the global population who are engaging in this behaviour, to different extents. I think what's happened is that social media has turned a torch onto it and it's risen in popularity in an algorithmic way. You see it more because it's pushed by the algorithm more because people are searching for it more. It isn't actually occurring any more or less than historically. Most of that attention is negative attention, I should add. \nSo there's two things to take away from that.\n1) The actual act of pretending to be mentally ill, or to have a disability, which is called malingering, is in fact a form of mental unwellness itself. It's a cry for help. The people who do these things are usually very unstable and should be treated with a degree of empathy. The dangerous types who are using mental illness to scam others, or to manipulate them, make up a very small percentage of the overall amount of people in that group and tend to abuse one on one. \n2) The predominant response to this is generally negative. There isn't really any reason to publicly malinger unless you're unstable, this is because a rational person would likely know this, and know the damage it would cause themselves. Self-diagnosis is a very long, and self-aware, process that takes place over years of the individuals life, and proceeds official diagnosis. \nNo one SDs and says \"Okay that's it now! Let me start a TikTok!\" You'd still want support, and you'd still seek support. So that would end up with a doctor, who would see that you're lying, and treat you for whatever was prompting you to malinger. Anyone who has made this commitment knows that keeping it private is a sensible thing to do in a world that isn't inclusive, and often very stigmatising. Sometimes official diagnosis can take YEARS. \nThis kind of propaganda has been going around for a long time in an effort to discredit disabled people and people with mental illnesses. It's not new. People said the same things back in the 90s. People will always be afraid, and dismissive, of things they do not understand. I invite you to try and understand.", ">\n\nI self-diagnosed myself with endometriosis for 10 years before a doctor finally listened to me, opened me up, and found my insides littered with lesions all over my organs. I’m now not able to get pregnant and I might need to get part of my bowel taken out someday. This could’ve been avoided if someone had just listened to me when I was 16. \nSelf-diagnosing is a necessity in a misogynist world! No one takes us seriously! Especially medical professionals. \nThe best antidote for this is to listen to women who self-diagnose. Why do they think they have XYZ? Is it heavily interfering with their life? I think that’s a much larger problem.", ">\n\nIts been proven that there is a bias to diagnose as opposed to not diagnose a mental illness in psychology. So op is actually kinda correct. The definition of a mental illness is in effect being stretched so far that people who are just kinda weird are being diagnosed with \"on the spectrum\". This is actually causing a problem in early learning because parents start treating their kids as essentially learning challenged when they're really not. So it is starting to become an excuse ...", ">\n\nWe live in a society that loves to medicate people. I know it’s different but Did ppl forget about the opioid epidemic? They’ll diagnose your ass with anything if they can", ">\n\nYa I tend to agree. And no one is really saying so I will I guess, but id wager that 50% of psychologist \"professionals\" are totally full of shit. The actual number of psychologists that are are doing real research and clinical studies is EXTREMELY small compared to how many \"psychologists\" are out there. Just like chiropractors, half of them are hacks..", ">\n\nAnd ill say one more thing, though it is anecdotal, but i have direct family that works in special education for young children, and that system is fucked with a capital F. Thay are constantly fighting against parents and programs who try to box kids in the \"autistic\" zone, when they are just really quite or shy, or have pee problems. But parents want an excuse and reason for their behavior, and reduce them to a sub standard education and treatment for the rest of their lives. It's heart breaking. Especially in public schools.", ">\n\nI’m 32 years old. \nI didn’t self diagnose for attention although I remember the days of tumblr where everyone self diagnosed for clout.\nIt took me a decade to realize what is really happening. During the decade before I realized what may have been happening I was told the following:\nI’m rude\nI’m bossy\nI have a RBF/I look mad\nI also only managed to make my first real friend at age 27.\nWhat I was really displaying was:\nBeing overly blunt and just trying to get my point across came off rude when I didn’t intend it to be that way\nTrying to have things done at a certain time and way that no one else thought was important to follow\nUnmasking\nNoticed other things too that I just thought was me being weird:\nVocal stimming\nOral stimming-chewing, smoking, vaping\nRepetitive motions\nRocking\nEasily overwhelmed by too much sensory input\nHigh startle reflex \nInability to regulate my body’s needs-I don’t know I’m hungry until I’m ravenous; don’t recognize the need to use the bathroom until it’s causing me to rush off, don’t realize I’m cold until I’m shaking\nI could go on.\nI want an assessment so bad. But assessments for adults are EXTREMELY hard to setup, if you can even set them up at all. Some states don’t even offer them. I’ve been looking but they are only for children and seem to look for severe cases.\n14 years of thinking I was just a bitch who couldn’t make friends because I was too weird…turns out it might be autism. And turns out I’ll most likely never get a true diagnosis. But the RAADS test gave me a 127 score so that might be the closest I’ll ever get.", ">\n\ni kind of self diagnosed autism? i’ve been to many psychiatrists and therapists for years and they always see adhd in the half an hour and prescribe meds for that, which makes me not go there again. if they dug a little deeper they could have seen autism, i spoke to my current psychiatrist about if its possible i have it, she didn’t want to confirm or deny as i was moving out of state from friends and family and am at an age where i can have kids in the next 10 years since she doesn’t want me being concerned for them. \nI think there’s still lots of stigma around autism even with professionals and especially when identifying it in women. \nI don’t want to be autistic, but i can recognise a lot of different patterns comparing myself and others. I’ve researched it a ton especially in how it shows in women compared to men and in all the articles i found myself relating.\nNow i don’t say im autistic, i say im a little sus of being it tho lmao. and try pass it off casually. I find it’s a lot easier for me to understand and embrace my differences compared to trying to hide it and try be like everyone else or wonder why im not like everyone else. \nBeing older i can also recognise how a lot of my family on one side have suffered mentally and because of obvious neurodivergence. so im pretty sure, like the rest of my mentally challenged brain, has been inherited genetically through that side. \nAll that being said. I self diagnosed when i was about 12 that im highly likely to be depressed and anxious in attempt to get my mom to believe me i needed help, and now 8 years later i can identify that this has been an issue forever for me and that i likely cannot go off my meds because i will just go back to how i used to be. Im still ocd with all my meds, but its better than being anxious and depressed all the time, Having ocd throughout the day is like heaven to me in comparison to how i used to be. obviously the ocd isnt new, just a lot more heard in my brain now.", ">\n\nOk, I know some people self diagnoze themselves with [insert some mental illness here] out of attention or whatever, and that's totally not ok.\nHowever, if you read all the symptoms and do proper research on a mental illness and everything clicks in to you, I'd say you can be fairly confident on a self diagnosis (although, it might be worth it to double check with a professional, especially if you want any sort of treatment). But also for some people, it might not be affordable to go to a professional...", ">\n\nI live in Canada, I've engaged with the medical system, doctors don't care and just want you out, ERs are a 8 hour wait for someone to ignore one thing and won't even entertain other issues even if they are related. Self-diagnosis is really the only way to get any kind of proper treatment at all. \nThe doctors will rubber stamp just about anything you ask for except pain killers but in terms of diagnosis you're way better off doing it yourself, sure you don't have 8 years of medical school but the doctors won't give you 5 mins of their time, they are not better than google and you give a lot more of a shit than they will and at the end of the day it's your body.", ">\n\nBack in the 90s when I was a teenager, the kids/teenagers/young adults who wanted attention, and wanted to be different, adopted the goth lifestyle. Dressing up in all black. White foundation with black lipstick and eyeshadow. It was the trendy way to be different, to be viewed as outcasts of society. To not fit in. \nThe goth lifestyle of the 2020s is self diagnosis. Same shit, different day.\nWhenever someone claims autism, or somewhere on the spectrum, I just roll my eyes and imagine that person just sucks at life.", ">\n\nI just think it’s a little more harmful nowadays due to the prevalence of social media. Ppl get sucked into groups and mindsets before they even have a real life chance. Then they hyper fixate on that they might be mentally Ill rather then just trying to live life to the fullest", ">\n\nI 100% agree with you", ">\n\nBecause it's the age of spin this generation has something for everybody. And all of them are Google doctors. Lol", ">\n\nTook my uncle till he was 38 even thought it was apparent to everyone. Hell he got expelled from two schools", ">\n\nI get what you're saying. I frankly find it weird that more people don't find this weird. People self-diagnosing themselves as all kinds of things not only completely misrepresents the actual conditions, thereby making people even more confused as to what they actually are and how they present, but also leads people to run to a psychiatrist claiming false symptoms and getting medication for something they don't have, which is NOT a good thing. People should never be taking medication unless it is necessary. We are a heavily over-medicated society and this is a big factor in that. Caffeine to wake up in the morning, \"immuno-boosters\" and mood stabilizers during the day, sleeping pills to sleep at night. The caffeine and sleeping pills are addictive and can really mess up your circadian rhythm, and the mood stabilizers can really fuck you up if you don't need them. Instead of rushing to diagnose and medicate everyone, we need to educate them on human behavior and show them that their \"mental health\" problems are completely normal.\nOh, so you get nervous right before you make huge life decisions? That's not Anxiety Disorder, it's just anxiety.\nOh, you are really sad because your cat died? That's not Clinical Depression, you are just grieving.\nOh, you went from really happy to really sad when you were previously happy and something really shitty happened to you and soured your mood? That's not Bipolar Disorder, that's just life.\nOh, you like to be more organized than the people around you? That's not Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, you just like to be organized.\nPeople really misunderstand the nature of these conditions and it hinders our collective progress in treating them, like dramatically inflating the number of actual conditions in the population, making it increasingly more difficult to determine how common and how varied they are. After all, in most cases it is not the psychiatrist or psychologist who makes you better, you make you better. Medication can help and other people can show you the path to success, but the problem will never get solved unless you play an active role in the treatment. Some conditions can never be solved, only lessened, while others are virtually untreatable. We need to stop making these conditions seem cool. They aren't. They are serious and need to be taken seriously.", ">\n\nHeavily agree and I appreciate how well this comment is worded. Wish I coulda worded mine a little better", ">\n\nYa I saw you getting shredded in the comments and figured I'd sum it up for you. 🤣", ">\n\nLmao bro I didn’t expect this many. I was thinking maybe like 20 ppl would reply", ">\n\nYou need to self diagnose in many cases in order to get adequate help.", ">\n\nI knew when I had ADD and IBS, and I was able to get my suspicions confirmed by my respective doctors. Doctors are there to help the patients understand themselves, whereas the patients have to go home every day and live with what they actually have. Do not be so quick to judge.", ">\n\nJust to add here - Autism in women is less prevalent because it presents differently and is often not picked up by standardised diagnostic tests (that were developed on an almost exclusively male sample). I think that also goes to show that there’s p significant issues with what we consider ‘scientific’ and research based in the first place.", ">\n\nI grew up in a small town and we had quite a few autistic boys but only one autistic girl. Literally only one out of like 6-8 grades. So that’s like a 10-1 ratio. It’s gotta be a lot statistically smaller then males. I don’t doubt it happens I just know it’s a lot less", ">\n\nYou think your small town’s makeup is generalizable to all of society? That isn’t how statistics work.", ">\n\nSo my question would be - so what do we do?\nYou think people are diagnosing themselves to gain attention. Fine, but what's the next step?\nSee, I think I might be bipolar 2. But I went on a journey where I looked into the techniques for dealing with this issue. That led me to cognitive behavior therapy.\nThat actually made me more convinced that this was my issue because I have taught myself a lot of cognitive behavior therapy techniques to address the same issues. These practices have really helped me.\nIt sounds like your issue is that these people are getting attention for it. To me, these are people who need someone to help guide them. That would have helped me a lot when I was younger. Society today doesn't really give us the tools to sort this out, but just the knowledge that these things exist can push someone down the rabbit hole to learn about therapy that could really help.\nI think you should ask yourself what your motivations are. Do you really want them to understand themselves? Or are you more interested in steering the conversation toward other topics?\nPersonally, I would deal with these people by paying them forward. I would tell them to understand the practices that typically help these people, and see if they are relevant. I would tell them to seek professional help, and to refrain from diagnosing themselves, but I would encourage them to be critical of themselves and to learn more.\nImo, the way out is through.", ">\n\nI agree with you but it’s not mostly women. Maybe by happenstance that’s the case in your circle but broadly men do this too.", ">\n\nDoctor's are consulting the Mayo Clinic website after talking to a patient and getting their symptoms. I bring that up to say this; a doctor's training is needed for very serious diseases and tricky diagnoses, but a semi-intelligent person could look up their symptoms and get a lot of the more minor stuff right.", ">\n\nI've never been diagnosed as clinically depressed or anything, but that doesn't mean that I don't suffer from depression a lot of the time (these last few years, more often than not). I see a therapist. I take antidepressants. \nI have a friend who has aphantasia. It isn't really a \"diagnosable\" condition, but it describes what he has trouble with: creating images in his mind.", ">\n\nThat’s different then going online and claiming perfectly normal traits mean you’re autistic", ">\n\nNeurodivergence ≠ mental illness.", ">\n\nThey know themselves and their experiences better than you.", ">\n\nOP, I'm seeing some differences between your post and what you're saying in the comments. \nMy question is, do you have a problem with people self-diagnosing, or is your issue more about people drawing a lot of public attention to their diagnoses?", ">\n\nOverall both but definitely the attention part more so for obvious reasons. The self diagnosing part due to the fact that it can make people believe it can be an excuse for their actions good or bad. I think In a weird way it can allow people to take away the responsibility of their own actions and attribute to their mental illness", ">\n\nAs someone who has been diagnosed with ADHD, having people self diagnosing doesn't bother me at all, because I went the path of not knowing at all what I had and letting doctors figure out by themselves... and it took me 4 years and a half to finally have a concrete answer that no doctors would have found out if I didn't start searching on my own. You can't walk into every doctor's office with the assumption they'll figure out what you have, because it's not their speciality, or they still have an outdated view (not every doctor are kept up to date with new discovers), or they're biased, etc... \nI've never been annoyed by people who self diagnose. Hell, if I knew what was about to happen to me, I would have done the same way sooner.", ">\n\nMost women today arent faking it, they are noticing the symptoms no one else noticed and trying to find help. Its not easy to grow up with this kind of stuff. Is not coincidence you think women are less likely to be born to autism instead of thinking how weird it is that for some reason most autism diagnosis happen to men, that is the misogyny in the medical comunity.\nSelf diagnosis means this women will go to doctors and it most case scenarios they will get diagnoses because they have this issue all their life.\nSocial media is giving people awareness of the issue in medicine and how it affects women. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Misogyny in medicine also leads to people not knowing the difference between a heart attack in a woman and a man. It leads to women thinking its something else because internet and books will tell you how a man will feel a heart attack, even doctors sometimes dont know this.", ">\n\nGetting a diagnosis or treatment is borderline impossible for a lot of people. So self diagnosis is sometimes the only way they can help themselves.", ">\n\nNot a mental illness. But, I am a trans person and I pretty much self-diagnosed and self-medicated. I just had physicians do blood test.\nI educated myself on how everything works in about eight month period. I did that over a decade.\nI don’t regret my decision, and if I did. The regret would be not starting any sooner, especially when people who aren’t physicians or therapists are having a final say about these things.", ">\n\nIt is very noticeable and annoying, buuuut it’s proven autism manifest differently in females. Plus women are (very) often under diagnosed and dismissed for many many things by doctors, which is absolutely disgusting. Aaaand the cost of healthcare is outrageous.", ">\n\nwomen being less likely to be diagnosed with autism has nothing to do with an actual gender gap in who does and doesn’t have autism and everything to do with the fact autistic women are diagnosed with personality disorders and mental illnesses due to stigmas. most autism research was done on men and therefore women are underrepresented and more often than not misdiagnosed. autism actually occurs at a similar rate in both sexes. also, it’s not a mental illness, it’s a neurological condition (not that mental illnesses aren’t, but illness implies there’s something wrong, which there isn’t in autistic people). i agree that self diagnosing leads to misinformation and harms those who are clinically diagnosed though.", ">\n\nA lot of medical diagnoses are based on white male studies, so yes you would see more women finding out they have certain mental illnesses now as professionals are realizing it can show differently in females vs males. Adhd, for example, was considered something only seen in young boys that would grow out of it, now they are realizing that you don't in fact grow out of it and women can have it too. \nMental illness was a taboo subject back in the day as well, especially for women. It was only in 1980 I think that hysteria was no longer considered a mental illness. Women would be diagnosed with 'hysteria' and committed for symptoms like anxiety and anger. So now a lot of women are learning more about their mental health because they feel safe to do so. \nMy mother is in her early 70's and still refuses to tell anyone her own health issues or even mine, I have cancer and we were going to go on a trip as it's unknown how much longer I have and she refused to ask for the day off because she wouldn't tell them the reason why.", ">\n\nI detest self diagnosis, though once you’ve studied advanced level abnormal psychology shit happens. \nAs far as kids go, the generalized anxiety and depressive spectrum diagnoses can occasionally be accurate however that would warrant professional intervention regardless.\nOne serious issue among others; if an adolescent “decides” they have major depressive disorder that can become a self fulfilling prophecy and cause despair and reluctance to seek treatment", ">\n\nLook at the price and lack of availability of mental health care, and the total lack of privacy of internet connected devices. Most practitioners don’t offer in person visits anymore, and even if they do they probably do digital records or have their phone present. Ofc people are self diagnosing.", ">\n\nCounterpoint: many people do not have the means to access diagnoses for mental illnesses and other disorders, and it can sometimes be the only way to explain their feelings to others. Autism diagnoses in particular are extremely difficult to access for adults and even teens. I suspected I had autism for years and the only way I was able to get a diagnosis was through the mental health treatment program I was in during highschool which had a psychologist there. I only could attend because I live in Canada with universal healthcare. Many, many people are not as fortunate as me. Most people in the world cannot access diagnosis in the first place, including many in richer countries. \nYour comment about women statistically 'being born with autism on a far lesser scale than men' misses the well-known problem of underdiagnosis of autism in women. Autism presents itself differently in women than men (I can say as an autistic woman who knows other autistic women) and the criteria for autism were based on cis white men. Autism in women is is often misdiagnosed as CPTSD (which many autistic people ALSO unfortunately have), borderline personality disorder, anxiety, depression, etc. \nAlthough self-diagnosis is often problematic and used by teenagers to feel special, for the people who take it seriously and are intellectually honest there currently isn't really a better alternative for them to try and explain their experiences when they cannot access diagnoses.", ">\n\nWhat you are describing is NOT a new phenomenon. I was born in 1975 and have been observing this phenomenon my entire life. Nothing new about it at all.", ">\n\nSelf diagnosis is often the first step in going to go and get an actual diagnosis. Getting diagnosed with a mental disorder, especially as an adult, is basically impossible if you aren't actively seeking it out. For several reasons, one of which is that pretty much all the diagnostic criteria are written about children. \nI'm properly diagnosed and even on disability for mental disorders and I knew what I had for years before I got diagnosed. \nI understand there's a feeling of \"stolen valour\" to it. And there is indeed a subset of people doing it for attention or because it's fashionable, OCD in particular being a common example, but the good that comes from self diagnosis more than outweighs the bad.", ">\n\nCorrect me if I’m wrong, but don’t all, or at least most mental disorders lie on a spectrum?", ">\n\nI was diagnosed ADD/ ADHD as a child an im getting re-evaluated next month because i think the diagnosis must be bullshit.\nI have a close friend that wasn't diagnosed ADD/ADHD until they were 22 and in an Ivy league vet program\nThe amount of people that say they cant do well in school simply because they have add/ adhd is bullshit if u ask me. Also, people justify abusing adderal because theyre ADHD and i think thats BS too. I decided never to take it and just abuse caffeine instead to avoid the health side effects", ">\n\nThe current US medical system is such garbage that self advocacy is important. \nSometimes it is wrong. Sometimes professionals ignore you or only pay attention to things insurance companies will pay for. Sonetimes they are also wrong. Or they're incentivized to get you out of a hospital bed ready or not. \nAdministrators and insurance companies get all the money. Nurses, aides, patients all suffer.", ">\n\nEspecially when they don't even understand what the disorder is in the first place. \"I'm a loner so I'm anitsocial.\" That's not what that means.... Or my favorite, \"I'm detailed oriented so I have OCD, lulz I am so le quirky! ;P\"", ">\n\nPeople who struggle with certain things often seek out those with similar experiences. With social media and the internet, it’s easier than ever to find people with similar struggles and sometimes, those people are a group diagnosed with certain mental illnesses. \nDoes that mean every person who sees themselves in a diagnosis will have that diagnosis? Hell no. But I think it’s disingenuous to claim that it’s “for attention.” People want to find community they can relate to and are drawn to experiences that reflect their own.\nI’m saying this as someone who was diagnosed with ADHD at 25 — I started to suspect I might have it in my early 20s and started poking about online. I was officially assessed and diagnosed some time later, and that diagnosis has been validated by three therapists and two psychiatrists.\nPlenty of people misjudge themselves and plenty of people are very ready to leap into a box. Some of them may be wrong. Some may be doing it to try and excuse bad behavior. (Hell, I’ve known waaaay too many people who DID have diagnosed mental illnesses and seemed to think their diagnosis was a free pass to be shitty). However, I think calling it a “trend” or “for attention” misses the point of why and how people reach these conclusions. \nOne might also argue that you do not have the professional expertise regarding psychology to assume the validity or ulterior motives of someone else’s diagnosis. There’s a reason that a lot of psychologists out there are adamantly against diagnosing from a distance - you have significantly less insight into a someone’s mind than they do, and you’re projecting a lot of assumptions onto others’ behavior without any supporting evidence.", ">\n\nIm gonna start out with, generally I agree its a problem-to an extent. Even though women have autism at a much lower rate they’re also under diagnosed/misdiagnosed at a higher rate. When it comes to why people are doing this, in my experience it’s people who are trying to figure out why they’re treated the way they are, why they struggle to do certain things that others don’t even see as an issue. They’re noticing their differences and feeling bad about it. When they can’t fix it they start trying to find a reason, a cause to help them both understand and feel better about themselves and ways they can move forward and actually improve their lives, as well as finding a group they can relate to when they have a hard time relating to the average person.", ">\n\nI think OP is arguing there are quite a few people whose self-diagnosis wouldn’t meet the criteria of a medical diagnosis. It’s horrible for me to even argue but some people want to portray themselves as a victim: I think this because I am a shit.\nHowever I agree with arguments here that if these people are brave enough to identify a potential issue in themselves then kudos to them for recognising it." ]

[ "The diagnosis process for a lot of psychiatric conditions are surveys and questionaires. You can go to a psychiatrist and ask if you're anxious and they'll give you multiple choice questions and diagnose off of that. Or you can just google the form yourself and self diagnose. A lot of psychiatric disorders are about how we feel and think. Not about sending off some blood sample to a lab and getting a positive result come back.\n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. For such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nWhat you're describing are all neuroses that could indicate some deeper psychiatric condition. Whether a person has a mental health condition or not, thinking of ourselves as weak victims is never helpful in any context, yet it's something we all feel from time to time.\nI'm a disability support worker, so when someone tells me they've got a self diagnosed condition, it's not offensive to me or any disabled person I know, it doesn't come across like they're invalidating anyone else's condition. However I do think everyone should talk to a doctor about any condition they feel they might have.", ">\n\nPiggybacking off of this: You’ve spent your whole entire life inside your own brain. A therapist will spend a period of hours with you and give you a diagnosis. Who do you think knows your personal reality better than yourself?", ">\n\nYeah exactly, especially with conditions such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, PTSD, and many other psychiatric conditions. These are things people know they have even before they get a diagnosis. The diagnosis stage is more about treatment and management.\nPeople might be unaware of how severe or mild their condition is, some people think they have only mild PTSD despite constant nightmares and suicidal ideation. Some people will think they have severe ADHD because they can't concentrate for long times on things that don't interest them. It's good to get some perspective from experts but ultimately people know when they are struggling to focus or to struggling to stop stressing all the time or struggling to not be miserable. Struggling with our thoughts and feelings is evidence enough to self diagnose.", ">\n\nI was recently diagnosed with ADHD as a woman so I find this viewpoint interesting.\nFirstly, autism is not a mental illness. An autistic person may have mental illness in conjunction with autism, but autism alone lies under the neurodivergent umbrella. Neurodivergency can include autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and other similar conditions.\nWhy women are often underdiagnosed\nThese are serious disabilities that can really impede a person's life, especially if they struggle to find help and acceptance in their community. A lot of women start their journey towards diagnosis later in life due to a number of factors such as:\n\nPoor diagnostic tools and inexperienced professionals\nA misunderstanding that autism and ADHD are more common in boys\nAdvanced masking techniques to cover their 'traits'\n\nWhy women are often diagnosed later in life.\nThe process for many women and men who are diagnosed later in life often includes a level of burnout or breakdown. After a while everything becomes too much, the mask begins to slip and your traits go into overdrive.\nWhy does self-diagnosing seem to be on the rise?\nA common way of finding out you could possibly be neurodivergent is through media and people who are aware of these traits appear.\nIn the past few years, I have seen an increasing awareness of neurodivergence in women pop up in the media. This is useful for people like myself who had no idea wtf was wrong with them for a very long time. For me, a GP actually suggested I seek a diagnosis due to some struggles I was going through.\nAs someone who went through this process self-diagnosing is commonly the first step as an adult. You might be directed to a questionnaire and are asked to evaluate yourself and your experiences thinking back to your childhood. If there's some merit in your experiences than you move to the next step which involves seeking a professional. Waitlists are often months to years long so many people live in limbo for a long time.\nMethods of living with ADHD can help everyone. And everyone experiences ADHD traits from time to time. Given a large amount of stress we have all suffered collectively, I don't doubt there are a lot of people with increased mental health issues that mirror neurodivergent traits. Some mental illnesses can get very severe and alter your brain chemistry and behaviour.\nMy takeaway from this is that the mental health systems set up to assist these people are a much larger issue and cause for serious concern than self-diagnosing.\nApologies for the spelling and grammar errors. Grammarly and Reddit don't play nice.", ">\n\nI think it's two things. One, people have identity crises, especially teenagers. We all know that type of person who tries on identities like hats. That's pretty embarrassing. You usually grow out of that.\nTwo, from personal experience, giving yourself a label or a diagnosis makes it feel more contained and easy to communicate. It's easier to tell someone that you have X and have them understand what you're going through rather than telling them you have these vague symptoms resembling what you imagine X is like. In that respect, it is pretty understandable, possibly good, and not embarrassing. There's something that is sort of reassuring if you can finally get a word to put on what you're experiencing.\nPeople often sympathize with the diagnosis but not with the symptoms. Tell people at work you're autistic and they will sympathize with you and possibly not attack you. Tell them you do not understand social cues and they will probably just make fun of you.", ">\n\nI understand the desire to put a label with a disease, and this is not necessarily bad, but the diagnosis needs to be correct. If you want to tell others that you are autistic or depressed; you must actually be those things. A person can almost never correctly assertion their disease, only their symptoms. People might better understand you if you say your autistic, but you may incorrectly understand and describe yourself. If one wishes to put a name with symptoms, they should find a doctor to pick the label", ">\n\nfor sure but unfortunately our medical system is a joke and even if you are experiencing very severe symptoms it can be nearly impossible to see a professional or take months on a waiting list.\nEven then a professional may be reluctant to slap a label on you for fear of what the consequences of that might be. I saw someone for a very long time who resisted any sort of actual diagnosis because the truth is that what I was experiencing didn't fit neatly into any of the boxes and pretty much belonged in this vague \"other\" category which isn't particularly helpful. Not to mention that misdiagnosis happens all the time even by professionals. \nI just think it is sort of understandable because I think a lot of stuff is kind of a spectrum anyway and just different levels of severity. Things can be really confusing and hard to nail down and thus communicate in a way that causes someone else to be understanding rather than judgemental.", ">\n\nAre you under the impression this is a new phenomenon? Because it's definitely not.\nPeople - especially young people! - crave identity. The world is a confusing place, knowing who you are makes it a little easier. Sometimes it's self-diagnosing mental illness or learning disabilities, or exploring sexual identity, or cliques, or subcultures. There's nothing embarrassing about it, it just is what it is.", ">\n\nIt’s ok to want to express individuality but not to the extent of totally destroying the definition of a real thing and making it hard for actual mentally Ill ppl to get a diagnosis. Why can’t people just accept that they’re different rather then giving themselves a label?", ">\n\npeople on TikTok claiming to have disorders that they don't doesn't affect the precision of psychiatrists diagnosing actual patients. There's no TikTok-said section in the DSM. Why do you think that it does?", ">\n\nIt just encourages more people to get diagnosed possibly skewing the meaning of the mental illness", ">\n\nSkewing it towards statistical accuracy? If people are actually diagnosed at higher rates, we have a better Guage of population-level mental illness, neurodivergency, etc. Better data is more usable, so that research actually means something actionable, ASIDE from the identity boost for young people.", ">\n\nI think what OP is driving at, but utterly failing to explain, is that they think that the fakers will be accommodated by the psychiatric system and diagnosed on the basis of fake symptoms. my sense is that isn't a problem but I don't have data.", ">\n\nDefinitely explained it a little better then I could lol", ">\n\nWhere do you see evidence of that? Any articles about fakers? How about a statistic? If not, it’s just a fear you seem to have.", ">\n\nI think the salient line here is this one:\n\nNeurologists were able to quickly determine that the subjects were not \nsuffering from Tourette's, but psychogenic tics driven by anxiety.", ">\n\nWomen are not born with less autism, but are much less likely to be diagnosed as children than boys. This is partly because boys generally have similar symptoms and behaviors. \nSo of course more women are self diagnosing autism, since their diagnoses were missed as children on a much higher rate.", ">\n\nAlright, I'm diagnosed OCD, PTSD, chronic depression. Diagnosed by a professional so I think I have some grounds to talk about this.\nFirst, let's tackle your women comment about autism. You see, I understand where you're coming from, but you lack the nuance of recognizing that mental illness, and illness in general, is heavily under-diagnosed in women. The medical culture is heavily favored towards men and is rampant with mysogyny, and that's not just me saying it as I've had medical professionals blatantly tell me it's a problem in the field when questioned about it. I've also had some tell me that it's just because women whine a lot, so yanno make of that statement what you will.\nNow that we've covered that let me address the self-diagnosing issue. So, do you want to know what my therapist thinks of self-diagnosing? Well, when I asked them about it they said that self-diagnosing is an important first step to seeking help. Psychiatrist said the same thing. It's normal, expected even, for people to self-diagnose their issues then seek help for them. You can't exactly just peer into someone's brain, no, that person has to tell you what they think is wrong and why they think it is. \nWhat you actually have a problem with is not self-diagnosis, but with people not seeking or not being able to get medical assistance and assuming they're right. You have a problem with people using these issues for attention, which I do too, but once again self-diagnosing is not the problem. Finally, you have a problem with the medical system that forces people into the position of trying to figure out their mental illnesses, but having no ability to get help for them.", ">\n\nI think I did it", ">\n\nSadly no lol, it was not done properly. Do you need a link to the rules?", ">\n\nI already read them i think I’ll figure it out in a bit sorry for the hold up", ">\n\nBecause everyone else is being aggressive: you have to comment with ∆ or !delta and then explain how your view has been changed", ">\n\nThis delta has been rejected. You can't award OP a delta.\nAllowing this would wrongly suggest that you can post here with the aim of convincing others.\nIf you were explaining when/how to award a delta, please use a reddit quote for the symbol next time.\n^Delta System Explained ^| ^Deltaboards", ">\n\nWhat gives you the authority or knowledge to know this is the problem?", ">\n\nYou don’t think it’s a problem that a lot of young ppl are willing to go to the extent of saying they are mentally Ill either for attention or to excuse their weirdness? Just accept that your different. It’s not wrong to believe you’re different without a label", ">\n\nYou did not even try to answer my question.", ">\n\nI’m sorry I was confused on what you meant", ">\n\nIf you are mad at people for self diagnosing themselves because they don't have the knowledge or authority to do so.... what gives you the knowledge or authority to diagnosis this as the problem behavior... basically are you just a kid that is annoyed, or is there some actual studies out there that is claiming this is a problem.", ">\n\nIf you don’t think that people consistently seeking attention for mental illness or craving a label so badly to justify themselves rather then being themselves. That just shows what your views are", ">\n\nDont you think we should leave the diagnosing to the professionals?", ">\n\nI mean yeah", ">\n\nWould you agree that you are diagnosing these people by saying that they are only seeking attention and do not have a real mental illness?", ">\n\nI’m assuming", ">\n\nThere may be some truth to people wanting to be different, however with mental illnesses being more accepted in today's society, many people are a lot more comfortable with being neurodivergent. Additionally, self diagnosis is common because the alternative is spending upwards to $1000-$2000 for a clinical diagnosis.", ">\n\nI know costs suck, but self diagnosis can be much more harmful. A web.md page that tells you your depressed when you may actually be bipolar can lead to really messed up results. I would even go as far as to say that no diagnosis at all is preferable to an uninformed one", ">\n\nWell.\n​\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad \n\nSo you already know why they're doing what they're doing in addition the fact that you know that they're not Autistic? If your claim is that they can't know and only a doctor can, what makes you more qualified? You start out your argument admitting that you have a bias.\n\nthey’re “neurodivergent.\n\nNeurodivergent is an umbrella that covers both Autism and ADHD, which sometimes get mistaken for each other. So if you're upset that they're self-diagnosing, this term should be more welcome than \"Autistic\" because it's more generalized.\n\nnd when you ask them how they know they’ll say “oh I have this weird tick when I uh laugh when someone says something funny “ or “I have a hyper fixation on this topic so I must be autistic\n\nHow else should they communicate it to you? The list of aspects of Autism, especially for how it presents in women, sounds a lot like this. You're not a doctor, they don't have to prove anything to you by going down the entire list of every possible part of their daily experience that might be on the spectrum.\n\nWomen statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nNope. Women are diagnosed less often than men because the original diagnostic criteria for Autism was for Autism as it presents in males. It presents differently for females and is harder to diagnose, especially at younger ages. \n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized\n\nTodays youth want to be victimized? Why would anyone want to be victimized? Something tells me you're missing the mark with this terminology.\n\nor have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. \n\nSo if someone is Autistic and that makes them weird, you'd rather them just be forced to not get to have a name for it, and get the therapeutic treatment that would help them?\n\nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really [are] without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nSome people are autistic. If they find out and it makes them feel good, that doesn't mean they're craving attention. And if they are craving attention, it's because they're normal people and everyone does. \nIf someone thinks they're autistic but it turns out they're actually not, chances are they suspected it for a reason. They might have ADHD, a personality disorder, a mental health issue, or simply a slightly different way of experiencing the world that feels unique to them and there's nothing wrong with that. \nYou seem to think that other people do things for you. People generally don't. They do things for themselves. This is especially true of people on the Autism Spectrum who may not be able to easily use other people's experiences to reference when constructing their view of the world, and can only use their own. Your interpretation wherein they do it to evoke a response from you says more about you than it does about them.", ">\n\nYou’re being deliberately obtuse. OP is completely correct. Most of the people these days who say “I’m ADHD” or “I’m autistic” or “I’m neurodivergent” are absolutely not diagnosed as such and are doing it to seem unique or get attention or as some excuse for why they did x y or z.", ">\n\nI'd like to point out that while some are perhaps attention seeking, many people self diagnose simply because they don't have access to free medical/psychological professionals to get proper diagnosis and help with their issues. I also know someone who doesn't want to get an official diagnosis because he's afrad it will affect his insurance rates or somehow come back to bite him if he's offically labeled with having a neurological disorder. \nThere is a wealth of knowledge on these subjects available online for those interested. And if they are truly interested in self diagnose they can likely do that accurately enough for all intents and purposes. Most of these people who search for the sake of better understanding themselves or their loved ones will openly admit that it's a self diagnoses, or say they THINK they have x,y, or z. But in some situations it's just as well to say they have it if they feel certain anyway, and it's just a passing comment, and not a discussion on the matter. \nIn other words, just because they self diagnose doesn't mean they're wrong, nor does it explain their motives. I also don't see how attention seeking (for those who ARE doing that) is really hurting anyone else. Fakers gonna be fake, that's more a \"them\" kind of problem. ANNOYING, but mostly harmless.", ">\n\nUnless you have a doctor's diagnosis you don't have the disorder. Even if you are broke there are programs to help with costs. \nAnd yes it does affect me when someone is treating me like shit and tries using the I have such and such as an excuse and then people get mad at ME for calling them in their bullshit.", ">\n\nNo. You have to have the disorder before you CAN be diagnosed, so obviously there are undiagnosed people who in fact \"have the disorder \". Your refusal to acknowledge an undiagnosed disorder does not mean they don't have it. Your personal experience with people supposedly using a fake diagnosis to treat you badly, sounds unusual. How do you know they DIDN'T have it? People who do lie and just want to be jerks will do that regardless of what methods they decide to try. The methods are irrelevant. And that motive is not typical of most self diagnosers .", ">\n\nSounds unusual? You must not get out a lot because it's become a pretty regular thing. Every single person I know (about 8) that have self diagnosed themselves as neurodivergent or with a mental illness like Bi-polar all use it to excuse their shitty ass behaviors. \nToo many disorders can mirror other ones. Just because they think they have 2/3 symptoms doesn't make them right by a long shot. Keep living in your bubble.", ">\n\nYou don't have to have a relationship with anyone. If they treat you badly, regardless of an official diagnosis or not, you don't have to tolerate them. It makes no difference what they have or don't have. What would it change if they got diagnosed and actually have it?", ">\n\nSelf diagnosing has been a thing forever\nAnd it's not a problem im 99% sure me or any other autistic person doesn't really give 2 fucks about people who wanna fake disorders. It doesn't stop us from getting help, we have doctors notes, medical files, sometimes even volunteers, you need those files to get into let's say a special education class, or a life skills course.\nSo unless you were diagnosed by a professional you're probably not gonna make it far faking it.\n(Excuse my shitty punctuation)", ">\n\nIt doesn’t bother you that they’re making others take the actual meaning away from what you were born with? I mean I’m sure autism hasn’t made your life easy and seeing ppl claim it for attention to be quirky probably has to annoy you a little right?", ">\n\nAt the end of the day I still have ADHD and I still need help with it. More people being diagnosed with it doesn’t change that fact. In fact I was diagnosed because I realized I related to so many tiktok memes, and I’m sure others are in my same boat. \nIn fact I think so many people talking about ADHD helps. It means more people who possibly have tips for me, people who are suffering who can’t afford treatment have an easy way to learn about how to improve their lives, and more people who are aware of my disorder.", ">\n\nI think people do diagnose themselves too often without seeking professional help. BUT mental illness is not the same as being neurodivergent.", ">\n\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad that they’ll go as far to say they’re “neurodivergent.”\n\nWhile this is the case, I don't really see how it's a \"problem\" per se. I guarantee that these people still make lifestyle decisions based on what they think is best, or based on what they want to do.\n\nbut it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women\n\nDo you have any statistics for that? I haven't experienced it that way in my own anecdotal experience, and I'd be curious to look into the data to see how much that truly does skew in that direction.\n\nwanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness \nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nI understand what you're trying to say here, but I don't really think these things are connected as much as you think they are. People see something wrong with themselves, so they either playfully or seriously consider the fact that it could be a condition that they have similar symptoms to. Not that it never happens, but just because someone categorizes themselves into a disability group that could potentially excuse their \"quirks\", doesn't mean they think that behavior is unacceptable in any way. People see a problem, and assume it's linked to this other issue that seems similar that they already know about.", ">\n\nI agree with the conclusion that self-diagnosis is a real issue, and I wouldn't be surprised if the data indicated it was on the rise. I wouldn't necessarily frame it as a simple desire to \"be victimized\" however. While it is purely speculation, I do believe there are a number of conditions which might lead towards a more frequent experience of symptoms associated with mental illness - a rising wealth gap, perpetual anxiety from a 24-hour news cycle, intensification of self-commodification, the student debt crisis in certain countries like the US, and so on. So people are experiencing symptoms like low energy, mood swings, etc. that can be associated with mental illness. The issue with self-diagnosis then becomes that it may correctly identify the symptom, but incorrectly identify the cause.\nThis video from the YouTuber HealthyGamerGG does a good job of explaining what some of the issues with self-diagnosis are, and for me it was a good starting place for thinking about this more. \nEDIT: I forgot this video literally starts with this same topic being brought up on this same subreddit lol", ">\n\nA great theory based on reasonable causes with an educational video from a psychologist(I assume) as evidence to back it up. I applaud you sir. 👏", ">\n\nWhy are you embarrassed by other people's issues?", ">\n\nI’m a 30yo male. If I had not first self diagnosed with ASD and OCD, I never would have found the language and resources to get a formal diagnosis and help.\nPrior generations have been so fixated on avoidance of diagnosing mental disorders, and research was previously so lacking that we are only just now (through those that do get diagnosed) realizing how common mental disorders are. That plus the lack of mental health resources for neurotypical and neurodivergent I think is how we end up in this situation of many recognizing their symptoms in the new discourse, but lacking the resources to overcome the barriers to proper diagnosis and treatment.", ">\n\nIt’s not the best thing, no. \nAs an adult FINALLY diagnosed (by a licensed therapist) at 41, I can tell you why ‘self diagnosis’ is so tempting. \nIn the US at least- mental health, and official medical diagnosis are almost completely inaccessible, especially as an adult. Most of us grew up before Autism was a spectrum, and ADHD was just boys who acted out in class. We felt like aliens. We couldn’t understand why we didn’t have many friends, or why we didn’t like the ‘right things’, and generally spend the bill of our lives feeling ‘wrong’, ‘broken’ or just simply like we didn’t belong. \nFinally understanding the WHY, and even better, finding tools to addresses our issues is a huge huge weight off the chest. The relief of having a name and a strategy- either therapy or medicine is such an amazing relief!!", ">\n\nI only kinda agree if I had not done my own research I would have never found out I have sjorgens syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis I know TikTok people tend to diagnose themselves and it makes it look cringe but when you live with a incurable illness sometimes you have to work to find a diagnosis", ">\n\nWell, what do you do of you absolutely know you're neurodivergent, but your parents decided not to get you checked? My mom once told me \"we knew you had something, we just didn't get you checked because they would have just put you on pills\". So I struggled with being different, socially unaware, impulsive, obnoxious, agressive, selfish, for the better part of my life without having the self awareness to understand why I was these things, and why people wouldn't want to be around me. \nIn my late 20''s I asked the question, what if I'm actually autistic? I looked up the symptoms, and 9/10 matched. As a child I couldn't handle loud noises, restrictive clothing, I didn't talk until I was 3. I would throw fits for seemingly no reason, I had obsessive interests. I've always really struggled with eye contact, and I never cared for conversation unless it was something I liked. I mean, when the final piece of a puzzle fits so incredibly well, it's really hard for it to be wrong. \nSelf diagnosing actually really helped me grow as aj individual. I became aware of all my divergent behaviors, and why it might be annoying for someone else to deal with. I came to the realization that I was the one who was different, therefore I needed to change. It's way harder to make everyone around you cater to your needs than to overcome the things that upset you. I'm at peace, I have good friends that I can connect with on a pretty deep level. I no longer smash coffee tables when I lose, I can now appreciate that if I lose it just means I have more to learn. I can keep my house clean, I can reasonably hold myself accountable. What exactly is the harm in all that?\nBesides, it would be pretty pointless for me to try and get a diagnosis now, I've put the effort in and largely come out the other side. Anyone diagnosing me would just say I was normal, but they wouldn't have the intimate knowledge of me that I do. I guess it doesn't matter if people don't believe me, I don't go around shouting that I'm autistic. I will say, it would be really nice if people appreciated the effort I put in to get to get to a place of normalcy, something others take for granted, but it's okay, we all have our struggles.", ">\n\nI feel you on all that. To play devil's advocate, mental healthcare in the U.S. is not cheap. Many people go to the internet and confirm their bias about their current health", ">\n\nI feel you on that too OP. I agree 100% with your entire statement.", ">\n\nIt's a problem, but not a new one. In the 1990s there was briefly a surge of people with a type of delusional parasitosis, that is, the false belief that they were infested with parasites. Except this one was supposedly an infestation with tiny fibres. They would come to doctors with a whole list of symptoms to back up their incorrect self-diagnosis.\nTo a certain extent, these are social contagions, which come and go, and often actually end up leading to people having real problems. Like, the young women you mention, a couple of decades ago may well have ended up with anorexia, or self-cutting. These days it might be a self-declaration of autism or a belief that they have gender dysphoria or that they have multiple systems living in their minds.", ">\n\nWow I did not know that. Maybe it’s just so prevalent today due to social media. Social media has only made these things worse imo", ">\n\nEven before it being self diagnosis of a mental illness it was always something. Remember all the emo and goth teenager?", ">\n\nIt depends on the context. For example, if they've done a substantial amount of research, can name a good amount of symptoms they have and reasons they have whatever mental illness and don't have access to the necessary tools to get a medical diagnosis, it's totally different. Some people don't have the money to go out and get a diagnosis, or sometimes it would be better to not get a medical diagnosis. I believe that the reason that a lot of people self diagnose themselves with things like Autism is because they want an explanation as to why they are different, and they could be right or wrong. I think the most important part is that if you go to a psychologist (or even two, I know a lot of people prefer getting second opinions) and they say you don't have it, that you need to admit you were wrong. It's ok to be wrong about your mental health, and the key is to keep looking and to not give up. I can completely understand the frustration in people completely missing how difficult it actually may be to have a mental illness. I was clinically diagnosed with Depression, Anxiety, and PTSD when I was seven, and I've had some experience with people faking mental disorders for attention, and more often then not, they have another mental disorder that needs attention. Recently I had a (now ex) boyfriend insist he had PTSD after being tested twice and the psychiatrist saying that he didn't have it. What he does have is Depression and Anxiety, but he absolutely insisted he has PTSD despite never exhibiting symptoms and the only evidence being a test he took online that was supposedly a \"real PTSD test.\" People faking mental illnesses only harms people who really have them, as these people tend to exaggerate symptoms and use their self diagnosis for attention. I believe that I am autistic, but I don't list it as a diagnosis because while I have read articles and taken the RAADS-r test, I don't have an official diagnosis, and I could very well be wrong. As for women faking illnesses more often, something I've noticed is that things like Autism, ADHD, ADD, etc are more often diagnosed in boys rather than girls- mostly because when they were first discovered, most of the research was done in boys. Autism shows up differently in girls, and can often be blown off as early puberty hormones. If their hyperfixations are those of stereotypical feminine things, it's just a girl liking whatever, and if they hyperfixate in stereotypical masculine interests, they tend to just be viewed as weird, but not autistic. It's normal for people to question, but I agree that to a certain point, self diagnosis can be harmful, but only if not done correctly.", ">\n\nFirst and foremost not a new problem at all, very common, we used to call it \"Being a hypochondriac\" until it aparrently became reconized which in it self is confusing and a bit contradictory.\nANYWAY\nIt isnt really a problem, no doctor is gonna write the perscription for medication without a diagnosis of some sort.\nAt most there is the vauge \"But what about those who actually have it who arent taken serious\" dont worry, we wouldnt have anyway. Thats kinda how invisible illnesses work.\nOverall the 101 hypochondriacs screaming about the symptoms they read in the ICD might help make the knowledge more common and help people better reconize if their colleagues or friends happen to show symptoms of something.", ">\n\nIt’s pretty expensive in the US to get diagnosed. Personally, I’ve self diagnosed myself out of frustration of the way I process things. I’ve always felt slow & my anxiety/depression was deep because of it, but I was raised in a family that doesn’t believe in mental illness. It was always “if you work hard enough, all your problems will go away”. Meanwhile, i was racking my brain on how to make myself think faster/smarter & it would result in psychotic episodes. I’ve gotten fired from jobs, dropped out of school. I started self harming because I hated myself and my brain & almost commit suicide bc I had no idea what was going on.\nThe relief I felt once I finally got a therapist who validated me & was the first to talk to me about mental Illness. It blew my mind and all of a sudden things actually made sense to me. I currently think I have ADD, and sometimes I’ll tell people that but will preface it by saying I’m not professionally diagnosed. Still, I use mental tools that help me get through the day and build my confidence. I’m a lot better at processing conversations, making lists that help me remember things, unmasking, slowing down my thoughts… etc. I’m less frustrated and can see the beauty in how I process things. I still want to get diagnosed but I have to get health insurance….. lol", ">\n\nSelf diagnosis, regardless of being factual is a process where the individual realizes that they might have a mental health issue. People who can do this are more likely to seek professional help compared to the people who think they are “fine”. Going to a professional, licensed psychologist or a psychiatrist will eventually diagnose them with the correct disorder from there, and professionals have the skills to communicate with them and they can together evaluate if the person’s complaint is the issue or not. There is nothing embarrassing about discovering one’s self. It would be a problem if people would identify with an issue and don’t have any willingness to seek help. Sometimes overreacting is better than not reacting.", ">\n\nThe majority of people who are self-diagnosed with autism have done extensive research into it to come to that conclusion. I personally went through the DSM criteria with a fine-tooth comb, made a list of all the ways I met it and discovered that there’s not a single criteria i don’t meet for autism. I didn’t read about anything else but autism for weeks, approaching it from all angles before coming to the conclusion that it’s highly unlikely I am not autistic. I’m waiting to hear back about an assessment, but I’m not waiting to go and be told something I already know before I start advocating for myself. \nOh, and I absolutely did not want to be ‘different’, in fact my life mission to just blend in and be average is the root cause of most of my problems, but here we are.", ">\n\nThis self diagnosing young people do isn’t the problem. The problem is that our society encourages it.\nOur culture is not set up to accommodate a wide spectrum of human needs. You may need things that I don’t. I may need things that you don’t. But in most business settings, academic settings, or even places like restaurants or leisure places, the world isn’t built to accommodate everyone. Our world and society is a “one size fits all” approach, and most people don’t fit snugly inside of that system. \nIf you can classify what is “wrong” or “different” about you into an easily digestible form, people are generally more able and more willing to accommodate you.\nFor example: if I tell my coworkers that I need to leave work early because of a headache, I’ll be shamed for it. And in some cases I’ll be told that “headaches aren’t that bad!” Or “You don’t need to leave.” Or “I have a headache too, just deal with it!”\nBut if I tell my workers that I need to leave due to a painful neurological condition that’s flaring up (I have chronic migraine, which is a neurological condition), they will respect it 100% of the time. It’s met with sympathy and not criticism.\nThis happens for all sorts of things. “Sorry Im late, I slept in.” Sounds a lot worse then, “sorry I’m late, my insomnia has been terrible lately.” \nOur culture forces us to use these labels even when they’re untrue just to receive sympathy or acceptance. The problem isn’t people who decide to use these labels, the root problem is that our society refuses to embrace and accommodate people who are outside of the “norm.”", ">\n\nSpeaking as someone who's had an autism diagnosis since age 7: if someone declares they're autistic when they're not, that's obnoxious at worst. If someone is told they're not autistic when they are, that can cause lifelong harm from denied care and understanding. I have seen this happen to a close friend of mine.\nTherefore, I'd much rather err on the side of acceptance. If you think you're defending me and others like me from impersonators, we'd rather not have your help.\n\nI know people will disagree but it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women. Women statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nCase in point: women are diagnosed with autism far less than men. Recent studies have pointed to decades of systematic misdiagnosis. The more visible autistic symptoms sometimes manifest differently in girls, the way they're socialized may help them hide it from a young age, and of course lots of doctors just say \"your daughter can't be autistic, that's a boy thing.\"\nWe're learning that there are hundreds of thousands of autistic women who slipped through the cracks and were denied the recognition and support they needed because of dismissive, gatekeeping attitudes just like yours.", ">\n\nThere’s a difference between having a disorder and relating to a disorder. If the tools or language associated with a disorder helps someone live better though then cool, it’s all still odd. Also autism presents differently in woman, and a majority of our research on it is on men. Best practice is probably to support them and encourage them to seek treatment.", ">\n\nAutism is severely misdiagnosed in women. Completely under diagnosed. Actually, plenty of things are. The actual problem that we have is parents refusing to let their children get professional help or a diagnosis. Most doctors will diagnose you with BPD as a woman(aka the new female hysteria of our century), maybe put you on some anti psychotics and send you your way. In most countries, a diagnosis/specialist is not readily available, or there is a long waiting list. Even so, the doctors are not know it all. I have seen plenty of doctors, I got different diagnosis almost each time. They ask you some general questions (about your mood, the way you sleep, if you can concentrate, if you harm yourself, if you have suicidal ideation, if you can socialize properly, if your parents were diagnosed with anything, if you have hallucinations or delusions, the works) and then based on that, they will give you a diagnosis. If you use your common sense and information on the internet (given you are knowledgeable on the subject), you can take a good guess on what's wrong. Obviously, some people will exaggerate like with anything (seeing the shadow dude once in your childhood is not a sign of psychosis, neither is hearing your name called when you are alone once in a blue moon), but if you have visual and auditory hallucinations, perhaps weird tactile feelings/hallucinations (spiders are crawling on me, etc), delusions, tend to be forgetful and out of teach with reality, there is a good chance you do have psychosis.", ">\n\nOkay, to start: what do you think autism and ADHD are? They aren't mental illnesses nor are they mental health conditions. \nTo address some of your other points; \nStudies have shown that autism has a gender expression of 1:1. The only reason that women are under diagnosed is because of misunderstandings towards autism, then the diagnosis is conducted incorrectly. Thus it ends up getting conflated with mental illness, E.G BPD, and is diagnosed as a psychiatric disorder instead. This is a detriment to the patient as the care regimes are black and white different. Often times this severely damages the woman.\nFrom data sets that I recall reading, malingering hasn't risen much, if at all, in recent times. I remember it being around 8% of the global population who are engaging in this behaviour, to different extents. I think what's happened is that social media has turned a torch onto it and it's risen in popularity in an algorithmic way. You see it more because it's pushed by the algorithm more because people are searching for it more. It isn't actually occurring any more or less than historically. Most of that attention is negative attention, I should add. \nSo there's two things to take away from that.\n1) The actual act of pretending to be mentally ill, or to have a disability, which is called malingering, is in fact a form of mental unwellness itself. It's a cry for help. The people who do these things are usually very unstable and should be treated with a degree of empathy. The dangerous types who are using mental illness to scam others, or to manipulate them, make up a very small percentage of the overall amount of people in that group and tend to abuse one on one. \n2) The predominant response to this is generally negative. There isn't really any reason to publicly malinger unless you're unstable, this is because a rational person would likely know this, and know the damage it would cause themselves. Self-diagnosis is a very long, and self-aware, process that takes place over years of the individuals life, and proceeds official diagnosis. \nNo one SDs and says \"Okay that's it now! Let me start a TikTok!\" You'd still want support, and you'd still seek support. So that would end up with a doctor, who would see that you're lying, and treat you for whatever was prompting you to malinger. Anyone who has made this commitment knows that keeping it private is a sensible thing to do in a world that isn't inclusive, and often very stigmatising. Sometimes official diagnosis can take YEARS. \nThis kind of propaganda has been going around for a long time in an effort to discredit disabled people and people with mental illnesses. It's not new. People said the same things back in the 90s. People will always be afraid, and dismissive, of things they do not understand. I invite you to try and understand.", ">\n\nI self-diagnosed myself with endometriosis for 10 years before a doctor finally listened to me, opened me up, and found my insides littered with lesions all over my organs. I’m now not able to get pregnant and I might need to get part of my bowel taken out someday. This could’ve been avoided if someone had just listened to me when I was 16. \nSelf-diagnosing is a necessity in a misogynist world! No one takes us seriously! Especially medical professionals. \nThe best antidote for this is to listen to women who self-diagnose. Why do they think they have XYZ? Is it heavily interfering with their life? I think that’s a much larger problem.", ">\n\nIts been proven that there is a bias to diagnose as opposed to not diagnose a mental illness in psychology. So op is actually kinda correct. The definition of a mental illness is in effect being stretched so far that people who are just kinda weird are being diagnosed with \"on the spectrum\". This is actually causing a problem in early learning because parents start treating their kids as essentially learning challenged when they're really not. So it is starting to become an excuse ...", ">\n\nWe live in a society that loves to medicate people. I know it’s different but Did ppl forget about the opioid epidemic? They’ll diagnose your ass with anything if they can", ">\n\nYa I tend to agree. And no one is really saying so I will I guess, but id wager that 50% of psychologist \"professionals\" are totally full of shit. The actual number of psychologists that are are doing real research and clinical studies is EXTREMELY small compared to how many \"psychologists\" are out there. Just like chiropractors, half of them are hacks..", ">\n\nAnd ill say one more thing, though it is anecdotal, but i have direct family that works in special education for young children, and that system is fucked with a capital F. Thay are constantly fighting against parents and programs who try to box kids in the \"autistic\" zone, when they are just really quite or shy, or have pee problems. But parents want an excuse and reason for their behavior, and reduce them to a sub standard education and treatment for the rest of their lives. It's heart breaking. Especially in public schools.", ">\n\nI’m 32 years old. \nI didn’t self diagnose for attention although I remember the days of tumblr where everyone self diagnosed for clout.\nIt took me a decade to realize what is really happening. During the decade before I realized what may have been happening I was told the following:\nI’m rude\nI’m bossy\nI have a RBF/I look mad\nI also only managed to make my first real friend at age 27.\nWhat I was really displaying was:\nBeing overly blunt and just trying to get my point across came off rude when I didn’t intend it to be that way\nTrying to have things done at a certain time and way that no one else thought was important to follow\nUnmasking\nNoticed other things too that I just thought was me being weird:\nVocal stimming\nOral stimming-chewing, smoking, vaping\nRepetitive motions\nRocking\nEasily overwhelmed by too much sensory input\nHigh startle reflex \nInability to regulate my body’s needs-I don’t know I’m hungry until I’m ravenous; don’t recognize the need to use the bathroom until it’s causing me to rush off, don’t realize I’m cold until I’m shaking\nI could go on.\nI want an assessment so bad. But assessments for adults are EXTREMELY hard to setup, if you can even set them up at all. Some states don’t even offer them. I’ve been looking but they are only for children and seem to look for severe cases.\n14 years of thinking I was just a bitch who couldn’t make friends because I was too weird…turns out it might be autism. And turns out I’ll most likely never get a true diagnosis. But the RAADS test gave me a 127 score so that might be the closest I’ll ever get.", ">\n\ni kind of self diagnosed autism? i’ve been to many psychiatrists and therapists for years and they always see adhd in the half an hour and prescribe meds for that, which makes me not go there again. if they dug a little deeper they could have seen autism, i spoke to my current psychiatrist about if its possible i have it, she didn’t want to confirm or deny as i was moving out of state from friends and family and am at an age where i can have kids in the next 10 years since she doesn’t want me being concerned for them. \nI think there’s still lots of stigma around autism even with professionals and especially when identifying it in women. \nI don’t want to be autistic, but i can recognise a lot of different patterns comparing myself and others. I’ve researched it a ton especially in how it shows in women compared to men and in all the articles i found myself relating.\nNow i don’t say im autistic, i say im a little sus of being it tho lmao. and try pass it off casually. I find it’s a lot easier for me to understand and embrace my differences compared to trying to hide it and try be like everyone else or wonder why im not like everyone else. \nBeing older i can also recognise how a lot of my family on one side have suffered mentally and because of obvious neurodivergence. so im pretty sure, like the rest of my mentally challenged brain, has been inherited genetically through that side. \nAll that being said. I self diagnosed when i was about 12 that im highly likely to be depressed and anxious in attempt to get my mom to believe me i needed help, and now 8 years later i can identify that this has been an issue forever for me and that i likely cannot go off my meds because i will just go back to how i used to be. Im still ocd with all my meds, but its better than being anxious and depressed all the time, Having ocd throughout the day is like heaven to me in comparison to how i used to be. obviously the ocd isnt new, just a lot more heard in my brain now.", ">\n\nOk, I know some people self diagnoze themselves with [insert some mental illness here] out of attention or whatever, and that's totally not ok.\nHowever, if you read all the symptoms and do proper research on a mental illness and everything clicks in to you, I'd say you can be fairly confident on a self diagnosis (although, it might be worth it to double check with a professional, especially if you want any sort of treatment). But also for some people, it might not be affordable to go to a professional...", ">\n\nI live in Canada, I've engaged with the medical system, doctors don't care and just want you out, ERs are a 8 hour wait for someone to ignore one thing and won't even entertain other issues even if they are related. Self-diagnosis is really the only way to get any kind of proper treatment at all. \nThe doctors will rubber stamp just about anything you ask for except pain killers but in terms of diagnosis you're way better off doing it yourself, sure you don't have 8 years of medical school but the doctors won't give you 5 mins of their time, they are not better than google and you give a lot more of a shit than they will and at the end of the day it's your body.", ">\n\nBack in the 90s when I was a teenager, the kids/teenagers/young adults who wanted attention, and wanted to be different, adopted the goth lifestyle. Dressing up in all black. White foundation with black lipstick and eyeshadow. It was the trendy way to be different, to be viewed as outcasts of society. To not fit in. \nThe goth lifestyle of the 2020s is self diagnosis. Same shit, different day.\nWhenever someone claims autism, or somewhere on the spectrum, I just roll my eyes and imagine that person just sucks at life.", ">\n\nI just think it’s a little more harmful nowadays due to the prevalence of social media. Ppl get sucked into groups and mindsets before they even have a real life chance. Then they hyper fixate on that they might be mentally Ill rather then just trying to live life to the fullest", ">\n\nI 100% agree with you", ">\n\nBecause it's the age of spin this generation has something for everybody. And all of them are Google doctors. Lol", ">\n\nTook my uncle till he was 38 even thought it was apparent to everyone. Hell he got expelled from two schools", ">\n\nI get what you're saying. I frankly find it weird that more people don't find this weird. People self-diagnosing themselves as all kinds of things not only completely misrepresents the actual conditions, thereby making people even more confused as to what they actually are and how they present, but also leads people to run to a psychiatrist claiming false symptoms and getting medication for something they don't have, which is NOT a good thing. People should never be taking medication unless it is necessary. We are a heavily over-medicated society and this is a big factor in that. Caffeine to wake up in the morning, \"immuno-boosters\" and mood stabilizers during the day, sleeping pills to sleep at night. The caffeine and sleeping pills are addictive and can really mess up your circadian rhythm, and the mood stabilizers can really fuck you up if you don't need them. Instead of rushing to diagnose and medicate everyone, we need to educate them on human behavior and show them that their \"mental health\" problems are completely normal.\nOh, so you get nervous right before you make huge life decisions? That's not Anxiety Disorder, it's just anxiety.\nOh, you are really sad because your cat died? That's not Clinical Depression, you are just grieving.\nOh, you went from really happy to really sad when you were previously happy and something really shitty happened to you and soured your mood? That's not Bipolar Disorder, that's just life.\nOh, you like to be more organized than the people around you? That's not Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, you just like to be organized.\nPeople really misunderstand the nature of these conditions and it hinders our collective progress in treating them, like dramatically inflating the number of actual conditions in the population, making it increasingly more difficult to determine how common and how varied they are. After all, in most cases it is not the psychiatrist or psychologist who makes you better, you make you better. Medication can help and other people can show you the path to success, but the problem will never get solved unless you play an active role in the treatment. Some conditions can never be solved, only lessened, while others are virtually untreatable. We need to stop making these conditions seem cool. They aren't. They are serious and need to be taken seriously.", ">\n\nHeavily agree and I appreciate how well this comment is worded. Wish I coulda worded mine a little better", ">\n\nYa I saw you getting shredded in the comments and figured I'd sum it up for you. 🤣", ">\n\nLmao bro I didn’t expect this many. I was thinking maybe like 20 ppl would reply", ">\n\nYou need to self diagnose in many cases in order to get adequate help.", ">\n\nI knew when I had ADD and IBS, and I was able to get my suspicions confirmed by my respective doctors. Doctors are there to help the patients understand themselves, whereas the patients have to go home every day and live with what they actually have. Do not be so quick to judge.", ">\n\nJust to add here - Autism in women is less prevalent because it presents differently and is often not picked up by standardised diagnostic tests (that were developed on an almost exclusively male sample). I think that also goes to show that there’s p significant issues with what we consider ‘scientific’ and research based in the first place.", ">\n\nI grew up in a small town and we had quite a few autistic boys but only one autistic girl. Literally only one out of like 6-8 grades. So that’s like a 10-1 ratio. It’s gotta be a lot statistically smaller then males. I don’t doubt it happens I just know it’s a lot less", ">\n\nYou think your small town’s makeup is generalizable to all of society? That isn’t how statistics work.", ">\n\nSo my question would be - so what do we do?\nYou think people are diagnosing themselves to gain attention. Fine, but what's the next step?\nSee, I think I might be bipolar 2. But I went on a journey where I looked into the techniques for dealing with this issue. That led me to cognitive behavior therapy.\nThat actually made me more convinced that this was my issue because I have taught myself a lot of cognitive behavior therapy techniques to address the same issues. These practices have really helped me.\nIt sounds like your issue is that these people are getting attention for it. To me, these are people who need someone to help guide them. That would have helped me a lot when I was younger. Society today doesn't really give us the tools to sort this out, but just the knowledge that these things exist can push someone down the rabbit hole to learn about therapy that could really help.\nI think you should ask yourself what your motivations are. Do you really want them to understand themselves? Or are you more interested in steering the conversation toward other topics?\nPersonally, I would deal with these people by paying them forward. I would tell them to understand the practices that typically help these people, and see if they are relevant. I would tell them to seek professional help, and to refrain from diagnosing themselves, but I would encourage them to be critical of themselves and to learn more.\nImo, the way out is through.", ">\n\nI agree with you but it’s not mostly women. Maybe by happenstance that’s the case in your circle but broadly men do this too.", ">\n\nDoctor's are consulting the Mayo Clinic website after talking to a patient and getting their symptoms. I bring that up to say this; a doctor's training is needed for very serious diseases and tricky diagnoses, but a semi-intelligent person could look up their symptoms and get a lot of the more minor stuff right.", ">\n\nI've never been diagnosed as clinically depressed or anything, but that doesn't mean that I don't suffer from depression a lot of the time (these last few years, more often than not). I see a therapist. I take antidepressants. \nI have a friend who has aphantasia. It isn't really a \"diagnosable\" condition, but it describes what he has trouble with: creating images in his mind.", ">\n\nThat’s different then going online and claiming perfectly normal traits mean you’re autistic", ">\n\nNeurodivergence ≠ mental illness.", ">\n\nThey know themselves and their experiences better than you.", ">\n\nOP, I'm seeing some differences between your post and what you're saying in the comments. \nMy question is, do you have a problem with people self-diagnosing, or is your issue more about people drawing a lot of public attention to their diagnoses?", ">\n\nOverall both but definitely the attention part more so for obvious reasons. The self diagnosing part due to the fact that it can make people believe it can be an excuse for their actions good or bad. I think In a weird way it can allow people to take away the responsibility of their own actions and attribute to their mental illness", ">\n\nAs someone who has been diagnosed with ADHD, having people self diagnosing doesn't bother me at all, because I went the path of not knowing at all what I had and letting doctors figure out by themselves... and it took me 4 years and a half to finally have a concrete answer that no doctors would have found out if I didn't start searching on my own. You can't walk into every doctor's office with the assumption they'll figure out what you have, because it's not their speciality, or they still have an outdated view (not every doctor are kept up to date with new discovers), or they're biased, etc... \nI've never been annoyed by people who self diagnose. Hell, if I knew what was about to happen to me, I would have done the same way sooner.", ">\n\nMost women today arent faking it, they are noticing the symptoms no one else noticed and trying to find help. Its not easy to grow up with this kind of stuff. Is not coincidence you think women are less likely to be born to autism instead of thinking how weird it is that for some reason most autism diagnosis happen to men, that is the misogyny in the medical comunity.\nSelf diagnosis means this women will go to doctors and it most case scenarios they will get diagnoses because they have this issue all their life.\nSocial media is giving people awareness of the issue in medicine and how it affects women. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Misogyny in medicine also leads to people not knowing the difference between a heart attack in a woman and a man. It leads to women thinking its something else because internet and books will tell you how a man will feel a heart attack, even doctors sometimes dont know this.", ">\n\nGetting a diagnosis or treatment is borderline impossible for a lot of people. So self diagnosis is sometimes the only way they can help themselves.", ">\n\nNot a mental illness. But, I am a trans person and I pretty much self-diagnosed and self-medicated. I just had physicians do blood test.\nI educated myself on how everything works in about eight month period. I did that over a decade.\nI don’t regret my decision, and if I did. The regret would be not starting any sooner, especially when people who aren’t physicians or therapists are having a final say about these things.", ">\n\nIt is very noticeable and annoying, buuuut it’s proven autism manifest differently in females. Plus women are (very) often under diagnosed and dismissed for many many things by doctors, which is absolutely disgusting. Aaaand the cost of healthcare is outrageous.", ">\n\nwomen being less likely to be diagnosed with autism has nothing to do with an actual gender gap in who does and doesn’t have autism and everything to do with the fact autistic women are diagnosed with personality disorders and mental illnesses due to stigmas. most autism research was done on men and therefore women are underrepresented and more often than not misdiagnosed. autism actually occurs at a similar rate in both sexes. also, it’s not a mental illness, it’s a neurological condition (not that mental illnesses aren’t, but illness implies there’s something wrong, which there isn’t in autistic people). i agree that self diagnosing leads to misinformation and harms those who are clinically diagnosed though.", ">\n\nA lot of medical diagnoses are based on white male studies, so yes you would see more women finding out they have certain mental illnesses now as professionals are realizing it can show differently in females vs males. Adhd, for example, was considered something only seen in young boys that would grow out of it, now they are realizing that you don't in fact grow out of it and women can have it too. \nMental illness was a taboo subject back in the day as well, especially for women. It was only in 1980 I think that hysteria was no longer considered a mental illness. Women would be diagnosed with 'hysteria' and committed for symptoms like anxiety and anger. So now a lot of women are learning more about their mental health because they feel safe to do so. \nMy mother is in her early 70's and still refuses to tell anyone her own health issues or even mine, I have cancer and we were going to go on a trip as it's unknown how much longer I have and she refused to ask for the day off because she wouldn't tell them the reason why.", ">\n\nI detest self diagnosis, though once you’ve studied advanced level abnormal psychology shit happens. \nAs far as kids go, the generalized anxiety and depressive spectrum diagnoses can occasionally be accurate however that would warrant professional intervention regardless.\nOne serious issue among others; if an adolescent “decides” they have major depressive disorder that can become a self fulfilling prophecy and cause despair and reluctance to seek treatment", ">\n\nLook at the price and lack of availability of mental health care, and the total lack of privacy of internet connected devices. Most practitioners don’t offer in person visits anymore, and even if they do they probably do digital records or have their phone present. Ofc people are self diagnosing.", ">\n\nCounterpoint: many people do not have the means to access diagnoses for mental illnesses and other disorders, and it can sometimes be the only way to explain their feelings to others. Autism diagnoses in particular are extremely difficult to access for adults and even teens. I suspected I had autism for years and the only way I was able to get a diagnosis was through the mental health treatment program I was in during highschool which had a psychologist there. I only could attend because I live in Canada with universal healthcare. Many, many people are not as fortunate as me. Most people in the world cannot access diagnosis in the first place, including many in richer countries. \nYour comment about women statistically 'being born with autism on a far lesser scale than men' misses the well-known problem of underdiagnosis of autism in women. Autism presents itself differently in women than men (I can say as an autistic woman who knows other autistic women) and the criteria for autism were based on cis white men. Autism in women is is often misdiagnosed as CPTSD (which many autistic people ALSO unfortunately have), borderline personality disorder, anxiety, depression, etc. \nAlthough self-diagnosis is often problematic and used by teenagers to feel special, for the people who take it seriously and are intellectually honest there currently isn't really a better alternative for them to try and explain their experiences when they cannot access diagnoses.", ">\n\nWhat you are describing is NOT a new phenomenon. I was born in 1975 and have been observing this phenomenon my entire life. Nothing new about it at all.", ">\n\nSelf diagnosis is often the first step in going to go and get an actual diagnosis. Getting diagnosed with a mental disorder, especially as an adult, is basically impossible if you aren't actively seeking it out. For several reasons, one of which is that pretty much all the diagnostic criteria are written about children. \nI'm properly diagnosed and even on disability for mental disorders and I knew what I had for years before I got diagnosed. \nI understand there's a feeling of \"stolen valour\" to it. And there is indeed a subset of people doing it for attention or because it's fashionable, OCD in particular being a common example, but the good that comes from self diagnosis more than outweighs the bad.", ">\n\nCorrect me if I’m wrong, but don’t all, or at least most mental disorders lie on a spectrum?", ">\n\nI was diagnosed ADD/ ADHD as a child an im getting re-evaluated next month because i think the diagnosis must be bullshit.\nI have a close friend that wasn't diagnosed ADD/ADHD until they were 22 and in an Ivy league vet program\nThe amount of people that say they cant do well in school simply because they have add/ adhd is bullshit if u ask me. Also, people justify abusing adderal because theyre ADHD and i think thats BS too. I decided never to take it and just abuse caffeine instead to avoid the health side effects", ">\n\nThe current US medical system is such garbage that self advocacy is important. \nSometimes it is wrong. Sometimes professionals ignore you or only pay attention to things insurance companies will pay for. Sonetimes they are also wrong. Or they're incentivized to get you out of a hospital bed ready or not. \nAdministrators and insurance companies get all the money. Nurses, aides, patients all suffer.", ">\n\nEspecially when they don't even understand what the disorder is in the first place. \"I'm a loner so I'm anitsocial.\" That's not what that means.... Or my favorite, \"I'm detailed oriented so I have OCD, lulz I am so le quirky! ;P\"", ">\n\nPeople who struggle with certain things often seek out those with similar experiences. With social media and the internet, it’s easier than ever to find people with similar struggles and sometimes, those people are a group diagnosed with certain mental illnesses. \nDoes that mean every person who sees themselves in a diagnosis will have that diagnosis? Hell no. But I think it’s disingenuous to claim that it’s “for attention.” People want to find community they can relate to and are drawn to experiences that reflect their own.\nI’m saying this as someone who was diagnosed with ADHD at 25 — I started to suspect I might have it in my early 20s and started poking about online. I was officially assessed and diagnosed some time later, and that diagnosis has been validated by three therapists and two psychiatrists.\nPlenty of people misjudge themselves and plenty of people are very ready to leap into a box. Some of them may be wrong. Some may be doing it to try and excuse bad behavior. (Hell, I’ve known waaaay too many people who DID have diagnosed mental illnesses and seemed to think their diagnosis was a free pass to be shitty). However, I think calling it a “trend” or “for attention” misses the point of why and how people reach these conclusions. \nOne might also argue that you do not have the professional expertise regarding psychology to assume the validity or ulterior motives of someone else’s diagnosis. There’s a reason that a lot of psychologists out there are adamantly against diagnosing from a distance - you have significantly less insight into a someone’s mind than they do, and you’re projecting a lot of assumptions onto others’ behavior without any supporting evidence.", ">\n\nIm gonna start out with, generally I agree its a problem-to an extent. Even though women have autism at a much lower rate they’re also under diagnosed/misdiagnosed at a higher rate. When it comes to why people are doing this, in my experience it’s people who are trying to figure out why they’re treated the way they are, why they struggle to do certain things that others don’t even see as an issue. They’re noticing their differences and feeling bad about it. When they can’t fix it they start trying to find a reason, a cause to help them both understand and feel better about themselves and ways they can move forward and actually improve their lives, as well as finding a group they can relate to when they have a hard time relating to the average person.", ">\n\nI think OP is arguing there are quite a few people whose self-diagnosis wouldn’t meet the criteria of a medical diagnosis. It’s horrible for me to even argue but some people want to portray themselves as a victim: I think this because I am a shit.\nHowever I agree with arguments here that if these people are brave enough to identify a potential issue in themselves then kudos to them for recognising it.", ">\n\nI had a doctor misdiagnose my spine injury and I researched medical articles and studies to come the actual diagnosis.\nNot always bad to do your research. \nBut mental health is a serious issue and some people use self diagnosis’ as an excuse to act however they want." ]

[ "The diagnosis process for a lot of psychiatric conditions are surveys and questionaires. You can go to a psychiatrist and ask if you're anxious and they'll give you multiple choice questions and diagnose off of that. Or you can just google the form yourself and self diagnose. A lot of psychiatric disorders are about how we feel and think. Not about sending off some blood sample to a lab and getting a positive result come back.\n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. For such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nWhat you're describing are all neuroses that could indicate some deeper psychiatric condition. Whether a person has a mental health condition or not, thinking of ourselves as weak victims is never helpful in any context, yet it's something we all feel from time to time.\nI'm a disability support worker, so when someone tells me they've got a self diagnosed condition, it's not offensive to me or any disabled person I know, it doesn't come across like they're invalidating anyone else's condition. However I do think everyone should talk to a doctor about any condition they feel they might have.", ">\n\nPiggybacking off of this: You’ve spent your whole entire life inside your own brain. A therapist will spend a period of hours with you and give you a diagnosis. Who do you think knows your personal reality better than yourself?", ">\n\nYeah exactly, especially with conditions such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, PTSD, and many other psychiatric conditions. These are things people know they have even before they get a diagnosis. The diagnosis stage is more about treatment and management.\nPeople might be unaware of how severe or mild their condition is, some people think they have only mild PTSD despite constant nightmares and suicidal ideation. Some people will think they have severe ADHD because they can't concentrate for long times on things that don't interest them. It's good to get some perspective from experts but ultimately people know when they are struggling to focus or to struggling to stop stressing all the time or struggling to not be miserable. Struggling with our thoughts and feelings is evidence enough to self diagnose.", ">\n\nI was recently diagnosed with ADHD as a woman so I find this viewpoint interesting.\nFirstly, autism is not a mental illness. An autistic person may have mental illness in conjunction with autism, but autism alone lies under the neurodivergent umbrella. Neurodivergency can include autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and other similar conditions.\nWhy women are often underdiagnosed\nThese are serious disabilities that can really impede a person's life, especially if they struggle to find help and acceptance in their community. A lot of women start their journey towards diagnosis later in life due to a number of factors such as:\n\nPoor diagnostic tools and inexperienced professionals\nA misunderstanding that autism and ADHD are more common in boys\nAdvanced masking techniques to cover their 'traits'\n\nWhy women are often diagnosed later in life.\nThe process for many women and men who are diagnosed later in life often includes a level of burnout or breakdown. After a while everything becomes too much, the mask begins to slip and your traits go into overdrive.\nWhy does self-diagnosing seem to be on the rise?\nA common way of finding out you could possibly be neurodivergent is through media and people who are aware of these traits appear.\nIn the past few years, I have seen an increasing awareness of neurodivergence in women pop up in the media. This is useful for people like myself who had no idea wtf was wrong with them for a very long time. For me, a GP actually suggested I seek a diagnosis due to some struggles I was going through.\nAs someone who went through this process self-diagnosing is commonly the first step as an adult. You might be directed to a questionnaire and are asked to evaluate yourself and your experiences thinking back to your childhood. If there's some merit in your experiences than you move to the next step which involves seeking a professional. Waitlists are often months to years long so many people live in limbo for a long time.\nMethods of living with ADHD can help everyone. And everyone experiences ADHD traits from time to time. Given a large amount of stress we have all suffered collectively, I don't doubt there are a lot of people with increased mental health issues that mirror neurodivergent traits. Some mental illnesses can get very severe and alter your brain chemistry and behaviour.\nMy takeaway from this is that the mental health systems set up to assist these people are a much larger issue and cause for serious concern than self-diagnosing.\nApologies for the spelling and grammar errors. Grammarly and Reddit don't play nice.", ">\n\nI think it's two things. One, people have identity crises, especially teenagers. We all know that type of person who tries on identities like hats. That's pretty embarrassing. You usually grow out of that.\nTwo, from personal experience, giving yourself a label or a diagnosis makes it feel more contained and easy to communicate. It's easier to tell someone that you have X and have them understand what you're going through rather than telling them you have these vague symptoms resembling what you imagine X is like. In that respect, it is pretty understandable, possibly good, and not embarrassing. There's something that is sort of reassuring if you can finally get a word to put on what you're experiencing.\nPeople often sympathize with the diagnosis but not with the symptoms. Tell people at work you're autistic and they will sympathize with you and possibly not attack you. Tell them you do not understand social cues and they will probably just make fun of you.", ">\n\nI understand the desire to put a label with a disease, and this is not necessarily bad, but the diagnosis needs to be correct. If you want to tell others that you are autistic or depressed; you must actually be those things. A person can almost never correctly assertion their disease, only their symptoms. People might better understand you if you say your autistic, but you may incorrectly understand and describe yourself. If one wishes to put a name with symptoms, they should find a doctor to pick the label", ">\n\nfor sure but unfortunately our medical system is a joke and even if you are experiencing very severe symptoms it can be nearly impossible to see a professional or take months on a waiting list.\nEven then a professional may be reluctant to slap a label on you for fear of what the consequences of that might be. I saw someone for a very long time who resisted any sort of actual diagnosis because the truth is that what I was experiencing didn't fit neatly into any of the boxes and pretty much belonged in this vague \"other\" category which isn't particularly helpful. Not to mention that misdiagnosis happens all the time even by professionals. \nI just think it is sort of understandable because I think a lot of stuff is kind of a spectrum anyway and just different levels of severity. Things can be really confusing and hard to nail down and thus communicate in a way that causes someone else to be understanding rather than judgemental.", ">\n\nAre you under the impression this is a new phenomenon? Because it's definitely not.\nPeople - especially young people! - crave identity. The world is a confusing place, knowing who you are makes it a little easier. Sometimes it's self-diagnosing mental illness or learning disabilities, or exploring sexual identity, or cliques, or subcultures. There's nothing embarrassing about it, it just is what it is.", ">\n\nIt’s ok to want to express individuality but not to the extent of totally destroying the definition of a real thing and making it hard for actual mentally Ill ppl to get a diagnosis. Why can’t people just accept that they’re different rather then giving themselves a label?", ">\n\npeople on TikTok claiming to have disorders that they don't doesn't affect the precision of psychiatrists diagnosing actual patients. There's no TikTok-said section in the DSM. Why do you think that it does?", ">\n\nIt just encourages more people to get diagnosed possibly skewing the meaning of the mental illness", ">\n\nSkewing it towards statistical accuracy? If people are actually diagnosed at higher rates, we have a better Guage of population-level mental illness, neurodivergency, etc. Better data is more usable, so that research actually means something actionable, ASIDE from the identity boost for young people.", ">\n\nI think what OP is driving at, but utterly failing to explain, is that they think that the fakers will be accommodated by the psychiatric system and diagnosed on the basis of fake symptoms. my sense is that isn't a problem but I don't have data.", ">\n\nDefinitely explained it a little better then I could lol", ">\n\nWhere do you see evidence of that? Any articles about fakers? How about a statistic? If not, it’s just a fear you seem to have.", ">\n\nI think the salient line here is this one:\n\nNeurologists were able to quickly determine that the subjects were not \nsuffering from Tourette's, but psychogenic tics driven by anxiety.", ">\n\nWomen are not born with less autism, but are much less likely to be diagnosed as children than boys. This is partly because boys generally have similar symptoms and behaviors. \nSo of course more women are self diagnosing autism, since their diagnoses were missed as children on a much higher rate.", ">\n\nAlright, I'm diagnosed OCD, PTSD, chronic depression. Diagnosed by a professional so I think I have some grounds to talk about this.\nFirst, let's tackle your women comment about autism. You see, I understand where you're coming from, but you lack the nuance of recognizing that mental illness, and illness in general, is heavily under-diagnosed in women. The medical culture is heavily favored towards men and is rampant with mysogyny, and that's not just me saying it as I've had medical professionals blatantly tell me it's a problem in the field when questioned about it. I've also had some tell me that it's just because women whine a lot, so yanno make of that statement what you will.\nNow that we've covered that let me address the self-diagnosing issue. So, do you want to know what my therapist thinks of self-diagnosing? Well, when I asked them about it they said that self-diagnosing is an important first step to seeking help. Psychiatrist said the same thing. It's normal, expected even, for people to self-diagnose their issues then seek help for them. You can't exactly just peer into someone's brain, no, that person has to tell you what they think is wrong and why they think it is. \nWhat you actually have a problem with is not self-diagnosis, but with people not seeking or not being able to get medical assistance and assuming they're right. You have a problem with people using these issues for attention, which I do too, but once again self-diagnosing is not the problem. Finally, you have a problem with the medical system that forces people into the position of trying to figure out their mental illnesses, but having no ability to get help for them.", ">\n\nI think I did it", ">\n\nSadly no lol, it was not done properly. Do you need a link to the rules?", ">\n\nI already read them i think I’ll figure it out in a bit sorry for the hold up", ">\n\nBecause everyone else is being aggressive: you have to comment with ∆ or !delta and then explain how your view has been changed", ">\n\nThis delta has been rejected. You can't award OP a delta.\nAllowing this would wrongly suggest that you can post here with the aim of convincing others.\nIf you were explaining when/how to award a delta, please use a reddit quote for the symbol next time.\n^Delta System Explained ^| ^Deltaboards", ">\n\nWhat gives you the authority or knowledge to know this is the problem?", ">\n\nYou don’t think it’s a problem that a lot of young ppl are willing to go to the extent of saying they are mentally Ill either for attention or to excuse their weirdness? Just accept that your different. It’s not wrong to believe you’re different without a label", ">\n\nYou did not even try to answer my question.", ">\n\nI’m sorry I was confused on what you meant", ">\n\nIf you are mad at people for self diagnosing themselves because they don't have the knowledge or authority to do so.... what gives you the knowledge or authority to diagnosis this as the problem behavior... basically are you just a kid that is annoyed, or is there some actual studies out there that is claiming this is a problem.", ">\n\nIf you don’t think that people consistently seeking attention for mental illness or craving a label so badly to justify themselves rather then being themselves. That just shows what your views are", ">\n\nDont you think we should leave the diagnosing to the professionals?", ">\n\nI mean yeah", ">\n\nWould you agree that you are diagnosing these people by saying that they are only seeking attention and do not have a real mental illness?", ">\n\nI’m assuming", ">\n\nThere may be some truth to people wanting to be different, however with mental illnesses being more accepted in today's society, many people are a lot more comfortable with being neurodivergent. Additionally, self diagnosis is common because the alternative is spending upwards to $1000-$2000 for a clinical diagnosis.", ">\n\nI know costs suck, but self diagnosis can be much more harmful. A web.md page that tells you your depressed when you may actually be bipolar can lead to really messed up results. I would even go as far as to say that no diagnosis at all is preferable to an uninformed one", ">\n\nWell.\n​\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad \n\nSo you already know why they're doing what they're doing in addition the fact that you know that they're not Autistic? If your claim is that they can't know and only a doctor can, what makes you more qualified? You start out your argument admitting that you have a bias.\n\nthey’re “neurodivergent.\n\nNeurodivergent is an umbrella that covers both Autism and ADHD, which sometimes get mistaken for each other. So if you're upset that they're self-diagnosing, this term should be more welcome than \"Autistic\" because it's more generalized.\n\nnd when you ask them how they know they’ll say “oh I have this weird tick when I uh laugh when someone says something funny “ or “I have a hyper fixation on this topic so I must be autistic\n\nHow else should they communicate it to you? The list of aspects of Autism, especially for how it presents in women, sounds a lot like this. You're not a doctor, they don't have to prove anything to you by going down the entire list of every possible part of their daily experience that might be on the spectrum.\n\nWomen statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nNope. Women are diagnosed less often than men because the original diagnostic criteria for Autism was for Autism as it presents in males. It presents differently for females and is harder to diagnose, especially at younger ages. \n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized\n\nTodays youth want to be victimized? Why would anyone want to be victimized? Something tells me you're missing the mark with this terminology.\n\nor have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. \n\nSo if someone is Autistic and that makes them weird, you'd rather them just be forced to not get to have a name for it, and get the therapeutic treatment that would help them?\n\nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really [are] without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nSome people are autistic. If they find out and it makes them feel good, that doesn't mean they're craving attention. And if they are craving attention, it's because they're normal people and everyone does. \nIf someone thinks they're autistic but it turns out they're actually not, chances are they suspected it for a reason. They might have ADHD, a personality disorder, a mental health issue, or simply a slightly different way of experiencing the world that feels unique to them and there's nothing wrong with that. \nYou seem to think that other people do things for you. People generally don't. They do things for themselves. This is especially true of people on the Autism Spectrum who may not be able to easily use other people's experiences to reference when constructing their view of the world, and can only use their own. Your interpretation wherein they do it to evoke a response from you says more about you than it does about them.", ">\n\nYou’re being deliberately obtuse. OP is completely correct. Most of the people these days who say “I’m ADHD” or “I’m autistic” or “I’m neurodivergent” are absolutely not diagnosed as such and are doing it to seem unique or get attention or as some excuse for why they did x y or z.", ">\n\nI'd like to point out that while some are perhaps attention seeking, many people self diagnose simply because they don't have access to free medical/psychological professionals to get proper diagnosis and help with their issues. I also know someone who doesn't want to get an official diagnosis because he's afrad it will affect his insurance rates or somehow come back to bite him if he's offically labeled with having a neurological disorder. \nThere is a wealth of knowledge on these subjects available online for those interested. And if they are truly interested in self diagnose they can likely do that accurately enough for all intents and purposes. Most of these people who search for the sake of better understanding themselves or their loved ones will openly admit that it's a self diagnoses, or say they THINK they have x,y, or z. But in some situations it's just as well to say they have it if they feel certain anyway, and it's just a passing comment, and not a discussion on the matter. \nIn other words, just because they self diagnose doesn't mean they're wrong, nor does it explain their motives. I also don't see how attention seeking (for those who ARE doing that) is really hurting anyone else. Fakers gonna be fake, that's more a \"them\" kind of problem. ANNOYING, but mostly harmless.", ">\n\nUnless you have a doctor's diagnosis you don't have the disorder. Even if you are broke there are programs to help with costs. \nAnd yes it does affect me when someone is treating me like shit and tries using the I have such and such as an excuse and then people get mad at ME for calling them in their bullshit.", ">\n\nNo. You have to have the disorder before you CAN be diagnosed, so obviously there are undiagnosed people who in fact \"have the disorder \". Your refusal to acknowledge an undiagnosed disorder does not mean they don't have it. Your personal experience with people supposedly using a fake diagnosis to treat you badly, sounds unusual. How do you know they DIDN'T have it? People who do lie and just want to be jerks will do that regardless of what methods they decide to try. The methods are irrelevant. And that motive is not typical of most self diagnosers .", ">\n\nSounds unusual? You must not get out a lot because it's become a pretty regular thing. Every single person I know (about 8) that have self diagnosed themselves as neurodivergent or with a mental illness like Bi-polar all use it to excuse their shitty ass behaviors. \nToo many disorders can mirror other ones. Just because they think they have 2/3 symptoms doesn't make them right by a long shot. Keep living in your bubble.", ">\n\nYou don't have to have a relationship with anyone. If they treat you badly, regardless of an official diagnosis or not, you don't have to tolerate them. It makes no difference what they have or don't have. What would it change if they got diagnosed and actually have it?", ">\n\nSelf diagnosing has been a thing forever\nAnd it's not a problem im 99% sure me or any other autistic person doesn't really give 2 fucks about people who wanna fake disorders. It doesn't stop us from getting help, we have doctors notes, medical files, sometimes even volunteers, you need those files to get into let's say a special education class, or a life skills course.\nSo unless you were diagnosed by a professional you're probably not gonna make it far faking it.\n(Excuse my shitty punctuation)", ">\n\nIt doesn’t bother you that they’re making others take the actual meaning away from what you were born with? I mean I’m sure autism hasn’t made your life easy and seeing ppl claim it for attention to be quirky probably has to annoy you a little right?", ">\n\nAt the end of the day I still have ADHD and I still need help with it. More people being diagnosed with it doesn’t change that fact. In fact I was diagnosed because I realized I related to so many tiktok memes, and I’m sure others are in my same boat. \nIn fact I think so many people talking about ADHD helps. It means more people who possibly have tips for me, people who are suffering who can’t afford treatment have an easy way to learn about how to improve their lives, and more people who are aware of my disorder.", ">\n\nI think people do diagnose themselves too often without seeking professional help. BUT mental illness is not the same as being neurodivergent.", ">\n\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad that they’ll go as far to say they’re “neurodivergent.”\n\nWhile this is the case, I don't really see how it's a \"problem\" per se. I guarantee that these people still make lifestyle decisions based on what they think is best, or based on what they want to do.\n\nbut it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women\n\nDo you have any statistics for that? I haven't experienced it that way in my own anecdotal experience, and I'd be curious to look into the data to see how much that truly does skew in that direction.\n\nwanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness \nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nI understand what you're trying to say here, but I don't really think these things are connected as much as you think they are. People see something wrong with themselves, so they either playfully or seriously consider the fact that it could be a condition that they have similar symptoms to. Not that it never happens, but just because someone categorizes themselves into a disability group that could potentially excuse their \"quirks\", doesn't mean they think that behavior is unacceptable in any way. People see a problem, and assume it's linked to this other issue that seems similar that they already know about.", ">\n\nI agree with the conclusion that self-diagnosis is a real issue, and I wouldn't be surprised if the data indicated it was on the rise. I wouldn't necessarily frame it as a simple desire to \"be victimized\" however. While it is purely speculation, I do believe there are a number of conditions which might lead towards a more frequent experience of symptoms associated with mental illness - a rising wealth gap, perpetual anxiety from a 24-hour news cycle, intensification of self-commodification, the student debt crisis in certain countries like the US, and so on. So people are experiencing symptoms like low energy, mood swings, etc. that can be associated with mental illness. The issue with self-diagnosis then becomes that it may correctly identify the symptom, but incorrectly identify the cause.\nThis video from the YouTuber HealthyGamerGG does a good job of explaining what some of the issues with self-diagnosis are, and for me it was a good starting place for thinking about this more. \nEDIT: I forgot this video literally starts with this same topic being brought up on this same subreddit lol", ">\n\nA great theory based on reasonable causes with an educational video from a psychologist(I assume) as evidence to back it up. I applaud you sir. 👏", ">\n\nWhy are you embarrassed by other people's issues?", ">\n\nI’m a 30yo male. If I had not first self diagnosed with ASD and OCD, I never would have found the language and resources to get a formal diagnosis and help.\nPrior generations have been so fixated on avoidance of diagnosing mental disorders, and research was previously so lacking that we are only just now (through those that do get diagnosed) realizing how common mental disorders are. That plus the lack of mental health resources for neurotypical and neurodivergent I think is how we end up in this situation of many recognizing their symptoms in the new discourse, but lacking the resources to overcome the barriers to proper diagnosis and treatment.", ">\n\nIt’s not the best thing, no. \nAs an adult FINALLY diagnosed (by a licensed therapist) at 41, I can tell you why ‘self diagnosis’ is so tempting. \nIn the US at least- mental health, and official medical diagnosis are almost completely inaccessible, especially as an adult. Most of us grew up before Autism was a spectrum, and ADHD was just boys who acted out in class. We felt like aliens. We couldn’t understand why we didn’t have many friends, or why we didn’t like the ‘right things’, and generally spend the bill of our lives feeling ‘wrong’, ‘broken’ or just simply like we didn’t belong. \nFinally understanding the WHY, and even better, finding tools to addresses our issues is a huge huge weight off the chest. The relief of having a name and a strategy- either therapy or medicine is such an amazing relief!!", ">\n\nI only kinda agree if I had not done my own research I would have never found out I have sjorgens syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis I know TikTok people tend to diagnose themselves and it makes it look cringe but when you live with a incurable illness sometimes you have to work to find a diagnosis", ">\n\nWell, what do you do of you absolutely know you're neurodivergent, but your parents decided not to get you checked? My mom once told me \"we knew you had something, we just didn't get you checked because they would have just put you on pills\". So I struggled with being different, socially unaware, impulsive, obnoxious, agressive, selfish, for the better part of my life without having the self awareness to understand why I was these things, and why people wouldn't want to be around me. \nIn my late 20''s I asked the question, what if I'm actually autistic? I looked up the symptoms, and 9/10 matched. As a child I couldn't handle loud noises, restrictive clothing, I didn't talk until I was 3. I would throw fits for seemingly no reason, I had obsessive interests. I've always really struggled with eye contact, and I never cared for conversation unless it was something I liked. I mean, when the final piece of a puzzle fits so incredibly well, it's really hard for it to be wrong. \nSelf diagnosing actually really helped me grow as aj individual. I became aware of all my divergent behaviors, and why it might be annoying for someone else to deal with. I came to the realization that I was the one who was different, therefore I needed to change. It's way harder to make everyone around you cater to your needs than to overcome the things that upset you. I'm at peace, I have good friends that I can connect with on a pretty deep level. I no longer smash coffee tables when I lose, I can now appreciate that if I lose it just means I have more to learn. I can keep my house clean, I can reasonably hold myself accountable. What exactly is the harm in all that?\nBesides, it would be pretty pointless for me to try and get a diagnosis now, I've put the effort in and largely come out the other side. Anyone diagnosing me would just say I was normal, but they wouldn't have the intimate knowledge of me that I do. I guess it doesn't matter if people don't believe me, I don't go around shouting that I'm autistic. I will say, it would be really nice if people appreciated the effort I put in to get to get to a place of normalcy, something others take for granted, but it's okay, we all have our struggles.", ">\n\nI feel you on all that. To play devil's advocate, mental healthcare in the U.S. is not cheap. Many people go to the internet and confirm their bias about their current health", ">\n\nI feel you on that too OP. I agree 100% with your entire statement.", ">\n\nIt's a problem, but not a new one. In the 1990s there was briefly a surge of people with a type of delusional parasitosis, that is, the false belief that they were infested with parasites. Except this one was supposedly an infestation with tiny fibres. They would come to doctors with a whole list of symptoms to back up their incorrect self-diagnosis.\nTo a certain extent, these are social contagions, which come and go, and often actually end up leading to people having real problems. Like, the young women you mention, a couple of decades ago may well have ended up with anorexia, or self-cutting. These days it might be a self-declaration of autism or a belief that they have gender dysphoria or that they have multiple systems living in their minds.", ">\n\nWow I did not know that. Maybe it’s just so prevalent today due to social media. Social media has only made these things worse imo", ">\n\nEven before it being self diagnosis of a mental illness it was always something. Remember all the emo and goth teenager?", ">\n\nIt depends on the context. For example, if they've done a substantial amount of research, can name a good amount of symptoms they have and reasons they have whatever mental illness and don't have access to the necessary tools to get a medical diagnosis, it's totally different. Some people don't have the money to go out and get a diagnosis, or sometimes it would be better to not get a medical diagnosis. I believe that the reason that a lot of people self diagnose themselves with things like Autism is because they want an explanation as to why they are different, and they could be right or wrong. I think the most important part is that if you go to a psychologist (or even two, I know a lot of people prefer getting second opinions) and they say you don't have it, that you need to admit you were wrong. It's ok to be wrong about your mental health, and the key is to keep looking and to not give up. I can completely understand the frustration in people completely missing how difficult it actually may be to have a mental illness. I was clinically diagnosed with Depression, Anxiety, and PTSD when I was seven, and I've had some experience with people faking mental disorders for attention, and more often then not, they have another mental disorder that needs attention. Recently I had a (now ex) boyfriend insist he had PTSD after being tested twice and the psychiatrist saying that he didn't have it. What he does have is Depression and Anxiety, but he absolutely insisted he has PTSD despite never exhibiting symptoms and the only evidence being a test he took online that was supposedly a \"real PTSD test.\" People faking mental illnesses only harms people who really have them, as these people tend to exaggerate symptoms and use their self diagnosis for attention. I believe that I am autistic, but I don't list it as a diagnosis because while I have read articles and taken the RAADS-r test, I don't have an official diagnosis, and I could very well be wrong. As for women faking illnesses more often, something I've noticed is that things like Autism, ADHD, ADD, etc are more often diagnosed in boys rather than girls- mostly because when they were first discovered, most of the research was done in boys. Autism shows up differently in girls, and can often be blown off as early puberty hormones. If their hyperfixations are those of stereotypical feminine things, it's just a girl liking whatever, and if they hyperfixate in stereotypical masculine interests, they tend to just be viewed as weird, but not autistic. It's normal for people to question, but I agree that to a certain point, self diagnosis can be harmful, but only if not done correctly.", ">\n\nFirst and foremost not a new problem at all, very common, we used to call it \"Being a hypochondriac\" until it aparrently became reconized which in it self is confusing and a bit contradictory.\nANYWAY\nIt isnt really a problem, no doctor is gonna write the perscription for medication without a diagnosis of some sort.\nAt most there is the vauge \"But what about those who actually have it who arent taken serious\" dont worry, we wouldnt have anyway. Thats kinda how invisible illnesses work.\nOverall the 101 hypochondriacs screaming about the symptoms they read in the ICD might help make the knowledge more common and help people better reconize if their colleagues or friends happen to show symptoms of something.", ">\n\nIt’s pretty expensive in the US to get diagnosed. Personally, I’ve self diagnosed myself out of frustration of the way I process things. I’ve always felt slow & my anxiety/depression was deep because of it, but I was raised in a family that doesn’t believe in mental illness. It was always “if you work hard enough, all your problems will go away”. Meanwhile, i was racking my brain on how to make myself think faster/smarter & it would result in psychotic episodes. I’ve gotten fired from jobs, dropped out of school. I started self harming because I hated myself and my brain & almost commit suicide bc I had no idea what was going on.\nThe relief I felt once I finally got a therapist who validated me & was the first to talk to me about mental Illness. It blew my mind and all of a sudden things actually made sense to me. I currently think I have ADD, and sometimes I’ll tell people that but will preface it by saying I’m not professionally diagnosed. Still, I use mental tools that help me get through the day and build my confidence. I’m a lot better at processing conversations, making lists that help me remember things, unmasking, slowing down my thoughts… etc. I’m less frustrated and can see the beauty in how I process things. I still want to get diagnosed but I have to get health insurance….. lol", ">\n\nSelf diagnosis, regardless of being factual is a process where the individual realizes that they might have a mental health issue. People who can do this are more likely to seek professional help compared to the people who think they are “fine”. Going to a professional, licensed psychologist or a psychiatrist will eventually diagnose them with the correct disorder from there, and professionals have the skills to communicate with them and they can together evaluate if the person’s complaint is the issue or not. There is nothing embarrassing about discovering one’s self. It would be a problem if people would identify with an issue and don’t have any willingness to seek help. Sometimes overreacting is better than not reacting.", ">\n\nThe majority of people who are self-diagnosed with autism have done extensive research into it to come to that conclusion. I personally went through the DSM criteria with a fine-tooth comb, made a list of all the ways I met it and discovered that there’s not a single criteria i don’t meet for autism. I didn’t read about anything else but autism for weeks, approaching it from all angles before coming to the conclusion that it’s highly unlikely I am not autistic. I’m waiting to hear back about an assessment, but I’m not waiting to go and be told something I already know before I start advocating for myself. \nOh, and I absolutely did not want to be ‘different’, in fact my life mission to just blend in and be average is the root cause of most of my problems, but here we are.", ">\n\nThis self diagnosing young people do isn’t the problem. The problem is that our society encourages it.\nOur culture is not set up to accommodate a wide spectrum of human needs. You may need things that I don’t. I may need things that you don’t. But in most business settings, academic settings, or even places like restaurants or leisure places, the world isn’t built to accommodate everyone. Our world and society is a “one size fits all” approach, and most people don’t fit snugly inside of that system. \nIf you can classify what is “wrong” or “different” about you into an easily digestible form, people are generally more able and more willing to accommodate you.\nFor example: if I tell my coworkers that I need to leave work early because of a headache, I’ll be shamed for it. And in some cases I’ll be told that “headaches aren’t that bad!” Or “You don’t need to leave.” Or “I have a headache too, just deal with it!”\nBut if I tell my workers that I need to leave due to a painful neurological condition that’s flaring up (I have chronic migraine, which is a neurological condition), they will respect it 100% of the time. It’s met with sympathy and not criticism.\nThis happens for all sorts of things. “Sorry Im late, I slept in.” Sounds a lot worse then, “sorry I’m late, my insomnia has been terrible lately.” \nOur culture forces us to use these labels even when they’re untrue just to receive sympathy or acceptance. The problem isn’t people who decide to use these labels, the root problem is that our society refuses to embrace and accommodate people who are outside of the “norm.”", ">\n\nSpeaking as someone who's had an autism diagnosis since age 7: if someone declares they're autistic when they're not, that's obnoxious at worst. If someone is told they're not autistic when they are, that can cause lifelong harm from denied care and understanding. I have seen this happen to a close friend of mine.\nTherefore, I'd much rather err on the side of acceptance. If you think you're defending me and others like me from impersonators, we'd rather not have your help.\n\nI know people will disagree but it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women. Women statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nCase in point: women are diagnosed with autism far less than men. Recent studies have pointed to decades of systematic misdiagnosis. The more visible autistic symptoms sometimes manifest differently in girls, the way they're socialized may help them hide it from a young age, and of course lots of doctors just say \"your daughter can't be autistic, that's a boy thing.\"\nWe're learning that there are hundreds of thousands of autistic women who slipped through the cracks and were denied the recognition and support they needed because of dismissive, gatekeeping attitudes just like yours.", ">\n\nThere’s a difference between having a disorder and relating to a disorder. If the tools or language associated with a disorder helps someone live better though then cool, it’s all still odd. Also autism presents differently in woman, and a majority of our research on it is on men. Best practice is probably to support them and encourage them to seek treatment.", ">\n\nAutism is severely misdiagnosed in women. Completely under diagnosed. Actually, plenty of things are. The actual problem that we have is parents refusing to let their children get professional help or a diagnosis. Most doctors will diagnose you with BPD as a woman(aka the new female hysteria of our century), maybe put you on some anti psychotics and send you your way. In most countries, a diagnosis/specialist is not readily available, or there is a long waiting list. Even so, the doctors are not know it all. I have seen plenty of doctors, I got different diagnosis almost each time. They ask you some general questions (about your mood, the way you sleep, if you can concentrate, if you harm yourself, if you have suicidal ideation, if you can socialize properly, if your parents were diagnosed with anything, if you have hallucinations or delusions, the works) and then based on that, they will give you a diagnosis. If you use your common sense and information on the internet (given you are knowledgeable on the subject), you can take a good guess on what's wrong. Obviously, some people will exaggerate like with anything (seeing the shadow dude once in your childhood is not a sign of psychosis, neither is hearing your name called when you are alone once in a blue moon), but if you have visual and auditory hallucinations, perhaps weird tactile feelings/hallucinations (spiders are crawling on me, etc), delusions, tend to be forgetful and out of teach with reality, there is a good chance you do have psychosis.", ">\n\nOkay, to start: what do you think autism and ADHD are? They aren't mental illnesses nor are they mental health conditions. \nTo address some of your other points; \nStudies have shown that autism has a gender expression of 1:1. The only reason that women are under diagnosed is because of misunderstandings towards autism, then the diagnosis is conducted incorrectly. Thus it ends up getting conflated with mental illness, E.G BPD, and is diagnosed as a psychiatric disorder instead. This is a detriment to the patient as the care regimes are black and white different. Often times this severely damages the woman.\nFrom data sets that I recall reading, malingering hasn't risen much, if at all, in recent times. I remember it being around 8% of the global population who are engaging in this behaviour, to different extents. I think what's happened is that social media has turned a torch onto it and it's risen in popularity in an algorithmic way. You see it more because it's pushed by the algorithm more because people are searching for it more. It isn't actually occurring any more or less than historically. Most of that attention is negative attention, I should add. \nSo there's two things to take away from that.\n1) The actual act of pretending to be mentally ill, or to have a disability, which is called malingering, is in fact a form of mental unwellness itself. It's a cry for help. The people who do these things are usually very unstable and should be treated with a degree of empathy. The dangerous types who are using mental illness to scam others, or to manipulate them, make up a very small percentage of the overall amount of people in that group and tend to abuse one on one. \n2) The predominant response to this is generally negative. There isn't really any reason to publicly malinger unless you're unstable, this is because a rational person would likely know this, and know the damage it would cause themselves. Self-diagnosis is a very long, and self-aware, process that takes place over years of the individuals life, and proceeds official diagnosis. \nNo one SDs and says \"Okay that's it now! Let me start a TikTok!\" You'd still want support, and you'd still seek support. So that would end up with a doctor, who would see that you're lying, and treat you for whatever was prompting you to malinger. Anyone who has made this commitment knows that keeping it private is a sensible thing to do in a world that isn't inclusive, and often very stigmatising. Sometimes official diagnosis can take YEARS. \nThis kind of propaganda has been going around for a long time in an effort to discredit disabled people and people with mental illnesses. It's not new. People said the same things back in the 90s. People will always be afraid, and dismissive, of things they do not understand. I invite you to try and understand.", ">\n\nI self-diagnosed myself with endometriosis for 10 years before a doctor finally listened to me, opened me up, and found my insides littered with lesions all over my organs. I’m now not able to get pregnant and I might need to get part of my bowel taken out someday. This could’ve been avoided if someone had just listened to me when I was 16. \nSelf-diagnosing is a necessity in a misogynist world! No one takes us seriously! Especially medical professionals. \nThe best antidote for this is to listen to women who self-diagnose. Why do they think they have XYZ? Is it heavily interfering with their life? I think that’s a much larger problem.", ">\n\nIts been proven that there is a bias to diagnose as opposed to not diagnose a mental illness in psychology. So op is actually kinda correct. The definition of a mental illness is in effect being stretched so far that people who are just kinda weird are being diagnosed with \"on the spectrum\". This is actually causing a problem in early learning because parents start treating their kids as essentially learning challenged when they're really not. So it is starting to become an excuse ...", ">\n\nWe live in a society that loves to medicate people. I know it’s different but Did ppl forget about the opioid epidemic? They’ll diagnose your ass with anything if they can", ">\n\nYa I tend to agree. And no one is really saying so I will I guess, but id wager that 50% of psychologist \"professionals\" are totally full of shit. The actual number of psychologists that are are doing real research and clinical studies is EXTREMELY small compared to how many \"psychologists\" are out there. Just like chiropractors, half of them are hacks..", ">\n\nAnd ill say one more thing, though it is anecdotal, but i have direct family that works in special education for young children, and that system is fucked with a capital F. Thay are constantly fighting against parents and programs who try to box kids in the \"autistic\" zone, when they are just really quite or shy, or have pee problems. But parents want an excuse and reason for their behavior, and reduce them to a sub standard education and treatment for the rest of their lives. It's heart breaking. Especially in public schools.", ">\n\nI’m 32 years old. \nI didn’t self diagnose for attention although I remember the days of tumblr where everyone self diagnosed for clout.\nIt took me a decade to realize what is really happening. During the decade before I realized what may have been happening I was told the following:\nI’m rude\nI’m bossy\nI have a RBF/I look mad\nI also only managed to make my first real friend at age 27.\nWhat I was really displaying was:\nBeing overly blunt and just trying to get my point across came off rude when I didn’t intend it to be that way\nTrying to have things done at a certain time and way that no one else thought was important to follow\nUnmasking\nNoticed other things too that I just thought was me being weird:\nVocal stimming\nOral stimming-chewing, smoking, vaping\nRepetitive motions\nRocking\nEasily overwhelmed by too much sensory input\nHigh startle reflex \nInability to regulate my body’s needs-I don’t know I’m hungry until I’m ravenous; don’t recognize the need to use the bathroom until it’s causing me to rush off, don’t realize I’m cold until I’m shaking\nI could go on.\nI want an assessment so bad. But assessments for adults are EXTREMELY hard to setup, if you can even set them up at all. Some states don’t even offer them. I’ve been looking but they are only for children and seem to look for severe cases.\n14 years of thinking I was just a bitch who couldn’t make friends because I was too weird…turns out it might be autism. And turns out I’ll most likely never get a true diagnosis. But the RAADS test gave me a 127 score so that might be the closest I’ll ever get.", ">\n\ni kind of self diagnosed autism? i’ve been to many psychiatrists and therapists for years and they always see adhd in the half an hour and prescribe meds for that, which makes me not go there again. if they dug a little deeper they could have seen autism, i spoke to my current psychiatrist about if its possible i have it, she didn’t want to confirm or deny as i was moving out of state from friends and family and am at an age where i can have kids in the next 10 years since she doesn’t want me being concerned for them. \nI think there’s still lots of stigma around autism even with professionals and especially when identifying it in women. \nI don’t want to be autistic, but i can recognise a lot of different patterns comparing myself and others. I’ve researched it a ton especially in how it shows in women compared to men and in all the articles i found myself relating.\nNow i don’t say im autistic, i say im a little sus of being it tho lmao. and try pass it off casually. I find it’s a lot easier for me to understand and embrace my differences compared to trying to hide it and try be like everyone else or wonder why im not like everyone else. \nBeing older i can also recognise how a lot of my family on one side have suffered mentally and because of obvious neurodivergence. so im pretty sure, like the rest of my mentally challenged brain, has been inherited genetically through that side. \nAll that being said. I self diagnosed when i was about 12 that im highly likely to be depressed and anxious in attempt to get my mom to believe me i needed help, and now 8 years later i can identify that this has been an issue forever for me and that i likely cannot go off my meds because i will just go back to how i used to be. Im still ocd with all my meds, but its better than being anxious and depressed all the time, Having ocd throughout the day is like heaven to me in comparison to how i used to be. obviously the ocd isnt new, just a lot more heard in my brain now.", ">\n\nOk, I know some people self diagnoze themselves with [insert some mental illness here] out of attention or whatever, and that's totally not ok.\nHowever, if you read all the symptoms and do proper research on a mental illness and everything clicks in to you, I'd say you can be fairly confident on a self diagnosis (although, it might be worth it to double check with a professional, especially if you want any sort of treatment). But also for some people, it might not be affordable to go to a professional...", ">\n\nI live in Canada, I've engaged with the medical system, doctors don't care and just want you out, ERs are a 8 hour wait for someone to ignore one thing and won't even entertain other issues even if they are related. Self-diagnosis is really the only way to get any kind of proper treatment at all. \nThe doctors will rubber stamp just about anything you ask for except pain killers but in terms of diagnosis you're way better off doing it yourself, sure you don't have 8 years of medical school but the doctors won't give you 5 mins of their time, they are not better than google and you give a lot more of a shit than they will and at the end of the day it's your body.", ">\n\nBack in the 90s when I was a teenager, the kids/teenagers/young adults who wanted attention, and wanted to be different, adopted the goth lifestyle. Dressing up in all black. White foundation with black lipstick and eyeshadow. It was the trendy way to be different, to be viewed as outcasts of society. To not fit in. \nThe goth lifestyle of the 2020s is self diagnosis. Same shit, different day.\nWhenever someone claims autism, or somewhere on the spectrum, I just roll my eyes and imagine that person just sucks at life.", ">\n\nI just think it’s a little more harmful nowadays due to the prevalence of social media. Ppl get sucked into groups and mindsets before they even have a real life chance. Then they hyper fixate on that they might be mentally Ill rather then just trying to live life to the fullest", ">\n\nI 100% agree with you", ">\n\nBecause it's the age of spin this generation has something for everybody. And all of them are Google doctors. Lol", ">\n\nTook my uncle till he was 38 even thought it was apparent to everyone. Hell he got expelled from two schools", ">\n\nI get what you're saying. I frankly find it weird that more people don't find this weird. People self-diagnosing themselves as all kinds of things not only completely misrepresents the actual conditions, thereby making people even more confused as to what they actually are and how they present, but also leads people to run to a psychiatrist claiming false symptoms and getting medication for something they don't have, which is NOT a good thing. People should never be taking medication unless it is necessary. We are a heavily over-medicated society and this is a big factor in that. Caffeine to wake up in the morning, \"immuno-boosters\" and mood stabilizers during the day, sleeping pills to sleep at night. The caffeine and sleeping pills are addictive and can really mess up your circadian rhythm, and the mood stabilizers can really fuck you up if you don't need them. Instead of rushing to diagnose and medicate everyone, we need to educate them on human behavior and show them that their \"mental health\" problems are completely normal.\nOh, so you get nervous right before you make huge life decisions? That's not Anxiety Disorder, it's just anxiety.\nOh, you are really sad because your cat died? That's not Clinical Depression, you are just grieving.\nOh, you went from really happy to really sad when you were previously happy and something really shitty happened to you and soured your mood? That's not Bipolar Disorder, that's just life.\nOh, you like to be more organized than the people around you? That's not Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, you just like to be organized.\nPeople really misunderstand the nature of these conditions and it hinders our collective progress in treating them, like dramatically inflating the number of actual conditions in the population, making it increasingly more difficult to determine how common and how varied they are. After all, in most cases it is not the psychiatrist or psychologist who makes you better, you make you better. Medication can help and other people can show you the path to success, but the problem will never get solved unless you play an active role in the treatment. Some conditions can never be solved, only lessened, while others are virtually untreatable. We need to stop making these conditions seem cool. They aren't. They are serious and need to be taken seriously.", ">\n\nHeavily agree and I appreciate how well this comment is worded. Wish I coulda worded mine a little better", ">\n\nYa I saw you getting shredded in the comments and figured I'd sum it up for you. 🤣", ">\n\nLmao bro I didn’t expect this many. I was thinking maybe like 20 ppl would reply", ">\n\nYou need to self diagnose in many cases in order to get adequate help.", ">\n\nI knew when I had ADD and IBS, and I was able to get my suspicions confirmed by my respective doctors. Doctors are there to help the patients understand themselves, whereas the patients have to go home every day and live with what they actually have. Do not be so quick to judge.", ">\n\nJust to add here - Autism in women is less prevalent because it presents differently and is often not picked up by standardised diagnostic tests (that were developed on an almost exclusively male sample). I think that also goes to show that there’s p significant issues with what we consider ‘scientific’ and research based in the first place.", ">\n\nI grew up in a small town and we had quite a few autistic boys but only one autistic girl. Literally only one out of like 6-8 grades. So that’s like a 10-1 ratio. It’s gotta be a lot statistically smaller then males. I don’t doubt it happens I just know it’s a lot less", ">\n\nYou think your small town’s makeup is generalizable to all of society? That isn’t how statistics work.", ">\n\nSo my question would be - so what do we do?\nYou think people are diagnosing themselves to gain attention. Fine, but what's the next step?\nSee, I think I might be bipolar 2. But I went on a journey where I looked into the techniques for dealing with this issue. That led me to cognitive behavior therapy.\nThat actually made me more convinced that this was my issue because I have taught myself a lot of cognitive behavior therapy techniques to address the same issues. These practices have really helped me.\nIt sounds like your issue is that these people are getting attention for it. To me, these are people who need someone to help guide them. That would have helped me a lot when I was younger. Society today doesn't really give us the tools to sort this out, but just the knowledge that these things exist can push someone down the rabbit hole to learn about therapy that could really help.\nI think you should ask yourself what your motivations are. Do you really want them to understand themselves? Or are you more interested in steering the conversation toward other topics?\nPersonally, I would deal with these people by paying them forward. I would tell them to understand the practices that typically help these people, and see if they are relevant. I would tell them to seek professional help, and to refrain from diagnosing themselves, but I would encourage them to be critical of themselves and to learn more.\nImo, the way out is through.", ">\n\nI agree with you but it’s not mostly women. Maybe by happenstance that’s the case in your circle but broadly men do this too.", ">\n\nDoctor's are consulting the Mayo Clinic website after talking to a patient and getting their symptoms. I bring that up to say this; a doctor's training is needed for very serious diseases and tricky diagnoses, but a semi-intelligent person could look up their symptoms and get a lot of the more minor stuff right.", ">\n\nI've never been diagnosed as clinically depressed or anything, but that doesn't mean that I don't suffer from depression a lot of the time (these last few years, more often than not). I see a therapist. I take antidepressants. \nI have a friend who has aphantasia. It isn't really a \"diagnosable\" condition, but it describes what he has trouble with: creating images in his mind.", ">\n\nThat’s different then going online and claiming perfectly normal traits mean you’re autistic", ">\n\nNeurodivergence ≠ mental illness.", ">\n\nThey know themselves and their experiences better than you.", ">\n\nOP, I'm seeing some differences between your post and what you're saying in the comments. \nMy question is, do you have a problem with people self-diagnosing, or is your issue more about people drawing a lot of public attention to their diagnoses?", ">\n\nOverall both but definitely the attention part more so for obvious reasons. The self diagnosing part due to the fact that it can make people believe it can be an excuse for their actions good or bad. I think In a weird way it can allow people to take away the responsibility of their own actions and attribute to their mental illness", ">\n\nAs someone who has been diagnosed with ADHD, having people self diagnosing doesn't bother me at all, because I went the path of not knowing at all what I had and letting doctors figure out by themselves... and it took me 4 years and a half to finally have a concrete answer that no doctors would have found out if I didn't start searching on my own. You can't walk into every doctor's office with the assumption they'll figure out what you have, because it's not their speciality, or they still have an outdated view (not every doctor are kept up to date with new discovers), or they're biased, etc... \nI've never been annoyed by people who self diagnose. Hell, if I knew what was about to happen to me, I would have done the same way sooner.", ">\n\nMost women today arent faking it, they are noticing the symptoms no one else noticed and trying to find help. Its not easy to grow up with this kind of stuff. Is not coincidence you think women are less likely to be born to autism instead of thinking how weird it is that for some reason most autism diagnosis happen to men, that is the misogyny in the medical comunity.\nSelf diagnosis means this women will go to doctors and it most case scenarios they will get diagnoses because they have this issue all their life.\nSocial media is giving people awareness of the issue in medicine and how it affects women. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Misogyny in medicine also leads to people not knowing the difference between a heart attack in a woman and a man. It leads to women thinking its something else because internet and books will tell you how a man will feel a heart attack, even doctors sometimes dont know this.", ">\n\nGetting a diagnosis or treatment is borderline impossible for a lot of people. So self diagnosis is sometimes the only way they can help themselves.", ">\n\nNot a mental illness. But, I am a trans person and I pretty much self-diagnosed and self-medicated. I just had physicians do blood test.\nI educated myself on how everything works in about eight month period. I did that over a decade.\nI don’t regret my decision, and if I did. The regret would be not starting any sooner, especially when people who aren’t physicians or therapists are having a final say about these things.", ">\n\nIt is very noticeable and annoying, buuuut it’s proven autism manifest differently in females. Plus women are (very) often under diagnosed and dismissed for many many things by doctors, which is absolutely disgusting. Aaaand the cost of healthcare is outrageous.", ">\n\nwomen being less likely to be diagnosed with autism has nothing to do with an actual gender gap in who does and doesn’t have autism and everything to do with the fact autistic women are diagnosed with personality disorders and mental illnesses due to stigmas. most autism research was done on men and therefore women are underrepresented and more often than not misdiagnosed. autism actually occurs at a similar rate in both sexes. also, it’s not a mental illness, it’s a neurological condition (not that mental illnesses aren’t, but illness implies there’s something wrong, which there isn’t in autistic people). i agree that self diagnosing leads to misinformation and harms those who are clinically diagnosed though.", ">\n\nA lot of medical diagnoses are based on white male studies, so yes you would see more women finding out they have certain mental illnesses now as professionals are realizing it can show differently in females vs males. Adhd, for example, was considered something only seen in young boys that would grow out of it, now they are realizing that you don't in fact grow out of it and women can have it too. \nMental illness was a taboo subject back in the day as well, especially for women. It was only in 1980 I think that hysteria was no longer considered a mental illness. Women would be diagnosed with 'hysteria' and committed for symptoms like anxiety and anger. So now a lot of women are learning more about their mental health because they feel safe to do so. \nMy mother is in her early 70's and still refuses to tell anyone her own health issues or even mine, I have cancer and we were going to go on a trip as it's unknown how much longer I have and she refused to ask for the day off because she wouldn't tell them the reason why.", ">\n\nI detest self diagnosis, though once you’ve studied advanced level abnormal psychology shit happens. \nAs far as kids go, the generalized anxiety and depressive spectrum diagnoses can occasionally be accurate however that would warrant professional intervention regardless.\nOne serious issue among others; if an adolescent “decides” they have major depressive disorder that can become a self fulfilling prophecy and cause despair and reluctance to seek treatment", ">\n\nLook at the price and lack of availability of mental health care, and the total lack of privacy of internet connected devices. Most practitioners don’t offer in person visits anymore, and even if they do they probably do digital records or have their phone present. Ofc people are self diagnosing.", ">\n\nCounterpoint: many people do not have the means to access diagnoses for mental illnesses and other disorders, and it can sometimes be the only way to explain their feelings to others. Autism diagnoses in particular are extremely difficult to access for adults and even teens. I suspected I had autism for years and the only way I was able to get a diagnosis was through the mental health treatment program I was in during highschool which had a psychologist there. I only could attend because I live in Canada with universal healthcare. Many, many people are not as fortunate as me. Most people in the world cannot access diagnosis in the first place, including many in richer countries. \nYour comment about women statistically 'being born with autism on a far lesser scale than men' misses the well-known problem of underdiagnosis of autism in women. Autism presents itself differently in women than men (I can say as an autistic woman who knows other autistic women) and the criteria for autism were based on cis white men. Autism in women is is often misdiagnosed as CPTSD (which many autistic people ALSO unfortunately have), borderline personality disorder, anxiety, depression, etc. \nAlthough self-diagnosis is often problematic and used by teenagers to feel special, for the people who take it seriously and are intellectually honest there currently isn't really a better alternative for them to try and explain their experiences when they cannot access diagnoses.", ">\n\nWhat you are describing is NOT a new phenomenon. I was born in 1975 and have been observing this phenomenon my entire life. Nothing new about it at all.", ">\n\nSelf diagnosis is often the first step in going to go and get an actual diagnosis. Getting diagnosed with a mental disorder, especially as an adult, is basically impossible if you aren't actively seeking it out. For several reasons, one of which is that pretty much all the diagnostic criteria are written about children. \nI'm properly diagnosed and even on disability for mental disorders and I knew what I had for years before I got diagnosed. \nI understand there's a feeling of \"stolen valour\" to it. And there is indeed a subset of people doing it for attention or because it's fashionable, OCD in particular being a common example, but the good that comes from self diagnosis more than outweighs the bad.", ">\n\nCorrect me if I’m wrong, but don’t all, or at least most mental disorders lie on a spectrum?", ">\n\nI was diagnosed ADD/ ADHD as a child an im getting re-evaluated next month because i think the diagnosis must be bullshit.\nI have a close friend that wasn't diagnosed ADD/ADHD until they were 22 and in an Ivy league vet program\nThe amount of people that say they cant do well in school simply because they have add/ adhd is bullshit if u ask me. Also, people justify abusing adderal because theyre ADHD and i think thats BS too. I decided never to take it and just abuse caffeine instead to avoid the health side effects", ">\n\nThe current US medical system is such garbage that self advocacy is important. \nSometimes it is wrong. Sometimes professionals ignore you or only pay attention to things insurance companies will pay for. Sonetimes they are also wrong. Or they're incentivized to get you out of a hospital bed ready or not. \nAdministrators and insurance companies get all the money. Nurses, aides, patients all suffer.", ">\n\nEspecially when they don't even understand what the disorder is in the first place. \"I'm a loner so I'm anitsocial.\" That's not what that means.... Or my favorite, \"I'm detailed oriented so I have OCD, lulz I am so le quirky! ;P\"", ">\n\nPeople who struggle with certain things often seek out those with similar experiences. With social media and the internet, it’s easier than ever to find people with similar struggles and sometimes, those people are a group diagnosed with certain mental illnesses. \nDoes that mean every person who sees themselves in a diagnosis will have that diagnosis? Hell no. But I think it’s disingenuous to claim that it’s “for attention.” People want to find community they can relate to and are drawn to experiences that reflect their own.\nI’m saying this as someone who was diagnosed with ADHD at 25 — I started to suspect I might have it in my early 20s and started poking about online. I was officially assessed and diagnosed some time later, and that diagnosis has been validated by three therapists and two psychiatrists.\nPlenty of people misjudge themselves and plenty of people are very ready to leap into a box. Some of them may be wrong. Some may be doing it to try and excuse bad behavior. (Hell, I’ve known waaaay too many people who DID have diagnosed mental illnesses and seemed to think their diagnosis was a free pass to be shitty). However, I think calling it a “trend” or “for attention” misses the point of why and how people reach these conclusions. \nOne might also argue that you do not have the professional expertise regarding psychology to assume the validity or ulterior motives of someone else’s diagnosis. There’s a reason that a lot of psychologists out there are adamantly against diagnosing from a distance - you have significantly less insight into a someone’s mind than they do, and you’re projecting a lot of assumptions onto others’ behavior without any supporting evidence.", ">\n\nIm gonna start out with, generally I agree its a problem-to an extent. Even though women have autism at a much lower rate they’re also under diagnosed/misdiagnosed at a higher rate. When it comes to why people are doing this, in my experience it’s people who are trying to figure out why they’re treated the way they are, why they struggle to do certain things that others don’t even see as an issue. They’re noticing their differences and feeling bad about it. When they can’t fix it they start trying to find a reason, a cause to help them both understand and feel better about themselves and ways they can move forward and actually improve their lives, as well as finding a group they can relate to when they have a hard time relating to the average person.", ">\n\nI think OP is arguing there are quite a few people whose self-diagnosis wouldn’t meet the criteria of a medical diagnosis. It’s horrible for me to even argue but some people want to portray themselves as a victim: I think this because I am a shit.\nHowever I agree with arguments here that if these people are brave enough to identify a potential issue in themselves then kudos to them for recognising it.", ">\n\nI had a doctor misdiagnose my spine injury and I researched medical articles and studies to come the actual diagnosis.\nNot always bad to do your research. \nBut mental health is a serious issue and some people use self diagnosis’ as an excuse to act however they want.", ">\n\nPart of what happens when you can’t afford to see a doctor." ]

[ "The diagnosis process for a lot of psychiatric conditions are surveys and questionaires. You can go to a psychiatrist and ask if you're anxious and they'll give you multiple choice questions and diagnose off of that. Or you can just google the form yourself and self diagnose. A lot of psychiatric disorders are about how we feel and think. Not about sending off some blood sample to a lab and getting a positive result come back.\n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. For such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nWhat you're describing are all neuroses that could indicate some deeper psychiatric condition. Whether a person has a mental health condition or not, thinking of ourselves as weak victims is never helpful in any context, yet it's something we all feel from time to time.\nI'm a disability support worker, so when someone tells me they've got a self diagnosed condition, it's not offensive to me or any disabled person I know, it doesn't come across like they're invalidating anyone else's condition. However I do think everyone should talk to a doctor about any condition they feel they might have.", ">\n\nPiggybacking off of this: You’ve spent your whole entire life inside your own brain. A therapist will spend a period of hours with you and give you a diagnosis. Who do you think knows your personal reality better than yourself?", ">\n\nYeah exactly, especially with conditions such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, PTSD, and many other psychiatric conditions. These are things people know they have even before they get a diagnosis. The diagnosis stage is more about treatment and management.\nPeople might be unaware of how severe or mild their condition is, some people think they have only mild PTSD despite constant nightmares and suicidal ideation. Some people will think they have severe ADHD because they can't concentrate for long times on things that don't interest them. It's good to get some perspective from experts but ultimately people know when they are struggling to focus or to struggling to stop stressing all the time or struggling to not be miserable. Struggling with our thoughts and feelings is evidence enough to self diagnose.", ">\n\nI was recently diagnosed with ADHD as a woman so I find this viewpoint interesting.\nFirstly, autism is not a mental illness. An autistic person may have mental illness in conjunction with autism, but autism alone lies under the neurodivergent umbrella. Neurodivergency can include autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and other similar conditions.\nWhy women are often underdiagnosed\nThese are serious disabilities that can really impede a person's life, especially if they struggle to find help and acceptance in their community. A lot of women start their journey towards diagnosis later in life due to a number of factors such as:\n\nPoor diagnostic tools and inexperienced professionals\nA misunderstanding that autism and ADHD are more common in boys\nAdvanced masking techniques to cover their 'traits'\n\nWhy women are often diagnosed later in life.\nThe process for many women and men who are diagnosed later in life often includes a level of burnout or breakdown. After a while everything becomes too much, the mask begins to slip and your traits go into overdrive.\nWhy does self-diagnosing seem to be on the rise?\nA common way of finding out you could possibly be neurodivergent is through media and people who are aware of these traits appear.\nIn the past few years, I have seen an increasing awareness of neurodivergence in women pop up in the media. This is useful for people like myself who had no idea wtf was wrong with them for a very long time. For me, a GP actually suggested I seek a diagnosis due to some struggles I was going through.\nAs someone who went through this process self-diagnosing is commonly the first step as an adult. You might be directed to a questionnaire and are asked to evaluate yourself and your experiences thinking back to your childhood. If there's some merit in your experiences than you move to the next step which involves seeking a professional. Waitlists are often months to years long so many people live in limbo for a long time.\nMethods of living with ADHD can help everyone. And everyone experiences ADHD traits from time to time. Given a large amount of stress we have all suffered collectively, I don't doubt there are a lot of people with increased mental health issues that mirror neurodivergent traits. Some mental illnesses can get very severe and alter your brain chemistry and behaviour.\nMy takeaway from this is that the mental health systems set up to assist these people are a much larger issue and cause for serious concern than self-diagnosing.\nApologies for the spelling and grammar errors. Grammarly and Reddit don't play nice.", ">\n\nI think it's two things. One, people have identity crises, especially teenagers. We all know that type of person who tries on identities like hats. That's pretty embarrassing. You usually grow out of that.\nTwo, from personal experience, giving yourself a label or a diagnosis makes it feel more contained and easy to communicate. It's easier to tell someone that you have X and have them understand what you're going through rather than telling them you have these vague symptoms resembling what you imagine X is like. In that respect, it is pretty understandable, possibly good, and not embarrassing. There's something that is sort of reassuring if you can finally get a word to put on what you're experiencing.\nPeople often sympathize with the diagnosis but not with the symptoms. Tell people at work you're autistic and they will sympathize with you and possibly not attack you. Tell them you do not understand social cues and they will probably just make fun of you.", ">\n\nI understand the desire to put a label with a disease, and this is not necessarily bad, but the diagnosis needs to be correct. If you want to tell others that you are autistic or depressed; you must actually be those things. A person can almost never correctly assertion their disease, only their symptoms. People might better understand you if you say your autistic, but you may incorrectly understand and describe yourself. If one wishes to put a name with symptoms, they should find a doctor to pick the label", ">\n\nfor sure but unfortunately our medical system is a joke and even if you are experiencing very severe symptoms it can be nearly impossible to see a professional or take months on a waiting list.\nEven then a professional may be reluctant to slap a label on you for fear of what the consequences of that might be. I saw someone for a very long time who resisted any sort of actual diagnosis because the truth is that what I was experiencing didn't fit neatly into any of the boxes and pretty much belonged in this vague \"other\" category which isn't particularly helpful. Not to mention that misdiagnosis happens all the time even by professionals. \nI just think it is sort of understandable because I think a lot of stuff is kind of a spectrum anyway and just different levels of severity. Things can be really confusing and hard to nail down and thus communicate in a way that causes someone else to be understanding rather than judgemental.", ">\n\nAre you under the impression this is a new phenomenon? Because it's definitely not.\nPeople - especially young people! - crave identity. The world is a confusing place, knowing who you are makes it a little easier. Sometimes it's self-diagnosing mental illness or learning disabilities, or exploring sexual identity, or cliques, or subcultures. There's nothing embarrassing about it, it just is what it is.", ">\n\nIt’s ok to want to express individuality but not to the extent of totally destroying the definition of a real thing and making it hard for actual mentally Ill ppl to get a diagnosis. Why can’t people just accept that they’re different rather then giving themselves a label?", ">\n\npeople on TikTok claiming to have disorders that they don't doesn't affect the precision of psychiatrists diagnosing actual patients. There's no TikTok-said section in the DSM. Why do you think that it does?", ">\n\nIt just encourages more people to get diagnosed possibly skewing the meaning of the mental illness", ">\n\nSkewing it towards statistical accuracy? If people are actually diagnosed at higher rates, we have a better Guage of population-level mental illness, neurodivergency, etc. Better data is more usable, so that research actually means something actionable, ASIDE from the identity boost for young people.", ">\n\nI think what OP is driving at, but utterly failing to explain, is that they think that the fakers will be accommodated by the psychiatric system and diagnosed on the basis of fake symptoms. my sense is that isn't a problem but I don't have data.", ">\n\nDefinitely explained it a little better then I could lol", ">\n\nWhere do you see evidence of that? Any articles about fakers? How about a statistic? If not, it’s just a fear you seem to have.", ">\n\nI think the salient line here is this one:\n\nNeurologists were able to quickly determine that the subjects were not \nsuffering from Tourette's, but psychogenic tics driven by anxiety.", ">\n\nWomen are not born with less autism, but are much less likely to be diagnosed as children than boys. This is partly because boys generally have similar symptoms and behaviors. \nSo of course more women are self diagnosing autism, since their diagnoses were missed as children on a much higher rate.", ">\n\nAlright, I'm diagnosed OCD, PTSD, chronic depression. Diagnosed by a professional so I think I have some grounds to talk about this.\nFirst, let's tackle your women comment about autism. You see, I understand where you're coming from, but you lack the nuance of recognizing that mental illness, and illness in general, is heavily under-diagnosed in women. The medical culture is heavily favored towards men and is rampant with mysogyny, and that's not just me saying it as I've had medical professionals blatantly tell me it's a problem in the field when questioned about it. I've also had some tell me that it's just because women whine a lot, so yanno make of that statement what you will.\nNow that we've covered that let me address the self-diagnosing issue. So, do you want to know what my therapist thinks of self-diagnosing? Well, when I asked them about it they said that self-diagnosing is an important first step to seeking help. Psychiatrist said the same thing. It's normal, expected even, for people to self-diagnose their issues then seek help for them. You can't exactly just peer into someone's brain, no, that person has to tell you what they think is wrong and why they think it is. \nWhat you actually have a problem with is not self-diagnosis, but with people not seeking or not being able to get medical assistance and assuming they're right. You have a problem with people using these issues for attention, which I do too, but once again self-diagnosing is not the problem. Finally, you have a problem with the medical system that forces people into the position of trying to figure out their mental illnesses, but having no ability to get help for them.", ">\n\nI think I did it", ">\n\nSadly no lol, it was not done properly. Do you need a link to the rules?", ">\n\nI already read them i think I’ll figure it out in a bit sorry for the hold up", ">\n\nBecause everyone else is being aggressive: you have to comment with ∆ or !delta and then explain how your view has been changed", ">\n\nThis delta has been rejected. You can't award OP a delta.\nAllowing this would wrongly suggest that you can post here with the aim of convincing others.\nIf you were explaining when/how to award a delta, please use a reddit quote for the symbol next time.\n^Delta System Explained ^| ^Deltaboards", ">\n\nWhat gives you the authority or knowledge to know this is the problem?", ">\n\nYou don’t think it’s a problem that a lot of young ppl are willing to go to the extent of saying they are mentally Ill either for attention or to excuse their weirdness? Just accept that your different. It’s not wrong to believe you’re different without a label", ">\n\nYou did not even try to answer my question.", ">\n\nI’m sorry I was confused on what you meant", ">\n\nIf you are mad at people for self diagnosing themselves because they don't have the knowledge or authority to do so.... what gives you the knowledge or authority to diagnosis this as the problem behavior... basically are you just a kid that is annoyed, or is there some actual studies out there that is claiming this is a problem.", ">\n\nIf you don’t think that people consistently seeking attention for mental illness or craving a label so badly to justify themselves rather then being themselves. That just shows what your views are", ">\n\nDont you think we should leave the diagnosing to the professionals?", ">\n\nI mean yeah", ">\n\nWould you agree that you are diagnosing these people by saying that they are only seeking attention and do not have a real mental illness?", ">\n\nI’m assuming", ">\n\nThere may be some truth to people wanting to be different, however with mental illnesses being more accepted in today's society, many people are a lot more comfortable with being neurodivergent. Additionally, self diagnosis is common because the alternative is spending upwards to $1000-$2000 for a clinical diagnosis.", ">\n\nI know costs suck, but self diagnosis can be much more harmful. A web.md page that tells you your depressed when you may actually be bipolar can lead to really messed up results. I would even go as far as to say that no diagnosis at all is preferable to an uninformed one", ">\n\nWell.\n​\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad \n\nSo you already know why they're doing what they're doing in addition the fact that you know that they're not Autistic? If your claim is that they can't know and only a doctor can, what makes you more qualified? You start out your argument admitting that you have a bias.\n\nthey’re “neurodivergent.\n\nNeurodivergent is an umbrella that covers both Autism and ADHD, which sometimes get mistaken for each other. So if you're upset that they're self-diagnosing, this term should be more welcome than \"Autistic\" because it's more generalized.\n\nnd when you ask them how they know they’ll say “oh I have this weird tick when I uh laugh when someone says something funny “ or “I have a hyper fixation on this topic so I must be autistic\n\nHow else should they communicate it to you? The list of aspects of Autism, especially for how it presents in women, sounds a lot like this. You're not a doctor, they don't have to prove anything to you by going down the entire list of every possible part of their daily experience that might be on the spectrum.\n\nWomen statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nNope. Women are diagnosed less often than men because the original diagnostic criteria for Autism was for Autism as it presents in males. It presents differently for females and is harder to diagnose, especially at younger ages. \n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized\n\nTodays youth want to be victimized? Why would anyone want to be victimized? Something tells me you're missing the mark with this terminology.\n\nor have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. \n\nSo if someone is Autistic and that makes them weird, you'd rather them just be forced to not get to have a name for it, and get the therapeutic treatment that would help them?\n\nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really [are] without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nSome people are autistic. If they find out and it makes them feel good, that doesn't mean they're craving attention. And if they are craving attention, it's because they're normal people and everyone does. \nIf someone thinks they're autistic but it turns out they're actually not, chances are they suspected it for a reason. They might have ADHD, a personality disorder, a mental health issue, or simply a slightly different way of experiencing the world that feels unique to them and there's nothing wrong with that. \nYou seem to think that other people do things for you. People generally don't. They do things for themselves. This is especially true of people on the Autism Spectrum who may not be able to easily use other people's experiences to reference when constructing their view of the world, and can only use their own. Your interpretation wherein they do it to evoke a response from you says more about you than it does about them.", ">\n\nYou’re being deliberately obtuse. OP is completely correct. Most of the people these days who say “I’m ADHD” or “I’m autistic” or “I’m neurodivergent” are absolutely not diagnosed as such and are doing it to seem unique or get attention or as some excuse for why they did x y or z.", ">\n\nI'd like to point out that while some are perhaps attention seeking, many people self diagnose simply because they don't have access to free medical/psychological professionals to get proper diagnosis and help with their issues. I also know someone who doesn't want to get an official diagnosis because he's afrad it will affect his insurance rates or somehow come back to bite him if he's offically labeled with having a neurological disorder. \nThere is a wealth of knowledge on these subjects available online for those interested. And if they are truly interested in self diagnose they can likely do that accurately enough for all intents and purposes. Most of these people who search for the sake of better understanding themselves or their loved ones will openly admit that it's a self diagnoses, or say they THINK they have x,y, or z. But in some situations it's just as well to say they have it if they feel certain anyway, and it's just a passing comment, and not a discussion on the matter. \nIn other words, just because they self diagnose doesn't mean they're wrong, nor does it explain their motives. I also don't see how attention seeking (for those who ARE doing that) is really hurting anyone else. Fakers gonna be fake, that's more a \"them\" kind of problem. ANNOYING, but mostly harmless.", ">\n\nUnless you have a doctor's diagnosis you don't have the disorder. Even if you are broke there are programs to help with costs. \nAnd yes it does affect me when someone is treating me like shit and tries using the I have such and such as an excuse and then people get mad at ME for calling them in their bullshit.", ">\n\nNo. You have to have the disorder before you CAN be diagnosed, so obviously there are undiagnosed people who in fact \"have the disorder \". Your refusal to acknowledge an undiagnosed disorder does not mean they don't have it. Your personal experience with people supposedly using a fake diagnosis to treat you badly, sounds unusual. How do you know they DIDN'T have it? People who do lie and just want to be jerks will do that regardless of what methods they decide to try. The methods are irrelevant. And that motive is not typical of most self diagnosers .", ">\n\nSounds unusual? You must not get out a lot because it's become a pretty regular thing. Every single person I know (about 8) that have self diagnosed themselves as neurodivergent or with a mental illness like Bi-polar all use it to excuse their shitty ass behaviors. \nToo many disorders can mirror other ones. Just because they think they have 2/3 symptoms doesn't make them right by a long shot. Keep living in your bubble.", ">\n\nYou don't have to have a relationship with anyone. If they treat you badly, regardless of an official diagnosis or not, you don't have to tolerate them. It makes no difference what they have or don't have. What would it change if they got diagnosed and actually have it?", ">\n\nSelf diagnosing has been a thing forever\nAnd it's not a problem im 99% sure me or any other autistic person doesn't really give 2 fucks about people who wanna fake disorders. It doesn't stop us from getting help, we have doctors notes, medical files, sometimes even volunteers, you need those files to get into let's say a special education class, or a life skills course.\nSo unless you were diagnosed by a professional you're probably not gonna make it far faking it.\n(Excuse my shitty punctuation)", ">\n\nIt doesn’t bother you that they’re making others take the actual meaning away from what you were born with? I mean I’m sure autism hasn’t made your life easy and seeing ppl claim it for attention to be quirky probably has to annoy you a little right?", ">\n\nAt the end of the day I still have ADHD and I still need help with it. More people being diagnosed with it doesn’t change that fact. In fact I was diagnosed because I realized I related to so many tiktok memes, and I’m sure others are in my same boat. \nIn fact I think so many people talking about ADHD helps. It means more people who possibly have tips for me, people who are suffering who can’t afford treatment have an easy way to learn about how to improve their lives, and more people who are aware of my disorder.", ">\n\nI think people do diagnose themselves too often without seeking professional help. BUT mental illness is not the same as being neurodivergent.", ">\n\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad that they’ll go as far to say they’re “neurodivergent.”\n\nWhile this is the case, I don't really see how it's a \"problem\" per se. I guarantee that these people still make lifestyle decisions based on what they think is best, or based on what they want to do.\n\nbut it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women\n\nDo you have any statistics for that? I haven't experienced it that way in my own anecdotal experience, and I'd be curious to look into the data to see how much that truly does skew in that direction.\n\nwanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness \nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nI understand what you're trying to say here, but I don't really think these things are connected as much as you think they are. People see something wrong with themselves, so they either playfully or seriously consider the fact that it could be a condition that they have similar symptoms to. Not that it never happens, but just because someone categorizes themselves into a disability group that could potentially excuse their \"quirks\", doesn't mean they think that behavior is unacceptable in any way. People see a problem, and assume it's linked to this other issue that seems similar that they already know about.", ">\n\nI agree with the conclusion that self-diagnosis is a real issue, and I wouldn't be surprised if the data indicated it was on the rise. I wouldn't necessarily frame it as a simple desire to \"be victimized\" however. While it is purely speculation, I do believe there are a number of conditions which might lead towards a more frequent experience of symptoms associated with mental illness - a rising wealth gap, perpetual anxiety from a 24-hour news cycle, intensification of self-commodification, the student debt crisis in certain countries like the US, and so on. So people are experiencing symptoms like low energy, mood swings, etc. that can be associated with mental illness. The issue with self-diagnosis then becomes that it may correctly identify the symptom, but incorrectly identify the cause.\nThis video from the YouTuber HealthyGamerGG does a good job of explaining what some of the issues with self-diagnosis are, and for me it was a good starting place for thinking about this more. \nEDIT: I forgot this video literally starts with this same topic being brought up on this same subreddit lol", ">\n\nA great theory based on reasonable causes with an educational video from a psychologist(I assume) as evidence to back it up. I applaud you sir. 👏", ">\n\nWhy are you embarrassed by other people's issues?", ">\n\nI’m a 30yo male. If I had not first self diagnosed with ASD and OCD, I never would have found the language and resources to get a formal diagnosis and help.\nPrior generations have been so fixated on avoidance of diagnosing mental disorders, and research was previously so lacking that we are only just now (through those that do get diagnosed) realizing how common mental disorders are. That plus the lack of mental health resources for neurotypical and neurodivergent I think is how we end up in this situation of many recognizing their symptoms in the new discourse, but lacking the resources to overcome the barriers to proper diagnosis and treatment.", ">\n\nIt’s not the best thing, no. \nAs an adult FINALLY diagnosed (by a licensed therapist) at 41, I can tell you why ‘self diagnosis’ is so tempting. \nIn the US at least- mental health, and official medical diagnosis are almost completely inaccessible, especially as an adult. Most of us grew up before Autism was a spectrum, and ADHD was just boys who acted out in class. We felt like aliens. We couldn’t understand why we didn’t have many friends, or why we didn’t like the ‘right things’, and generally spend the bill of our lives feeling ‘wrong’, ‘broken’ or just simply like we didn’t belong. \nFinally understanding the WHY, and even better, finding tools to addresses our issues is a huge huge weight off the chest. The relief of having a name and a strategy- either therapy or medicine is such an amazing relief!!", ">\n\nI only kinda agree if I had not done my own research I would have never found out I have sjorgens syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis I know TikTok people tend to diagnose themselves and it makes it look cringe but when you live with a incurable illness sometimes you have to work to find a diagnosis", ">\n\nWell, what do you do of you absolutely know you're neurodivergent, but your parents decided not to get you checked? My mom once told me \"we knew you had something, we just didn't get you checked because they would have just put you on pills\". So I struggled with being different, socially unaware, impulsive, obnoxious, agressive, selfish, for the better part of my life without having the self awareness to understand why I was these things, and why people wouldn't want to be around me. \nIn my late 20''s I asked the question, what if I'm actually autistic? I looked up the symptoms, and 9/10 matched. As a child I couldn't handle loud noises, restrictive clothing, I didn't talk until I was 3. I would throw fits for seemingly no reason, I had obsessive interests. I've always really struggled with eye contact, and I never cared for conversation unless it was something I liked. I mean, when the final piece of a puzzle fits so incredibly well, it's really hard for it to be wrong. \nSelf diagnosing actually really helped me grow as aj individual. I became aware of all my divergent behaviors, and why it might be annoying for someone else to deal with. I came to the realization that I was the one who was different, therefore I needed to change. It's way harder to make everyone around you cater to your needs than to overcome the things that upset you. I'm at peace, I have good friends that I can connect with on a pretty deep level. I no longer smash coffee tables when I lose, I can now appreciate that if I lose it just means I have more to learn. I can keep my house clean, I can reasonably hold myself accountable. What exactly is the harm in all that?\nBesides, it would be pretty pointless for me to try and get a diagnosis now, I've put the effort in and largely come out the other side. Anyone diagnosing me would just say I was normal, but they wouldn't have the intimate knowledge of me that I do. I guess it doesn't matter if people don't believe me, I don't go around shouting that I'm autistic. I will say, it would be really nice if people appreciated the effort I put in to get to get to a place of normalcy, something others take for granted, but it's okay, we all have our struggles.", ">\n\nI feel you on all that. To play devil's advocate, mental healthcare in the U.S. is not cheap. Many people go to the internet and confirm their bias about their current health", ">\n\nI feel you on that too OP. I agree 100% with your entire statement.", ">\n\nIt's a problem, but not a new one. In the 1990s there was briefly a surge of people with a type of delusional parasitosis, that is, the false belief that they were infested with parasites. Except this one was supposedly an infestation with tiny fibres. They would come to doctors with a whole list of symptoms to back up their incorrect self-diagnosis.\nTo a certain extent, these are social contagions, which come and go, and often actually end up leading to people having real problems. Like, the young women you mention, a couple of decades ago may well have ended up with anorexia, or self-cutting. These days it might be a self-declaration of autism or a belief that they have gender dysphoria or that they have multiple systems living in their minds.", ">\n\nWow I did not know that. Maybe it’s just so prevalent today due to social media. Social media has only made these things worse imo", ">\n\nEven before it being self diagnosis of a mental illness it was always something. Remember all the emo and goth teenager?", ">\n\nIt depends on the context. For example, if they've done a substantial amount of research, can name a good amount of symptoms they have and reasons they have whatever mental illness and don't have access to the necessary tools to get a medical diagnosis, it's totally different. Some people don't have the money to go out and get a diagnosis, or sometimes it would be better to not get a medical diagnosis. I believe that the reason that a lot of people self diagnose themselves with things like Autism is because they want an explanation as to why they are different, and they could be right or wrong. I think the most important part is that if you go to a psychologist (or even two, I know a lot of people prefer getting second opinions) and they say you don't have it, that you need to admit you were wrong. It's ok to be wrong about your mental health, and the key is to keep looking and to not give up. I can completely understand the frustration in people completely missing how difficult it actually may be to have a mental illness. I was clinically diagnosed with Depression, Anxiety, and PTSD when I was seven, and I've had some experience with people faking mental disorders for attention, and more often then not, they have another mental disorder that needs attention. Recently I had a (now ex) boyfriend insist he had PTSD after being tested twice and the psychiatrist saying that he didn't have it. What he does have is Depression and Anxiety, but he absolutely insisted he has PTSD despite never exhibiting symptoms and the only evidence being a test he took online that was supposedly a \"real PTSD test.\" People faking mental illnesses only harms people who really have them, as these people tend to exaggerate symptoms and use their self diagnosis for attention. I believe that I am autistic, but I don't list it as a diagnosis because while I have read articles and taken the RAADS-r test, I don't have an official diagnosis, and I could very well be wrong. As for women faking illnesses more often, something I've noticed is that things like Autism, ADHD, ADD, etc are more often diagnosed in boys rather than girls- mostly because when they were first discovered, most of the research was done in boys. Autism shows up differently in girls, and can often be blown off as early puberty hormones. If their hyperfixations are those of stereotypical feminine things, it's just a girl liking whatever, and if they hyperfixate in stereotypical masculine interests, they tend to just be viewed as weird, but not autistic. It's normal for people to question, but I agree that to a certain point, self diagnosis can be harmful, but only if not done correctly.", ">\n\nFirst and foremost not a new problem at all, very common, we used to call it \"Being a hypochondriac\" until it aparrently became reconized which in it self is confusing and a bit contradictory.\nANYWAY\nIt isnt really a problem, no doctor is gonna write the perscription for medication without a diagnosis of some sort.\nAt most there is the vauge \"But what about those who actually have it who arent taken serious\" dont worry, we wouldnt have anyway. Thats kinda how invisible illnesses work.\nOverall the 101 hypochondriacs screaming about the symptoms they read in the ICD might help make the knowledge more common and help people better reconize if their colleagues or friends happen to show symptoms of something.", ">\n\nIt’s pretty expensive in the US to get diagnosed. Personally, I’ve self diagnosed myself out of frustration of the way I process things. I’ve always felt slow & my anxiety/depression was deep because of it, but I was raised in a family that doesn’t believe in mental illness. It was always “if you work hard enough, all your problems will go away”. Meanwhile, i was racking my brain on how to make myself think faster/smarter & it would result in psychotic episodes. I’ve gotten fired from jobs, dropped out of school. I started self harming because I hated myself and my brain & almost commit suicide bc I had no idea what was going on.\nThe relief I felt once I finally got a therapist who validated me & was the first to talk to me about mental Illness. It blew my mind and all of a sudden things actually made sense to me. I currently think I have ADD, and sometimes I’ll tell people that but will preface it by saying I’m not professionally diagnosed. Still, I use mental tools that help me get through the day and build my confidence. I’m a lot better at processing conversations, making lists that help me remember things, unmasking, slowing down my thoughts… etc. I’m less frustrated and can see the beauty in how I process things. I still want to get diagnosed but I have to get health insurance….. lol", ">\n\nSelf diagnosis, regardless of being factual is a process where the individual realizes that they might have a mental health issue. People who can do this are more likely to seek professional help compared to the people who think they are “fine”. Going to a professional, licensed psychologist or a psychiatrist will eventually diagnose them with the correct disorder from there, and professionals have the skills to communicate with them and they can together evaluate if the person’s complaint is the issue or not. There is nothing embarrassing about discovering one’s self. It would be a problem if people would identify with an issue and don’t have any willingness to seek help. Sometimes overreacting is better than not reacting.", ">\n\nThe majority of people who are self-diagnosed with autism have done extensive research into it to come to that conclusion. I personally went through the DSM criteria with a fine-tooth comb, made a list of all the ways I met it and discovered that there’s not a single criteria i don’t meet for autism. I didn’t read about anything else but autism for weeks, approaching it from all angles before coming to the conclusion that it’s highly unlikely I am not autistic. I’m waiting to hear back about an assessment, but I’m not waiting to go and be told something I already know before I start advocating for myself. \nOh, and I absolutely did not want to be ‘different’, in fact my life mission to just blend in and be average is the root cause of most of my problems, but here we are.", ">\n\nThis self diagnosing young people do isn’t the problem. The problem is that our society encourages it.\nOur culture is not set up to accommodate a wide spectrum of human needs. You may need things that I don’t. I may need things that you don’t. But in most business settings, academic settings, or even places like restaurants or leisure places, the world isn’t built to accommodate everyone. Our world and society is a “one size fits all” approach, and most people don’t fit snugly inside of that system. \nIf you can classify what is “wrong” or “different” about you into an easily digestible form, people are generally more able and more willing to accommodate you.\nFor example: if I tell my coworkers that I need to leave work early because of a headache, I’ll be shamed for it. And in some cases I’ll be told that “headaches aren’t that bad!” Or “You don’t need to leave.” Or “I have a headache too, just deal with it!”\nBut if I tell my workers that I need to leave due to a painful neurological condition that’s flaring up (I have chronic migraine, which is a neurological condition), they will respect it 100% of the time. It’s met with sympathy and not criticism.\nThis happens for all sorts of things. “Sorry Im late, I slept in.” Sounds a lot worse then, “sorry I’m late, my insomnia has been terrible lately.” \nOur culture forces us to use these labels even when they’re untrue just to receive sympathy or acceptance. The problem isn’t people who decide to use these labels, the root problem is that our society refuses to embrace and accommodate people who are outside of the “norm.”", ">\n\nSpeaking as someone who's had an autism diagnosis since age 7: if someone declares they're autistic when they're not, that's obnoxious at worst. If someone is told they're not autistic when they are, that can cause lifelong harm from denied care and understanding. I have seen this happen to a close friend of mine.\nTherefore, I'd much rather err on the side of acceptance. If you think you're defending me and others like me from impersonators, we'd rather not have your help.\n\nI know people will disagree but it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women. Women statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nCase in point: women are diagnosed with autism far less than men. Recent studies have pointed to decades of systematic misdiagnosis. The more visible autistic symptoms sometimes manifest differently in girls, the way they're socialized may help them hide it from a young age, and of course lots of doctors just say \"your daughter can't be autistic, that's a boy thing.\"\nWe're learning that there are hundreds of thousands of autistic women who slipped through the cracks and were denied the recognition and support they needed because of dismissive, gatekeeping attitudes just like yours.", ">\n\nThere’s a difference between having a disorder and relating to a disorder. If the tools or language associated with a disorder helps someone live better though then cool, it’s all still odd. Also autism presents differently in woman, and a majority of our research on it is on men. Best practice is probably to support them and encourage them to seek treatment.", ">\n\nAutism is severely misdiagnosed in women. Completely under diagnosed. Actually, plenty of things are. The actual problem that we have is parents refusing to let their children get professional help or a diagnosis. Most doctors will diagnose you with BPD as a woman(aka the new female hysteria of our century), maybe put you on some anti psychotics and send you your way. In most countries, a diagnosis/specialist is not readily available, or there is a long waiting list. Even so, the doctors are not know it all. I have seen plenty of doctors, I got different diagnosis almost each time. They ask you some general questions (about your mood, the way you sleep, if you can concentrate, if you harm yourself, if you have suicidal ideation, if you can socialize properly, if your parents were diagnosed with anything, if you have hallucinations or delusions, the works) and then based on that, they will give you a diagnosis. If you use your common sense and information on the internet (given you are knowledgeable on the subject), you can take a good guess on what's wrong. Obviously, some people will exaggerate like with anything (seeing the shadow dude once in your childhood is not a sign of psychosis, neither is hearing your name called when you are alone once in a blue moon), but if you have visual and auditory hallucinations, perhaps weird tactile feelings/hallucinations (spiders are crawling on me, etc), delusions, tend to be forgetful and out of teach with reality, there is a good chance you do have psychosis.", ">\n\nOkay, to start: what do you think autism and ADHD are? They aren't mental illnesses nor are they mental health conditions. \nTo address some of your other points; \nStudies have shown that autism has a gender expression of 1:1. The only reason that women are under diagnosed is because of misunderstandings towards autism, then the diagnosis is conducted incorrectly. Thus it ends up getting conflated with mental illness, E.G BPD, and is diagnosed as a psychiatric disorder instead. This is a detriment to the patient as the care regimes are black and white different. Often times this severely damages the woman.\nFrom data sets that I recall reading, malingering hasn't risen much, if at all, in recent times. I remember it being around 8% of the global population who are engaging in this behaviour, to different extents. I think what's happened is that social media has turned a torch onto it and it's risen in popularity in an algorithmic way. You see it more because it's pushed by the algorithm more because people are searching for it more. It isn't actually occurring any more or less than historically. Most of that attention is negative attention, I should add. \nSo there's two things to take away from that.\n1) The actual act of pretending to be mentally ill, or to have a disability, which is called malingering, is in fact a form of mental unwellness itself. It's a cry for help. The people who do these things are usually very unstable and should be treated with a degree of empathy. The dangerous types who are using mental illness to scam others, or to manipulate them, make up a very small percentage of the overall amount of people in that group and tend to abuse one on one. \n2) The predominant response to this is generally negative. There isn't really any reason to publicly malinger unless you're unstable, this is because a rational person would likely know this, and know the damage it would cause themselves. Self-diagnosis is a very long, and self-aware, process that takes place over years of the individuals life, and proceeds official diagnosis. \nNo one SDs and says \"Okay that's it now! Let me start a TikTok!\" You'd still want support, and you'd still seek support. So that would end up with a doctor, who would see that you're lying, and treat you for whatever was prompting you to malinger. Anyone who has made this commitment knows that keeping it private is a sensible thing to do in a world that isn't inclusive, and often very stigmatising. Sometimes official diagnosis can take YEARS. \nThis kind of propaganda has been going around for a long time in an effort to discredit disabled people and people with mental illnesses. It's not new. People said the same things back in the 90s. People will always be afraid, and dismissive, of things they do not understand. I invite you to try and understand.", ">\n\nI self-diagnosed myself with endometriosis for 10 years before a doctor finally listened to me, opened me up, and found my insides littered with lesions all over my organs. I’m now not able to get pregnant and I might need to get part of my bowel taken out someday. This could’ve been avoided if someone had just listened to me when I was 16. \nSelf-diagnosing is a necessity in a misogynist world! No one takes us seriously! Especially medical professionals. \nThe best antidote for this is to listen to women who self-diagnose. Why do they think they have XYZ? Is it heavily interfering with their life? I think that’s a much larger problem.", ">\n\nIts been proven that there is a bias to diagnose as opposed to not diagnose a mental illness in psychology. So op is actually kinda correct. The definition of a mental illness is in effect being stretched so far that people who are just kinda weird are being diagnosed with \"on the spectrum\". This is actually causing a problem in early learning because parents start treating their kids as essentially learning challenged when they're really not. So it is starting to become an excuse ...", ">\n\nWe live in a society that loves to medicate people. I know it’s different but Did ppl forget about the opioid epidemic? They’ll diagnose your ass with anything if they can", ">\n\nYa I tend to agree. And no one is really saying so I will I guess, but id wager that 50% of psychologist \"professionals\" are totally full of shit. The actual number of psychologists that are are doing real research and clinical studies is EXTREMELY small compared to how many \"psychologists\" are out there. Just like chiropractors, half of them are hacks..", ">\n\nAnd ill say one more thing, though it is anecdotal, but i have direct family that works in special education for young children, and that system is fucked with a capital F. Thay are constantly fighting against parents and programs who try to box kids in the \"autistic\" zone, when they are just really quite or shy, or have pee problems. But parents want an excuse and reason for their behavior, and reduce them to a sub standard education and treatment for the rest of their lives. It's heart breaking. Especially in public schools.", ">\n\nI’m 32 years old. \nI didn’t self diagnose for attention although I remember the days of tumblr where everyone self diagnosed for clout.\nIt took me a decade to realize what is really happening. During the decade before I realized what may have been happening I was told the following:\nI’m rude\nI’m bossy\nI have a RBF/I look mad\nI also only managed to make my first real friend at age 27.\nWhat I was really displaying was:\nBeing overly blunt and just trying to get my point across came off rude when I didn’t intend it to be that way\nTrying to have things done at a certain time and way that no one else thought was important to follow\nUnmasking\nNoticed other things too that I just thought was me being weird:\nVocal stimming\nOral stimming-chewing, smoking, vaping\nRepetitive motions\nRocking\nEasily overwhelmed by too much sensory input\nHigh startle reflex \nInability to regulate my body’s needs-I don’t know I’m hungry until I’m ravenous; don’t recognize the need to use the bathroom until it’s causing me to rush off, don’t realize I’m cold until I’m shaking\nI could go on.\nI want an assessment so bad. But assessments for adults are EXTREMELY hard to setup, if you can even set them up at all. Some states don’t even offer them. I’ve been looking but they are only for children and seem to look for severe cases.\n14 years of thinking I was just a bitch who couldn’t make friends because I was too weird…turns out it might be autism. And turns out I’ll most likely never get a true diagnosis. But the RAADS test gave me a 127 score so that might be the closest I’ll ever get.", ">\n\ni kind of self diagnosed autism? i’ve been to many psychiatrists and therapists for years and they always see adhd in the half an hour and prescribe meds for that, which makes me not go there again. if they dug a little deeper they could have seen autism, i spoke to my current psychiatrist about if its possible i have it, she didn’t want to confirm or deny as i was moving out of state from friends and family and am at an age where i can have kids in the next 10 years since she doesn’t want me being concerned for them. \nI think there’s still lots of stigma around autism even with professionals and especially when identifying it in women. \nI don’t want to be autistic, but i can recognise a lot of different patterns comparing myself and others. I’ve researched it a ton especially in how it shows in women compared to men and in all the articles i found myself relating.\nNow i don’t say im autistic, i say im a little sus of being it tho lmao. and try pass it off casually. I find it’s a lot easier for me to understand and embrace my differences compared to trying to hide it and try be like everyone else or wonder why im not like everyone else. \nBeing older i can also recognise how a lot of my family on one side have suffered mentally and because of obvious neurodivergence. so im pretty sure, like the rest of my mentally challenged brain, has been inherited genetically through that side. \nAll that being said. I self diagnosed when i was about 12 that im highly likely to be depressed and anxious in attempt to get my mom to believe me i needed help, and now 8 years later i can identify that this has been an issue forever for me and that i likely cannot go off my meds because i will just go back to how i used to be. Im still ocd with all my meds, but its better than being anxious and depressed all the time, Having ocd throughout the day is like heaven to me in comparison to how i used to be. obviously the ocd isnt new, just a lot more heard in my brain now.", ">\n\nOk, I know some people self diagnoze themselves with [insert some mental illness here] out of attention or whatever, and that's totally not ok.\nHowever, if you read all the symptoms and do proper research on a mental illness and everything clicks in to you, I'd say you can be fairly confident on a self diagnosis (although, it might be worth it to double check with a professional, especially if you want any sort of treatment). But also for some people, it might not be affordable to go to a professional...", ">\n\nI live in Canada, I've engaged with the medical system, doctors don't care and just want you out, ERs are a 8 hour wait for someone to ignore one thing and won't even entertain other issues even if they are related. Self-diagnosis is really the only way to get any kind of proper treatment at all. \nThe doctors will rubber stamp just about anything you ask for except pain killers but in terms of diagnosis you're way better off doing it yourself, sure you don't have 8 years of medical school but the doctors won't give you 5 mins of their time, they are not better than google and you give a lot more of a shit than they will and at the end of the day it's your body.", ">\n\nBack in the 90s when I was a teenager, the kids/teenagers/young adults who wanted attention, and wanted to be different, adopted the goth lifestyle. Dressing up in all black. White foundation with black lipstick and eyeshadow. It was the trendy way to be different, to be viewed as outcasts of society. To not fit in. \nThe goth lifestyle of the 2020s is self diagnosis. Same shit, different day.\nWhenever someone claims autism, or somewhere on the spectrum, I just roll my eyes and imagine that person just sucks at life.", ">\n\nI just think it’s a little more harmful nowadays due to the prevalence of social media. Ppl get sucked into groups and mindsets before they even have a real life chance. Then they hyper fixate on that they might be mentally Ill rather then just trying to live life to the fullest", ">\n\nI 100% agree with you", ">\n\nBecause it's the age of spin this generation has something for everybody. And all of them are Google doctors. Lol", ">\n\nTook my uncle till he was 38 even thought it was apparent to everyone. Hell he got expelled from two schools", ">\n\nI get what you're saying. I frankly find it weird that more people don't find this weird. People self-diagnosing themselves as all kinds of things not only completely misrepresents the actual conditions, thereby making people even more confused as to what they actually are and how they present, but also leads people to run to a psychiatrist claiming false symptoms and getting medication for something they don't have, which is NOT a good thing. People should never be taking medication unless it is necessary. We are a heavily over-medicated society and this is a big factor in that. Caffeine to wake up in the morning, \"immuno-boosters\" and mood stabilizers during the day, sleeping pills to sleep at night. The caffeine and sleeping pills are addictive and can really mess up your circadian rhythm, and the mood stabilizers can really fuck you up if you don't need them. Instead of rushing to diagnose and medicate everyone, we need to educate them on human behavior and show them that their \"mental health\" problems are completely normal.\nOh, so you get nervous right before you make huge life decisions? That's not Anxiety Disorder, it's just anxiety.\nOh, you are really sad because your cat died? That's not Clinical Depression, you are just grieving.\nOh, you went from really happy to really sad when you were previously happy and something really shitty happened to you and soured your mood? That's not Bipolar Disorder, that's just life.\nOh, you like to be more organized than the people around you? That's not Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, you just like to be organized.\nPeople really misunderstand the nature of these conditions and it hinders our collective progress in treating them, like dramatically inflating the number of actual conditions in the population, making it increasingly more difficult to determine how common and how varied they are. After all, in most cases it is not the psychiatrist or psychologist who makes you better, you make you better. Medication can help and other people can show you the path to success, but the problem will never get solved unless you play an active role in the treatment. Some conditions can never be solved, only lessened, while others are virtually untreatable. We need to stop making these conditions seem cool. They aren't. They are serious and need to be taken seriously.", ">\n\nHeavily agree and I appreciate how well this comment is worded. Wish I coulda worded mine a little better", ">\n\nYa I saw you getting shredded in the comments and figured I'd sum it up for you. 🤣", ">\n\nLmao bro I didn’t expect this many. I was thinking maybe like 20 ppl would reply", ">\n\nYou need to self diagnose in many cases in order to get adequate help.", ">\n\nI knew when I had ADD and IBS, and I was able to get my suspicions confirmed by my respective doctors. Doctors are there to help the patients understand themselves, whereas the patients have to go home every day and live with what they actually have. Do not be so quick to judge.", ">\n\nJust to add here - Autism in women is less prevalent because it presents differently and is often not picked up by standardised diagnostic tests (that were developed on an almost exclusively male sample). I think that also goes to show that there’s p significant issues with what we consider ‘scientific’ and research based in the first place.", ">\n\nI grew up in a small town and we had quite a few autistic boys but only one autistic girl. Literally only one out of like 6-8 grades. So that’s like a 10-1 ratio. It’s gotta be a lot statistically smaller then males. I don’t doubt it happens I just know it’s a lot less", ">\n\nYou think your small town’s makeup is generalizable to all of society? That isn’t how statistics work.", ">\n\nSo my question would be - so what do we do?\nYou think people are diagnosing themselves to gain attention. Fine, but what's the next step?\nSee, I think I might be bipolar 2. But I went on a journey where I looked into the techniques for dealing with this issue. That led me to cognitive behavior therapy.\nThat actually made me more convinced that this was my issue because I have taught myself a lot of cognitive behavior therapy techniques to address the same issues. These practices have really helped me.\nIt sounds like your issue is that these people are getting attention for it. To me, these are people who need someone to help guide them. That would have helped me a lot when I was younger. Society today doesn't really give us the tools to sort this out, but just the knowledge that these things exist can push someone down the rabbit hole to learn about therapy that could really help.\nI think you should ask yourself what your motivations are. Do you really want them to understand themselves? Or are you more interested in steering the conversation toward other topics?\nPersonally, I would deal with these people by paying them forward. I would tell them to understand the practices that typically help these people, and see if they are relevant. I would tell them to seek professional help, and to refrain from diagnosing themselves, but I would encourage them to be critical of themselves and to learn more.\nImo, the way out is through.", ">\n\nI agree with you but it’s not mostly women. Maybe by happenstance that’s the case in your circle but broadly men do this too.", ">\n\nDoctor's are consulting the Mayo Clinic website after talking to a patient and getting their symptoms. I bring that up to say this; a doctor's training is needed for very serious diseases and tricky diagnoses, but a semi-intelligent person could look up their symptoms and get a lot of the more minor stuff right.", ">\n\nI've never been diagnosed as clinically depressed or anything, but that doesn't mean that I don't suffer from depression a lot of the time (these last few years, more often than not). I see a therapist. I take antidepressants. \nI have a friend who has aphantasia. It isn't really a \"diagnosable\" condition, but it describes what he has trouble with: creating images in his mind.", ">\n\nThat’s different then going online and claiming perfectly normal traits mean you’re autistic", ">\n\nNeurodivergence ≠ mental illness.", ">\n\nThey know themselves and their experiences better than you.", ">\n\nOP, I'm seeing some differences between your post and what you're saying in the comments. \nMy question is, do you have a problem with people self-diagnosing, or is your issue more about people drawing a lot of public attention to their diagnoses?", ">\n\nOverall both but definitely the attention part more so for obvious reasons. The self diagnosing part due to the fact that it can make people believe it can be an excuse for their actions good or bad. I think In a weird way it can allow people to take away the responsibility of their own actions and attribute to their mental illness", ">\n\nAs someone who has been diagnosed with ADHD, having people self diagnosing doesn't bother me at all, because I went the path of not knowing at all what I had and letting doctors figure out by themselves... and it took me 4 years and a half to finally have a concrete answer that no doctors would have found out if I didn't start searching on my own. You can't walk into every doctor's office with the assumption they'll figure out what you have, because it's not their speciality, or they still have an outdated view (not every doctor are kept up to date with new discovers), or they're biased, etc... \nI've never been annoyed by people who self diagnose. Hell, if I knew what was about to happen to me, I would have done the same way sooner.", ">\n\nMost women today arent faking it, they are noticing the symptoms no one else noticed and trying to find help. Its not easy to grow up with this kind of stuff. Is not coincidence you think women are less likely to be born to autism instead of thinking how weird it is that for some reason most autism diagnosis happen to men, that is the misogyny in the medical comunity.\nSelf diagnosis means this women will go to doctors and it most case scenarios they will get diagnoses because they have this issue all their life.\nSocial media is giving people awareness of the issue in medicine and how it affects women. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Misogyny in medicine also leads to people not knowing the difference between a heart attack in a woman and a man. It leads to women thinking its something else because internet and books will tell you how a man will feel a heart attack, even doctors sometimes dont know this.", ">\n\nGetting a diagnosis or treatment is borderline impossible for a lot of people. So self diagnosis is sometimes the only way they can help themselves.", ">\n\nNot a mental illness. But, I am a trans person and I pretty much self-diagnosed and self-medicated. I just had physicians do blood test.\nI educated myself on how everything works in about eight month period. I did that over a decade.\nI don’t regret my decision, and if I did. The regret would be not starting any sooner, especially when people who aren’t physicians or therapists are having a final say about these things.", ">\n\nIt is very noticeable and annoying, buuuut it’s proven autism manifest differently in females. Plus women are (very) often under diagnosed and dismissed for many many things by doctors, which is absolutely disgusting. Aaaand the cost of healthcare is outrageous.", ">\n\nwomen being less likely to be diagnosed with autism has nothing to do with an actual gender gap in who does and doesn’t have autism and everything to do with the fact autistic women are diagnosed with personality disorders and mental illnesses due to stigmas. most autism research was done on men and therefore women are underrepresented and more often than not misdiagnosed. autism actually occurs at a similar rate in both sexes. also, it’s not a mental illness, it’s a neurological condition (not that mental illnesses aren’t, but illness implies there’s something wrong, which there isn’t in autistic people). i agree that self diagnosing leads to misinformation and harms those who are clinically diagnosed though.", ">\n\nA lot of medical diagnoses are based on white male studies, so yes you would see more women finding out they have certain mental illnesses now as professionals are realizing it can show differently in females vs males. Adhd, for example, was considered something only seen in young boys that would grow out of it, now they are realizing that you don't in fact grow out of it and women can have it too. \nMental illness was a taboo subject back in the day as well, especially for women. It was only in 1980 I think that hysteria was no longer considered a mental illness. Women would be diagnosed with 'hysteria' and committed for symptoms like anxiety and anger. So now a lot of women are learning more about their mental health because they feel safe to do so. \nMy mother is in her early 70's and still refuses to tell anyone her own health issues or even mine, I have cancer and we were going to go on a trip as it's unknown how much longer I have and she refused to ask for the day off because she wouldn't tell them the reason why.", ">\n\nI detest self diagnosis, though once you’ve studied advanced level abnormal psychology shit happens. \nAs far as kids go, the generalized anxiety and depressive spectrum diagnoses can occasionally be accurate however that would warrant professional intervention regardless.\nOne serious issue among others; if an adolescent “decides” they have major depressive disorder that can become a self fulfilling prophecy and cause despair and reluctance to seek treatment", ">\n\nLook at the price and lack of availability of mental health care, and the total lack of privacy of internet connected devices. Most practitioners don’t offer in person visits anymore, and even if they do they probably do digital records or have their phone present. Ofc people are self diagnosing.", ">\n\nCounterpoint: many people do not have the means to access diagnoses for mental illnesses and other disorders, and it can sometimes be the only way to explain their feelings to others. Autism diagnoses in particular are extremely difficult to access for adults and even teens. I suspected I had autism for years and the only way I was able to get a diagnosis was through the mental health treatment program I was in during highschool which had a psychologist there. I only could attend because I live in Canada with universal healthcare. Many, many people are not as fortunate as me. Most people in the world cannot access diagnosis in the first place, including many in richer countries. \nYour comment about women statistically 'being born with autism on a far lesser scale than men' misses the well-known problem of underdiagnosis of autism in women. Autism presents itself differently in women than men (I can say as an autistic woman who knows other autistic women) and the criteria for autism were based on cis white men. Autism in women is is often misdiagnosed as CPTSD (which many autistic people ALSO unfortunately have), borderline personality disorder, anxiety, depression, etc. \nAlthough self-diagnosis is often problematic and used by teenagers to feel special, for the people who take it seriously and are intellectually honest there currently isn't really a better alternative for them to try and explain their experiences when they cannot access diagnoses.", ">\n\nWhat you are describing is NOT a new phenomenon. I was born in 1975 and have been observing this phenomenon my entire life. Nothing new about it at all.", ">\n\nSelf diagnosis is often the first step in going to go and get an actual diagnosis. Getting diagnosed with a mental disorder, especially as an adult, is basically impossible if you aren't actively seeking it out. For several reasons, one of which is that pretty much all the diagnostic criteria are written about children. \nI'm properly diagnosed and even on disability for mental disorders and I knew what I had for years before I got diagnosed. \nI understand there's a feeling of \"stolen valour\" to it. And there is indeed a subset of people doing it for attention or because it's fashionable, OCD in particular being a common example, but the good that comes from self diagnosis more than outweighs the bad.", ">\n\nCorrect me if I’m wrong, but don’t all, or at least most mental disorders lie on a spectrum?", ">\n\nI was diagnosed ADD/ ADHD as a child an im getting re-evaluated next month because i think the diagnosis must be bullshit.\nI have a close friend that wasn't diagnosed ADD/ADHD until they were 22 and in an Ivy league vet program\nThe amount of people that say they cant do well in school simply because they have add/ adhd is bullshit if u ask me. Also, people justify abusing adderal because theyre ADHD and i think thats BS too. I decided never to take it and just abuse caffeine instead to avoid the health side effects", ">\n\nThe current US medical system is such garbage that self advocacy is important. \nSometimes it is wrong. Sometimes professionals ignore you or only pay attention to things insurance companies will pay for. Sonetimes they are also wrong. Or they're incentivized to get you out of a hospital bed ready or not. \nAdministrators and insurance companies get all the money. Nurses, aides, patients all suffer.", ">\n\nEspecially when they don't even understand what the disorder is in the first place. \"I'm a loner so I'm anitsocial.\" That's not what that means.... Or my favorite, \"I'm detailed oriented so I have OCD, lulz I am so le quirky! ;P\"", ">\n\nPeople who struggle with certain things often seek out those with similar experiences. With social media and the internet, it’s easier than ever to find people with similar struggles and sometimes, those people are a group diagnosed with certain mental illnesses. \nDoes that mean every person who sees themselves in a diagnosis will have that diagnosis? Hell no. But I think it’s disingenuous to claim that it’s “for attention.” People want to find community they can relate to and are drawn to experiences that reflect their own.\nI’m saying this as someone who was diagnosed with ADHD at 25 — I started to suspect I might have it in my early 20s and started poking about online. I was officially assessed and diagnosed some time later, and that diagnosis has been validated by three therapists and two psychiatrists.\nPlenty of people misjudge themselves and plenty of people are very ready to leap into a box. Some of them may be wrong. Some may be doing it to try and excuse bad behavior. (Hell, I’ve known waaaay too many people who DID have diagnosed mental illnesses and seemed to think their diagnosis was a free pass to be shitty). However, I think calling it a “trend” or “for attention” misses the point of why and how people reach these conclusions. \nOne might also argue that you do not have the professional expertise regarding psychology to assume the validity or ulterior motives of someone else’s diagnosis. There’s a reason that a lot of psychologists out there are adamantly against diagnosing from a distance - you have significantly less insight into a someone’s mind than they do, and you’re projecting a lot of assumptions onto others’ behavior without any supporting evidence.", ">\n\nIm gonna start out with, generally I agree its a problem-to an extent. Even though women have autism at a much lower rate they’re also under diagnosed/misdiagnosed at a higher rate. When it comes to why people are doing this, in my experience it’s people who are trying to figure out why they’re treated the way they are, why they struggle to do certain things that others don’t even see as an issue. They’re noticing their differences and feeling bad about it. When they can’t fix it they start trying to find a reason, a cause to help them both understand and feel better about themselves and ways they can move forward and actually improve their lives, as well as finding a group they can relate to when they have a hard time relating to the average person.", ">\n\nI think OP is arguing there are quite a few people whose self-diagnosis wouldn’t meet the criteria of a medical diagnosis. It’s horrible for me to even argue but some people want to portray themselves as a victim: I think this because I am a shit.\nHowever I agree with arguments here that if these people are brave enough to identify a potential issue in themselves then kudos to them for recognising it.", ">\n\nI had a doctor misdiagnose my spine injury and I researched medical articles and studies to come the actual diagnosis.\nNot always bad to do your research. \nBut mental health is a serious issue and some people use self diagnosis’ as an excuse to act however they want.", ">\n\nPart of what happens when you can’t afford to see a doctor.", ">\n\nThe most important piece to note on the self diagnosis problem among youth is misdiagnosis. \nThings like BPD, NPD, and ASPD for have dozens of overlapping criteria but very specific things that distinguish them. A professional can discern between both disorders and the average googler can not. \nThe result is that the patients identity crisis worsens as they begin to develop a sense of identity with a diagnosis than is not true for them. \nIt seems like the youth is quite eager to be diagnosed with some sort of disorder today." ]

[ "The diagnosis process for a lot of psychiatric conditions are surveys and questionaires. You can go to a psychiatrist and ask if you're anxious and they'll give you multiple choice questions and diagnose off of that. Or you can just google the form yourself and self diagnose. A lot of psychiatric disorders are about how we feel and think. Not about sending off some blood sample to a lab and getting a positive result come back.\n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. For such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nWhat you're describing are all neuroses that could indicate some deeper psychiatric condition. Whether a person has a mental health condition or not, thinking of ourselves as weak victims is never helpful in any context, yet it's something we all feel from time to time.\nI'm a disability support worker, so when someone tells me they've got a self diagnosed condition, it's not offensive to me or any disabled person I know, it doesn't come across like they're invalidating anyone else's condition. However I do think everyone should talk to a doctor about any condition they feel they might have.", ">\n\nPiggybacking off of this: You’ve spent your whole entire life inside your own brain. A therapist will spend a period of hours with you and give you a diagnosis. Who do you think knows your personal reality better than yourself?", ">\n\nYeah exactly, especially with conditions such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, PTSD, and many other psychiatric conditions. These are things people know they have even before they get a diagnosis. The diagnosis stage is more about treatment and management.\nPeople might be unaware of how severe or mild their condition is, some people think they have only mild PTSD despite constant nightmares and suicidal ideation. Some people will think they have severe ADHD because they can't concentrate for long times on things that don't interest them. It's good to get some perspective from experts but ultimately people know when they are struggling to focus or to struggling to stop stressing all the time or struggling to not be miserable. Struggling with our thoughts and feelings is evidence enough to self diagnose.", ">\n\nI was recently diagnosed with ADHD as a woman so I find this viewpoint interesting.\nFirstly, autism is not a mental illness. An autistic person may have mental illness in conjunction with autism, but autism alone lies under the neurodivergent umbrella. Neurodivergency can include autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and other similar conditions.\nWhy women are often underdiagnosed\nThese are serious disabilities that can really impede a person's life, especially if they struggle to find help and acceptance in their community. A lot of women start their journey towards diagnosis later in life due to a number of factors such as:\n\nPoor diagnostic tools and inexperienced professionals\nA misunderstanding that autism and ADHD are more common in boys\nAdvanced masking techniques to cover their 'traits'\n\nWhy women are often diagnosed later in life.\nThe process for many women and men who are diagnosed later in life often includes a level of burnout or breakdown. After a while everything becomes too much, the mask begins to slip and your traits go into overdrive.\nWhy does self-diagnosing seem to be on the rise?\nA common way of finding out you could possibly be neurodivergent is through media and people who are aware of these traits appear.\nIn the past few years, I have seen an increasing awareness of neurodivergence in women pop up in the media. This is useful for people like myself who had no idea wtf was wrong with them for a very long time. For me, a GP actually suggested I seek a diagnosis due to some struggles I was going through.\nAs someone who went through this process self-diagnosing is commonly the first step as an adult. You might be directed to a questionnaire and are asked to evaluate yourself and your experiences thinking back to your childhood. If there's some merit in your experiences than you move to the next step which involves seeking a professional. Waitlists are often months to years long so many people live in limbo for a long time.\nMethods of living with ADHD can help everyone. And everyone experiences ADHD traits from time to time. Given a large amount of stress we have all suffered collectively, I don't doubt there are a lot of people with increased mental health issues that mirror neurodivergent traits. Some mental illnesses can get very severe and alter your brain chemistry and behaviour.\nMy takeaway from this is that the mental health systems set up to assist these people are a much larger issue and cause for serious concern than self-diagnosing.\nApologies for the spelling and grammar errors. Grammarly and Reddit don't play nice.", ">\n\nI think it's two things. One, people have identity crises, especially teenagers. We all know that type of person who tries on identities like hats. That's pretty embarrassing. You usually grow out of that.\nTwo, from personal experience, giving yourself a label or a diagnosis makes it feel more contained and easy to communicate. It's easier to tell someone that you have X and have them understand what you're going through rather than telling them you have these vague symptoms resembling what you imagine X is like. In that respect, it is pretty understandable, possibly good, and not embarrassing. There's something that is sort of reassuring if you can finally get a word to put on what you're experiencing.\nPeople often sympathize with the diagnosis but not with the symptoms. Tell people at work you're autistic and they will sympathize with you and possibly not attack you. Tell them you do not understand social cues and they will probably just make fun of you.", ">\n\nI understand the desire to put a label with a disease, and this is not necessarily bad, but the diagnosis needs to be correct. If you want to tell others that you are autistic or depressed; you must actually be those things. A person can almost never correctly assertion their disease, only their symptoms. People might better understand you if you say your autistic, but you may incorrectly understand and describe yourself. If one wishes to put a name with symptoms, they should find a doctor to pick the label", ">\n\nfor sure but unfortunately our medical system is a joke and even if you are experiencing very severe symptoms it can be nearly impossible to see a professional or take months on a waiting list.\nEven then a professional may be reluctant to slap a label on you for fear of what the consequences of that might be. I saw someone for a very long time who resisted any sort of actual diagnosis because the truth is that what I was experiencing didn't fit neatly into any of the boxes and pretty much belonged in this vague \"other\" category which isn't particularly helpful. Not to mention that misdiagnosis happens all the time even by professionals. \nI just think it is sort of understandable because I think a lot of stuff is kind of a spectrum anyway and just different levels of severity. Things can be really confusing and hard to nail down and thus communicate in a way that causes someone else to be understanding rather than judgemental.", ">\n\nAre you under the impression this is a new phenomenon? Because it's definitely not.\nPeople - especially young people! - crave identity. The world is a confusing place, knowing who you are makes it a little easier. Sometimes it's self-diagnosing mental illness or learning disabilities, or exploring sexual identity, or cliques, or subcultures. There's nothing embarrassing about it, it just is what it is.", ">\n\nIt’s ok to want to express individuality but not to the extent of totally destroying the definition of a real thing and making it hard for actual mentally Ill ppl to get a diagnosis. Why can’t people just accept that they’re different rather then giving themselves a label?", ">\n\npeople on TikTok claiming to have disorders that they don't doesn't affect the precision of psychiatrists diagnosing actual patients. There's no TikTok-said section in the DSM. Why do you think that it does?", ">\n\nIt just encourages more people to get diagnosed possibly skewing the meaning of the mental illness", ">\n\nSkewing it towards statistical accuracy? If people are actually diagnosed at higher rates, we have a better Guage of population-level mental illness, neurodivergency, etc. Better data is more usable, so that research actually means something actionable, ASIDE from the identity boost for young people.", ">\n\nI think what OP is driving at, but utterly failing to explain, is that they think that the fakers will be accommodated by the psychiatric system and diagnosed on the basis of fake symptoms. my sense is that isn't a problem but I don't have data.", ">\n\nDefinitely explained it a little better then I could lol", ">\n\nWhere do you see evidence of that? Any articles about fakers? How about a statistic? If not, it’s just a fear you seem to have.", ">\n\nI think the salient line here is this one:\n\nNeurologists were able to quickly determine that the subjects were not \nsuffering from Tourette's, but psychogenic tics driven by anxiety.", ">\n\nWomen are not born with less autism, but are much less likely to be diagnosed as children than boys. This is partly because boys generally have similar symptoms and behaviors. \nSo of course more women are self diagnosing autism, since their diagnoses were missed as children on a much higher rate.", ">\n\nAlright, I'm diagnosed OCD, PTSD, chronic depression. Diagnosed by a professional so I think I have some grounds to talk about this.\nFirst, let's tackle your women comment about autism. You see, I understand where you're coming from, but you lack the nuance of recognizing that mental illness, and illness in general, is heavily under-diagnosed in women. The medical culture is heavily favored towards men and is rampant with mysogyny, and that's not just me saying it as I've had medical professionals blatantly tell me it's a problem in the field when questioned about it. I've also had some tell me that it's just because women whine a lot, so yanno make of that statement what you will.\nNow that we've covered that let me address the self-diagnosing issue. So, do you want to know what my therapist thinks of self-diagnosing? Well, when I asked them about it they said that self-diagnosing is an important first step to seeking help. Psychiatrist said the same thing. It's normal, expected even, for people to self-diagnose their issues then seek help for them. You can't exactly just peer into someone's brain, no, that person has to tell you what they think is wrong and why they think it is. \nWhat you actually have a problem with is not self-diagnosis, but with people not seeking or not being able to get medical assistance and assuming they're right. You have a problem with people using these issues for attention, which I do too, but once again self-diagnosing is not the problem. Finally, you have a problem with the medical system that forces people into the position of trying to figure out their mental illnesses, but having no ability to get help for them.", ">\n\nI think I did it", ">\n\nSadly no lol, it was not done properly. Do you need a link to the rules?", ">\n\nI already read them i think I’ll figure it out in a bit sorry for the hold up", ">\n\nBecause everyone else is being aggressive: you have to comment with ∆ or !delta and then explain how your view has been changed", ">\n\nThis delta has been rejected. You can't award OP a delta.\nAllowing this would wrongly suggest that you can post here with the aim of convincing others.\nIf you were explaining when/how to award a delta, please use a reddit quote for the symbol next time.\n^Delta System Explained ^| ^Deltaboards", ">\n\nWhat gives you the authority or knowledge to know this is the problem?", ">\n\nYou don’t think it’s a problem that a lot of young ppl are willing to go to the extent of saying they are mentally Ill either for attention or to excuse their weirdness? Just accept that your different. It’s not wrong to believe you’re different without a label", ">\n\nYou did not even try to answer my question.", ">\n\nI’m sorry I was confused on what you meant", ">\n\nIf you are mad at people for self diagnosing themselves because they don't have the knowledge or authority to do so.... what gives you the knowledge or authority to diagnosis this as the problem behavior... basically are you just a kid that is annoyed, or is there some actual studies out there that is claiming this is a problem.", ">\n\nIf you don’t think that people consistently seeking attention for mental illness or craving a label so badly to justify themselves rather then being themselves. That just shows what your views are", ">\n\nDont you think we should leave the diagnosing to the professionals?", ">\n\nI mean yeah", ">\n\nWould you agree that you are diagnosing these people by saying that they are only seeking attention and do not have a real mental illness?", ">\n\nI’m assuming", ">\n\nThere may be some truth to people wanting to be different, however with mental illnesses being more accepted in today's society, many people are a lot more comfortable with being neurodivergent. Additionally, self diagnosis is common because the alternative is spending upwards to $1000-$2000 for a clinical diagnosis.", ">\n\nI know costs suck, but self diagnosis can be much more harmful. A web.md page that tells you your depressed when you may actually be bipolar can lead to really messed up results. I would even go as far as to say that no diagnosis at all is preferable to an uninformed one", ">\n\nWell.\n​\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad \n\nSo you already know why they're doing what they're doing in addition the fact that you know that they're not Autistic? If your claim is that they can't know and only a doctor can, what makes you more qualified? You start out your argument admitting that you have a bias.\n\nthey’re “neurodivergent.\n\nNeurodivergent is an umbrella that covers both Autism and ADHD, which sometimes get mistaken for each other. So if you're upset that they're self-diagnosing, this term should be more welcome than \"Autistic\" because it's more generalized.\n\nnd when you ask them how they know they’ll say “oh I have this weird tick when I uh laugh when someone says something funny “ or “I have a hyper fixation on this topic so I must be autistic\n\nHow else should they communicate it to you? The list of aspects of Autism, especially for how it presents in women, sounds a lot like this. You're not a doctor, they don't have to prove anything to you by going down the entire list of every possible part of their daily experience that might be on the spectrum.\n\nWomen statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nNope. Women are diagnosed less often than men because the original diagnostic criteria for Autism was for Autism as it presents in males. It presents differently for females and is harder to diagnose, especially at younger ages. \n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized\n\nTodays youth want to be victimized? Why would anyone want to be victimized? Something tells me you're missing the mark with this terminology.\n\nor have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. \n\nSo if someone is Autistic and that makes them weird, you'd rather them just be forced to not get to have a name for it, and get the therapeutic treatment that would help them?\n\nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really [are] without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nSome people are autistic. If they find out and it makes them feel good, that doesn't mean they're craving attention. And if they are craving attention, it's because they're normal people and everyone does. \nIf someone thinks they're autistic but it turns out they're actually not, chances are they suspected it for a reason. They might have ADHD, a personality disorder, a mental health issue, or simply a slightly different way of experiencing the world that feels unique to them and there's nothing wrong with that. \nYou seem to think that other people do things for you. People generally don't. They do things for themselves. This is especially true of people on the Autism Spectrum who may not be able to easily use other people's experiences to reference when constructing their view of the world, and can only use their own. Your interpretation wherein they do it to evoke a response from you says more about you than it does about them.", ">\n\nYou’re being deliberately obtuse. OP is completely correct. Most of the people these days who say “I’m ADHD” or “I’m autistic” or “I’m neurodivergent” are absolutely not diagnosed as such and are doing it to seem unique or get attention or as some excuse for why they did x y or z.", ">\n\nI'd like to point out that while some are perhaps attention seeking, many people self diagnose simply because they don't have access to free medical/psychological professionals to get proper diagnosis and help with their issues. I also know someone who doesn't want to get an official diagnosis because he's afrad it will affect his insurance rates or somehow come back to bite him if he's offically labeled with having a neurological disorder. \nThere is a wealth of knowledge on these subjects available online for those interested. And if they are truly interested in self diagnose they can likely do that accurately enough for all intents and purposes. Most of these people who search for the sake of better understanding themselves or their loved ones will openly admit that it's a self diagnoses, or say they THINK they have x,y, or z. But in some situations it's just as well to say they have it if they feel certain anyway, and it's just a passing comment, and not a discussion on the matter. \nIn other words, just because they self diagnose doesn't mean they're wrong, nor does it explain their motives. I also don't see how attention seeking (for those who ARE doing that) is really hurting anyone else. Fakers gonna be fake, that's more a \"them\" kind of problem. ANNOYING, but mostly harmless.", ">\n\nUnless you have a doctor's diagnosis you don't have the disorder. Even if you are broke there are programs to help with costs. \nAnd yes it does affect me when someone is treating me like shit and tries using the I have such and such as an excuse and then people get mad at ME for calling them in their bullshit.", ">\n\nNo. You have to have the disorder before you CAN be diagnosed, so obviously there are undiagnosed people who in fact \"have the disorder \". Your refusal to acknowledge an undiagnosed disorder does not mean they don't have it. Your personal experience with people supposedly using a fake diagnosis to treat you badly, sounds unusual. How do you know they DIDN'T have it? People who do lie and just want to be jerks will do that regardless of what methods they decide to try. The methods are irrelevant. And that motive is not typical of most self diagnosers .", ">\n\nSounds unusual? You must not get out a lot because it's become a pretty regular thing. Every single person I know (about 8) that have self diagnosed themselves as neurodivergent or with a mental illness like Bi-polar all use it to excuse their shitty ass behaviors. \nToo many disorders can mirror other ones. Just because they think they have 2/3 symptoms doesn't make them right by a long shot. Keep living in your bubble.", ">\n\nYou don't have to have a relationship with anyone. If they treat you badly, regardless of an official diagnosis or not, you don't have to tolerate them. It makes no difference what they have or don't have. What would it change if they got diagnosed and actually have it?", ">\n\nSelf diagnosing has been a thing forever\nAnd it's not a problem im 99% sure me or any other autistic person doesn't really give 2 fucks about people who wanna fake disorders. It doesn't stop us from getting help, we have doctors notes, medical files, sometimes even volunteers, you need those files to get into let's say a special education class, or a life skills course.\nSo unless you were diagnosed by a professional you're probably not gonna make it far faking it.\n(Excuse my shitty punctuation)", ">\n\nIt doesn’t bother you that they’re making others take the actual meaning away from what you were born with? I mean I’m sure autism hasn’t made your life easy and seeing ppl claim it for attention to be quirky probably has to annoy you a little right?", ">\n\nAt the end of the day I still have ADHD and I still need help with it. More people being diagnosed with it doesn’t change that fact. In fact I was diagnosed because I realized I related to so many tiktok memes, and I’m sure others are in my same boat. \nIn fact I think so many people talking about ADHD helps. It means more people who possibly have tips for me, people who are suffering who can’t afford treatment have an easy way to learn about how to improve their lives, and more people who are aware of my disorder.", ">\n\nI think people do diagnose themselves too often without seeking professional help. BUT mental illness is not the same as being neurodivergent.", ">\n\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad that they’ll go as far to say they’re “neurodivergent.”\n\nWhile this is the case, I don't really see how it's a \"problem\" per se. I guarantee that these people still make lifestyle decisions based on what they think is best, or based on what they want to do.\n\nbut it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women\n\nDo you have any statistics for that? I haven't experienced it that way in my own anecdotal experience, and I'd be curious to look into the data to see how much that truly does skew in that direction.\n\nwanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness \nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nI understand what you're trying to say here, but I don't really think these things are connected as much as you think they are. People see something wrong with themselves, so they either playfully or seriously consider the fact that it could be a condition that they have similar symptoms to. Not that it never happens, but just because someone categorizes themselves into a disability group that could potentially excuse their \"quirks\", doesn't mean they think that behavior is unacceptable in any way. People see a problem, and assume it's linked to this other issue that seems similar that they already know about.", ">\n\nI agree with the conclusion that self-diagnosis is a real issue, and I wouldn't be surprised if the data indicated it was on the rise. I wouldn't necessarily frame it as a simple desire to \"be victimized\" however. While it is purely speculation, I do believe there are a number of conditions which might lead towards a more frequent experience of symptoms associated with mental illness - a rising wealth gap, perpetual anxiety from a 24-hour news cycle, intensification of self-commodification, the student debt crisis in certain countries like the US, and so on. So people are experiencing symptoms like low energy, mood swings, etc. that can be associated with mental illness. The issue with self-diagnosis then becomes that it may correctly identify the symptom, but incorrectly identify the cause.\nThis video from the YouTuber HealthyGamerGG does a good job of explaining what some of the issues with self-diagnosis are, and for me it was a good starting place for thinking about this more. \nEDIT: I forgot this video literally starts with this same topic being brought up on this same subreddit lol", ">\n\nA great theory based on reasonable causes with an educational video from a psychologist(I assume) as evidence to back it up. I applaud you sir. 👏", ">\n\nWhy are you embarrassed by other people's issues?", ">\n\nI’m a 30yo male. If I had not first self diagnosed with ASD and OCD, I never would have found the language and resources to get a formal diagnosis and help.\nPrior generations have been so fixated on avoidance of diagnosing mental disorders, and research was previously so lacking that we are only just now (through those that do get diagnosed) realizing how common mental disorders are. That plus the lack of mental health resources for neurotypical and neurodivergent I think is how we end up in this situation of many recognizing their symptoms in the new discourse, but lacking the resources to overcome the barriers to proper diagnosis and treatment.", ">\n\nIt’s not the best thing, no. \nAs an adult FINALLY diagnosed (by a licensed therapist) at 41, I can tell you why ‘self diagnosis’ is so tempting. \nIn the US at least- mental health, and official medical diagnosis are almost completely inaccessible, especially as an adult. Most of us grew up before Autism was a spectrum, and ADHD was just boys who acted out in class. We felt like aliens. We couldn’t understand why we didn’t have many friends, or why we didn’t like the ‘right things’, and generally spend the bill of our lives feeling ‘wrong’, ‘broken’ or just simply like we didn’t belong. \nFinally understanding the WHY, and even better, finding tools to addresses our issues is a huge huge weight off the chest. The relief of having a name and a strategy- either therapy or medicine is such an amazing relief!!", ">\n\nI only kinda agree if I had not done my own research I would have never found out I have sjorgens syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis I know TikTok people tend to diagnose themselves and it makes it look cringe but when you live with a incurable illness sometimes you have to work to find a diagnosis", ">\n\nWell, what do you do of you absolutely know you're neurodivergent, but your parents decided not to get you checked? My mom once told me \"we knew you had something, we just didn't get you checked because they would have just put you on pills\". So I struggled with being different, socially unaware, impulsive, obnoxious, agressive, selfish, for the better part of my life without having the self awareness to understand why I was these things, and why people wouldn't want to be around me. \nIn my late 20''s I asked the question, what if I'm actually autistic? I looked up the symptoms, and 9/10 matched. As a child I couldn't handle loud noises, restrictive clothing, I didn't talk until I was 3. I would throw fits for seemingly no reason, I had obsessive interests. I've always really struggled with eye contact, and I never cared for conversation unless it was something I liked. I mean, when the final piece of a puzzle fits so incredibly well, it's really hard for it to be wrong. \nSelf diagnosing actually really helped me grow as aj individual. I became aware of all my divergent behaviors, and why it might be annoying for someone else to deal with. I came to the realization that I was the one who was different, therefore I needed to change. It's way harder to make everyone around you cater to your needs than to overcome the things that upset you. I'm at peace, I have good friends that I can connect with on a pretty deep level. I no longer smash coffee tables when I lose, I can now appreciate that if I lose it just means I have more to learn. I can keep my house clean, I can reasonably hold myself accountable. What exactly is the harm in all that?\nBesides, it would be pretty pointless for me to try and get a diagnosis now, I've put the effort in and largely come out the other side. Anyone diagnosing me would just say I was normal, but they wouldn't have the intimate knowledge of me that I do. I guess it doesn't matter if people don't believe me, I don't go around shouting that I'm autistic. I will say, it would be really nice if people appreciated the effort I put in to get to get to a place of normalcy, something others take for granted, but it's okay, we all have our struggles.", ">\n\nI feel you on all that. To play devil's advocate, mental healthcare in the U.S. is not cheap. Many people go to the internet and confirm their bias about their current health", ">\n\nI feel you on that too OP. I agree 100% with your entire statement.", ">\n\nIt's a problem, but not a new one. In the 1990s there was briefly a surge of people with a type of delusional parasitosis, that is, the false belief that they were infested with parasites. Except this one was supposedly an infestation with tiny fibres. They would come to doctors with a whole list of symptoms to back up their incorrect self-diagnosis.\nTo a certain extent, these are social contagions, which come and go, and often actually end up leading to people having real problems. Like, the young women you mention, a couple of decades ago may well have ended up with anorexia, or self-cutting. These days it might be a self-declaration of autism or a belief that they have gender dysphoria or that they have multiple systems living in their minds.", ">\n\nWow I did not know that. Maybe it’s just so prevalent today due to social media. Social media has only made these things worse imo", ">\n\nEven before it being self diagnosis of a mental illness it was always something. Remember all the emo and goth teenager?", ">\n\nIt depends on the context. For example, if they've done a substantial amount of research, can name a good amount of symptoms they have and reasons they have whatever mental illness and don't have access to the necessary tools to get a medical diagnosis, it's totally different. Some people don't have the money to go out and get a diagnosis, or sometimes it would be better to not get a medical diagnosis. I believe that the reason that a lot of people self diagnose themselves with things like Autism is because they want an explanation as to why they are different, and they could be right or wrong. I think the most important part is that if you go to a psychologist (or even two, I know a lot of people prefer getting second opinions) and they say you don't have it, that you need to admit you were wrong. It's ok to be wrong about your mental health, and the key is to keep looking and to not give up. I can completely understand the frustration in people completely missing how difficult it actually may be to have a mental illness. I was clinically diagnosed with Depression, Anxiety, and PTSD when I was seven, and I've had some experience with people faking mental disorders for attention, and more often then not, they have another mental disorder that needs attention. Recently I had a (now ex) boyfriend insist he had PTSD after being tested twice and the psychiatrist saying that he didn't have it. What he does have is Depression and Anxiety, but he absolutely insisted he has PTSD despite never exhibiting symptoms and the only evidence being a test he took online that was supposedly a \"real PTSD test.\" People faking mental illnesses only harms people who really have them, as these people tend to exaggerate symptoms and use their self diagnosis for attention. I believe that I am autistic, but I don't list it as a diagnosis because while I have read articles and taken the RAADS-r test, I don't have an official diagnosis, and I could very well be wrong. As for women faking illnesses more often, something I've noticed is that things like Autism, ADHD, ADD, etc are more often diagnosed in boys rather than girls- mostly because when they were first discovered, most of the research was done in boys. Autism shows up differently in girls, and can often be blown off as early puberty hormones. If their hyperfixations are those of stereotypical feminine things, it's just a girl liking whatever, and if they hyperfixate in stereotypical masculine interests, they tend to just be viewed as weird, but not autistic. It's normal for people to question, but I agree that to a certain point, self diagnosis can be harmful, but only if not done correctly.", ">\n\nFirst and foremost not a new problem at all, very common, we used to call it \"Being a hypochondriac\" until it aparrently became reconized which in it self is confusing and a bit contradictory.\nANYWAY\nIt isnt really a problem, no doctor is gonna write the perscription for medication without a diagnosis of some sort.\nAt most there is the vauge \"But what about those who actually have it who arent taken serious\" dont worry, we wouldnt have anyway. Thats kinda how invisible illnesses work.\nOverall the 101 hypochondriacs screaming about the symptoms they read in the ICD might help make the knowledge more common and help people better reconize if their colleagues or friends happen to show symptoms of something.", ">\n\nIt’s pretty expensive in the US to get diagnosed. Personally, I’ve self diagnosed myself out of frustration of the way I process things. I’ve always felt slow & my anxiety/depression was deep because of it, but I was raised in a family that doesn’t believe in mental illness. It was always “if you work hard enough, all your problems will go away”. Meanwhile, i was racking my brain on how to make myself think faster/smarter & it would result in psychotic episodes. I’ve gotten fired from jobs, dropped out of school. I started self harming because I hated myself and my brain & almost commit suicide bc I had no idea what was going on.\nThe relief I felt once I finally got a therapist who validated me & was the first to talk to me about mental Illness. It blew my mind and all of a sudden things actually made sense to me. I currently think I have ADD, and sometimes I’ll tell people that but will preface it by saying I’m not professionally diagnosed. Still, I use mental tools that help me get through the day and build my confidence. I’m a lot better at processing conversations, making lists that help me remember things, unmasking, slowing down my thoughts… etc. I’m less frustrated and can see the beauty in how I process things. I still want to get diagnosed but I have to get health insurance….. lol", ">\n\nSelf diagnosis, regardless of being factual is a process where the individual realizes that they might have a mental health issue. People who can do this are more likely to seek professional help compared to the people who think they are “fine”. Going to a professional, licensed psychologist or a psychiatrist will eventually diagnose them with the correct disorder from there, and professionals have the skills to communicate with them and they can together evaluate if the person’s complaint is the issue or not. There is nothing embarrassing about discovering one’s self. It would be a problem if people would identify with an issue and don’t have any willingness to seek help. Sometimes overreacting is better than not reacting.", ">\n\nThe majority of people who are self-diagnosed with autism have done extensive research into it to come to that conclusion. I personally went through the DSM criteria with a fine-tooth comb, made a list of all the ways I met it and discovered that there’s not a single criteria i don’t meet for autism. I didn’t read about anything else but autism for weeks, approaching it from all angles before coming to the conclusion that it’s highly unlikely I am not autistic. I’m waiting to hear back about an assessment, but I’m not waiting to go and be told something I already know before I start advocating for myself. \nOh, and I absolutely did not want to be ‘different’, in fact my life mission to just blend in and be average is the root cause of most of my problems, but here we are.", ">\n\nThis self diagnosing young people do isn’t the problem. The problem is that our society encourages it.\nOur culture is not set up to accommodate a wide spectrum of human needs. You may need things that I don’t. I may need things that you don’t. But in most business settings, academic settings, or even places like restaurants or leisure places, the world isn’t built to accommodate everyone. Our world and society is a “one size fits all” approach, and most people don’t fit snugly inside of that system. \nIf you can classify what is “wrong” or “different” about you into an easily digestible form, people are generally more able and more willing to accommodate you.\nFor example: if I tell my coworkers that I need to leave work early because of a headache, I’ll be shamed for it. And in some cases I’ll be told that “headaches aren’t that bad!” Or “You don’t need to leave.” Or “I have a headache too, just deal with it!”\nBut if I tell my workers that I need to leave due to a painful neurological condition that’s flaring up (I have chronic migraine, which is a neurological condition), they will respect it 100% of the time. It’s met with sympathy and not criticism.\nThis happens for all sorts of things. “Sorry Im late, I slept in.” Sounds a lot worse then, “sorry I’m late, my insomnia has been terrible lately.” \nOur culture forces us to use these labels even when they’re untrue just to receive sympathy or acceptance. The problem isn’t people who decide to use these labels, the root problem is that our society refuses to embrace and accommodate people who are outside of the “norm.”", ">\n\nSpeaking as someone who's had an autism diagnosis since age 7: if someone declares they're autistic when they're not, that's obnoxious at worst. If someone is told they're not autistic when they are, that can cause lifelong harm from denied care and understanding. I have seen this happen to a close friend of mine.\nTherefore, I'd much rather err on the side of acceptance. If you think you're defending me and others like me from impersonators, we'd rather not have your help.\n\nI know people will disagree but it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women. Women statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nCase in point: women are diagnosed with autism far less than men. Recent studies have pointed to decades of systematic misdiagnosis. The more visible autistic symptoms sometimes manifest differently in girls, the way they're socialized may help them hide it from a young age, and of course lots of doctors just say \"your daughter can't be autistic, that's a boy thing.\"\nWe're learning that there are hundreds of thousands of autistic women who slipped through the cracks and were denied the recognition and support they needed because of dismissive, gatekeeping attitudes just like yours.", ">\n\nThere’s a difference between having a disorder and relating to a disorder. If the tools or language associated with a disorder helps someone live better though then cool, it’s all still odd. Also autism presents differently in woman, and a majority of our research on it is on men. Best practice is probably to support them and encourage them to seek treatment.", ">\n\nAutism is severely misdiagnosed in women. Completely under diagnosed. Actually, plenty of things are. The actual problem that we have is parents refusing to let their children get professional help or a diagnosis. Most doctors will diagnose you with BPD as a woman(aka the new female hysteria of our century), maybe put you on some anti psychotics and send you your way. In most countries, a diagnosis/specialist is not readily available, or there is a long waiting list. Even so, the doctors are not know it all. I have seen plenty of doctors, I got different diagnosis almost each time. They ask you some general questions (about your mood, the way you sleep, if you can concentrate, if you harm yourself, if you have suicidal ideation, if you can socialize properly, if your parents were diagnosed with anything, if you have hallucinations or delusions, the works) and then based on that, they will give you a diagnosis. If you use your common sense and information on the internet (given you are knowledgeable on the subject), you can take a good guess on what's wrong. Obviously, some people will exaggerate like with anything (seeing the shadow dude once in your childhood is not a sign of psychosis, neither is hearing your name called when you are alone once in a blue moon), but if you have visual and auditory hallucinations, perhaps weird tactile feelings/hallucinations (spiders are crawling on me, etc), delusions, tend to be forgetful and out of teach with reality, there is a good chance you do have psychosis.", ">\n\nOkay, to start: what do you think autism and ADHD are? They aren't mental illnesses nor are they mental health conditions. \nTo address some of your other points; \nStudies have shown that autism has a gender expression of 1:1. The only reason that women are under diagnosed is because of misunderstandings towards autism, then the diagnosis is conducted incorrectly. Thus it ends up getting conflated with mental illness, E.G BPD, and is diagnosed as a psychiatric disorder instead. This is a detriment to the patient as the care regimes are black and white different. Often times this severely damages the woman.\nFrom data sets that I recall reading, malingering hasn't risen much, if at all, in recent times. I remember it being around 8% of the global population who are engaging in this behaviour, to different extents. I think what's happened is that social media has turned a torch onto it and it's risen in popularity in an algorithmic way. You see it more because it's pushed by the algorithm more because people are searching for it more. It isn't actually occurring any more or less than historically. Most of that attention is negative attention, I should add. \nSo there's two things to take away from that.\n1) The actual act of pretending to be mentally ill, or to have a disability, which is called malingering, is in fact a form of mental unwellness itself. It's a cry for help. The people who do these things are usually very unstable and should be treated with a degree of empathy. The dangerous types who are using mental illness to scam others, or to manipulate them, make up a very small percentage of the overall amount of people in that group and tend to abuse one on one. \n2) The predominant response to this is generally negative. There isn't really any reason to publicly malinger unless you're unstable, this is because a rational person would likely know this, and know the damage it would cause themselves. Self-diagnosis is a very long, and self-aware, process that takes place over years of the individuals life, and proceeds official diagnosis. \nNo one SDs and says \"Okay that's it now! Let me start a TikTok!\" You'd still want support, and you'd still seek support. So that would end up with a doctor, who would see that you're lying, and treat you for whatever was prompting you to malinger. Anyone who has made this commitment knows that keeping it private is a sensible thing to do in a world that isn't inclusive, and often very stigmatising. Sometimes official diagnosis can take YEARS. \nThis kind of propaganda has been going around for a long time in an effort to discredit disabled people and people with mental illnesses. It's not new. People said the same things back in the 90s. People will always be afraid, and dismissive, of things they do not understand. I invite you to try and understand.", ">\n\nI self-diagnosed myself with endometriosis for 10 years before a doctor finally listened to me, opened me up, and found my insides littered with lesions all over my organs. I’m now not able to get pregnant and I might need to get part of my bowel taken out someday. This could’ve been avoided if someone had just listened to me when I was 16. \nSelf-diagnosing is a necessity in a misogynist world! No one takes us seriously! Especially medical professionals. \nThe best antidote for this is to listen to women who self-diagnose. Why do they think they have XYZ? Is it heavily interfering with their life? I think that’s a much larger problem.", ">\n\nIts been proven that there is a bias to diagnose as opposed to not diagnose a mental illness in psychology. So op is actually kinda correct. The definition of a mental illness is in effect being stretched so far that people who are just kinda weird are being diagnosed with \"on the spectrum\". This is actually causing a problem in early learning because parents start treating their kids as essentially learning challenged when they're really not. So it is starting to become an excuse ...", ">\n\nWe live in a society that loves to medicate people. I know it’s different but Did ppl forget about the opioid epidemic? They’ll diagnose your ass with anything if they can", ">\n\nYa I tend to agree. And no one is really saying so I will I guess, but id wager that 50% of psychologist \"professionals\" are totally full of shit. The actual number of psychologists that are are doing real research and clinical studies is EXTREMELY small compared to how many \"psychologists\" are out there. Just like chiropractors, half of them are hacks..", ">\n\nAnd ill say one more thing, though it is anecdotal, but i have direct family that works in special education for young children, and that system is fucked with a capital F. Thay are constantly fighting against parents and programs who try to box kids in the \"autistic\" zone, when they are just really quite or shy, or have pee problems. But parents want an excuse and reason for their behavior, and reduce them to a sub standard education and treatment for the rest of their lives. It's heart breaking. Especially in public schools.", ">\n\nI’m 32 years old. \nI didn’t self diagnose for attention although I remember the days of tumblr where everyone self diagnosed for clout.\nIt took me a decade to realize what is really happening. During the decade before I realized what may have been happening I was told the following:\nI’m rude\nI’m bossy\nI have a RBF/I look mad\nI also only managed to make my first real friend at age 27.\nWhat I was really displaying was:\nBeing overly blunt and just trying to get my point across came off rude when I didn’t intend it to be that way\nTrying to have things done at a certain time and way that no one else thought was important to follow\nUnmasking\nNoticed other things too that I just thought was me being weird:\nVocal stimming\nOral stimming-chewing, smoking, vaping\nRepetitive motions\nRocking\nEasily overwhelmed by too much sensory input\nHigh startle reflex \nInability to regulate my body’s needs-I don’t know I’m hungry until I’m ravenous; don’t recognize the need to use the bathroom until it’s causing me to rush off, don’t realize I’m cold until I’m shaking\nI could go on.\nI want an assessment so bad. But assessments for adults are EXTREMELY hard to setup, if you can even set them up at all. Some states don’t even offer them. I’ve been looking but they are only for children and seem to look for severe cases.\n14 years of thinking I was just a bitch who couldn’t make friends because I was too weird…turns out it might be autism. And turns out I’ll most likely never get a true diagnosis. But the RAADS test gave me a 127 score so that might be the closest I’ll ever get.", ">\n\ni kind of self diagnosed autism? i’ve been to many psychiatrists and therapists for years and they always see adhd in the half an hour and prescribe meds for that, which makes me not go there again. if they dug a little deeper they could have seen autism, i spoke to my current psychiatrist about if its possible i have it, she didn’t want to confirm or deny as i was moving out of state from friends and family and am at an age where i can have kids in the next 10 years since she doesn’t want me being concerned for them. \nI think there’s still lots of stigma around autism even with professionals and especially when identifying it in women. \nI don’t want to be autistic, but i can recognise a lot of different patterns comparing myself and others. I’ve researched it a ton especially in how it shows in women compared to men and in all the articles i found myself relating.\nNow i don’t say im autistic, i say im a little sus of being it tho lmao. and try pass it off casually. I find it’s a lot easier for me to understand and embrace my differences compared to trying to hide it and try be like everyone else or wonder why im not like everyone else. \nBeing older i can also recognise how a lot of my family on one side have suffered mentally and because of obvious neurodivergence. so im pretty sure, like the rest of my mentally challenged brain, has been inherited genetically through that side. \nAll that being said. I self diagnosed when i was about 12 that im highly likely to be depressed and anxious in attempt to get my mom to believe me i needed help, and now 8 years later i can identify that this has been an issue forever for me and that i likely cannot go off my meds because i will just go back to how i used to be. Im still ocd with all my meds, but its better than being anxious and depressed all the time, Having ocd throughout the day is like heaven to me in comparison to how i used to be. obviously the ocd isnt new, just a lot more heard in my brain now.", ">\n\nOk, I know some people self diagnoze themselves with [insert some mental illness here] out of attention or whatever, and that's totally not ok.\nHowever, if you read all the symptoms and do proper research on a mental illness and everything clicks in to you, I'd say you can be fairly confident on a self diagnosis (although, it might be worth it to double check with a professional, especially if you want any sort of treatment). But also for some people, it might not be affordable to go to a professional...", ">\n\nI live in Canada, I've engaged with the medical system, doctors don't care and just want you out, ERs are a 8 hour wait for someone to ignore one thing and won't even entertain other issues even if they are related. Self-diagnosis is really the only way to get any kind of proper treatment at all. \nThe doctors will rubber stamp just about anything you ask for except pain killers but in terms of diagnosis you're way better off doing it yourself, sure you don't have 8 years of medical school but the doctors won't give you 5 mins of their time, they are not better than google and you give a lot more of a shit than they will and at the end of the day it's your body.", ">\n\nBack in the 90s when I was a teenager, the kids/teenagers/young adults who wanted attention, and wanted to be different, adopted the goth lifestyle. Dressing up in all black. White foundation with black lipstick and eyeshadow. It was the trendy way to be different, to be viewed as outcasts of society. To not fit in. \nThe goth lifestyle of the 2020s is self diagnosis. Same shit, different day.\nWhenever someone claims autism, or somewhere on the spectrum, I just roll my eyes and imagine that person just sucks at life.", ">\n\nI just think it’s a little more harmful nowadays due to the prevalence of social media. Ppl get sucked into groups and mindsets before they even have a real life chance. Then they hyper fixate on that they might be mentally Ill rather then just trying to live life to the fullest", ">\n\nI 100% agree with you", ">\n\nBecause it's the age of spin this generation has something for everybody. And all of them are Google doctors. Lol", ">\n\nTook my uncle till he was 38 even thought it was apparent to everyone. Hell he got expelled from two schools", ">\n\nI get what you're saying. I frankly find it weird that more people don't find this weird. People self-diagnosing themselves as all kinds of things not only completely misrepresents the actual conditions, thereby making people even more confused as to what they actually are and how they present, but also leads people to run to a psychiatrist claiming false symptoms and getting medication for something they don't have, which is NOT a good thing. People should never be taking medication unless it is necessary. We are a heavily over-medicated society and this is a big factor in that. Caffeine to wake up in the morning, \"immuno-boosters\" and mood stabilizers during the day, sleeping pills to sleep at night. The caffeine and sleeping pills are addictive and can really mess up your circadian rhythm, and the mood stabilizers can really fuck you up if you don't need them. Instead of rushing to diagnose and medicate everyone, we need to educate them on human behavior and show them that their \"mental health\" problems are completely normal.\nOh, so you get nervous right before you make huge life decisions? That's not Anxiety Disorder, it's just anxiety.\nOh, you are really sad because your cat died? That's not Clinical Depression, you are just grieving.\nOh, you went from really happy to really sad when you were previously happy and something really shitty happened to you and soured your mood? That's not Bipolar Disorder, that's just life.\nOh, you like to be more organized than the people around you? That's not Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, you just like to be organized.\nPeople really misunderstand the nature of these conditions and it hinders our collective progress in treating them, like dramatically inflating the number of actual conditions in the population, making it increasingly more difficult to determine how common and how varied they are. After all, in most cases it is not the psychiatrist or psychologist who makes you better, you make you better. Medication can help and other people can show you the path to success, but the problem will never get solved unless you play an active role in the treatment. Some conditions can never be solved, only lessened, while others are virtually untreatable. We need to stop making these conditions seem cool. They aren't. They are serious and need to be taken seriously.", ">\n\nHeavily agree and I appreciate how well this comment is worded. Wish I coulda worded mine a little better", ">\n\nYa I saw you getting shredded in the comments and figured I'd sum it up for you. 🤣", ">\n\nLmao bro I didn’t expect this many. I was thinking maybe like 20 ppl would reply", ">\n\nYou need to self diagnose in many cases in order to get adequate help.", ">\n\nI knew when I had ADD and IBS, and I was able to get my suspicions confirmed by my respective doctors. Doctors are there to help the patients understand themselves, whereas the patients have to go home every day and live with what they actually have. Do not be so quick to judge.", ">\n\nJust to add here - Autism in women is less prevalent because it presents differently and is often not picked up by standardised diagnostic tests (that were developed on an almost exclusively male sample). I think that also goes to show that there’s p significant issues with what we consider ‘scientific’ and research based in the first place.", ">\n\nI grew up in a small town and we had quite a few autistic boys but only one autistic girl. Literally only one out of like 6-8 grades. So that’s like a 10-1 ratio. It’s gotta be a lot statistically smaller then males. I don’t doubt it happens I just know it’s a lot less", ">\n\nYou think your small town’s makeup is generalizable to all of society? That isn’t how statistics work.", ">\n\nSo my question would be - so what do we do?\nYou think people are diagnosing themselves to gain attention. Fine, but what's the next step?\nSee, I think I might be bipolar 2. But I went on a journey where I looked into the techniques for dealing with this issue. That led me to cognitive behavior therapy.\nThat actually made me more convinced that this was my issue because I have taught myself a lot of cognitive behavior therapy techniques to address the same issues. These practices have really helped me.\nIt sounds like your issue is that these people are getting attention for it. To me, these are people who need someone to help guide them. That would have helped me a lot when I was younger. Society today doesn't really give us the tools to sort this out, but just the knowledge that these things exist can push someone down the rabbit hole to learn about therapy that could really help.\nI think you should ask yourself what your motivations are. Do you really want them to understand themselves? Or are you more interested in steering the conversation toward other topics?\nPersonally, I would deal with these people by paying them forward. I would tell them to understand the practices that typically help these people, and see if they are relevant. I would tell them to seek professional help, and to refrain from diagnosing themselves, but I would encourage them to be critical of themselves and to learn more.\nImo, the way out is through.", ">\n\nI agree with you but it’s not mostly women. Maybe by happenstance that’s the case in your circle but broadly men do this too.", ">\n\nDoctor's are consulting the Mayo Clinic website after talking to a patient and getting their symptoms. I bring that up to say this; a doctor's training is needed for very serious diseases and tricky diagnoses, but a semi-intelligent person could look up their symptoms and get a lot of the more minor stuff right.", ">\n\nI've never been diagnosed as clinically depressed or anything, but that doesn't mean that I don't suffer from depression a lot of the time (these last few years, more often than not). I see a therapist. I take antidepressants. \nI have a friend who has aphantasia. It isn't really a \"diagnosable\" condition, but it describes what he has trouble with: creating images in his mind.", ">\n\nThat’s different then going online and claiming perfectly normal traits mean you’re autistic", ">\n\nNeurodivergence ≠ mental illness.", ">\n\nThey know themselves and their experiences better than you.", ">\n\nOP, I'm seeing some differences between your post and what you're saying in the comments. \nMy question is, do you have a problem with people self-diagnosing, or is your issue more about people drawing a lot of public attention to their diagnoses?", ">\n\nOverall both but definitely the attention part more so for obvious reasons. The self diagnosing part due to the fact that it can make people believe it can be an excuse for their actions good or bad. I think In a weird way it can allow people to take away the responsibility of their own actions and attribute to their mental illness", ">\n\nAs someone who has been diagnosed with ADHD, having people self diagnosing doesn't bother me at all, because I went the path of not knowing at all what I had and letting doctors figure out by themselves... and it took me 4 years and a half to finally have a concrete answer that no doctors would have found out if I didn't start searching on my own. You can't walk into every doctor's office with the assumption they'll figure out what you have, because it's not their speciality, or they still have an outdated view (not every doctor are kept up to date with new discovers), or they're biased, etc... \nI've never been annoyed by people who self diagnose. Hell, if I knew what was about to happen to me, I would have done the same way sooner.", ">\n\nMost women today arent faking it, they are noticing the symptoms no one else noticed and trying to find help. Its not easy to grow up with this kind of stuff. Is not coincidence you think women are less likely to be born to autism instead of thinking how weird it is that for some reason most autism diagnosis happen to men, that is the misogyny in the medical comunity.\nSelf diagnosis means this women will go to doctors and it most case scenarios they will get diagnoses because they have this issue all their life.\nSocial media is giving people awareness of the issue in medicine and how it affects women. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Misogyny in medicine also leads to people not knowing the difference between a heart attack in a woman and a man. It leads to women thinking its something else because internet and books will tell you how a man will feel a heart attack, even doctors sometimes dont know this.", ">\n\nGetting a diagnosis or treatment is borderline impossible for a lot of people. So self diagnosis is sometimes the only way they can help themselves.", ">\n\nNot a mental illness. But, I am a trans person and I pretty much self-diagnosed and self-medicated. I just had physicians do blood test.\nI educated myself on how everything works in about eight month period. I did that over a decade.\nI don’t regret my decision, and if I did. The regret would be not starting any sooner, especially when people who aren’t physicians or therapists are having a final say about these things.", ">\n\nIt is very noticeable and annoying, buuuut it’s proven autism manifest differently in females. Plus women are (very) often under diagnosed and dismissed for many many things by doctors, which is absolutely disgusting. Aaaand the cost of healthcare is outrageous.", ">\n\nwomen being less likely to be diagnosed with autism has nothing to do with an actual gender gap in who does and doesn’t have autism and everything to do with the fact autistic women are diagnosed with personality disorders and mental illnesses due to stigmas. most autism research was done on men and therefore women are underrepresented and more often than not misdiagnosed. autism actually occurs at a similar rate in both sexes. also, it’s not a mental illness, it’s a neurological condition (not that mental illnesses aren’t, but illness implies there’s something wrong, which there isn’t in autistic people). i agree that self diagnosing leads to misinformation and harms those who are clinically diagnosed though.", ">\n\nA lot of medical diagnoses are based on white male studies, so yes you would see more women finding out they have certain mental illnesses now as professionals are realizing it can show differently in females vs males. Adhd, for example, was considered something only seen in young boys that would grow out of it, now they are realizing that you don't in fact grow out of it and women can have it too. \nMental illness was a taboo subject back in the day as well, especially for women. It was only in 1980 I think that hysteria was no longer considered a mental illness. Women would be diagnosed with 'hysteria' and committed for symptoms like anxiety and anger. So now a lot of women are learning more about their mental health because they feel safe to do so. \nMy mother is in her early 70's and still refuses to tell anyone her own health issues or even mine, I have cancer and we were going to go on a trip as it's unknown how much longer I have and she refused to ask for the day off because she wouldn't tell them the reason why.", ">\n\nI detest self diagnosis, though once you’ve studied advanced level abnormal psychology shit happens. \nAs far as kids go, the generalized anxiety and depressive spectrum diagnoses can occasionally be accurate however that would warrant professional intervention regardless.\nOne serious issue among others; if an adolescent “decides” they have major depressive disorder that can become a self fulfilling prophecy and cause despair and reluctance to seek treatment", ">\n\nLook at the price and lack of availability of mental health care, and the total lack of privacy of internet connected devices. Most practitioners don’t offer in person visits anymore, and even if they do they probably do digital records or have their phone present. Ofc people are self diagnosing.", ">\n\nCounterpoint: many people do not have the means to access diagnoses for mental illnesses and other disorders, and it can sometimes be the only way to explain their feelings to others. Autism diagnoses in particular are extremely difficult to access for adults and even teens. I suspected I had autism for years and the only way I was able to get a diagnosis was through the mental health treatment program I was in during highschool which had a psychologist there. I only could attend because I live in Canada with universal healthcare. Many, many people are not as fortunate as me. Most people in the world cannot access diagnosis in the first place, including many in richer countries. \nYour comment about women statistically 'being born with autism on a far lesser scale than men' misses the well-known problem of underdiagnosis of autism in women. Autism presents itself differently in women than men (I can say as an autistic woman who knows other autistic women) and the criteria for autism were based on cis white men. Autism in women is is often misdiagnosed as CPTSD (which many autistic people ALSO unfortunately have), borderline personality disorder, anxiety, depression, etc. \nAlthough self-diagnosis is often problematic and used by teenagers to feel special, for the people who take it seriously and are intellectually honest there currently isn't really a better alternative for them to try and explain their experiences when they cannot access diagnoses.", ">\n\nWhat you are describing is NOT a new phenomenon. I was born in 1975 and have been observing this phenomenon my entire life. Nothing new about it at all.", ">\n\nSelf diagnosis is often the first step in going to go and get an actual diagnosis. Getting diagnosed with a mental disorder, especially as an adult, is basically impossible if you aren't actively seeking it out. For several reasons, one of which is that pretty much all the diagnostic criteria are written about children. \nI'm properly diagnosed and even on disability for mental disorders and I knew what I had for years before I got diagnosed. \nI understand there's a feeling of \"stolen valour\" to it. And there is indeed a subset of people doing it for attention or because it's fashionable, OCD in particular being a common example, but the good that comes from self diagnosis more than outweighs the bad.", ">\n\nCorrect me if I’m wrong, but don’t all, or at least most mental disorders lie on a spectrum?", ">\n\nI was diagnosed ADD/ ADHD as a child an im getting re-evaluated next month because i think the diagnosis must be bullshit.\nI have a close friend that wasn't diagnosed ADD/ADHD until they were 22 and in an Ivy league vet program\nThe amount of people that say they cant do well in school simply because they have add/ adhd is bullshit if u ask me. Also, people justify abusing adderal because theyre ADHD and i think thats BS too. I decided never to take it and just abuse caffeine instead to avoid the health side effects", ">\n\nThe current US medical system is such garbage that self advocacy is important. \nSometimes it is wrong. Sometimes professionals ignore you or only pay attention to things insurance companies will pay for. Sonetimes they are also wrong. Or they're incentivized to get you out of a hospital bed ready or not. \nAdministrators and insurance companies get all the money. Nurses, aides, patients all suffer.", ">\n\nEspecially when they don't even understand what the disorder is in the first place. \"I'm a loner so I'm anitsocial.\" That's not what that means.... Or my favorite, \"I'm detailed oriented so I have OCD, lulz I am so le quirky! ;P\"", ">\n\nPeople who struggle with certain things often seek out those with similar experiences. With social media and the internet, it’s easier than ever to find people with similar struggles and sometimes, those people are a group diagnosed with certain mental illnesses. \nDoes that mean every person who sees themselves in a diagnosis will have that diagnosis? Hell no. But I think it’s disingenuous to claim that it’s “for attention.” People want to find community they can relate to and are drawn to experiences that reflect their own.\nI’m saying this as someone who was diagnosed with ADHD at 25 — I started to suspect I might have it in my early 20s and started poking about online. I was officially assessed and diagnosed some time later, and that diagnosis has been validated by three therapists and two psychiatrists.\nPlenty of people misjudge themselves and plenty of people are very ready to leap into a box. Some of them may be wrong. Some may be doing it to try and excuse bad behavior. (Hell, I’ve known waaaay too many people who DID have diagnosed mental illnesses and seemed to think their diagnosis was a free pass to be shitty). However, I think calling it a “trend” or “for attention” misses the point of why and how people reach these conclusions. \nOne might also argue that you do not have the professional expertise regarding psychology to assume the validity or ulterior motives of someone else’s diagnosis. There’s a reason that a lot of psychologists out there are adamantly against diagnosing from a distance - you have significantly less insight into a someone’s mind than they do, and you’re projecting a lot of assumptions onto others’ behavior without any supporting evidence.", ">\n\nIm gonna start out with, generally I agree its a problem-to an extent. Even though women have autism at a much lower rate they’re also under diagnosed/misdiagnosed at a higher rate. When it comes to why people are doing this, in my experience it’s people who are trying to figure out why they’re treated the way they are, why they struggle to do certain things that others don’t even see as an issue. They’re noticing their differences and feeling bad about it. When they can’t fix it they start trying to find a reason, a cause to help them both understand and feel better about themselves and ways they can move forward and actually improve their lives, as well as finding a group they can relate to when they have a hard time relating to the average person.", ">\n\nI think OP is arguing there are quite a few people whose self-diagnosis wouldn’t meet the criteria of a medical diagnosis. It’s horrible for me to even argue but some people want to portray themselves as a victim: I think this because I am a shit.\nHowever I agree with arguments here that if these people are brave enough to identify a potential issue in themselves then kudos to them for recognising it.", ">\n\nI had a doctor misdiagnose my spine injury and I researched medical articles and studies to come the actual diagnosis.\nNot always bad to do your research. \nBut mental health is a serious issue and some people use self diagnosis’ as an excuse to act however they want.", ">\n\nPart of what happens when you can’t afford to see a doctor.", ">\n\nThe most important piece to note on the self diagnosis problem among youth is misdiagnosis. \nThings like BPD, NPD, and ASPD for have dozens of overlapping criteria but very specific things that distinguish them. A professional can discern between both disorders and the average googler can not. \nThe result is that the patients identity crisis worsens as they begin to develop a sense of identity with a diagnosis than is not true for them. \nIt seems like the youth is quite eager to be diagnosed with some sort of disorder today.", ">\n\nI'm really happy to see someone mentioning this. I have experienced this more and more recently and I agree with it being strange and problematic." ]

[ "The diagnosis process for a lot of psychiatric conditions are surveys and questionaires. You can go to a psychiatrist and ask if you're anxious and they'll give you multiple choice questions and diagnose off of that. Or you can just google the form yourself and self diagnose. A lot of psychiatric disorders are about how we feel and think. Not about sending off some blood sample to a lab and getting a positive result come back.\n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. For such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nWhat you're describing are all neuroses that could indicate some deeper psychiatric condition. Whether a person has a mental health condition or not, thinking of ourselves as weak victims is never helpful in any context, yet it's something we all feel from time to time.\nI'm a disability support worker, so when someone tells me they've got a self diagnosed condition, it's not offensive to me or any disabled person I know, it doesn't come across like they're invalidating anyone else's condition. However I do think everyone should talk to a doctor about any condition they feel they might have.", ">\n\nPiggybacking off of this: You’ve spent your whole entire life inside your own brain. A therapist will spend a period of hours with you and give you a diagnosis. Who do you think knows your personal reality better than yourself?", ">\n\nYeah exactly, especially with conditions such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, PTSD, and many other psychiatric conditions. These are things people know they have even before they get a diagnosis. The diagnosis stage is more about treatment and management.\nPeople might be unaware of how severe or mild their condition is, some people think they have only mild PTSD despite constant nightmares and suicidal ideation. Some people will think they have severe ADHD because they can't concentrate for long times on things that don't interest them. It's good to get some perspective from experts but ultimately people know when they are struggling to focus or to struggling to stop stressing all the time or struggling to not be miserable. Struggling with our thoughts and feelings is evidence enough to self diagnose.", ">\n\nI was recently diagnosed with ADHD as a woman so I find this viewpoint interesting.\nFirstly, autism is not a mental illness. An autistic person may have mental illness in conjunction with autism, but autism alone lies under the neurodivergent umbrella. Neurodivergency can include autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and other similar conditions.\nWhy women are often underdiagnosed\nThese are serious disabilities that can really impede a person's life, especially if they struggle to find help and acceptance in their community. A lot of women start their journey towards diagnosis later in life due to a number of factors such as:\n\nPoor diagnostic tools and inexperienced professionals\nA misunderstanding that autism and ADHD are more common in boys\nAdvanced masking techniques to cover their 'traits'\n\nWhy women are often diagnosed later in life.\nThe process for many women and men who are diagnosed later in life often includes a level of burnout or breakdown. After a while everything becomes too much, the mask begins to slip and your traits go into overdrive.\nWhy does self-diagnosing seem to be on the rise?\nA common way of finding out you could possibly be neurodivergent is through media and people who are aware of these traits appear.\nIn the past few years, I have seen an increasing awareness of neurodivergence in women pop up in the media. This is useful for people like myself who had no idea wtf was wrong with them for a very long time. For me, a GP actually suggested I seek a diagnosis due to some struggles I was going through.\nAs someone who went through this process self-diagnosing is commonly the first step as an adult. You might be directed to a questionnaire and are asked to evaluate yourself and your experiences thinking back to your childhood. If there's some merit in your experiences than you move to the next step which involves seeking a professional. Waitlists are often months to years long so many people live in limbo for a long time.\nMethods of living with ADHD can help everyone. And everyone experiences ADHD traits from time to time. Given a large amount of stress we have all suffered collectively, I don't doubt there are a lot of people with increased mental health issues that mirror neurodivergent traits. Some mental illnesses can get very severe and alter your brain chemistry and behaviour.\nMy takeaway from this is that the mental health systems set up to assist these people are a much larger issue and cause for serious concern than self-diagnosing.\nApologies for the spelling and grammar errors. Grammarly and Reddit don't play nice.", ">\n\nI think it's two things. One, people have identity crises, especially teenagers. We all know that type of person who tries on identities like hats. That's pretty embarrassing. You usually grow out of that.\nTwo, from personal experience, giving yourself a label or a diagnosis makes it feel more contained and easy to communicate. It's easier to tell someone that you have X and have them understand what you're going through rather than telling them you have these vague symptoms resembling what you imagine X is like. In that respect, it is pretty understandable, possibly good, and not embarrassing. There's something that is sort of reassuring if you can finally get a word to put on what you're experiencing.\nPeople often sympathize with the diagnosis but not with the symptoms. Tell people at work you're autistic and they will sympathize with you and possibly not attack you. Tell them you do not understand social cues and they will probably just make fun of you.", ">\n\nI understand the desire to put a label with a disease, and this is not necessarily bad, but the diagnosis needs to be correct. If you want to tell others that you are autistic or depressed; you must actually be those things. A person can almost never correctly assertion their disease, only their symptoms. People might better understand you if you say your autistic, but you may incorrectly understand and describe yourself. If one wishes to put a name with symptoms, they should find a doctor to pick the label", ">\n\nfor sure but unfortunately our medical system is a joke and even if you are experiencing very severe symptoms it can be nearly impossible to see a professional or take months on a waiting list.\nEven then a professional may be reluctant to slap a label on you for fear of what the consequences of that might be. I saw someone for a very long time who resisted any sort of actual diagnosis because the truth is that what I was experiencing didn't fit neatly into any of the boxes and pretty much belonged in this vague \"other\" category which isn't particularly helpful. Not to mention that misdiagnosis happens all the time even by professionals. \nI just think it is sort of understandable because I think a lot of stuff is kind of a spectrum anyway and just different levels of severity. Things can be really confusing and hard to nail down and thus communicate in a way that causes someone else to be understanding rather than judgemental.", ">\n\nAre you under the impression this is a new phenomenon? Because it's definitely not.\nPeople - especially young people! - crave identity. The world is a confusing place, knowing who you are makes it a little easier. Sometimes it's self-diagnosing mental illness or learning disabilities, or exploring sexual identity, or cliques, or subcultures. There's nothing embarrassing about it, it just is what it is.", ">\n\nIt’s ok to want to express individuality but not to the extent of totally destroying the definition of a real thing and making it hard for actual mentally Ill ppl to get a diagnosis. Why can’t people just accept that they’re different rather then giving themselves a label?", ">\n\npeople on TikTok claiming to have disorders that they don't doesn't affect the precision of psychiatrists diagnosing actual patients. There's no TikTok-said section in the DSM. Why do you think that it does?", ">\n\nIt just encourages more people to get diagnosed possibly skewing the meaning of the mental illness", ">\n\nSkewing it towards statistical accuracy? If people are actually diagnosed at higher rates, we have a better Guage of population-level mental illness, neurodivergency, etc. Better data is more usable, so that research actually means something actionable, ASIDE from the identity boost for young people.", ">\n\nI think what OP is driving at, but utterly failing to explain, is that they think that the fakers will be accommodated by the psychiatric system and diagnosed on the basis of fake symptoms. my sense is that isn't a problem but I don't have data.", ">\n\nDefinitely explained it a little better then I could lol", ">\n\nWhere do you see evidence of that? Any articles about fakers? How about a statistic? If not, it’s just a fear you seem to have.", ">\n\nI think the salient line here is this one:\n\nNeurologists were able to quickly determine that the subjects were not \nsuffering from Tourette's, but psychogenic tics driven by anxiety.", ">\n\nWomen are not born with less autism, but are much less likely to be diagnosed as children than boys. This is partly because boys generally have similar symptoms and behaviors. \nSo of course more women are self diagnosing autism, since their diagnoses were missed as children on a much higher rate.", ">\n\nAlright, I'm diagnosed OCD, PTSD, chronic depression. Diagnosed by a professional so I think I have some grounds to talk about this.\nFirst, let's tackle your women comment about autism. You see, I understand where you're coming from, but you lack the nuance of recognizing that mental illness, and illness in general, is heavily under-diagnosed in women. The medical culture is heavily favored towards men and is rampant with mysogyny, and that's not just me saying it as I've had medical professionals blatantly tell me it's a problem in the field when questioned about it. I've also had some tell me that it's just because women whine a lot, so yanno make of that statement what you will.\nNow that we've covered that let me address the self-diagnosing issue. So, do you want to know what my therapist thinks of self-diagnosing? Well, when I asked them about it they said that self-diagnosing is an important first step to seeking help. Psychiatrist said the same thing. It's normal, expected even, for people to self-diagnose their issues then seek help for them. You can't exactly just peer into someone's brain, no, that person has to tell you what they think is wrong and why they think it is. \nWhat you actually have a problem with is not self-diagnosis, but with people not seeking or not being able to get medical assistance and assuming they're right. You have a problem with people using these issues for attention, which I do too, but once again self-diagnosing is not the problem. Finally, you have a problem with the medical system that forces people into the position of trying to figure out their mental illnesses, but having no ability to get help for them.", ">\n\nI think I did it", ">\n\nSadly no lol, it was not done properly. Do you need a link to the rules?", ">\n\nI already read them i think I’ll figure it out in a bit sorry for the hold up", ">\n\nBecause everyone else is being aggressive: you have to comment with ∆ or !delta and then explain how your view has been changed", ">\n\nThis delta has been rejected. You can't award OP a delta.\nAllowing this would wrongly suggest that you can post here with the aim of convincing others.\nIf you were explaining when/how to award a delta, please use a reddit quote for the symbol next time.\n^Delta System Explained ^| ^Deltaboards", ">\n\nWhat gives you the authority or knowledge to know this is the problem?", ">\n\nYou don’t think it’s a problem that a lot of young ppl are willing to go to the extent of saying they are mentally Ill either for attention or to excuse their weirdness? Just accept that your different. It’s not wrong to believe you’re different without a label", ">\n\nYou did not even try to answer my question.", ">\n\nI’m sorry I was confused on what you meant", ">\n\nIf you are mad at people for self diagnosing themselves because they don't have the knowledge or authority to do so.... what gives you the knowledge or authority to diagnosis this as the problem behavior... basically are you just a kid that is annoyed, or is there some actual studies out there that is claiming this is a problem.", ">\n\nIf you don’t think that people consistently seeking attention for mental illness or craving a label so badly to justify themselves rather then being themselves. That just shows what your views are", ">\n\nDont you think we should leave the diagnosing to the professionals?", ">\n\nI mean yeah", ">\n\nWould you agree that you are diagnosing these people by saying that they are only seeking attention and do not have a real mental illness?", ">\n\nI’m assuming", ">\n\nThere may be some truth to people wanting to be different, however with mental illnesses being more accepted in today's society, many people are a lot more comfortable with being neurodivergent. Additionally, self diagnosis is common because the alternative is spending upwards to $1000-$2000 for a clinical diagnosis.", ">\n\nI know costs suck, but self diagnosis can be much more harmful. A web.md page that tells you your depressed when you may actually be bipolar can lead to really messed up results. I would even go as far as to say that no diagnosis at all is preferable to an uninformed one", ">\n\nWell.\n​\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad \n\nSo you already know why they're doing what they're doing in addition the fact that you know that they're not Autistic? If your claim is that they can't know and only a doctor can, what makes you more qualified? You start out your argument admitting that you have a bias.\n\nthey’re “neurodivergent.\n\nNeurodivergent is an umbrella that covers both Autism and ADHD, which sometimes get mistaken for each other. So if you're upset that they're self-diagnosing, this term should be more welcome than \"Autistic\" because it's more generalized.\n\nnd when you ask them how they know they’ll say “oh I have this weird tick when I uh laugh when someone says something funny “ or “I have a hyper fixation on this topic so I must be autistic\n\nHow else should they communicate it to you? The list of aspects of Autism, especially for how it presents in women, sounds a lot like this. You're not a doctor, they don't have to prove anything to you by going down the entire list of every possible part of their daily experience that might be on the spectrum.\n\nWomen statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nNope. Women are diagnosed less often than men because the original diagnostic criteria for Autism was for Autism as it presents in males. It presents differently for females and is harder to diagnose, especially at younger ages. \n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized\n\nTodays youth want to be victimized? Why would anyone want to be victimized? Something tells me you're missing the mark with this terminology.\n\nor have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. \n\nSo if someone is Autistic and that makes them weird, you'd rather them just be forced to not get to have a name for it, and get the therapeutic treatment that would help them?\n\nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really [are] without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nSome people are autistic. If they find out and it makes them feel good, that doesn't mean they're craving attention. And if they are craving attention, it's because they're normal people and everyone does. \nIf someone thinks they're autistic but it turns out they're actually not, chances are they suspected it for a reason. They might have ADHD, a personality disorder, a mental health issue, or simply a slightly different way of experiencing the world that feels unique to them and there's nothing wrong with that. \nYou seem to think that other people do things for you. People generally don't. They do things for themselves. This is especially true of people on the Autism Spectrum who may not be able to easily use other people's experiences to reference when constructing their view of the world, and can only use their own. Your interpretation wherein they do it to evoke a response from you says more about you than it does about them.", ">\n\nYou’re being deliberately obtuse. OP is completely correct. Most of the people these days who say “I’m ADHD” or “I’m autistic” or “I’m neurodivergent” are absolutely not diagnosed as such and are doing it to seem unique or get attention or as some excuse for why they did x y or z.", ">\n\nI'd like to point out that while some are perhaps attention seeking, many people self diagnose simply because they don't have access to free medical/psychological professionals to get proper diagnosis and help with their issues. I also know someone who doesn't want to get an official diagnosis because he's afrad it will affect his insurance rates or somehow come back to bite him if he's offically labeled with having a neurological disorder. \nThere is a wealth of knowledge on these subjects available online for those interested. And if they are truly interested in self diagnose they can likely do that accurately enough for all intents and purposes. Most of these people who search for the sake of better understanding themselves or their loved ones will openly admit that it's a self diagnoses, or say they THINK they have x,y, or z. But in some situations it's just as well to say they have it if they feel certain anyway, and it's just a passing comment, and not a discussion on the matter. \nIn other words, just because they self diagnose doesn't mean they're wrong, nor does it explain their motives. I also don't see how attention seeking (for those who ARE doing that) is really hurting anyone else. Fakers gonna be fake, that's more a \"them\" kind of problem. ANNOYING, but mostly harmless.", ">\n\nUnless you have a doctor's diagnosis you don't have the disorder. Even if you are broke there are programs to help with costs. \nAnd yes it does affect me when someone is treating me like shit and tries using the I have such and such as an excuse and then people get mad at ME for calling them in their bullshit.", ">\n\nNo. You have to have the disorder before you CAN be diagnosed, so obviously there are undiagnosed people who in fact \"have the disorder \". Your refusal to acknowledge an undiagnosed disorder does not mean they don't have it. Your personal experience with people supposedly using a fake diagnosis to treat you badly, sounds unusual. How do you know they DIDN'T have it? People who do lie and just want to be jerks will do that regardless of what methods they decide to try. The methods are irrelevant. And that motive is not typical of most self diagnosers .", ">\n\nSounds unusual? You must not get out a lot because it's become a pretty regular thing. Every single person I know (about 8) that have self diagnosed themselves as neurodivergent or with a mental illness like Bi-polar all use it to excuse their shitty ass behaviors. \nToo many disorders can mirror other ones. Just because they think they have 2/3 symptoms doesn't make them right by a long shot. Keep living in your bubble.", ">\n\nYou don't have to have a relationship with anyone. If they treat you badly, regardless of an official diagnosis or not, you don't have to tolerate them. It makes no difference what they have or don't have. What would it change if they got diagnosed and actually have it?", ">\n\nSelf diagnosing has been a thing forever\nAnd it's not a problem im 99% sure me or any other autistic person doesn't really give 2 fucks about people who wanna fake disorders. It doesn't stop us from getting help, we have doctors notes, medical files, sometimes even volunteers, you need those files to get into let's say a special education class, or a life skills course.\nSo unless you were diagnosed by a professional you're probably not gonna make it far faking it.\n(Excuse my shitty punctuation)", ">\n\nIt doesn’t bother you that they’re making others take the actual meaning away from what you were born with? I mean I’m sure autism hasn’t made your life easy and seeing ppl claim it for attention to be quirky probably has to annoy you a little right?", ">\n\nAt the end of the day I still have ADHD and I still need help with it. More people being diagnosed with it doesn’t change that fact. In fact I was diagnosed because I realized I related to so many tiktok memes, and I’m sure others are in my same boat. \nIn fact I think so many people talking about ADHD helps. It means more people who possibly have tips for me, people who are suffering who can’t afford treatment have an easy way to learn about how to improve their lives, and more people who are aware of my disorder.", ">\n\nI think people do diagnose themselves too often without seeking professional help. BUT mental illness is not the same as being neurodivergent.", ">\n\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad that they’ll go as far to say they’re “neurodivergent.”\n\nWhile this is the case, I don't really see how it's a \"problem\" per se. I guarantee that these people still make lifestyle decisions based on what they think is best, or based on what they want to do.\n\nbut it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women\n\nDo you have any statistics for that? I haven't experienced it that way in my own anecdotal experience, and I'd be curious to look into the data to see how much that truly does skew in that direction.\n\nwanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness \nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nI understand what you're trying to say here, but I don't really think these things are connected as much as you think they are. People see something wrong with themselves, so they either playfully or seriously consider the fact that it could be a condition that they have similar symptoms to. Not that it never happens, but just because someone categorizes themselves into a disability group that could potentially excuse their \"quirks\", doesn't mean they think that behavior is unacceptable in any way. People see a problem, and assume it's linked to this other issue that seems similar that they already know about.", ">\n\nI agree with the conclusion that self-diagnosis is a real issue, and I wouldn't be surprised if the data indicated it was on the rise. I wouldn't necessarily frame it as a simple desire to \"be victimized\" however. While it is purely speculation, I do believe there are a number of conditions which might lead towards a more frequent experience of symptoms associated with mental illness - a rising wealth gap, perpetual anxiety from a 24-hour news cycle, intensification of self-commodification, the student debt crisis in certain countries like the US, and so on. So people are experiencing symptoms like low energy, mood swings, etc. that can be associated with mental illness. The issue with self-diagnosis then becomes that it may correctly identify the symptom, but incorrectly identify the cause.\nThis video from the YouTuber HealthyGamerGG does a good job of explaining what some of the issues with self-diagnosis are, and for me it was a good starting place for thinking about this more. \nEDIT: I forgot this video literally starts with this same topic being brought up on this same subreddit lol", ">\n\nA great theory based on reasonable causes with an educational video from a psychologist(I assume) as evidence to back it up. I applaud you sir. 👏", ">\n\nWhy are you embarrassed by other people's issues?", ">\n\nI’m a 30yo male. If I had not first self diagnosed with ASD and OCD, I never would have found the language and resources to get a formal diagnosis and help.\nPrior generations have been so fixated on avoidance of diagnosing mental disorders, and research was previously so lacking that we are only just now (through those that do get diagnosed) realizing how common mental disorders are. That plus the lack of mental health resources for neurotypical and neurodivergent I think is how we end up in this situation of many recognizing their symptoms in the new discourse, but lacking the resources to overcome the barriers to proper diagnosis and treatment.", ">\n\nIt’s not the best thing, no. \nAs an adult FINALLY diagnosed (by a licensed therapist) at 41, I can tell you why ‘self diagnosis’ is so tempting. \nIn the US at least- mental health, and official medical diagnosis are almost completely inaccessible, especially as an adult. Most of us grew up before Autism was a spectrum, and ADHD was just boys who acted out in class. We felt like aliens. We couldn’t understand why we didn’t have many friends, or why we didn’t like the ‘right things’, and generally spend the bill of our lives feeling ‘wrong’, ‘broken’ or just simply like we didn’t belong. \nFinally understanding the WHY, and even better, finding tools to addresses our issues is a huge huge weight off the chest. The relief of having a name and a strategy- either therapy or medicine is such an amazing relief!!", ">\n\nI only kinda agree if I had not done my own research I would have never found out I have sjorgens syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis I know TikTok people tend to diagnose themselves and it makes it look cringe but when you live with a incurable illness sometimes you have to work to find a diagnosis", ">\n\nWell, what do you do of you absolutely know you're neurodivergent, but your parents decided not to get you checked? My mom once told me \"we knew you had something, we just didn't get you checked because they would have just put you on pills\". So I struggled with being different, socially unaware, impulsive, obnoxious, agressive, selfish, for the better part of my life without having the self awareness to understand why I was these things, and why people wouldn't want to be around me. \nIn my late 20''s I asked the question, what if I'm actually autistic? I looked up the symptoms, and 9/10 matched. As a child I couldn't handle loud noises, restrictive clothing, I didn't talk until I was 3. I would throw fits for seemingly no reason, I had obsessive interests. I've always really struggled with eye contact, and I never cared for conversation unless it was something I liked. I mean, when the final piece of a puzzle fits so incredibly well, it's really hard for it to be wrong. \nSelf diagnosing actually really helped me grow as aj individual. I became aware of all my divergent behaviors, and why it might be annoying for someone else to deal with. I came to the realization that I was the one who was different, therefore I needed to change. It's way harder to make everyone around you cater to your needs than to overcome the things that upset you. I'm at peace, I have good friends that I can connect with on a pretty deep level. I no longer smash coffee tables when I lose, I can now appreciate that if I lose it just means I have more to learn. I can keep my house clean, I can reasonably hold myself accountable. What exactly is the harm in all that?\nBesides, it would be pretty pointless for me to try and get a diagnosis now, I've put the effort in and largely come out the other side. Anyone diagnosing me would just say I was normal, but they wouldn't have the intimate knowledge of me that I do. I guess it doesn't matter if people don't believe me, I don't go around shouting that I'm autistic. I will say, it would be really nice if people appreciated the effort I put in to get to get to a place of normalcy, something others take for granted, but it's okay, we all have our struggles.", ">\n\nI feel you on all that. To play devil's advocate, mental healthcare in the U.S. is not cheap. Many people go to the internet and confirm their bias about their current health", ">\n\nI feel you on that too OP. I agree 100% with your entire statement.", ">\n\nIt's a problem, but not a new one. In the 1990s there was briefly a surge of people with a type of delusional parasitosis, that is, the false belief that they were infested with parasites. Except this one was supposedly an infestation with tiny fibres. They would come to doctors with a whole list of symptoms to back up their incorrect self-diagnosis.\nTo a certain extent, these are social contagions, which come and go, and often actually end up leading to people having real problems. Like, the young women you mention, a couple of decades ago may well have ended up with anorexia, or self-cutting. These days it might be a self-declaration of autism or a belief that they have gender dysphoria or that they have multiple systems living in their minds.", ">\n\nWow I did not know that. Maybe it’s just so prevalent today due to social media. Social media has only made these things worse imo", ">\n\nEven before it being self diagnosis of a mental illness it was always something. Remember all the emo and goth teenager?", ">\n\nIt depends on the context. For example, if they've done a substantial amount of research, can name a good amount of symptoms they have and reasons they have whatever mental illness and don't have access to the necessary tools to get a medical diagnosis, it's totally different. Some people don't have the money to go out and get a diagnosis, or sometimes it would be better to not get a medical diagnosis. I believe that the reason that a lot of people self diagnose themselves with things like Autism is because they want an explanation as to why they are different, and they could be right or wrong. I think the most important part is that if you go to a psychologist (or even two, I know a lot of people prefer getting second opinions) and they say you don't have it, that you need to admit you were wrong. It's ok to be wrong about your mental health, and the key is to keep looking and to not give up. I can completely understand the frustration in people completely missing how difficult it actually may be to have a mental illness. I was clinically diagnosed with Depression, Anxiety, and PTSD when I was seven, and I've had some experience with people faking mental disorders for attention, and more often then not, they have another mental disorder that needs attention. Recently I had a (now ex) boyfriend insist he had PTSD after being tested twice and the psychiatrist saying that he didn't have it. What he does have is Depression and Anxiety, but he absolutely insisted he has PTSD despite never exhibiting symptoms and the only evidence being a test he took online that was supposedly a \"real PTSD test.\" People faking mental illnesses only harms people who really have them, as these people tend to exaggerate symptoms and use their self diagnosis for attention. I believe that I am autistic, but I don't list it as a diagnosis because while I have read articles and taken the RAADS-r test, I don't have an official diagnosis, and I could very well be wrong. As for women faking illnesses more often, something I've noticed is that things like Autism, ADHD, ADD, etc are more often diagnosed in boys rather than girls- mostly because when they were first discovered, most of the research was done in boys. Autism shows up differently in girls, and can often be blown off as early puberty hormones. If their hyperfixations are those of stereotypical feminine things, it's just a girl liking whatever, and if they hyperfixate in stereotypical masculine interests, they tend to just be viewed as weird, but not autistic. It's normal for people to question, but I agree that to a certain point, self diagnosis can be harmful, but only if not done correctly.", ">\n\nFirst and foremost not a new problem at all, very common, we used to call it \"Being a hypochondriac\" until it aparrently became reconized which in it self is confusing and a bit contradictory.\nANYWAY\nIt isnt really a problem, no doctor is gonna write the perscription for medication without a diagnosis of some sort.\nAt most there is the vauge \"But what about those who actually have it who arent taken serious\" dont worry, we wouldnt have anyway. Thats kinda how invisible illnesses work.\nOverall the 101 hypochondriacs screaming about the symptoms they read in the ICD might help make the knowledge more common and help people better reconize if their colleagues or friends happen to show symptoms of something.", ">\n\nIt’s pretty expensive in the US to get diagnosed. Personally, I’ve self diagnosed myself out of frustration of the way I process things. I’ve always felt slow & my anxiety/depression was deep because of it, but I was raised in a family that doesn’t believe in mental illness. It was always “if you work hard enough, all your problems will go away”. Meanwhile, i was racking my brain on how to make myself think faster/smarter & it would result in psychotic episodes. I’ve gotten fired from jobs, dropped out of school. I started self harming because I hated myself and my brain & almost commit suicide bc I had no idea what was going on.\nThe relief I felt once I finally got a therapist who validated me & was the first to talk to me about mental Illness. It blew my mind and all of a sudden things actually made sense to me. I currently think I have ADD, and sometimes I’ll tell people that but will preface it by saying I’m not professionally diagnosed. Still, I use mental tools that help me get through the day and build my confidence. I’m a lot better at processing conversations, making lists that help me remember things, unmasking, slowing down my thoughts… etc. I’m less frustrated and can see the beauty in how I process things. I still want to get diagnosed but I have to get health insurance….. lol", ">\n\nSelf diagnosis, regardless of being factual is a process where the individual realizes that they might have a mental health issue. People who can do this are more likely to seek professional help compared to the people who think they are “fine”. Going to a professional, licensed psychologist or a psychiatrist will eventually diagnose them with the correct disorder from there, and professionals have the skills to communicate with them and they can together evaluate if the person’s complaint is the issue or not. There is nothing embarrassing about discovering one’s self. It would be a problem if people would identify with an issue and don’t have any willingness to seek help. Sometimes overreacting is better than not reacting.", ">\n\nThe majority of people who are self-diagnosed with autism have done extensive research into it to come to that conclusion. I personally went through the DSM criteria with a fine-tooth comb, made a list of all the ways I met it and discovered that there’s not a single criteria i don’t meet for autism. I didn’t read about anything else but autism for weeks, approaching it from all angles before coming to the conclusion that it’s highly unlikely I am not autistic. I’m waiting to hear back about an assessment, but I’m not waiting to go and be told something I already know before I start advocating for myself. \nOh, and I absolutely did not want to be ‘different’, in fact my life mission to just blend in and be average is the root cause of most of my problems, but here we are.", ">\n\nThis self diagnosing young people do isn’t the problem. The problem is that our society encourages it.\nOur culture is not set up to accommodate a wide spectrum of human needs. You may need things that I don’t. I may need things that you don’t. But in most business settings, academic settings, or even places like restaurants or leisure places, the world isn’t built to accommodate everyone. Our world and society is a “one size fits all” approach, and most people don’t fit snugly inside of that system. \nIf you can classify what is “wrong” or “different” about you into an easily digestible form, people are generally more able and more willing to accommodate you.\nFor example: if I tell my coworkers that I need to leave work early because of a headache, I’ll be shamed for it. And in some cases I’ll be told that “headaches aren’t that bad!” Or “You don’t need to leave.” Or “I have a headache too, just deal with it!”\nBut if I tell my workers that I need to leave due to a painful neurological condition that’s flaring up (I have chronic migraine, which is a neurological condition), they will respect it 100% of the time. It’s met with sympathy and not criticism.\nThis happens for all sorts of things. “Sorry Im late, I slept in.” Sounds a lot worse then, “sorry I’m late, my insomnia has been terrible lately.” \nOur culture forces us to use these labels even when they’re untrue just to receive sympathy or acceptance. The problem isn’t people who decide to use these labels, the root problem is that our society refuses to embrace and accommodate people who are outside of the “norm.”", ">\n\nSpeaking as someone who's had an autism diagnosis since age 7: if someone declares they're autistic when they're not, that's obnoxious at worst. If someone is told they're not autistic when they are, that can cause lifelong harm from denied care and understanding. I have seen this happen to a close friend of mine.\nTherefore, I'd much rather err on the side of acceptance. If you think you're defending me and others like me from impersonators, we'd rather not have your help.\n\nI know people will disagree but it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women. Women statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nCase in point: women are diagnosed with autism far less than men. Recent studies have pointed to decades of systematic misdiagnosis. The more visible autistic symptoms sometimes manifest differently in girls, the way they're socialized may help them hide it from a young age, and of course lots of doctors just say \"your daughter can't be autistic, that's a boy thing.\"\nWe're learning that there are hundreds of thousands of autistic women who slipped through the cracks and were denied the recognition and support they needed because of dismissive, gatekeeping attitudes just like yours.", ">\n\nThere’s a difference between having a disorder and relating to a disorder. If the tools or language associated with a disorder helps someone live better though then cool, it’s all still odd. Also autism presents differently in woman, and a majority of our research on it is on men. Best practice is probably to support them and encourage them to seek treatment.", ">\n\nAutism is severely misdiagnosed in women. Completely under diagnosed. Actually, plenty of things are. The actual problem that we have is parents refusing to let their children get professional help or a diagnosis. Most doctors will diagnose you with BPD as a woman(aka the new female hysteria of our century), maybe put you on some anti psychotics and send you your way. In most countries, a diagnosis/specialist is not readily available, or there is a long waiting list. Even so, the doctors are not know it all. I have seen plenty of doctors, I got different diagnosis almost each time. They ask you some general questions (about your mood, the way you sleep, if you can concentrate, if you harm yourself, if you have suicidal ideation, if you can socialize properly, if your parents were diagnosed with anything, if you have hallucinations or delusions, the works) and then based on that, they will give you a diagnosis. If you use your common sense and information on the internet (given you are knowledgeable on the subject), you can take a good guess on what's wrong. Obviously, some people will exaggerate like with anything (seeing the shadow dude once in your childhood is not a sign of psychosis, neither is hearing your name called when you are alone once in a blue moon), but if you have visual and auditory hallucinations, perhaps weird tactile feelings/hallucinations (spiders are crawling on me, etc), delusions, tend to be forgetful and out of teach with reality, there is a good chance you do have psychosis.", ">\n\nOkay, to start: what do you think autism and ADHD are? They aren't mental illnesses nor are they mental health conditions. \nTo address some of your other points; \nStudies have shown that autism has a gender expression of 1:1. The only reason that women are under diagnosed is because of misunderstandings towards autism, then the diagnosis is conducted incorrectly. Thus it ends up getting conflated with mental illness, E.G BPD, and is diagnosed as a psychiatric disorder instead. This is a detriment to the patient as the care regimes are black and white different. Often times this severely damages the woman.\nFrom data sets that I recall reading, malingering hasn't risen much, if at all, in recent times. I remember it being around 8% of the global population who are engaging in this behaviour, to different extents. I think what's happened is that social media has turned a torch onto it and it's risen in popularity in an algorithmic way. You see it more because it's pushed by the algorithm more because people are searching for it more. It isn't actually occurring any more or less than historically. Most of that attention is negative attention, I should add. \nSo there's two things to take away from that.\n1) The actual act of pretending to be mentally ill, or to have a disability, which is called malingering, is in fact a form of mental unwellness itself. It's a cry for help. The people who do these things are usually very unstable and should be treated with a degree of empathy. The dangerous types who are using mental illness to scam others, or to manipulate them, make up a very small percentage of the overall amount of people in that group and tend to abuse one on one. \n2) The predominant response to this is generally negative. There isn't really any reason to publicly malinger unless you're unstable, this is because a rational person would likely know this, and know the damage it would cause themselves. Self-diagnosis is a very long, and self-aware, process that takes place over years of the individuals life, and proceeds official diagnosis. \nNo one SDs and says \"Okay that's it now! Let me start a TikTok!\" You'd still want support, and you'd still seek support. So that would end up with a doctor, who would see that you're lying, and treat you for whatever was prompting you to malinger. Anyone who has made this commitment knows that keeping it private is a sensible thing to do in a world that isn't inclusive, and often very stigmatising. Sometimes official diagnosis can take YEARS. \nThis kind of propaganda has been going around for a long time in an effort to discredit disabled people and people with mental illnesses. It's not new. People said the same things back in the 90s. People will always be afraid, and dismissive, of things they do not understand. I invite you to try and understand.", ">\n\nI self-diagnosed myself with endometriosis for 10 years before a doctor finally listened to me, opened me up, and found my insides littered with lesions all over my organs. I’m now not able to get pregnant and I might need to get part of my bowel taken out someday. This could’ve been avoided if someone had just listened to me when I was 16. \nSelf-diagnosing is a necessity in a misogynist world! No one takes us seriously! Especially medical professionals. \nThe best antidote for this is to listen to women who self-diagnose. Why do they think they have XYZ? Is it heavily interfering with their life? I think that’s a much larger problem.", ">\n\nIts been proven that there is a bias to diagnose as opposed to not diagnose a mental illness in psychology. So op is actually kinda correct. The definition of a mental illness is in effect being stretched so far that people who are just kinda weird are being diagnosed with \"on the spectrum\". This is actually causing a problem in early learning because parents start treating their kids as essentially learning challenged when they're really not. So it is starting to become an excuse ...", ">\n\nWe live in a society that loves to medicate people. I know it’s different but Did ppl forget about the opioid epidemic? They’ll diagnose your ass with anything if they can", ">\n\nYa I tend to agree. And no one is really saying so I will I guess, but id wager that 50% of psychologist \"professionals\" are totally full of shit. The actual number of psychologists that are are doing real research and clinical studies is EXTREMELY small compared to how many \"psychologists\" are out there. Just like chiropractors, half of them are hacks..", ">\n\nAnd ill say one more thing, though it is anecdotal, but i have direct family that works in special education for young children, and that system is fucked with a capital F. Thay are constantly fighting against parents and programs who try to box kids in the \"autistic\" zone, when they are just really quite or shy, or have pee problems. But parents want an excuse and reason for their behavior, and reduce them to a sub standard education and treatment for the rest of their lives. It's heart breaking. Especially in public schools.", ">\n\nI’m 32 years old. \nI didn’t self diagnose for attention although I remember the days of tumblr where everyone self diagnosed for clout.\nIt took me a decade to realize what is really happening. During the decade before I realized what may have been happening I was told the following:\nI’m rude\nI’m bossy\nI have a RBF/I look mad\nI also only managed to make my first real friend at age 27.\nWhat I was really displaying was:\nBeing overly blunt and just trying to get my point across came off rude when I didn’t intend it to be that way\nTrying to have things done at a certain time and way that no one else thought was important to follow\nUnmasking\nNoticed other things too that I just thought was me being weird:\nVocal stimming\nOral stimming-chewing, smoking, vaping\nRepetitive motions\nRocking\nEasily overwhelmed by too much sensory input\nHigh startle reflex \nInability to regulate my body’s needs-I don’t know I’m hungry until I’m ravenous; don’t recognize the need to use the bathroom until it’s causing me to rush off, don’t realize I’m cold until I’m shaking\nI could go on.\nI want an assessment so bad. But assessments for adults are EXTREMELY hard to setup, if you can even set them up at all. Some states don’t even offer them. I’ve been looking but they are only for children and seem to look for severe cases.\n14 years of thinking I was just a bitch who couldn’t make friends because I was too weird…turns out it might be autism. And turns out I’ll most likely never get a true diagnosis. But the RAADS test gave me a 127 score so that might be the closest I’ll ever get.", ">\n\ni kind of self diagnosed autism? i’ve been to many psychiatrists and therapists for years and they always see adhd in the half an hour and prescribe meds for that, which makes me not go there again. if they dug a little deeper they could have seen autism, i spoke to my current psychiatrist about if its possible i have it, she didn’t want to confirm or deny as i was moving out of state from friends and family and am at an age where i can have kids in the next 10 years since she doesn’t want me being concerned for them. \nI think there’s still lots of stigma around autism even with professionals and especially when identifying it in women. \nI don’t want to be autistic, but i can recognise a lot of different patterns comparing myself and others. I’ve researched it a ton especially in how it shows in women compared to men and in all the articles i found myself relating.\nNow i don’t say im autistic, i say im a little sus of being it tho lmao. and try pass it off casually. I find it’s a lot easier for me to understand and embrace my differences compared to trying to hide it and try be like everyone else or wonder why im not like everyone else. \nBeing older i can also recognise how a lot of my family on one side have suffered mentally and because of obvious neurodivergence. so im pretty sure, like the rest of my mentally challenged brain, has been inherited genetically through that side. \nAll that being said. I self diagnosed when i was about 12 that im highly likely to be depressed and anxious in attempt to get my mom to believe me i needed help, and now 8 years later i can identify that this has been an issue forever for me and that i likely cannot go off my meds because i will just go back to how i used to be. Im still ocd with all my meds, but its better than being anxious and depressed all the time, Having ocd throughout the day is like heaven to me in comparison to how i used to be. obviously the ocd isnt new, just a lot more heard in my brain now.", ">\n\nOk, I know some people self diagnoze themselves with [insert some mental illness here] out of attention or whatever, and that's totally not ok.\nHowever, if you read all the symptoms and do proper research on a mental illness and everything clicks in to you, I'd say you can be fairly confident on a self diagnosis (although, it might be worth it to double check with a professional, especially if you want any sort of treatment). But also for some people, it might not be affordable to go to a professional...", ">\n\nI live in Canada, I've engaged with the medical system, doctors don't care and just want you out, ERs are a 8 hour wait for someone to ignore one thing and won't even entertain other issues even if they are related. Self-diagnosis is really the only way to get any kind of proper treatment at all. \nThe doctors will rubber stamp just about anything you ask for except pain killers but in terms of diagnosis you're way better off doing it yourself, sure you don't have 8 years of medical school but the doctors won't give you 5 mins of their time, they are not better than google and you give a lot more of a shit than they will and at the end of the day it's your body.", ">\n\nBack in the 90s when I was a teenager, the kids/teenagers/young adults who wanted attention, and wanted to be different, adopted the goth lifestyle. Dressing up in all black. White foundation with black lipstick and eyeshadow. It was the trendy way to be different, to be viewed as outcasts of society. To not fit in. \nThe goth lifestyle of the 2020s is self diagnosis. Same shit, different day.\nWhenever someone claims autism, or somewhere on the spectrum, I just roll my eyes and imagine that person just sucks at life.", ">\n\nI just think it’s a little more harmful nowadays due to the prevalence of social media. Ppl get sucked into groups and mindsets before they even have a real life chance. Then they hyper fixate on that they might be mentally Ill rather then just trying to live life to the fullest", ">\n\nI 100% agree with you", ">\n\nBecause it's the age of spin this generation has something for everybody. And all of them are Google doctors. Lol", ">\n\nTook my uncle till he was 38 even thought it was apparent to everyone. Hell he got expelled from two schools", ">\n\nI get what you're saying. I frankly find it weird that more people don't find this weird. People self-diagnosing themselves as all kinds of things not only completely misrepresents the actual conditions, thereby making people even more confused as to what they actually are and how they present, but also leads people to run to a psychiatrist claiming false symptoms and getting medication for something they don't have, which is NOT a good thing. People should never be taking medication unless it is necessary. We are a heavily over-medicated society and this is a big factor in that. Caffeine to wake up in the morning, \"immuno-boosters\" and mood stabilizers during the day, sleeping pills to sleep at night. The caffeine and sleeping pills are addictive and can really mess up your circadian rhythm, and the mood stabilizers can really fuck you up if you don't need them. Instead of rushing to diagnose and medicate everyone, we need to educate them on human behavior and show them that their \"mental health\" problems are completely normal.\nOh, so you get nervous right before you make huge life decisions? That's not Anxiety Disorder, it's just anxiety.\nOh, you are really sad because your cat died? That's not Clinical Depression, you are just grieving.\nOh, you went from really happy to really sad when you were previously happy and something really shitty happened to you and soured your mood? That's not Bipolar Disorder, that's just life.\nOh, you like to be more organized than the people around you? That's not Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, you just like to be organized.\nPeople really misunderstand the nature of these conditions and it hinders our collective progress in treating them, like dramatically inflating the number of actual conditions in the population, making it increasingly more difficult to determine how common and how varied they are. After all, in most cases it is not the psychiatrist or psychologist who makes you better, you make you better. Medication can help and other people can show you the path to success, but the problem will never get solved unless you play an active role in the treatment. Some conditions can never be solved, only lessened, while others are virtually untreatable. We need to stop making these conditions seem cool. They aren't. They are serious and need to be taken seriously.", ">\n\nHeavily agree and I appreciate how well this comment is worded. Wish I coulda worded mine a little better", ">\n\nYa I saw you getting shredded in the comments and figured I'd sum it up for you. 🤣", ">\n\nLmao bro I didn’t expect this many. I was thinking maybe like 20 ppl would reply", ">\n\nYou need to self diagnose in many cases in order to get adequate help.", ">\n\nI knew when I had ADD and IBS, and I was able to get my suspicions confirmed by my respective doctors. Doctors are there to help the patients understand themselves, whereas the patients have to go home every day and live with what they actually have. Do not be so quick to judge.", ">\n\nJust to add here - Autism in women is less prevalent because it presents differently and is often not picked up by standardised diagnostic tests (that were developed on an almost exclusively male sample). I think that also goes to show that there’s p significant issues with what we consider ‘scientific’ and research based in the first place.", ">\n\nI grew up in a small town and we had quite a few autistic boys but only one autistic girl. Literally only one out of like 6-8 grades. So that’s like a 10-1 ratio. It’s gotta be a lot statistically smaller then males. I don’t doubt it happens I just know it’s a lot less", ">\n\nYou think your small town’s makeup is generalizable to all of society? That isn’t how statistics work.", ">\n\nSo my question would be - so what do we do?\nYou think people are diagnosing themselves to gain attention. Fine, but what's the next step?\nSee, I think I might be bipolar 2. But I went on a journey where I looked into the techniques for dealing with this issue. That led me to cognitive behavior therapy.\nThat actually made me more convinced that this was my issue because I have taught myself a lot of cognitive behavior therapy techniques to address the same issues. These practices have really helped me.\nIt sounds like your issue is that these people are getting attention for it. To me, these are people who need someone to help guide them. That would have helped me a lot when I was younger. Society today doesn't really give us the tools to sort this out, but just the knowledge that these things exist can push someone down the rabbit hole to learn about therapy that could really help.\nI think you should ask yourself what your motivations are. Do you really want them to understand themselves? Or are you more interested in steering the conversation toward other topics?\nPersonally, I would deal with these people by paying them forward. I would tell them to understand the practices that typically help these people, and see if they are relevant. I would tell them to seek professional help, and to refrain from diagnosing themselves, but I would encourage them to be critical of themselves and to learn more.\nImo, the way out is through.", ">\n\nI agree with you but it’s not mostly women. Maybe by happenstance that’s the case in your circle but broadly men do this too.", ">\n\nDoctor's are consulting the Mayo Clinic website after talking to a patient and getting their symptoms. I bring that up to say this; a doctor's training is needed for very serious diseases and tricky diagnoses, but a semi-intelligent person could look up their symptoms and get a lot of the more minor stuff right.", ">\n\nI've never been diagnosed as clinically depressed or anything, but that doesn't mean that I don't suffer from depression a lot of the time (these last few years, more often than not). I see a therapist. I take antidepressants. \nI have a friend who has aphantasia. It isn't really a \"diagnosable\" condition, but it describes what he has trouble with: creating images in his mind.", ">\n\nThat’s different then going online and claiming perfectly normal traits mean you’re autistic", ">\n\nNeurodivergence ≠ mental illness.", ">\n\nThey know themselves and their experiences better than you.", ">\n\nOP, I'm seeing some differences between your post and what you're saying in the comments. \nMy question is, do you have a problem with people self-diagnosing, or is your issue more about people drawing a lot of public attention to their diagnoses?", ">\n\nOverall both but definitely the attention part more so for obvious reasons. The self diagnosing part due to the fact that it can make people believe it can be an excuse for their actions good or bad. I think In a weird way it can allow people to take away the responsibility of their own actions and attribute to their mental illness", ">\n\nAs someone who has been diagnosed with ADHD, having people self diagnosing doesn't bother me at all, because I went the path of not knowing at all what I had and letting doctors figure out by themselves... and it took me 4 years and a half to finally have a concrete answer that no doctors would have found out if I didn't start searching on my own. You can't walk into every doctor's office with the assumption they'll figure out what you have, because it's not their speciality, or they still have an outdated view (not every doctor are kept up to date with new discovers), or they're biased, etc... \nI've never been annoyed by people who self diagnose. Hell, if I knew what was about to happen to me, I would have done the same way sooner.", ">\n\nMost women today arent faking it, they are noticing the symptoms no one else noticed and trying to find help. Its not easy to grow up with this kind of stuff. Is not coincidence you think women are less likely to be born to autism instead of thinking how weird it is that for some reason most autism diagnosis happen to men, that is the misogyny in the medical comunity.\nSelf diagnosis means this women will go to doctors and it most case scenarios they will get diagnoses because they have this issue all their life.\nSocial media is giving people awareness of the issue in medicine and how it affects women. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Misogyny in medicine also leads to people not knowing the difference between a heart attack in a woman and a man. It leads to women thinking its something else because internet and books will tell you how a man will feel a heart attack, even doctors sometimes dont know this.", ">\n\nGetting a diagnosis or treatment is borderline impossible for a lot of people. So self diagnosis is sometimes the only way they can help themselves.", ">\n\nNot a mental illness. But, I am a trans person and I pretty much self-diagnosed and self-medicated. I just had physicians do blood test.\nI educated myself on how everything works in about eight month period. I did that over a decade.\nI don’t regret my decision, and if I did. The regret would be not starting any sooner, especially when people who aren’t physicians or therapists are having a final say about these things.", ">\n\nIt is very noticeable and annoying, buuuut it’s proven autism manifest differently in females. Plus women are (very) often under diagnosed and dismissed for many many things by doctors, which is absolutely disgusting. Aaaand the cost of healthcare is outrageous.", ">\n\nwomen being less likely to be diagnosed with autism has nothing to do with an actual gender gap in who does and doesn’t have autism and everything to do with the fact autistic women are diagnosed with personality disorders and mental illnesses due to stigmas. most autism research was done on men and therefore women are underrepresented and more often than not misdiagnosed. autism actually occurs at a similar rate in both sexes. also, it’s not a mental illness, it’s a neurological condition (not that mental illnesses aren’t, but illness implies there’s something wrong, which there isn’t in autistic people). i agree that self diagnosing leads to misinformation and harms those who are clinically diagnosed though.", ">\n\nA lot of medical diagnoses are based on white male studies, so yes you would see more women finding out they have certain mental illnesses now as professionals are realizing it can show differently in females vs males. Adhd, for example, was considered something only seen in young boys that would grow out of it, now they are realizing that you don't in fact grow out of it and women can have it too. \nMental illness was a taboo subject back in the day as well, especially for women. It was only in 1980 I think that hysteria was no longer considered a mental illness. Women would be diagnosed with 'hysteria' and committed for symptoms like anxiety and anger. So now a lot of women are learning more about their mental health because they feel safe to do so. \nMy mother is in her early 70's and still refuses to tell anyone her own health issues or even mine, I have cancer and we were going to go on a trip as it's unknown how much longer I have and she refused to ask for the day off because she wouldn't tell them the reason why.", ">\n\nI detest self diagnosis, though once you’ve studied advanced level abnormal psychology shit happens. \nAs far as kids go, the generalized anxiety and depressive spectrum diagnoses can occasionally be accurate however that would warrant professional intervention regardless.\nOne serious issue among others; if an adolescent “decides” they have major depressive disorder that can become a self fulfilling prophecy and cause despair and reluctance to seek treatment", ">\n\nLook at the price and lack of availability of mental health care, and the total lack of privacy of internet connected devices. Most practitioners don’t offer in person visits anymore, and even if they do they probably do digital records or have their phone present. Ofc people are self diagnosing.", ">\n\nCounterpoint: many people do not have the means to access diagnoses for mental illnesses and other disorders, and it can sometimes be the only way to explain their feelings to others. Autism diagnoses in particular are extremely difficult to access for adults and even teens. I suspected I had autism for years and the only way I was able to get a diagnosis was through the mental health treatment program I was in during highschool which had a psychologist there. I only could attend because I live in Canada with universal healthcare. Many, many people are not as fortunate as me. Most people in the world cannot access diagnosis in the first place, including many in richer countries. \nYour comment about women statistically 'being born with autism on a far lesser scale than men' misses the well-known problem of underdiagnosis of autism in women. Autism presents itself differently in women than men (I can say as an autistic woman who knows other autistic women) and the criteria for autism were based on cis white men. Autism in women is is often misdiagnosed as CPTSD (which many autistic people ALSO unfortunately have), borderline personality disorder, anxiety, depression, etc. \nAlthough self-diagnosis is often problematic and used by teenagers to feel special, for the people who take it seriously and are intellectually honest there currently isn't really a better alternative for them to try and explain their experiences when they cannot access diagnoses.", ">\n\nWhat you are describing is NOT a new phenomenon. I was born in 1975 and have been observing this phenomenon my entire life. Nothing new about it at all.", ">\n\nSelf diagnosis is often the first step in going to go and get an actual diagnosis. Getting diagnosed with a mental disorder, especially as an adult, is basically impossible if you aren't actively seeking it out. For several reasons, one of which is that pretty much all the diagnostic criteria are written about children. \nI'm properly diagnosed and even on disability for mental disorders and I knew what I had for years before I got diagnosed. \nI understand there's a feeling of \"stolen valour\" to it. And there is indeed a subset of people doing it for attention or because it's fashionable, OCD in particular being a common example, but the good that comes from self diagnosis more than outweighs the bad.", ">\n\nCorrect me if I’m wrong, but don’t all, or at least most mental disorders lie on a spectrum?", ">\n\nI was diagnosed ADD/ ADHD as a child an im getting re-evaluated next month because i think the diagnosis must be bullshit.\nI have a close friend that wasn't diagnosed ADD/ADHD until they were 22 and in an Ivy league vet program\nThe amount of people that say they cant do well in school simply because they have add/ adhd is bullshit if u ask me. Also, people justify abusing adderal because theyre ADHD and i think thats BS too. I decided never to take it and just abuse caffeine instead to avoid the health side effects", ">\n\nThe current US medical system is such garbage that self advocacy is important. \nSometimes it is wrong. Sometimes professionals ignore you or only pay attention to things insurance companies will pay for. Sonetimes they are also wrong. Or they're incentivized to get you out of a hospital bed ready or not. \nAdministrators and insurance companies get all the money. Nurses, aides, patients all suffer.", ">\n\nEspecially when they don't even understand what the disorder is in the first place. \"I'm a loner so I'm anitsocial.\" That's not what that means.... Or my favorite, \"I'm detailed oriented so I have OCD, lulz I am so le quirky! ;P\"", ">\n\nPeople who struggle with certain things often seek out those with similar experiences. With social media and the internet, it’s easier than ever to find people with similar struggles and sometimes, those people are a group diagnosed with certain mental illnesses. \nDoes that mean every person who sees themselves in a diagnosis will have that diagnosis? Hell no. But I think it’s disingenuous to claim that it’s “for attention.” People want to find community they can relate to and are drawn to experiences that reflect their own.\nI’m saying this as someone who was diagnosed with ADHD at 25 — I started to suspect I might have it in my early 20s and started poking about online. I was officially assessed and diagnosed some time later, and that diagnosis has been validated by three therapists and two psychiatrists.\nPlenty of people misjudge themselves and plenty of people are very ready to leap into a box. Some of them may be wrong. Some may be doing it to try and excuse bad behavior. (Hell, I’ve known waaaay too many people who DID have diagnosed mental illnesses and seemed to think their diagnosis was a free pass to be shitty). However, I think calling it a “trend” or “for attention” misses the point of why and how people reach these conclusions. \nOne might also argue that you do not have the professional expertise regarding psychology to assume the validity or ulterior motives of someone else’s diagnosis. There’s a reason that a lot of psychologists out there are adamantly against diagnosing from a distance - you have significantly less insight into a someone’s mind than they do, and you’re projecting a lot of assumptions onto others’ behavior without any supporting evidence.", ">\n\nIm gonna start out with, generally I agree its a problem-to an extent. Even though women have autism at a much lower rate they’re also under diagnosed/misdiagnosed at a higher rate. When it comes to why people are doing this, in my experience it’s people who are trying to figure out why they’re treated the way they are, why they struggle to do certain things that others don’t even see as an issue. They’re noticing their differences and feeling bad about it. When they can’t fix it they start trying to find a reason, a cause to help them both understand and feel better about themselves and ways they can move forward and actually improve their lives, as well as finding a group they can relate to when they have a hard time relating to the average person.", ">\n\nI think OP is arguing there are quite a few people whose self-diagnosis wouldn’t meet the criteria of a medical diagnosis. It’s horrible for me to even argue but some people want to portray themselves as a victim: I think this because I am a shit.\nHowever I agree with arguments here that if these people are brave enough to identify a potential issue in themselves then kudos to them for recognising it.", ">\n\nI had a doctor misdiagnose my spine injury and I researched medical articles and studies to come the actual diagnosis.\nNot always bad to do your research. \nBut mental health is a serious issue and some people use self diagnosis’ as an excuse to act however they want.", ">\n\nPart of what happens when you can’t afford to see a doctor.", ">\n\nThe most important piece to note on the self diagnosis problem among youth is misdiagnosis. \nThings like BPD, NPD, and ASPD for have dozens of overlapping criteria but very specific things that distinguish them. A professional can discern between both disorders and the average googler can not. \nThe result is that the patients identity crisis worsens as they begin to develop a sense of identity with a diagnosis than is not true for them. \nIt seems like the youth is quite eager to be diagnosed with some sort of disorder today.", ">\n\nI'm really happy to see someone mentioning this. I have experienced this more and more recently and I agree with it being strange and problematic.", ">\n\nThis is not new, we are just talking about it on social media now.\nI have been chronically ill for my entire life. I have constantly been refused medical care because I am apparently to young to be sick and I have had diagnosis withheld because, for example, how could I possibly complete a Masters and be neurodivergent. A lot of medical gatekeeping is rooted in ableism. \nI’ve had 7 surgeries, most would have been avoidable if I’d been listened to when I first sort medical care. I’ve had to do a mountain of research and go to Drs with a self diagnosis and sources to even get passed the are you just sad or have you tried yoga phase (I’ve also been told to go to church and find a nice husband to cure me). The surgeries that would’ve had to happen anyway were massively delayed due to Drs not taking my symptoms seriously, with 2 resulting in damage to other organs due to the delay.\nI’ve wasted so much time and energy and had so much damage happen to my body because Drs have medically gaslighted me or not listened or answered my questions when I’ve asked for more explanation. \nSelf diagnosis isn’t some cop out or look at me I’m special thing, it’s for survival. I’d literally be dead. I didn’t want to spend the past decade learning about medicine, ideally I’d get on with my life, but Drs and the medical community won’t let me do that.\np.s men are NOT more likely to be autistic than women. Research into autism has been majority based on studies into white, male adolescents and expected social male behaviour which is why lots of girls don’t get diagnosed and is why it is common for women, POC, and LGBTQIA+ people to be diagnosed in adulthood." ]

[ "The diagnosis process for a lot of psychiatric conditions are surveys and questionaires. You can go to a psychiatrist and ask if you're anxious and they'll give you multiple choice questions and diagnose off of that. Or you can just google the form yourself and self diagnose. A lot of psychiatric disorders are about how we feel and think. Not about sending off some blood sample to a lab and getting a positive result come back.\n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. For such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nWhat you're describing are all neuroses that could indicate some deeper psychiatric condition. Whether a person has a mental health condition or not, thinking of ourselves as weak victims is never helpful in any context, yet it's something we all feel from time to time.\nI'm a disability support worker, so when someone tells me they've got a self diagnosed condition, it's not offensive to me or any disabled person I know, it doesn't come across like they're invalidating anyone else's condition. However I do think everyone should talk to a doctor about any condition they feel they might have.", ">\n\nPiggybacking off of this: You’ve spent your whole entire life inside your own brain. A therapist will spend a period of hours with you and give you a diagnosis. Who do you think knows your personal reality better than yourself?", ">\n\nYeah exactly, especially with conditions such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, PTSD, and many other psychiatric conditions. These are things people know they have even before they get a diagnosis. The diagnosis stage is more about treatment and management.\nPeople might be unaware of how severe or mild their condition is, some people think they have only mild PTSD despite constant nightmares and suicidal ideation. Some people will think they have severe ADHD because they can't concentrate for long times on things that don't interest them. It's good to get some perspective from experts but ultimately people know when they are struggling to focus or to struggling to stop stressing all the time or struggling to not be miserable. Struggling with our thoughts and feelings is evidence enough to self diagnose.", ">\n\nI was recently diagnosed with ADHD as a woman so I find this viewpoint interesting.\nFirstly, autism is not a mental illness. An autistic person may have mental illness in conjunction with autism, but autism alone lies under the neurodivergent umbrella. Neurodivergency can include autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and other similar conditions.\nWhy women are often underdiagnosed\nThese are serious disabilities that can really impede a person's life, especially if they struggle to find help and acceptance in their community. A lot of women start their journey towards diagnosis later in life due to a number of factors such as:\n\nPoor diagnostic tools and inexperienced professionals\nA misunderstanding that autism and ADHD are more common in boys\nAdvanced masking techniques to cover their 'traits'\n\nWhy women are often diagnosed later in life.\nThe process for many women and men who are diagnosed later in life often includes a level of burnout or breakdown. After a while everything becomes too much, the mask begins to slip and your traits go into overdrive.\nWhy does self-diagnosing seem to be on the rise?\nA common way of finding out you could possibly be neurodivergent is through media and people who are aware of these traits appear.\nIn the past few years, I have seen an increasing awareness of neurodivergence in women pop up in the media. This is useful for people like myself who had no idea wtf was wrong with them for a very long time. For me, a GP actually suggested I seek a diagnosis due to some struggles I was going through.\nAs someone who went through this process self-diagnosing is commonly the first step as an adult. You might be directed to a questionnaire and are asked to evaluate yourself and your experiences thinking back to your childhood. If there's some merit in your experiences than you move to the next step which involves seeking a professional. Waitlists are often months to years long so many people live in limbo for a long time.\nMethods of living with ADHD can help everyone. And everyone experiences ADHD traits from time to time. Given a large amount of stress we have all suffered collectively, I don't doubt there are a lot of people with increased mental health issues that mirror neurodivergent traits. Some mental illnesses can get very severe and alter your brain chemistry and behaviour.\nMy takeaway from this is that the mental health systems set up to assist these people are a much larger issue and cause for serious concern than self-diagnosing.\nApologies for the spelling and grammar errors. Grammarly and Reddit don't play nice.", ">\n\nI think it's two things. One, people have identity crises, especially teenagers. We all know that type of person who tries on identities like hats. That's pretty embarrassing. You usually grow out of that.\nTwo, from personal experience, giving yourself a label or a diagnosis makes it feel more contained and easy to communicate. It's easier to tell someone that you have X and have them understand what you're going through rather than telling them you have these vague symptoms resembling what you imagine X is like. In that respect, it is pretty understandable, possibly good, and not embarrassing. There's something that is sort of reassuring if you can finally get a word to put on what you're experiencing.\nPeople often sympathize with the diagnosis but not with the symptoms. Tell people at work you're autistic and they will sympathize with you and possibly not attack you. Tell them you do not understand social cues and they will probably just make fun of you.", ">\n\nI understand the desire to put a label with a disease, and this is not necessarily bad, but the diagnosis needs to be correct. If you want to tell others that you are autistic or depressed; you must actually be those things. A person can almost never correctly assertion their disease, only their symptoms. People might better understand you if you say your autistic, but you may incorrectly understand and describe yourself. If one wishes to put a name with symptoms, they should find a doctor to pick the label", ">\n\nfor sure but unfortunately our medical system is a joke and even if you are experiencing very severe symptoms it can be nearly impossible to see a professional or take months on a waiting list.\nEven then a professional may be reluctant to slap a label on you for fear of what the consequences of that might be. I saw someone for a very long time who resisted any sort of actual diagnosis because the truth is that what I was experiencing didn't fit neatly into any of the boxes and pretty much belonged in this vague \"other\" category which isn't particularly helpful. Not to mention that misdiagnosis happens all the time even by professionals. \nI just think it is sort of understandable because I think a lot of stuff is kind of a spectrum anyway and just different levels of severity. Things can be really confusing and hard to nail down and thus communicate in a way that causes someone else to be understanding rather than judgemental.", ">\n\nAre you under the impression this is a new phenomenon? Because it's definitely not.\nPeople - especially young people! - crave identity. The world is a confusing place, knowing who you are makes it a little easier. Sometimes it's self-diagnosing mental illness or learning disabilities, or exploring sexual identity, or cliques, or subcultures. There's nothing embarrassing about it, it just is what it is.", ">\n\nIt’s ok to want to express individuality but not to the extent of totally destroying the definition of a real thing and making it hard for actual mentally Ill ppl to get a diagnosis. Why can’t people just accept that they’re different rather then giving themselves a label?", ">\n\npeople on TikTok claiming to have disorders that they don't doesn't affect the precision of psychiatrists diagnosing actual patients. There's no TikTok-said section in the DSM. Why do you think that it does?", ">\n\nIt just encourages more people to get diagnosed possibly skewing the meaning of the mental illness", ">\n\nSkewing it towards statistical accuracy? If people are actually diagnosed at higher rates, we have a better Guage of population-level mental illness, neurodivergency, etc. Better data is more usable, so that research actually means something actionable, ASIDE from the identity boost for young people.", ">\n\nI think what OP is driving at, but utterly failing to explain, is that they think that the fakers will be accommodated by the psychiatric system and diagnosed on the basis of fake symptoms. my sense is that isn't a problem but I don't have data.", ">\n\nDefinitely explained it a little better then I could lol", ">\n\nWhere do you see evidence of that? Any articles about fakers? How about a statistic? If not, it’s just a fear you seem to have.", ">\n\nI think the salient line here is this one:\n\nNeurologists were able to quickly determine that the subjects were not \nsuffering from Tourette's, but psychogenic tics driven by anxiety.", ">\n\nWomen are not born with less autism, but are much less likely to be diagnosed as children than boys. This is partly because boys generally have similar symptoms and behaviors. \nSo of course more women are self diagnosing autism, since their diagnoses were missed as children on a much higher rate.", ">\n\nAlright, I'm diagnosed OCD, PTSD, chronic depression. Diagnosed by a professional so I think I have some grounds to talk about this.\nFirst, let's tackle your women comment about autism. You see, I understand where you're coming from, but you lack the nuance of recognizing that mental illness, and illness in general, is heavily under-diagnosed in women. The medical culture is heavily favored towards men and is rampant with mysogyny, and that's not just me saying it as I've had medical professionals blatantly tell me it's a problem in the field when questioned about it. I've also had some tell me that it's just because women whine a lot, so yanno make of that statement what you will.\nNow that we've covered that let me address the self-diagnosing issue. So, do you want to know what my therapist thinks of self-diagnosing? Well, when I asked them about it they said that self-diagnosing is an important first step to seeking help. Psychiatrist said the same thing. It's normal, expected even, for people to self-diagnose their issues then seek help for them. You can't exactly just peer into someone's brain, no, that person has to tell you what they think is wrong and why they think it is. \nWhat you actually have a problem with is not self-diagnosis, but with people not seeking or not being able to get medical assistance and assuming they're right. You have a problem with people using these issues for attention, which I do too, but once again self-diagnosing is not the problem. Finally, you have a problem with the medical system that forces people into the position of trying to figure out their mental illnesses, but having no ability to get help for them.", ">\n\nI think I did it", ">\n\nSadly no lol, it was not done properly. Do you need a link to the rules?", ">\n\nI already read them i think I’ll figure it out in a bit sorry for the hold up", ">\n\nBecause everyone else is being aggressive: you have to comment with ∆ or !delta and then explain how your view has been changed", ">\n\nThis delta has been rejected. You can't award OP a delta.\nAllowing this would wrongly suggest that you can post here with the aim of convincing others.\nIf you were explaining when/how to award a delta, please use a reddit quote for the symbol next time.\n^Delta System Explained ^| ^Deltaboards", ">\n\nWhat gives you the authority or knowledge to know this is the problem?", ">\n\nYou don’t think it’s a problem that a lot of young ppl are willing to go to the extent of saying they are mentally Ill either for attention or to excuse their weirdness? Just accept that your different. It’s not wrong to believe you’re different without a label", ">\n\nYou did not even try to answer my question.", ">\n\nI’m sorry I was confused on what you meant", ">\n\nIf you are mad at people for self diagnosing themselves because they don't have the knowledge or authority to do so.... what gives you the knowledge or authority to diagnosis this as the problem behavior... basically are you just a kid that is annoyed, or is there some actual studies out there that is claiming this is a problem.", ">\n\nIf you don’t think that people consistently seeking attention for mental illness or craving a label so badly to justify themselves rather then being themselves. That just shows what your views are", ">\n\nDont you think we should leave the diagnosing to the professionals?", ">\n\nI mean yeah", ">\n\nWould you agree that you are diagnosing these people by saying that they are only seeking attention and do not have a real mental illness?", ">\n\nI’m assuming", ">\n\nThere may be some truth to people wanting to be different, however with mental illnesses being more accepted in today's society, many people are a lot more comfortable with being neurodivergent. Additionally, self diagnosis is common because the alternative is spending upwards to $1000-$2000 for a clinical diagnosis.", ">\n\nI know costs suck, but self diagnosis can be much more harmful. A web.md page that tells you your depressed when you may actually be bipolar can lead to really messed up results. I would even go as far as to say that no diagnosis at all is preferable to an uninformed one", ">\n\nWell.\n​\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad \n\nSo you already know why they're doing what they're doing in addition the fact that you know that they're not Autistic? If your claim is that they can't know and only a doctor can, what makes you more qualified? You start out your argument admitting that you have a bias.\n\nthey’re “neurodivergent.\n\nNeurodivergent is an umbrella that covers both Autism and ADHD, which sometimes get mistaken for each other. So if you're upset that they're self-diagnosing, this term should be more welcome than \"Autistic\" because it's more generalized.\n\nnd when you ask them how they know they’ll say “oh I have this weird tick when I uh laugh when someone says something funny “ or “I have a hyper fixation on this topic so I must be autistic\n\nHow else should they communicate it to you? The list of aspects of Autism, especially for how it presents in women, sounds a lot like this. You're not a doctor, they don't have to prove anything to you by going down the entire list of every possible part of their daily experience that might be on the spectrum.\n\nWomen statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nNope. Women are diagnosed less often than men because the original diagnostic criteria for Autism was for Autism as it presents in males. It presents differently for females and is harder to diagnose, especially at younger ages. \n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized\n\nTodays youth want to be victimized? Why would anyone want to be victimized? Something tells me you're missing the mark with this terminology.\n\nor have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. \n\nSo if someone is Autistic and that makes them weird, you'd rather them just be forced to not get to have a name for it, and get the therapeutic treatment that would help them?\n\nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really [are] without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nSome people are autistic. If they find out and it makes them feel good, that doesn't mean they're craving attention. And if they are craving attention, it's because they're normal people and everyone does. \nIf someone thinks they're autistic but it turns out they're actually not, chances are they suspected it for a reason. They might have ADHD, a personality disorder, a mental health issue, or simply a slightly different way of experiencing the world that feels unique to them and there's nothing wrong with that. \nYou seem to think that other people do things for you. People generally don't. They do things for themselves. This is especially true of people on the Autism Spectrum who may not be able to easily use other people's experiences to reference when constructing their view of the world, and can only use their own. Your interpretation wherein they do it to evoke a response from you says more about you than it does about them.", ">\n\nYou’re being deliberately obtuse. OP is completely correct. Most of the people these days who say “I’m ADHD” or “I’m autistic” or “I’m neurodivergent” are absolutely not diagnosed as such and are doing it to seem unique or get attention or as some excuse for why they did x y or z.", ">\n\nI'd like to point out that while some are perhaps attention seeking, many people self diagnose simply because they don't have access to free medical/psychological professionals to get proper diagnosis and help with their issues. I also know someone who doesn't want to get an official diagnosis because he's afrad it will affect his insurance rates or somehow come back to bite him if he's offically labeled with having a neurological disorder. \nThere is a wealth of knowledge on these subjects available online for those interested. And if they are truly interested in self diagnose they can likely do that accurately enough for all intents and purposes. Most of these people who search for the sake of better understanding themselves or their loved ones will openly admit that it's a self diagnoses, or say they THINK they have x,y, or z. But in some situations it's just as well to say they have it if they feel certain anyway, and it's just a passing comment, and not a discussion on the matter. \nIn other words, just because they self diagnose doesn't mean they're wrong, nor does it explain their motives. I also don't see how attention seeking (for those who ARE doing that) is really hurting anyone else. Fakers gonna be fake, that's more a \"them\" kind of problem. ANNOYING, but mostly harmless.", ">\n\nUnless you have a doctor's diagnosis you don't have the disorder. Even if you are broke there are programs to help with costs. \nAnd yes it does affect me when someone is treating me like shit and tries using the I have such and such as an excuse and then people get mad at ME for calling them in their bullshit.", ">\n\nNo. You have to have the disorder before you CAN be diagnosed, so obviously there are undiagnosed people who in fact \"have the disorder \". Your refusal to acknowledge an undiagnosed disorder does not mean they don't have it. Your personal experience with people supposedly using a fake diagnosis to treat you badly, sounds unusual. How do you know they DIDN'T have it? People who do lie and just want to be jerks will do that regardless of what methods they decide to try. The methods are irrelevant. And that motive is not typical of most self diagnosers .", ">\n\nSounds unusual? You must not get out a lot because it's become a pretty regular thing. Every single person I know (about 8) that have self diagnosed themselves as neurodivergent or with a mental illness like Bi-polar all use it to excuse their shitty ass behaviors. \nToo many disorders can mirror other ones. Just because they think they have 2/3 symptoms doesn't make them right by a long shot. Keep living in your bubble.", ">\n\nYou don't have to have a relationship with anyone. If they treat you badly, regardless of an official diagnosis or not, you don't have to tolerate them. It makes no difference what they have or don't have. What would it change if they got diagnosed and actually have it?", ">\n\nSelf diagnosing has been a thing forever\nAnd it's not a problem im 99% sure me or any other autistic person doesn't really give 2 fucks about people who wanna fake disorders. It doesn't stop us from getting help, we have doctors notes, medical files, sometimes even volunteers, you need those files to get into let's say a special education class, or a life skills course.\nSo unless you were diagnosed by a professional you're probably not gonna make it far faking it.\n(Excuse my shitty punctuation)", ">\n\nIt doesn’t bother you that they’re making others take the actual meaning away from what you were born with? I mean I’m sure autism hasn’t made your life easy and seeing ppl claim it for attention to be quirky probably has to annoy you a little right?", ">\n\nAt the end of the day I still have ADHD and I still need help with it. More people being diagnosed with it doesn’t change that fact. In fact I was diagnosed because I realized I related to so many tiktok memes, and I’m sure others are in my same boat. \nIn fact I think so many people talking about ADHD helps. It means more people who possibly have tips for me, people who are suffering who can’t afford treatment have an easy way to learn about how to improve their lives, and more people who are aware of my disorder.", ">\n\nI think people do diagnose themselves too often without seeking professional help. BUT mental illness is not the same as being neurodivergent.", ">\n\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad that they’ll go as far to say they’re “neurodivergent.”\n\nWhile this is the case, I don't really see how it's a \"problem\" per se. I guarantee that these people still make lifestyle decisions based on what they think is best, or based on what they want to do.\n\nbut it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women\n\nDo you have any statistics for that? I haven't experienced it that way in my own anecdotal experience, and I'd be curious to look into the data to see how much that truly does skew in that direction.\n\nwanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness \nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nI understand what you're trying to say here, but I don't really think these things are connected as much as you think they are. People see something wrong with themselves, so they either playfully or seriously consider the fact that it could be a condition that they have similar symptoms to. Not that it never happens, but just because someone categorizes themselves into a disability group that could potentially excuse their \"quirks\", doesn't mean they think that behavior is unacceptable in any way. People see a problem, and assume it's linked to this other issue that seems similar that they already know about.", ">\n\nI agree with the conclusion that self-diagnosis is a real issue, and I wouldn't be surprised if the data indicated it was on the rise. I wouldn't necessarily frame it as a simple desire to \"be victimized\" however. While it is purely speculation, I do believe there are a number of conditions which might lead towards a more frequent experience of symptoms associated with mental illness - a rising wealth gap, perpetual anxiety from a 24-hour news cycle, intensification of self-commodification, the student debt crisis in certain countries like the US, and so on. So people are experiencing symptoms like low energy, mood swings, etc. that can be associated with mental illness. The issue with self-diagnosis then becomes that it may correctly identify the symptom, but incorrectly identify the cause.\nThis video from the YouTuber HealthyGamerGG does a good job of explaining what some of the issues with self-diagnosis are, and for me it was a good starting place for thinking about this more. \nEDIT: I forgot this video literally starts with this same topic being brought up on this same subreddit lol", ">\n\nA great theory based on reasonable causes with an educational video from a psychologist(I assume) as evidence to back it up. I applaud you sir. 👏", ">\n\nWhy are you embarrassed by other people's issues?", ">\n\nI’m a 30yo male. If I had not first self diagnosed with ASD and OCD, I never would have found the language and resources to get a formal diagnosis and help.\nPrior generations have been so fixated on avoidance of diagnosing mental disorders, and research was previously so lacking that we are only just now (through those that do get diagnosed) realizing how common mental disorders are. That plus the lack of mental health resources for neurotypical and neurodivergent I think is how we end up in this situation of many recognizing their symptoms in the new discourse, but lacking the resources to overcome the barriers to proper diagnosis and treatment.", ">\n\nIt’s not the best thing, no. \nAs an adult FINALLY diagnosed (by a licensed therapist) at 41, I can tell you why ‘self diagnosis’ is so tempting. \nIn the US at least- mental health, and official medical diagnosis are almost completely inaccessible, especially as an adult. Most of us grew up before Autism was a spectrum, and ADHD was just boys who acted out in class. We felt like aliens. We couldn’t understand why we didn’t have many friends, or why we didn’t like the ‘right things’, and generally spend the bill of our lives feeling ‘wrong’, ‘broken’ or just simply like we didn’t belong. \nFinally understanding the WHY, and even better, finding tools to addresses our issues is a huge huge weight off the chest. The relief of having a name and a strategy- either therapy or medicine is such an amazing relief!!", ">\n\nI only kinda agree if I had not done my own research I would have never found out I have sjorgens syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis I know TikTok people tend to diagnose themselves and it makes it look cringe but when you live with a incurable illness sometimes you have to work to find a diagnosis", ">\n\nWell, what do you do of you absolutely know you're neurodivergent, but your parents decided not to get you checked? My mom once told me \"we knew you had something, we just didn't get you checked because they would have just put you on pills\". So I struggled with being different, socially unaware, impulsive, obnoxious, agressive, selfish, for the better part of my life without having the self awareness to understand why I was these things, and why people wouldn't want to be around me. \nIn my late 20''s I asked the question, what if I'm actually autistic? I looked up the symptoms, and 9/10 matched. As a child I couldn't handle loud noises, restrictive clothing, I didn't talk until I was 3. I would throw fits for seemingly no reason, I had obsessive interests. I've always really struggled with eye contact, and I never cared for conversation unless it was something I liked. I mean, when the final piece of a puzzle fits so incredibly well, it's really hard for it to be wrong. \nSelf diagnosing actually really helped me grow as aj individual. I became aware of all my divergent behaviors, and why it might be annoying for someone else to deal with. I came to the realization that I was the one who was different, therefore I needed to change. It's way harder to make everyone around you cater to your needs than to overcome the things that upset you. I'm at peace, I have good friends that I can connect with on a pretty deep level. I no longer smash coffee tables when I lose, I can now appreciate that if I lose it just means I have more to learn. I can keep my house clean, I can reasonably hold myself accountable. What exactly is the harm in all that?\nBesides, it would be pretty pointless for me to try and get a diagnosis now, I've put the effort in and largely come out the other side. Anyone diagnosing me would just say I was normal, but they wouldn't have the intimate knowledge of me that I do. I guess it doesn't matter if people don't believe me, I don't go around shouting that I'm autistic. I will say, it would be really nice if people appreciated the effort I put in to get to get to a place of normalcy, something others take for granted, but it's okay, we all have our struggles.", ">\n\nI feel you on all that. To play devil's advocate, mental healthcare in the U.S. is not cheap. Many people go to the internet and confirm their bias about their current health", ">\n\nI feel you on that too OP. I agree 100% with your entire statement.", ">\n\nIt's a problem, but not a new one. In the 1990s there was briefly a surge of people with a type of delusional parasitosis, that is, the false belief that they were infested with parasites. Except this one was supposedly an infestation with tiny fibres. They would come to doctors with a whole list of symptoms to back up their incorrect self-diagnosis.\nTo a certain extent, these are social contagions, which come and go, and often actually end up leading to people having real problems. Like, the young women you mention, a couple of decades ago may well have ended up with anorexia, or self-cutting. These days it might be a self-declaration of autism or a belief that they have gender dysphoria or that they have multiple systems living in their minds.", ">\n\nWow I did not know that. Maybe it’s just so prevalent today due to social media. Social media has only made these things worse imo", ">\n\nEven before it being self diagnosis of a mental illness it was always something. Remember all the emo and goth teenager?", ">\n\nIt depends on the context. For example, if they've done a substantial amount of research, can name a good amount of symptoms they have and reasons they have whatever mental illness and don't have access to the necessary tools to get a medical diagnosis, it's totally different. Some people don't have the money to go out and get a diagnosis, or sometimes it would be better to not get a medical diagnosis. I believe that the reason that a lot of people self diagnose themselves with things like Autism is because they want an explanation as to why they are different, and they could be right or wrong. I think the most important part is that if you go to a psychologist (or even two, I know a lot of people prefer getting second opinions) and they say you don't have it, that you need to admit you were wrong. It's ok to be wrong about your mental health, and the key is to keep looking and to not give up. I can completely understand the frustration in people completely missing how difficult it actually may be to have a mental illness. I was clinically diagnosed with Depression, Anxiety, and PTSD when I was seven, and I've had some experience with people faking mental disorders for attention, and more often then not, they have another mental disorder that needs attention. Recently I had a (now ex) boyfriend insist he had PTSD after being tested twice and the psychiatrist saying that he didn't have it. What he does have is Depression and Anxiety, but he absolutely insisted he has PTSD despite never exhibiting symptoms and the only evidence being a test he took online that was supposedly a \"real PTSD test.\" People faking mental illnesses only harms people who really have them, as these people tend to exaggerate symptoms and use their self diagnosis for attention. I believe that I am autistic, but I don't list it as a diagnosis because while I have read articles and taken the RAADS-r test, I don't have an official diagnosis, and I could very well be wrong. As for women faking illnesses more often, something I've noticed is that things like Autism, ADHD, ADD, etc are more often diagnosed in boys rather than girls- mostly because when they were first discovered, most of the research was done in boys. Autism shows up differently in girls, and can often be blown off as early puberty hormones. If their hyperfixations are those of stereotypical feminine things, it's just a girl liking whatever, and if they hyperfixate in stereotypical masculine interests, they tend to just be viewed as weird, but not autistic. It's normal for people to question, but I agree that to a certain point, self diagnosis can be harmful, but only if not done correctly.", ">\n\nFirst and foremost not a new problem at all, very common, we used to call it \"Being a hypochondriac\" until it aparrently became reconized which in it self is confusing and a bit contradictory.\nANYWAY\nIt isnt really a problem, no doctor is gonna write the perscription for medication without a diagnosis of some sort.\nAt most there is the vauge \"But what about those who actually have it who arent taken serious\" dont worry, we wouldnt have anyway. Thats kinda how invisible illnesses work.\nOverall the 101 hypochondriacs screaming about the symptoms they read in the ICD might help make the knowledge more common and help people better reconize if their colleagues or friends happen to show symptoms of something.", ">\n\nIt’s pretty expensive in the US to get diagnosed. Personally, I’ve self diagnosed myself out of frustration of the way I process things. I’ve always felt slow & my anxiety/depression was deep because of it, but I was raised in a family that doesn’t believe in mental illness. It was always “if you work hard enough, all your problems will go away”. Meanwhile, i was racking my brain on how to make myself think faster/smarter & it would result in psychotic episodes. I’ve gotten fired from jobs, dropped out of school. I started self harming because I hated myself and my brain & almost commit suicide bc I had no idea what was going on.\nThe relief I felt once I finally got a therapist who validated me & was the first to talk to me about mental Illness. It blew my mind and all of a sudden things actually made sense to me. I currently think I have ADD, and sometimes I’ll tell people that but will preface it by saying I’m not professionally diagnosed. Still, I use mental tools that help me get through the day and build my confidence. I’m a lot better at processing conversations, making lists that help me remember things, unmasking, slowing down my thoughts… etc. I’m less frustrated and can see the beauty in how I process things. I still want to get diagnosed but I have to get health insurance….. lol", ">\n\nSelf diagnosis, regardless of being factual is a process where the individual realizes that they might have a mental health issue. People who can do this are more likely to seek professional help compared to the people who think they are “fine”. Going to a professional, licensed psychologist or a psychiatrist will eventually diagnose them with the correct disorder from there, and professionals have the skills to communicate with them and they can together evaluate if the person’s complaint is the issue or not. There is nothing embarrassing about discovering one’s self. It would be a problem if people would identify with an issue and don’t have any willingness to seek help. Sometimes overreacting is better than not reacting.", ">\n\nThe majority of people who are self-diagnosed with autism have done extensive research into it to come to that conclusion. I personally went through the DSM criteria with a fine-tooth comb, made a list of all the ways I met it and discovered that there’s not a single criteria i don’t meet for autism. I didn’t read about anything else but autism for weeks, approaching it from all angles before coming to the conclusion that it’s highly unlikely I am not autistic. I’m waiting to hear back about an assessment, but I’m not waiting to go and be told something I already know before I start advocating for myself. \nOh, and I absolutely did not want to be ‘different’, in fact my life mission to just blend in and be average is the root cause of most of my problems, but here we are.", ">\n\nThis self diagnosing young people do isn’t the problem. The problem is that our society encourages it.\nOur culture is not set up to accommodate a wide spectrum of human needs. You may need things that I don’t. I may need things that you don’t. But in most business settings, academic settings, or even places like restaurants or leisure places, the world isn’t built to accommodate everyone. Our world and society is a “one size fits all” approach, and most people don’t fit snugly inside of that system. \nIf you can classify what is “wrong” or “different” about you into an easily digestible form, people are generally more able and more willing to accommodate you.\nFor example: if I tell my coworkers that I need to leave work early because of a headache, I’ll be shamed for it. And in some cases I’ll be told that “headaches aren’t that bad!” Or “You don’t need to leave.” Or “I have a headache too, just deal with it!”\nBut if I tell my workers that I need to leave due to a painful neurological condition that’s flaring up (I have chronic migraine, which is a neurological condition), they will respect it 100% of the time. It’s met with sympathy and not criticism.\nThis happens for all sorts of things. “Sorry Im late, I slept in.” Sounds a lot worse then, “sorry I’m late, my insomnia has been terrible lately.” \nOur culture forces us to use these labels even when they’re untrue just to receive sympathy or acceptance. The problem isn’t people who decide to use these labels, the root problem is that our society refuses to embrace and accommodate people who are outside of the “norm.”", ">\n\nSpeaking as someone who's had an autism diagnosis since age 7: if someone declares they're autistic when they're not, that's obnoxious at worst. If someone is told they're not autistic when they are, that can cause lifelong harm from denied care and understanding. I have seen this happen to a close friend of mine.\nTherefore, I'd much rather err on the side of acceptance. If you think you're defending me and others like me from impersonators, we'd rather not have your help.\n\nI know people will disagree but it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women. Women statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nCase in point: women are diagnosed with autism far less than men. Recent studies have pointed to decades of systematic misdiagnosis. The more visible autistic symptoms sometimes manifest differently in girls, the way they're socialized may help them hide it from a young age, and of course lots of doctors just say \"your daughter can't be autistic, that's a boy thing.\"\nWe're learning that there are hundreds of thousands of autistic women who slipped through the cracks and were denied the recognition and support they needed because of dismissive, gatekeeping attitudes just like yours.", ">\n\nThere’s a difference between having a disorder and relating to a disorder. If the tools or language associated with a disorder helps someone live better though then cool, it’s all still odd. Also autism presents differently in woman, and a majority of our research on it is on men. Best practice is probably to support them and encourage them to seek treatment.", ">\n\nAutism is severely misdiagnosed in women. Completely under diagnosed. Actually, plenty of things are. The actual problem that we have is parents refusing to let their children get professional help or a diagnosis. Most doctors will diagnose you with BPD as a woman(aka the new female hysteria of our century), maybe put you on some anti psychotics and send you your way. In most countries, a diagnosis/specialist is not readily available, or there is a long waiting list. Even so, the doctors are not know it all. I have seen plenty of doctors, I got different diagnosis almost each time. They ask you some general questions (about your mood, the way you sleep, if you can concentrate, if you harm yourself, if you have suicidal ideation, if you can socialize properly, if your parents were diagnosed with anything, if you have hallucinations or delusions, the works) and then based on that, they will give you a diagnosis. If you use your common sense and information on the internet (given you are knowledgeable on the subject), you can take a good guess on what's wrong. Obviously, some people will exaggerate like with anything (seeing the shadow dude once in your childhood is not a sign of psychosis, neither is hearing your name called when you are alone once in a blue moon), but if you have visual and auditory hallucinations, perhaps weird tactile feelings/hallucinations (spiders are crawling on me, etc), delusions, tend to be forgetful and out of teach with reality, there is a good chance you do have psychosis.", ">\n\nOkay, to start: what do you think autism and ADHD are? They aren't mental illnesses nor are they mental health conditions. \nTo address some of your other points; \nStudies have shown that autism has a gender expression of 1:1. The only reason that women are under diagnosed is because of misunderstandings towards autism, then the diagnosis is conducted incorrectly. Thus it ends up getting conflated with mental illness, E.G BPD, and is diagnosed as a psychiatric disorder instead. This is a detriment to the patient as the care regimes are black and white different. Often times this severely damages the woman.\nFrom data sets that I recall reading, malingering hasn't risen much, if at all, in recent times. I remember it being around 8% of the global population who are engaging in this behaviour, to different extents. I think what's happened is that social media has turned a torch onto it and it's risen in popularity in an algorithmic way. You see it more because it's pushed by the algorithm more because people are searching for it more. It isn't actually occurring any more or less than historically. Most of that attention is negative attention, I should add. \nSo there's two things to take away from that.\n1) The actual act of pretending to be mentally ill, or to have a disability, which is called malingering, is in fact a form of mental unwellness itself. It's a cry for help. The people who do these things are usually very unstable and should be treated with a degree of empathy. The dangerous types who are using mental illness to scam others, or to manipulate them, make up a very small percentage of the overall amount of people in that group and tend to abuse one on one. \n2) The predominant response to this is generally negative. There isn't really any reason to publicly malinger unless you're unstable, this is because a rational person would likely know this, and know the damage it would cause themselves. Self-diagnosis is a very long, and self-aware, process that takes place over years of the individuals life, and proceeds official diagnosis. \nNo one SDs and says \"Okay that's it now! Let me start a TikTok!\" You'd still want support, and you'd still seek support. So that would end up with a doctor, who would see that you're lying, and treat you for whatever was prompting you to malinger. Anyone who has made this commitment knows that keeping it private is a sensible thing to do in a world that isn't inclusive, and often very stigmatising. Sometimes official diagnosis can take YEARS. \nThis kind of propaganda has been going around for a long time in an effort to discredit disabled people and people with mental illnesses. It's not new. People said the same things back in the 90s. People will always be afraid, and dismissive, of things they do not understand. I invite you to try and understand.", ">\n\nI self-diagnosed myself with endometriosis for 10 years before a doctor finally listened to me, opened me up, and found my insides littered with lesions all over my organs. I’m now not able to get pregnant and I might need to get part of my bowel taken out someday. This could’ve been avoided if someone had just listened to me when I was 16. \nSelf-diagnosing is a necessity in a misogynist world! No one takes us seriously! Especially medical professionals. \nThe best antidote for this is to listen to women who self-diagnose. Why do they think they have XYZ? Is it heavily interfering with their life? I think that’s a much larger problem.", ">\n\nIts been proven that there is a bias to diagnose as opposed to not diagnose a mental illness in psychology. So op is actually kinda correct. The definition of a mental illness is in effect being stretched so far that people who are just kinda weird are being diagnosed with \"on the spectrum\". This is actually causing a problem in early learning because parents start treating their kids as essentially learning challenged when they're really not. So it is starting to become an excuse ...", ">\n\nWe live in a society that loves to medicate people. I know it’s different but Did ppl forget about the opioid epidemic? They’ll diagnose your ass with anything if they can", ">\n\nYa I tend to agree. And no one is really saying so I will I guess, but id wager that 50% of psychologist \"professionals\" are totally full of shit. The actual number of psychologists that are are doing real research and clinical studies is EXTREMELY small compared to how many \"psychologists\" are out there. Just like chiropractors, half of them are hacks..", ">\n\nAnd ill say one more thing, though it is anecdotal, but i have direct family that works in special education for young children, and that system is fucked with a capital F. Thay are constantly fighting against parents and programs who try to box kids in the \"autistic\" zone, when they are just really quite or shy, or have pee problems. But parents want an excuse and reason for their behavior, and reduce them to a sub standard education and treatment for the rest of their lives. It's heart breaking. Especially in public schools.", ">\n\nI’m 32 years old. \nI didn’t self diagnose for attention although I remember the days of tumblr where everyone self diagnosed for clout.\nIt took me a decade to realize what is really happening. During the decade before I realized what may have been happening I was told the following:\nI’m rude\nI’m bossy\nI have a RBF/I look mad\nI also only managed to make my first real friend at age 27.\nWhat I was really displaying was:\nBeing overly blunt and just trying to get my point across came off rude when I didn’t intend it to be that way\nTrying to have things done at a certain time and way that no one else thought was important to follow\nUnmasking\nNoticed other things too that I just thought was me being weird:\nVocal stimming\nOral stimming-chewing, smoking, vaping\nRepetitive motions\nRocking\nEasily overwhelmed by too much sensory input\nHigh startle reflex \nInability to regulate my body’s needs-I don’t know I’m hungry until I’m ravenous; don’t recognize the need to use the bathroom until it’s causing me to rush off, don’t realize I’m cold until I’m shaking\nI could go on.\nI want an assessment so bad. But assessments for adults are EXTREMELY hard to setup, if you can even set them up at all. Some states don’t even offer them. I’ve been looking but they are only for children and seem to look for severe cases.\n14 years of thinking I was just a bitch who couldn’t make friends because I was too weird…turns out it might be autism. And turns out I’ll most likely never get a true diagnosis. But the RAADS test gave me a 127 score so that might be the closest I’ll ever get.", ">\n\ni kind of self diagnosed autism? i’ve been to many psychiatrists and therapists for years and they always see adhd in the half an hour and prescribe meds for that, which makes me not go there again. if they dug a little deeper they could have seen autism, i spoke to my current psychiatrist about if its possible i have it, she didn’t want to confirm or deny as i was moving out of state from friends and family and am at an age where i can have kids in the next 10 years since she doesn’t want me being concerned for them. \nI think there’s still lots of stigma around autism even with professionals and especially when identifying it in women. \nI don’t want to be autistic, but i can recognise a lot of different patterns comparing myself and others. I’ve researched it a ton especially in how it shows in women compared to men and in all the articles i found myself relating.\nNow i don’t say im autistic, i say im a little sus of being it tho lmao. and try pass it off casually. I find it’s a lot easier for me to understand and embrace my differences compared to trying to hide it and try be like everyone else or wonder why im not like everyone else. \nBeing older i can also recognise how a lot of my family on one side have suffered mentally and because of obvious neurodivergence. so im pretty sure, like the rest of my mentally challenged brain, has been inherited genetically through that side. \nAll that being said. I self diagnosed when i was about 12 that im highly likely to be depressed and anxious in attempt to get my mom to believe me i needed help, and now 8 years later i can identify that this has been an issue forever for me and that i likely cannot go off my meds because i will just go back to how i used to be. Im still ocd with all my meds, but its better than being anxious and depressed all the time, Having ocd throughout the day is like heaven to me in comparison to how i used to be. obviously the ocd isnt new, just a lot more heard in my brain now.", ">\n\nOk, I know some people self diagnoze themselves with [insert some mental illness here] out of attention or whatever, and that's totally not ok.\nHowever, if you read all the symptoms and do proper research on a mental illness and everything clicks in to you, I'd say you can be fairly confident on a self diagnosis (although, it might be worth it to double check with a professional, especially if you want any sort of treatment). But also for some people, it might not be affordable to go to a professional...", ">\n\nI live in Canada, I've engaged with the medical system, doctors don't care and just want you out, ERs are a 8 hour wait for someone to ignore one thing and won't even entertain other issues even if they are related. Self-diagnosis is really the only way to get any kind of proper treatment at all. \nThe doctors will rubber stamp just about anything you ask for except pain killers but in terms of diagnosis you're way better off doing it yourself, sure you don't have 8 years of medical school but the doctors won't give you 5 mins of their time, they are not better than google and you give a lot more of a shit than they will and at the end of the day it's your body.", ">\n\nBack in the 90s when I was a teenager, the kids/teenagers/young adults who wanted attention, and wanted to be different, adopted the goth lifestyle. Dressing up in all black. White foundation with black lipstick and eyeshadow. It was the trendy way to be different, to be viewed as outcasts of society. To not fit in. \nThe goth lifestyle of the 2020s is self diagnosis. Same shit, different day.\nWhenever someone claims autism, or somewhere on the spectrum, I just roll my eyes and imagine that person just sucks at life.", ">\n\nI just think it’s a little more harmful nowadays due to the prevalence of social media. Ppl get sucked into groups and mindsets before they even have a real life chance. Then they hyper fixate on that they might be mentally Ill rather then just trying to live life to the fullest", ">\n\nI 100% agree with you", ">\n\nBecause it's the age of spin this generation has something for everybody. And all of them are Google doctors. Lol", ">\n\nTook my uncle till he was 38 even thought it was apparent to everyone. Hell he got expelled from two schools", ">\n\nI get what you're saying. I frankly find it weird that more people don't find this weird. People self-diagnosing themselves as all kinds of things not only completely misrepresents the actual conditions, thereby making people even more confused as to what they actually are and how they present, but also leads people to run to a psychiatrist claiming false symptoms and getting medication for something they don't have, which is NOT a good thing. People should never be taking medication unless it is necessary. We are a heavily over-medicated society and this is a big factor in that. Caffeine to wake up in the morning, \"immuno-boosters\" and mood stabilizers during the day, sleeping pills to sleep at night. The caffeine and sleeping pills are addictive and can really mess up your circadian rhythm, and the mood stabilizers can really fuck you up if you don't need them. Instead of rushing to diagnose and medicate everyone, we need to educate them on human behavior and show them that their \"mental health\" problems are completely normal.\nOh, so you get nervous right before you make huge life decisions? That's not Anxiety Disorder, it's just anxiety.\nOh, you are really sad because your cat died? That's not Clinical Depression, you are just grieving.\nOh, you went from really happy to really sad when you were previously happy and something really shitty happened to you and soured your mood? That's not Bipolar Disorder, that's just life.\nOh, you like to be more organized than the people around you? That's not Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, you just like to be organized.\nPeople really misunderstand the nature of these conditions and it hinders our collective progress in treating them, like dramatically inflating the number of actual conditions in the population, making it increasingly more difficult to determine how common and how varied they are. After all, in most cases it is not the psychiatrist or psychologist who makes you better, you make you better. Medication can help and other people can show you the path to success, but the problem will never get solved unless you play an active role in the treatment. Some conditions can never be solved, only lessened, while others are virtually untreatable. We need to stop making these conditions seem cool. They aren't. They are serious and need to be taken seriously.", ">\n\nHeavily agree and I appreciate how well this comment is worded. Wish I coulda worded mine a little better", ">\n\nYa I saw you getting shredded in the comments and figured I'd sum it up for you. 🤣", ">\n\nLmao bro I didn’t expect this many. I was thinking maybe like 20 ppl would reply", ">\n\nYou need to self diagnose in many cases in order to get adequate help.", ">\n\nI knew when I had ADD and IBS, and I was able to get my suspicions confirmed by my respective doctors. Doctors are there to help the patients understand themselves, whereas the patients have to go home every day and live with what they actually have. Do not be so quick to judge.", ">\n\nJust to add here - Autism in women is less prevalent because it presents differently and is often not picked up by standardised diagnostic tests (that were developed on an almost exclusively male sample). I think that also goes to show that there’s p significant issues with what we consider ‘scientific’ and research based in the first place.", ">\n\nI grew up in a small town and we had quite a few autistic boys but only one autistic girl. Literally only one out of like 6-8 grades. So that’s like a 10-1 ratio. It’s gotta be a lot statistically smaller then males. I don’t doubt it happens I just know it’s a lot less", ">\n\nYou think your small town’s makeup is generalizable to all of society? That isn’t how statistics work.", ">\n\nSo my question would be - so what do we do?\nYou think people are diagnosing themselves to gain attention. Fine, but what's the next step?\nSee, I think I might be bipolar 2. But I went on a journey where I looked into the techniques for dealing with this issue. That led me to cognitive behavior therapy.\nThat actually made me more convinced that this was my issue because I have taught myself a lot of cognitive behavior therapy techniques to address the same issues. These practices have really helped me.\nIt sounds like your issue is that these people are getting attention for it. To me, these are people who need someone to help guide them. That would have helped me a lot when I was younger. Society today doesn't really give us the tools to sort this out, but just the knowledge that these things exist can push someone down the rabbit hole to learn about therapy that could really help.\nI think you should ask yourself what your motivations are. Do you really want them to understand themselves? Or are you more interested in steering the conversation toward other topics?\nPersonally, I would deal with these people by paying them forward. I would tell them to understand the practices that typically help these people, and see if they are relevant. I would tell them to seek professional help, and to refrain from diagnosing themselves, but I would encourage them to be critical of themselves and to learn more.\nImo, the way out is through.", ">\n\nI agree with you but it’s not mostly women. Maybe by happenstance that’s the case in your circle but broadly men do this too.", ">\n\nDoctor's are consulting the Mayo Clinic website after talking to a patient and getting their symptoms. I bring that up to say this; a doctor's training is needed for very serious diseases and tricky diagnoses, but a semi-intelligent person could look up their symptoms and get a lot of the more minor stuff right.", ">\n\nI've never been diagnosed as clinically depressed or anything, but that doesn't mean that I don't suffer from depression a lot of the time (these last few years, more often than not). I see a therapist. I take antidepressants. \nI have a friend who has aphantasia. It isn't really a \"diagnosable\" condition, but it describes what he has trouble with: creating images in his mind.", ">\n\nThat’s different then going online and claiming perfectly normal traits mean you’re autistic", ">\n\nNeurodivergence ≠ mental illness.", ">\n\nThey know themselves and their experiences better than you.", ">\n\nOP, I'm seeing some differences between your post and what you're saying in the comments. \nMy question is, do you have a problem with people self-diagnosing, or is your issue more about people drawing a lot of public attention to their diagnoses?", ">\n\nOverall both but definitely the attention part more so for obvious reasons. The self diagnosing part due to the fact that it can make people believe it can be an excuse for their actions good or bad. I think In a weird way it can allow people to take away the responsibility of their own actions and attribute to their mental illness", ">\n\nAs someone who has been diagnosed with ADHD, having people self diagnosing doesn't bother me at all, because I went the path of not knowing at all what I had and letting doctors figure out by themselves... and it took me 4 years and a half to finally have a concrete answer that no doctors would have found out if I didn't start searching on my own. You can't walk into every doctor's office with the assumption they'll figure out what you have, because it's not their speciality, or they still have an outdated view (not every doctor are kept up to date with new discovers), or they're biased, etc... \nI've never been annoyed by people who self diagnose. Hell, if I knew what was about to happen to me, I would have done the same way sooner.", ">\n\nMost women today arent faking it, they are noticing the symptoms no one else noticed and trying to find help. Its not easy to grow up with this kind of stuff. Is not coincidence you think women are less likely to be born to autism instead of thinking how weird it is that for some reason most autism diagnosis happen to men, that is the misogyny in the medical comunity.\nSelf diagnosis means this women will go to doctors and it most case scenarios they will get diagnoses because they have this issue all their life.\nSocial media is giving people awareness of the issue in medicine and how it affects women. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Misogyny in medicine also leads to people not knowing the difference between a heart attack in a woman and a man. It leads to women thinking its something else because internet and books will tell you how a man will feel a heart attack, even doctors sometimes dont know this.", ">\n\nGetting a diagnosis or treatment is borderline impossible for a lot of people. So self diagnosis is sometimes the only way they can help themselves.", ">\n\nNot a mental illness. But, I am a trans person and I pretty much self-diagnosed and self-medicated. I just had physicians do blood test.\nI educated myself on how everything works in about eight month period. I did that over a decade.\nI don’t regret my decision, and if I did. The regret would be not starting any sooner, especially when people who aren’t physicians or therapists are having a final say about these things.", ">\n\nIt is very noticeable and annoying, buuuut it’s proven autism manifest differently in females. Plus women are (very) often under diagnosed and dismissed for many many things by doctors, which is absolutely disgusting. Aaaand the cost of healthcare is outrageous.", ">\n\nwomen being less likely to be diagnosed with autism has nothing to do with an actual gender gap in who does and doesn’t have autism and everything to do with the fact autistic women are diagnosed with personality disorders and mental illnesses due to stigmas. most autism research was done on men and therefore women are underrepresented and more often than not misdiagnosed. autism actually occurs at a similar rate in both sexes. also, it’s not a mental illness, it’s a neurological condition (not that mental illnesses aren’t, but illness implies there’s something wrong, which there isn’t in autistic people). i agree that self diagnosing leads to misinformation and harms those who are clinically diagnosed though.", ">\n\nA lot of medical diagnoses are based on white male studies, so yes you would see more women finding out they have certain mental illnesses now as professionals are realizing it can show differently in females vs males. Adhd, for example, was considered something only seen in young boys that would grow out of it, now they are realizing that you don't in fact grow out of it and women can have it too. \nMental illness was a taboo subject back in the day as well, especially for women. It was only in 1980 I think that hysteria was no longer considered a mental illness. Women would be diagnosed with 'hysteria' and committed for symptoms like anxiety and anger. So now a lot of women are learning more about their mental health because they feel safe to do so. \nMy mother is in her early 70's and still refuses to tell anyone her own health issues or even mine, I have cancer and we were going to go on a trip as it's unknown how much longer I have and she refused to ask for the day off because she wouldn't tell them the reason why.", ">\n\nI detest self diagnosis, though once you’ve studied advanced level abnormal psychology shit happens. \nAs far as kids go, the generalized anxiety and depressive spectrum diagnoses can occasionally be accurate however that would warrant professional intervention regardless.\nOne serious issue among others; if an adolescent “decides” they have major depressive disorder that can become a self fulfilling prophecy and cause despair and reluctance to seek treatment", ">\n\nLook at the price and lack of availability of mental health care, and the total lack of privacy of internet connected devices. Most practitioners don’t offer in person visits anymore, and even if they do they probably do digital records or have their phone present. Ofc people are self diagnosing.", ">\n\nCounterpoint: many people do not have the means to access diagnoses for mental illnesses and other disorders, and it can sometimes be the only way to explain their feelings to others. Autism diagnoses in particular are extremely difficult to access for adults and even teens. I suspected I had autism for years and the only way I was able to get a diagnosis was through the mental health treatment program I was in during highschool which had a psychologist there. I only could attend because I live in Canada with universal healthcare. Many, many people are not as fortunate as me. Most people in the world cannot access diagnosis in the first place, including many in richer countries. \nYour comment about women statistically 'being born with autism on a far lesser scale than men' misses the well-known problem of underdiagnosis of autism in women. Autism presents itself differently in women than men (I can say as an autistic woman who knows other autistic women) and the criteria for autism were based on cis white men. Autism in women is is often misdiagnosed as CPTSD (which many autistic people ALSO unfortunately have), borderline personality disorder, anxiety, depression, etc. \nAlthough self-diagnosis is often problematic and used by teenagers to feel special, for the people who take it seriously and are intellectually honest there currently isn't really a better alternative for them to try and explain their experiences when they cannot access diagnoses.", ">\n\nWhat you are describing is NOT a new phenomenon. I was born in 1975 and have been observing this phenomenon my entire life. Nothing new about it at all.", ">\n\nSelf diagnosis is often the first step in going to go and get an actual diagnosis. Getting diagnosed with a mental disorder, especially as an adult, is basically impossible if you aren't actively seeking it out. For several reasons, one of which is that pretty much all the diagnostic criteria are written about children. \nI'm properly diagnosed and even on disability for mental disorders and I knew what I had for years before I got diagnosed. \nI understand there's a feeling of \"stolen valour\" to it. And there is indeed a subset of people doing it for attention or because it's fashionable, OCD in particular being a common example, but the good that comes from self diagnosis more than outweighs the bad.", ">\n\nCorrect me if I’m wrong, but don’t all, or at least most mental disorders lie on a spectrum?", ">\n\nI was diagnosed ADD/ ADHD as a child an im getting re-evaluated next month because i think the diagnosis must be bullshit.\nI have a close friend that wasn't diagnosed ADD/ADHD until they were 22 and in an Ivy league vet program\nThe amount of people that say they cant do well in school simply because they have add/ adhd is bullshit if u ask me. Also, people justify abusing adderal because theyre ADHD and i think thats BS too. I decided never to take it and just abuse caffeine instead to avoid the health side effects", ">\n\nThe current US medical system is such garbage that self advocacy is important. \nSometimes it is wrong. Sometimes professionals ignore you or only pay attention to things insurance companies will pay for. Sonetimes they are also wrong. Or they're incentivized to get you out of a hospital bed ready or not. \nAdministrators and insurance companies get all the money. Nurses, aides, patients all suffer.", ">\n\nEspecially when they don't even understand what the disorder is in the first place. \"I'm a loner so I'm anitsocial.\" That's not what that means.... Or my favorite, \"I'm detailed oriented so I have OCD, lulz I am so le quirky! ;P\"", ">\n\nPeople who struggle with certain things often seek out those with similar experiences. With social media and the internet, it’s easier than ever to find people with similar struggles and sometimes, those people are a group diagnosed with certain mental illnesses. \nDoes that mean every person who sees themselves in a diagnosis will have that diagnosis? Hell no. But I think it’s disingenuous to claim that it’s “for attention.” People want to find community they can relate to and are drawn to experiences that reflect their own.\nI’m saying this as someone who was diagnosed with ADHD at 25 — I started to suspect I might have it in my early 20s and started poking about online. I was officially assessed and diagnosed some time later, and that diagnosis has been validated by three therapists and two psychiatrists.\nPlenty of people misjudge themselves and plenty of people are very ready to leap into a box. Some of them may be wrong. Some may be doing it to try and excuse bad behavior. (Hell, I’ve known waaaay too many people who DID have diagnosed mental illnesses and seemed to think their diagnosis was a free pass to be shitty). However, I think calling it a “trend” or “for attention” misses the point of why and how people reach these conclusions. \nOne might also argue that you do not have the professional expertise regarding psychology to assume the validity or ulterior motives of someone else’s diagnosis. There’s a reason that a lot of psychologists out there are adamantly against diagnosing from a distance - you have significantly less insight into a someone’s mind than they do, and you’re projecting a lot of assumptions onto others’ behavior without any supporting evidence.", ">\n\nIm gonna start out with, generally I agree its a problem-to an extent. Even though women have autism at a much lower rate they’re also under diagnosed/misdiagnosed at a higher rate. When it comes to why people are doing this, in my experience it’s people who are trying to figure out why they’re treated the way they are, why they struggle to do certain things that others don’t even see as an issue. They’re noticing their differences and feeling bad about it. When they can’t fix it they start trying to find a reason, a cause to help them both understand and feel better about themselves and ways they can move forward and actually improve their lives, as well as finding a group they can relate to when they have a hard time relating to the average person.", ">\n\nI think OP is arguing there are quite a few people whose self-diagnosis wouldn’t meet the criteria of a medical diagnosis. It’s horrible for me to even argue but some people want to portray themselves as a victim: I think this because I am a shit.\nHowever I agree with arguments here that if these people are brave enough to identify a potential issue in themselves then kudos to them for recognising it.", ">\n\nI had a doctor misdiagnose my spine injury and I researched medical articles and studies to come the actual diagnosis.\nNot always bad to do your research. \nBut mental health is a serious issue and some people use self diagnosis’ as an excuse to act however they want.", ">\n\nPart of what happens when you can’t afford to see a doctor.", ">\n\nThe most important piece to note on the self diagnosis problem among youth is misdiagnosis. \nThings like BPD, NPD, and ASPD for have dozens of overlapping criteria but very specific things that distinguish them. A professional can discern between both disorders and the average googler can not. \nThe result is that the patients identity crisis worsens as they begin to develop a sense of identity with a diagnosis than is not true for them. \nIt seems like the youth is quite eager to be diagnosed with some sort of disorder today.", ">\n\nI'm really happy to see someone mentioning this. I have experienced this more and more recently and I agree with it being strange and problematic.", ">\n\nThis is not new, we are just talking about it on social media now.\nI have been chronically ill for my entire life. I have constantly been refused medical care because I am apparently to young to be sick and I have had diagnosis withheld because, for example, how could I possibly complete a Masters and be neurodivergent. A lot of medical gatekeeping is rooted in ableism. \nI’ve had 7 surgeries, most would have been avoidable if I’d been listened to when I first sort medical care. I’ve had to do a mountain of research and go to Drs with a self diagnosis and sources to even get passed the are you just sad or have you tried yoga phase (I’ve also been told to go to church and find a nice husband to cure me). The surgeries that would’ve had to happen anyway were massively delayed due to Drs not taking my symptoms seriously, with 2 resulting in damage to other organs due to the delay.\nI’ve wasted so much time and energy and had so much damage happen to my body because Drs have medically gaslighted me or not listened or answered my questions when I’ve asked for more explanation. \nSelf diagnosis isn’t some cop out or look at me I’m special thing, it’s for survival. I’d literally be dead. I didn’t want to spend the past decade learning about medicine, ideally I’d get on with my life, but Drs and the medical community won’t let me do that.\np.s men are NOT more likely to be autistic than women. Research into autism has been majority based on studies into white, male adolescents and expected social male behaviour which is why lots of girls don’t get diagnosed and is why it is common for women, POC, and LGBTQIA+ people to be diagnosed in adulthood.", ">\n\nPersonally doctors have been totally useless for any non life thrusting subtle malady. They don’t try and fix any problem like that. Self diagnosing is what I am left with." ]

[ "The diagnosis process for a lot of psychiatric conditions are surveys and questionaires. You can go to a psychiatrist and ask if you're anxious and they'll give you multiple choice questions and diagnose off of that. Or you can just google the form yourself and self diagnose. A lot of psychiatric disorders are about how we feel and think. Not about sending off some blood sample to a lab and getting a positive result come back.\n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. For such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nWhat you're describing are all neuroses that could indicate some deeper psychiatric condition. Whether a person has a mental health condition or not, thinking of ourselves as weak victims is never helpful in any context, yet it's something we all feel from time to time.\nI'm a disability support worker, so when someone tells me they've got a self diagnosed condition, it's not offensive to me or any disabled person I know, it doesn't come across like they're invalidating anyone else's condition. However I do think everyone should talk to a doctor about any condition they feel they might have.", ">\n\nPiggybacking off of this: You’ve spent your whole entire life inside your own brain. A therapist will spend a period of hours with you and give you a diagnosis. Who do you think knows your personal reality better than yourself?", ">\n\nYeah exactly, especially with conditions such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, PTSD, and many other psychiatric conditions. These are things people know they have even before they get a diagnosis. The diagnosis stage is more about treatment and management.\nPeople might be unaware of how severe or mild their condition is, some people think they have only mild PTSD despite constant nightmares and suicidal ideation. Some people will think they have severe ADHD because they can't concentrate for long times on things that don't interest them. It's good to get some perspective from experts but ultimately people know when they are struggling to focus or to struggling to stop stressing all the time or struggling to not be miserable. Struggling with our thoughts and feelings is evidence enough to self diagnose.", ">\n\nI was recently diagnosed with ADHD as a woman so I find this viewpoint interesting.\nFirstly, autism is not a mental illness. An autistic person may have mental illness in conjunction with autism, but autism alone lies under the neurodivergent umbrella. Neurodivergency can include autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and other similar conditions.\nWhy women are often underdiagnosed\nThese are serious disabilities that can really impede a person's life, especially if they struggle to find help and acceptance in their community. A lot of women start their journey towards diagnosis later in life due to a number of factors such as:\n\nPoor diagnostic tools and inexperienced professionals\nA misunderstanding that autism and ADHD are more common in boys\nAdvanced masking techniques to cover their 'traits'\n\nWhy women are often diagnosed later in life.\nThe process for many women and men who are diagnosed later in life often includes a level of burnout or breakdown. After a while everything becomes too much, the mask begins to slip and your traits go into overdrive.\nWhy does self-diagnosing seem to be on the rise?\nA common way of finding out you could possibly be neurodivergent is through media and people who are aware of these traits appear.\nIn the past few years, I have seen an increasing awareness of neurodivergence in women pop up in the media. This is useful for people like myself who had no idea wtf was wrong with them for a very long time. For me, a GP actually suggested I seek a diagnosis due to some struggles I was going through.\nAs someone who went through this process self-diagnosing is commonly the first step as an adult. You might be directed to a questionnaire and are asked to evaluate yourself and your experiences thinking back to your childhood. If there's some merit in your experiences than you move to the next step which involves seeking a professional. Waitlists are often months to years long so many people live in limbo for a long time.\nMethods of living with ADHD can help everyone. And everyone experiences ADHD traits from time to time. Given a large amount of stress we have all suffered collectively, I don't doubt there are a lot of people with increased mental health issues that mirror neurodivergent traits. Some mental illnesses can get very severe and alter your brain chemistry and behaviour.\nMy takeaway from this is that the mental health systems set up to assist these people are a much larger issue and cause for serious concern than self-diagnosing.\nApologies for the spelling and grammar errors. Grammarly and Reddit don't play nice.", ">\n\nI think it's two things. One, people have identity crises, especially teenagers. We all know that type of person who tries on identities like hats. That's pretty embarrassing. You usually grow out of that.\nTwo, from personal experience, giving yourself a label or a diagnosis makes it feel more contained and easy to communicate. It's easier to tell someone that you have X and have them understand what you're going through rather than telling them you have these vague symptoms resembling what you imagine X is like. In that respect, it is pretty understandable, possibly good, and not embarrassing. There's something that is sort of reassuring if you can finally get a word to put on what you're experiencing.\nPeople often sympathize with the diagnosis but not with the symptoms. Tell people at work you're autistic and they will sympathize with you and possibly not attack you. Tell them you do not understand social cues and they will probably just make fun of you.", ">\n\nI understand the desire to put a label with a disease, and this is not necessarily bad, but the diagnosis needs to be correct. If you want to tell others that you are autistic or depressed; you must actually be those things. A person can almost never correctly assertion their disease, only their symptoms. People might better understand you if you say your autistic, but you may incorrectly understand and describe yourself. If one wishes to put a name with symptoms, they should find a doctor to pick the label", ">\n\nfor sure but unfortunately our medical system is a joke and even if you are experiencing very severe symptoms it can be nearly impossible to see a professional or take months on a waiting list.\nEven then a professional may be reluctant to slap a label on you for fear of what the consequences of that might be. I saw someone for a very long time who resisted any sort of actual diagnosis because the truth is that what I was experiencing didn't fit neatly into any of the boxes and pretty much belonged in this vague \"other\" category which isn't particularly helpful. Not to mention that misdiagnosis happens all the time even by professionals. \nI just think it is sort of understandable because I think a lot of stuff is kind of a spectrum anyway and just different levels of severity. Things can be really confusing and hard to nail down and thus communicate in a way that causes someone else to be understanding rather than judgemental.", ">\n\nAre you under the impression this is a new phenomenon? Because it's definitely not.\nPeople - especially young people! - crave identity. The world is a confusing place, knowing who you are makes it a little easier. Sometimes it's self-diagnosing mental illness or learning disabilities, or exploring sexual identity, or cliques, or subcultures. There's nothing embarrassing about it, it just is what it is.", ">\n\nIt’s ok to want to express individuality but not to the extent of totally destroying the definition of a real thing and making it hard for actual mentally Ill ppl to get a diagnosis. Why can’t people just accept that they’re different rather then giving themselves a label?", ">\n\npeople on TikTok claiming to have disorders that they don't doesn't affect the precision of psychiatrists diagnosing actual patients. There's no TikTok-said section in the DSM. Why do you think that it does?", ">\n\nIt just encourages more people to get diagnosed possibly skewing the meaning of the mental illness", ">\n\nSkewing it towards statistical accuracy? If people are actually diagnosed at higher rates, we have a better Guage of population-level mental illness, neurodivergency, etc. Better data is more usable, so that research actually means something actionable, ASIDE from the identity boost for young people.", ">\n\nI think what OP is driving at, but utterly failing to explain, is that they think that the fakers will be accommodated by the psychiatric system and diagnosed on the basis of fake symptoms. my sense is that isn't a problem but I don't have data.", ">\n\nDefinitely explained it a little better then I could lol", ">\n\nWhere do you see evidence of that? Any articles about fakers? How about a statistic? If not, it’s just a fear you seem to have.", ">\n\nI think the salient line here is this one:\n\nNeurologists were able to quickly determine that the subjects were not \nsuffering from Tourette's, but psychogenic tics driven by anxiety.", ">\n\nWomen are not born with less autism, but are much less likely to be diagnosed as children than boys. This is partly because boys generally have similar symptoms and behaviors. \nSo of course more women are self diagnosing autism, since their diagnoses were missed as children on a much higher rate.", ">\n\nAlright, I'm diagnosed OCD, PTSD, chronic depression. Diagnosed by a professional so I think I have some grounds to talk about this.\nFirst, let's tackle your women comment about autism. You see, I understand where you're coming from, but you lack the nuance of recognizing that mental illness, and illness in general, is heavily under-diagnosed in women. The medical culture is heavily favored towards men and is rampant with mysogyny, and that's not just me saying it as I've had medical professionals blatantly tell me it's a problem in the field when questioned about it. I've also had some tell me that it's just because women whine a lot, so yanno make of that statement what you will.\nNow that we've covered that let me address the self-diagnosing issue. So, do you want to know what my therapist thinks of self-diagnosing? Well, when I asked them about it they said that self-diagnosing is an important first step to seeking help. Psychiatrist said the same thing. It's normal, expected even, for people to self-diagnose their issues then seek help for them. You can't exactly just peer into someone's brain, no, that person has to tell you what they think is wrong and why they think it is. \nWhat you actually have a problem with is not self-diagnosis, but with people not seeking or not being able to get medical assistance and assuming they're right. You have a problem with people using these issues for attention, which I do too, but once again self-diagnosing is not the problem. Finally, you have a problem with the medical system that forces people into the position of trying to figure out their mental illnesses, but having no ability to get help for them.", ">\n\nI think I did it", ">\n\nSadly no lol, it was not done properly. Do you need a link to the rules?", ">\n\nI already read them i think I’ll figure it out in a bit sorry for the hold up", ">\n\nBecause everyone else is being aggressive: you have to comment with ∆ or !delta and then explain how your view has been changed", ">\n\nThis delta has been rejected. You can't award OP a delta.\nAllowing this would wrongly suggest that you can post here with the aim of convincing others.\nIf you were explaining when/how to award a delta, please use a reddit quote for the symbol next time.\n^Delta System Explained ^| ^Deltaboards", ">\n\nWhat gives you the authority or knowledge to know this is the problem?", ">\n\nYou don’t think it’s a problem that a lot of young ppl are willing to go to the extent of saying they are mentally Ill either for attention or to excuse their weirdness? Just accept that your different. It’s not wrong to believe you’re different without a label", ">\n\nYou did not even try to answer my question.", ">\n\nI’m sorry I was confused on what you meant", ">\n\nIf you are mad at people for self diagnosing themselves because they don't have the knowledge or authority to do so.... what gives you the knowledge or authority to diagnosis this as the problem behavior... basically are you just a kid that is annoyed, or is there some actual studies out there that is claiming this is a problem.", ">\n\nIf you don’t think that people consistently seeking attention for mental illness or craving a label so badly to justify themselves rather then being themselves. That just shows what your views are", ">\n\nDont you think we should leave the diagnosing to the professionals?", ">\n\nI mean yeah", ">\n\nWould you agree that you are diagnosing these people by saying that they are only seeking attention and do not have a real mental illness?", ">\n\nI’m assuming", ">\n\nThere may be some truth to people wanting to be different, however with mental illnesses being more accepted in today's society, many people are a lot more comfortable with being neurodivergent. Additionally, self diagnosis is common because the alternative is spending upwards to $1000-$2000 for a clinical diagnosis.", ">\n\nI know costs suck, but self diagnosis can be much more harmful. A web.md page that tells you your depressed when you may actually be bipolar can lead to really messed up results. I would even go as far as to say that no diagnosis at all is preferable to an uninformed one", ">\n\nWell.\n​\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad \n\nSo you already know why they're doing what they're doing in addition the fact that you know that they're not Autistic? If your claim is that they can't know and only a doctor can, what makes you more qualified? You start out your argument admitting that you have a bias.\n\nthey’re “neurodivergent.\n\nNeurodivergent is an umbrella that covers both Autism and ADHD, which sometimes get mistaken for each other. So if you're upset that they're self-diagnosing, this term should be more welcome than \"Autistic\" because it's more generalized.\n\nnd when you ask them how they know they’ll say “oh I have this weird tick when I uh laugh when someone says something funny “ or “I have a hyper fixation on this topic so I must be autistic\n\nHow else should they communicate it to you? The list of aspects of Autism, especially for how it presents in women, sounds a lot like this. You're not a doctor, they don't have to prove anything to you by going down the entire list of every possible part of their daily experience that might be on the spectrum.\n\nWomen statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nNope. Women are diagnosed less often than men because the original diagnostic criteria for Autism was for Autism as it presents in males. It presents differently for females and is harder to diagnose, especially at younger ages. \n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized\n\nTodays youth want to be victimized? Why would anyone want to be victimized? Something tells me you're missing the mark with this terminology.\n\nor have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. \n\nSo if someone is Autistic and that makes them weird, you'd rather them just be forced to not get to have a name for it, and get the therapeutic treatment that would help them?\n\nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really [are] without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nSome people are autistic. If they find out and it makes them feel good, that doesn't mean they're craving attention. And if they are craving attention, it's because they're normal people and everyone does. \nIf someone thinks they're autistic but it turns out they're actually not, chances are they suspected it for a reason. They might have ADHD, a personality disorder, a mental health issue, or simply a slightly different way of experiencing the world that feels unique to them and there's nothing wrong with that. \nYou seem to think that other people do things for you. People generally don't. They do things for themselves. This is especially true of people on the Autism Spectrum who may not be able to easily use other people's experiences to reference when constructing their view of the world, and can only use their own. Your interpretation wherein they do it to evoke a response from you says more about you than it does about them.", ">\n\nYou’re being deliberately obtuse. OP is completely correct. Most of the people these days who say “I’m ADHD” or “I’m autistic” or “I’m neurodivergent” are absolutely not diagnosed as such and are doing it to seem unique or get attention or as some excuse for why they did x y or z.", ">\n\nI'd like to point out that while some are perhaps attention seeking, many people self diagnose simply because they don't have access to free medical/psychological professionals to get proper diagnosis and help with their issues. I also know someone who doesn't want to get an official diagnosis because he's afrad it will affect his insurance rates or somehow come back to bite him if he's offically labeled with having a neurological disorder. \nThere is a wealth of knowledge on these subjects available online for those interested. And if they are truly interested in self diagnose they can likely do that accurately enough for all intents and purposes. Most of these people who search for the sake of better understanding themselves or their loved ones will openly admit that it's a self diagnoses, or say they THINK they have x,y, or z. But in some situations it's just as well to say they have it if they feel certain anyway, and it's just a passing comment, and not a discussion on the matter. \nIn other words, just because they self diagnose doesn't mean they're wrong, nor does it explain their motives. I also don't see how attention seeking (for those who ARE doing that) is really hurting anyone else. Fakers gonna be fake, that's more a \"them\" kind of problem. ANNOYING, but mostly harmless.", ">\n\nUnless you have a doctor's diagnosis you don't have the disorder. Even if you are broke there are programs to help with costs. \nAnd yes it does affect me when someone is treating me like shit and tries using the I have such and such as an excuse and then people get mad at ME for calling them in their bullshit.", ">\n\nNo. You have to have the disorder before you CAN be diagnosed, so obviously there are undiagnosed people who in fact \"have the disorder \". Your refusal to acknowledge an undiagnosed disorder does not mean they don't have it. Your personal experience with people supposedly using a fake diagnosis to treat you badly, sounds unusual. How do you know they DIDN'T have it? People who do lie and just want to be jerks will do that regardless of what methods they decide to try. The methods are irrelevant. And that motive is not typical of most self diagnosers .", ">\n\nSounds unusual? You must not get out a lot because it's become a pretty regular thing. Every single person I know (about 8) that have self diagnosed themselves as neurodivergent or with a mental illness like Bi-polar all use it to excuse their shitty ass behaviors. \nToo many disorders can mirror other ones. Just because they think they have 2/3 symptoms doesn't make them right by a long shot. Keep living in your bubble.", ">\n\nYou don't have to have a relationship with anyone. If they treat you badly, regardless of an official diagnosis or not, you don't have to tolerate them. It makes no difference what they have or don't have. What would it change if they got diagnosed and actually have it?", ">\n\nSelf diagnosing has been a thing forever\nAnd it's not a problem im 99% sure me or any other autistic person doesn't really give 2 fucks about people who wanna fake disorders. It doesn't stop us from getting help, we have doctors notes, medical files, sometimes even volunteers, you need those files to get into let's say a special education class, or a life skills course.\nSo unless you were diagnosed by a professional you're probably not gonna make it far faking it.\n(Excuse my shitty punctuation)", ">\n\nIt doesn’t bother you that they’re making others take the actual meaning away from what you were born with? I mean I’m sure autism hasn’t made your life easy and seeing ppl claim it for attention to be quirky probably has to annoy you a little right?", ">\n\nAt the end of the day I still have ADHD and I still need help with it. More people being diagnosed with it doesn’t change that fact. In fact I was diagnosed because I realized I related to so many tiktok memes, and I’m sure others are in my same boat. \nIn fact I think so many people talking about ADHD helps. It means more people who possibly have tips for me, people who are suffering who can’t afford treatment have an easy way to learn about how to improve their lives, and more people who are aware of my disorder.", ">\n\nI think people do diagnose themselves too often without seeking professional help. BUT mental illness is not the same as being neurodivergent.", ">\n\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad that they’ll go as far to say they’re “neurodivergent.”\n\nWhile this is the case, I don't really see how it's a \"problem\" per se. I guarantee that these people still make lifestyle decisions based on what they think is best, or based on what they want to do.\n\nbut it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women\n\nDo you have any statistics for that? I haven't experienced it that way in my own anecdotal experience, and I'd be curious to look into the data to see how much that truly does skew in that direction.\n\nwanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness \nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nI understand what you're trying to say here, but I don't really think these things are connected as much as you think they are. People see something wrong with themselves, so they either playfully or seriously consider the fact that it could be a condition that they have similar symptoms to. Not that it never happens, but just because someone categorizes themselves into a disability group that could potentially excuse their \"quirks\", doesn't mean they think that behavior is unacceptable in any way. People see a problem, and assume it's linked to this other issue that seems similar that they already know about.", ">\n\nI agree with the conclusion that self-diagnosis is a real issue, and I wouldn't be surprised if the data indicated it was on the rise. I wouldn't necessarily frame it as a simple desire to \"be victimized\" however. While it is purely speculation, I do believe there are a number of conditions which might lead towards a more frequent experience of symptoms associated with mental illness - a rising wealth gap, perpetual anxiety from a 24-hour news cycle, intensification of self-commodification, the student debt crisis in certain countries like the US, and so on. So people are experiencing symptoms like low energy, mood swings, etc. that can be associated with mental illness. The issue with self-diagnosis then becomes that it may correctly identify the symptom, but incorrectly identify the cause.\nThis video from the YouTuber HealthyGamerGG does a good job of explaining what some of the issues with self-diagnosis are, and for me it was a good starting place for thinking about this more. \nEDIT: I forgot this video literally starts with this same topic being brought up on this same subreddit lol", ">\n\nA great theory based on reasonable causes with an educational video from a psychologist(I assume) as evidence to back it up. I applaud you sir. 👏", ">\n\nWhy are you embarrassed by other people's issues?", ">\n\nI’m a 30yo male. If I had not first self diagnosed with ASD and OCD, I never would have found the language and resources to get a formal diagnosis and help.\nPrior generations have been so fixated on avoidance of diagnosing mental disorders, and research was previously so lacking that we are only just now (through those that do get diagnosed) realizing how common mental disorders are. That plus the lack of mental health resources for neurotypical and neurodivergent I think is how we end up in this situation of many recognizing their symptoms in the new discourse, but lacking the resources to overcome the barriers to proper diagnosis and treatment.", ">\n\nIt’s not the best thing, no. \nAs an adult FINALLY diagnosed (by a licensed therapist) at 41, I can tell you why ‘self diagnosis’ is so tempting. \nIn the US at least- mental health, and official medical diagnosis are almost completely inaccessible, especially as an adult. Most of us grew up before Autism was a spectrum, and ADHD was just boys who acted out in class. We felt like aliens. We couldn’t understand why we didn’t have many friends, or why we didn’t like the ‘right things’, and generally spend the bill of our lives feeling ‘wrong’, ‘broken’ or just simply like we didn’t belong. \nFinally understanding the WHY, and even better, finding tools to addresses our issues is a huge huge weight off the chest. The relief of having a name and a strategy- either therapy or medicine is such an amazing relief!!", ">\n\nI only kinda agree if I had not done my own research I would have never found out I have sjorgens syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis I know TikTok people tend to diagnose themselves and it makes it look cringe but when you live with a incurable illness sometimes you have to work to find a diagnosis", ">\n\nWell, what do you do of you absolutely know you're neurodivergent, but your parents decided not to get you checked? My mom once told me \"we knew you had something, we just didn't get you checked because they would have just put you on pills\". So I struggled with being different, socially unaware, impulsive, obnoxious, agressive, selfish, for the better part of my life without having the self awareness to understand why I was these things, and why people wouldn't want to be around me. \nIn my late 20''s I asked the question, what if I'm actually autistic? I looked up the symptoms, and 9/10 matched. As a child I couldn't handle loud noises, restrictive clothing, I didn't talk until I was 3. I would throw fits for seemingly no reason, I had obsessive interests. I've always really struggled with eye contact, and I never cared for conversation unless it was something I liked. I mean, when the final piece of a puzzle fits so incredibly well, it's really hard for it to be wrong. \nSelf diagnosing actually really helped me grow as aj individual. I became aware of all my divergent behaviors, and why it might be annoying for someone else to deal with. I came to the realization that I was the one who was different, therefore I needed to change. It's way harder to make everyone around you cater to your needs than to overcome the things that upset you. I'm at peace, I have good friends that I can connect with on a pretty deep level. I no longer smash coffee tables when I lose, I can now appreciate that if I lose it just means I have more to learn. I can keep my house clean, I can reasonably hold myself accountable. What exactly is the harm in all that?\nBesides, it would be pretty pointless for me to try and get a diagnosis now, I've put the effort in and largely come out the other side. Anyone diagnosing me would just say I was normal, but they wouldn't have the intimate knowledge of me that I do. I guess it doesn't matter if people don't believe me, I don't go around shouting that I'm autistic. I will say, it would be really nice if people appreciated the effort I put in to get to get to a place of normalcy, something others take for granted, but it's okay, we all have our struggles.", ">\n\nI feel you on all that. To play devil's advocate, mental healthcare in the U.S. is not cheap. Many people go to the internet and confirm their bias about their current health", ">\n\nI feel you on that too OP. I agree 100% with your entire statement.", ">\n\nIt's a problem, but not a new one. In the 1990s there was briefly a surge of people with a type of delusional parasitosis, that is, the false belief that they were infested with parasites. Except this one was supposedly an infestation with tiny fibres. They would come to doctors with a whole list of symptoms to back up their incorrect self-diagnosis.\nTo a certain extent, these are social contagions, which come and go, and often actually end up leading to people having real problems. Like, the young women you mention, a couple of decades ago may well have ended up with anorexia, or self-cutting. These days it might be a self-declaration of autism or a belief that they have gender dysphoria or that they have multiple systems living in their minds.", ">\n\nWow I did not know that. Maybe it’s just so prevalent today due to social media. Social media has only made these things worse imo", ">\n\nEven before it being self diagnosis of a mental illness it was always something. Remember all the emo and goth teenager?", ">\n\nIt depends on the context. For example, if they've done a substantial amount of research, can name a good amount of symptoms they have and reasons they have whatever mental illness and don't have access to the necessary tools to get a medical diagnosis, it's totally different. Some people don't have the money to go out and get a diagnosis, or sometimes it would be better to not get a medical diagnosis. I believe that the reason that a lot of people self diagnose themselves with things like Autism is because they want an explanation as to why they are different, and they could be right or wrong. I think the most important part is that if you go to a psychologist (or even two, I know a lot of people prefer getting second opinions) and they say you don't have it, that you need to admit you were wrong. It's ok to be wrong about your mental health, and the key is to keep looking and to not give up. I can completely understand the frustration in people completely missing how difficult it actually may be to have a mental illness. I was clinically diagnosed with Depression, Anxiety, and PTSD when I was seven, and I've had some experience with people faking mental disorders for attention, and more often then not, they have another mental disorder that needs attention. Recently I had a (now ex) boyfriend insist he had PTSD after being tested twice and the psychiatrist saying that he didn't have it. What he does have is Depression and Anxiety, but he absolutely insisted he has PTSD despite never exhibiting symptoms and the only evidence being a test he took online that was supposedly a \"real PTSD test.\" People faking mental illnesses only harms people who really have them, as these people tend to exaggerate symptoms and use their self diagnosis for attention. I believe that I am autistic, but I don't list it as a diagnosis because while I have read articles and taken the RAADS-r test, I don't have an official diagnosis, and I could very well be wrong. As for women faking illnesses more often, something I've noticed is that things like Autism, ADHD, ADD, etc are more often diagnosed in boys rather than girls- mostly because when they were first discovered, most of the research was done in boys. Autism shows up differently in girls, and can often be blown off as early puberty hormones. If their hyperfixations are those of stereotypical feminine things, it's just a girl liking whatever, and if they hyperfixate in stereotypical masculine interests, they tend to just be viewed as weird, but not autistic. It's normal for people to question, but I agree that to a certain point, self diagnosis can be harmful, but only if not done correctly.", ">\n\nFirst and foremost not a new problem at all, very common, we used to call it \"Being a hypochondriac\" until it aparrently became reconized which in it self is confusing and a bit contradictory.\nANYWAY\nIt isnt really a problem, no doctor is gonna write the perscription for medication without a diagnosis of some sort.\nAt most there is the vauge \"But what about those who actually have it who arent taken serious\" dont worry, we wouldnt have anyway. Thats kinda how invisible illnesses work.\nOverall the 101 hypochondriacs screaming about the symptoms they read in the ICD might help make the knowledge more common and help people better reconize if their colleagues or friends happen to show symptoms of something.", ">\n\nIt’s pretty expensive in the US to get diagnosed. Personally, I’ve self diagnosed myself out of frustration of the way I process things. I’ve always felt slow & my anxiety/depression was deep because of it, but I was raised in a family that doesn’t believe in mental illness. It was always “if you work hard enough, all your problems will go away”. Meanwhile, i was racking my brain on how to make myself think faster/smarter & it would result in psychotic episodes. I’ve gotten fired from jobs, dropped out of school. I started self harming because I hated myself and my brain & almost commit suicide bc I had no idea what was going on.\nThe relief I felt once I finally got a therapist who validated me & was the first to talk to me about mental Illness. It blew my mind and all of a sudden things actually made sense to me. I currently think I have ADD, and sometimes I’ll tell people that but will preface it by saying I’m not professionally diagnosed. Still, I use mental tools that help me get through the day and build my confidence. I’m a lot better at processing conversations, making lists that help me remember things, unmasking, slowing down my thoughts… etc. I’m less frustrated and can see the beauty in how I process things. I still want to get diagnosed but I have to get health insurance….. lol", ">\n\nSelf diagnosis, regardless of being factual is a process where the individual realizes that they might have a mental health issue. People who can do this are more likely to seek professional help compared to the people who think they are “fine”. Going to a professional, licensed psychologist or a psychiatrist will eventually diagnose them with the correct disorder from there, and professionals have the skills to communicate with them and they can together evaluate if the person’s complaint is the issue or not. There is nothing embarrassing about discovering one’s self. It would be a problem if people would identify with an issue and don’t have any willingness to seek help. Sometimes overreacting is better than not reacting.", ">\n\nThe majority of people who are self-diagnosed with autism have done extensive research into it to come to that conclusion. I personally went through the DSM criteria with a fine-tooth comb, made a list of all the ways I met it and discovered that there’s not a single criteria i don’t meet for autism. I didn’t read about anything else but autism for weeks, approaching it from all angles before coming to the conclusion that it’s highly unlikely I am not autistic. I’m waiting to hear back about an assessment, but I’m not waiting to go and be told something I already know before I start advocating for myself. \nOh, and I absolutely did not want to be ‘different’, in fact my life mission to just blend in and be average is the root cause of most of my problems, but here we are.", ">\n\nThis self diagnosing young people do isn’t the problem. The problem is that our society encourages it.\nOur culture is not set up to accommodate a wide spectrum of human needs. You may need things that I don’t. I may need things that you don’t. But in most business settings, academic settings, or even places like restaurants or leisure places, the world isn’t built to accommodate everyone. Our world and society is a “one size fits all” approach, and most people don’t fit snugly inside of that system. \nIf you can classify what is “wrong” or “different” about you into an easily digestible form, people are generally more able and more willing to accommodate you.\nFor example: if I tell my coworkers that I need to leave work early because of a headache, I’ll be shamed for it. And in some cases I’ll be told that “headaches aren’t that bad!” Or “You don’t need to leave.” Or “I have a headache too, just deal with it!”\nBut if I tell my workers that I need to leave due to a painful neurological condition that’s flaring up (I have chronic migraine, which is a neurological condition), they will respect it 100% of the time. It’s met with sympathy and not criticism.\nThis happens for all sorts of things. “Sorry Im late, I slept in.” Sounds a lot worse then, “sorry I’m late, my insomnia has been terrible lately.” \nOur culture forces us to use these labels even when they’re untrue just to receive sympathy or acceptance. The problem isn’t people who decide to use these labels, the root problem is that our society refuses to embrace and accommodate people who are outside of the “norm.”", ">\n\nSpeaking as someone who's had an autism diagnosis since age 7: if someone declares they're autistic when they're not, that's obnoxious at worst. If someone is told they're not autistic when they are, that can cause lifelong harm from denied care and understanding. I have seen this happen to a close friend of mine.\nTherefore, I'd much rather err on the side of acceptance. If you think you're defending me and others like me from impersonators, we'd rather not have your help.\n\nI know people will disagree but it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women. Women statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nCase in point: women are diagnosed with autism far less than men. Recent studies have pointed to decades of systematic misdiagnosis. The more visible autistic symptoms sometimes manifest differently in girls, the way they're socialized may help them hide it from a young age, and of course lots of doctors just say \"your daughter can't be autistic, that's a boy thing.\"\nWe're learning that there are hundreds of thousands of autistic women who slipped through the cracks and were denied the recognition and support they needed because of dismissive, gatekeeping attitudes just like yours.", ">\n\nThere’s a difference between having a disorder and relating to a disorder. If the tools or language associated with a disorder helps someone live better though then cool, it’s all still odd. Also autism presents differently in woman, and a majority of our research on it is on men. Best practice is probably to support them and encourage them to seek treatment.", ">\n\nAutism is severely misdiagnosed in women. Completely under diagnosed. Actually, plenty of things are. The actual problem that we have is parents refusing to let their children get professional help or a diagnosis. Most doctors will diagnose you with BPD as a woman(aka the new female hysteria of our century), maybe put you on some anti psychotics and send you your way. In most countries, a diagnosis/specialist is not readily available, or there is a long waiting list. Even so, the doctors are not know it all. I have seen plenty of doctors, I got different diagnosis almost each time. They ask you some general questions (about your mood, the way you sleep, if you can concentrate, if you harm yourself, if you have suicidal ideation, if you can socialize properly, if your parents were diagnosed with anything, if you have hallucinations or delusions, the works) and then based on that, they will give you a diagnosis. If you use your common sense and information on the internet (given you are knowledgeable on the subject), you can take a good guess on what's wrong. Obviously, some people will exaggerate like with anything (seeing the shadow dude once in your childhood is not a sign of psychosis, neither is hearing your name called when you are alone once in a blue moon), but if you have visual and auditory hallucinations, perhaps weird tactile feelings/hallucinations (spiders are crawling on me, etc), delusions, tend to be forgetful and out of teach with reality, there is a good chance you do have psychosis.", ">\n\nOkay, to start: what do you think autism and ADHD are? They aren't mental illnesses nor are they mental health conditions. \nTo address some of your other points; \nStudies have shown that autism has a gender expression of 1:1. The only reason that women are under diagnosed is because of misunderstandings towards autism, then the diagnosis is conducted incorrectly. Thus it ends up getting conflated with mental illness, E.G BPD, and is diagnosed as a psychiatric disorder instead. This is a detriment to the patient as the care regimes are black and white different. Often times this severely damages the woman.\nFrom data sets that I recall reading, malingering hasn't risen much, if at all, in recent times. I remember it being around 8% of the global population who are engaging in this behaviour, to different extents. I think what's happened is that social media has turned a torch onto it and it's risen in popularity in an algorithmic way. You see it more because it's pushed by the algorithm more because people are searching for it more. It isn't actually occurring any more or less than historically. Most of that attention is negative attention, I should add. \nSo there's two things to take away from that.\n1) The actual act of pretending to be mentally ill, or to have a disability, which is called malingering, is in fact a form of mental unwellness itself. It's a cry for help. The people who do these things are usually very unstable and should be treated with a degree of empathy. The dangerous types who are using mental illness to scam others, or to manipulate them, make up a very small percentage of the overall amount of people in that group and tend to abuse one on one. \n2) The predominant response to this is generally negative. There isn't really any reason to publicly malinger unless you're unstable, this is because a rational person would likely know this, and know the damage it would cause themselves. Self-diagnosis is a very long, and self-aware, process that takes place over years of the individuals life, and proceeds official diagnosis. \nNo one SDs and says \"Okay that's it now! Let me start a TikTok!\" You'd still want support, and you'd still seek support. So that would end up with a doctor, who would see that you're lying, and treat you for whatever was prompting you to malinger. Anyone who has made this commitment knows that keeping it private is a sensible thing to do in a world that isn't inclusive, and often very stigmatising. Sometimes official diagnosis can take YEARS. \nThis kind of propaganda has been going around for a long time in an effort to discredit disabled people and people with mental illnesses. It's not new. People said the same things back in the 90s. People will always be afraid, and dismissive, of things they do not understand. I invite you to try and understand.", ">\n\nI self-diagnosed myself with endometriosis for 10 years before a doctor finally listened to me, opened me up, and found my insides littered with lesions all over my organs. I’m now not able to get pregnant and I might need to get part of my bowel taken out someday. This could’ve been avoided if someone had just listened to me when I was 16. \nSelf-diagnosing is a necessity in a misogynist world! No one takes us seriously! Especially medical professionals. \nThe best antidote for this is to listen to women who self-diagnose. Why do they think they have XYZ? Is it heavily interfering with their life? I think that’s a much larger problem.", ">\n\nIts been proven that there is a bias to diagnose as opposed to not diagnose a mental illness in psychology. So op is actually kinda correct. The definition of a mental illness is in effect being stretched so far that people who are just kinda weird are being diagnosed with \"on the spectrum\". This is actually causing a problem in early learning because parents start treating their kids as essentially learning challenged when they're really not. So it is starting to become an excuse ...", ">\n\nWe live in a society that loves to medicate people. I know it’s different but Did ppl forget about the opioid epidemic? They’ll diagnose your ass with anything if they can", ">\n\nYa I tend to agree. And no one is really saying so I will I guess, but id wager that 50% of psychologist \"professionals\" are totally full of shit. The actual number of psychologists that are are doing real research and clinical studies is EXTREMELY small compared to how many \"psychologists\" are out there. Just like chiropractors, half of them are hacks..", ">\n\nAnd ill say one more thing, though it is anecdotal, but i have direct family that works in special education for young children, and that system is fucked with a capital F. Thay are constantly fighting against parents and programs who try to box kids in the \"autistic\" zone, when they are just really quite or shy, or have pee problems. But parents want an excuse and reason for their behavior, and reduce them to a sub standard education and treatment for the rest of their lives. It's heart breaking. Especially in public schools.", ">\n\nI’m 32 years old. \nI didn’t self diagnose for attention although I remember the days of tumblr where everyone self diagnosed for clout.\nIt took me a decade to realize what is really happening. During the decade before I realized what may have been happening I was told the following:\nI’m rude\nI’m bossy\nI have a RBF/I look mad\nI also only managed to make my first real friend at age 27.\nWhat I was really displaying was:\nBeing overly blunt and just trying to get my point across came off rude when I didn’t intend it to be that way\nTrying to have things done at a certain time and way that no one else thought was important to follow\nUnmasking\nNoticed other things too that I just thought was me being weird:\nVocal stimming\nOral stimming-chewing, smoking, vaping\nRepetitive motions\nRocking\nEasily overwhelmed by too much sensory input\nHigh startle reflex \nInability to regulate my body’s needs-I don’t know I’m hungry until I’m ravenous; don’t recognize the need to use the bathroom until it’s causing me to rush off, don’t realize I’m cold until I’m shaking\nI could go on.\nI want an assessment so bad. But assessments for adults are EXTREMELY hard to setup, if you can even set them up at all. Some states don’t even offer them. I’ve been looking but they are only for children and seem to look for severe cases.\n14 years of thinking I was just a bitch who couldn’t make friends because I was too weird…turns out it might be autism. And turns out I’ll most likely never get a true diagnosis. But the RAADS test gave me a 127 score so that might be the closest I’ll ever get.", ">\n\ni kind of self diagnosed autism? i’ve been to many psychiatrists and therapists for years and they always see adhd in the half an hour and prescribe meds for that, which makes me not go there again. if they dug a little deeper they could have seen autism, i spoke to my current psychiatrist about if its possible i have it, she didn’t want to confirm or deny as i was moving out of state from friends and family and am at an age where i can have kids in the next 10 years since she doesn’t want me being concerned for them. \nI think there’s still lots of stigma around autism even with professionals and especially when identifying it in women. \nI don’t want to be autistic, but i can recognise a lot of different patterns comparing myself and others. I’ve researched it a ton especially in how it shows in women compared to men and in all the articles i found myself relating.\nNow i don’t say im autistic, i say im a little sus of being it tho lmao. and try pass it off casually. I find it’s a lot easier for me to understand and embrace my differences compared to trying to hide it and try be like everyone else or wonder why im not like everyone else. \nBeing older i can also recognise how a lot of my family on one side have suffered mentally and because of obvious neurodivergence. so im pretty sure, like the rest of my mentally challenged brain, has been inherited genetically through that side. \nAll that being said. I self diagnosed when i was about 12 that im highly likely to be depressed and anxious in attempt to get my mom to believe me i needed help, and now 8 years later i can identify that this has been an issue forever for me and that i likely cannot go off my meds because i will just go back to how i used to be. Im still ocd with all my meds, but its better than being anxious and depressed all the time, Having ocd throughout the day is like heaven to me in comparison to how i used to be. obviously the ocd isnt new, just a lot more heard in my brain now.", ">\n\nOk, I know some people self diagnoze themselves with [insert some mental illness here] out of attention or whatever, and that's totally not ok.\nHowever, if you read all the symptoms and do proper research on a mental illness and everything clicks in to you, I'd say you can be fairly confident on a self diagnosis (although, it might be worth it to double check with a professional, especially if you want any sort of treatment). But also for some people, it might not be affordable to go to a professional...", ">\n\nI live in Canada, I've engaged with the medical system, doctors don't care and just want you out, ERs are a 8 hour wait for someone to ignore one thing and won't even entertain other issues even if they are related. Self-diagnosis is really the only way to get any kind of proper treatment at all. \nThe doctors will rubber stamp just about anything you ask for except pain killers but in terms of diagnosis you're way better off doing it yourself, sure you don't have 8 years of medical school but the doctors won't give you 5 mins of their time, they are not better than google and you give a lot more of a shit than they will and at the end of the day it's your body.", ">\n\nBack in the 90s when I was a teenager, the kids/teenagers/young adults who wanted attention, and wanted to be different, adopted the goth lifestyle. Dressing up in all black. White foundation with black lipstick and eyeshadow. It was the trendy way to be different, to be viewed as outcasts of society. To not fit in. \nThe goth lifestyle of the 2020s is self diagnosis. Same shit, different day.\nWhenever someone claims autism, or somewhere on the spectrum, I just roll my eyes and imagine that person just sucks at life.", ">\n\nI just think it’s a little more harmful nowadays due to the prevalence of social media. Ppl get sucked into groups and mindsets before they even have a real life chance. Then they hyper fixate on that they might be mentally Ill rather then just trying to live life to the fullest", ">\n\nI 100% agree with you", ">\n\nBecause it's the age of spin this generation has something for everybody. And all of them are Google doctors. Lol", ">\n\nTook my uncle till he was 38 even thought it was apparent to everyone. Hell he got expelled from two schools", ">\n\nI get what you're saying. I frankly find it weird that more people don't find this weird. People self-diagnosing themselves as all kinds of things not only completely misrepresents the actual conditions, thereby making people even more confused as to what they actually are and how they present, but also leads people to run to a psychiatrist claiming false symptoms and getting medication for something they don't have, which is NOT a good thing. People should never be taking medication unless it is necessary. We are a heavily over-medicated society and this is a big factor in that. Caffeine to wake up in the morning, \"immuno-boosters\" and mood stabilizers during the day, sleeping pills to sleep at night. The caffeine and sleeping pills are addictive and can really mess up your circadian rhythm, and the mood stabilizers can really fuck you up if you don't need them. Instead of rushing to diagnose and medicate everyone, we need to educate them on human behavior and show them that their \"mental health\" problems are completely normal.\nOh, so you get nervous right before you make huge life decisions? That's not Anxiety Disorder, it's just anxiety.\nOh, you are really sad because your cat died? That's not Clinical Depression, you are just grieving.\nOh, you went from really happy to really sad when you were previously happy and something really shitty happened to you and soured your mood? That's not Bipolar Disorder, that's just life.\nOh, you like to be more organized than the people around you? That's not Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, you just like to be organized.\nPeople really misunderstand the nature of these conditions and it hinders our collective progress in treating them, like dramatically inflating the number of actual conditions in the population, making it increasingly more difficult to determine how common and how varied they are. After all, in most cases it is not the psychiatrist or psychologist who makes you better, you make you better. Medication can help and other people can show you the path to success, but the problem will never get solved unless you play an active role in the treatment. Some conditions can never be solved, only lessened, while others are virtually untreatable. We need to stop making these conditions seem cool. They aren't. They are serious and need to be taken seriously.", ">\n\nHeavily agree and I appreciate how well this comment is worded. Wish I coulda worded mine a little better", ">\n\nYa I saw you getting shredded in the comments and figured I'd sum it up for you. 🤣", ">\n\nLmao bro I didn’t expect this many. I was thinking maybe like 20 ppl would reply", ">\n\nYou need to self diagnose in many cases in order to get adequate help.", ">\n\nI knew when I had ADD and IBS, and I was able to get my suspicions confirmed by my respective doctors. Doctors are there to help the patients understand themselves, whereas the patients have to go home every day and live with what they actually have. Do not be so quick to judge.", ">\n\nJust to add here - Autism in women is less prevalent because it presents differently and is often not picked up by standardised diagnostic tests (that were developed on an almost exclusively male sample). I think that also goes to show that there’s p significant issues with what we consider ‘scientific’ and research based in the first place.", ">\n\nI grew up in a small town and we had quite a few autistic boys but only one autistic girl. Literally only one out of like 6-8 grades. So that’s like a 10-1 ratio. It’s gotta be a lot statistically smaller then males. I don’t doubt it happens I just know it’s a lot less", ">\n\nYou think your small town’s makeup is generalizable to all of society? That isn’t how statistics work.", ">\n\nSo my question would be - so what do we do?\nYou think people are diagnosing themselves to gain attention. Fine, but what's the next step?\nSee, I think I might be bipolar 2. But I went on a journey where I looked into the techniques for dealing with this issue. That led me to cognitive behavior therapy.\nThat actually made me more convinced that this was my issue because I have taught myself a lot of cognitive behavior therapy techniques to address the same issues. These practices have really helped me.\nIt sounds like your issue is that these people are getting attention for it. To me, these are people who need someone to help guide them. That would have helped me a lot when I was younger. Society today doesn't really give us the tools to sort this out, but just the knowledge that these things exist can push someone down the rabbit hole to learn about therapy that could really help.\nI think you should ask yourself what your motivations are. Do you really want them to understand themselves? Or are you more interested in steering the conversation toward other topics?\nPersonally, I would deal with these people by paying them forward. I would tell them to understand the practices that typically help these people, and see if they are relevant. I would tell them to seek professional help, and to refrain from diagnosing themselves, but I would encourage them to be critical of themselves and to learn more.\nImo, the way out is through.", ">\n\nI agree with you but it’s not mostly women. Maybe by happenstance that’s the case in your circle but broadly men do this too.", ">\n\nDoctor's are consulting the Mayo Clinic website after talking to a patient and getting their symptoms. I bring that up to say this; a doctor's training is needed for very serious diseases and tricky diagnoses, but a semi-intelligent person could look up their symptoms and get a lot of the more minor stuff right.", ">\n\nI've never been diagnosed as clinically depressed or anything, but that doesn't mean that I don't suffer from depression a lot of the time (these last few years, more often than not). I see a therapist. I take antidepressants. \nI have a friend who has aphantasia. It isn't really a \"diagnosable\" condition, but it describes what he has trouble with: creating images in his mind.", ">\n\nThat’s different then going online and claiming perfectly normal traits mean you’re autistic", ">\n\nNeurodivergence ≠ mental illness.", ">\n\nThey know themselves and their experiences better than you.", ">\n\nOP, I'm seeing some differences between your post and what you're saying in the comments. \nMy question is, do you have a problem with people self-diagnosing, or is your issue more about people drawing a lot of public attention to their diagnoses?", ">\n\nOverall both but definitely the attention part more so for obvious reasons. The self diagnosing part due to the fact that it can make people believe it can be an excuse for their actions good or bad. I think In a weird way it can allow people to take away the responsibility of their own actions and attribute to their mental illness", ">\n\nAs someone who has been diagnosed with ADHD, having people self diagnosing doesn't bother me at all, because I went the path of not knowing at all what I had and letting doctors figure out by themselves... and it took me 4 years and a half to finally have a concrete answer that no doctors would have found out if I didn't start searching on my own. You can't walk into every doctor's office with the assumption they'll figure out what you have, because it's not their speciality, or they still have an outdated view (not every doctor are kept up to date with new discovers), or they're biased, etc... \nI've never been annoyed by people who self diagnose. Hell, if I knew what was about to happen to me, I would have done the same way sooner.", ">\n\nMost women today arent faking it, they are noticing the symptoms no one else noticed and trying to find help. Its not easy to grow up with this kind of stuff. Is not coincidence you think women are less likely to be born to autism instead of thinking how weird it is that for some reason most autism diagnosis happen to men, that is the misogyny in the medical comunity.\nSelf diagnosis means this women will go to doctors and it most case scenarios they will get diagnoses because they have this issue all their life.\nSocial media is giving people awareness of the issue in medicine and how it affects women. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Misogyny in medicine also leads to people not knowing the difference between a heart attack in a woman and a man. It leads to women thinking its something else because internet and books will tell you how a man will feel a heart attack, even doctors sometimes dont know this.", ">\n\nGetting a diagnosis or treatment is borderline impossible for a lot of people. So self diagnosis is sometimes the only way they can help themselves.", ">\n\nNot a mental illness. But, I am a trans person and I pretty much self-diagnosed and self-medicated. I just had physicians do blood test.\nI educated myself on how everything works in about eight month period. I did that over a decade.\nI don’t regret my decision, and if I did. The regret would be not starting any sooner, especially when people who aren’t physicians or therapists are having a final say about these things.", ">\n\nIt is very noticeable and annoying, buuuut it’s proven autism manifest differently in females. Plus women are (very) often under diagnosed and dismissed for many many things by doctors, which is absolutely disgusting. Aaaand the cost of healthcare is outrageous.", ">\n\nwomen being less likely to be diagnosed with autism has nothing to do with an actual gender gap in who does and doesn’t have autism and everything to do with the fact autistic women are diagnosed with personality disorders and mental illnesses due to stigmas. most autism research was done on men and therefore women are underrepresented and more often than not misdiagnosed. autism actually occurs at a similar rate in both sexes. also, it’s not a mental illness, it’s a neurological condition (not that mental illnesses aren’t, but illness implies there’s something wrong, which there isn’t in autistic people). i agree that self diagnosing leads to misinformation and harms those who are clinically diagnosed though.", ">\n\nA lot of medical diagnoses are based on white male studies, so yes you would see more women finding out they have certain mental illnesses now as professionals are realizing it can show differently in females vs males. Adhd, for example, was considered something only seen in young boys that would grow out of it, now they are realizing that you don't in fact grow out of it and women can have it too. \nMental illness was a taboo subject back in the day as well, especially for women. It was only in 1980 I think that hysteria was no longer considered a mental illness. Women would be diagnosed with 'hysteria' and committed for symptoms like anxiety and anger. So now a lot of women are learning more about their mental health because they feel safe to do so. \nMy mother is in her early 70's and still refuses to tell anyone her own health issues or even mine, I have cancer and we were going to go on a trip as it's unknown how much longer I have and she refused to ask for the day off because she wouldn't tell them the reason why.", ">\n\nI detest self diagnosis, though once you’ve studied advanced level abnormal psychology shit happens. \nAs far as kids go, the generalized anxiety and depressive spectrum diagnoses can occasionally be accurate however that would warrant professional intervention regardless.\nOne serious issue among others; if an adolescent “decides” they have major depressive disorder that can become a self fulfilling prophecy and cause despair and reluctance to seek treatment", ">\n\nLook at the price and lack of availability of mental health care, and the total lack of privacy of internet connected devices. Most practitioners don’t offer in person visits anymore, and even if they do they probably do digital records or have their phone present. Ofc people are self diagnosing.", ">\n\nCounterpoint: many people do not have the means to access diagnoses for mental illnesses and other disorders, and it can sometimes be the only way to explain their feelings to others. Autism diagnoses in particular are extremely difficult to access for adults and even teens. I suspected I had autism for years and the only way I was able to get a diagnosis was through the mental health treatment program I was in during highschool which had a psychologist there. I only could attend because I live in Canada with universal healthcare. Many, many people are not as fortunate as me. Most people in the world cannot access diagnosis in the first place, including many in richer countries. \nYour comment about women statistically 'being born with autism on a far lesser scale than men' misses the well-known problem of underdiagnosis of autism in women. Autism presents itself differently in women than men (I can say as an autistic woman who knows other autistic women) and the criteria for autism were based on cis white men. Autism in women is is often misdiagnosed as CPTSD (which many autistic people ALSO unfortunately have), borderline personality disorder, anxiety, depression, etc. \nAlthough self-diagnosis is often problematic and used by teenagers to feel special, for the people who take it seriously and are intellectually honest there currently isn't really a better alternative for them to try and explain their experiences when they cannot access diagnoses.", ">\n\nWhat you are describing is NOT a new phenomenon. I was born in 1975 and have been observing this phenomenon my entire life. Nothing new about it at all.", ">\n\nSelf diagnosis is often the first step in going to go and get an actual diagnosis. Getting diagnosed with a mental disorder, especially as an adult, is basically impossible if you aren't actively seeking it out. For several reasons, one of which is that pretty much all the diagnostic criteria are written about children. \nI'm properly diagnosed and even on disability for mental disorders and I knew what I had for years before I got diagnosed. \nI understand there's a feeling of \"stolen valour\" to it. And there is indeed a subset of people doing it for attention or because it's fashionable, OCD in particular being a common example, but the good that comes from self diagnosis more than outweighs the bad.", ">\n\nCorrect me if I’m wrong, but don’t all, or at least most mental disorders lie on a spectrum?", ">\n\nI was diagnosed ADD/ ADHD as a child an im getting re-evaluated next month because i think the diagnosis must be bullshit.\nI have a close friend that wasn't diagnosed ADD/ADHD until they were 22 and in an Ivy league vet program\nThe amount of people that say they cant do well in school simply because they have add/ adhd is bullshit if u ask me. Also, people justify abusing adderal because theyre ADHD and i think thats BS too. I decided never to take it and just abuse caffeine instead to avoid the health side effects", ">\n\nThe current US medical system is such garbage that self advocacy is important. \nSometimes it is wrong. Sometimes professionals ignore you or only pay attention to things insurance companies will pay for. Sonetimes they are also wrong. Or they're incentivized to get you out of a hospital bed ready or not. \nAdministrators and insurance companies get all the money. Nurses, aides, patients all suffer.", ">\n\nEspecially when they don't even understand what the disorder is in the first place. \"I'm a loner so I'm anitsocial.\" That's not what that means.... Or my favorite, \"I'm detailed oriented so I have OCD, lulz I am so le quirky! ;P\"", ">\n\nPeople who struggle with certain things often seek out those with similar experiences. With social media and the internet, it’s easier than ever to find people with similar struggles and sometimes, those people are a group diagnosed with certain mental illnesses. \nDoes that mean every person who sees themselves in a diagnosis will have that diagnosis? Hell no. But I think it’s disingenuous to claim that it’s “for attention.” People want to find community they can relate to and are drawn to experiences that reflect their own.\nI’m saying this as someone who was diagnosed with ADHD at 25 — I started to suspect I might have it in my early 20s and started poking about online. I was officially assessed and diagnosed some time later, and that diagnosis has been validated by three therapists and two psychiatrists.\nPlenty of people misjudge themselves and plenty of people are very ready to leap into a box. Some of them may be wrong. Some may be doing it to try and excuse bad behavior. (Hell, I’ve known waaaay too many people who DID have diagnosed mental illnesses and seemed to think their diagnosis was a free pass to be shitty). However, I think calling it a “trend” or “for attention” misses the point of why and how people reach these conclusions. \nOne might also argue that you do not have the professional expertise regarding psychology to assume the validity or ulterior motives of someone else’s diagnosis. There’s a reason that a lot of psychologists out there are adamantly against diagnosing from a distance - you have significantly less insight into a someone’s mind than they do, and you’re projecting a lot of assumptions onto others’ behavior without any supporting evidence.", ">\n\nIm gonna start out with, generally I agree its a problem-to an extent. Even though women have autism at a much lower rate they’re also under diagnosed/misdiagnosed at a higher rate. When it comes to why people are doing this, in my experience it’s people who are trying to figure out why they’re treated the way they are, why they struggle to do certain things that others don’t even see as an issue. They’re noticing their differences and feeling bad about it. When they can’t fix it they start trying to find a reason, a cause to help them both understand and feel better about themselves and ways they can move forward and actually improve their lives, as well as finding a group they can relate to when they have a hard time relating to the average person.", ">\n\nI think OP is arguing there are quite a few people whose self-diagnosis wouldn’t meet the criteria of a medical diagnosis. It’s horrible for me to even argue but some people want to portray themselves as a victim: I think this because I am a shit.\nHowever I agree with arguments here that if these people are brave enough to identify a potential issue in themselves then kudos to them for recognising it.", ">\n\nI had a doctor misdiagnose my spine injury and I researched medical articles and studies to come the actual diagnosis.\nNot always bad to do your research. \nBut mental health is a serious issue and some people use self diagnosis’ as an excuse to act however they want.", ">\n\nPart of what happens when you can’t afford to see a doctor.", ">\n\nThe most important piece to note on the self diagnosis problem among youth is misdiagnosis. \nThings like BPD, NPD, and ASPD for have dozens of overlapping criteria but very specific things that distinguish them. A professional can discern between both disorders and the average googler can not. \nThe result is that the patients identity crisis worsens as they begin to develop a sense of identity with a diagnosis than is not true for them. \nIt seems like the youth is quite eager to be diagnosed with some sort of disorder today.", ">\n\nI'm really happy to see someone mentioning this. I have experienced this more and more recently and I agree with it being strange and problematic.", ">\n\nThis is not new, we are just talking about it on social media now.\nI have been chronically ill for my entire life. I have constantly been refused medical care because I am apparently to young to be sick and I have had diagnosis withheld because, for example, how could I possibly complete a Masters and be neurodivergent. A lot of medical gatekeeping is rooted in ableism. \nI’ve had 7 surgeries, most would have been avoidable if I’d been listened to when I first sort medical care. I’ve had to do a mountain of research and go to Drs with a self diagnosis and sources to even get passed the are you just sad or have you tried yoga phase (I’ve also been told to go to church and find a nice husband to cure me). The surgeries that would’ve had to happen anyway were massively delayed due to Drs not taking my symptoms seriously, with 2 resulting in damage to other organs due to the delay.\nI’ve wasted so much time and energy and had so much damage happen to my body because Drs have medically gaslighted me or not listened or answered my questions when I’ve asked for more explanation. \nSelf diagnosis isn’t some cop out or look at me I’m special thing, it’s for survival. I’d literally be dead. I didn’t want to spend the past decade learning about medicine, ideally I’d get on with my life, but Drs and the medical community won’t let me do that.\np.s men are NOT more likely to be autistic than women. Research into autism has been majority based on studies into white, male adolescents and expected social male behaviour which is why lots of girls don’t get diagnosed and is why it is common for women, POC, and LGBTQIA+ people to be diagnosed in adulthood.", ">\n\nPersonally doctors have been totally useless for any non life thrusting subtle malady. They don’t try and fix any problem like that. Self diagnosing is what I am left with.", ">\n\nI mean, i self diagnosed that i probably had depression, since i was suicidal and couldn't do anything, went to a doctor and apparently had hormone and thyroid issues. Sure it wasnt depression, but the experience was the same, and if i didn't get help the result would probably be the same. So even though i misdiagnosed, it still saved my life." ]

[ "The diagnosis process for a lot of psychiatric conditions are surveys and questionaires. You can go to a psychiatrist and ask if you're anxious and they'll give you multiple choice questions and diagnose off of that. Or you can just google the form yourself and self diagnose. A lot of psychiatric disorders are about how we feel and think. Not about sending off some blood sample to a lab and getting a positive result come back.\n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. For such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nWhat you're describing are all neuroses that could indicate some deeper psychiatric condition. Whether a person has a mental health condition or not, thinking of ourselves as weak victims is never helpful in any context, yet it's something we all feel from time to time.\nI'm a disability support worker, so when someone tells me they've got a self diagnosed condition, it's not offensive to me or any disabled person I know, it doesn't come across like they're invalidating anyone else's condition. However I do think everyone should talk to a doctor about any condition they feel they might have.", ">\n\nPiggybacking off of this: You’ve spent your whole entire life inside your own brain. A therapist will spend a period of hours with you and give you a diagnosis. Who do you think knows your personal reality better than yourself?", ">\n\nYeah exactly, especially with conditions such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, PTSD, and many other psychiatric conditions. These are things people know they have even before they get a diagnosis. The diagnosis stage is more about treatment and management.\nPeople might be unaware of how severe or mild their condition is, some people think they have only mild PTSD despite constant nightmares and suicidal ideation. Some people will think they have severe ADHD because they can't concentrate for long times on things that don't interest them. It's good to get some perspective from experts but ultimately people know when they are struggling to focus or to struggling to stop stressing all the time or struggling to not be miserable. Struggling with our thoughts and feelings is evidence enough to self diagnose.", ">\n\nI was recently diagnosed with ADHD as a woman so I find this viewpoint interesting.\nFirstly, autism is not a mental illness. An autistic person may have mental illness in conjunction with autism, but autism alone lies under the neurodivergent umbrella. Neurodivergency can include autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and other similar conditions.\nWhy women are often underdiagnosed\nThese are serious disabilities that can really impede a person's life, especially if they struggle to find help and acceptance in their community. A lot of women start their journey towards diagnosis later in life due to a number of factors such as:\n\nPoor diagnostic tools and inexperienced professionals\nA misunderstanding that autism and ADHD are more common in boys\nAdvanced masking techniques to cover their 'traits'\n\nWhy women are often diagnosed later in life.\nThe process for many women and men who are diagnosed later in life often includes a level of burnout or breakdown. After a while everything becomes too much, the mask begins to slip and your traits go into overdrive.\nWhy does self-diagnosing seem to be on the rise?\nA common way of finding out you could possibly be neurodivergent is through media and people who are aware of these traits appear.\nIn the past few years, I have seen an increasing awareness of neurodivergence in women pop up in the media. This is useful for people like myself who had no idea wtf was wrong with them for a very long time. For me, a GP actually suggested I seek a diagnosis due to some struggles I was going through.\nAs someone who went through this process self-diagnosing is commonly the first step as an adult. You might be directed to a questionnaire and are asked to evaluate yourself and your experiences thinking back to your childhood. If there's some merit in your experiences than you move to the next step which involves seeking a professional. Waitlists are often months to years long so many people live in limbo for a long time.\nMethods of living with ADHD can help everyone. And everyone experiences ADHD traits from time to time. Given a large amount of stress we have all suffered collectively, I don't doubt there are a lot of people with increased mental health issues that mirror neurodivergent traits. Some mental illnesses can get very severe and alter your brain chemistry and behaviour.\nMy takeaway from this is that the mental health systems set up to assist these people are a much larger issue and cause for serious concern than self-diagnosing.\nApologies for the spelling and grammar errors. Grammarly and Reddit don't play nice.", ">\n\nI think it's two things. One, people have identity crises, especially teenagers. We all know that type of person who tries on identities like hats. That's pretty embarrassing. You usually grow out of that.\nTwo, from personal experience, giving yourself a label or a diagnosis makes it feel more contained and easy to communicate. It's easier to tell someone that you have X and have them understand what you're going through rather than telling them you have these vague symptoms resembling what you imagine X is like. In that respect, it is pretty understandable, possibly good, and not embarrassing. There's something that is sort of reassuring if you can finally get a word to put on what you're experiencing.\nPeople often sympathize with the diagnosis but not with the symptoms. Tell people at work you're autistic and they will sympathize with you and possibly not attack you. Tell them you do not understand social cues and they will probably just make fun of you.", ">\n\nI understand the desire to put a label with a disease, and this is not necessarily bad, but the diagnosis needs to be correct. If you want to tell others that you are autistic or depressed; you must actually be those things. A person can almost never correctly assertion their disease, only their symptoms. People might better understand you if you say your autistic, but you may incorrectly understand and describe yourself. If one wishes to put a name with symptoms, they should find a doctor to pick the label", ">\n\nfor sure but unfortunately our medical system is a joke and even if you are experiencing very severe symptoms it can be nearly impossible to see a professional or take months on a waiting list.\nEven then a professional may be reluctant to slap a label on you for fear of what the consequences of that might be. I saw someone for a very long time who resisted any sort of actual diagnosis because the truth is that what I was experiencing didn't fit neatly into any of the boxes and pretty much belonged in this vague \"other\" category which isn't particularly helpful. Not to mention that misdiagnosis happens all the time even by professionals. \nI just think it is sort of understandable because I think a lot of stuff is kind of a spectrum anyway and just different levels of severity. Things can be really confusing and hard to nail down and thus communicate in a way that causes someone else to be understanding rather than judgemental.", ">\n\nAre you under the impression this is a new phenomenon? Because it's definitely not.\nPeople - especially young people! - crave identity. The world is a confusing place, knowing who you are makes it a little easier. Sometimes it's self-diagnosing mental illness or learning disabilities, or exploring sexual identity, or cliques, or subcultures. There's nothing embarrassing about it, it just is what it is.", ">\n\nIt’s ok to want to express individuality but not to the extent of totally destroying the definition of a real thing and making it hard for actual mentally Ill ppl to get a diagnosis. Why can’t people just accept that they’re different rather then giving themselves a label?", ">\n\npeople on TikTok claiming to have disorders that they don't doesn't affect the precision of psychiatrists diagnosing actual patients. There's no TikTok-said section in the DSM. Why do you think that it does?", ">\n\nIt just encourages more people to get diagnosed possibly skewing the meaning of the mental illness", ">\n\nSkewing it towards statistical accuracy? If people are actually diagnosed at higher rates, we have a better Guage of population-level mental illness, neurodivergency, etc. Better data is more usable, so that research actually means something actionable, ASIDE from the identity boost for young people.", ">\n\nI think what OP is driving at, but utterly failing to explain, is that they think that the fakers will be accommodated by the psychiatric system and diagnosed on the basis of fake symptoms. my sense is that isn't a problem but I don't have data.", ">\n\nDefinitely explained it a little better then I could lol", ">\n\nWhere do you see evidence of that? Any articles about fakers? How about a statistic? If not, it’s just a fear you seem to have.", ">\n\nI think the salient line here is this one:\n\nNeurologists were able to quickly determine that the subjects were not \nsuffering from Tourette's, but psychogenic tics driven by anxiety.", ">\n\nWomen are not born with less autism, but are much less likely to be diagnosed as children than boys. This is partly because boys generally have similar symptoms and behaviors. \nSo of course more women are self diagnosing autism, since their diagnoses were missed as children on a much higher rate.", ">\n\nAlright, I'm diagnosed OCD, PTSD, chronic depression. Diagnosed by a professional so I think I have some grounds to talk about this.\nFirst, let's tackle your women comment about autism. You see, I understand where you're coming from, but you lack the nuance of recognizing that mental illness, and illness in general, is heavily under-diagnosed in women. The medical culture is heavily favored towards men and is rampant with mysogyny, and that's not just me saying it as I've had medical professionals blatantly tell me it's a problem in the field when questioned about it. I've also had some tell me that it's just because women whine a lot, so yanno make of that statement what you will.\nNow that we've covered that let me address the self-diagnosing issue. So, do you want to know what my therapist thinks of self-diagnosing? Well, when I asked them about it they said that self-diagnosing is an important first step to seeking help. Psychiatrist said the same thing. It's normal, expected even, for people to self-diagnose their issues then seek help for them. You can't exactly just peer into someone's brain, no, that person has to tell you what they think is wrong and why they think it is. \nWhat you actually have a problem with is not self-diagnosis, but with people not seeking or not being able to get medical assistance and assuming they're right. You have a problem with people using these issues for attention, which I do too, but once again self-diagnosing is not the problem. Finally, you have a problem with the medical system that forces people into the position of trying to figure out their mental illnesses, but having no ability to get help for them.", ">\n\nI think I did it", ">\n\nSadly no lol, it was not done properly. Do you need a link to the rules?", ">\n\nI already read them i think I’ll figure it out in a bit sorry for the hold up", ">\n\nBecause everyone else is being aggressive: you have to comment with ∆ or !delta and then explain how your view has been changed", ">\n\nThis delta has been rejected. You can't award OP a delta.\nAllowing this would wrongly suggest that you can post here with the aim of convincing others.\nIf you were explaining when/how to award a delta, please use a reddit quote for the symbol next time.\n^Delta System Explained ^| ^Deltaboards", ">\n\nWhat gives you the authority or knowledge to know this is the problem?", ">\n\nYou don’t think it’s a problem that a lot of young ppl are willing to go to the extent of saying they are mentally Ill either for attention or to excuse their weirdness? Just accept that your different. It’s not wrong to believe you’re different without a label", ">\n\nYou did not even try to answer my question.", ">\n\nI’m sorry I was confused on what you meant", ">\n\nIf you are mad at people for self diagnosing themselves because they don't have the knowledge or authority to do so.... what gives you the knowledge or authority to diagnosis this as the problem behavior... basically are you just a kid that is annoyed, or is there some actual studies out there that is claiming this is a problem.", ">\n\nIf you don’t think that people consistently seeking attention for mental illness or craving a label so badly to justify themselves rather then being themselves. That just shows what your views are", ">\n\nDont you think we should leave the diagnosing to the professionals?", ">\n\nI mean yeah", ">\n\nWould you agree that you are diagnosing these people by saying that they are only seeking attention and do not have a real mental illness?", ">\n\nI’m assuming", ">\n\nThere may be some truth to people wanting to be different, however with mental illnesses being more accepted in today's society, many people are a lot more comfortable with being neurodivergent. Additionally, self diagnosis is common because the alternative is spending upwards to $1000-$2000 for a clinical diagnosis.", ">\n\nI know costs suck, but self diagnosis can be much more harmful. A web.md page that tells you your depressed when you may actually be bipolar can lead to really messed up results. I would even go as far as to say that no diagnosis at all is preferable to an uninformed one", ">\n\nWell.\n​\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad \n\nSo you already know why they're doing what they're doing in addition the fact that you know that they're not Autistic? If your claim is that they can't know and only a doctor can, what makes you more qualified? You start out your argument admitting that you have a bias.\n\nthey’re “neurodivergent.\n\nNeurodivergent is an umbrella that covers both Autism and ADHD, which sometimes get mistaken for each other. So if you're upset that they're self-diagnosing, this term should be more welcome than \"Autistic\" because it's more generalized.\n\nnd when you ask them how they know they’ll say “oh I have this weird tick when I uh laugh when someone says something funny “ or “I have a hyper fixation on this topic so I must be autistic\n\nHow else should they communicate it to you? The list of aspects of Autism, especially for how it presents in women, sounds a lot like this. You're not a doctor, they don't have to prove anything to you by going down the entire list of every possible part of their daily experience that might be on the spectrum.\n\nWomen statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nNope. Women are diagnosed less often than men because the original diagnostic criteria for Autism was for Autism as it presents in males. It presents differently for females and is harder to diagnose, especially at younger ages. \n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized\n\nTodays youth want to be victimized? Why would anyone want to be victimized? Something tells me you're missing the mark with this terminology.\n\nor have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. \n\nSo if someone is Autistic and that makes them weird, you'd rather them just be forced to not get to have a name for it, and get the therapeutic treatment that would help them?\n\nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really [are] without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nSome people are autistic. If they find out and it makes them feel good, that doesn't mean they're craving attention. And if they are craving attention, it's because they're normal people and everyone does. \nIf someone thinks they're autistic but it turns out they're actually not, chances are they suspected it for a reason. They might have ADHD, a personality disorder, a mental health issue, or simply a slightly different way of experiencing the world that feels unique to them and there's nothing wrong with that. \nYou seem to think that other people do things for you. People generally don't. They do things for themselves. This is especially true of people on the Autism Spectrum who may not be able to easily use other people's experiences to reference when constructing their view of the world, and can only use their own. Your interpretation wherein they do it to evoke a response from you says more about you than it does about them.", ">\n\nYou’re being deliberately obtuse. OP is completely correct. Most of the people these days who say “I’m ADHD” or “I’m autistic” or “I’m neurodivergent” are absolutely not diagnosed as such and are doing it to seem unique or get attention or as some excuse for why they did x y or z.", ">\n\nI'd like to point out that while some are perhaps attention seeking, many people self diagnose simply because they don't have access to free medical/psychological professionals to get proper diagnosis and help with their issues. I also know someone who doesn't want to get an official diagnosis because he's afrad it will affect his insurance rates or somehow come back to bite him if he's offically labeled with having a neurological disorder. \nThere is a wealth of knowledge on these subjects available online for those interested. And if they are truly interested in self diagnose they can likely do that accurately enough for all intents and purposes. Most of these people who search for the sake of better understanding themselves or their loved ones will openly admit that it's a self diagnoses, or say they THINK they have x,y, or z. But in some situations it's just as well to say they have it if they feel certain anyway, and it's just a passing comment, and not a discussion on the matter. \nIn other words, just because they self diagnose doesn't mean they're wrong, nor does it explain their motives. I also don't see how attention seeking (for those who ARE doing that) is really hurting anyone else. Fakers gonna be fake, that's more a \"them\" kind of problem. ANNOYING, but mostly harmless.", ">\n\nUnless you have a doctor's diagnosis you don't have the disorder. Even if you are broke there are programs to help with costs. \nAnd yes it does affect me when someone is treating me like shit and tries using the I have such and such as an excuse and then people get mad at ME for calling them in their bullshit.", ">\n\nNo. You have to have the disorder before you CAN be diagnosed, so obviously there are undiagnosed people who in fact \"have the disorder \". Your refusal to acknowledge an undiagnosed disorder does not mean they don't have it. Your personal experience with people supposedly using a fake diagnosis to treat you badly, sounds unusual. How do you know they DIDN'T have it? People who do lie and just want to be jerks will do that regardless of what methods they decide to try. The methods are irrelevant. And that motive is not typical of most self diagnosers .", ">\n\nSounds unusual? You must not get out a lot because it's become a pretty regular thing. Every single person I know (about 8) that have self diagnosed themselves as neurodivergent or with a mental illness like Bi-polar all use it to excuse their shitty ass behaviors. \nToo many disorders can mirror other ones. Just because they think they have 2/3 symptoms doesn't make them right by a long shot. Keep living in your bubble.", ">\n\nYou don't have to have a relationship with anyone. If they treat you badly, regardless of an official diagnosis or not, you don't have to tolerate them. It makes no difference what they have or don't have. What would it change if they got diagnosed and actually have it?", ">\n\nSelf diagnosing has been a thing forever\nAnd it's not a problem im 99% sure me or any other autistic person doesn't really give 2 fucks about people who wanna fake disorders. It doesn't stop us from getting help, we have doctors notes, medical files, sometimes even volunteers, you need those files to get into let's say a special education class, or a life skills course.\nSo unless you were diagnosed by a professional you're probably not gonna make it far faking it.\n(Excuse my shitty punctuation)", ">\n\nIt doesn’t bother you that they’re making others take the actual meaning away from what you were born with? I mean I’m sure autism hasn’t made your life easy and seeing ppl claim it for attention to be quirky probably has to annoy you a little right?", ">\n\nAt the end of the day I still have ADHD and I still need help with it. More people being diagnosed with it doesn’t change that fact. In fact I was diagnosed because I realized I related to so many tiktok memes, and I’m sure others are in my same boat. \nIn fact I think so many people talking about ADHD helps. It means more people who possibly have tips for me, people who are suffering who can’t afford treatment have an easy way to learn about how to improve their lives, and more people who are aware of my disorder.", ">\n\nI think people do diagnose themselves too often without seeking professional help. BUT mental illness is not the same as being neurodivergent.", ">\n\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad that they’ll go as far to say they’re “neurodivergent.”\n\nWhile this is the case, I don't really see how it's a \"problem\" per se. I guarantee that these people still make lifestyle decisions based on what they think is best, or based on what they want to do.\n\nbut it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women\n\nDo you have any statistics for that? I haven't experienced it that way in my own anecdotal experience, and I'd be curious to look into the data to see how much that truly does skew in that direction.\n\nwanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness \nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nI understand what you're trying to say here, but I don't really think these things are connected as much as you think they are. People see something wrong with themselves, so they either playfully or seriously consider the fact that it could be a condition that they have similar symptoms to. Not that it never happens, but just because someone categorizes themselves into a disability group that could potentially excuse their \"quirks\", doesn't mean they think that behavior is unacceptable in any way. People see a problem, and assume it's linked to this other issue that seems similar that they already know about.", ">\n\nI agree with the conclusion that self-diagnosis is a real issue, and I wouldn't be surprised if the data indicated it was on the rise. I wouldn't necessarily frame it as a simple desire to \"be victimized\" however. While it is purely speculation, I do believe there are a number of conditions which might lead towards a more frequent experience of symptoms associated with mental illness - a rising wealth gap, perpetual anxiety from a 24-hour news cycle, intensification of self-commodification, the student debt crisis in certain countries like the US, and so on. So people are experiencing symptoms like low energy, mood swings, etc. that can be associated with mental illness. The issue with self-diagnosis then becomes that it may correctly identify the symptom, but incorrectly identify the cause.\nThis video from the YouTuber HealthyGamerGG does a good job of explaining what some of the issues with self-diagnosis are, and for me it was a good starting place for thinking about this more. \nEDIT: I forgot this video literally starts with this same topic being brought up on this same subreddit lol", ">\n\nA great theory based on reasonable causes with an educational video from a psychologist(I assume) as evidence to back it up. I applaud you sir. 👏", ">\n\nWhy are you embarrassed by other people's issues?", ">\n\nI’m a 30yo male. If I had not first self diagnosed with ASD and OCD, I never would have found the language and resources to get a formal diagnosis and help.\nPrior generations have been so fixated on avoidance of diagnosing mental disorders, and research was previously so lacking that we are only just now (through those that do get diagnosed) realizing how common mental disorders are. That plus the lack of mental health resources for neurotypical and neurodivergent I think is how we end up in this situation of many recognizing their symptoms in the new discourse, but lacking the resources to overcome the barriers to proper diagnosis and treatment.", ">\n\nIt’s not the best thing, no. \nAs an adult FINALLY diagnosed (by a licensed therapist) at 41, I can tell you why ‘self diagnosis’ is so tempting. \nIn the US at least- mental health, and official medical diagnosis are almost completely inaccessible, especially as an adult. Most of us grew up before Autism was a spectrum, and ADHD was just boys who acted out in class. We felt like aliens. We couldn’t understand why we didn’t have many friends, or why we didn’t like the ‘right things’, and generally spend the bill of our lives feeling ‘wrong’, ‘broken’ or just simply like we didn’t belong. \nFinally understanding the WHY, and even better, finding tools to addresses our issues is a huge huge weight off the chest. The relief of having a name and a strategy- either therapy or medicine is such an amazing relief!!", ">\n\nI only kinda agree if I had not done my own research I would have never found out I have sjorgens syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis I know TikTok people tend to diagnose themselves and it makes it look cringe but when you live with a incurable illness sometimes you have to work to find a diagnosis", ">\n\nWell, what do you do of you absolutely know you're neurodivergent, but your parents decided not to get you checked? My mom once told me \"we knew you had something, we just didn't get you checked because they would have just put you on pills\". So I struggled with being different, socially unaware, impulsive, obnoxious, agressive, selfish, for the better part of my life without having the self awareness to understand why I was these things, and why people wouldn't want to be around me. \nIn my late 20''s I asked the question, what if I'm actually autistic? I looked up the symptoms, and 9/10 matched. As a child I couldn't handle loud noises, restrictive clothing, I didn't talk until I was 3. I would throw fits for seemingly no reason, I had obsessive interests. I've always really struggled with eye contact, and I never cared for conversation unless it was something I liked. I mean, when the final piece of a puzzle fits so incredibly well, it's really hard for it to be wrong. \nSelf diagnosing actually really helped me grow as aj individual. I became aware of all my divergent behaviors, and why it might be annoying for someone else to deal with. I came to the realization that I was the one who was different, therefore I needed to change. It's way harder to make everyone around you cater to your needs than to overcome the things that upset you. I'm at peace, I have good friends that I can connect with on a pretty deep level. I no longer smash coffee tables when I lose, I can now appreciate that if I lose it just means I have more to learn. I can keep my house clean, I can reasonably hold myself accountable. What exactly is the harm in all that?\nBesides, it would be pretty pointless for me to try and get a diagnosis now, I've put the effort in and largely come out the other side. Anyone diagnosing me would just say I was normal, but they wouldn't have the intimate knowledge of me that I do. I guess it doesn't matter if people don't believe me, I don't go around shouting that I'm autistic. I will say, it would be really nice if people appreciated the effort I put in to get to get to a place of normalcy, something others take for granted, but it's okay, we all have our struggles.", ">\n\nI feel you on all that. To play devil's advocate, mental healthcare in the U.S. is not cheap. Many people go to the internet and confirm their bias about their current health", ">\n\nI feel you on that too OP. I agree 100% with your entire statement.", ">\n\nIt's a problem, but not a new one. In the 1990s there was briefly a surge of people with a type of delusional parasitosis, that is, the false belief that they were infested with parasites. Except this one was supposedly an infestation with tiny fibres. They would come to doctors with a whole list of symptoms to back up their incorrect self-diagnosis.\nTo a certain extent, these are social contagions, which come and go, and often actually end up leading to people having real problems. Like, the young women you mention, a couple of decades ago may well have ended up with anorexia, or self-cutting. These days it might be a self-declaration of autism or a belief that they have gender dysphoria or that they have multiple systems living in their minds.", ">\n\nWow I did not know that. Maybe it’s just so prevalent today due to social media. Social media has only made these things worse imo", ">\n\nEven before it being self diagnosis of a mental illness it was always something. Remember all the emo and goth teenager?", ">\n\nIt depends on the context. For example, if they've done a substantial amount of research, can name a good amount of symptoms they have and reasons they have whatever mental illness and don't have access to the necessary tools to get a medical diagnosis, it's totally different. Some people don't have the money to go out and get a diagnosis, or sometimes it would be better to not get a medical diagnosis. I believe that the reason that a lot of people self diagnose themselves with things like Autism is because they want an explanation as to why they are different, and they could be right or wrong. I think the most important part is that if you go to a psychologist (or even two, I know a lot of people prefer getting second opinions) and they say you don't have it, that you need to admit you were wrong. It's ok to be wrong about your mental health, and the key is to keep looking and to not give up. I can completely understand the frustration in people completely missing how difficult it actually may be to have a mental illness. I was clinically diagnosed with Depression, Anxiety, and PTSD when I was seven, and I've had some experience with people faking mental disorders for attention, and more often then not, they have another mental disorder that needs attention. Recently I had a (now ex) boyfriend insist he had PTSD after being tested twice and the psychiatrist saying that he didn't have it. What he does have is Depression and Anxiety, but he absolutely insisted he has PTSD despite never exhibiting symptoms and the only evidence being a test he took online that was supposedly a \"real PTSD test.\" People faking mental illnesses only harms people who really have them, as these people tend to exaggerate symptoms and use their self diagnosis for attention. I believe that I am autistic, but I don't list it as a diagnosis because while I have read articles and taken the RAADS-r test, I don't have an official diagnosis, and I could very well be wrong. As for women faking illnesses more often, something I've noticed is that things like Autism, ADHD, ADD, etc are more often diagnosed in boys rather than girls- mostly because when they were first discovered, most of the research was done in boys. Autism shows up differently in girls, and can often be blown off as early puberty hormones. If their hyperfixations are those of stereotypical feminine things, it's just a girl liking whatever, and if they hyperfixate in stereotypical masculine interests, they tend to just be viewed as weird, but not autistic. It's normal for people to question, but I agree that to a certain point, self diagnosis can be harmful, but only if not done correctly.", ">\n\nFirst and foremost not a new problem at all, very common, we used to call it \"Being a hypochondriac\" until it aparrently became reconized which in it self is confusing and a bit contradictory.\nANYWAY\nIt isnt really a problem, no doctor is gonna write the perscription for medication without a diagnosis of some sort.\nAt most there is the vauge \"But what about those who actually have it who arent taken serious\" dont worry, we wouldnt have anyway. Thats kinda how invisible illnesses work.\nOverall the 101 hypochondriacs screaming about the symptoms they read in the ICD might help make the knowledge more common and help people better reconize if their colleagues or friends happen to show symptoms of something.", ">\n\nIt’s pretty expensive in the US to get diagnosed. Personally, I’ve self diagnosed myself out of frustration of the way I process things. I’ve always felt slow & my anxiety/depression was deep because of it, but I was raised in a family that doesn’t believe in mental illness. It was always “if you work hard enough, all your problems will go away”. Meanwhile, i was racking my brain on how to make myself think faster/smarter & it would result in psychotic episodes. I’ve gotten fired from jobs, dropped out of school. I started self harming because I hated myself and my brain & almost commit suicide bc I had no idea what was going on.\nThe relief I felt once I finally got a therapist who validated me & was the first to talk to me about mental Illness. It blew my mind and all of a sudden things actually made sense to me. I currently think I have ADD, and sometimes I’ll tell people that but will preface it by saying I’m not professionally diagnosed. Still, I use mental tools that help me get through the day and build my confidence. I’m a lot better at processing conversations, making lists that help me remember things, unmasking, slowing down my thoughts… etc. I’m less frustrated and can see the beauty in how I process things. I still want to get diagnosed but I have to get health insurance….. lol", ">\n\nSelf diagnosis, regardless of being factual is a process where the individual realizes that they might have a mental health issue. People who can do this are more likely to seek professional help compared to the people who think they are “fine”. Going to a professional, licensed psychologist or a psychiatrist will eventually diagnose them with the correct disorder from there, and professionals have the skills to communicate with them and they can together evaluate if the person’s complaint is the issue or not. There is nothing embarrassing about discovering one’s self. It would be a problem if people would identify with an issue and don’t have any willingness to seek help. Sometimes overreacting is better than not reacting.", ">\n\nThe majority of people who are self-diagnosed with autism have done extensive research into it to come to that conclusion. I personally went through the DSM criteria with a fine-tooth comb, made a list of all the ways I met it and discovered that there’s not a single criteria i don’t meet for autism. I didn’t read about anything else but autism for weeks, approaching it from all angles before coming to the conclusion that it’s highly unlikely I am not autistic. I’m waiting to hear back about an assessment, but I’m not waiting to go and be told something I already know before I start advocating for myself. \nOh, and I absolutely did not want to be ‘different’, in fact my life mission to just blend in and be average is the root cause of most of my problems, but here we are.", ">\n\nThis self diagnosing young people do isn’t the problem. The problem is that our society encourages it.\nOur culture is not set up to accommodate a wide spectrum of human needs. You may need things that I don’t. I may need things that you don’t. But in most business settings, academic settings, or even places like restaurants or leisure places, the world isn’t built to accommodate everyone. Our world and society is a “one size fits all” approach, and most people don’t fit snugly inside of that system. \nIf you can classify what is “wrong” or “different” about you into an easily digestible form, people are generally more able and more willing to accommodate you.\nFor example: if I tell my coworkers that I need to leave work early because of a headache, I’ll be shamed for it. And in some cases I’ll be told that “headaches aren’t that bad!” Or “You don’t need to leave.” Or “I have a headache too, just deal with it!”\nBut if I tell my workers that I need to leave due to a painful neurological condition that’s flaring up (I have chronic migraine, which is a neurological condition), they will respect it 100% of the time. It’s met with sympathy and not criticism.\nThis happens for all sorts of things. “Sorry Im late, I slept in.” Sounds a lot worse then, “sorry I’m late, my insomnia has been terrible lately.” \nOur culture forces us to use these labels even when they’re untrue just to receive sympathy or acceptance. The problem isn’t people who decide to use these labels, the root problem is that our society refuses to embrace and accommodate people who are outside of the “norm.”", ">\n\nSpeaking as someone who's had an autism diagnosis since age 7: if someone declares they're autistic when they're not, that's obnoxious at worst. If someone is told they're not autistic when they are, that can cause lifelong harm from denied care and understanding. I have seen this happen to a close friend of mine.\nTherefore, I'd much rather err on the side of acceptance. If you think you're defending me and others like me from impersonators, we'd rather not have your help.\n\nI know people will disagree but it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women. Women statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nCase in point: women are diagnosed with autism far less than men. Recent studies have pointed to decades of systematic misdiagnosis. The more visible autistic symptoms sometimes manifest differently in girls, the way they're socialized may help them hide it from a young age, and of course lots of doctors just say \"your daughter can't be autistic, that's a boy thing.\"\nWe're learning that there are hundreds of thousands of autistic women who slipped through the cracks and were denied the recognition and support they needed because of dismissive, gatekeeping attitudes just like yours.", ">\n\nThere’s a difference between having a disorder and relating to a disorder. If the tools or language associated with a disorder helps someone live better though then cool, it’s all still odd. Also autism presents differently in woman, and a majority of our research on it is on men. Best practice is probably to support them and encourage them to seek treatment.", ">\n\nAutism is severely misdiagnosed in women. Completely under diagnosed. Actually, plenty of things are. The actual problem that we have is parents refusing to let their children get professional help or a diagnosis. Most doctors will diagnose you with BPD as a woman(aka the new female hysteria of our century), maybe put you on some anti psychotics and send you your way. In most countries, a diagnosis/specialist is not readily available, or there is a long waiting list. Even so, the doctors are not know it all. I have seen plenty of doctors, I got different diagnosis almost each time. They ask you some general questions (about your mood, the way you sleep, if you can concentrate, if you harm yourself, if you have suicidal ideation, if you can socialize properly, if your parents were diagnosed with anything, if you have hallucinations or delusions, the works) and then based on that, they will give you a diagnosis. If you use your common sense and information on the internet (given you are knowledgeable on the subject), you can take a good guess on what's wrong. Obviously, some people will exaggerate like with anything (seeing the shadow dude once in your childhood is not a sign of psychosis, neither is hearing your name called when you are alone once in a blue moon), but if you have visual and auditory hallucinations, perhaps weird tactile feelings/hallucinations (spiders are crawling on me, etc), delusions, tend to be forgetful and out of teach with reality, there is a good chance you do have psychosis.", ">\n\nOkay, to start: what do you think autism and ADHD are? They aren't mental illnesses nor are they mental health conditions. \nTo address some of your other points; \nStudies have shown that autism has a gender expression of 1:1. The only reason that women are under diagnosed is because of misunderstandings towards autism, then the diagnosis is conducted incorrectly. Thus it ends up getting conflated with mental illness, E.G BPD, and is diagnosed as a psychiatric disorder instead. This is a detriment to the patient as the care regimes are black and white different. Often times this severely damages the woman.\nFrom data sets that I recall reading, malingering hasn't risen much, if at all, in recent times. I remember it being around 8% of the global population who are engaging in this behaviour, to different extents. I think what's happened is that social media has turned a torch onto it and it's risen in popularity in an algorithmic way. You see it more because it's pushed by the algorithm more because people are searching for it more. It isn't actually occurring any more or less than historically. Most of that attention is negative attention, I should add. \nSo there's two things to take away from that.\n1) The actual act of pretending to be mentally ill, or to have a disability, which is called malingering, is in fact a form of mental unwellness itself. It's a cry for help. The people who do these things are usually very unstable and should be treated with a degree of empathy. The dangerous types who are using mental illness to scam others, or to manipulate them, make up a very small percentage of the overall amount of people in that group and tend to abuse one on one. \n2) The predominant response to this is generally negative. There isn't really any reason to publicly malinger unless you're unstable, this is because a rational person would likely know this, and know the damage it would cause themselves. Self-diagnosis is a very long, and self-aware, process that takes place over years of the individuals life, and proceeds official diagnosis. \nNo one SDs and says \"Okay that's it now! Let me start a TikTok!\" You'd still want support, and you'd still seek support. So that would end up with a doctor, who would see that you're lying, and treat you for whatever was prompting you to malinger. Anyone who has made this commitment knows that keeping it private is a sensible thing to do in a world that isn't inclusive, and often very stigmatising. Sometimes official diagnosis can take YEARS. \nThis kind of propaganda has been going around for a long time in an effort to discredit disabled people and people with mental illnesses. It's not new. People said the same things back in the 90s. People will always be afraid, and dismissive, of things they do not understand. I invite you to try and understand.", ">\n\nI self-diagnosed myself with endometriosis for 10 years before a doctor finally listened to me, opened me up, and found my insides littered with lesions all over my organs. I’m now not able to get pregnant and I might need to get part of my bowel taken out someday. This could’ve been avoided if someone had just listened to me when I was 16. \nSelf-diagnosing is a necessity in a misogynist world! No one takes us seriously! Especially medical professionals. \nThe best antidote for this is to listen to women who self-diagnose. Why do they think they have XYZ? Is it heavily interfering with their life? I think that’s a much larger problem.", ">\n\nIts been proven that there is a bias to diagnose as opposed to not diagnose a mental illness in psychology. So op is actually kinda correct. The definition of a mental illness is in effect being stretched so far that people who are just kinda weird are being diagnosed with \"on the spectrum\". This is actually causing a problem in early learning because parents start treating their kids as essentially learning challenged when they're really not. So it is starting to become an excuse ...", ">\n\nWe live in a society that loves to medicate people. I know it’s different but Did ppl forget about the opioid epidemic? They’ll diagnose your ass with anything if they can", ">\n\nYa I tend to agree. And no one is really saying so I will I guess, but id wager that 50% of psychologist \"professionals\" are totally full of shit. The actual number of psychologists that are are doing real research and clinical studies is EXTREMELY small compared to how many \"psychologists\" are out there. Just like chiropractors, half of them are hacks..", ">\n\nAnd ill say one more thing, though it is anecdotal, but i have direct family that works in special education for young children, and that system is fucked with a capital F. Thay are constantly fighting against parents and programs who try to box kids in the \"autistic\" zone, when they are just really quite or shy, or have pee problems. But parents want an excuse and reason for their behavior, and reduce them to a sub standard education and treatment for the rest of their lives. It's heart breaking. Especially in public schools.", ">\n\nI’m 32 years old. \nI didn’t self diagnose for attention although I remember the days of tumblr where everyone self diagnosed for clout.\nIt took me a decade to realize what is really happening. During the decade before I realized what may have been happening I was told the following:\nI’m rude\nI’m bossy\nI have a RBF/I look mad\nI also only managed to make my first real friend at age 27.\nWhat I was really displaying was:\nBeing overly blunt and just trying to get my point across came off rude when I didn’t intend it to be that way\nTrying to have things done at a certain time and way that no one else thought was important to follow\nUnmasking\nNoticed other things too that I just thought was me being weird:\nVocal stimming\nOral stimming-chewing, smoking, vaping\nRepetitive motions\nRocking\nEasily overwhelmed by too much sensory input\nHigh startle reflex \nInability to regulate my body’s needs-I don’t know I’m hungry until I’m ravenous; don’t recognize the need to use the bathroom until it’s causing me to rush off, don’t realize I’m cold until I’m shaking\nI could go on.\nI want an assessment so bad. But assessments for adults are EXTREMELY hard to setup, if you can even set them up at all. Some states don’t even offer them. I’ve been looking but they are only for children and seem to look for severe cases.\n14 years of thinking I was just a bitch who couldn’t make friends because I was too weird…turns out it might be autism. And turns out I’ll most likely never get a true diagnosis. But the RAADS test gave me a 127 score so that might be the closest I’ll ever get.", ">\n\ni kind of self diagnosed autism? i’ve been to many psychiatrists and therapists for years and they always see adhd in the half an hour and prescribe meds for that, which makes me not go there again. if they dug a little deeper they could have seen autism, i spoke to my current psychiatrist about if its possible i have it, she didn’t want to confirm or deny as i was moving out of state from friends and family and am at an age where i can have kids in the next 10 years since she doesn’t want me being concerned for them. \nI think there’s still lots of stigma around autism even with professionals and especially when identifying it in women. \nI don’t want to be autistic, but i can recognise a lot of different patterns comparing myself and others. I’ve researched it a ton especially in how it shows in women compared to men and in all the articles i found myself relating.\nNow i don’t say im autistic, i say im a little sus of being it tho lmao. and try pass it off casually. I find it’s a lot easier for me to understand and embrace my differences compared to trying to hide it and try be like everyone else or wonder why im not like everyone else. \nBeing older i can also recognise how a lot of my family on one side have suffered mentally and because of obvious neurodivergence. so im pretty sure, like the rest of my mentally challenged brain, has been inherited genetically through that side. \nAll that being said. I self diagnosed when i was about 12 that im highly likely to be depressed and anxious in attempt to get my mom to believe me i needed help, and now 8 years later i can identify that this has been an issue forever for me and that i likely cannot go off my meds because i will just go back to how i used to be. Im still ocd with all my meds, but its better than being anxious and depressed all the time, Having ocd throughout the day is like heaven to me in comparison to how i used to be. obviously the ocd isnt new, just a lot more heard in my brain now.", ">\n\nOk, I know some people self diagnoze themselves with [insert some mental illness here] out of attention or whatever, and that's totally not ok.\nHowever, if you read all the symptoms and do proper research on a mental illness and everything clicks in to you, I'd say you can be fairly confident on a self diagnosis (although, it might be worth it to double check with a professional, especially if you want any sort of treatment). But also for some people, it might not be affordable to go to a professional...", ">\n\nI live in Canada, I've engaged with the medical system, doctors don't care and just want you out, ERs are a 8 hour wait for someone to ignore one thing and won't even entertain other issues even if they are related. Self-diagnosis is really the only way to get any kind of proper treatment at all. \nThe doctors will rubber stamp just about anything you ask for except pain killers but in terms of diagnosis you're way better off doing it yourself, sure you don't have 8 years of medical school but the doctors won't give you 5 mins of their time, they are not better than google and you give a lot more of a shit than they will and at the end of the day it's your body.", ">\n\nBack in the 90s when I was a teenager, the kids/teenagers/young adults who wanted attention, and wanted to be different, adopted the goth lifestyle. Dressing up in all black. White foundation with black lipstick and eyeshadow. It was the trendy way to be different, to be viewed as outcasts of society. To not fit in. \nThe goth lifestyle of the 2020s is self diagnosis. Same shit, different day.\nWhenever someone claims autism, or somewhere on the spectrum, I just roll my eyes and imagine that person just sucks at life.", ">\n\nI just think it’s a little more harmful nowadays due to the prevalence of social media. Ppl get sucked into groups and mindsets before they even have a real life chance. Then they hyper fixate on that they might be mentally Ill rather then just trying to live life to the fullest", ">\n\nI 100% agree with you", ">\n\nBecause it's the age of spin this generation has something for everybody. And all of them are Google doctors. Lol", ">\n\nTook my uncle till he was 38 even thought it was apparent to everyone. Hell he got expelled from two schools", ">\n\nI get what you're saying. I frankly find it weird that more people don't find this weird. People self-diagnosing themselves as all kinds of things not only completely misrepresents the actual conditions, thereby making people even more confused as to what they actually are and how they present, but also leads people to run to a psychiatrist claiming false symptoms and getting medication for something they don't have, which is NOT a good thing. People should never be taking medication unless it is necessary. We are a heavily over-medicated society and this is a big factor in that. Caffeine to wake up in the morning, \"immuno-boosters\" and mood stabilizers during the day, sleeping pills to sleep at night. The caffeine and sleeping pills are addictive and can really mess up your circadian rhythm, and the mood stabilizers can really fuck you up if you don't need them. Instead of rushing to diagnose and medicate everyone, we need to educate them on human behavior and show them that their \"mental health\" problems are completely normal.\nOh, so you get nervous right before you make huge life decisions? That's not Anxiety Disorder, it's just anxiety.\nOh, you are really sad because your cat died? That's not Clinical Depression, you are just grieving.\nOh, you went from really happy to really sad when you were previously happy and something really shitty happened to you and soured your mood? That's not Bipolar Disorder, that's just life.\nOh, you like to be more organized than the people around you? That's not Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, you just like to be organized.\nPeople really misunderstand the nature of these conditions and it hinders our collective progress in treating them, like dramatically inflating the number of actual conditions in the population, making it increasingly more difficult to determine how common and how varied they are. After all, in most cases it is not the psychiatrist or psychologist who makes you better, you make you better. Medication can help and other people can show you the path to success, but the problem will never get solved unless you play an active role in the treatment. Some conditions can never be solved, only lessened, while others are virtually untreatable. We need to stop making these conditions seem cool. They aren't. They are serious and need to be taken seriously.", ">\n\nHeavily agree and I appreciate how well this comment is worded. Wish I coulda worded mine a little better", ">\n\nYa I saw you getting shredded in the comments and figured I'd sum it up for you. 🤣", ">\n\nLmao bro I didn’t expect this many. I was thinking maybe like 20 ppl would reply", ">\n\nYou need to self diagnose in many cases in order to get adequate help.", ">\n\nI knew when I had ADD and IBS, and I was able to get my suspicions confirmed by my respective doctors. Doctors are there to help the patients understand themselves, whereas the patients have to go home every day and live with what they actually have. Do not be so quick to judge.", ">\n\nJust to add here - Autism in women is less prevalent because it presents differently and is often not picked up by standardised diagnostic tests (that were developed on an almost exclusively male sample). I think that also goes to show that there’s p significant issues with what we consider ‘scientific’ and research based in the first place.", ">\n\nI grew up in a small town and we had quite a few autistic boys but only one autistic girl. Literally only one out of like 6-8 grades. So that’s like a 10-1 ratio. It’s gotta be a lot statistically smaller then males. I don’t doubt it happens I just know it’s a lot less", ">\n\nYou think your small town’s makeup is generalizable to all of society? That isn’t how statistics work.", ">\n\nSo my question would be - so what do we do?\nYou think people are diagnosing themselves to gain attention. Fine, but what's the next step?\nSee, I think I might be bipolar 2. But I went on a journey where I looked into the techniques for dealing with this issue. That led me to cognitive behavior therapy.\nThat actually made me more convinced that this was my issue because I have taught myself a lot of cognitive behavior therapy techniques to address the same issues. These practices have really helped me.\nIt sounds like your issue is that these people are getting attention for it. To me, these are people who need someone to help guide them. That would have helped me a lot when I was younger. Society today doesn't really give us the tools to sort this out, but just the knowledge that these things exist can push someone down the rabbit hole to learn about therapy that could really help.\nI think you should ask yourself what your motivations are. Do you really want them to understand themselves? Or are you more interested in steering the conversation toward other topics?\nPersonally, I would deal with these people by paying them forward. I would tell them to understand the practices that typically help these people, and see if they are relevant. I would tell them to seek professional help, and to refrain from diagnosing themselves, but I would encourage them to be critical of themselves and to learn more.\nImo, the way out is through.", ">\n\nI agree with you but it’s not mostly women. Maybe by happenstance that’s the case in your circle but broadly men do this too.", ">\n\nDoctor's are consulting the Mayo Clinic website after talking to a patient and getting their symptoms. I bring that up to say this; a doctor's training is needed for very serious diseases and tricky diagnoses, but a semi-intelligent person could look up their symptoms and get a lot of the more minor stuff right.", ">\n\nI've never been diagnosed as clinically depressed or anything, but that doesn't mean that I don't suffer from depression a lot of the time (these last few years, more often than not). I see a therapist. I take antidepressants. \nI have a friend who has aphantasia. It isn't really a \"diagnosable\" condition, but it describes what he has trouble with: creating images in his mind.", ">\n\nThat’s different then going online and claiming perfectly normal traits mean you’re autistic", ">\n\nNeurodivergence ≠ mental illness.", ">\n\nThey know themselves and their experiences better than you.", ">\n\nOP, I'm seeing some differences between your post and what you're saying in the comments. \nMy question is, do you have a problem with people self-diagnosing, or is your issue more about people drawing a lot of public attention to their diagnoses?", ">\n\nOverall both but definitely the attention part more so for obvious reasons. The self diagnosing part due to the fact that it can make people believe it can be an excuse for their actions good or bad. I think In a weird way it can allow people to take away the responsibility of their own actions and attribute to their mental illness", ">\n\nAs someone who has been diagnosed with ADHD, having people self diagnosing doesn't bother me at all, because I went the path of not knowing at all what I had and letting doctors figure out by themselves... and it took me 4 years and a half to finally have a concrete answer that no doctors would have found out if I didn't start searching on my own. You can't walk into every doctor's office with the assumption they'll figure out what you have, because it's not their speciality, or they still have an outdated view (not every doctor are kept up to date with new discovers), or they're biased, etc... \nI've never been annoyed by people who self diagnose. Hell, if I knew what was about to happen to me, I would have done the same way sooner.", ">\n\nMost women today arent faking it, they are noticing the symptoms no one else noticed and trying to find help. Its not easy to grow up with this kind of stuff. Is not coincidence you think women are less likely to be born to autism instead of thinking how weird it is that for some reason most autism diagnosis happen to men, that is the misogyny in the medical comunity.\nSelf diagnosis means this women will go to doctors and it most case scenarios they will get diagnoses because they have this issue all their life.\nSocial media is giving people awareness of the issue in medicine and how it affects women. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Misogyny in medicine also leads to people not knowing the difference between a heart attack in a woman and a man. It leads to women thinking its something else because internet and books will tell you how a man will feel a heart attack, even doctors sometimes dont know this.", ">\n\nGetting a diagnosis or treatment is borderline impossible for a lot of people. So self diagnosis is sometimes the only way they can help themselves.", ">\n\nNot a mental illness. But, I am a trans person and I pretty much self-diagnosed and self-medicated. I just had physicians do blood test.\nI educated myself on how everything works in about eight month period. I did that over a decade.\nI don’t regret my decision, and if I did. The regret would be not starting any sooner, especially when people who aren’t physicians or therapists are having a final say about these things.", ">\n\nIt is very noticeable and annoying, buuuut it’s proven autism manifest differently in females. Plus women are (very) often under diagnosed and dismissed for many many things by doctors, which is absolutely disgusting. Aaaand the cost of healthcare is outrageous.", ">\n\nwomen being less likely to be diagnosed with autism has nothing to do with an actual gender gap in who does and doesn’t have autism and everything to do with the fact autistic women are diagnosed with personality disorders and mental illnesses due to stigmas. most autism research was done on men and therefore women are underrepresented and more often than not misdiagnosed. autism actually occurs at a similar rate in both sexes. also, it’s not a mental illness, it’s a neurological condition (not that mental illnesses aren’t, but illness implies there’s something wrong, which there isn’t in autistic people). i agree that self diagnosing leads to misinformation and harms those who are clinically diagnosed though.", ">\n\nA lot of medical diagnoses are based on white male studies, so yes you would see more women finding out they have certain mental illnesses now as professionals are realizing it can show differently in females vs males. Adhd, for example, was considered something only seen in young boys that would grow out of it, now they are realizing that you don't in fact grow out of it and women can have it too. \nMental illness was a taboo subject back in the day as well, especially for women. It was only in 1980 I think that hysteria was no longer considered a mental illness. Women would be diagnosed with 'hysteria' and committed for symptoms like anxiety and anger. So now a lot of women are learning more about their mental health because they feel safe to do so. \nMy mother is in her early 70's and still refuses to tell anyone her own health issues or even mine, I have cancer and we were going to go on a trip as it's unknown how much longer I have and she refused to ask for the day off because she wouldn't tell them the reason why.", ">\n\nI detest self diagnosis, though once you’ve studied advanced level abnormal psychology shit happens. \nAs far as kids go, the generalized anxiety and depressive spectrum diagnoses can occasionally be accurate however that would warrant professional intervention regardless.\nOne serious issue among others; if an adolescent “decides” they have major depressive disorder that can become a self fulfilling prophecy and cause despair and reluctance to seek treatment", ">\n\nLook at the price and lack of availability of mental health care, and the total lack of privacy of internet connected devices. Most practitioners don’t offer in person visits anymore, and even if they do they probably do digital records or have their phone present. Ofc people are self diagnosing.", ">\n\nCounterpoint: many people do not have the means to access diagnoses for mental illnesses and other disorders, and it can sometimes be the only way to explain their feelings to others. Autism diagnoses in particular are extremely difficult to access for adults and even teens. I suspected I had autism for years and the only way I was able to get a diagnosis was through the mental health treatment program I was in during highschool which had a psychologist there. I only could attend because I live in Canada with universal healthcare. Many, many people are not as fortunate as me. Most people in the world cannot access diagnosis in the first place, including many in richer countries. \nYour comment about women statistically 'being born with autism on a far lesser scale than men' misses the well-known problem of underdiagnosis of autism in women. Autism presents itself differently in women than men (I can say as an autistic woman who knows other autistic women) and the criteria for autism were based on cis white men. Autism in women is is often misdiagnosed as CPTSD (which many autistic people ALSO unfortunately have), borderline personality disorder, anxiety, depression, etc. \nAlthough self-diagnosis is often problematic and used by teenagers to feel special, for the people who take it seriously and are intellectually honest there currently isn't really a better alternative for them to try and explain their experiences when they cannot access diagnoses.", ">\n\nWhat you are describing is NOT a new phenomenon. I was born in 1975 and have been observing this phenomenon my entire life. Nothing new about it at all.", ">\n\nSelf diagnosis is often the first step in going to go and get an actual diagnosis. Getting diagnosed with a mental disorder, especially as an adult, is basically impossible if you aren't actively seeking it out. For several reasons, one of which is that pretty much all the diagnostic criteria are written about children. \nI'm properly diagnosed and even on disability for mental disorders and I knew what I had for years before I got diagnosed. \nI understand there's a feeling of \"stolen valour\" to it. And there is indeed a subset of people doing it for attention or because it's fashionable, OCD in particular being a common example, but the good that comes from self diagnosis more than outweighs the bad.", ">\n\nCorrect me if I’m wrong, but don’t all, or at least most mental disorders lie on a spectrum?", ">\n\nI was diagnosed ADD/ ADHD as a child an im getting re-evaluated next month because i think the diagnosis must be bullshit.\nI have a close friend that wasn't diagnosed ADD/ADHD until they were 22 and in an Ivy league vet program\nThe amount of people that say they cant do well in school simply because they have add/ adhd is bullshit if u ask me. Also, people justify abusing adderal because theyre ADHD and i think thats BS too. I decided never to take it and just abuse caffeine instead to avoid the health side effects", ">\n\nThe current US medical system is such garbage that self advocacy is important. \nSometimes it is wrong. Sometimes professionals ignore you or only pay attention to things insurance companies will pay for. Sonetimes they are also wrong. Or they're incentivized to get you out of a hospital bed ready or not. \nAdministrators and insurance companies get all the money. Nurses, aides, patients all suffer.", ">\n\nEspecially when they don't even understand what the disorder is in the first place. \"I'm a loner so I'm anitsocial.\" That's not what that means.... Or my favorite, \"I'm detailed oriented so I have OCD, lulz I am so le quirky! ;P\"", ">\n\nPeople who struggle with certain things often seek out those with similar experiences. With social media and the internet, it’s easier than ever to find people with similar struggles and sometimes, those people are a group diagnosed with certain mental illnesses. \nDoes that mean every person who sees themselves in a diagnosis will have that diagnosis? Hell no. But I think it’s disingenuous to claim that it’s “for attention.” People want to find community they can relate to and are drawn to experiences that reflect their own.\nI’m saying this as someone who was diagnosed with ADHD at 25 — I started to suspect I might have it in my early 20s and started poking about online. I was officially assessed and diagnosed some time later, and that diagnosis has been validated by three therapists and two psychiatrists.\nPlenty of people misjudge themselves and plenty of people are very ready to leap into a box. Some of them may be wrong. Some may be doing it to try and excuse bad behavior. (Hell, I’ve known waaaay too many people who DID have diagnosed mental illnesses and seemed to think their diagnosis was a free pass to be shitty). However, I think calling it a “trend” or “for attention” misses the point of why and how people reach these conclusions. \nOne might also argue that you do not have the professional expertise regarding psychology to assume the validity or ulterior motives of someone else’s diagnosis. There’s a reason that a lot of psychologists out there are adamantly against diagnosing from a distance - you have significantly less insight into a someone’s mind than they do, and you’re projecting a lot of assumptions onto others’ behavior without any supporting evidence.", ">\n\nIm gonna start out with, generally I agree its a problem-to an extent. Even though women have autism at a much lower rate they’re also under diagnosed/misdiagnosed at a higher rate. When it comes to why people are doing this, in my experience it’s people who are trying to figure out why they’re treated the way they are, why they struggle to do certain things that others don’t even see as an issue. They’re noticing their differences and feeling bad about it. When they can’t fix it they start trying to find a reason, a cause to help them both understand and feel better about themselves and ways they can move forward and actually improve their lives, as well as finding a group they can relate to when they have a hard time relating to the average person.", ">\n\nI think OP is arguing there are quite a few people whose self-diagnosis wouldn’t meet the criteria of a medical diagnosis. It’s horrible for me to even argue but some people want to portray themselves as a victim: I think this because I am a shit.\nHowever I agree with arguments here that if these people are brave enough to identify a potential issue in themselves then kudos to them for recognising it.", ">\n\nI had a doctor misdiagnose my spine injury and I researched medical articles and studies to come the actual diagnosis.\nNot always bad to do your research. \nBut mental health is a serious issue and some people use self diagnosis’ as an excuse to act however they want.", ">\n\nPart of what happens when you can’t afford to see a doctor.", ">\n\nThe most important piece to note on the self diagnosis problem among youth is misdiagnosis. \nThings like BPD, NPD, and ASPD for have dozens of overlapping criteria but very specific things that distinguish them. A professional can discern between both disorders and the average googler can not. \nThe result is that the patients identity crisis worsens as they begin to develop a sense of identity with a diagnosis than is not true for them. \nIt seems like the youth is quite eager to be diagnosed with some sort of disorder today.", ">\n\nI'm really happy to see someone mentioning this. I have experienced this more and more recently and I agree with it being strange and problematic.", ">\n\nThis is not new, we are just talking about it on social media now.\nI have been chronically ill for my entire life. I have constantly been refused medical care because I am apparently to young to be sick and I have had diagnosis withheld because, for example, how could I possibly complete a Masters and be neurodivergent. A lot of medical gatekeeping is rooted in ableism. \nI’ve had 7 surgeries, most would have been avoidable if I’d been listened to when I first sort medical care. I’ve had to do a mountain of research and go to Drs with a self diagnosis and sources to even get passed the are you just sad or have you tried yoga phase (I’ve also been told to go to church and find a nice husband to cure me). The surgeries that would’ve had to happen anyway were massively delayed due to Drs not taking my symptoms seriously, with 2 resulting in damage to other organs due to the delay.\nI’ve wasted so much time and energy and had so much damage happen to my body because Drs have medically gaslighted me or not listened or answered my questions when I’ve asked for more explanation. \nSelf diagnosis isn’t some cop out or look at me I’m special thing, it’s for survival. I’d literally be dead. I didn’t want to spend the past decade learning about medicine, ideally I’d get on with my life, but Drs and the medical community won’t let me do that.\np.s men are NOT more likely to be autistic than women. Research into autism has been majority based on studies into white, male adolescents and expected social male behaviour which is why lots of girls don’t get diagnosed and is why it is common for women, POC, and LGBTQIA+ people to be diagnosed in adulthood.", ">\n\nPersonally doctors have been totally useless for any non life thrusting subtle malady. They don’t try and fix any problem like that. Self diagnosing is what I am left with.", ">\n\nI mean, i self diagnosed that i probably had depression, since i was suicidal and couldn't do anything, went to a doctor and apparently had hormone and thyroid issues. Sure it wasnt depression, but the experience was the same, and if i didn't get help the result would probably be the same. So even though i misdiagnosed, it still saved my life.", ">\n\nI (56f) and Kid (32f) were both tested & diagnosed as being ASD last year. We have both been dealing with anxiety for years and depression, I also have manic episodes which finally lead to a BPD diagnosis as well in my late 40s. \nIt's not that less women are autistic, believe me I used to think the same thing, but in actuality, women are very under diagnosed. Women and men don't present with the same characteristics in a number of conditions ASD being one of them.\nMales and females tend to present differently with ADD / ADHD, which happens to be a comorbid condition, that's really not all that surprising.\nIn hindsight I can see my autism clearly. And in as much as I wish that I would have been properly diagnosed when I was young, because my path would have been much different, I know that it was impossible. There were boys with hyperactivity, but ADD/ ADHD did not exist in my childhood. \nIt's difficult to wrangle and understand this diagnosis, much less at such a late part of my life. As I learn more about it I find myself continually saying \"that's why I do that?!?\" \nAnd while I try to understand it better, the thought of someone thinking that I'm doing this for attention, or because it's trendy, is mind blowing.\nAt the same time, there's a lot I agree with you on. Thanks to the internet we have a whole lot of Google doctors and internet hypochondriacs who self diagnose. Doctors are subjected to patients who self-diagnosed and because of commercials will tell them exactly what medication they need thanks to the commercials they have watched. \nWhat bothers me most I think is that the people you describe, are being so complacent about autism, that it removes any urgency in dealing with it." ]

[ "The diagnosis process for a lot of psychiatric conditions are surveys and questionaires. You can go to a psychiatrist and ask if you're anxious and they'll give you multiple choice questions and diagnose off of that. Or you can just google the form yourself and self diagnose. A lot of psychiatric disorders are about how we feel and think. Not about sending off some blood sample to a lab and getting a positive result come back.\n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. For such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nWhat you're describing are all neuroses that could indicate some deeper psychiatric condition. Whether a person has a mental health condition or not, thinking of ourselves as weak victims is never helpful in any context, yet it's something we all feel from time to time.\nI'm a disability support worker, so when someone tells me they've got a self diagnosed condition, it's not offensive to me or any disabled person I know, it doesn't come across like they're invalidating anyone else's condition. However I do think everyone should talk to a doctor about any condition they feel they might have.", ">\n\nPiggybacking off of this: You’ve spent your whole entire life inside your own brain. A therapist will spend a period of hours with you and give you a diagnosis. Who do you think knows your personal reality better than yourself?", ">\n\nYeah exactly, especially with conditions such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, PTSD, and many other psychiatric conditions. These are things people know they have even before they get a diagnosis. The diagnosis stage is more about treatment and management.\nPeople might be unaware of how severe or mild their condition is, some people think they have only mild PTSD despite constant nightmares and suicidal ideation. Some people will think they have severe ADHD because they can't concentrate for long times on things that don't interest them. It's good to get some perspective from experts but ultimately people know when they are struggling to focus or to struggling to stop stressing all the time or struggling to not be miserable. Struggling with our thoughts and feelings is evidence enough to self diagnose.", ">\n\nI was recently diagnosed with ADHD as a woman so I find this viewpoint interesting.\nFirstly, autism is not a mental illness. An autistic person may have mental illness in conjunction with autism, but autism alone lies under the neurodivergent umbrella. Neurodivergency can include autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and other similar conditions.\nWhy women are often underdiagnosed\nThese are serious disabilities that can really impede a person's life, especially if they struggle to find help and acceptance in their community. A lot of women start their journey towards diagnosis later in life due to a number of factors such as:\n\nPoor diagnostic tools and inexperienced professionals\nA misunderstanding that autism and ADHD are more common in boys\nAdvanced masking techniques to cover their 'traits'\n\nWhy women are often diagnosed later in life.\nThe process for many women and men who are diagnosed later in life often includes a level of burnout or breakdown. After a while everything becomes too much, the mask begins to slip and your traits go into overdrive.\nWhy does self-diagnosing seem to be on the rise?\nA common way of finding out you could possibly be neurodivergent is through media and people who are aware of these traits appear.\nIn the past few years, I have seen an increasing awareness of neurodivergence in women pop up in the media. This is useful for people like myself who had no idea wtf was wrong with them for a very long time. For me, a GP actually suggested I seek a diagnosis due to some struggles I was going through.\nAs someone who went through this process self-diagnosing is commonly the first step as an adult. You might be directed to a questionnaire and are asked to evaluate yourself and your experiences thinking back to your childhood. If there's some merit in your experiences than you move to the next step which involves seeking a professional. Waitlists are often months to years long so many people live in limbo for a long time.\nMethods of living with ADHD can help everyone. And everyone experiences ADHD traits from time to time. Given a large amount of stress we have all suffered collectively, I don't doubt there are a lot of people with increased mental health issues that mirror neurodivergent traits. Some mental illnesses can get very severe and alter your brain chemistry and behaviour.\nMy takeaway from this is that the mental health systems set up to assist these people are a much larger issue and cause for serious concern than self-diagnosing.\nApologies for the spelling and grammar errors. Grammarly and Reddit don't play nice.", ">\n\nI think it's two things. One, people have identity crises, especially teenagers. We all know that type of person who tries on identities like hats. That's pretty embarrassing. You usually grow out of that.\nTwo, from personal experience, giving yourself a label or a diagnosis makes it feel more contained and easy to communicate. It's easier to tell someone that you have X and have them understand what you're going through rather than telling them you have these vague symptoms resembling what you imagine X is like. In that respect, it is pretty understandable, possibly good, and not embarrassing. There's something that is sort of reassuring if you can finally get a word to put on what you're experiencing.\nPeople often sympathize with the diagnosis but not with the symptoms. Tell people at work you're autistic and they will sympathize with you and possibly not attack you. Tell them you do not understand social cues and they will probably just make fun of you.", ">\n\nI understand the desire to put a label with a disease, and this is not necessarily bad, but the diagnosis needs to be correct. If you want to tell others that you are autistic or depressed; you must actually be those things. A person can almost never correctly assertion their disease, only their symptoms. People might better understand you if you say your autistic, but you may incorrectly understand and describe yourself. If one wishes to put a name with symptoms, they should find a doctor to pick the label", ">\n\nfor sure but unfortunately our medical system is a joke and even if you are experiencing very severe symptoms it can be nearly impossible to see a professional or take months on a waiting list.\nEven then a professional may be reluctant to slap a label on you for fear of what the consequences of that might be. I saw someone for a very long time who resisted any sort of actual diagnosis because the truth is that what I was experiencing didn't fit neatly into any of the boxes and pretty much belonged in this vague \"other\" category which isn't particularly helpful. Not to mention that misdiagnosis happens all the time even by professionals. \nI just think it is sort of understandable because I think a lot of stuff is kind of a spectrum anyway and just different levels of severity. Things can be really confusing and hard to nail down and thus communicate in a way that causes someone else to be understanding rather than judgemental.", ">\n\nAre you under the impression this is a new phenomenon? Because it's definitely not.\nPeople - especially young people! - crave identity. The world is a confusing place, knowing who you are makes it a little easier. Sometimes it's self-diagnosing mental illness or learning disabilities, or exploring sexual identity, or cliques, or subcultures. There's nothing embarrassing about it, it just is what it is.", ">\n\nIt’s ok to want to express individuality but not to the extent of totally destroying the definition of a real thing and making it hard for actual mentally Ill ppl to get a diagnosis. Why can’t people just accept that they’re different rather then giving themselves a label?", ">\n\npeople on TikTok claiming to have disorders that they don't doesn't affect the precision of psychiatrists diagnosing actual patients. There's no TikTok-said section in the DSM. Why do you think that it does?", ">\n\nIt just encourages more people to get diagnosed possibly skewing the meaning of the mental illness", ">\n\nSkewing it towards statistical accuracy? If people are actually diagnosed at higher rates, we have a better Guage of population-level mental illness, neurodivergency, etc. Better data is more usable, so that research actually means something actionable, ASIDE from the identity boost for young people.", ">\n\nI think what OP is driving at, but utterly failing to explain, is that they think that the fakers will be accommodated by the psychiatric system and diagnosed on the basis of fake symptoms. my sense is that isn't a problem but I don't have data.", ">\n\nDefinitely explained it a little better then I could lol", ">\n\nWhere do you see evidence of that? Any articles about fakers? How about a statistic? If not, it’s just a fear you seem to have.", ">\n\nI think the salient line here is this one:\n\nNeurologists were able to quickly determine that the subjects were not \nsuffering from Tourette's, but psychogenic tics driven by anxiety.", ">\n\nWomen are not born with less autism, but are much less likely to be diagnosed as children than boys. This is partly because boys generally have similar symptoms and behaviors. \nSo of course more women are self diagnosing autism, since their diagnoses were missed as children on a much higher rate.", ">\n\nAlright, I'm diagnosed OCD, PTSD, chronic depression. Diagnosed by a professional so I think I have some grounds to talk about this.\nFirst, let's tackle your women comment about autism. You see, I understand where you're coming from, but you lack the nuance of recognizing that mental illness, and illness in general, is heavily under-diagnosed in women. The medical culture is heavily favored towards men and is rampant with mysogyny, and that's not just me saying it as I've had medical professionals blatantly tell me it's a problem in the field when questioned about it. I've also had some tell me that it's just because women whine a lot, so yanno make of that statement what you will.\nNow that we've covered that let me address the self-diagnosing issue. So, do you want to know what my therapist thinks of self-diagnosing? Well, when I asked them about it they said that self-diagnosing is an important first step to seeking help. Psychiatrist said the same thing. It's normal, expected even, for people to self-diagnose their issues then seek help for them. You can't exactly just peer into someone's brain, no, that person has to tell you what they think is wrong and why they think it is. \nWhat you actually have a problem with is not self-diagnosis, but with people not seeking or not being able to get medical assistance and assuming they're right. You have a problem with people using these issues for attention, which I do too, but once again self-diagnosing is not the problem. Finally, you have a problem with the medical system that forces people into the position of trying to figure out their mental illnesses, but having no ability to get help for them.", ">\n\nI think I did it", ">\n\nSadly no lol, it was not done properly. Do you need a link to the rules?", ">\n\nI already read them i think I’ll figure it out in a bit sorry for the hold up", ">\n\nBecause everyone else is being aggressive: you have to comment with ∆ or !delta and then explain how your view has been changed", ">\n\nThis delta has been rejected. You can't award OP a delta.\nAllowing this would wrongly suggest that you can post here with the aim of convincing others.\nIf you were explaining when/how to award a delta, please use a reddit quote for the symbol next time.\n^Delta System Explained ^| ^Deltaboards", ">\n\nWhat gives you the authority or knowledge to know this is the problem?", ">\n\nYou don’t think it’s a problem that a lot of young ppl are willing to go to the extent of saying they are mentally Ill either for attention or to excuse their weirdness? Just accept that your different. It’s not wrong to believe you’re different without a label", ">\n\nYou did not even try to answer my question.", ">\n\nI’m sorry I was confused on what you meant", ">\n\nIf you are mad at people for self diagnosing themselves because they don't have the knowledge or authority to do so.... what gives you the knowledge or authority to diagnosis this as the problem behavior... basically are you just a kid that is annoyed, or is there some actual studies out there that is claiming this is a problem.", ">\n\nIf you don’t think that people consistently seeking attention for mental illness or craving a label so badly to justify themselves rather then being themselves. That just shows what your views are", ">\n\nDont you think we should leave the diagnosing to the professionals?", ">\n\nI mean yeah", ">\n\nWould you agree that you are diagnosing these people by saying that they are only seeking attention and do not have a real mental illness?", ">\n\nI’m assuming", ">\n\nThere may be some truth to people wanting to be different, however with mental illnesses being more accepted in today's society, many people are a lot more comfortable with being neurodivergent. Additionally, self diagnosis is common because the alternative is spending upwards to $1000-$2000 for a clinical diagnosis.", ">\n\nI know costs suck, but self diagnosis can be much more harmful. A web.md page that tells you your depressed when you may actually be bipolar can lead to really messed up results. I would even go as far as to say that no diagnosis at all is preferable to an uninformed one", ">\n\nWell.\n​\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad \n\nSo you already know why they're doing what they're doing in addition the fact that you know that they're not Autistic? If your claim is that they can't know and only a doctor can, what makes you more qualified? You start out your argument admitting that you have a bias.\n\nthey’re “neurodivergent.\n\nNeurodivergent is an umbrella that covers both Autism and ADHD, which sometimes get mistaken for each other. So if you're upset that they're self-diagnosing, this term should be more welcome than \"Autistic\" because it's more generalized.\n\nnd when you ask them how they know they’ll say “oh I have this weird tick when I uh laugh when someone says something funny “ or “I have a hyper fixation on this topic so I must be autistic\n\nHow else should they communicate it to you? The list of aspects of Autism, especially for how it presents in women, sounds a lot like this. You're not a doctor, they don't have to prove anything to you by going down the entire list of every possible part of their daily experience that might be on the spectrum.\n\nWomen statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nNope. Women are diagnosed less often than men because the original diagnostic criteria for Autism was for Autism as it presents in males. It presents differently for females and is harder to diagnose, especially at younger ages. \n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized\n\nTodays youth want to be victimized? Why would anyone want to be victimized? Something tells me you're missing the mark with this terminology.\n\nor have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. \n\nSo if someone is Autistic and that makes them weird, you'd rather them just be forced to not get to have a name for it, and get the therapeutic treatment that would help them?\n\nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really [are] without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nSome people are autistic. If they find out and it makes them feel good, that doesn't mean they're craving attention. And if they are craving attention, it's because they're normal people and everyone does. \nIf someone thinks they're autistic but it turns out they're actually not, chances are they suspected it for a reason. They might have ADHD, a personality disorder, a mental health issue, or simply a slightly different way of experiencing the world that feels unique to them and there's nothing wrong with that. \nYou seem to think that other people do things for you. People generally don't. They do things for themselves. This is especially true of people on the Autism Spectrum who may not be able to easily use other people's experiences to reference when constructing their view of the world, and can only use their own. Your interpretation wherein they do it to evoke a response from you says more about you than it does about them.", ">\n\nYou’re being deliberately obtuse. OP is completely correct. Most of the people these days who say “I’m ADHD” or “I’m autistic” or “I’m neurodivergent” are absolutely not diagnosed as such and are doing it to seem unique or get attention or as some excuse for why they did x y or z.", ">\n\nI'd like to point out that while some are perhaps attention seeking, many people self diagnose simply because they don't have access to free medical/psychological professionals to get proper diagnosis and help with their issues. I also know someone who doesn't want to get an official diagnosis because he's afrad it will affect his insurance rates or somehow come back to bite him if he's offically labeled with having a neurological disorder. \nThere is a wealth of knowledge on these subjects available online for those interested. And if they are truly interested in self diagnose they can likely do that accurately enough for all intents and purposes. Most of these people who search for the sake of better understanding themselves or their loved ones will openly admit that it's a self diagnoses, or say they THINK they have x,y, or z. But in some situations it's just as well to say they have it if they feel certain anyway, and it's just a passing comment, and not a discussion on the matter. \nIn other words, just because they self diagnose doesn't mean they're wrong, nor does it explain their motives. I also don't see how attention seeking (for those who ARE doing that) is really hurting anyone else. Fakers gonna be fake, that's more a \"them\" kind of problem. ANNOYING, but mostly harmless.", ">\n\nUnless you have a doctor's diagnosis you don't have the disorder. Even if you are broke there are programs to help with costs. \nAnd yes it does affect me when someone is treating me like shit and tries using the I have such and such as an excuse and then people get mad at ME for calling them in their bullshit.", ">\n\nNo. You have to have the disorder before you CAN be diagnosed, so obviously there are undiagnosed people who in fact \"have the disorder \". Your refusal to acknowledge an undiagnosed disorder does not mean they don't have it. Your personal experience with people supposedly using a fake diagnosis to treat you badly, sounds unusual. How do you know they DIDN'T have it? People who do lie and just want to be jerks will do that regardless of what methods they decide to try. The methods are irrelevant. And that motive is not typical of most self diagnosers .", ">\n\nSounds unusual? You must not get out a lot because it's become a pretty regular thing. Every single person I know (about 8) that have self diagnosed themselves as neurodivergent or with a mental illness like Bi-polar all use it to excuse their shitty ass behaviors. \nToo many disorders can mirror other ones. Just because they think they have 2/3 symptoms doesn't make them right by a long shot. Keep living in your bubble.", ">\n\nYou don't have to have a relationship with anyone. If they treat you badly, regardless of an official diagnosis or not, you don't have to tolerate them. It makes no difference what they have or don't have. What would it change if they got diagnosed and actually have it?", ">\n\nSelf diagnosing has been a thing forever\nAnd it's not a problem im 99% sure me or any other autistic person doesn't really give 2 fucks about people who wanna fake disorders. It doesn't stop us from getting help, we have doctors notes, medical files, sometimes even volunteers, you need those files to get into let's say a special education class, or a life skills course.\nSo unless you were diagnosed by a professional you're probably not gonna make it far faking it.\n(Excuse my shitty punctuation)", ">\n\nIt doesn’t bother you that they’re making others take the actual meaning away from what you were born with? I mean I’m sure autism hasn’t made your life easy and seeing ppl claim it for attention to be quirky probably has to annoy you a little right?", ">\n\nAt the end of the day I still have ADHD and I still need help with it. More people being diagnosed with it doesn’t change that fact. In fact I was diagnosed because I realized I related to so many tiktok memes, and I’m sure others are in my same boat. \nIn fact I think so many people talking about ADHD helps. It means more people who possibly have tips for me, people who are suffering who can’t afford treatment have an easy way to learn about how to improve their lives, and more people who are aware of my disorder.", ">\n\nI think people do diagnose themselves too often without seeking professional help. BUT mental illness is not the same as being neurodivergent.", ">\n\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad that they’ll go as far to say they’re “neurodivergent.”\n\nWhile this is the case, I don't really see how it's a \"problem\" per se. I guarantee that these people still make lifestyle decisions based on what they think is best, or based on what they want to do.\n\nbut it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women\n\nDo you have any statistics for that? I haven't experienced it that way in my own anecdotal experience, and I'd be curious to look into the data to see how much that truly does skew in that direction.\n\nwanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness \nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nI understand what you're trying to say here, but I don't really think these things are connected as much as you think they are. People see something wrong with themselves, so they either playfully or seriously consider the fact that it could be a condition that they have similar symptoms to. Not that it never happens, but just because someone categorizes themselves into a disability group that could potentially excuse their \"quirks\", doesn't mean they think that behavior is unacceptable in any way. People see a problem, and assume it's linked to this other issue that seems similar that they already know about.", ">\n\nI agree with the conclusion that self-diagnosis is a real issue, and I wouldn't be surprised if the data indicated it was on the rise. I wouldn't necessarily frame it as a simple desire to \"be victimized\" however. While it is purely speculation, I do believe there are a number of conditions which might lead towards a more frequent experience of symptoms associated with mental illness - a rising wealth gap, perpetual anxiety from a 24-hour news cycle, intensification of self-commodification, the student debt crisis in certain countries like the US, and so on. So people are experiencing symptoms like low energy, mood swings, etc. that can be associated with mental illness. The issue with self-diagnosis then becomes that it may correctly identify the symptom, but incorrectly identify the cause.\nThis video from the YouTuber HealthyGamerGG does a good job of explaining what some of the issues with self-diagnosis are, and for me it was a good starting place for thinking about this more. \nEDIT: I forgot this video literally starts with this same topic being brought up on this same subreddit lol", ">\n\nA great theory based on reasonable causes with an educational video from a psychologist(I assume) as evidence to back it up. I applaud you sir. 👏", ">\n\nWhy are you embarrassed by other people's issues?", ">\n\nI’m a 30yo male. If I had not first self diagnosed with ASD and OCD, I never would have found the language and resources to get a formal diagnosis and help.\nPrior generations have been so fixated on avoidance of diagnosing mental disorders, and research was previously so lacking that we are only just now (through those that do get diagnosed) realizing how common mental disorders are. That plus the lack of mental health resources for neurotypical and neurodivergent I think is how we end up in this situation of many recognizing their symptoms in the new discourse, but lacking the resources to overcome the barriers to proper diagnosis and treatment.", ">\n\nIt’s not the best thing, no. \nAs an adult FINALLY diagnosed (by a licensed therapist) at 41, I can tell you why ‘self diagnosis’ is so tempting. \nIn the US at least- mental health, and official medical diagnosis are almost completely inaccessible, especially as an adult. Most of us grew up before Autism was a spectrum, and ADHD was just boys who acted out in class. We felt like aliens. We couldn’t understand why we didn’t have many friends, or why we didn’t like the ‘right things’, and generally spend the bill of our lives feeling ‘wrong’, ‘broken’ or just simply like we didn’t belong. \nFinally understanding the WHY, and even better, finding tools to addresses our issues is a huge huge weight off the chest. The relief of having a name and a strategy- either therapy or medicine is such an amazing relief!!", ">\n\nI only kinda agree if I had not done my own research I would have never found out I have sjorgens syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis I know TikTok people tend to diagnose themselves and it makes it look cringe but when you live with a incurable illness sometimes you have to work to find a diagnosis", ">\n\nWell, what do you do of you absolutely know you're neurodivergent, but your parents decided not to get you checked? My mom once told me \"we knew you had something, we just didn't get you checked because they would have just put you on pills\". So I struggled with being different, socially unaware, impulsive, obnoxious, agressive, selfish, for the better part of my life without having the self awareness to understand why I was these things, and why people wouldn't want to be around me. \nIn my late 20''s I asked the question, what if I'm actually autistic? I looked up the symptoms, and 9/10 matched. As a child I couldn't handle loud noises, restrictive clothing, I didn't talk until I was 3. I would throw fits for seemingly no reason, I had obsessive interests. I've always really struggled with eye contact, and I never cared for conversation unless it was something I liked. I mean, when the final piece of a puzzle fits so incredibly well, it's really hard for it to be wrong. \nSelf diagnosing actually really helped me grow as aj individual. I became aware of all my divergent behaviors, and why it might be annoying for someone else to deal with. I came to the realization that I was the one who was different, therefore I needed to change. It's way harder to make everyone around you cater to your needs than to overcome the things that upset you. I'm at peace, I have good friends that I can connect with on a pretty deep level. I no longer smash coffee tables when I lose, I can now appreciate that if I lose it just means I have more to learn. I can keep my house clean, I can reasonably hold myself accountable. What exactly is the harm in all that?\nBesides, it would be pretty pointless for me to try and get a diagnosis now, I've put the effort in and largely come out the other side. Anyone diagnosing me would just say I was normal, but they wouldn't have the intimate knowledge of me that I do. I guess it doesn't matter if people don't believe me, I don't go around shouting that I'm autistic. I will say, it would be really nice if people appreciated the effort I put in to get to get to a place of normalcy, something others take for granted, but it's okay, we all have our struggles.", ">\n\nI feel you on all that. To play devil's advocate, mental healthcare in the U.S. is not cheap. Many people go to the internet and confirm their bias about their current health", ">\n\nI feel you on that too OP. I agree 100% with your entire statement.", ">\n\nIt's a problem, but not a new one. In the 1990s there was briefly a surge of people with a type of delusional parasitosis, that is, the false belief that they were infested with parasites. Except this one was supposedly an infestation with tiny fibres. They would come to doctors with a whole list of symptoms to back up their incorrect self-diagnosis.\nTo a certain extent, these are social contagions, which come and go, and often actually end up leading to people having real problems. Like, the young women you mention, a couple of decades ago may well have ended up with anorexia, or self-cutting. These days it might be a self-declaration of autism or a belief that they have gender dysphoria or that they have multiple systems living in their minds.", ">\n\nWow I did not know that. Maybe it’s just so prevalent today due to social media. Social media has only made these things worse imo", ">\n\nEven before it being self diagnosis of a mental illness it was always something. Remember all the emo and goth teenager?", ">\n\nIt depends on the context. For example, if they've done a substantial amount of research, can name a good amount of symptoms they have and reasons they have whatever mental illness and don't have access to the necessary tools to get a medical diagnosis, it's totally different. Some people don't have the money to go out and get a diagnosis, or sometimes it would be better to not get a medical diagnosis. I believe that the reason that a lot of people self diagnose themselves with things like Autism is because they want an explanation as to why they are different, and they could be right or wrong. I think the most important part is that if you go to a psychologist (or even two, I know a lot of people prefer getting second opinions) and they say you don't have it, that you need to admit you were wrong. It's ok to be wrong about your mental health, and the key is to keep looking and to not give up. I can completely understand the frustration in people completely missing how difficult it actually may be to have a mental illness. I was clinically diagnosed with Depression, Anxiety, and PTSD when I was seven, and I've had some experience with people faking mental disorders for attention, and more often then not, they have another mental disorder that needs attention. Recently I had a (now ex) boyfriend insist he had PTSD after being tested twice and the psychiatrist saying that he didn't have it. What he does have is Depression and Anxiety, but he absolutely insisted he has PTSD despite never exhibiting symptoms and the only evidence being a test he took online that was supposedly a \"real PTSD test.\" People faking mental illnesses only harms people who really have them, as these people tend to exaggerate symptoms and use their self diagnosis for attention. I believe that I am autistic, but I don't list it as a diagnosis because while I have read articles and taken the RAADS-r test, I don't have an official diagnosis, and I could very well be wrong. As for women faking illnesses more often, something I've noticed is that things like Autism, ADHD, ADD, etc are more often diagnosed in boys rather than girls- mostly because when they were first discovered, most of the research was done in boys. Autism shows up differently in girls, and can often be blown off as early puberty hormones. If their hyperfixations are those of stereotypical feminine things, it's just a girl liking whatever, and if they hyperfixate in stereotypical masculine interests, they tend to just be viewed as weird, but not autistic. It's normal for people to question, but I agree that to a certain point, self diagnosis can be harmful, but only if not done correctly.", ">\n\nFirst and foremost not a new problem at all, very common, we used to call it \"Being a hypochondriac\" until it aparrently became reconized which in it self is confusing and a bit contradictory.\nANYWAY\nIt isnt really a problem, no doctor is gonna write the perscription for medication without a diagnosis of some sort.\nAt most there is the vauge \"But what about those who actually have it who arent taken serious\" dont worry, we wouldnt have anyway. Thats kinda how invisible illnesses work.\nOverall the 101 hypochondriacs screaming about the symptoms they read in the ICD might help make the knowledge more common and help people better reconize if their colleagues or friends happen to show symptoms of something.", ">\n\nIt’s pretty expensive in the US to get diagnosed. Personally, I’ve self diagnosed myself out of frustration of the way I process things. I’ve always felt slow & my anxiety/depression was deep because of it, but I was raised in a family that doesn’t believe in mental illness. It was always “if you work hard enough, all your problems will go away”. Meanwhile, i was racking my brain on how to make myself think faster/smarter & it would result in psychotic episodes. I’ve gotten fired from jobs, dropped out of school. I started self harming because I hated myself and my brain & almost commit suicide bc I had no idea what was going on.\nThe relief I felt once I finally got a therapist who validated me & was the first to talk to me about mental Illness. It blew my mind and all of a sudden things actually made sense to me. I currently think I have ADD, and sometimes I’ll tell people that but will preface it by saying I’m not professionally diagnosed. Still, I use mental tools that help me get through the day and build my confidence. I’m a lot better at processing conversations, making lists that help me remember things, unmasking, slowing down my thoughts… etc. I’m less frustrated and can see the beauty in how I process things. I still want to get diagnosed but I have to get health insurance….. lol", ">\n\nSelf diagnosis, regardless of being factual is a process where the individual realizes that they might have a mental health issue. People who can do this are more likely to seek professional help compared to the people who think they are “fine”. Going to a professional, licensed psychologist or a psychiatrist will eventually diagnose them with the correct disorder from there, and professionals have the skills to communicate with them and they can together evaluate if the person’s complaint is the issue or not. There is nothing embarrassing about discovering one’s self. It would be a problem if people would identify with an issue and don’t have any willingness to seek help. Sometimes overreacting is better than not reacting.", ">\n\nThe majority of people who are self-diagnosed with autism have done extensive research into it to come to that conclusion. I personally went through the DSM criteria with a fine-tooth comb, made a list of all the ways I met it and discovered that there’s not a single criteria i don’t meet for autism. I didn’t read about anything else but autism for weeks, approaching it from all angles before coming to the conclusion that it’s highly unlikely I am not autistic. I’m waiting to hear back about an assessment, but I’m not waiting to go and be told something I already know before I start advocating for myself. \nOh, and I absolutely did not want to be ‘different’, in fact my life mission to just blend in and be average is the root cause of most of my problems, but here we are.", ">\n\nThis self diagnosing young people do isn’t the problem. The problem is that our society encourages it.\nOur culture is not set up to accommodate a wide spectrum of human needs. You may need things that I don’t. I may need things that you don’t. But in most business settings, academic settings, or even places like restaurants or leisure places, the world isn’t built to accommodate everyone. Our world and society is a “one size fits all” approach, and most people don’t fit snugly inside of that system. \nIf you can classify what is “wrong” or “different” about you into an easily digestible form, people are generally more able and more willing to accommodate you.\nFor example: if I tell my coworkers that I need to leave work early because of a headache, I’ll be shamed for it. And in some cases I’ll be told that “headaches aren’t that bad!” Or “You don’t need to leave.” Or “I have a headache too, just deal with it!”\nBut if I tell my workers that I need to leave due to a painful neurological condition that’s flaring up (I have chronic migraine, which is a neurological condition), they will respect it 100% of the time. It’s met with sympathy and not criticism.\nThis happens for all sorts of things. “Sorry Im late, I slept in.” Sounds a lot worse then, “sorry I’m late, my insomnia has been terrible lately.” \nOur culture forces us to use these labels even when they’re untrue just to receive sympathy or acceptance. The problem isn’t people who decide to use these labels, the root problem is that our society refuses to embrace and accommodate people who are outside of the “norm.”", ">\n\nSpeaking as someone who's had an autism diagnosis since age 7: if someone declares they're autistic when they're not, that's obnoxious at worst. If someone is told they're not autistic when they are, that can cause lifelong harm from denied care and understanding. I have seen this happen to a close friend of mine.\nTherefore, I'd much rather err on the side of acceptance. If you think you're defending me and others like me from impersonators, we'd rather not have your help.\n\nI know people will disagree but it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women. Women statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nCase in point: women are diagnosed with autism far less than men. Recent studies have pointed to decades of systematic misdiagnosis. The more visible autistic symptoms sometimes manifest differently in girls, the way they're socialized may help them hide it from a young age, and of course lots of doctors just say \"your daughter can't be autistic, that's a boy thing.\"\nWe're learning that there are hundreds of thousands of autistic women who slipped through the cracks and were denied the recognition and support they needed because of dismissive, gatekeeping attitudes just like yours.", ">\n\nThere’s a difference between having a disorder and relating to a disorder. If the tools or language associated with a disorder helps someone live better though then cool, it’s all still odd. Also autism presents differently in woman, and a majority of our research on it is on men. Best practice is probably to support them and encourage them to seek treatment.", ">\n\nAutism is severely misdiagnosed in women. Completely under diagnosed. Actually, plenty of things are. The actual problem that we have is parents refusing to let their children get professional help or a diagnosis. Most doctors will diagnose you with BPD as a woman(aka the new female hysteria of our century), maybe put you on some anti psychotics and send you your way. In most countries, a diagnosis/specialist is not readily available, or there is a long waiting list. Even so, the doctors are not know it all. I have seen plenty of doctors, I got different diagnosis almost each time. They ask you some general questions (about your mood, the way you sleep, if you can concentrate, if you harm yourself, if you have suicidal ideation, if you can socialize properly, if your parents were diagnosed with anything, if you have hallucinations or delusions, the works) and then based on that, they will give you a diagnosis. If you use your common sense and information on the internet (given you are knowledgeable on the subject), you can take a good guess on what's wrong. Obviously, some people will exaggerate like with anything (seeing the shadow dude once in your childhood is not a sign of psychosis, neither is hearing your name called when you are alone once in a blue moon), but if you have visual and auditory hallucinations, perhaps weird tactile feelings/hallucinations (spiders are crawling on me, etc), delusions, tend to be forgetful and out of teach with reality, there is a good chance you do have psychosis.", ">\n\nOkay, to start: what do you think autism and ADHD are? They aren't mental illnesses nor are they mental health conditions. \nTo address some of your other points; \nStudies have shown that autism has a gender expression of 1:1. The only reason that women are under diagnosed is because of misunderstandings towards autism, then the diagnosis is conducted incorrectly. Thus it ends up getting conflated with mental illness, E.G BPD, and is diagnosed as a psychiatric disorder instead. This is a detriment to the patient as the care regimes are black and white different. Often times this severely damages the woman.\nFrom data sets that I recall reading, malingering hasn't risen much, if at all, in recent times. I remember it being around 8% of the global population who are engaging in this behaviour, to different extents. I think what's happened is that social media has turned a torch onto it and it's risen in popularity in an algorithmic way. You see it more because it's pushed by the algorithm more because people are searching for it more. It isn't actually occurring any more or less than historically. Most of that attention is negative attention, I should add. \nSo there's two things to take away from that.\n1) The actual act of pretending to be mentally ill, or to have a disability, which is called malingering, is in fact a form of mental unwellness itself. It's a cry for help. The people who do these things are usually very unstable and should be treated with a degree of empathy. The dangerous types who are using mental illness to scam others, or to manipulate them, make up a very small percentage of the overall amount of people in that group and tend to abuse one on one. \n2) The predominant response to this is generally negative. There isn't really any reason to publicly malinger unless you're unstable, this is because a rational person would likely know this, and know the damage it would cause themselves. Self-diagnosis is a very long, and self-aware, process that takes place over years of the individuals life, and proceeds official diagnosis. \nNo one SDs and says \"Okay that's it now! Let me start a TikTok!\" You'd still want support, and you'd still seek support. So that would end up with a doctor, who would see that you're lying, and treat you for whatever was prompting you to malinger. Anyone who has made this commitment knows that keeping it private is a sensible thing to do in a world that isn't inclusive, and often very stigmatising. Sometimes official diagnosis can take YEARS. \nThis kind of propaganda has been going around for a long time in an effort to discredit disabled people and people with mental illnesses. It's not new. People said the same things back in the 90s. People will always be afraid, and dismissive, of things they do not understand. I invite you to try and understand.", ">\n\nI self-diagnosed myself with endometriosis for 10 years before a doctor finally listened to me, opened me up, and found my insides littered with lesions all over my organs. I’m now not able to get pregnant and I might need to get part of my bowel taken out someday. This could’ve been avoided if someone had just listened to me when I was 16. \nSelf-diagnosing is a necessity in a misogynist world! No one takes us seriously! Especially medical professionals. \nThe best antidote for this is to listen to women who self-diagnose. Why do they think they have XYZ? Is it heavily interfering with their life? I think that’s a much larger problem.", ">\n\nIts been proven that there is a bias to diagnose as opposed to not diagnose a mental illness in psychology. So op is actually kinda correct. The definition of a mental illness is in effect being stretched so far that people who are just kinda weird are being diagnosed with \"on the spectrum\". This is actually causing a problem in early learning because parents start treating their kids as essentially learning challenged when they're really not. So it is starting to become an excuse ...", ">\n\nWe live in a society that loves to medicate people. I know it’s different but Did ppl forget about the opioid epidemic? They’ll diagnose your ass with anything if they can", ">\n\nYa I tend to agree. And no one is really saying so I will I guess, but id wager that 50% of psychologist \"professionals\" are totally full of shit. The actual number of psychologists that are are doing real research and clinical studies is EXTREMELY small compared to how many \"psychologists\" are out there. Just like chiropractors, half of them are hacks..", ">\n\nAnd ill say one more thing, though it is anecdotal, but i have direct family that works in special education for young children, and that system is fucked with a capital F. Thay are constantly fighting against parents and programs who try to box kids in the \"autistic\" zone, when they are just really quite or shy, or have pee problems. But parents want an excuse and reason for their behavior, and reduce them to a sub standard education and treatment for the rest of their lives. It's heart breaking. Especially in public schools.", ">\n\nI’m 32 years old. \nI didn’t self diagnose for attention although I remember the days of tumblr where everyone self diagnosed for clout.\nIt took me a decade to realize what is really happening. During the decade before I realized what may have been happening I was told the following:\nI’m rude\nI’m bossy\nI have a RBF/I look mad\nI also only managed to make my first real friend at age 27.\nWhat I was really displaying was:\nBeing overly blunt and just trying to get my point across came off rude when I didn’t intend it to be that way\nTrying to have things done at a certain time and way that no one else thought was important to follow\nUnmasking\nNoticed other things too that I just thought was me being weird:\nVocal stimming\nOral stimming-chewing, smoking, vaping\nRepetitive motions\nRocking\nEasily overwhelmed by too much sensory input\nHigh startle reflex \nInability to regulate my body’s needs-I don’t know I’m hungry until I’m ravenous; don’t recognize the need to use the bathroom until it’s causing me to rush off, don’t realize I’m cold until I’m shaking\nI could go on.\nI want an assessment so bad. But assessments for adults are EXTREMELY hard to setup, if you can even set them up at all. Some states don’t even offer them. I’ve been looking but they are only for children and seem to look for severe cases.\n14 years of thinking I was just a bitch who couldn’t make friends because I was too weird…turns out it might be autism. And turns out I’ll most likely never get a true diagnosis. But the RAADS test gave me a 127 score so that might be the closest I’ll ever get.", ">\n\ni kind of self diagnosed autism? i’ve been to many psychiatrists and therapists for years and they always see adhd in the half an hour and prescribe meds for that, which makes me not go there again. if they dug a little deeper they could have seen autism, i spoke to my current psychiatrist about if its possible i have it, she didn’t want to confirm or deny as i was moving out of state from friends and family and am at an age where i can have kids in the next 10 years since she doesn’t want me being concerned for them. \nI think there’s still lots of stigma around autism even with professionals and especially when identifying it in women. \nI don’t want to be autistic, but i can recognise a lot of different patterns comparing myself and others. I’ve researched it a ton especially in how it shows in women compared to men and in all the articles i found myself relating.\nNow i don’t say im autistic, i say im a little sus of being it tho lmao. and try pass it off casually. I find it’s a lot easier for me to understand and embrace my differences compared to trying to hide it and try be like everyone else or wonder why im not like everyone else. \nBeing older i can also recognise how a lot of my family on one side have suffered mentally and because of obvious neurodivergence. so im pretty sure, like the rest of my mentally challenged brain, has been inherited genetically through that side. \nAll that being said. I self diagnosed when i was about 12 that im highly likely to be depressed and anxious in attempt to get my mom to believe me i needed help, and now 8 years later i can identify that this has been an issue forever for me and that i likely cannot go off my meds because i will just go back to how i used to be. Im still ocd with all my meds, but its better than being anxious and depressed all the time, Having ocd throughout the day is like heaven to me in comparison to how i used to be. obviously the ocd isnt new, just a lot more heard in my brain now.", ">\n\nOk, I know some people self diagnoze themselves with [insert some mental illness here] out of attention or whatever, and that's totally not ok.\nHowever, if you read all the symptoms and do proper research on a mental illness and everything clicks in to you, I'd say you can be fairly confident on a self diagnosis (although, it might be worth it to double check with a professional, especially if you want any sort of treatment). But also for some people, it might not be affordable to go to a professional...", ">\n\nI live in Canada, I've engaged with the medical system, doctors don't care and just want you out, ERs are a 8 hour wait for someone to ignore one thing and won't even entertain other issues even if they are related. Self-diagnosis is really the only way to get any kind of proper treatment at all. \nThe doctors will rubber stamp just about anything you ask for except pain killers but in terms of diagnosis you're way better off doing it yourself, sure you don't have 8 years of medical school but the doctors won't give you 5 mins of their time, they are not better than google and you give a lot more of a shit than they will and at the end of the day it's your body.", ">\n\nBack in the 90s when I was a teenager, the kids/teenagers/young adults who wanted attention, and wanted to be different, adopted the goth lifestyle. Dressing up in all black. White foundation with black lipstick and eyeshadow. It was the trendy way to be different, to be viewed as outcasts of society. To not fit in. \nThe goth lifestyle of the 2020s is self diagnosis. Same shit, different day.\nWhenever someone claims autism, or somewhere on the spectrum, I just roll my eyes and imagine that person just sucks at life.", ">\n\nI just think it’s a little more harmful nowadays due to the prevalence of social media. Ppl get sucked into groups and mindsets before they even have a real life chance. Then they hyper fixate on that they might be mentally Ill rather then just trying to live life to the fullest", ">\n\nI 100% agree with you", ">\n\nBecause it's the age of spin this generation has something for everybody. And all of them are Google doctors. Lol", ">\n\nTook my uncle till he was 38 even thought it was apparent to everyone. Hell he got expelled from two schools", ">\n\nI get what you're saying. I frankly find it weird that more people don't find this weird. People self-diagnosing themselves as all kinds of things not only completely misrepresents the actual conditions, thereby making people even more confused as to what they actually are and how they present, but also leads people to run to a psychiatrist claiming false symptoms and getting medication for something they don't have, which is NOT a good thing. People should never be taking medication unless it is necessary. We are a heavily over-medicated society and this is a big factor in that. Caffeine to wake up in the morning, \"immuno-boosters\" and mood stabilizers during the day, sleeping pills to sleep at night. The caffeine and sleeping pills are addictive and can really mess up your circadian rhythm, and the mood stabilizers can really fuck you up if you don't need them. Instead of rushing to diagnose and medicate everyone, we need to educate them on human behavior and show them that their \"mental health\" problems are completely normal.\nOh, so you get nervous right before you make huge life decisions? That's not Anxiety Disorder, it's just anxiety.\nOh, you are really sad because your cat died? That's not Clinical Depression, you are just grieving.\nOh, you went from really happy to really sad when you were previously happy and something really shitty happened to you and soured your mood? That's not Bipolar Disorder, that's just life.\nOh, you like to be more organized than the people around you? That's not Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, you just like to be organized.\nPeople really misunderstand the nature of these conditions and it hinders our collective progress in treating them, like dramatically inflating the number of actual conditions in the population, making it increasingly more difficult to determine how common and how varied they are. After all, in most cases it is not the psychiatrist or psychologist who makes you better, you make you better. Medication can help and other people can show you the path to success, but the problem will never get solved unless you play an active role in the treatment. Some conditions can never be solved, only lessened, while others are virtually untreatable. We need to stop making these conditions seem cool. They aren't. They are serious and need to be taken seriously.", ">\n\nHeavily agree and I appreciate how well this comment is worded. Wish I coulda worded mine a little better", ">\n\nYa I saw you getting shredded in the comments and figured I'd sum it up for you. 🤣", ">\n\nLmao bro I didn’t expect this many. I was thinking maybe like 20 ppl would reply", ">\n\nYou need to self diagnose in many cases in order to get adequate help.", ">\n\nI knew when I had ADD and IBS, and I was able to get my suspicions confirmed by my respective doctors. Doctors are there to help the patients understand themselves, whereas the patients have to go home every day and live with what they actually have. Do not be so quick to judge.", ">\n\nJust to add here - Autism in women is less prevalent because it presents differently and is often not picked up by standardised diagnostic tests (that were developed on an almost exclusively male sample). I think that also goes to show that there’s p significant issues with what we consider ‘scientific’ and research based in the first place.", ">\n\nI grew up in a small town and we had quite a few autistic boys but only one autistic girl. Literally only one out of like 6-8 grades. So that’s like a 10-1 ratio. It’s gotta be a lot statistically smaller then males. I don’t doubt it happens I just know it’s a lot less", ">\n\nYou think your small town’s makeup is generalizable to all of society? That isn’t how statistics work.", ">\n\nSo my question would be - so what do we do?\nYou think people are diagnosing themselves to gain attention. Fine, but what's the next step?\nSee, I think I might be bipolar 2. But I went on a journey where I looked into the techniques for dealing with this issue. That led me to cognitive behavior therapy.\nThat actually made me more convinced that this was my issue because I have taught myself a lot of cognitive behavior therapy techniques to address the same issues. These practices have really helped me.\nIt sounds like your issue is that these people are getting attention for it. To me, these are people who need someone to help guide them. That would have helped me a lot when I was younger. Society today doesn't really give us the tools to sort this out, but just the knowledge that these things exist can push someone down the rabbit hole to learn about therapy that could really help.\nI think you should ask yourself what your motivations are. Do you really want them to understand themselves? Or are you more interested in steering the conversation toward other topics?\nPersonally, I would deal with these people by paying them forward. I would tell them to understand the practices that typically help these people, and see if they are relevant. I would tell them to seek professional help, and to refrain from diagnosing themselves, but I would encourage them to be critical of themselves and to learn more.\nImo, the way out is through.", ">\n\nI agree with you but it’s not mostly women. Maybe by happenstance that’s the case in your circle but broadly men do this too.", ">\n\nDoctor's are consulting the Mayo Clinic website after talking to a patient and getting their symptoms. I bring that up to say this; a doctor's training is needed for very serious diseases and tricky diagnoses, but a semi-intelligent person could look up their symptoms and get a lot of the more minor stuff right.", ">\n\nI've never been diagnosed as clinically depressed or anything, but that doesn't mean that I don't suffer from depression a lot of the time (these last few years, more often than not). I see a therapist. I take antidepressants. \nI have a friend who has aphantasia. It isn't really a \"diagnosable\" condition, but it describes what he has trouble with: creating images in his mind.", ">\n\nThat’s different then going online and claiming perfectly normal traits mean you’re autistic", ">\n\nNeurodivergence ≠ mental illness.", ">\n\nThey know themselves and their experiences better than you.", ">\n\nOP, I'm seeing some differences between your post and what you're saying in the comments. \nMy question is, do you have a problem with people self-diagnosing, or is your issue more about people drawing a lot of public attention to their diagnoses?", ">\n\nOverall both but definitely the attention part more so for obvious reasons. The self diagnosing part due to the fact that it can make people believe it can be an excuse for their actions good or bad. I think In a weird way it can allow people to take away the responsibility of their own actions and attribute to their mental illness", ">\n\nAs someone who has been diagnosed with ADHD, having people self diagnosing doesn't bother me at all, because I went the path of not knowing at all what I had and letting doctors figure out by themselves... and it took me 4 years and a half to finally have a concrete answer that no doctors would have found out if I didn't start searching on my own. You can't walk into every doctor's office with the assumption they'll figure out what you have, because it's not their speciality, or they still have an outdated view (not every doctor are kept up to date with new discovers), or they're biased, etc... \nI've never been annoyed by people who self diagnose. Hell, if I knew what was about to happen to me, I would have done the same way sooner.", ">\n\nMost women today arent faking it, they are noticing the symptoms no one else noticed and trying to find help. Its not easy to grow up with this kind of stuff. Is not coincidence you think women are less likely to be born to autism instead of thinking how weird it is that for some reason most autism diagnosis happen to men, that is the misogyny in the medical comunity.\nSelf diagnosis means this women will go to doctors and it most case scenarios they will get diagnoses because they have this issue all their life.\nSocial media is giving people awareness of the issue in medicine and how it affects women. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Misogyny in medicine also leads to people not knowing the difference between a heart attack in a woman and a man. It leads to women thinking its something else because internet and books will tell you how a man will feel a heart attack, even doctors sometimes dont know this.", ">\n\nGetting a diagnosis or treatment is borderline impossible for a lot of people. So self diagnosis is sometimes the only way they can help themselves.", ">\n\nNot a mental illness. But, I am a trans person and I pretty much self-diagnosed and self-medicated. I just had physicians do blood test.\nI educated myself on how everything works in about eight month period. I did that over a decade.\nI don’t regret my decision, and if I did. The regret would be not starting any sooner, especially when people who aren’t physicians or therapists are having a final say about these things.", ">\n\nIt is very noticeable and annoying, buuuut it’s proven autism manifest differently in females. Plus women are (very) often under diagnosed and dismissed for many many things by doctors, which is absolutely disgusting. Aaaand the cost of healthcare is outrageous.", ">\n\nwomen being less likely to be diagnosed with autism has nothing to do with an actual gender gap in who does and doesn’t have autism and everything to do with the fact autistic women are diagnosed with personality disorders and mental illnesses due to stigmas. most autism research was done on men and therefore women are underrepresented and more often than not misdiagnosed. autism actually occurs at a similar rate in both sexes. also, it’s not a mental illness, it’s a neurological condition (not that mental illnesses aren’t, but illness implies there’s something wrong, which there isn’t in autistic people). i agree that self diagnosing leads to misinformation and harms those who are clinically diagnosed though.", ">\n\nA lot of medical diagnoses are based on white male studies, so yes you would see more women finding out they have certain mental illnesses now as professionals are realizing it can show differently in females vs males. Adhd, for example, was considered something only seen in young boys that would grow out of it, now they are realizing that you don't in fact grow out of it and women can have it too. \nMental illness was a taboo subject back in the day as well, especially for women. It was only in 1980 I think that hysteria was no longer considered a mental illness. Women would be diagnosed with 'hysteria' and committed for symptoms like anxiety and anger. So now a lot of women are learning more about their mental health because they feel safe to do so. \nMy mother is in her early 70's and still refuses to tell anyone her own health issues or even mine, I have cancer and we were going to go on a trip as it's unknown how much longer I have and she refused to ask for the day off because she wouldn't tell them the reason why.", ">\n\nI detest self diagnosis, though once you’ve studied advanced level abnormal psychology shit happens. \nAs far as kids go, the generalized anxiety and depressive spectrum diagnoses can occasionally be accurate however that would warrant professional intervention regardless.\nOne serious issue among others; if an adolescent “decides” they have major depressive disorder that can become a self fulfilling prophecy and cause despair and reluctance to seek treatment", ">\n\nLook at the price and lack of availability of mental health care, and the total lack of privacy of internet connected devices. Most practitioners don’t offer in person visits anymore, and even if they do they probably do digital records or have their phone present. Ofc people are self diagnosing.", ">\n\nCounterpoint: many people do not have the means to access diagnoses for mental illnesses and other disorders, and it can sometimes be the only way to explain their feelings to others. Autism diagnoses in particular are extremely difficult to access for adults and even teens. I suspected I had autism for years and the only way I was able to get a diagnosis was through the mental health treatment program I was in during highschool which had a psychologist there. I only could attend because I live in Canada with universal healthcare. Many, many people are not as fortunate as me. Most people in the world cannot access diagnosis in the first place, including many in richer countries. \nYour comment about women statistically 'being born with autism on a far lesser scale than men' misses the well-known problem of underdiagnosis of autism in women. Autism presents itself differently in women than men (I can say as an autistic woman who knows other autistic women) and the criteria for autism were based on cis white men. Autism in women is is often misdiagnosed as CPTSD (which many autistic people ALSO unfortunately have), borderline personality disorder, anxiety, depression, etc. \nAlthough self-diagnosis is often problematic and used by teenagers to feel special, for the people who take it seriously and are intellectually honest there currently isn't really a better alternative for them to try and explain their experiences when they cannot access diagnoses.", ">\n\nWhat you are describing is NOT a new phenomenon. I was born in 1975 and have been observing this phenomenon my entire life. Nothing new about it at all.", ">\n\nSelf diagnosis is often the first step in going to go and get an actual diagnosis. Getting diagnosed with a mental disorder, especially as an adult, is basically impossible if you aren't actively seeking it out. For several reasons, one of which is that pretty much all the diagnostic criteria are written about children. \nI'm properly diagnosed and even on disability for mental disorders and I knew what I had for years before I got diagnosed. \nI understand there's a feeling of \"stolen valour\" to it. And there is indeed a subset of people doing it for attention or because it's fashionable, OCD in particular being a common example, but the good that comes from self diagnosis more than outweighs the bad.", ">\n\nCorrect me if I’m wrong, but don’t all, or at least most mental disorders lie on a spectrum?", ">\n\nI was diagnosed ADD/ ADHD as a child an im getting re-evaluated next month because i think the diagnosis must be bullshit.\nI have a close friend that wasn't diagnosed ADD/ADHD until they were 22 and in an Ivy league vet program\nThe amount of people that say they cant do well in school simply because they have add/ adhd is bullshit if u ask me. Also, people justify abusing adderal because theyre ADHD and i think thats BS too. I decided never to take it and just abuse caffeine instead to avoid the health side effects", ">\n\nThe current US medical system is such garbage that self advocacy is important. \nSometimes it is wrong. Sometimes professionals ignore you or only pay attention to things insurance companies will pay for. Sonetimes they are also wrong. Or they're incentivized to get you out of a hospital bed ready or not. \nAdministrators and insurance companies get all the money. Nurses, aides, patients all suffer.", ">\n\nEspecially when they don't even understand what the disorder is in the first place. \"I'm a loner so I'm anitsocial.\" That's not what that means.... Or my favorite, \"I'm detailed oriented so I have OCD, lulz I am so le quirky! ;P\"", ">\n\nPeople who struggle with certain things often seek out those with similar experiences. With social media and the internet, it’s easier than ever to find people with similar struggles and sometimes, those people are a group diagnosed with certain mental illnesses. \nDoes that mean every person who sees themselves in a diagnosis will have that diagnosis? Hell no. But I think it’s disingenuous to claim that it’s “for attention.” People want to find community they can relate to and are drawn to experiences that reflect their own.\nI’m saying this as someone who was diagnosed with ADHD at 25 — I started to suspect I might have it in my early 20s and started poking about online. I was officially assessed and diagnosed some time later, and that diagnosis has been validated by three therapists and two psychiatrists.\nPlenty of people misjudge themselves and plenty of people are very ready to leap into a box. Some of them may be wrong. Some may be doing it to try and excuse bad behavior. (Hell, I’ve known waaaay too many people who DID have diagnosed mental illnesses and seemed to think their diagnosis was a free pass to be shitty). However, I think calling it a “trend” or “for attention” misses the point of why and how people reach these conclusions. \nOne might also argue that you do not have the professional expertise regarding psychology to assume the validity or ulterior motives of someone else’s diagnosis. There’s a reason that a lot of psychologists out there are adamantly against diagnosing from a distance - you have significantly less insight into a someone’s mind than they do, and you’re projecting a lot of assumptions onto others’ behavior without any supporting evidence.", ">\n\nIm gonna start out with, generally I agree its a problem-to an extent. Even though women have autism at a much lower rate they’re also under diagnosed/misdiagnosed at a higher rate. When it comes to why people are doing this, in my experience it’s people who are trying to figure out why they’re treated the way they are, why they struggle to do certain things that others don’t even see as an issue. They’re noticing their differences and feeling bad about it. When they can’t fix it they start trying to find a reason, a cause to help them both understand and feel better about themselves and ways they can move forward and actually improve their lives, as well as finding a group they can relate to when they have a hard time relating to the average person.", ">\n\nI think OP is arguing there are quite a few people whose self-diagnosis wouldn’t meet the criteria of a medical diagnosis. It’s horrible for me to even argue but some people want to portray themselves as a victim: I think this because I am a shit.\nHowever I agree with arguments here that if these people are brave enough to identify a potential issue in themselves then kudos to them for recognising it.", ">\n\nI had a doctor misdiagnose my spine injury and I researched medical articles and studies to come the actual diagnosis.\nNot always bad to do your research. \nBut mental health is a serious issue and some people use self diagnosis’ as an excuse to act however they want.", ">\n\nPart of what happens when you can’t afford to see a doctor.", ">\n\nThe most important piece to note on the self diagnosis problem among youth is misdiagnosis. \nThings like BPD, NPD, and ASPD for have dozens of overlapping criteria but very specific things that distinguish them. A professional can discern between both disorders and the average googler can not. \nThe result is that the patients identity crisis worsens as they begin to develop a sense of identity with a diagnosis than is not true for them. \nIt seems like the youth is quite eager to be diagnosed with some sort of disorder today.", ">\n\nI'm really happy to see someone mentioning this. I have experienced this more and more recently and I agree with it being strange and problematic.", ">\n\nThis is not new, we are just talking about it on social media now.\nI have been chronically ill for my entire life. I have constantly been refused medical care because I am apparently to young to be sick and I have had diagnosis withheld because, for example, how could I possibly complete a Masters and be neurodivergent. A lot of medical gatekeeping is rooted in ableism. \nI’ve had 7 surgeries, most would have been avoidable if I’d been listened to when I first sort medical care. I’ve had to do a mountain of research and go to Drs with a self diagnosis and sources to even get passed the are you just sad or have you tried yoga phase (I’ve also been told to go to church and find a nice husband to cure me). The surgeries that would’ve had to happen anyway were massively delayed due to Drs not taking my symptoms seriously, with 2 resulting in damage to other organs due to the delay.\nI’ve wasted so much time and energy and had so much damage happen to my body because Drs have medically gaslighted me or not listened or answered my questions when I’ve asked for more explanation. \nSelf diagnosis isn’t some cop out or look at me I’m special thing, it’s for survival. I’d literally be dead. I didn’t want to spend the past decade learning about medicine, ideally I’d get on with my life, but Drs and the medical community won’t let me do that.\np.s men are NOT more likely to be autistic than women. Research into autism has been majority based on studies into white, male adolescents and expected social male behaviour which is why lots of girls don’t get diagnosed and is why it is common for women, POC, and LGBTQIA+ people to be diagnosed in adulthood.", ">\n\nPersonally doctors have been totally useless for any non life thrusting subtle malady. They don’t try and fix any problem like that. Self diagnosing is what I am left with.", ">\n\nI mean, i self diagnosed that i probably had depression, since i was suicidal and couldn't do anything, went to a doctor and apparently had hormone and thyroid issues. Sure it wasnt depression, but the experience was the same, and if i didn't get help the result would probably be the same. So even though i misdiagnosed, it still saved my life.", ">\n\nI (56f) and Kid (32f) were both tested & diagnosed as being ASD last year. We have both been dealing with anxiety for years and depression, I also have manic episodes which finally lead to a BPD diagnosis as well in my late 40s. \nIt's not that less women are autistic, believe me I used to think the same thing, but in actuality, women are very under diagnosed. Women and men don't present with the same characteristics in a number of conditions ASD being one of them.\nMales and females tend to present differently with ADD / ADHD, which happens to be a comorbid condition, that's really not all that surprising.\nIn hindsight I can see my autism clearly. And in as much as I wish that I would have been properly diagnosed when I was young, because my path would have been much different, I know that it was impossible. There were boys with hyperactivity, but ADD/ ADHD did not exist in my childhood. \nIt's difficult to wrangle and understand this diagnosis, much less at such a late part of my life. As I learn more about it I find myself continually saying \"that's why I do that?!?\" \nAnd while I try to understand it better, the thought of someone thinking that I'm doing this for attention, or because it's trendy, is mind blowing.\nAt the same time, there's a lot I agree with you on. Thanks to the internet we have a whole lot of Google doctors and internet hypochondriacs who self diagnose. Doctors are subjected to patients who self-diagnosed and because of commercials will tell them exactly what medication they need thanks to the commercials they have watched. \nWhat bothers me most I think is that the people you describe, are being so complacent about autism, that it removes any urgency in dealing with it.", ">\n\nYou know this dude is a benzo addict and about to lose his ability to practice psychology right?" ]

[ "The diagnosis process for a lot of psychiatric conditions are surveys and questionaires. You can go to a psychiatrist and ask if you're anxious and they'll give you multiple choice questions and diagnose off of that. Or you can just google the form yourself and self diagnose. A lot of psychiatric disorders are about how we feel and think. Not about sending off some blood sample to a lab and getting a positive result come back.\n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. For such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nWhat you're describing are all neuroses that could indicate some deeper psychiatric condition. Whether a person has a mental health condition or not, thinking of ourselves as weak victims is never helpful in any context, yet it's something we all feel from time to time.\nI'm a disability support worker, so when someone tells me they've got a self diagnosed condition, it's not offensive to me or any disabled person I know, it doesn't come across like they're invalidating anyone else's condition. However I do think everyone should talk to a doctor about any condition they feel they might have.", ">\n\nPiggybacking off of this: You’ve spent your whole entire life inside your own brain. A therapist will spend a period of hours with you and give you a diagnosis. Who do you think knows your personal reality better than yourself?", ">\n\nYeah exactly, especially with conditions such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, PTSD, and many other psychiatric conditions. These are things people know they have even before they get a diagnosis. The diagnosis stage is more about treatment and management.\nPeople might be unaware of how severe or mild their condition is, some people think they have only mild PTSD despite constant nightmares and suicidal ideation. Some people will think they have severe ADHD because they can't concentrate for long times on things that don't interest them. It's good to get some perspective from experts but ultimately people know when they are struggling to focus or to struggling to stop stressing all the time or struggling to not be miserable. Struggling with our thoughts and feelings is evidence enough to self diagnose.", ">\n\nI was recently diagnosed with ADHD as a woman so I find this viewpoint interesting.\nFirstly, autism is not a mental illness. An autistic person may have mental illness in conjunction with autism, but autism alone lies under the neurodivergent umbrella. Neurodivergency can include autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and other similar conditions.\nWhy women are often underdiagnosed\nThese are serious disabilities that can really impede a person's life, especially if they struggle to find help and acceptance in their community. A lot of women start their journey towards diagnosis later in life due to a number of factors such as:\n\nPoor diagnostic tools and inexperienced professionals\nA misunderstanding that autism and ADHD are more common in boys\nAdvanced masking techniques to cover their 'traits'\n\nWhy women are often diagnosed later in life.\nThe process for many women and men who are diagnosed later in life often includes a level of burnout or breakdown. After a while everything becomes too much, the mask begins to slip and your traits go into overdrive.\nWhy does self-diagnosing seem to be on the rise?\nA common way of finding out you could possibly be neurodivergent is through media and people who are aware of these traits appear.\nIn the past few years, I have seen an increasing awareness of neurodivergence in women pop up in the media. This is useful for people like myself who had no idea wtf was wrong with them for a very long time. For me, a GP actually suggested I seek a diagnosis due to some struggles I was going through.\nAs someone who went through this process self-diagnosing is commonly the first step as an adult. You might be directed to a questionnaire and are asked to evaluate yourself and your experiences thinking back to your childhood. If there's some merit in your experiences than you move to the next step which involves seeking a professional. Waitlists are often months to years long so many people live in limbo for a long time.\nMethods of living with ADHD can help everyone. And everyone experiences ADHD traits from time to time. Given a large amount of stress we have all suffered collectively, I don't doubt there are a lot of people with increased mental health issues that mirror neurodivergent traits. Some mental illnesses can get very severe and alter your brain chemistry and behaviour.\nMy takeaway from this is that the mental health systems set up to assist these people are a much larger issue and cause for serious concern than self-diagnosing.\nApologies for the spelling and grammar errors. Grammarly and Reddit don't play nice.", ">\n\nI think it's two things. One, people have identity crises, especially teenagers. We all know that type of person who tries on identities like hats. That's pretty embarrassing. You usually grow out of that.\nTwo, from personal experience, giving yourself a label or a diagnosis makes it feel more contained and easy to communicate. It's easier to tell someone that you have X and have them understand what you're going through rather than telling them you have these vague symptoms resembling what you imagine X is like. In that respect, it is pretty understandable, possibly good, and not embarrassing. There's something that is sort of reassuring if you can finally get a word to put on what you're experiencing.\nPeople often sympathize with the diagnosis but not with the symptoms. Tell people at work you're autistic and they will sympathize with you and possibly not attack you. Tell them you do not understand social cues and they will probably just make fun of you.", ">\n\nI understand the desire to put a label with a disease, and this is not necessarily bad, but the diagnosis needs to be correct. If you want to tell others that you are autistic or depressed; you must actually be those things. A person can almost never correctly assertion their disease, only their symptoms. People might better understand you if you say your autistic, but you may incorrectly understand and describe yourself. If one wishes to put a name with symptoms, they should find a doctor to pick the label", ">\n\nfor sure but unfortunately our medical system is a joke and even if you are experiencing very severe symptoms it can be nearly impossible to see a professional or take months on a waiting list.\nEven then a professional may be reluctant to slap a label on you for fear of what the consequences of that might be. I saw someone for a very long time who resisted any sort of actual diagnosis because the truth is that what I was experiencing didn't fit neatly into any of the boxes and pretty much belonged in this vague \"other\" category which isn't particularly helpful. Not to mention that misdiagnosis happens all the time even by professionals. \nI just think it is sort of understandable because I think a lot of stuff is kind of a spectrum anyway and just different levels of severity. Things can be really confusing and hard to nail down and thus communicate in a way that causes someone else to be understanding rather than judgemental.", ">\n\nAre you under the impression this is a new phenomenon? Because it's definitely not.\nPeople - especially young people! - crave identity. The world is a confusing place, knowing who you are makes it a little easier. Sometimes it's self-diagnosing mental illness or learning disabilities, or exploring sexual identity, or cliques, or subcultures. There's nothing embarrassing about it, it just is what it is.", ">\n\nIt’s ok to want to express individuality but not to the extent of totally destroying the definition of a real thing and making it hard for actual mentally Ill ppl to get a diagnosis. Why can’t people just accept that they’re different rather then giving themselves a label?", ">\n\npeople on TikTok claiming to have disorders that they don't doesn't affect the precision of psychiatrists diagnosing actual patients. There's no TikTok-said section in the DSM. Why do you think that it does?", ">\n\nIt just encourages more people to get diagnosed possibly skewing the meaning of the mental illness", ">\n\nSkewing it towards statistical accuracy? If people are actually diagnosed at higher rates, we have a better Guage of population-level mental illness, neurodivergency, etc. Better data is more usable, so that research actually means something actionable, ASIDE from the identity boost for young people.", ">\n\nI think what OP is driving at, but utterly failing to explain, is that they think that the fakers will be accommodated by the psychiatric system and diagnosed on the basis of fake symptoms. my sense is that isn't a problem but I don't have data.", ">\n\nDefinitely explained it a little better then I could lol", ">\n\nWhere do you see evidence of that? Any articles about fakers? How about a statistic? If not, it’s just a fear you seem to have.", ">\n\nI think the salient line here is this one:\n\nNeurologists were able to quickly determine that the subjects were not \nsuffering from Tourette's, but psychogenic tics driven by anxiety.", ">\n\nWomen are not born with less autism, but are much less likely to be diagnosed as children than boys. This is partly because boys generally have similar symptoms and behaviors. \nSo of course more women are self diagnosing autism, since their diagnoses were missed as children on a much higher rate.", ">\n\nAlright, I'm diagnosed OCD, PTSD, chronic depression. Diagnosed by a professional so I think I have some grounds to talk about this.\nFirst, let's tackle your women comment about autism. You see, I understand where you're coming from, but you lack the nuance of recognizing that mental illness, and illness in general, is heavily under-diagnosed in women. The medical culture is heavily favored towards men and is rampant with mysogyny, and that's not just me saying it as I've had medical professionals blatantly tell me it's a problem in the field when questioned about it. I've also had some tell me that it's just because women whine a lot, so yanno make of that statement what you will.\nNow that we've covered that let me address the self-diagnosing issue. So, do you want to know what my therapist thinks of self-diagnosing? Well, when I asked them about it they said that self-diagnosing is an important first step to seeking help. Psychiatrist said the same thing. It's normal, expected even, for people to self-diagnose their issues then seek help for them. You can't exactly just peer into someone's brain, no, that person has to tell you what they think is wrong and why they think it is. \nWhat you actually have a problem with is not self-diagnosis, but with people not seeking or not being able to get medical assistance and assuming they're right. You have a problem with people using these issues for attention, which I do too, but once again self-diagnosing is not the problem. Finally, you have a problem with the medical system that forces people into the position of trying to figure out their mental illnesses, but having no ability to get help for them.", ">\n\nI think I did it", ">\n\nSadly no lol, it was not done properly. Do you need a link to the rules?", ">\n\nI already read them i think I’ll figure it out in a bit sorry for the hold up", ">\n\nBecause everyone else is being aggressive: you have to comment with ∆ or !delta and then explain how your view has been changed", ">\n\nThis delta has been rejected. You can't award OP a delta.\nAllowing this would wrongly suggest that you can post here with the aim of convincing others.\nIf you were explaining when/how to award a delta, please use a reddit quote for the symbol next time.\n^Delta System Explained ^| ^Deltaboards", ">\n\nWhat gives you the authority or knowledge to know this is the problem?", ">\n\nYou don’t think it’s a problem that a lot of young ppl are willing to go to the extent of saying they are mentally Ill either for attention or to excuse their weirdness? Just accept that your different. It’s not wrong to believe you’re different without a label", ">\n\nYou did not even try to answer my question.", ">\n\nI’m sorry I was confused on what you meant", ">\n\nIf you are mad at people for self diagnosing themselves because they don't have the knowledge or authority to do so.... what gives you the knowledge or authority to diagnosis this as the problem behavior... basically are you just a kid that is annoyed, or is there some actual studies out there that is claiming this is a problem.", ">\n\nIf you don’t think that people consistently seeking attention for mental illness or craving a label so badly to justify themselves rather then being themselves. That just shows what your views are", ">\n\nDont you think we should leave the diagnosing to the professionals?", ">\n\nI mean yeah", ">\n\nWould you agree that you are diagnosing these people by saying that they are only seeking attention and do not have a real mental illness?", ">\n\nI’m assuming", ">\n\nThere may be some truth to people wanting to be different, however with mental illnesses being more accepted in today's society, many people are a lot more comfortable with being neurodivergent. Additionally, self diagnosis is common because the alternative is spending upwards to $1000-$2000 for a clinical diagnosis.", ">\n\nI know costs suck, but self diagnosis can be much more harmful. A web.md page that tells you your depressed when you may actually be bipolar can lead to really messed up results. I would even go as far as to say that no diagnosis at all is preferable to an uninformed one", ">\n\nWell.\n​\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad \n\nSo you already know why they're doing what they're doing in addition the fact that you know that they're not Autistic? If your claim is that they can't know and only a doctor can, what makes you more qualified? You start out your argument admitting that you have a bias.\n\nthey’re “neurodivergent.\n\nNeurodivergent is an umbrella that covers both Autism and ADHD, which sometimes get mistaken for each other. So if you're upset that they're self-diagnosing, this term should be more welcome than \"Autistic\" because it's more generalized.\n\nnd when you ask them how they know they’ll say “oh I have this weird tick when I uh laugh when someone says something funny “ or “I have a hyper fixation on this topic so I must be autistic\n\nHow else should they communicate it to you? The list of aspects of Autism, especially for how it presents in women, sounds a lot like this. You're not a doctor, they don't have to prove anything to you by going down the entire list of every possible part of their daily experience that might be on the spectrum.\n\nWomen statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nNope. Women are diagnosed less often than men because the original diagnostic criteria for Autism was for Autism as it presents in males. It presents differently for females and is harder to diagnose, especially at younger ages. \n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized\n\nTodays youth want to be victimized? Why would anyone want to be victimized? Something tells me you're missing the mark with this terminology.\n\nor have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. \n\nSo if someone is Autistic and that makes them weird, you'd rather them just be forced to not get to have a name for it, and get the therapeutic treatment that would help them?\n\nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really [are] without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nSome people are autistic. If they find out and it makes them feel good, that doesn't mean they're craving attention. And if they are craving attention, it's because they're normal people and everyone does. \nIf someone thinks they're autistic but it turns out they're actually not, chances are they suspected it for a reason. They might have ADHD, a personality disorder, a mental health issue, or simply a slightly different way of experiencing the world that feels unique to them and there's nothing wrong with that. \nYou seem to think that other people do things for you. People generally don't. They do things for themselves. This is especially true of people on the Autism Spectrum who may not be able to easily use other people's experiences to reference when constructing their view of the world, and can only use their own. Your interpretation wherein they do it to evoke a response from you says more about you than it does about them.", ">\n\nYou’re being deliberately obtuse. OP is completely correct. Most of the people these days who say “I’m ADHD” or “I’m autistic” or “I’m neurodivergent” are absolutely not diagnosed as such and are doing it to seem unique or get attention or as some excuse for why they did x y or z.", ">\n\nI'd like to point out that while some are perhaps attention seeking, many people self diagnose simply because they don't have access to free medical/psychological professionals to get proper diagnosis and help with their issues. I also know someone who doesn't want to get an official diagnosis because he's afrad it will affect his insurance rates or somehow come back to bite him if he's offically labeled with having a neurological disorder. \nThere is a wealth of knowledge on these subjects available online for those interested. And if they are truly interested in self diagnose they can likely do that accurately enough for all intents and purposes. Most of these people who search for the sake of better understanding themselves or their loved ones will openly admit that it's a self diagnoses, or say they THINK they have x,y, or z. But in some situations it's just as well to say they have it if they feel certain anyway, and it's just a passing comment, and not a discussion on the matter. \nIn other words, just because they self diagnose doesn't mean they're wrong, nor does it explain their motives. I also don't see how attention seeking (for those who ARE doing that) is really hurting anyone else. Fakers gonna be fake, that's more a \"them\" kind of problem. ANNOYING, but mostly harmless.", ">\n\nUnless you have a doctor's diagnosis you don't have the disorder. Even if you are broke there are programs to help with costs. \nAnd yes it does affect me when someone is treating me like shit and tries using the I have such and such as an excuse and then people get mad at ME for calling them in their bullshit.", ">\n\nNo. You have to have the disorder before you CAN be diagnosed, so obviously there are undiagnosed people who in fact \"have the disorder \". Your refusal to acknowledge an undiagnosed disorder does not mean they don't have it. Your personal experience with people supposedly using a fake diagnosis to treat you badly, sounds unusual. How do you know they DIDN'T have it? People who do lie and just want to be jerks will do that regardless of what methods they decide to try. The methods are irrelevant. And that motive is not typical of most self diagnosers .", ">\n\nSounds unusual? You must not get out a lot because it's become a pretty regular thing. Every single person I know (about 8) that have self diagnosed themselves as neurodivergent or with a mental illness like Bi-polar all use it to excuse their shitty ass behaviors. \nToo many disorders can mirror other ones. Just because they think they have 2/3 symptoms doesn't make them right by a long shot. Keep living in your bubble.", ">\n\nYou don't have to have a relationship with anyone. If they treat you badly, regardless of an official diagnosis or not, you don't have to tolerate them. It makes no difference what they have or don't have. What would it change if they got diagnosed and actually have it?", ">\n\nSelf diagnosing has been a thing forever\nAnd it's not a problem im 99% sure me or any other autistic person doesn't really give 2 fucks about people who wanna fake disorders. It doesn't stop us from getting help, we have doctors notes, medical files, sometimes even volunteers, you need those files to get into let's say a special education class, or a life skills course.\nSo unless you were diagnosed by a professional you're probably not gonna make it far faking it.\n(Excuse my shitty punctuation)", ">\n\nIt doesn’t bother you that they’re making others take the actual meaning away from what you were born with? I mean I’m sure autism hasn’t made your life easy and seeing ppl claim it for attention to be quirky probably has to annoy you a little right?", ">\n\nAt the end of the day I still have ADHD and I still need help with it. More people being diagnosed with it doesn’t change that fact. In fact I was diagnosed because I realized I related to so many tiktok memes, and I’m sure others are in my same boat. \nIn fact I think so many people talking about ADHD helps. It means more people who possibly have tips for me, people who are suffering who can’t afford treatment have an easy way to learn about how to improve their lives, and more people who are aware of my disorder.", ">\n\nI think people do diagnose themselves too often without seeking professional help. BUT mental illness is not the same as being neurodivergent.", ">\n\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad that they’ll go as far to say they’re “neurodivergent.”\n\nWhile this is the case, I don't really see how it's a \"problem\" per se. I guarantee that these people still make lifestyle decisions based on what they think is best, or based on what they want to do.\n\nbut it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women\n\nDo you have any statistics for that? I haven't experienced it that way in my own anecdotal experience, and I'd be curious to look into the data to see how much that truly does skew in that direction.\n\nwanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness \nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nI understand what you're trying to say here, but I don't really think these things are connected as much as you think they are. People see something wrong with themselves, so they either playfully or seriously consider the fact that it could be a condition that they have similar symptoms to. Not that it never happens, but just because someone categorizes themselves into a disability group that could potentially excuse their \"quirks\", doesn't mean they think that behavior is unacceptable in any way. People see a problem, and assume it's linked to this other issue that seems similar that they already know about.", ">\n\nI agree with the conclusion that self-diagnosis is a real issue, and I wouldn't be surprised if the data indicated it was on the rise. I wouldn't necessarily frame it as a simple desire to \"be victimized\" however. While it is purely speculation, I do believe there are a number of conditions which might lead towards a more frequent experience of symptoms associated with mental illness - a rising wealth gap, perpetual anxiety from a 24-hour news cycle, intensification of self-commodification, the student debt crisis in certain countries like the US, and so on. So people are experiencing symptoms like low energy, mood swings, etc. that can be associated with mental illness. The issue with self-diagnosis then becomes that it may correctly identify the symptom, but incorrectly identify the cause.\nThis video from the YouTuber HealthyGamerGG does a good job of explaining what some of the issues with self-diagnosis are, and for me it was a good starting place for thinking about this more. \nEDIT: I forgot this video literally starts with this same topic being brought up on this same subreddit lol", ">\n\nA great theory based on reasonable causes with an educational video from a psychologist(I assume) as evidence to back it up. I applaud you sir. 👏", ">\n\nWhy are you embarrassed by other people's issues?", ">\n\nI’m a 30yo male. If I had not first self diagnosed with ASD and OCD, I never would have found the language and resources to get a formal diagnosis and help.\nPrior generations have been so fixated on avoidance of diagnosing mental disorders, and research was previously so lacking that we are only just now (through those that do get diagnosed) realizing how common mental disorders are. That plus the lack of mental health resources for neurotypical and neurodivergent I think is how we end up in this situation of many recognizing their symptoms in the new discourse, but lacking the resources to overcome the barriers to proper diagnosis and treatment.", ">\n\nIt’s not the best thing, no. \nAs an adult FINALLY diagnosed (by a licensed therapist) at 41, I can tell you why ‘self diagnosis’ is so tempting. \nIn the US at least- mental health, and official medical diagnosis are almost completely inaccessible, especially as an adult. Most of us grew up before Autism was a spectrum, and ADHD was just boys who acted out in class. We felt like aliens. We couldn’t understand why we didn’t have many friends, or why we didn’t like the ‘right things’, and generally spend the bill of our lives feeling ‘wrong’, ‘broken’ or just simply like we didn’t belong. \nFinally understanding the WHY, and even better, finding tools to addresses our issues is a huge huge weight off the chest. The relief of having a name and a strategy- either therapy or medicine is such an amazing relief!!", ">\n\nI only kinda agree if I had not done my own research I would have never found out I have sjorgens syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis I know TikTok people tend to diagnose themselves and it makes it look cringe but when you live with a incurable illness sometimes you have to work to find a diagnosis", ">\n\nWell, what do you do of you absolutely know you're neurodivergent, but your parents decided not to get you checked? My mom once told me \"we knew you had something, we just didn't get you checked because they would have just put you on pills\". So I struggled with being different, socially unaware, impulsive, obnoxious, agressive, selfish, for the better part of my life without having the self awareness to understand why I was these things, and why people wouldn't want to be around me. \nIn my late 20''s I asked the question, what if I'm actually autistic? I looked up the symptoms, and 9/10 matched. As a child I couldn't handle loud noises, restrictive clothing, I didn't talk until I was 3. I would throw fits for seemingly no reason, I had obsessive interests. I've always really struggled with eye contact, and I never cared for conversation unless it was something I liked. I mean, when the final piece of a puzzle fits so incredibly well, it's really hard for it to be wrong. \nSelf diagnosing actually really helped me grow as aj individual. I became aware of all my divergent behaviors, and why it might be annoying for someone else to deal with. I came to the realization that I was the one who was different, therefore I needed to change. It's way harder to make everyone around you cater to your needs than to overcome the things that upset you. I'm at peace, I have good friends that I can connect with on a pretty deep level. I no longer smash coffee tables when I lose, I can now appreciate that if I lose it just means I have more to learn. I can keep my house clean, I can reasonably hold myself accountable. What exactly is the harm in all that?\nBesides, it would be pretty pointless for me to try and get a diagnosis now, I've put the effort in and largely come out the other side. Anyone diagnosing me would just say I was normal, but they wouldn't have the intimate knowledge of me that I do. I guess it doesn't matter if people don't believe me, I don't go around shouting that I'm autistic. I will say, it would be really nice if people appreciated the effort I put in to get to get to a place of normalcy, something others take for granted, but it's okay, we all have our struggles.", ">\n\nI feel you on all that. To play devil's advocate, mental healthcare in the U.S. is not cheap. Many people go to the internet and confirm their bias about their current health", ">\n\nI feel you on that too OP. I agree 100% with your entire statement.", ">\n\nIt's a problem, but not a new one. In the 1990s there was briefly a surge of people with a type of delusional parasitosis, that is, the false belief that they were infested with parasites. Except this one was supposedly an infestation with tiny fibres. They would come to doctors with a whole list of symptoms to back up their incorrect self-diagnosis.\nTo a certain extent, these are social contagions, which come and go, and often actually end up leading to people having real problems. Like, the young women you mention, a couple of decades ago may well have ended up with anorexia, or self-cutting. These days it might be a self-declaration of autism or a belief that they have gender dysphoria or that they have multiple systems living in their minds.", ">\n\nWow I did not know that. Maybe it’s just so prevalent today due to social media. Social media has only made these things worse imo", ">\n\nEven before it being self diagnosis of a mental illness it was always something. Remember all the emo and goth teenager?", ">\n\nIt depends on the context. For example, if they've done a substantial amount of research, can name a good amount of symptoms they have and reasons they have whatever mental illness and don't have access to the necessary tools to get a medical diagnosis, it's totally different. Some people don't have the money to go out and get a diagnosis, or sometimes it would be better to not get a medical diagnosis. I believe that the reason that a lot of people self diagnose themselves with things like Autism is because they want an explanation as to why they are different, and they could be right or wrong. I think the most important part is that if you go to a psychologist (or even two, I know a lot of people prefer getting second opinions) and they say you don't have it, that you need to admit you were wrong. It's ok to be wrong about your mental health, and the key is to keep looking and to not give up. I can completely understand the frustration in people completely missing how difficult it actually may be to have a mental illness. I was clinically diagnosed with Depression, Anxiety, and PTSD when I was seven, and I've had some experience with people faking mental disorders for attention, and more often then not, they have another mental disorder that needs attention. Recently I had a (now ex) boyfriend insist he had PTSD after being tested twice and the psychiatrist saying that he didn't have it. What he does have is Depression and Anxiety, but he absolutely insisted he has PTSD despite never exhibiting symptoms and the only evidence being a test he took online that was supposedly a \"real PTSD test.\" People faking mental illnesses only harms people who really have them, as these people tend to exaggerate symptoms and use their self diagnosis for attention. I believe that I am autistic, but I don't list it as a diagnosis because while I have read articles and taken the RAADS-r test, I don't have an official diagnosis, and I could very well be wrong. As for women faking illnesses more often, something I've noticed is that things like Autism, ADHD, ADD, etc are more often diagnosed in boys rather than girls- mostly because when they were first discovered, most of the research was done in boys. Autism shows up differently in girls, and can often be blown off as early puberty hormones. If their hyperfixations are those of stereotypical feminine things, it's just a girl liking whatever, and if they hyperfixate in stereotypical masculine interests, they tend to just be viewed as weird, but not autistic. It's normal for people to question, but I agree that to a certain point, self diagnosis can be harmful, but only if not done correctly.", ">\n\nFirst and foremost not a new problem at all, very common, we used to call it \"Being a hypochondriac\" until it aparrently became reconized which in it self is confusing and a bit contradictory.\nANYWAY\nIt isnt really a problem, no doctor is gonna write the perscription for medication without a diagnosis of some sort.\nAt most there is the vauge \"But what about those who actually have it who arent taken serious\" dont worry, we wouldnt have anyway. Thats kinda how invisible illnesses work.\nOverall the 101 hypochondriacs screaming about the symptoms they read in the ICD might help make the knowledge more common and help people better reconize if their colleagues or friends happen to show symptoms of something.", ">\n\nIt’s pretty expensive in the US to get diagnosed. Personally, I’ve self diagnosed myself out of frustration of the way I process things. I’ve always felt slow & my anxiety/depression was deep because of it, but I was raised in a family that doesn’t believe in mental illness. It was always “if you work hard enough, all your problems will go away”. Meanwhile, i was racking my brain on how to make myself think faster/smarter & it would result in psychotic episodes. I’ve gotten fired from jobs, dropped out of school. I started self harming because I hated myself and my brain & almost commit suicide bc I had no idea what was going on.\nThe relief I felt once I finally got a therapist who validated me & was the first to talk to me about mental Illness. It blew my mind and all of a sudden things actually made sense to me. I currently think I have ADD, and sometimes I’ll tell people that but will preface it by saying I’m not professionally diagnosed. Still, I use mental tools that help me get through the day and build my confidence. I’m a lot better at processing conversations, making lists that help me remember things, unmasking, slowing down my thoughts… etc. I’m less frustrated and can see the beauty in how I process things. I still want to get diagnosed but I have to get health insurance….. lol", ">\n\nSelf diagnosis, regardless of being factual is a process where the individual realizes that they might have a mental health issue. People who can do this are more likely to seek professional help compared to the people who think they are “fine”. Going to a professional, licensed psychologist or a psychiatrist will eventually diagnose them with the correct disorder from there, and professionals have the skills to communicate with them and they can together evaluate if the person’s complaint is the issue or not. There is nothing embarrassing about discovering one’s self. It would be a problem if people would identify with an issue and don’t have any willingness to seek help. Sometimes overreacting is better than not reacting.", ">\n\nThe majority of people who are self-diagnosed with autism have done extensive research into it to come to that conclusion. I personally went through the DSM criteria with a fine-tooth comb, made a list of all the ways I met it and discovered that there’s not a single criteria i don’t meet for autism. I didn’t read about anything else but autism for weeks, approaching it from all angles before coming to the conclusion that it’s highly unlikely I am not autistic. I’m waiting to hear back about an assessment, but I’m not waiting to go and be told something I already know before I start advocating for myself. \nOh, and I absolutely did not want to be ‘different’, in fact my life mission to just blend in and be average is the root cause of most of my problems, but here we are.", ">\n\nThis self diagnosing young people do isn’t the problem. The problem is that our society encourages it.\nOur culture is not set up to accommodate a wide spectrum of human needs. You may need things that I don’t. I may need things that you don’t. But in most business settings, academic settings, or even places like restaurants or leisure places, the world isn’t built to accommodate everyone. Our world and society is a “one size fits all” approach, and most people don’t fit snugly inside of that system. \nIf you can classify what is “wrong” or “different” about you into an easily digestible form, people are generally more able and more willing to accommodate you.\nFor example: if I tell my coworkers that I need to leave work early because of a headache, I’ll be shamed for it. And in some cases I’ll be told that “headaches aren’t that bad!” Or “You don’t need to leave.” Or “I have a headache too, just deal with it!”\nBut if I tell my workers that I need to leave due to a painful neurological condition that’s flaring up (I have chronic migraine, which is a neurological condition), they will respect it 100% of the time. It’s met with sympathy and not criticism.\nThis happens for all sorts of things. “Sorry Im late, I slept in.” Sounds a lot worse then, “sorry I’m late, my insomnia has been terrible lately.” \nOur culture forces us to use these labels even when they’re untrue just to receive sympathy or acceptance. The problem isn’t people who decide to use these labels, the root problem is that our society refuses to embrace and accommodate people who are outside of the “norm.”", ">\n\nSpeaking as someone who's had an autism diagnosis since age 7: if someone declares they're autistic when they're not, that's obnoxious at worst. If someone is told they're not autistic when they are, that can cause lifelong harm from denied care and understanding. I have seen this happen to a close friend of mine.\nTherefore, I'd much rather err on the side of acceptance. If you think you're defending me and others like me from impersonators, we'd rather not have your help.\n\nI know people will disagree but it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women. Women statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nCase in point: women are diagnosed with autism far less than men. Recent studies have pointed to decades of systematic misdiagnosis. The more visible autistic symptoms sometimes manifest differently in girls, the way they're socialized may help them hide it from a young age, and of course lots of doctors just say \"your daughter can't be autistic, that's a boy thing.\"\nWe're learning that there are hundreds of thousands of autistic women who slipped through the cracks and were denied the recognition and support they needed because of dismissive, gatekeeping attitudes just like yours.", ">\n\nThere’s a difference between having a disorder and relating to a disorder. If the tools or language associated with a disorder helps someone live better though then cool, it’s all still odd. Also autism presents differently in woman, and a majority of our research on it is on men. Best practice is probably to support them and encourage them to seek treatment.", ">\n\nAutism is severely misdiagnosed in women. Completely under diagnosed. Actually, plenty of things are. The actual problem that we have is parents refusing to let their children get professional help or a diagnosis. Most doctors will diagnose you with BPD as a woman(aka the new female hysteria of our century), maybe put you on some anti psychotics and send you your way. In most countries, a diagnosis/specialist is not readily available, or there is a long waiting list. Even so, the doctors are not know it all. I have seen plenty of doctors, I got different diagnosis almost each time. They ask you some general questions (about your mood, the way you sleep, if you can concentrate, if you harm yourself, if you have suicidal ideation, if you can socialize properly, if your parents were diagnosed with anything, if you have hallucinations or delusions, the works) and then based on that, they will give you a diagnosis. If you use your common sense and information on the internet (given you are knowledgeable on the subject), you can take a good guess on what's wrong. Obviously, some people will exaggerate like with anything (seeing the shadow dude once in your childhood is not a sign of psychosis, neither is hearing your name called when you are alone once in a blue moon), but if you have visual and auditory hallucinations, perhaps weird tactile feelings/hallucinations (spiders are crawling on me, etc), delusions, tend to be forgetful and out of teach with reality, there is a good chance you do have psychosis.", ">\n\nOkay, to start: what do you think autism and ADHD are? They aren't mental illnesses nor are they mental health conditions. \nTo address some of your other points; \nStudies have shown that autism has a gender expression of 1:1. The only reason that women are under diagnosed is because of misunderstandings towards autism, then the diagnosis is conducted incorrectly. Thus it ends up getting conflated with mental illness, E.G BPD, and is diagnosed as a psychiatric disorder instead. This is a detriment to the patient as the care regimes are black and white different. Often times this severely damages the woman.\nFrom data sets that I recall reading, malingering hasn't risen much, if at all, in recent times. I remember it being around 8% of the global population who are engaging in this behaviour, to different extents. I think what's happened is that social media has turned a torch onto it and it's risen in popularity in an algorithmic way. You see it more because it's pushed by the algorithm more because people are searching for it more. It isn't actually occurring any more or less than historically. Most of that attention is negative attention, I should add. \nSo there's two things to take away from that.\n1) The actual act of pretending to be mentally ill, or to have a disability, which is called malingering, is in fact a form of mental unwellness itself. It's a cry for help. The people who do these things are usually very unstable and should be treated with a degree of empathy. The dangerous types who are using mental illness to scam others, or to manipulate them, make up a very small percentage of the overall amount of people in that group and tend to abuse one on one. \n2) The predominant response to this is generally negative. There isn't really any reason to publicly malinger unless you're unstable, this is because a rational person would likely know this, and know the damage it would cause themselves. Self-diagnosis is a very long, and self-aware, process that takes place over years of the individuals life, and proceeds official diagnosis. \nNo one SDs and says \"Okay that's it now! Let me start a TikTok!\" You'd still want support, and you'd still seek support. So that would end up with a doctor, who would see that you're lying, and treat you for whatever was prompting you to malinger. Anyone who has made this commitment knows that keeping it private is a sensible thing to do in a world that isn't inclusive, and often very stigmatising. Sometimes official diagnosis can take YEARS. \nThis kind of propaganda has been going around for a long time in an effort to discredit disabled people and people with mental illnesses. It's not new. People said the same things back in the 90s. People will always be afraid, and dismissive, of things they do not understand. I invite you to try and understand.", ">\n\nI self-diagnosed myself with endometriosis for 10 years before a doctor finally listened to me, opened me up, and found my insides littered with lesions all over my organs. I’m now not able to get pregnant and I might need to get part of my bowel taken out someday. This could’ve been avoided if someone had just listened to me when I was 16. \nSelf-diagnosing is a necessity in a misogynist world! No one takes us seriously! Especially medical professionals. \nThe best antidote for this is to listen to women who self-diagnose. Why do they think they have XYZ? Is it heavily interfering with their life? I think that’s a much larger problem.", ">\n\nIts been proven that there is a bias to diagnose as opposed to not diagnose a mental illness in psychology. So op is actually kinda correct. The definition of a mental illness is in effect being stretched so far that people who are just kinda weird are being diagnosed with \"on the spectrum\". This is actually causing a problem in early learning because parents start treating their kids as essentially learning challenged when they're really not. So it is starting to become an excuse ...", ">\n\nWe live in a society that loves to medicate people. I know it’s different but Did ppl forget about the opioid epidemic? They’ll diagnose your ass with anything if they can", ">\n\nYa I tend to agree. And no one is really saying so I will I guess, but id wager that 50% of psychologist \"professionals\" are totally full of shit. The actual number of psychologists that are are doing real research and clinical studies is EXTREMELY small compared to how many \"psychologists\" are out there. Just like chiropractors, half of them are hacks..", ">\n\nAnd ill say one more thing, though it is anecdotal, but i have direct family that works in special education for young children, and that system is fucked with a capital F. Thay are constantly fighting against parents and programs who try to box kids in the \"autistic\" zone, when they are just really quite or shy, or have pee problems. But parents want an excuse and reason for their behavior, and reduce them to a sub standard education and treatment for the rest of their lives. It's heart breaking. Especially in public schools.", ">\n\nI’m 32 years old. \nI didn’t self diagnose for attention although I remember the days of tumblr where everyone self diagnosed for clout.\nIt took me a decade to realize what is really happening. During the decade before I realized what may have been happening I was told the following:\nI’m rude\nI’m bossy\nI have a RBF/I look mad\nI also only managed to make my first real friend at age 27.\nWhat I was really displaying was:\nBeing overly blunt and just trying to get my point across came off rude when I didn’t intend it to be that way\nTrying to have things done at a certain time and way that no one else thought was important to follow\nUnmasking\nNoticed other things too that I just thought was me being weird:\nVocal stimming\nOral stimming-chewing, smoking, vaping\nRepetitive motions\nRocking\nEasily overwhelmed by too much sensory input\nHigh startle reflex \nInability to regulate my body’s needs-I don’t know I’m hungry until I’m ravenous; don’t recognize the need to use the bathroom until it’s causing me to rush off, don’t realize I’m cold until I’m shaking\nI could go on.\nI want an assessment so bad. But assessments for adults are EXTREMELY hard to setup, if you can even set them up at all. Some states don’t even offer them. I’ve been looking but they are only for children and seem to look for severe cases.\n14 years of thinking I was just a bitch who couldn’t make friends because I was too weird…turns out it might be autism. And turns out I’ll most likely never get a true diagnosis. But the RAADS test gave me a 127 score so that might be the closest I’ll ever get.", ">\n\ni kind of self diagnosed autism? i’ve been to many psychiatrists and therapists for years and they always see adhd in the half an hour and prescribe meds for that, which makes me not go there again. if they dug a little deeper they could have seen autism, i spoke to my current psychiatrist about if its possible i have it, she didn’t want to confirm or deny as i was moving out of state from friends and family and am at an age where i can have kids in the next 10 years since she doesn’t want me being concerned for them. \nI think there’s still lots of stigma around autism even with professionals and especially when identifying it in women. \nI don’t want to be autistic, but i can recognise a lot of different patterns comparing myself and others. I’ve researched it a ton especially in how it shows in women compared to men and in all the articles i found myself relating.\nNow i don’t say im autistic, i say im a little sus of being it tho lmao. and try pass it off casually. I find it’s a lot easier for me to understand and embrace my differences compared to trying to hide it and try be like everyone else or wonder why im not like everyone else. \nBeing older i can also recognise how a lot of my family on one side have suffered mentally and because of obvious neurodivergence. so im pretty sure, like the rest of my mentally challenged brain, has been inherited genetically through that side. \nAll that being said. I self diagnosed when i was about 12 that im highly likely to be depressed and anxious in attempt to get my mom to believe me i needed help, and now 8 years later i can identify that this has been an issue forever for me and that i likely cannot go off my meds because i will just go back to how i used to be. Im still ocd with all my meds, but its better than being anxious and depressed all the time, Having ocd throughout the day is like heaven to me in comparison to how i used to be. obviously the ocd isnt new, just a lot more heard in my brain now.", ">\n\nOk, I know some people self diagnoze themselves with [insert some mental illness here] out of attention or whatever, and that's totally not ok.\nHowever, if you read all the symptoms and do proper research on a mental illness and everything clicks in to you, I'd say you can be fairly confident on a self diagnosis (although, it might be worth it to double check with a professional, especially if you want any sort of treatment). But also for some people, it might not be affordable to go to a professional...", ">\n\nI live in Canada, I've engaged with the medical system, doctors don't care and just want you out, ERs are a 8 hour wait for someone to ignore one thing and won't even entertain other issues even if they are related. Self-diagnosis is really the only way to get any kind of proper treatment at all. \nThe doctors will rubber stamp just about anything you ask for except pain killers but in terms of diagnosis you're way better off doing it yourself, sure you don't have 8 years of medical school but the doctors won't give you 5 mins of their time, they are not better than google and you give a lot more of a shit than they will and at the end of the day it's your body.", ">\n\nBack in the 90s when I was a teenager, the kids/teenagers/young adults who wanted attention, and wanted to be different, adopted the goth lifestyle. Dressing up in all black. White foundation with black lipstick and eyeshadow. It was the trendy way to be different, to be viewed as outcasts of society. To not fit in. \nThe goth lifestyle of the 2020s is self diagnosis. Same shit, different day.\nWhenever someone claims autism, or somewhere on the spectrum, I just roll my eyes and imagine that person just sucks at life.", ">\n\nI just think it’s a little more harmful nowadays due to the prevalence of social media. Ppl get sucked into groups and mindsets before they even have a real life chance. Then they hyper fixate on that they might be mentally Ill rather then just trying to live life to the fullest", ">\n\nI 100% agree with you", ">\n\nBecause it's the age of spin this generation has something for everybody. And all of them are Google doctors. Lol", ">\n\nTook my uncle till he was 38 even thought it was apparent to everyone. Hell he got expelled from two schools", ">\n\nI get what you're saying. I frankly find it weird that more people don't find this weird. People self-diagnosing themselves as all kinds of things not only completely misrepresents the actual conditions, thereby making people even more confused as to what they actually are and how they present, but also leads people to run to a psychiatrist claiming false symptoms and getting medication for something they don't have, which is NOT a good thing. People should never be taking medication unless it is necessary. We are a heavily over-medicated society and this is a big factor in that. Caffeine to wake up in the morning, \"immuno-boosters\" and mood stabilizers during the day, sleeping pills to sleep at night. The caffeine and sleeping pills are addictive and can really mess up your circadian rhythm, and the mood stabilizers can really fuck you up if you don't need them. Instead of rushing to diagnose and medicate everyone, we need to educate them on human behavior and show them that their \"mental health\" problems are completely normal.\nOh, so you get nervous right before you make huge life decisions? That's not Anxiety Disorder, it's just anxiety.\nOh, you are really sad because your cat died? That's not Clinical Depression, you are just grieving.\nOh, you went from really happy to really sad when you were previously happy and something really shitty happened to you and soured your mood? That's not Bipolar Disorder, that's just life.\nOh, you like to be more organized than the people around you? That's not Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, you just like to be organized.\nPeople really misunderstand the nature of these conditions and it hinders our collective progress in treating them, like dramatically inflating the number of actual conditions in the population, making it increasingly more difficult to determine how common and how varied they are. After all, in most cases it is not the psychiatrist or psychologist who makes you better, you make you better. Medication can help and other people can show you the path to success, but the problem will never get solved unless you play an active role in the treatment. Some conditions can never be solved, only lessened, while others are virtually untreatable. We need to stop making these conditions seem cool. They aren't. They are serious and need to be taken seriously.", ">\n\nHeavily agree and I appreciate how well this comment is worded. Wish I coulda worded mine a little better", ">\n\nYa I saw you getting shredded in the comments and figured I'd sum it up for you. 🤣", ">\n\nLmao bro I didn’t expect this many. I was thinking maybe like 20 ppl would reply", ">\n\nYou need to self diagnose in many cases in order to get adequate help.", ">\n\nI knew when I had ADD and IBS, and I was able to get my suspicions confirmed by my respective doctors. Doctors are there to help the patients understand themselves, whereas the patients have to go home every day and live with what they actually have. Do not be so quick to judge.", ">\n\nJust to add here - Autism in women is less prevalent because it presents differently and is often not picked up by standardised diagnostic tests (that were developed on an almost exclusively male sample). I think that also goes to show that there’s p significant issues with what we consider ‘scientific’ and research based in the first place.", ">\n\nI grew up in a small town and we had quite a few autistic boys but only one autistic girl. Literally only one out of like 6-8 grades. So that’s like a 10-1 ratio. It’s gotta be a lot statistically smaller then males. I don’t doubt it happens I just know it’s a lot less", ">\n\nYou think your small town’s makeup is generalizable to all of society? That isn’t how statistics work.", ">\n\nSo my question would be - so what do we do?\nYou think people are diagnosing themselves to gain attention. Fine, but what's the next step?\nSee, I think I might be bipolar 2. But I went on a journey where I looked into the techniques for dealing with this issue. That led me to cognitive behavior therapy.\nThat actually made me more convinced that this was my issue because I have taught myself a lot of cognitive behavior therapy techniques to address the same issues. These practices have really helped me.\nIt sounds like your issue is that these people are getting attention for it. To me, these are people who need someone to help guide them. That would have helped me a lot when I was younger. Society today doesn't really give us the tools to sort this out, but just the knowledge that these things exist can push someone down the rabbit hole to learn about therapy that could really help.\nI think you should ask yourself what your motivations are. Do you really want them to understand themselves? Or are you more interested in steering the conversation toward other topics?\nPersonally, I would deal with these people by paying them forward. I would tell them to understand the practices that typically help these people, and see if they are relevant. I would tell them to seek professional help, and to refrain from diagnosing themselves, but I would encourage them to be critical of themselves and to learn more.\nImo, the way out is through.", ">\n\nI agree with you but it’s not mostly women. Maybe by happenstance that’s the case in your circle but broadly men do this too.", ">\n\nDoctor's are consulting the Mayo Clinic website after talking to a patient and getting their symptoms. I bring that up to say this; a doctor's training is needed for very serious diseases and tricky diagnoses, but a semi-intelligent person could look up their symptoms and get a lot of the more minor stuff right.", ">\n\nI've never been diagnosed as clinically depressed or anything, but that doesn't mean that I don't suffer from depression a lot of the time (these last few years, more often than not). I see a therapist. I take antidepressants. \nI have a friend who has aphantasia. It isn't really a \"diagnosable\" condition, but it describes what he has trouble with: creating images in his mind.", ">\n\nThat’s different then going online and claiming perfectly normal traits mean you’re autistic", ">\n\nNeurodivergence ≠ mental illness.", ">\n\nThey know themselves and their experiences better than you.", ">\n\nOP, I'm seeing some differences between your post and what you're saying in the comments. \nMy question is, do you have a problem with people self-diagnosing, or is your issue more about people drawing a lot of public attention to their diagnoses?", ">\n\nOverall both but definitely the attention part more so for obvious reasons. The self diagnosing part due to the fact that it can make people believe it can be an excuse for their actions good or bad. I think In a weird way it can allow people to take away the responsibility of their own actions and attribute to their mental illness", ">\n\nAs someone who has been diagnosed with ADHD, having people self diagnosing doesn't bother me at all, because I went the path of not knowing at all what I had and letting doctors figure out by themselves... and it took me 4 years and a half to finally have a concrete answer that no doctors would have found out if I didn't start searching on my own. You can't walk into every doctor's office with the assumption they'll figure out what you have, because it's not their speciality, or they still have an outdated view (not every doctor are kept up to date with new discovers), or they're biased, etc... \nI've never been annoyed by people who self diagnose. Hell, if I knew what was about to happen to me, I would have done the same way sooner.", ">\n\nMost women today arent faking it, they are noticing the symptoms no one else noticed and trying to find help. Its not easy to grow up with this kind of stuff. Is not coincidence you think women are less likely to be born to autism instead of thinking how weird it is that for some reason most autism diagnosis happen to men, that is the misogyny in the medical comunity.\nSelf diagnosis means this women will go to doctors and it most case scenarios they will get diagnoses because they have this issue all their life.\nSocial media is giving people awareness of the issue in medicine and how it affects women. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Misogyny in medicine also leads to people not knowing the difference between a heart attack in a woman and a man. It leads to women thinking its something else because internet and books will tell you how a man will feel a heart attack, even doctors sometimes dont know this.", ">\n\nGetting a diagnosis or treatment is borderline impossible for a lot of people. So self diagnosis is sometimes the only way they can help themselves.", ">\n\nNot a mental illness. But, I am a trans person and I pretty much self-diagnosed and self-medicated. I just had physicians do blood test.\nI educated myself on how everything works in about eight month period. I did that over a decade.\nI don’t regret my decision, and if I did. The regret would be not starting any sooner, especially when people who aren’t physicians or therapists are having a final say about these things.", ">\n\nIt is very noticeable and annoying, buuuut it’s proven autism manifest differently in females. Plus women are (very) often under diagnosed and dismissed for many many things by doctors, which is absolutely disgusting. Aaaand the cost of healthcare is outrageous.", ">\n\nwomen being less likely to be diagnosed with autism has nothing to do with an actual gender gap in who does and doesn’t have autism and everything to do with the fact autistic women are diagnosed with personality disorders and mental illnesses due to stigmas. most autism research was done on men and therefore women are underrepresented and more often than not misdiagnosed. autism actually occurs at a similar rate in both sexes. also, it’s not a mental illness, it’s a neurological condition (not that mental illnesses aren’t, but illness implies there’s something wrong, which there isn’t in autistic people). i agree that self diagnosing leads to misinformation and harms those who are clinically diagnosed though.", ">\n\nA lot of medical diagnoses are based on white male studies, so yes you would see more women finding out they have certain mental illnesses now as professionals are realizing it can show differently in females vs males. Adhd, for example, was considered something only seen in young boys that would grow out of it, now they are realizing that you don't in fact grow out of it and women can have it too. \nMental illness was a taboo subject back in the day as well, especially for women. It was only in 1980 I think that hysteria was no longer considered a mental illness. Women would be diagnosed with 'hysteria' and committed for symptoms like anxiety and anger. So now a lot of women are learning more about their mental health because they feel safe to do so. \nMy mother is in her early 70's and still refuses to tell anyone her own health issues or even mine, I have cancer and we were going to go on a trip as it's unknown how much longer I have and she refused to ask for the day off because she wouldn't tell them the reason why.", ">\n\nI detest self diagnosis, though once you’ve studied advanced level abnormal psychology shit happens. \nAs far as kids go, the generalized anxiety and depressive spectrum diagnoses can occasionally be accurate however that would warrant professional intervention regardless.\nOne serious issue among others; if an adolescent “decides” they have major depressive disorder that can become a self fulfilling prophecy and cause despair and reluctance to seek treatment", ">\n\nLook at the price and lack of availability of mental health care, and the total lack of privacy of internet connected devices. Most practitioners don’t offer in person visits anymore, and even if they do they probably do digital records or have their phone present. Ofc people are self diagnosing.", ">\n\nCounterpoint: many people do not have the means to access diagnoses for mental illnesses and other disorders, and it can sometimes be the only way to explain their feelings to others. Autism diagnoses in particular are extremely difficult to access for adults and even teens. I suspected I had autism for years and the only way I was able to get a diagnosis was through the mental health treatment program I was in during highschool which had a psychologist there. I only could attend because I live in Canada with universal healthcare. Many, many people are not as fortunate as me. Most people in the world cannot access diagnosis in the first place, including many in richer countries. \nYour comment about women statistically 'being born with autism on a far lesser scale than men' misses the well-known problem of underdiagnosis of autism in women. Autism presents itself differently in women than men (I can say as an autistic woman who knows other autistic women) and the criteria for autism were based on cis white men. Autism in women is is often misdiagnosed as CPTSD (which many autistic people ALSO unfortunately have), borderline personality disorder, anxiety, depression, etc. \nAlthough self-diagnosis is often problematic and used by teenagers to feel special, for the people who take it seriously and are intellectually honest there currently isn't really a better alternative for them to try and explain their experiences when they cannot access diagnoses.", ">\n\nWhat you are describing is NOT a new phenomenon. I was born in 1975 and have been observing this phenomenon my entire life. Nothing new about it at all.", ">\n\nSelf diagnosis is often the first step in going to go and get an actual diagnosis. Getting diagnosed with a mental disorder, especially as an adult, is basically impossible if you aren't actively seeking it out. For several reasons, one of which is that pretty much all the diagnostic criteria are written about children. \nI'm properly diagnosed and even on disability for mental disorders and I knew what I had for years before I got diagnosed. \nI understand there's a feeling of \"stolen valour\" to it. And there is indeed a subset of people doing it for attention or because it's fashionable, OCD in particular being a common example, but the good that comes from self diagnosis more than outweighs the bad.", ">\n\nCorrect me if I’m wrong, but don’t all, or at least most mental disorders lie on a spectrum?", ">\n\nI was diagnosed ADD/ ADHD as a child an im getting re-evaluated next month because i think the diagnosis must be bullshit.\nI have a close friend that wasn't diagnosed ADD/ADHD until they were 22 and in an Ivy league vet program\nThe amount of people that say they cant do well in school simply because they have add/ adhd is bullshit if u ask me. Also, people justify abusing adderal because theyre ADHD and i think thats BS too. I decided never to take it and just abuse caffeine instead to avoid the health side effects", ">\n\nThe current US medical system is such garbage that self advocacy is important. \nSometimes it is wrong. Sometimes professionals ignore you or only pay attention to things insurance companies will pay for. Sonetimes they are also wrong. Or they're incentivized to get you out of a hospital bed ready or not. \nAdministrators and insurance companies get all the money. Nurses, aides, patients all suffer.", ">\n\nEspecially when they don't even understand what the disorder is in the first place. \"I'm a loner so I'm anitsocial.\" That's not what that means.... Or my favorite, \"I'm detailed oriented so I have OCD, lulz I am so le quirky! ;P\"", ">\n\nPeople who struggle with certain things often seek out those with similar experiences. With social media and the internet, it’s easier than ever to find people with similar struggles and sometimes, those people are a group diagnosed with certain mental illnesses. \nDoes that mean every person who sees themselves in a diagnosis will have that diagnosis? Hell no. But I think it’s disingenuous to claim that it’s “for attention.” People want to find community they can relate to and are drawn to experiences that reflect their own.\nI’m saying this as someone who was diagnosed with ADHD at 25 — I started to suspect I might have it in my early 20s and started poking about online. I was officially assessed and diagnosed some time later, and that diagnosis has been validated by three therapists and two psychiatrists.\nPlenty of people misjudge themselves and plenty of people are very ready to leap into a box. Some of them may be wrong. Some may be doing it to try and excuse bad behavior. (Hell, I’ve known waaaay too many people who DID have diagnosed mental illnesses and seemed to think their diagnosis was a free pass to be shitty). However, I think calling it a “trend” or “for attention” misses the point of why and how people reach these conclusions. \nOne might also argue that you do not have the professional expertise regarding psychology to assume the validity or ulterior motives of someone else’s diagnosis. There’s a reason that a lot of psychologists out there are adamantly against diagnosing from a distance - you have significantly less insight into a someone’s mind than they do, and you’re projecting a lot of assumptions onto others’ behavior without any supporting evidence.", ">\n\nIm gonna start out with, generally I agree its a problem-to an extent. Even though women have autism at a much lower rate they’re also under diagnosed/misdiagnosed at a higher rate. When it comes to why people are doing this, in my experience it’s people who are trying to figure out why they’re treated the way they are, why they struggle to do certain things that others don’t even see as an issue. They’re noticing their differences and feeling bad about it. When they can’t fix it they start trying to find a reason, a cause to help them both understand and feel better about themselves and ways they can move forward and actually improve their lives, as well as finding a group they can relate to when they have a hard time relating to the average person.", ">\n\nI think OP is arguing there are quite a few people whose self-diagnosis wouldn’t meet the criteria of a medical diagnosis. It’s horrible for me to even argue but some people want to portray themselves as a victim: I think this because I am a shit.\nHowever I agree with arguments here that if these people are brave enough to identify a potential issue in themselves then kudos to them for recognising it.", ">\n\nI had a doctor misdiagnose my spine injury and I researched medical articles and studies to come the actual diagnosis.\nNot always bad to do your research. \nBut mental health is a serious issue and some people use self diagnosis’ as an excuse to act however they want.", ">\n\nPart of what happens when you can’t afford to see a doctor.", ">\n\nThe most important piece to note on the self diagnosis problem among youth is misdiagnosis. \nThings like BPD, NPD, and ASPD for have dozens of overlapping criteria but very specific things that distinguish them. A professional can discern between both disorders and the average googler can not. \nThe result is that the patients identity crisis worsens as they begin to develop a sense of identity with a diagnosis than is not true for them. \nIt seems like the youth is quite eager to be diagnosed with some sort of disorder today.", ">\n\nI'm really happy to see someone mentioning this. I have experienced this more and more recently and I agree with it being strange and problematic.", ">\n\nThis is not new, we are just talking about it on social media now.\nI have been chronically ill for my entire life. I have constantly been refused medical care because I am apparently to young to be sick and I have had diagnosis withheld because, for example, how could I possibly complete a Masters and be neurodivergent. A lot of medical gatekeeping is rooted in ableism. \nI’ve had 7 surgeries, most would have been avoidable if I’d been listened to when I first sort medical care. I’ve had to do a mountain of research and go to Drs with a self diagnosis and sources to even get passed the are you just sad or have you tried yoga phase (I’ve also been told to go to church and find a nice husband to cure me). The surgeries that would’ve had to happen anyway were massively delayed due to Drs not taking my symptoms seriously, with 2 resulting in damage to other organs due to the delay.\nI’ve wasted so much time and energy and had so much damage happen to my body because Drs have medically gaslighted me or not listened or answered my questions when I’ve asked for more explanation. \nSelf diagnosis isn’t some cop out or look at me I’m special thing, it’s for survival. I’d literally be dead. I didn’t want to spend the past decade learning about medicine, ideally I’d get on with my life, but Drs and the medical community won’t let me do that.\np.s men are NOT more likely to be autistic than women. Research into autism has been majority based on studies into white, male adolescents and expected social male behaviour which is why lots of girls don’t get diagnosed and is why it is common for women, POC, and LGBTQIA+ people to be diagnosed in adulthood.", ">\n\nPersonally doctors have been totally useless for any non life thrusting subtle malady. They don’t try and fix any problem like that. Self diagnosing is what I am left with.", ">\n\nI mean, i self diagnosed that i probably had depression, since i was suicidal and couldn't do anything, went to a doctor and apparently had hormone and thyroid issues. Sure it wasnt depression, but the experience was the same, and if i didn't get help the result would probably be the same. So even though i misdiagnosed, it still saved my life.", ">\n\nI (56f) and Kid (32f) were both tested & diagnosed as being ASD last year. We have both been dealing with anxiety for years and depression, I also have manic episodes which finally lead to a BPD diagnosis as well in my late 40s. \nIt's not that less women are autistic, believe me I used to think the same thing, but in actuality, women are very under diagnosed. Women and men don't present with the same characteristics in a number of conditions ASD being one of them.\nMales and females tend to present differently with ADD / ADHD, which happens to be a comorbid condition, that's really not all that surprising.\nIn hindsight I can see my autism clearly. And in as much as I wish that I would have been properly diagnosed when I was young, because my path would have been much different, I know that it was impossible. There were boys with hyperactivity, but ADD/ ADHD did not exist in my childhood. \nIt's difficult to wrangle and understand this diagnosis, much less at such a late part of my life. As I learn more about it I find myself continually saying \"that's why I do that?!?\" \nAnd while I try to understand it better, the thought of someone thinking that I'm doing this for attention, or because it's trendy, is mind blowing.\nAt the same time, there's a lot I agree with you on. Thanks to the internet we have a whole lot of Google doctors and internet hypochondriacs who self diagnose. Doctors are subjected to patients who self-diagnosed and because of commercials will tell them exactly what medication they need thanks to the commercials they have watched. \nWhat bothers me most I think is that the people you describe, are being so complacent about autism, that it removes any urgency in dealing with it.", ">\n\nYou know this dude is a benzo addict and about to lose his ability to practice psychology right?", ">\n\nWhat?" ]

[ "The diagnosis process for a lot of psychiatric conditions are surveys and questionaires. You can go to a psychiatrist and ask if you're anxious and they'll give you multiple choice questions and diagnose off of that. Or you can just google the form yourself and self diagnose. A lot of psychiatric disorders are about how we feel and think. Not about sending off some blood sample to a lab and getting a positive result come back.\n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. For such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nWhat you're describing are all neuroses that could indicate some deeper psychiatric condition. Whether a person has a mental health condition or not, thinking of ourselves as weak victims is never helpful in any context, yet it's something we all feel from time to time.\nI'm a disability support worker, so when someone tells me they've got a self diagnosed condition, it's not offensive to me or any disabled person I know, it doesn't come across like they're invalidating anyone else's condition. However I do think everyone should talk to a doctor about any condition they feel they might have.", ">\n\nPiggybacking off of this: You’ve spent your whole entire life inside your own brain. A therapist will spend a period of hours with you and give you a diagnosis. Who do you think knows your personal reality better than yourself?", ">\n\nYeah exactly, especially with conditions such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, PTSD, and many other psychiatric conditions. These are things people know they have even before they get a diagnosis. The diagnosis stage is more about treatment and management.\nPeople might be unaware of how severe or mild their condition is, some people think they have only mild PTSD despite constant nightmares and suicidal ideation. Some people will think they have severe ADHD because they can't concentrate for long times on things that don't interest them. It's good to get some perspective from experts but ultimately people know when they are struggling to focus or to struggling to stop stressing all the time or struggling to not be miserable. Struggling with our thoughts and feelings is evidence enough to self diagnose.", ">\n\nI was recently diagnosed with ADHD as a woman so I find this viewpoint interesting.\nFirstly, autism is not a mental illness. An autistic person may have mental illness in conjunction with autism, but autism alone lies under the neurodivergent umbrella. Neurodivergency can include autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and other similar conditions.\nWhy women are often underdiagnosed\nThese are serious disabilities that can really impede a person's life, especially if they struggle to find help and acceptance in their community. A lot of women start their journey towards diagnosis later in life due to a number of factors such as:\n\nPoor diagnostic tools and inexperienced professionals\nA misunderstanding that autism and ADHD are more common in boys\nAdvanced masking techniques to cover their 'traits'\n\nWhy women are often diagnosed later in life.\nThe process for many women and men who are diagnosed later in life often includes a level of burnout or breakdown. After a while everything becomes too much, the mask begins to slip and your traits go into overdrive.\nWhy does self-diagnosing seem to be on the rise?\nA common way of finding out you could possibly be neurodivergent is through media and people who are aware of these traits appear.\nIn the past few years, I have seen an increasing awareness of neurodivergence in women pop up in the media. This is useful for people like myself who had no idea wtf was wrong with them for a very long time. For me, a GP actually suggested I seek a diagnosis due to some struggles I was going through.\nAs someone who went through this process self-diagnosing is commonly the first step as an adult. You might be directed to a questionnaire and are asked to evaluate yourself and your experiences thinking back to your childhood. If there's some merit in your experiences than you move to the next step which involves seeking a professional. Waitlists are often months to years long so many people live in limbo for a long time.\nMethods of living with ADHD can help everyone. And everyone experiences ADHD traits from time to time. Given a large amount of stress we have all suffered collectively, I don't doubt there are a lot of people with increased mental health issues that mirror neurodivergent traits. Some mental illnesses can get very severe and alter your brain chemistry and behaviour.\nMy takeaway from this is that the mental health systems set up to assist these people are a much larger issue and cause for serious concern than self-diagnosing.\nApologies for the spelling and grammar errors. Grammarly and Reddit don't play nice.", ">\n\nI think it's two things. One, people have identity crises, especially teenagers. We all know that type of person who tries on identities like hats. That's pretty embarrassing. You usually grow out of that.\nTwo, from personal experience, giving yourself a label or a diagnosis makes it feel more contained and easy to communicate. It's easier to tell someone that you have X and have them understand what you're going through rather than telling them you have these vague symptoms resembling what you imagine X is like. In that respect, it is pretty understandable, possibly good, and not embarrassing. There's something that is sort of reassuring if you can finally get a word to put on what you're experiencing.\nPeople often sympathize with the diagnosis but not with the symptoms. Tell people at work you're autistic and they will sympathize with you and possibly not attack you. Tell them you do not understand social cues and they will probably just make fun of you.", ">\n\nI understand the desire to put a label with a disease, and this is not necessarily bad, but the diagnosis needs to be correct. If you want to tell others that you are autistic or depressed; you must actually be those things. A person can almost never correctly assertion their disease, only their symptoms. People might better understand you if you say your autistic, but you may incorrectly understand and describe yourself. If one wishes to put a name with symptoms, they should find a doctor to pick the label", ">\n\nfor sure but unfortunately our medical system is a joke and even if you are experiencing very severe symptoms it can be nearly impossible to see a professional or take months on a waiting list.\nEven then a professional may be reluctant to slap a label on you for fear of what the consequences of that might be. I saw someone for a very long time who resisted any sort of actual diagnosis because the truth is that what I was experiencing didn't fit neatly into any of the boxes and pretty much belonged in this vague \"other\" category which isn't particularly helpful. Not to mention that misdiagnosis happens all the time even by professionals. \nI just think it is sort of understandable because I think a lot of stuff is kind of a spectrum anyway and just different levels of severity. Things can be really confusing and hard to nail down and thus communicate in a way that causes someone else to be understanding rather than judgemental.", ">\n\nAre you under the impression this is a new phenomenon? Because it's definitely not.\nPeople - especially young people! - crave identity. The world is a confusing place, knowing who you are makes it a little easier. Sometimes it's self-diagnosing mental illness or learning disabilities, or exploring sexual identity, or cliques, or subcultures. There's nothing embarrassing about it, it just is what it is.", ">\n\nIt’s ok to want to express individuality but not to the extent of totally destroying the definition of a real thing and making it hard for actual mentally Ill ppl to get a diagnosis. Why can’t people just accept that they’re different rather then giving themselves a label?", ">\n\npeople on TikTok claiming to have disorders that they don't doesn't affect the precision of psychiatrists diagnosing actual patients. There's no TikTok-said section in the DSM. Why do you think that it does?", ">\n\nIt just encourages more people to get diagnosed possibly skewing the meaning of the mental illness", ">\n\nSkewing it towards statistical accuracy? If people are actually diagnosed at higher rates, we have a better Guage of population-level mental illness, neurodivergency, etc. Better data is more usable, so that research actually means something actionable, ASIDE from the identity boost for young people.", ">\n\nI think what OP is driving at, but utterly failing to explain, is that they think that the fakers will be accommodated by the psychiatric system and diagnosed on the basis of fake symptoms. my sense is that isn't a problem but I don't have data.", ">\n\nDefinitely explained it a little better then I could lol", ">\n\nWhere do you see evidence of that? Any articles about fakers? How about a statistic? If not, it’s just a fear you seem to have.", ">\n\nI think the salient line here is this one:\n\nNeurologists were able to quickly determine that the subjects were not \nsuffering from Tourette's, but psychogenic tics driven by anxiety.", ">\n\nWomen are not born with less autism, but are much less likely to be diagnosed as children than boys. This is partly because boys generally have similar symptoms and behaviors. \nSo of course more women are self diagnosing autism, since their diagnoses were missed as children on a much higher rate.", ">\n\nAlright, I'm diagnosed OCD, PTSD, chronic depression. Diagnosed by a professional so I think I have some grounds to talk about this.\nFirst, let's tackle your women comment about autism. You see, I understand where you're coming from, but you lack the nuance of recognizing that mental illness, and illness in general, is heavily under-diagnosed in women. The medical culture is heavily favored towards men and is rampant with mysogyny, and that's not just me saying it as I've had medical professionals blatantly tell me it's a problem in the field when questioned about it. I've also had some tell me that it's just because women whine a lot, so yanno make of that statement what you will.\nNow that we've covered that let me address the self-diagnosing issue. So, do you want to know what my therapist thinks of self-diagnosing? Well, when I asked them about it they said that self-diagnosing is an important first step to seeking help. Psychiatrist said the same thing. It's normal, expected even, for people to self-diagnose their issues then seek help for them. You can't exactly just peer into someone's brain, no, that person has to tell you what they think is wrong and why they think it is. \nWhat you actually have a problem with is not self-diagnosis, but with people not seeking or not being able to get medical assistance and assuming they're right. You have a problem with people using these issues for attention, which I do too, but once again self-diagnosing is not the problem. Finally, you have a problem with the medical system that forces people into the position of trying to figure out their mental illnesses, but having no ability to get help for them.", ">\n\nI think I did it", ">\n\nSadly no lol, it was not done properly. Do you need a link to the rules?", ">\n\nI already read them i think I’ll figure it out in a bit sorry for the hold up", ">\n\nBecause everyone else is being aggressive: you have to comment with ∆ or !delta and then explain how your view has been changed", ">\n\nThis delta has been rejected. You can't award OP a delta.\nAllowing this would wrongly suggest that you can post here with the aim of convincing others.\nIf you were explaining when/how to award a delta, please use a reddit quote for the symbol next time.\n^Delta System Explained ^| ^Deltaboards", ">\n\nWhat gives you the authority or knowledge to know this is the problem?", ">\n\nYou don’t think it’s a problem that a lot of young ppl are willing to go to the extent of saying they are mentally Ill either for attention or to excuse their weirdness? Just accept that your different. It’s not wrong to believe you’re different without a label", ">\n\nYou did not even try to answer my question.", ">\n\nI’m sorry I was confused on what you meant", ">\n\nIf you are mad at people for self diagnosing themselves because they don't have the knowledge or authority to do so.... what gives you the knowledge or authority to diagnosis this as the problem behavior... basically are you just a kid that is annoyed, or is there some actual studies out there that is claiming this is a problem.", ">\n\nIf you don’t think that people consistently seeking attention for mental illness or craving a label so badly to justify themselves rather then being themselves. That just shows what your views are", ">\n\nDont you think we should leave the diagnosing to the professionals?", ">\n\nI mean yeah", ">\n\nWould you agree that you are diagnosing these people by saying that they are only seeking attention and do not have a real mental illness?", ">\n\nI’m assuming", ">\n\nThere may be some truth to people wanting to be different, however with mental illnesses being more accepted in today's society, many people are a lot more comfortable with being neurodivergent. Additionally, self diagnosis is common because the alternative is spending upwards to $1000-$2000 for a clinical diagnosis.", ">\n\nI know costs suck, but self diagnosis can be much more harmful. A web.md page that tells you your depressed when you may actually be bipolar can lead to really messed up results. I would even go as far as to say that no diagnosis at all is preferable to an uninformed one", ">\n\nWell.\n​\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad \n\nSo you already know why they're doing what they're doing in addition the fact that you know that they're not Autistic? If your claim is that they can't know and only a doctor can, what makes you more qualified? You start out your argument admitting that you have a bias.\n\nthey’re “neurodivergent.\n\nNeurodivergent is an umbrella that covers both Autism and ADHD, which sometimes get mistaken for each other. So if you're upset that they're self-diagnosing, this term should be more welcome than \"Autistic\" because it's more generalized.\n\nnd when you ask them how they know they’ll say “oh I have this weird tick when I uh laugh when someone says something funny “ or “I have a hyper fixation on this topic so I must be autistic\n\nHow else should they communicate it to you? The list of aspects of Autism, especially for how it presents in women, sounds a lot like this. You're not a doctor, they don't have to prove anything to you by going down the entire list of every possible part of their daily experience that might be on the spectrum.\n\nWomen statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nNope. Women are diagnosed less often than men because the original diagnostic criteria for Autism was for Autism as it presents in males. It presents differently for females and is harder to diagnose, especially at younger ages. \n\nOverall I think the self diagnosing is a bigger problem with todays youth wanting to be victimized\n\nTodays youth want to be victimized? Why would anyone want to be victimized? Something tells me you're missing the mark with this terminology.\n\nor have an excuse for their actions and weirdness instead of just being straight up with it. \n\nSo if someone is Autistic and that makes them weird, you'd rather them just be forced to not get to have a name for it, and get the therapeutic treatment that would help them?\n\nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really [are] without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nSome people are autistic. If they find out and it makes them feel good, that doesn't mean they're craving attention. And if they are craving attention, it's because they're normal people and everyone does. \nIf someone thinks they're autistic but it turns out they're actually not, chances are they suspected it for a reason. They might have ADHD, a personality disorder, a mental health issue, or simply a slightly different way of experiencing the world that feels unique to them and there's nothing wrong with that. \nYou seem to think that other people do things for you. People generally don't. They do things for themselves. This is especially true of people on the Autism Spectrum who may not be able to easily use other people's experiences to reference when constructing their view of the world, and can only use their own. Your interpretation wherein they do it to evoke a response from you says more about you than it does about them.", ">\n\nYou’re being deliberately obtuse. OP is completely correct. Most of the people these days who say “I’m ADHD” or “I’m autistic” or “I’m neurodivergent” are absolutely not diagnosed as such and are doing it to seem unique or get attention or as some excuse for why they did x y or z.", ">\n\nI'd like to point out that while some are perhaps attention seeking, many people self diagnose simply because they don't have access to free medical/psychological professionals to get proper diagnosis and help with their issues. I also know someone who doesn't want to get an official diagnosis because he's afrad it will affect his insurance rates or somehow come back to bite him if he's offically labeled with having a neurological disorder. \nThere is a wealth of knowledge on these subjects available online for those interested. And if they are truly interested in self diagnose they can likely do that accurately enough for all intents and purposes. Most of these people who search for the sake of better understanding themselves or their loved ones will openly admit that it's a self diagnoses, or say they THINK they have x,y, or z. But in some situations it's just as well to say they have it if they feel certain anyway, and it's just a passing comment, and not a discussion on the matter. \nIn other words, just because they self diagnose doesn't mean they're wrong, nor does it explain their motives. I also don't see how attention seeking (for those who ARE doing that) is really hurting anyone else. Fakers gonna be fake, that's more a \"them\" kind of problem. ANNOYING, but mostly harmless.", ">\n\nUnless you have a doctor's diagnosis you don't have the disorder. Even if you are broke there are programs to help with costs. \nAnd yes it does affect me when someone is treating me like shit and tries using the I have such and such as an excuse and then people get mad at ME for calling them in their bullshit.", ">\n\nNo. You have to have the disorder before you CAN be diagnosed, so obviously there are undiagnosed people who in fact \"have the disorder \". Your refusal to acknowledge an undiagnosed disorder does not mean they don't have it. Your personal experience with people supposedly using a fake diagnosis to treat you badly, sounds unusual. How do you know they DIDN'T have it? People who do lie and just want to be jerks will do that regardless of what methods they decide to try. The methods are irrelevant. And that motive is not typical of most self diagnosers .", ">\n\nSounds unusual? You must not get out a lot because it's become a pretty regular thing. Every single person I know (about 8) that have self diagnosed themselves as neurodivergent or with a mental illness like Bi-polar all use it to excuse their shitty ass behaviors. \nToo many disorders can mirror other ones. Just because they think they have 2/3 symptoms doesn't make them right by a long shot. Keep living in your bubble.", ">\n\nYou don't have to have a relationship with anyone. If they treat you badly, regardless of an official diagnosis or not, you don't have to tolerate them. It makes no difference what they have or don't have. What would it change if they got diagnosed and actually have it?", ">\n\nSelf diagnosing has been a thing forever\nAnd it's not a problem im 99% sure me or any other autistic person doesn't really give 2 fucks about people who wanna fake disorders. It doesn't stop us from getting help, we have doctors notes, medical files, sometimes even volunteers, you need those files to get into let's say a special education class, or a life skills course.\nSo unless you were diagnosed by a professional you're probably not gonna make it far faking it.\n(Excuse my shitty punctuation)", ">\n\nIt doesn’t bother you that they’re making others take the actual meaning away from what you were born with? I mean I’m sure autism hasn’t made your life easy and seeing ppl claim it for attention to be quirky probably has to annoy you a little right?", ">\n\nAt the end of the day I still have ADHD and I still need help with it. More people being diagnosed with it doesn’t change that fact. In fact I was diagnosed because I realized I related to so many tiktok memes, and I’m sure others are in my same boat. \nIn fact I think so many people talking about ADHD helps. It means more people who possibly have tips for me, people who are suffering who can’t afford treatment have an easy way to learn about how to improve their lives, and more people who are aware of my disorder.", ">\n\nI think people do diagnose themselves too often without seeking professional help. BUT mental illness is not the same as being neurodivergent.", ">\n\n\nIt’s really weird how so many people crave being different so bad that they’ll go as far to say they’re “neurodivergent.”\n\nWhile this is the case, I don't really see how it's a \"problem\" per se. I guarantee that these people still make lifestyle decisions based on what they think is best, or based on what they want to do.\n\nbut it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women\n\nDo you have any statistics for that? I haven't experienced it that way in my own anecdotal experience, and I'd be curious to look into the data to see how much that truly does skew in that direction.\n\nwanting to be victimized or have an excuse for their actions and weirdness \nFor such an “accepting” generation people should really just own up to who they really or without craving attention or an excuse for it\n\nI understand what you're trying to say here, but I don't really think these things are connected as much as you think they are. People see something wrong with themselves, so they either playfully or seriously consider the fact that it could be a condition that they have similar symptoms to. Not that it never happens, but just because someone categorizes themselves into a disability group that could potentially excuse their \"quirks\", doesn't mean they think that behavior is unacceptable in any way. People see a problem, and assume it's linked to this other issue that seems similar that they already know about.", ">\n\nI agree with the conclusion that self-diagnosis is a real issue, and I wouldn't be surprised if the data indicated it was on the rise. I wouldn't necessarily frame it as a simple desire to \"be victimized\" however. While it is purely speculation, I do believe there are a number of conditions which might lead towards a more frequent experience of symptoms associated with mental illness - a rising wealth gap, perpetual anxiety from a 24-hour news cycle, intensification of self-commodification, the student debt crisis in certain countries like the US, and so on. So people are experiencing symptoms like low energy, mood swings, etc. that can be associated with mental illness. The issue with self-diagnosis then becomes that it may correctly identify the symptom, but incorrectly identify the cause.\nThis video from the YouTuber HealthyGamerGG does a good job of explaining what some of the issues with self-diagnosis are, and for me it was a good starting place for thinking about this more. \nEDIT: I forgot this video literally starts with this same topic being brought up on this same subreddit lol", ">\n\nA great theory based on reasonable causes with an educational video from a psychologist(I assume) as evidence to back it up. I applaud you sir. 👏", ">\n\nWhy are you embarrassed by other people's issues?", ">\n\nI’m a 30yo male. If I had not first self diagnosed with ASD and OCD, I never would have found the language and resources to get a formal diagnosis and help.\nPrior generations have been so fixated on avoidance of diagnosing mental disorders, and research was previously so lacking that we are only just now (through those that do get diagnosed) realizing how common mental disorders are. That plus the lack of mental health resources for neurotypical and neurodivergent I think is how we end up in this situation of many recognizing their symptoms in the new discourse, but lacking the resources to overcome the barriers to proper diagnosis and treatment.", ">\n\nIt’s not the best thing, no. \nAs an adult FINALLY diagnosed (by a licensed therapist) at 41, I can tell you why ‘self diagnosis’ is so tempting. \nIn the US at least- mental health, and official medical diagnosis are almost completely inaccessible, especially as an adult. Most of us grew up before Autism was a spectrum, and ADHD was just boys who acted out in class. We felt like aliens. We couldn’t understand why we didn’t have many friends, or why we didn’t like the ‘right things’, and generally spend the bill of our lives feeling ‘wrong’, ‘broken’ or just simply like we didn’t belong. \nFinally understanding the WHY, and even better, finding tools to addresses our issues is a huge huge weight off the chest. The relief of having a name and a strategy- either therapy or medicine is such an amazing relief!!", ">\n\nI only kinda agree if I had not done my own research I would have never found out I have sjorgens syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis I know TikTok people tend to diagnose themselves and it makes it look cringe but when you live with a incurable illness sometimes you have to work to find a diagnosis", ">\n\nWell, what do you do of you absolutely know you're neurodivergent, but your parents decided not to get you checked? My mom once told me \"we knew you had something, we just didn't get you checked because they would have just put you on pills\". So I struggled with being different, socially unaware, impulsive, obnoxious, agressive, selfish, for the better part of my life without having the self awareness to understand why I was these things, and why people wouldn't want to be around me. \nIn my late 20''s I asked the question, what if I'm actually autistic? I looked up the symptoms, and 9/10 matched. As a child I couldn't handle loud noises, restrictive clothing, I didn't talk until I was 3. I would throw fits for seemingly no reason, I had obsessive interests. I've always really struggled with eye contact, and I never cared for conversation unless it was something I liked. I mean, when the final piece of a puzzle fits so incredibly well, it's really hard for it to be wrong. \nSelf diagnosing actually really helped me grow as aj individual. I became aware of all my divergent behaviors, and why it might be annoying for someone else to deal with. I came to the realization that I was the one who was different, therefore I needed to change. It's way harder to make everyone around you cater to your needs than to overcome the things that upset you. I'm at peace, I have good friends that I can connect with on a pretty deep level. I no longer smash coffee tables when I lose, I can now appreciate that if I lose it just means I have more to learn. I can keep my house clean, I can reasonably hold myself accountable. What exactly is the harm in all that?\nBesides, it would be pretty pointless for me to try and get a diagnosis now, I've put the effort in and largely come out the other side. Anyone diagnosing me would just say I was normal, but they wouldn't have the intimate knowledge of me that I do. I guess it doesn't matter if people don't believe me, I don't go around shouting that I'm autistic. I will say, it would be really nice if people appreciated the effort I put in to get to get to a place of normalcy, something others take for granted, but it's okay, we all have our struggles.", ">\n\nI feel you on all that. To play devil's advocate, mental healthcare in the U.S. is not cheap. Many people go to the internet and confirm their bias about their current health", ">\n\nI feel you on that too OP. I agree 100% with your entire statement.", ">\n\nIt's a problem, but not a new one. In the 1990s there was briefly a surge of people with a type of delusional parasitosis, that is, the false belief that they were infested with parasites. Except this one was supposedly an infestation with tiny fibres. They would come to doctors with a whole list of symptoms to back up their incorrect self-diagnosis.\nTo a certain extent, these are social contagions, which come and go, and often actually end up leading to people having real problems. Like, the young women you mention, a couple of decades ago may well have ended up with anorexia, or self-cutting. These days it might be a self-declaration of autism or a belief that they have gender dysphoria or that they have multiple systems living in their minds.", ">\n\nWow I did not know that. Maybe it’s just so prevalent today due to social media. Social media has only made these things worse imo", ">\n\nEven before it being self diagnosis of a mental illness it was always something. Remember all the emo and goth teenager?", ">\n\nIt depends on the context. For example, if they've done a substantial amount of research, can name a good amount of symptoms they have and reasons they have whatever mental illness and don't have access to the necessary tools to get a medical diagnosis, it's totally different. Some people don't have the money to go out and get a diagnosis, or sometimes it would be better to not get a medical diagnosis. I believe that the reason that a lot of people self diagnose themselves with things like Autism is because they want an explanation as to why they are different, and they could be right or wrong. I think the most important part is that if you go to a psychologist (or even two, I know a lot of people prefer getting second opinions) and they say you don't have it, that you need to admit you were wrong. It's ok to be wrong about your mental health, and the key is to keep looking and to not give up. I can completely understand the frustration in people completely missing how difficult it actually may be to have a mental illness. I was clinically diagnosed with Depression, Anxiety, and PTSD when I was seven, and I've had some experience with people faking mental disorders for attention, and more often then not, they have another mental disorder that needs attention. Recently I had a (now ex) boyfriend insist he had PTSD after being tested twice and the psychiatrist saying that he didn't have it. What he does have is Depression and Anxiety, but he absolutely insisted he has PTSD despite never exhibiting symptoms and the only evidence being a test he took online that was supposedly a \"real PTSD test.\" People faking mental illnesses only harms people who really have them, as these people tend to exaggerate symptoms and use their self diagnosis for attention. I believe that I am autistic, but I don't list it as a diagnosis because while I have read articles and taken the RAADS-r test, I don't have an official diagnosis, and I could very well be wrong. As for women faking illnesses more often, something I've noticed is that things like Autism, ADHD, ADD, etc are more often diagnosed in boys rather than girls- mostly because when they were first discovered, most of the research was done in boys. Autism shows up differently in girls, and can often be blown off as early puberty hormones. If their hyperfixations are those of stereotypical feminine things, it's just a girl liking whatever, and if they hyperfixate in stereotypical masculine interests, they tend to just be viewed as weird, but not autistic. It's normal for people to question, but I agree that to a certain point, self diagnosis can be harmful, but only if not done correctly.", ">\n\nFirst and foremost not a new problem at all, very common, we used to call it \"Being a hypochondriac\" until it aparrently became reconized which in it self is confusing and a bit contradictory.\nANYWAY\nIt isnt really a problem, no doctor is gonna write the perscription for medication without a diagnosis of some sort.\nAt most there is the vauge \"But what about those who actually have it who arent taken serious\" dont worry, we wouldnt have anyway. Thats kinda how invisible illnesses work.\nOverall the 101 hypochondriacs screaming about the symptoms they read in the ICD might help make the knowledge more common and help people better reconize if their colleagues or friends happen to show symptoms of something.", ">\n\nIt’s pretty expensive in the US to get diagnosed. Personally, I’ve self diagnosed myself out of frustration of the way I process things. I’ve always felt slow & my anxiety/depression was deep because of it, but I was raised in a family that doesn’t believe in mental illness. It was always “if you work hard enough, all your problems will go away”. Meanwhile, i was racking my brain on how to make myself think faster/smarter & it would result in psychotic episodes. I’ve gotten fired from jobs, dropped out of school. I started self harming because I hated myself and my brain & almost commit suicide bc I had no idea what was going on.\nThe relief I felt once I finally got a therapist who validated me & was the first to talk to me about mental Illness. It blew my mind and all of a sudden things actually made sense to me. I currently think I have ADD, and sometimes I’ll tell people that but will preface it by saying I’m not professionally diagnosed. Still, I use mental tools that help me get through the day and build my confidence. I’m a lot better at processing conversations, making lists that help me remember things, unmasking, slowing down my thoughts… etc. I’m less frustrated and can see the beauty in how I process things. I still want to get diagnosed but I have to get health insurance….. lol", ">\n\nSelf diagnosis, regardless of being factual is a process where the individual realizes that they might have a mental health issue. People who can do this are more likely to seek professional help compared to the people who think they are “fine”. Going to a professional, licensed psychologist or a psychiatrist will eventually diagnose them with the correct disorder from there, and professionals have the skills to communicate with them and they can together evaluate if the person’s complaint is the issue or not. There is nothing embarrassing about discovering one’s self. It would be a problem if people would identify with an issue and don’t have any willingness to seek help. Sometimes overreacting is better than not reacting.", ">\n\nThe majority of people who are self-diagnosed with autism have done extensive research into it to come to that conclusion. I personally went through the DSM criteria with a fine-tooth comb, made a list of all the ways I met it and discovered that there’s not a single criteria i don’t meet for autism. I didn’t read about anything else but autism for weeks, approaching it from all angles before coming to the conclusion that it’s highly unlikely I am not autistic. I’m waiting to hear back about an assessment, but I’m not waiting to go and be told something I already know before I start advocating for myself. \nOh, and I absolutely did not want to be ‘different’, in fact my life mission to just blend in and be average is the root cause of most of my problems, but here we are.", ">\n\nThis self diagnosing young people do isn’t the problem. The problem is that our society encourages it.\nOur culture is not set up to accommodate a wide spectrum of human needs. You may need things that I don’t. I may need things that you don’t. But in most business settings, academic settings, or even places like restaurants or leisure places, the world isn’t built to accommodate everyone. Our world and society is a “one size fits all” approach, and most people don’t fit snugly inside of that system. \nIf you can classify what is “wrong” or “different” about you into an easily digestible form, people are generally more able and more willing to accommodate you.\nFor example: if I tell my coworkers that I need to leave work early because of a headache, I’ll be shamed for it. And in some cases I’ll be told that “headaches aren’t that bad!” Or “You don’t need to leave.” Or “I have a headache too, just deal with it!”\nBut if I tell my workers that I need to leave due to a painful neurological condition that’s flaring up (I have chronic migraine, which is a neurological condition), they will respect it 100% of the time. It’s met with sympathy and not criticism.\nThis happens for all sorts of things. “Sorry Im late, I slept in.” Sounds a lot worse then, “sorry I’m late, my insomnia has been terrible lately.” \nOur culture forces us to use these labels even when they’re untrue just to receive sympathy or acceptance. The problem isn’t people who decide to use these labels, the root problem is that our society refuses to embrace and accommodate people who are outside of the “norm.”", ">\n\nSpeaking as someone who's had an autism diagnosis since age 7: if someone declares they're autistic when they're not, that's obnoxious at worst. If someone is told they're not autistic when they are, that can cause lifelong harm from denied care and understanding. I have seen this happen to a close friend of mine.\nTherefore, I'd much rather err on the side of acceptance. If you think you're defending me and others like me from impersonators, we'd rather not have your help.\n\nI know people will disagree but it’s extremely weird seeing that the majority Of these people doing this are women. Women statistically are born with autism on a far lesser scale than men.\n\nCase in point: women are diagnosed with autism far less than men. Recent studies have pointed to decades of systematic misdiagnosis. The more visible autistic symptoms sometimes manifest differently in girls, the way they're socialized may help them hide it from a young age, and of course lots of doctors just say \"your daughter can't be autistic, that's a boy thing.\"\nWe're learning that there are hundreds of thousands of autistic women who slipped through the cracks and were denied the recognition and support they needed because of dismissive, gatekeeping attitudes just like yours.", ">\n\nThere’s a difference between having a disorder and relating to a disorder. If the tools or language associated with a disorder helps someone live better though then cool, it’s all still odd. Also autism presents differently in woman, and a majority of our research on it is on men. Best practice is probably to support them and encourage them to seek treatment.", ">\n\nAutism is severely misdiagnosed in women. Completely under diagnosed. Actually, plenty of things are. The actual problem that we have is parents refusing to let their children get professional help or a diagnosis. Most doctors will diagnose you with BPD as a woman(aka the new female hysteria of our century), maybe put you on some anti psychotics and send you your way. In most countries, a diagnosis/specialist is not readily available, or there is a long waiting list. Even so, the doctors are not know it all. I have seen plenty of doctors, I got different diagnosis almost each time. They ask you some general questions (about your mood, the way you sleep, if you can concentrate, if you harm yourself, if you have suicidal ideation, if you can socialize properly, if your parents were diagnosed with anything, if you have hallucinations or delusions, the works) and then based on that, they will give you a diagnosis. If you use your common sense and information on the internet (given you are knowledgeable on the subject), you can take a good guess on what's wrong. Obviously, some people will exaggerate like with anything (seeing the shadow dude once in your childhood is not a sign of psychosis, neither is hearing your name called when you are alone once in a blue moon), but if you have visual and auditory hallucinations, perhaps weird tactile feelings/hallucinations (spiders are crawling on me, etc), delusions, tend to be forgetful and out of teach with reality, there is a good chance you do have psychosis.", ">\n\nOkay, to start: what do you think autism and ADHD are? They aren't mental illnesses nor are they mental health conditions. \nTo address some of your other points; \nStudies have shown that autism has a gender expression of 1:1. The only reason that women are under diagnosed is because of misunderstandings towards autism, then the diagnosis is conducted incorrectly. Thus it ends up getting conflated with mental illness, E.G BPD, and is diagnosed as a psychiatric disorder instead. This is a detriment to the patient as the care regimes are black and white different. Often times this severely damages the woman.\nFrom data sets that I recall reading, malingering hasn't risen much, if at all, in recent times. I remember it being around 8% of the global population who are engaging in this behaviour, to different extents. I think what's happened is that social media has turned a torch onto it and it's risen in popularity in an algorithmic way. You see it more because it's pushed by the algorithm more because people are searching for it more. It isn't actually occurring any more or less than historically. Most of that attention is negative attention, I should add. \nSo there's two things to take away from that.\n1) The actual act of pretending to be mentally ill, or to have a disability, which is called malingering, is in fact a form of mental unwellness itself. It's a cry for help. The people who do these things are usually very unstable and should be treated with a degree of empathy. The dangerous types who are using mental illness to scam others, or to manipulate them, make up a very small percentage of the overall amount of people in that group and tend to abuse one on one. \n2) The predominant response to this is generally negative. There isn't really any reason to publicly malinger unless you're unstable, this is because a rational person would likely know this, and know the damage it would cause themselves. Self-diagnosis is a very long, and self-aware, process that takes place over years of the individuals life, and proceeds official diagnosis. \nNo one SDs and says \"Okay that's it now! Let me start a TikTok!\" You'd still want support, and you'd still seek support. So that would end up with a doctor, who would see that you're lying, and treat you for whatever was prompting you to malinger. Anyone who has made this commitment knows that keeping it private is a sensible thing to do in a world that isn't inclusive, and often very stigmatising. Sometimes official diagnosis can take YEARS. \nThis kind of propaganda has been going around for a long time in an effort to discredit disabled people and people with mental illnesses. It's not new. People said the same things back in the 90s. People will always be afraid, and dismissive, of things they do not understand. I invite you to try and understand.", ">\n\nI self-diagnosed myself with endometriosis for 10 years before a doctor finally listened to me, opened me up, and found my insides littered with lesions all over my organs. I’m now not able to get pregnant and I might need to get part of my bowel taken out someday. This could’ve been avoided if someone had just listened to me when I was 16. \nSelf-diagnosing is a necessity in a misogynist world! No one takes us seriously! Especially medical professionals. \nThe best antidote for this is to listen to women who self-diagnose. Why do they think they have XYZ? Is it heavily interfering with their life? I think that’s a much larger problem.", ">\n\nIts been proven that there is a bias to diagnose as opposed to not diagnose a mental illness in psychology. So op is actually kinda correct. The definition of a mental illness is in effect being stretched so far that people who are just kinda weird are being diagnosed with \"on the spectrum\". This is actually causing a problem in early learning because parents start treating their kids as essentially learning challenged when they're really not. So it is starting to become an excuse ...", ">\n\nWe live in a society that loves to medicate people. I know it’s different but Did ppl forget about the opioid epidemic? They’ll diagnose your ass with anything if they can", ">\n\nYa I tend to agree. And no one is really saying so I will I guess, but id wager that 50% of psychologist \"professionals\" are totally full of shit. The actual number of psychologists that are are doing real research and clinical studies is EXTREMELY small compared to how many \"psychologists\" are out there. Just like chiropractors, half of them are hacks..", ">\n\nAnd ill say one more thing, though it is anecdotal, but i have direct family that works in special education for young children, and that system is fucked with a capital F. Thay are constantly fighting against parents and programs who try to box kids in the \"autistic\" zone, when they are just really quite or shy, or have pee problems. But parents want an excuse and reason for their behavior, and reduce them to a sub standard education and treatment for the rest of their lives. It's heart breaking. Especially in public schools.", ">\n\nI’m 32 years old. \nI didn’t self diagnose for attention although I remember the days of tumblr where everyone self diagnosed for clout.\nIt took me a decade to realize what is really happening. During the decade before I realized what may have been happening I was told the following:\nI’m rude\nI’m bossy\nI have a RBF/I look mad\nI also only managed to make my first real friend at age 27.\nWhat I was really displaying was:\nBeing overly blunt and just trying to get my point across came off rude when I didn’t intend it to be that way\nTrying to have things done at a certain time and way that no one else thought was important to follow\nUnmasking\nNoticed other things too that I just thought was me being weird:\nVocal stimming\nOral stimming-chewing, smoking, vaping\nRepetitive motions\nRocking\nEasily overwhelmed by too much sensory input\nHigh startle reflex \nInability to regulate my body’s needs-I don’t know I’m hungry until I’m ravenous; don’t recognize the need to use the bathroom until it’s causing me to rush off, don’t realize I’m cold until I’m shaking\nI could go on.\nI want an assessment so bad. But assessments for adults are EXTREMELY hard to setup, if you can even set them up at all. Some states don’t even offer them. I’ve been looking but they are only for children and seem to look for severe cases.\n14 years of thinking I was just a bitch who couldn’t make friends because I was too weird…turns out it might be autism. And turns out I’ll most likely never get a true diagnosis. But the RAADS test gave me a 127 score so that might be the closest I’ll ever get.", ">\n\ni kind of self diagnosed autism? i’ve been to many psychiatrists and therapists for years and they always see adhd in the half an hour and prescribe meds for that, which makes me not go there again. if they dug a little deeper they could have seen autism, i spoke to my current psychiatrist about if its possible i have it, she didn’t want to confirm or deny as i was moving out of state from friends and family and am at an age where i can have kids in the next 10 years since she doesn’t want me being concerned for them. \nI think there’s still lots of stigma around autism even with professionals and especially when identifying it in women. \nI don’t want to be autistic, but i can recognise a lot of different patterns comparing myself and others. I’ve researched it a ton especially in how it shows in women compared to men and in all the articles i found myself relating.\nNow i don’t say im autistic, i say im a little sus of being it tho lmao. and try pass it off casually. I find it’s a lot easier for me to understand and embrace my differences compared to trying to hide it and try be like everyone else or wonder why im not like everyone else. \nBeing older i can also recognise how a lot of my family on one side have suffered mentally and because of obvious neurodivergence. so im pretty sure, like the rest of my mentally challenged brain, has been inherited genetically through that side. \nAll that being said. I self diagnosed when i was about 12 that im highly likely to be depressed and anxious in attempt to get my mom to believe me i needed help, and now 8 years later i can identify that this has been an issue forever for me and that i likely cannot go off my meds because i will just go back to how i used to be. Im still ocd with all my meds, but its better than being anxious and depressed all the time, Having ocd throughout the day is like heaven to me in comparison to how i used to be. obviously the ocd isnt new, just a lot more heard in my brain now.", ">\n\nOk, I know some people self diagnoze themselves with [insert some mental illness here] out of attention or whatever, and that's totally not ok.\nHowever, if you read all the symptoms and do proper research on a mental illness and everything clicks in to you, I'd say you can be fairly confident on a self diagnosis (although, it might be worth it to double check with a professional, especially if you want any sort of treatment). But also for some people, it might not be affordable to go to a professional...", ">\n\nI live in Canada, I've engaged with the medical system, doctors don't care and just want you out, ERs are a 8 hour wait for someone to ignore one thing and won't even entertain other issues even if they are related. Self-diagnosis is really the only way to get any kind of proper treatment at all. \nThe doctors will rubber stamp just about anything you ask for except pain killers but in terms of diagnosis you're way better off doing it yourself, sure you don't have 8 years of medical school but the doctors won't give you 5 mins of their time, they are not better than google and you give a lot more of a shit than they will and at the end of the day it's your body.", ">\n\nBack in the 90s when I was a teenager, the kids/teenagers/young adults who wanted attention, and wanted to be different, adopted the goth lifestyle. Dressing up in all black. White foundation with black lipstick and eyeshadow. It was the trendy way to be different, to be viewed as outcasts of society. To not fit in. \nThe goth lifestyle of the 2020s is self diagnosis. Same shit, different day.\nWhenever someone claims autism, or somewhere on the spectrum, I just roll my eyes and imagine that person just sucks at life.", ">\n\nI just think it’s a little more harmful nowadays due to the prevalence of social media. Ppl get sucked into groups and mindsets before they even have a real life chance. Then they hyper fixate on that they might be mentally Ill rather then just trying to live life to the fullest", ">\n\nI 100% agree with you", ">\n\nBecause it's the age of spin this generation has something for everybody. And all of them are Google doctors. Lol", ">\n\nTook my uncle till he was 38 even thought it was apparent to everyone. Hell he got expelled from two schools", ">\n\nI get what you're saying. I frankly find it weird that more people don't find this weird. People self-diagnosing themselves as all kinds of things not only completely misrepresents the actual conditions, thereby making people even more confused as to what they actually are and how they present, but also leads people to run to a psychiatrist claiming false symptoms and getting medication for something they don't have, which is NOT a good thing. People should never be taking medication unless it is necessary. We are a heavily over-medicated society and this is a big factor in that. Caffeine to wake up in the morning, \"immuno-boosters\" and mood stabilizers during the day, sleeping pills to sleep at night. The caffeine and sleeping pills are addictive and can really mess up your circadian rhythm, and the mood stabilizers can really fuck you up if you don't need them. Instead of rushing to diagnose and medicate everyone, we need to educate them on human behavior and show them that their \"mental health\" problems are completely normal.\nOh, so you get nervous right before you make huge life decisions? That's not Anxiety Disorder, it's just anxiety.\nOh, you are really sad because your cat died? That's not Clinical Depression, you are just grieving.\nOh, you went from really happy to really sad when you were previously happy and something really shitty happened to you and soured your mood? That's not Bipolar Disorder, that's just life.\nOh, you like to be more organized than the people around you? That's not Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, you just like to be organized.\nPeople really misunderstand the nature of these conditions and it hinders our collective progress in treating them, like dramatically inflating the number of actual conditions in the population, making it increasingly more difficult to determine how common and how varied they are. After all, in most cases it is not the psychiatrist or psychologist who makes you better, you make you better. Medication can help and other people can show you the path to success, but the problem will never get solved unless you play an active role in the treatment. Some conditions can never be solved, only lessened, while others are virtually untreatable. We need to stop making these conditions seem cool. They aren't. They are serious and need to be taken seriously.", ">\n\nHeavily agree and I appreciate how well this comment is worded. Wish I coulda worded mine a little better", ">\n\nYa I saw you getting shredded in the comments and figured I'd sum it up for you. 🤣", ">\n\nLmao bro I didn’t expect this many. I was thinking maybe like 20 ppl would reply", ">\n\nYou need to self diagnose in many cases in order to get adequate help.", ">\n\nI knew when I had ADD and IBS, and I was able to get my suspicions confirmed by my respective doctors. Doctors are there to help the patients understand themselves, whereas the patients have to go home every day and live with what they actually have. Do not be so quick to judge.", ">\n\nJust to add here - Autism in women is less prevalent because it presents differently and is often not picked up by standardised diagnostic tests (that were developed on an almost exclusively male sample). I think that also goes to show that there’s p significant issues with what we consider ‘scientific’ and research based in the first place.", ">\n\nI grew up in a small town and we had quite a few autistic boys but only one autistic girl. Literally only one out of like 6-8 grades. So that’s like a 10-1 ratio. It’s gotta be a lot statistically smaller then males. I don’t doubt it happens I just know it’s a lot less", ">\n\nYou think your small town’s makeup is generalizable to all of society? That isn’t how statistics work.", ">\n\nSo my question would be - so what do we do?\nYou think people are diagnosing themselves to gain attention. Fine, but what's the next step?\nSee, I think I might be bipolar 2. But I went on a journey where I looked into the techniques for dealing with this issue. That led me to cognitive behavior therapy.\nThat actually made me more convinced that this was my issue because I have taught myself a lot of cognitive behavior therapy techniques to address the same issues. These practices have really helped me.\nIt sounds like your issue is that these people are getting attention for it. To me, these are people who need someone to help guide them. That would have helped me a lot when I was younger. Society today doesn't really give us the tools to sort this out, but just the knowledge that these things exist can push someone down the rabbit hole to learn about therapy that could really help.\nI think you should ask yourself what your motivations are. Do you really want them to understand themselves? Or are you more interested in steering the conversation toward other topics?\nPersonally, I would deal with these people by paying them forward. I would tell them to understand the practices that typically help these people, and see if they are relevant. I would tell them to seek professional help, and to refrain from diagnosing themselves, but I would encourage them to be critical of themselves and to learn more.\nImo, the way out is through.", ">\n\nI agree with you but it’s not mostly women. Maybe by happenstance that’s the case in your circle but broadly men do this too.", ">\n\nDoctor's are consulting the Mayo Clinic website after talking to a patient and getting their symptoms. I bring that up to say this; a doctor's training is needed for very serious diseases and tricky diagnoses, but a semi-intelligent person could look up their symptoms and get a lot of the more minor stuff right.", ">\n\nI've never been diagnosed as clinically depressed or anything, but that doesn't mean that I don't suffer from depression a lot of the time (these last few years, more often than not). I see a therapist. I take antidepressants. \nI have a friend who has aphantasia. It isn't really a \"diagnosable\" condition, but it describes what he has trouble with: creating images in his mind.", ">\n\nThat’s different then going online and claiming perfectly normal traits mean you’re autistic", ">\n\nNeurodivergence ≠ mental illness.", ">\n\nThey know themselves and their experiences better than you.", ">\n\nOP, I'm seeing some differences between your post and what you're saying in the comments. \nMy question is, do you have a problem with people self-diagnosing, or is your issue more about people drawing a lot of public attention to their diagnoses?", ">\n\nOverall both but definitely the attention part more so for obvious reasons. The self diagnosing part due to the fact that it can make people believe it can be an excuse for their actions good or bad. I think In a weird way it can allow people to take away the responsibility of their own actions and attribute to their mental illness", ">\n\nAs someone who has been diagnosed with ADHD, having people self diagnosing doesn't bother me at all, because I went the path of not knowing at all what I had and letting doctors figure out by themselves... and it took me 4 years and a half to finally have a concrete answer that no doctors would have found out if I didn't start searching on my own. You can't walk into every doctor's office with the assumption they'll figure out what you have, because it's not their speciality, or they still have an outdated view (not every doctor are kept up to date with new discovers), or they're biased, etc... \nI've never been annoyed by people who self diagnose. Hell, if I knew what was about to happen to me, I would have done the same way sooner.", ">\n\nMost women today arent faking it, they are noticing the symptoms no one else noticed and trying to find help. Its not easy to grow up with this kind of stuff. Is not coincidence you think women are less likely to be born to autism instead of thinking how weird it is that for some reason most autism diagnosis happen to men, that is the misogyny in the medical comunity.\nSelf diagnosis means this women will go to doctors and it most case scenarios they will get diagnoses because they have this issue all their life.\nSocial media is giving people awareness of the issue in medicine and how it affects women. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Misogyny in medicine also leads to people not knowing the difference between a heart attack in a woman and a man. It leads to women thinking its something else because internet and books will tell you how a man will feel a heart attack, even doctors sometimes dont know this.", ">\n\nGetting a diagnosis or treatment is borderline impossible for a lot of people. So self diagnosis is sometimes the only way they can help themselves.", ">\n\nNot a mental illness. But, I am a trans person and I pretty much self-diagnosed and self-medicated. I just had physicians do blood test.\nI educated myself on how everything works in about eight month period. I did that over a decade.\nI don’t regret my decision, and if I did. The regret would be not starting any sooner, especially when people who aren’t physicians or therapists are having a final say about these things.", ">\n\nIt is very noticeable and annoying, buuuut it’s proven autism manifest differently in females. Plus women are (very) often under diagnosed and dismissed for many many things by doctors, which is absolutely disgusting. Aaaand the cost of healthcare is outrageous.", ">\n\nwomen being less likely to be diagnosed with autism has nothing to do with an actual gender gap in who does and doesn’t have autism and everything to do with the fact autistic women are diagnosed with personality disorders and mental illnesses due to stigmas. most autism research was done on men and therefore women are underrepresented and more often than not misdiagnosed. autism actually occurs at a similar rate in both sexes. also, it’s not a mental illness, it’s a neurological condition (not that mental illnesses aren’t, but illness implies there’s something wrong, which there isn’t in autistic people). i agree that self diagnosing leads to misinformation and harms those who are clinically diagnosed though.", ">\n\nA lot of medical diagnoses are based on white male studies, so yes you would see more women finding out they have certain mental illnesses now as professionals are realizing it can show differently in females vs males. Adhd, for example, was considered something only seen in young boys that would grow out of it, now they are realizing that you don't in fact grow out of it and women can have it too. \nMental illness was a taboo subject back in the day as well, especially for women. It was only in 1980 I think that hysteria was no longer considered a mental illness. Women would be diagnosed with 'hysteria' and committed for symptoms like anxiety and anger. So now a lot of women are learning more about their mental health because they feel safe to do so. \nMy mother is in her early 70's and still refuses to tell anyone her own health issues or even mine, I have cancer and we were going to go on a trip as it's unknown how much longer I have and she refused to ask for the day off because she wouldn't tell them the reason why.", ">\n\nI detest self diagnosis, though once you’ve studied advanced level abnormal psychology shit happens. \nAs far as kids go, the generalized anxiety and depressive spectrum diagnoses can occasionally be accurate however that would warrant professional intervention regardless.\nOne serious issue among others; if an adolescent “decides” they have major depressive disorder that can become a self fulfilling prophecy and cause despair and reluctance to seek treatment", ">\n\nLook at the price and lack of availability of mental health care, and the total lack of privacy of internet connected devices. Most practitioners don’t offer in person visits anymore, and even if they do they probably do digital records or have their phone present. Ofc people are self diagnosing.", ">\n\nCounterpoint: many people do not have the means to access diagnoses for mental illnesses and other disorders, and it can sometimes be the only way to explain their feelings to others. Autism diagnoses in particular are extremely difficult to access for adults and even teens. I suspected I had autism for years and the only way I was able to get a diagnosis was through the mental health treatment program I was in during highschool which had a psychologist there. I only could attend because I live in Canada with universal healthcare. Many, many people are not as fortunate as me. Most people in the world cannot access diagnosis in the first place, including many in richer countries. \nYour comment about women statistically 'being born with autism on a far lesser scale than men' misses the well-known problem of underdiagnosis of autism in women. Autism presents itself differently in women than men (I can say as an autistic woman who knows other autistic women) and the criteria for autism were based on cis white men. Autism in women is is often misdiagnosed as CPTSD (which many autistic people ALSO unfortunately have), borderline personality disorder, anxiety, depression, etc. \nAlthough self-diagnosis is often problematic and used by teenagers to feel special, for the people who take it seriously and are intellectually honest there currently isn't really a better alternative for them to try and explain their experiences when they cannot access diagnoses.", ">\n\nWhat you are describing is NOT a new phenomenon. I was born in 1975 and have been observing this phenomenon my entire life. Nothing new about it at all.", ">\n\nSelf diagnosis is often the first step in going to go and get an actual diagnosis. Getting diagnosed with a mental disorder, especially as an adult, is basically impossible if you aren't actively seeking it out. For several reasons, one of which is that pretty much all the diagnostic criteria are written about children. \nI'm properly diagnosed and even on disability for mental disorders and I knew what I had for years before I got diagnosed. \nI understand there's a feeling of \"stolen valour\" to it. And there is indeed a subset of people doing it for attention or because it's fashionable, OCD in particular being a common example, but the good that comes from self diagnosis more than outweighs the bad.", ">\n\nCorrect me if I’m wrong, but don’t all, or at least most mental disorders lie on a spectrum?", ">\n\nI was diagnosed ADD/ ADHD as a child an im getting re-evaluated next month because i think the diagnosis must be bullshit.\nI have a close friend that wasn't diagnosed ADD/ADHD until they were 22 and in an Ivy league vet program\nThe amount of people that say they cant do well in school simply because they have add/ adhd is bullshit if u ask me. Also, people justify abusing adderal because theyre ADHD and i think thats BS too. I decided never to take it and just abuse caffeine instead to avoid the health side effects", ">\n\nThe current US medical system is such garbage that self advocacy is important. \nSometimes it is wrong. Sometimes professionals ignore you or only pay attention to things insurance companies will pay for. Sonetimes they are also wrong. Or they're incentivized to get you out of a hospital bed ready or not. \nAdministrators and insurance companies get all the money. Nurses, aides, patients all suffer.", ">\n\nEspecially when they don't even understand what the disorder is in the first place. \"I'm a loner so I'm anitsocial.\" That's not what that means.... Or my favorite, \"I'm detailed oriented so I have OCD, lulz I am so le quirky! ;P\"", ">\n\nPeople who struggle with certain things often seek out those with similar experiences. With social media and the internet, it’s easier than ever to find people with similar struggles and sometimes, those people are a group diagnosed with certain mental illnesses. \nDoes that mean every person who sees themselves in a diagnosis will have that diagnosis? Hell no. But I think it’s disingenuous to claim that it’s “for attention.” People want to find community they can relate to and are drawn to experiences that reflect their own.\nI’m saying this as someone who was diagnosed with ADHD at 25 — I started to suspect I might have it in my early 20s and started poking about online. I was officially assessed and diagnosed some time later, and that diagnosis has been validated by three therapists and two psychiatrists.\nPlenty of people misjudge themselves and plenty of people are very ready to leap into a box. Some of them may be wrong. Some may be doing it to try and excuse bad behavior. (Hell, I’ve known waaaay too many people who DID have diagnosed mental illnesses and seemed to think their diagnosis was a free pass to be shitty). However, I think calling it a “trend” or “for attention” misses the point of why and how people reach these conclusions. \nOne might also argue that you do not have the professional expertise regarding psychology to assume the validity or ulterior motives of someone else’s diagnosis. There’s a reason that a lot of psychologists out there are adamantly against diagnosing from a distance - you have significantly less insight into a someone’s mind than they do, and you’re projecting a lot of assumptions onto others’ behavior without any supporting evidence.", ">\n\nIm gonna start out with, generally I agree its a problem-to an extent. Even though women have autism at a much lower rate they’re also under diagnosed/misdiagnosed at a higher rate. When it comes to why people are doing this, in my experience it’s people who are trying to figure out why they’re treated the way they are, why they struggle to do certain things that others don’t even see as an issue. They’re noticing their differences and feeling bad about it. When they can’t fix it they start trying to find a reason, a cause to help them both understand and feel better about themselves and ways they can move forward and actually improve their lives, as well as finding a group they can relate to when they have a hard time relating to the average person.", ">\n\nI think OP is arguing there are quite a few people whose self-diagnosis wouldn’t meet the criteria of a medical diagnosis. It’s horrible for me to even argue but some people want to portray themselves as a victim: I think this because I am a shit.\nHowever I agree with arguments here that if these people are brave enough to identify a potential issue in themselves then kudos to them for recognising it.", ">\n\nI had a doctor misdiagnose my spine injury and I researched medical articles and studies to come the actual diagnosis.\nNot always bad to do your research. \nBut mental health is a serious issue and some people use self diagnosis’ as an excuse to act however they want.", ">\n\nPart of what happens when you can’t afford to see a doctor.", ">\n\nThe most important piece to note on the self diagnosis problem among youth is misdiagnosis. \nThings like BPD, NPD, and ASPD for have dozens of overlapping criteria but very specific things that distinguish them. A professional can discern between both disorders and the average googler can not. \nThe result is that the patients identity crisis worsens as they begin to develop a sense of identity with a diagnosis than is not true for them. \nIt seems like the youth is quite eager to be diagnosed with some sort of disorder today.", ">\n\nI'm really happy to see someone mentioning this. I have experienced this more and more recently and I agree with it being strange and problematic.", ">\n\nThis is not new, we are just talking about it on social media now.\nI have been chronically ill for my entire life. I have constantly been refused medical care because I am apparently to young to be sick and I have had diagnosis withheld because, for example, how could I possibly complete a Masters and be neurodivergent. A lot of medical gatekeeping is rooted in ableism. \nI’ve had 7 surgeries, most would have been avoidable if I’d been listened to when I first sort medical care. I’ve had to do a mountain of research and go to Drs with a self diagnosis and sources to even get passed the are you just sad or have you tried yoga phase (I’ve also been told to go to church and find a nice husband to cure me). The surgeries that would’ve had to happen anyway were massively delayed due to Drs not taking my symptoms seriously, with 2 resulting in damage to other organs due to the delay.\nI’ve wasted so much time and energy and had so much damage happen to my body because Drs have medically gaslighted me or not listened or answered my questions when I’ve asked for more explanation. \nSelf diagnosis isn’t some cop out or look at me I’m special thing, it’s for survival. I’d literally be dead. I didn’t want to spend the past decade learning about medicine, ideally I’d get on with my life, but Drs and the medical community won’t let me do that.\np.s men are NOT more likely to be autistic than women. Research into autism has been majority based on studies into white, male adolescents and expected social male behaviour which is why lots of girls don’t get diagnosed and is why it is common for women, POC, and LGBTQIA+ people to be diagnosed in adulthood.", ">\n\nPersonally doctors have been totally useless for any non life thrusting subtle malady. They don’t try and fix any problem like that. Self diagnosing is what I am left with.", ">\n\nI mean, i self diagnosed that i probably had depression, since i was suicidal and couldn't do anything, went to a doctor and apparently had hormone and thyroid issues. Sure it wasnt depression, but the experience was the same, and if i didn't get help the result would probably be the same. So even though i misdiagnosed, it still saved my life.", ">\n\nI (56f) and Kid (32f) were both tested & diagnosed as being ASD last year. We have both been dealing with anxiety for years and depression, I also have manic episodes which finally lead to a BPD diagnosis as well in my late 40s. \nIt's not that less women are autistic, believe me I used to think the same thing, but in actuality, women are very under diagnosed. Women and men don't present with the same characteristics in a number of conditions ASD being one of them.\nMales and females tend to present differently with ADD / ADHD, which happens to be a comorbid condition, that's really not all that surprising.\nIn hindsight I can see my autism clearly. And in as much as I wish that I would have been properly diagnosed when I was young, because my path would have been much different, I know that it was impossible. There were boys with hyperactivity, but ADD/ ADHD did not exist in my childhood. \nIt's difficult to wrangle and understand this diagnosis, much less at such a late part of my life. As I learn more about it I find myself continually saying \"that's why I do that?!?\" \nAnd while I try to understand it better, the thought of someone thinking that I'm doing this for attention, or because it's trendy, is mind blowing.\nAt the same time, there's a lot I agree with you on. Thanks to the internet we have a whole lot of Google doctors and internet hypochondriacs who self diagnose. Doctors are subjected to patients who self-diagnosed and because of commercials will tell them exactly what medication they need thanks to the commercials they have watched. \nWhat bothers me most I think is that the people you describe, are being so complacent about autism, that it removes any urgency in dealing with it.", ">\n\nYou know this dude is a benzo addict and about to lose his ability to practice psychology right?", ">\n\nWhat?", ">\n\nYou’d be surprised. Not always but a good amount lol" ]

[]

[ "It absolutely blows my mind how often people will draw guns during a disagreement without any thought or fear about being locked away in prison and ruining the rest of their lives." ]

[ "It absolutely blows my mind how often people will draw guns during a disagreement without any thought or fear about being locked away in prison and ruining the rest of their lives.", ">\n\nThis is a known problem with humans. Relying on \"fear of consequences\" often fails as a prevention strategy. If one truly wants to stop a certain kind of act, we need different approaches." ]

[ "It absolutely blows my mind how often people will draw guns during a disagreement without any thought or fear about being locked away in prison and ruining the rest of their lives.", ">\n\nThis is a known problem with humans. Relying on \"fear of consequences\" often fails as a prevention strategy. If one truly wants to stop a certain kind of act, we need different approaches.", ">\n\nI always remember the part in The Green Mile where John Coffey sees Wild Bill Wharton's memory of killing the two girls and says \"he used their love of each other against them\" or something to that effect. \nI wonder if the rates of spontaneous murders would decrease if the law punished the murderers parents or children instead of themselves. \nNot proposing this as a real world solution. Just interested how convicted killers would respond to this. Those who lashed out in the heat of the moments." ]

[ "It absolutely blows my mind how often people will draw guns during a disagreement without any thought or fear about being locked away in prison and ruining the rest of their lives.", ">\n\nThis is a known problem with humans. Relying on \"fear of consequences\" often fails as a prevention strategy. If one truly wants to stop a certain kind of act, we need different approaches.", ">\n\nI always remember the part in The Green Mile where John Coffey sees Wild Bill Wharton's memory of killing the two girls and says \"he used their love of each other against them\" or something to that effect. \nI wonder if the rates of spontaneous murders would decrease if the law punished the murderers parents or children instead of themselves. \nNot proposing this as a real world solution. Just interested how convicted killers would respond to this. Those who lashed out in the heat of the moments.", ">\n\nToo many sociopaths and or psychopaths who wouldn't give two shits. Why should more innocent people suffer because someone else lacks empathy?? Maybe we should start jailing politicians and those who funnel money to politicians who male big profits from selling guns like the NRA and gun manufacturers. That males more sense than torturing more innocent people" ]

[ "It absolutely blows my mind how often people will draw guns during a disagreement without any thought or fear about being locked away in prison and ruining the rest of their lives.", ">\n\nThis is a known problem with humans. Relying on \"fear of consequences\" often fails as a prevention strategy. If one truly wants to stop a certain kind of act, we need different approaches.", ">\n\nI always remember the part in The Green Mile where John Coffey sees Wild Bill Wharton's memory of killing the two girls and says \"he used their love of each other against them\" or something to that effect. \nI wonder if the rates of spontaneous murders would decrease if the law punished the murderers parents or children instead of themselves. \nNot proposing this as a real world solution. Just interested how convicted killers would respond to this. Those who lashed out in the heat of the moments.", ">\n\nToo many sociopaths and or psychopaths who wouldn't give two shits. Why should more innocent people suffer because someone else lacks empathy?? Maybe we should start jailing politicians and those who funnel money to politicians who male big profits from selling guns like the NRA and gun manufacturers. That males more sense than torturing more innocent people", ">\n\nFirst, I'm not saying this is a sensible solution. It's just a question. \nSecond, I'm not talking about sociopaths and psychopaths or anyone with mental illness. I'm referring to the normal, everyday person who, for whatever reason, gets so irate over something that they need to flex their muscles, lose control and pull out a gun as if it is totally reasonable response. \nI'm thinking of the guy who shot his neighbours because the party music was too loud and felt belittled when they didn't turn it down, so shot his neighbour dead. \nWould someone like him behave differently if he knew it was someone he loved, rather than his drunk ass self that paid the price for his actions? I'm sure there's a \"I don't give a fuck\" thought that goes through people's minds when these random acts of violence occur. \nDefinitely agree with you on the NRA. How they are not considered a terrorist organisation in the US is beyond me." ]

[ "It absolutely blows my mind how often people will draw guns during a disagreement without any thought or fear about being locked away in prison and ruining the rest of their lives.", ">\n\nThis is a known problem with humans. Relying on \"fear of consequences\" often fails as a prevention strategy. If one truly wants to stop a certain kind of act, we need different approaches.", ">\n\nI always remember the part in The Green Mile where John Coffey sees Wild Bill Wharton's memory of killing the two girls and says \"he used their love of each other against them\" or something to that effect. \nI wonder if the rates of spontaneous murders would decrease if the law punished the murderers parents or children instead of themselves. \nNot proposing this as a real world solution. Just interested how convicted killers would respond to this. Those who lashed out in the heat of the moments.", ">\n\nToo many sociopaths and or psychopaths who wouldn't give two shits. Why should more innocent people suffer because someone else lacks empathy?? Maybe we should start jailing politicians and those who funnel money to politicians who male big profits from selling guns like the NRA and gun manufacturers. That males more sense than torturing more innocent people", ">\n\nFirst, I'm not saying this is a sensible solution. It's just a question. \nSecond, I'm not talking about sociopaths and psychopaths or anyone with mental illness. I'm referring to the normal, everyday person who, for whatever reason, gets so irate over something that they need to flex their muscles, lose control and pull out a gun as if it is totally reasonable response. \nI'm thinking of the guy who shot his neighbours because the party music was too loud and felt belittled when they didn't turn it down, so shot his neighbour dead. \nWould someone like him behave differently if he knew it was someone he loved, rather than his drunk ass self that paid the price for his actions? I'm sure there's a \"I don't give a fuck\" thought that goes through people's minds when these random acts of violence occur. \nDefinitely agree with you on the NRA. How they are not considered a terrorist organisation in the US is beyond me.", ">\n\nNo way to be able to distinguish a sociopath or psychopath. Not like it shows up on an xray, blood test or ultrasound.\nThe guy who shot his neighbors because their music was too loud is most likely a fucking psycho who was utterly incable of empathy or has a serious mental health problem with reality. Either way, not sure why his family should go to jail. \nPlenty of us have nothing to do with our families because we do have sociopaths in them, and they've caused us enough harm already. Why would you think we deserve to be tortured further for their decisions?? Sociopaths are notorious for believing nothing is their fault. Everyone else should suffer, and they never take accountable. So why give them another out?? Hold criminals responsible not their families" ]

[ "It absolutely blows my mind how often people will draw guns during a disagreement without any thought or fear about being locked away in prison and ruining the rest of their lives.", ">\n\nThis is a known problem with humans. Relying on \"fear of consequences\" often fails as a prevention strategy. If one truly wants to stop a certain kind of act, we need different approaches.", ">\n\nI always remember the part in The Green Mile where John Coffey sees Wild Bill Wharton's memory of killing the two girls and says \"he used their love of each other against them\" or something to that effect. \nI wonder if the rates of spontaneous murders would decrease if the law punished the murderers parents or children instead of themselves. \nNot proposing this as a real world solution. Just interested how convicted killers would respond to this. Those who lashed out in the heat of the moments.", ">\n\nToo many sociopaths and or psychopaths who wouldn't give two shits. Why should more innocent people suffer because someone else lacks empathy?? Maybe we should start jailing politicians and those who funnel money to politicians who male big profits from selling guns like the NRA and gun manufacturers. That males more sense than torturing more innocent people", ">\n\nFirst, I'm not saying this is a sensible solution. It's just a question. \nSecond, I'm not talking about sociopaths and psychopaths or anyone with mental illness. I'm referring to the normal, everyday person who, for whatever reason, gets so irate over something that they need to flex their muscles, lose control and pull out a gun as if it is totally reasonable response. \nI'm thinking of the guy who shot his neighbours because the party music was too loud and felt belittled when they didn't turn it down, so shot his neighbour dead. \nWould someone like him behave differently if he knew it was someone he loved, rather than his drunk ass self that paid the price for his actions? I'm sure there's a \"I don't give a fuck\" thought that goes through people's minds when these random acts of violence occur. \nDefinitely agree with you on the NRA. How they are not considered a terrorist organisation in the US is beyond me.", ">\n\nNo way to be able to distinguish a sociopath or psychopath. Not like it shows up on an xray, blood test or ultrasound.\nThe guy who shot his neighbors because their music was too loud is most likely a fucking psycho who was utterly incable of empathy or has a serious mental health problem with reality. Either way, not sure why his family should go to jail. \nPlenty of us have nothing to do with our families because we do have sociopaths in them, and they've caused us enough harm already. Why would you think we deserve to be tortured further for their decisions?? Sociopaths are notorious for believing nothing is their fault. Everyone else should suffer, and they never take accountable. So why give them another out?? Hold criminals responsible not their families", ">\n\nThere are medically defined diagnoses of sociopathic and psychopathic behaviour. \nThere's no x-ray, blood test or ultrasound to detect schizophrenia, Asbergers or autism, but we know these conditions exist. \nAnyway, you're missing my point completely. Let's leave it. You sound too young or angry and incapable of a reasonable discussion." ]

[ "It absolutely blows my mind how often people will draw guns during a disagreement without any thought or fear about being locked away in prison and ruining the rest of their lives.", ">\n\nThis is a known problem with humans. Relying on \"fear of consequences\" often fails as a prevention strategy. If one truly wants to stop a certain kind of act, we need different approaches.", ">\n\nI always remember the part in The Green Mile where John Coffey sees Wild Bill Wharton's memory of killing the two girls and says \"he used their love of each other against them\" or something to that effect. \nI wonder if the rates of spontaneous murders would decrease if the law punished the murderers parents or children instead of themselves. \nNot proposing this as a real world solution. Just interested how convicted killers would respond to this. Those who lashed out in the heat of the moments.", ">\n\nToo many sociopaths and or psychopaths who wouldn't give two shits. Why should more innocent people suffer because someone else lacks empathy?? Maybe we should start jailing politicians and those who funnel money to politicians who male big profits from selling guns like the NRA and gun manufacturers. That males more sense than torturing more innocent people", ">\n\nFirst, I'm not saying this is a sensible solution. It's just a question. \nSecond, I'm not talking about sociopaths and psychopaths or anyone with mental illness. I'm referring to the normal, everyday person who, for whatever reason, gets so irate over something that they need to flex their muscles, lose control and pull out a gun as if it is totally reasonable response. \nI'm thinking of the guy who shot his neighbours because the party music was too loud and felt belittled when they didn't turn it down, so shot his neighbour dead. \nWould someone like him behave differently if he knew it was someone he loved, rather than his drunk ass self that paid the price for his actions? I'm sure there's a \"I don't give a fuck\" thought that goes through people's minds when these random acts of violence occur. \nDefinitely agree with you on the NRA. How they are not considered a terrorist organisation in the US is beyond me.", ">\n\nNo way to be able to distinguish a sociopath or psychopath. Not like it shows up on an xray, blood test or ultrasound.\nThe guy who shot his neighbors because their music was too loud is most likely a fucking psycho who was utterly incable of empathy or has a serious mental health problem with reality. Either way, not sure why his family should go to jail. \nPlenty of us have nothing to do with our families because we do have sociopaths in them, and they've caused us enough harm already. Why would you think we deserve to be tortured further for their decisions?? Sociopaths are notorious for believing nothing is their fault. Everyone else should suffer, and they never take accountable. So why give them another out?? Hold criminals responsible not their families", ">\n\nThere are medically defined diagnoses of sociopathic and psychopathic behaviour. \nThere's no x-ray, blood test or ultrasound to detect schizophrenia, Asbergers or autism, but we know these conditions exist. \nAnyway, you're missing my point completely. Let's leave it. You sound too young or angry and incapable of a reasonable discussion.", ">\n\nMedically defined, but not so easily diagnosed. That's key. \nI'M incapable of a reasonable discussion with someone who thinks family members of those who commit atrocities should be punished instead of the actual criminal??🤣🤣🤣 You're projecting, cupcake. You're not even capable of critical thinking, let alone being \"reasonable\"" ]

[ "It absolutely blows my mind how often people will draw guns during a disagreement without any thought or fear about being locked away in prison and ruining the rest of their lives.", ">\n\nThis is a known problem with humans. Relying on \"fear of consequences\" often fails as a prevention strategy. If one truly wants to stop a certain kind of act, we need different approaches.", ">\n\nI always remember the part in The Green Mile where John Coffey sees Wild Bill Wharton's memory of killing the two girls and says \"he used their love of each other against them\" or something to that effect. \nI wonder if the rates of spontaneous murders would decrease if the law punished the murderers parents or children instead of themselves. \nNot proposing this as a real world solution. Just interested how convicted killers would respond to this. Those who lashed out in the heat of the moments.", ">\n\nToo many sociopaths and or psychopaths who wouldn't give two shits. Why should more innocent people suffer because someone else lacks empathy?? Maybe we should start jailing politicians and those who funnel money to politicians who male big profits from selling guns like the NRA and gun manufacturers. That males more sense than torturing more innocent people", ">\n\nFirst, I'm not saying this is a sensible solution. It's just a question. \nSecond, I'm not talking about sociopaths and psychopaths or anyone with mental illness. I'm referring to the normal, everyday person who, for whatever reason, gets so irate over something that they need to flex their muscles, lose control and pull out a gun as if it is totally reasonable response. \nI'm thinking of the guy who shot his neighbours because the party music was too loud and felt belittled when they didn't turn it down, so shot his neighbour dead. \nWould someone like him behave differently if he knew it was someone he loved, rather than his drunk ass self that paid the price for his actions? I'm sure there's a \"I don't give a fuck\" thought that goes through people's minds when these random acts of violence occur. \nDefinitely agree with you on the NRA. How they are not considered a terrorist organisation in the US is beyond me.", ">\n\nNo way to be able to distinguish a sociopath or psychopath. Not like it shows up on an xray, blood test or ultrasound.\nThe guy who shot his neighbors because their music was too loud is most likely a fucking psycho who was utterly incable of empathy or has a serious mental health problem with reality. Either way, not sure why his family should go to jail. \nPlenty of us have nothing to do with our families because we do have sociopaths in them, and they've caused us enough harm already. Why would you think we deserve to be tortured further for their decisions?? Sociopaths are notorious for believing nothing is their fault. Everyone else should suffer, and they never take accountable. So why give them another out?? Hold criminals responsible not their families", ">\n\nThere are medically defined diagnoses of sociopathic and psychopathic behaviour. \nThere's no x-ray, blood test or ultrasound to detect schizophrenia, Asbergers or autism, but we know these conditions exist. \nAnyway, you're missing my point completely. Let's leave it. You sound too young or angry and incapable of a reasonable discussion.", ">\n\nMedically defined, but not so easily diagnosed. That's key. \nI'M incapable of a reasonable discussion with someone who thinks family members of those who commit atrocities should be punished instead of the actual criminal??🤣🤣🤣 You're projecting, cupcake. You're not even capable of critical thinking, let alone being \"reasonable\"", ">\n\n\nShots were fired over a \"disagreement of some sort\" following \"MLK Car Show and Family Fun Day\"\n\nSad when parents have to be on high alert at a \"family fun day,\" not knowing if shitheads are about to engage in a gunfight over what I'm sure was a stupid i issue." ]

[ "It absolutely blows my mind how often people will draw guns during a disagreement without any thought or fear about being locked away in prison and ruining the rest of their lives.", ">\n\nThis is a known problem with humans. Relying on \"fear of consequences\" often fails as a prevention strategy. If one truly wants to stop a certain kind of act, we need different approaches.", ">\n\nI always remember the part in The Green Mile where John Coffey sees Wild Bill Wharton's memory of killing the two girls and says \"he used their love of each other against them\" or something to that effect. \nI wonder if the rates of spontaneous murders would decrease if the law punished the murderers parents or children instead of themselves. \nNot proposing this as a real world solution. Just interested how convicted killers would respond to this. Those who lashed out in the heat of the moments.", ">\n\nToo many sociopaths and or psychopaths who wouldn't give two shits. Why should more innocent people suffer because someone else lacks empathy?? Maybe we should start jailing politicians and those who funnel money to politicians who male big profits from selling guns like the NRA and gun manufacturers. That males more sense than torturing more innocent people", ">\n\nFirst, I'm not saying this is a sensible solution. It's just a question. \nSecond, I'm not talking about sociopaths and psychopaths or anyone with mental illness. I'm referring to the normal, everyday person who, for whatever reason, gets so irate over something that they need to flex their muscles, lose control and pull out a gun as if it is totally reasonable response. \nI'm thinking of the guy who shot his neighbours because the party music was too loud and felt belittled when they didn't turn it down, so shot his neighbour dead. \nWould someone like him behave differently if he knew it was someone he loved, rather than his drunk ass self that paid the price for his actions? I'm sure there's a \"I don't give a fuck\" thought that goes through people's minds when these random acts of violence occur. \nDefinitely agree with you on the NRA. How they are not considered a terrorist organisation in the US is beyond me.", ">\n\nNo way to be able to distinguish a sociopath or psychopath. Not like it shows up on an xray, blood test or ultrasound.\nThe guy who shot his neighbors because their music was too loud is most likely a fucking psycho who was utterly incable of empathy or has a serious mental health problem with reality. Either way, not sure why his family should go to jail. \nPlenty of us have nothing to do with our families because we do have sociopaths in them, and they've caused us enough harm already. Why would you think we deserve to be tortured further for their decisions?? Sociopaths are notorious for believing nothing is their fault. Everyone else should suffer, and they never take accountable. So why give them another out?? Hold criminals responsible not their families", ">\n\nThere are medically defined diagnoses of sociopathic and psychopathic behaviour. \nThere's no x-ray, blood test or ultrasound to detect schizophrenia, Asbergers or autism, but we know these conditions exist. \nAnyway, you're missing my point completely. Let's leave it. You sound too young or angry and incapable of a reasonable discussion.", ">\n\nMedically defined, but not so easily diagnosed. That's key. \nI'M incapable of a reasonable discussion with someone who thinks family members of those who commit atrocities should be punished instead of the actual criminal??🤣🤣🤣 You're projecting, cupcake. You're not even capable of critical thinking, let alone being \"reasonable\"", ">\n\n\nShots were fired over a \"disagreement of some sort\" following \"MLK Car Show and Family Fun Day\"\n\nSad when parents have to be on high alert at a \"family fun day,\" not knowing if shitheads are about to engage in a gunfight over what I'm sure was a stupid i issue.", ">\n\nWe're in the finding out phase of fucking around with looser gun restrictions.\nEdit: lol downvoted for pointing out the obvious. Never change America... otherwise we might have nice things." ]

[ "It absolutely blows my mind how often people will draw guns during a disagreement without any thought or fear about being locked away in prison and ruining the rest of their lives.", ">\n\nThis is a known problem with humans. Relying on \"fear of consequences\" often fails as a prevention strategy. If one truly wants to stop a certain kind of act, we need different approaches.", ">\n\nI always remember the part in The Green Mile where John Coffey sees Wild Bill Wharton's memory of killing the two girls and says \"he used their love of each other against them\" or something to that effect. \nI wonder if the rates of spontaneous murders would decrease if the law punished the murderers parents or children instead of themselves. \nNot proposing this as a real world solution. Just interested how convicted killers would respond to this. Those who lashed out in the heat of the moments.", ">\n\nToo many sociopaths and or psychopaths who wouldn't give two shits. Why should more innocent people suffer because someone else lacks empathy?? Maybe we should start jailing politicians and those who funnel money to politicians who male big profits from selling guns like the NRA and gun manufacturers. That males more sense than torturing more innocent people", ">\n\nFirst, I'm not saying this is a sensible solution. It's just a question. \nSecond, I'm not talking about sociopaths and psychopaths or anyone with mental illness. I'm referring to the normal, everyday person who, for whatever reason, gets so irate over something that they need to flex their muscles, lose control and pull out a gun as if it is totally reasonable response. \nI'm thinking of the guy who shot his neighbours because the party music was too loud and felt belittled when they didn't turn it down, so shot his neighbour dead. \nWould someone like him behave differently if he knew it was someone he loved, rather than his drunk ass self that paid the price for his actions? I'm sure there's a \"I don't give a fuck\" thought that goes through people's minds when these random acts of violence occur. \nDefinitely agree with you on the NRA. How they are not considered a terrorist organisation in the US is beyond me.", ">\n\nNo way to be able to distinguish a sociopath or psychopath. Not like it shows up on an xray, blood test or ultrasound.\nThe guy who shot his neighbors because their music was too loud is most likely a fucking psycho who was utterly incable of empathy or has a serious mental health problem with reality. Either way, not sure why his family should go to jail. \nPlenty of us have nothing to do with our families because we do have sociopaths in them, and they've caused us enough harm already. Why would you think we deserve to be tortured further for their decisions?? Sociopaths are notorious for believing nothing is their fault. Everyone else should suffer, and they never take accountable. So why give them another out?? Hold criminals responsible not their families", ">\n\nThere are medically defined diagnoses of sociopathic and psychopathic behaviour. \nThere's no x-ray, blood test or ultrasound to detect schizophrenia, Asbergers or autism, but we know these conditions exist. \nAnyway, you're missing my point completely. Let's leave it. You sound too young or angry and incapable of a reasonable discussion.", ">\n\nMedically defined, but not so easily diagnosed. That's key. \nI'M incapable of a reasonable discussion with someone who thinks family members of those who commit atrocities should be punished instead of the actual criminal??🤣🤣🤣 You're projecting, cupcake. You're not even capable of critical thinking, let alone being \"reasonable\"", ">\n\n\nShots were fired over a \"disagreement of some sort\" following \"MLK Car Show and Family Fun Day\"\n\nSad when parents have to be on high alert at a \"family fun day,\" not knowing if shitheads are about to engage in a gunfight over what I'm sure was a stupid i issue.", ">\n\nWe're in the finding out phase of fucking around with looser gun restrictions.\nEdit: lol downvoted for pointing out the obvious. Never change America... otherwise we might have nice things.", ">\n\nI said nothing about assault weapons." ]

[ "It absolutely blows my mind how often people will draw guns during a disagreement without any thought or fear about being locked away in prison and ruining the rest of their lives.", ">\n\nThis is a known problem with humans. Relying on \"fear of consequences\" often fails as a prevention strategy. If one truly wants to stop a certain kind of act, we need different approaches.", ">\n\nI always remember the part in The Green Mile where John Coffey sees Wild Bill Wharton's memory of killing the two girls and says \"he used their love of each other against them\" or something to that effect. \nI wonder if the rates of spontaneous murders would decrease if the law punished the murderers parents or children instead of themselves. \nNot proposing this as a real world solution. Just interested how convicted killers would respond to this. Those who lashed out in the heat of the moments.", ">\n\nToo many sociopaths and or psychopaths who wouldn't give two shits. Why should more innocent people suffer because someone else lacks empathy?? Maybe we should start jailing politicians and those who funnel money to politicians who male big profits from selling guns like the NRA and gun manufacturers. That males more sense than torturing more innocent people", ">\n\nFirst, I'm not saying this is a sensible solution. It's just a question. \nSecond, I'm not talking about sociopaths and psychopaths or anyone with mental illness. I'm referring to the normal, everyday person who, for whatever reason, gets so irate over something that they need to flex their muscles, lose control and pull out a gun as if it is totally reasonable response. \nI'm thinking of the guy who shot his neighbours because the party music was too loud and felt belittled when they didn't turn it down, so shot his neighbour dead. \nWould someone like him behave differently if he knew it was someone he loved, rather than his drunk ass self that paid the price for his actions? I'm sure there's a \"I don't give a fuck\" thought that goes through people's minds when these random acts of violence occur. \nDefinitely agree with you on the NRA. How they are not considered a terrorist organisation in the US is beyond me.", ">\n\nNo way to be able to distinguish a sociopath or psychopath. Not like it shows up on an xray, blood test or ultrasound.\nThe guy who shot his neighbors because their music was too loud is most likely a fucking psycho who was utterly incable of empathy or has a serious mental health problem with reality. Either way, not sure why his family should go to jail. \nPlenty of us have nothing to do with our families because we do have sociopaths in them, and they've caused us enough harm already. Why would you think we deserve to be tortured further for their decisions?? Sociopaths are notorious for believing nothing is their fault. Everyone else should suffer, and they never take accountable. So why give them another out?? Hold criminals responsible not their families", ">\n\nThere are medically defined diagnoses of sociopathic and psychopathic behaviour. \nThere's no x-ray, blood test or ultrasound to detect schizophrenia, Asbergers or autism, but we know these conditions exist. \nAnyway, you're missing my point completely. Let's leave it. You sound too young or angry and incapable of a reasonable discussion.", ">\n\nMedically defined, but not so easily diagnosed. That's key. \nI'M incapable of a reasonable discussion with someone who thinks family members of those who commit atrocities should be punished instead of the actual criminal??🤣🤣🤣 You're projecting, cupcake. You're not even capable of critical thinking, let alone being \"reasonable\"", ">\n\n\nShots were fired over a \"disagreement of some sort\" following \"MLK Car Show and Family Fun Day\"\n\nSad when parents have to be on high alert at a \"family fun day,\" not knowing if shitheads are about to engage in a gunfight over what I'm sure was a stupid i issue.", ">\n\nWe're in the finding out phase of fucking around with looser gun restrictions.\nEdit: lol downvoted for pointing out the obvious. Never change America... otherwise we might have nice things.", ">\n\nI said nothing about assault weapons.", ">\n\nYou can bet that the people doing the shooting were carrying those guns illegally. It’s almost as if violent criminals don’t care about gun laws.\nI’m not saying we don’t need gun law reform, I’m just saying you shouldn’t expect anything to change if we pass them." ]

[ "It absolutely blows my mind how often people will draw guns during a disagreement without any thought or fear about being locked away in prison and ruining the rest of their lives.", ">\n\nThis is a known problem with humans. Relying on \"fear of consequences\" often fails as a prevention strategy. If one truly wants to stop a certain kind of act, we need different approaches.", ">\n\nI always remember the part in The Green Mile where John Coffey sees Wild Bill Wharton's memory of killing the two girls and says \"he used their love of each other against them\" or something to that effect. \nI wonder if the rates of spontaneous murders would decrease if the law punished the murderers parents or children instead of themselves. \nNot proposing this as a real world solution. Just interested how convicted killers would respond to this. Those who lashed out in the heat of the moments.", ">\n\nToo many sociopaths and or psychopaths who wouldn't give two shits. Why should more innocent people suffer because someone else lacks empathy?? Maybe we should start jailing politicians and those who funnel money to politicians who male big profits from selling guns like the NRA and gun manufacturers. That males more sense than torturing more innocent people", ">\n\nFirst, I'm not saying this is a sensible solution. It's just a question. \nSecond, I'm not talking about sociopaths and psychopaths or anyone with mental illness. I'm referring to the normal, everyday person who, for whatever reason, gets so irate over something that they need to flex their muscles, lose control and pull out a gun as if it is totally reasonable response. \nI'm thinking of the guy who shot his neighbours because the party music was too loud and felt belittled when they didn't turn it down, so shot his neighbour dead. \nWould someone like him behave differently if he knew it was someone he loved, rather than his drunk ass self that paid the price for his actions? I'm sure there's a \"I don't give a fuck\" thought that goes through people's minds when these random acts of violence occur. \nDefinitely agree with you on the NRA. How they are not considered a terrorist organisation in the US is beyond me.", ">\n\nNo way to be able to distinguish a sociopath or psychopath. Not like it shows up on an xray, blood test or ultrasound.\nThe guy who shot his neighbors because their music was too loud is most likely a fucking psycho who was utterly incable of empathy or has a serious mental health problem with reality. Either way, not sure why his family should go to jail. \nPlenty of us have nothing to do with our families because we do have sociopaths in them, and they've caused us enough harm already. Why would you think we deserve to be tortured further for their decisions?? Sociopaths are notorious for believing nothing is their fault. Everyone else should suffer, and they never take accountable. So why give them another out?? Hold criminals responsible not their families", ">\n\nThere are medically defined diagnoses of sociopathic and psychopathic behaviour. \nThere's no x-ray, blood test or ultrasound to detect schizophrenia, Asbergers or autism, but we know these conditions exist. \nAnyway, you're missing my point completely. Let's leave it. You sound too young or angry and incapable of a reasonable discussion.", ">\n\nMedically defined, but not so easily diagnosed. That's key. \nI'M incapable of a reasonable discussion with someone who thinks family members of those who commit atrocities should be punished instead of the actual criminal??🤣🤣🤣 You're projecting, cupcake. You're not even capable of critical thinking, let alone being \"reasonable\"", ">\n\n\nShots were fired over a \"disagreement of some sort\" following \"MLK Car Show and Family Fun Day\"\n\nSad when parents have to be on high alert at a \"family fun day,\" not knowing if shitheads are about to engage in a gunfight over what I'm sure was a stupid i issue.", ">\n\nWe're in the finding out phase of fucking around with looser gun restrictions.\nEdit: lol downvoted for pointing out the obvious. Never change America... otherwise we might have nice things.", ">\n\nI said nothing about assault weapons.", ">\n\nYou can bet that the people doing the shooting were carrying those guns illegally. It’s almost as if violent criminals don’t care about gun laws.\nI’m not saying we don’t need gun law reform, I’m just saying you shouldn’t expect anything to change if we pass them.", ">\n\nWell, yes and no. It’s easy to look abroad and make comparisons, but in 99% of cases there is 1 distinct difference. They never had any/many guns to begin with. We also shouldn’t forget to mention all the countries that have lots of guns, but little/no gun crime.\nDoing nothing isn’t the answer (I’m not a 2a proponent), but it’s a much more complicated issue that just guns. Easy access to firearms is a big issue, but so is rampant income equality, a dwindling underfunded educational system, generational poverty, etc. the stats are easy to find, we know that the vast majority of violent gun crime (Excl suicide) happens in impoverished urban areas. With more guns than people in this country, any laws that manage to get passed (let’s be real, it’s unlikely) will take multiple decades to take affect. So let’s also focus on all the other too." ]

[ "It absolutely blows my mind how often people will draw guns during a disagreement without any thought or fear about being locked away in prison and ruining the rest of their lives.", ">\n\nThis is a known problem with humans. Relying on \"fear of consequences\" often fails as a prevention strategy. If one truly wants to stop a certain kind of act, we need different approaches.", ">\n\nI always remember the part in The Green Mile where John Coffey sees Wild Bill Wharton's memory of killing the two girls and says \"he used their love of each other against them\" or something to that effect. \nI wonder if the rates of spontaneous murders would decrease if the law punished the murderers parents or children instead of themselves. \nNot proposing this as a real world solution. Just interested how convicted killers would respond to this. Those who lashed out in the heat of the moments.", ">\n\nToo many sociopaths and or psychopaths who wouldn't give two shits. Why should more innocent people suffer because someone else lacks empathy?? Maybe we should start jailing politicians and those who funnel money to politicians who male big profits from selling guns like the NRA and gun manufacturers. That males more sense than torturing more innocent people", ">\n\nFirst, I'm not saying this is a sensible solution. It's just a question. \nSecond, I'm not talking about sociopaths and psychopaths or anyone with mental illness. I'm referring to the normal, everyday person who, for whatever reason, gets so irate over something that they need to flex their muscles, lose control and pull out a gun as if it is totally reasonable response. \nI'm thinking of the guy who shot his neighbours because the party music was too loud and felt belittled when they didn't turn it down, so shot his neighbour dead. \nWould someone like him behave differently if he knew it was someone he loved, rather than his drunk ass self that paid the price for his actions? I'm sure there's a \"I don't give a fuck\" thought that goes through people's minds when these random acts of violence occur. \nDefinitely agree with you on the NRA. How they are not considered a terrorist organisation in the US is beyond me.", ">\n\nNo way to be able to distinguish a sociopath or psychopath. Not like it shows up on an xray, blood test or ultrasound.\nThe guy who shot his neighbors because their music was too loud is most likely a fucking psycho who was utterly incable of empathy or has a serious mental health problem with reality. Either way, not sure why his family should go to jail. \nPlenty of us have nothing to do with our families because we do have sociopaths in them, and they've caused us enough harm already. Why would you think we deserve to be tortured further for their decisions?? Sociopaths are notorious for believing nothing is their fault. Everyone else should suffer, and they never take accountable. So why give them another out?? Hold criminals responsible not their families", ">\n\nThere are medically defined diagnoses of sociopathic and psychopathic behaviour. \nThere's no x-ray, blood test or ultrasound to detect schizophrenia, Asbergers or autism, but we know these conditions exist. \nAnyway, you're missing my point completely. Let's leave it. You sound too young or angry and incapable of a reasonable discussion.", ">\n\nMedically defined, but not so easily diagnosed. That's key. \nI'M incapable of a reasonable discussion with someone who thinks family members of those who commit atrocities should be punished instead of the actual criminal??🤣🤣🤣 You're projecting, cupcake. You're not even capable of critical thinking, let alone being \"reasonable\"", ">\n\n\nShots were fired over a \"disagreement of some sort\" following \"MLK Car Show and Family Fun Day\"\n\nSad when parents have to be on high alert at a \"family fun day,\" not knowing if shitheads are about to engage in a gunfight over what I'm sure was a stupid i issue.", ">\n\nWe're in the finding out phase of fucking around with looser gun restrictions.\nEdit: lol downvoted for pointing out the obvious. Never change America... otherwise we might have nice things.", ">\n\nI said nothing about assault weapons.", ">\n\nYou can bet that the people doing the shooting were carrying those guns illegally. It’s almost as if violent criminals don’t care about gun laws.\nI’m not saying we don’t need gun law reform, I’m just saying you shouldn’t expect anything to change if we pass them.", ">\n\nWell, yes and no. It’s easy to look abroad and make comparisons, but in 99% of cases there is 1 distinct difference. They never had any/many guns to begin with. We also shouldn’t forget to mention all the countries that have lots of guns, but little/no gun crime.\nDoing nothing isn’t the answer (I’m not a 2a proponent), but it’s a much more complicated issue that just guns. Easy access to firearms is a big issue, but so is rampant income equality, a dwindling underfunded educational system, generational poverty, etc. the stats are easy to find, we know that the vast majority of violent gun crime (Excl suicide) happens in impoverished urban areas. With more guns than people in this country, any laws that manage to get passed (let’s be real, it’s unlikely) will take multiple decades to take affect. So let’s also focus on all the other too.", ">\n\nThere are lots of them. Canada, Iceland, Finland, Austria, Norway to name a few." ]

[ "It absolutely blows my mind how often people will draw guns during a disagreement without any thought or fear about being locked away in prison and ruining the rest of their lives.", ">\n\nThis is a known problem with humans. Relying on \"fear of consequences\" often fails as a prevention strategy. If one truly wants to stop a certain kind of act, we need different approaches.", ">\n\nI always remember the part in The Green Mile where John Coffey sees Wild Bill Wharton's memory of killing the two girls and says \"he used their love of each other against them\" or something to that effect. \nI wonder if the rates of spontaneous murders would decrease if the law punished the murderers parents or children instead of themselves. \nNot proposing this as a real world solution. Just interested how convicted killers would respond to this. Those who lashed out in the heat of the moments.", ">\n\nToo many sociopaths and or psychopaths who wouldn't give two shits. Why should more innocent people suffer because someone else lacks empathy?? Maybe we should start jailing politicians and those who funnel money to politicians who male big profits from selling guns like the NRA and gun manufacturers. That males more sense than torturing more innocent people", ">\n\nFirst, I'm not saying this is a sensible solution. It's just a question. \nSecond, I'm not talking about sociopaths and psychopaths or anyone with mental illness. I'm referring to the normal, everyday person who, for whatever reason, gets so irate over something that they need to flex their muscles, lose control and pull out a gun as if it is totally reasonable response. \nI'm thinking of the guy who shot his neighbours because the party music was too loud and felt belittled when they didn't turn it down, so shot his neighbour dead. \nWould someone like him behave differently if he knew it was someone he loved, rather than his drunk ass self that paid the price for his actions? I'm sure there's a \"I don't give a fuck\" thought that goes through people's minds when these random acts of violence occur. \nDefinitely agree with you on the NRA. How they are not considered a terrorist organisation in the US is beyond me.", ">\n\nNo way to be able to distinguish a sociopath or psychopath. Not like it shows up on an xray, blood test or ultrasound.\nThe guy who shot his neighbors because their music was too loud is most likely a fucking psycho who was utterly incable of empathy or has a serious mental health problem with reality. Either way, not sure why his family should go to jail. \nPlenty of us have nothing to do with our families because we do have sociopaths in them, and they've caused us enough harm already. Why would you think we deserve to be tortured further for their decisions?? Sociopaths are notorious for believing nothing is their fault. Everyone else should suffer, and they never take accountable. So why give them another out?? Hold criminals responsible not their families", ">\n\nThere are medically defined diagnoses of sociopathic and psychopathic behaviour. \nThere's no x-ray, blood test or ultrasound to detect schizophrenia, Asbergers or autism, but we know these conditions exist. \nAnyway, you're missing my point completely. Let's leave it. You sound too young or angry and incapable of a reasonable discussion.", ">\n\nMedically defined, but not so easily diagnosed. That's key. \nI'M incapable of a reasonable discussion with someone who thinks family members of those who commit atrocities should be punished instead of the actual criminal??🤣🤣🤣 You're projecting, cupcake. You're not even capable of critical thinking, let alone being \"reasonable\"", ">\n\n\nShots were fired over a \"disagreement of some sort\" following \"MLK Car Show and Family Fun Day\"\n\nSad when parents have to be on high alert at a \"family fun day,\" not knowing if shitheads are about to engage in a gunfight over what I'm sure was a stupid i issue.", ">\n\nWe're in the finding out phase of fucking around with looser gun restrictions.\nEdit: lol downvoted for pointing out the obvious. Never change America... otherwise we might have nice things.", ">\n\nI said nothing about assault weapons.", ">\n\nYou can bet that the people doing the shooting were carrying those guns illegally. It’s almost as if violent criminals don’t care about gun laws.\nI’m not saying we don’t need gun law reform, I’m just saying you shouldn’t expect anything to change if we pass them.", ">\n\nWell, yes and no. It’s easy to look abroad and make comparisons, but in 99% of cases there is 1 distinct difference. They never had any/many guns to begin with. We also shouldn’t forget to mention all the countries that have lots of guns, but little/no gun crime.\nDoing nothing isn’t the answer (I’m not a 2a proponent), but it’s a much more complicated issue that just guns. Easy access to firearms is a big issue, but so is rampant income equality, a dwindling underfunded educational system, generational poverty, etc. the stats are easy to find, we know that the vast majority of violent gun crime (Excl suicide) happens in impoverished urban areas. With more guns than people in this country, any laws that manage to get passed (let’s be real, it’s unlikely) will take multiple decades to take affect. So let’s also focus on all the other too.", ">\n\nThere are lots of them. Canada, Iceland, Finland, Austria, Norway to name a few.", ">\n\nWas from the hood. No longer go to many hood events cuz of this. The vast majority of people are great, but there are just so many young kids who just don’t give a fuck.\nEdit: changed “am” to “was”. I think it’s important to the comment to make it known I’m no longer in the hood." ]

[ "It absolutely blows my mind how often people will draw guns during a disagreement without any thought or fear about being locked away in prison and ruining the rest of their lives.", ">\n\nThis is a known problem with humans. Relying on \"fear of consequences\" often fails as a prevention strategy. If one truly wants to stop a certain kind of act, we need different approaches.", ">\n\nI always remember the part in The Green Mile where John Coffey sees Wild Bill Wharton's memory of killing the two girls and says \"he used their love of each other against them\" or something to that effect. \nI wonder if the rates of spontaneous murders would decrease if the law punished the murderers parents or children instead of themselves. \nNot proposing this as a real world solution. Just interested how convicted killers would respond to this. Those who lashed out in the heat of the moments.", ">\n\nToo many sociopaths and or psychopaths who wouldn't give two shits. Why should more innocent people suffer because someone else lacks empathy?? Maybe we should start jailing politicians and those who funnel money to politicians who male big profits from selling guns like the NRA and gun manufacturers. That males more sense than torturing more innocent people", ">\n\nFirst, I'm not saying this is a sensible solution. It's just a question. \nSecond, I'm not talking about sociopaths and psychopaths or anyone with mental illness. I'm referring to the normal, everyday person who, for whatever reason, gets so irate over something that they need to flex their muscles, lose control and pull out a gun as if it is totally reasonable response. \nI'm thinking of the guy who shot his neighbours because the party music was too loud and felt belittled when they didn't turn it down, so shot his neighbour dead. \nWould someone like him behave differently if he knew it was someone he loved, rather than his drunk ass self that paid the price for his actions? I'm sure there's a \"I don't give a fuck\" thought that goes through people's minds when these random acts of violence occur. \nDefinitely agree with you on the NRA. How they are not considered a terrorist organisation in the US is beyond me.", ">\n\nNo way to be able to distinguish a sociopath or psychopath. Not like it shows up on an xray, blood test or ultrasound.\nThe guy who shot his neighbors because their music was too loud is most likely a fucking psycho who was utterly incable of empathy or has a serious mental health problem with reality. Either way, not sure why his family should go to jail. \nPlenty of us have nothing to do with our families because we do have sociopaths in them, and they've caused us enough harm already. Why would you think we deserve to be tortured further for their decisions?? Sociopaths are notorious for believing nothing is their fault. Everyone else should suffer, and they never take accountable. So why give them another out?? Hold criminals responsible not their families", ">\n\nThere are medically defined diagnoses of sociopathic and psychopathic behaviour. \nThere's no x-ray, blood test or ultrasound to detect schizophrenia, Asbergers or autism, but we know these conditions exist. \nAnyway, you're missing my point completely. Let's leave it. You sound too young or angry and incapable of a reasonable discussion.", ">\n\nMedically defined, but not so easily diagnosed. That's key. \nI'M incapable of a reasonable discussion with someone who thinks family members of those who commit atrocities should be punished instead of the actual criminal??🤣🤣🤣 You're projecting, cupcake. You're not even capable of critical thinking, let alone being \"reasonable\"", ">\n\n\nShots were fired over a \"disagreement of some sort\" following \"MLK Car Show and Family Fun Day\"\n\nSad when parents have to be on high alert at a \"family fun day,\" not knowing if shitheads are about to engage in a gunfight over what I'm sure was a stupid i issue.", ">\n\nWe're in the finding out phase of fucking around with looser gun restrictions.\nEdit: lol downvoted for pointing out the obvious. Never change America... otherwise we might have nice things.", ">\n\nI said nothing about assault weapons.", ">\n\nYou can bet that the people doing the shooting were carrying those guns illegally. It’s almost as if violent criminals don’t care about gun laws.\nI’m not saying we don’t need gun law reform, I’m just saying you shouldn’t expect anything to change if we pass them.", ">\n\nWell, yes and no. It’s easy to look abroad and make comparisons, but in 99% of cases there is 1 distinct difference. They never had any/many guns to begin with. We also shouldn’t forget to mention all the countries that have lots of guns, but little/no gun crime.\nDoing nothing isn’t the answer (I’m not a 2a proponent), but it’s a much more complicated issue that just guns. Easy access to firearms is a big issue, but so is rampant income equality, a dwindling underfunded educational system, generational poverty, etc. the stats are easy to find, we know that the vast majority of violent gun crime (Excl suicide) happens in impoverished urban areas. With more guns than people in this country, any laws that manage to get passed (let’s be real, it’s unlikely) will take multiple decades to take affect. So let’s also focus on all the other too.", ">\n\nThere are lots of them. Canada, Iceland, Finland, Austria, Norway to name a few.", ">\n\nWas from the hood. No longer go to many hood events cuz of this. The vast majority of people are great, but there are just so many young kids who just don’t give a fuck.\nEdit: changed “am” to “was”. I think it’s important to the comment to make it known I’m no longer in the hood.", ">\n\nTbh it’s not just young kids but young men. So many dudes get stuck in the game and it’s their only way to live." ]

[ "It absolutely blows my mind how often people will draw guns during a disagreement without any thought or fear about being locked away in prison and ruining the rest of their lives.", ">\n\nThis is a known problem with humans. Relying on \"fear of consequences\" often fails as a prevention strategy. If one truly wants to stop a certain kind of act, we need different approaches.", ">\n\nI always remember the part in The Green Mile where John Coffey sees Wild Bill Wharton's memory of killing the two girls and says \"he used their love of each other against them\" or something to that effect. \nI wonder if the rates of spontaneous murders would decrease if the law punished the murderers parents or children instead of themselves. \nNot proposing this as a real world solution. Just interested how convicted killers would respond to this. Those who lashed out in the heat of the moments.", ">\n\nToo many sociopaths and or psychopaths who wouldn't give two shits. Why should more innocent people suffer because someone else lacks empathy?? Maybe we should start jailing politicians and those who funnel money to politicians who male big profits from selling guns like the NRA and gun manufacturers. That males more sense than torturing more innocent people", ">\n\nFirst, I'm not saying this is a sensible solution. It's just a question. \nSecond, I'm not talking about sociopaths and psychopaths or anyone with mental illness. I'm referring to the normal, everyday person who, for whatever reason, gets so irate over something that they need to flex their muscles, lose control and pull out a gun as if it is totally reasonable response. \nI'm thinking of the guy who shot his neighbours because the party music was too loud and felt belittled when they didn't turn it down, so shot his neighbour dead. \nWould someone like him behave differently if he knew it was someone he loved, rather than his drunk ass self that paid the price for his actions? I'm sure there's a \"I don't give a fuck\" thought that goes through people's minds when these random acts of violence occur. \nDefinitely agree with you on the NRA. How they are not considered a terrorist organisation in the US is beyond me.", ">\n\nNo way to be able to distinguish a sociopath or psychopath. Not like it shows up on an xray, blood test or ultrasound.\nThe guy who shot his neighbors because their music was too loud is most likely a fucking psycho who was utterly incable of empathy or has a serious mental health problem with reality. Either way, not sure why his family should go to jail. \nPlenty of us have nothing to do with our families because we do have sociopaths in them, and they've caused us enough harm already. Why would you think we deserve to be tortured further for their decisions?? Sociopaths are notorious for believing nothing is their fault. Everyone else should suffer, and they never take accountable. So why give them another out?? Hold criminals responsible not their families", ">\n\nThere are medically defined diagnoses of sociopathic and psychopathic behaviour. \nThere's no x-ray, blood test or ultrasound to detect schizophrenia, Asbergers or autism, but we know these conditions exist. \nAnyway, you're missing my point completely. Let's leave it. You sound too young or angry and incapable of a reasonable discussion.", ">\n\nMedically defined, but not so easily diagnosed. That's key. \nI'M incapable of a reasonable discussion with someone who thinks family members of those who commit atrocities should be punished instead of the actual criminal??🤣🤣🤣 You're projecting, cupcake. You're not even capable of critical thinking, let alone being \"reasonable\"", ">\n\n\nShots were fired over a \"disagreement of some sort\" following \"MLK Car Show and Family Fun Day\"\n\nSad when parents have to be on high alert at a \"family fun day,\" not knowing if shitheads are about to engage in a gunfight over what I'm sure was a stupid i issue.", ">\n\nWe're in the finding out phase of fucking around with looser gun restrictions.\nEdit: lol downvoted for pointing out the obvious. Never change America... otherwise we might have nice things.", ">\n\nI said nothing about assault weapons.", ">\n\nYou can bet that the people doing the shooting were carrying those guns illegally. It’s almost as if violent criminals don’t care about gun laws.\nI’m not saying we don’t need gun law reform, I’m just saying you shouldn’t expect anything to change if we pass them.", ">\n\nWell, yes and no. It’s easy to look abroad and make comparisons, but in 99% of cases there is 1 distinct difference. They never had any/many guns to begin with. We also shouldn’t forget to mention all the countries that have lots of guns, but little/no gun crime.\nDoing nothing isn’t the answer (I’m not a 2a proponent), but it’s a much more complicated issue that just guns. Easy access to firearms is a big issue, but so is rampant income equality, a dwindling underfunded educational system, generational poverty, etc. the stats are easy to find, we know that the vast majority of violent gun crime (Excl suicide) happens in impoverished urban areas. With more guns than people in this country, any laws that manage to get passed (let’s be real, it’s unlikely) will take multiple decades to take affect. So let’s also focus on all the other too.", ">\n\nThere are lots of them. Canada, Iceland, Finland, Austria, Norway to name a few.", ">\n\nWas from the hood. No longer go to many hood events cuz of this. The vast majority of people are great, but there are just so many young kids who just don’t give a fuck.\nEdit: changed “am” to “was”. I think it’s important to the comment to make it known I’m no longer in the hood.", ">\n\nTbh it’s not just young kids but young men. So many dudes get stuck in the game and it’s their only way to live.", ">\n\nIt’s sad and insane that I read the cause was gang related and thought “oh good, at least it wasn’t a hate crime.”" ]

[ "It absolutely blows my mind how often people will draw guns during a disagreement without any thought or fear about being locked away in prison and ruining the rest of their lives.", ">\n\nThis is a known problem with humans. Relying on \"fear of consequences\" often fails as a prevention strategy. If one truly wants to stop a certain kind of act, we need different approaches.", ">\n\nI always remember the part in The Green Mile where John Coffey sees Wild Bill Wharton's memory of killing the two girls and says \"he used their love of each other against them\" or something to that effect. \nI wonder if the rates of spontaneous murders would decrease if the law punished the murderers parents or children instead of themselves. \nNot proposing this as a real world solution. Just interested how convicted killers would respond to this. Those who lashed out in the heat of the moments.", ">\n\nToo many sociopaths and or psychopaths who wouldn't give two shits. Why should more innocent people suffer because someone else lacks empathy?? Maybe we should start jailing politicians and those who funnel money to politicians who male big profits from selling guns like the NRA and gun manufacturers. That males more sense than torturing more innocent people", ">\n\nFirst, I'm not saying this is a sensible solution. It's just a question. \nSecond, I'm not talking about sociopaths and psychopaths or anyone with mental illness. I'm referring to the normal, everyday person who, for whatever reason, gets so irate over something that they need to flex their muscles, lose control and pull out a gun as if it is totally reasonable response. \nI'm thinking of the guy who shot his neighbours because the party music was too loud and felt belittled when they didn't turn it down, so shot his neighbour dead. \nWould someone like him behave differently if he knew it was someone he loved, rather than his drunk ass self that paid the price for his actions? I'm sure there's a \"I don't give a fuck\" thought that goes through people's minds when these random acts of violence occur. \nDefinitely agree with you on the NRA. How they are not considered a terrorist organisation in the US is beyond me.", ">\n\nNo way to be able to distinguish a sociopath or psychopath. Not like it shows up on an xray, blood test or ultrasound.\nThe guy who shot his neighbors because their music was too loud is most likely a fucking psycho who was utterly incable of empathy or has a serious mental health problem with reality. Either way, not sure why his family should go to jail. \nPlenty of us have nothing to do with our families because we do have sociopaths in them, and they've caused us enough harm already. Why would you think we deserve to be tortured further for their decisions?? Sociopaths are notorious for believing nothing is their fault. Everyone else should suffer, and they never take accountable. So why give them another out?? Hold criminals responsible not their families", ">\n\nThere are medically defined diagnoses of sociopathic and psychopathic behaviour. \nThere's no x-ray, blood test or ultrasound to detect schizophrenia, Asbergers or autism, but we know these conditions exist. \nAnyway, you're missing my point completely. Let's leave it. You sound too young or angry and incapable of a reasonable discussion.", ">\n\nMedically defined, but not so easily diagnosed. That's key. \nI'M incapable of a reasonable discussion with someone who thinks family members of those who commit atrocities should be punished instead of the actual criminal??🤣🤣🤣 You're projecting, cupcake. You're not even capable of critical thinking, let alone being \"reasonable\"", ">\n\n\nShots were fired over a \"disagreement of some sort\" following \"MLK Car Show and Family Fun Day\"\n\nSad when parents have to be on high alert at a \"family fun day,\" not knowing if shitheads are about to engage in a gunfight over what I'm sure was a stupid i issue.", ">\n\nWe're in the finding out phase of fucking around with looser gun restrictions.\nEdit: lol downvoted for pointing out the obvious. Never change America... otherwise we might have nice things.", ">\n\nI said nothing about assault weapons.", ">\n\nYou can bet that the people doing the shooting were carrying those guns illegally. It’s almost as if violent criminals don’t care about gun laws.\nI’m not saying we don’t need gun law reform, I’m just saying you shouldn’t expect anything to change if we pass them.", ">\n\nWell, yes and no. It’s easy to look abroad and make comparisons, but in 99% of cases there is 1 distinct difference. They never had any/many guns to begin with. We also shouldn’t forget to mention all the countries that have lots of guns, but little/no gun crime.\nDoing nothing isn’t the answer (I’m not a 2a proponent), but it’s a much more complicated issue that just guns. Easy access to firearms is a big issue, but so is rampant income equality, a dwindling underfunded educational system, generational poverty, etc. the stats are easy to find, we know that the vast majority of violent gun crime (Excl suicide) happens in impoverished urban areas. With more guns than people in this country, any laws that manage to get passed (let’s be real, it’s unlikely) will take multiple decades to take affect. So let’s also focus on all the other too.", ">\n\nThere are lots of them. Canada, Iceland, Finland, Austria, Norway to name a few.", ">\n\nWas from the hood. No longer go to many hood events cuz of this. The vast majority of people are great, but there are just so many young kids who just don’t give a fuck.\nEdit: changed “am” to “was”. I think it’s important to the comment to make it known I’m no longer in the hood.", ">\n\nTbh it’s not just young kids but young men. So many dudes get stuck in the game and it’s their only way to live.", ">\n\nIt’s sad and insane that I read the cause was gang related and thought “oh good, at least it wasn’t a hate crime.”", ">\n\nDonno about that, someone was being a hater to get shot... I'll see myself out." ]

[ "It absolutely blows my mind how often people will draw guns during a disagreement without any thought or fear about being locked away in prison and ruining the rest of their lives.", ">\n\nThis is a known problem with humans. Relying on \"fear of consequences\" often fails as a prevention strategy. If one truly wants to stop a certain kind of act, we need different approaches.", ">\n\nI always remember the part in The Green Mile where John Coffey sees Wild Bill Wharton's memory of killing the two girls and says \"he used their love of each other against them\" or something to that effect. \nI wonder if the rates of spontaneous murders would decrease if the law punished the murderers parents or children instead of themselves. \nNot proposing this as a real world solution. Just interested how convicted killers would respond to this. Those who lashed out in the heat of the moments.", ">\n\nToo many sociopaths and or psychopaths who wouldn't give two shits. Why should more innocent people suffer because someone else lacks empathy?? Maybe we should start jailing politicians and those who funnel money to politicians who male big profits from selling guns like the NRA and gun manufacturers. That males more sense than torturing more innocent people", ">\n\nFirst, I'm not saying this is a sensible solution. It's just a question. \nSecond, I'm not talking about sociopaths and psychopaths or anyone with mental illness. I'm referring to the normal, everyday person who, for whatever reason, gets so irate over something that they need to flex their muscles, lose control and pull out a gun as if it is totally reasonable response. \nI'm thinking of the guy who shot his neighbours because the party music was too loud and felt belittled when they didn't turn it down, so shot his neighbour dead. \nWould someone like him behave differently if he knew it was someone he loved, rather than his drunk ass self that paid the price for his actions? I'm sure there's a \"I don't give a fuck\" thought that goes through people's minds when these random acts of violence occur. \nDefinitely agree with you on the NRA. How they are not considered a terrorist organisation in the US is beyond me.", ">\n\nNo way to be able to distinguish a sociopath or psychopath. Not like it shows up on an xray, blood test or ultrasound.\nThe guy who shot his neighbors because their music was too loud is most likely a fucking psycho who was utterly incable of empathy or has a serious mental health problem with reality. Either way, not sure why his family should go to jail. \nPlenty of us have nothing to do with our families because we do have sociopaths in them, and they've caused us enough harm already. Why would you think we deserve to be tortured further for their decisions?? Sociopaths are notorious for believing nothing is their fault. Everyone else should suffer, and they never take accountable. So why give them another out?? Hold criminals responsible not their families", ">\n\nThere are medically defined diagnoses of sociopathic and psychopathic behaviour. \nThere's no x-ray, blood test or ultrasound to detect schizophrenia, Asbergers or autism, but we know these conditions exist. \nAnyway, you're missing my point completely. Let's leave it. You sound too young or angry and incapable of a reasonable discussion.", ">\n\nMedically defined, but not so easily diagnosed. That's key. \nI'M incapable of a reasonable discussion with someone who thinks family members of those who commit atrocities should be punished instead of the actual criminal??🤣🤣🤣 You're projecting, cupcake. You're not even capable of critical thinking, let alone being \"reasonable\"", ">\n\n\nShots were fired over a \"disagreement of some sort\" following \"MLK Car Show and Family Fun Day\"\n\nSad when parents have to be on high alert at a \"family fun day,\" not knowing if shitheads are about to engage in a gunfight over what I'm sure was a stupid i issue.", ">\n\nWe're in the finding out phase of fucking around with looser gun restrictions.\nEdit: lol downvoted for pointing out the obvious. Never change America... otherwise we might have nice things.", ">\n\nI said nothing about assault weapons.", ">\n\nYou can bet that the people doing the shooting were carrying those guns illegally. It’s almost as if violent criminals don’t care about gun laws.\nI’m not saying we don’t need gun law reform, I’m just saying you shouldn’t expect anything to change if we pass them.", ">\n\nWell, yes and no. It’s easy to look abroad and make comparisons, but in 99% of cases there is 1 distinct difference. They never had any/many guns to begin with. We also shouldn’t forget to mention all the countries that have lots of guns, but little/no gun crime.\nDoing nothing isn’t the answer (I’m not a 2a proponent), but it’s a much more complicated issue that just guns. Easy access to firearms is a big issue, but so is rampant income equality, a dwindling underfunded educational system, generational poverty, etc. the stats are easy to find, we know that the vast majority of violent gun crime (Excl suicide) happens in impoverished urban areas. With more guns than people in this country, any laws that manage to get passed (let’s be real, it’s unlikely) will take multiple decades to take affect. So let’s also focus on all the other too.", ">\n\nThere are lots of them. Canada, Iceland, Finland, Austria, Norway to name a few.", ">\n\nWas from the hood. No longer go to many hood events cuz of this. The vast majority of people are great, but there are just so many young kids who just don’t give a fuck.\nEdit: changed “am” to “was”. I think it’s important to the comment to make it known I’m no longer in the hood.", ">\n\nTbh it’s not just young kids but young men. So many dudes get stuck in the game and it’s their only way to live.", ">\n\nIt’s sad and insane that I read the cause was gang related and thought “oh good, at least it wasn’t a hate crime.”", ">\n\nDonno about that, someone was being a hater to get shot... I'll see myself out.", ">\n\nJFC, nice “family event”." ]

[ "It absolutely blows my mind how often people will draw guns during a disagreement without any thought or fear about being locked away in prison and ruining the rest of their lives.", ">\n\nThis is a known problem with humans. Relying on \"fear of consequences\" often fails as a prevention strategy. If one truly wants to stop a certain kind of act, we need different approaches.", ">\n\nI always remember the part in The Green Mile where John Coffey sees Wild Bill Wharton's memory of killing the two girls and says \"he used their love of each other against them\" or something to that effect. \nI wonder if the rates of spontaneous murders would decrease if the law punished the murderers parents or children instead of themselves. \nNot proposing this as a real world solution. Just interested how convicted killers would respond to this. Those who lashed out in the heat of the moments.", ">\n\nToo many sociopaths and or psychopaths who wouldn't give two shits. Why should more innocent people suffer because someone else lacks empathy?? Maybe we should start jailing politicians and those who funnel money to politicians who male big profits from selling guns like the NRA and gun manufacturers. That males more sense than torturing more innocent people", ">\n\nFirst, I'm not saying this is a sensible solution. It's just a question. \nSecond, I'm not talking about sociopaths and psychopaths or anyone with mental illness. I'm referring to the normal, everyday person who, for whatever reason, gets so irate over something that they need to flex their muscles, lose control and pull out a gun as if it is totally reasonable response. \nI'm thinking of the guy who shot his neighbours because the party music was too loud and felt belittled when they didn't turn it down, so shot his neighbour dead. \nWould someone like him behave differently if he knew it was someone he loved, rather than his drunk ass self that paid the price for his actions? I'm sure there's a \"I don't give a fuck\" thought that goes through people's minds when these random acts of violence occur. \nDefinitely agree with you on the NRA. How they are not considered a terrorist organisation in the US is beyond me.", ">\n\nNo way to be able to distinguish a sociopath or psychopath. Not like it shows up on an xray, blood test or ultrasound.\nThe guy who shot his neighbors because their music was too loud is most likely a fucking psycho who was utterly incable of empathy or has a serious mental health problem with reality. Either way, not sure why his family should go to jail. \nPlenty of us have nothing to do with our families because we do have sociopaths in them, and they've caused us enough harm already. Why would you think we deserve to be tortured further for their decisions?? Sociopaths are notorious for believing nothing is their fault. Everyone else should suffer, and they never take accountable. So why give them another out?? Hold criminals responsible not their families", ">\n\nThere are medically defined diagnoses of sociopathic and psychopathic behaviour. \nThere's no x-ray, blood test or ultrasound to detect schizophrenia, Asbergers or autism, but we know these conditions exist. \nAnyway, you're missing my point completely. Let's leave it. You sound too young or angry and incapable of a reasonable discussion.", ">\n\nMedically defined, but not so easily diagnosed. That's key. \nI'M incapable of a reasonable discussion with someone who thinks family members of those who commit atrocities should be punished instead of the actual criminal??🤣🤣🤣 You're projecting, cupcake. You're not even capable of critical thinking, let alone being \"reasonable\"", ">\n\n\nShots were fired over a \"disagreement of some sort\" following \"MLK Car Show and Family Fun Day\"\n\nSad when parents have to be on high alert at a \"family fun day,\" not knowing if shitheads are about to engage in a gunfight over what I'm sure was a stupid i issue.", ">\n\nWe're in the finding out phase of fucking around with looser gun restrictions.\nEdit: lol downvoted for pointing out the obvious. Never change America... otherwise we might have nice things.", ">\n\nI said nothing about assault weapons.", ">\n\nYou can bet that the people doing the shooting were carrying those guns illegally. It’s almost as if violent criminals don’t care about gun laws.\nI’m not saying we don’t need gun law reform, I’m just saying you shouldn’t expect anything to change if we pass them.", ">\n\nWell, yes and no. It’s easy to look abroad and make comparisons, but in 99% of cases there is 1 distinct difference. They never had any/many guns to begin with. We also shouldn’t forget to mention all the countries that have lots of guns, but little/no gun crime.\nDoing nothing isn’t the answer (I’m not a 2a proponent), but it’s a much more complicated issue that just guns. Easy access to firearms is a big issue, but so is rampant income equality, a dwindling underfunded educational system, generational poverty, etc. the stats are easy to find, we know that the vast majority of violent gun crime (Excl suicide) happens in impoverished urban areas. With more guns than people in this country, any laws that manage to get passed (let’s be real, it’s unlikely) will take multiple decades to take affect. So let’s also focus on all the other too.", ">\n\nThere are lots of them. Canada, Iceland, Finland, Austria, Norway to name a few.", ">\n\nWas from the hood. No longer go to many hood events cuz of this. The vast majority of people are great, but there are just so many young kids who just don’t give a fuck.\nEdit: changed “am” to “was”. I think it’s important to the comment to make it known I’m no longer in the hood.", ">\n\nTbh it’s not just young kids but young men. So many dudes get stuck in the game and it’s their only way to live.", ">\n\nIt’s sad and insane that I read the cause was gang related and thought “oh good, at least it wasn’t a hate crime.”", ">\n\nDonno about that, someone was being a hater to get shot... I'll see myself out.", ">\n\nJFC, nice “family event”.", ">\n\nDamnit. I often click on stories like this from Florida, morbidly curious if it happens to be anyone I know. Which is silly, as it’s a big state and I live in a tiny town. \nSo imagine my surprise to learn of a mass shooting in my tiny town via national news coverage on Reddit. I checked the local paper, but it doesn’t seem to have any new or updated information that this CBS News article doesn’t already share. \nIs it too early to drink yet?" ]

[ "It absolutely blows my mind how often people will draw guns during a disagreement without any thought or fear about being locked away in prison and ruining the rest of their lives.", ">\n\nThis is a known problem with humans. Relying on \"fear of consequences\" often fails as a prevention strategy. If one truly wants to stop a certain kind of act, we need different approaches.", ">\n\nI always remember the part in The Green Mile where John Coffey sees Wild Bill Wharton's memory of killing the two girls and says \"he used their love of each other against them\" or something to that effect. \nI wonder if the rates of spontaneous murders would decrease if the law punished the murderers parents or children instead of themselves. \nNot proposing this as a real world solution. Just interested how convicted killers would respond to this. Those who lashed out in the heat of the moments.", ">\n\nToo many sociopaths and or psychopaths who wouldn't give two shits. Why should more innocent people suffer because someone else lacks empathy?? Maybe we should start jailing politicians and those who funnel money to politicians who male big profits from selling guns like the NRA and gun manufacturers. That males more sense than torturing more innocent people", ">\n\nFirst, I'm not saying this is a sensible solution. It's just a question. \nSecond, I'm not talking about sociopaths and psychopaths or anyone with mental illness. I'm referring to the normal, everyday person who, for whatever reason, gets so irate over something that they need to flex their muscles, lose control and pull out a gun as if it is totally reasonable response. \nI'm thinking of the guy who shot his neighbours because the party music was too loud and felt belittled when they didn't turn it down, so shot his neighbour dead. \nWould someone like him behave differently if he knew it was someone he loved, rather than his drunk ass self that paid the price for his actions? I'm sure there's a \"I don't give a fuck\" thought that goes through people's minds when these random acts of violence occur. \nDefinitely agree with you on the NRA. How they are not considered a terrorist organisation in the US is beyond me.", ">\n\nNo way to be able to distinguish a sociopath or psychopath. Not like it shows up on an xray, blood test or ultrasound.\nThe guy who shot his neighbors because their music was too loud is most likely a fucking psycho who was utterly incable of empathy or has a serious mental health problem with reality. Either way, not sure why his family should go to jail. \nPlenty of us have nothing to do with our families because we do have sociopaths in them, and they've caused us enough harm already. Why would you think we deserve to be tortured further for their decisions?? Sociopaths are notorious for believing nothing is their fault. Everyone else should suffer, and they never take accountable. So why give them another out?? Hold criminals responsible not their families", ">\n\nThere are medically defined diagnoses of sociopathic and psychopathic behaviour. \nThere's no x-ray, blood test or ultrasound to detect schizophrenia, Asbergers or autism, but we know these conditions exist. \nAnyway, you're missing my point completely. Let's leave it. You sound too young or angry and incapable of a reasonable discussion.", ">\n\nMedically defined, but not so easily diagnosed. That's key. \nI'M incapable of a reasonable discussion with someone who thinks family members of those who commit atrocities should be punished instead of the actual criminal??🤣🤣🤣 You're projecting, cupcake. You're not even capable of critical thinking, let alone being \"reasonable\"", ">\n\n\nShots were fired over a \"disagreement of some sort\" following \"MLK Car Show and Family Fun Day\"\n\nSad when parents have to be on high alert at a \"family fun day,\" not knowing if shitheads are about to engage in a gunfight over what I'm sure was a stupid i issue.", ">\n\nWe're in the finding out phase of fucking around with looser gun restrictions.\nEdit: lol downvoted for pointing out the obvious. Never change America... otherwise we might have nice things.", ">\n\nI said nothing about assault weapons.", ">\n\nYou can bet that the people doing the shooting were carrying those guns illegally. It’s almost as if violent criminals don’t care about gun laws.\nI’m not saying we don’t need gun law reform, I’m just saying you shouldn’t expect anything to change if we pass them.", ">\n\nWell, yes and no. It’s easy to look abroad and make comparisons, but in 99% of cases there is 1 distinct difference. They never had any/many guns to begin with. We also shouldn’t forget to mention all the countries that have lots of guns, but little/no gun crime.\nDoing nothing isn’t the answer (I’m not a 2a proponent), but it’s a much more complicated issue that just guns. Easy access to firearms is a big issue, but so is rampant income equality, a dwindling underfunded educational system, generational poverty, etc. the stats are easy to find, we know that the vast majority of violent gun crime (Excl suicide) happens in impoverished urban areas. With more guns than people in this country, any laws that manage to get passed (let’s be real, it’s unlikely) will take multiple decades to take affect. So let’s also focus on all the other too.", ">\n\nThere are lots of them. Canada, Iceland, Finland, Austria, Norway to name a few.", ">\n\nWas from the hood. No longer go to many hood events cuz of this. The vast majority of people are great, but there are just so many young kids who just don’t give a fuck.\nEdit: changed “am” to “was”. I think it’s important to the comment to make it known I’m no longer in the hood.", ">\n\nTbh it’s not just young kids but young men. So many dudes get stuck in the game and it’s their only way to live.", ">\n\nIt’s sad and insane that I read the cause was gang related and thought “oh good, at least it wasn’t a hate crime.”", ">\n\nDonno about that, someone was being a hater to get shot... I'll see myself out.", ">\n\nJFC, nice “family event”.", ">\n\nDamnit. I often click on stories like this from Florida, morbidly curious if it happens to be anyone I know. Which is silly, as it’s a big state and I live in a tiny town. \nSo imagine my surprise to learn of a mass shooting in my tiny town via national news coverage on Reddit. I checked the local paper, but it doesn’t seem to have any new or updated information that this CBS News article doesn’t already share. \nIs it too early to drink yet?", ">\n\nI grew up in that town as well. Not that gangs aren’t present, but it’s more likely just an argument occurred. People in that town are very quickly to get violent for no reason. 90% lack the brain cells to do anything else" ]

[ "It absolutely blows my mind how often people will draw guns during a disagreement without any thought or fear about being locked away in prison and ruining the rest of their lives.", ">\n\nThis is a known problem with humans. Relying on \"fear of consequences\" often fails as a prevention strategy. If one truly wants to stop a certain kind of act, we need different approaches.", ">\n\nI always remember the part in The Green Mile where John Coffey sees Wild Bill Wharton's memory of killing the two girls and says \"he used their love of each other against them\" or something to that effect. \nI wonder if the rates of spontaneous murders would decrease if the law punished the murderers parents or children instead of themselves. \nNot proposing this as a real world solution. Just interested how convicted killers would respond to this. Those who lashed out in the heat of the moments.", ">\n\nToo many sociopaths and or psychopaths who wouldn't give two shits. Why should more innocent people suffer because someone else lacks empathy?? Maybe we should start jailing politicians and those who funnel money to politicians who male big profits from selling guns like the NRA and gun manufacturers. That males more sense than torturing more innocent people", ">\n\nFirst, I'm not saying this is a sensible solution. It's just a question. \nSecond, I'm not talking about sociopaths and psychopaths or anyone with mental illness. I'm referring to the normal, everyday person who, for whatever reason, gets so irate over something that they need to flex their muscles, lose control and pull out a gun as if it is totally reasonable response. \nI'm thinking of the guy who shot his neighbours because the party music was too loud and felt belittled when they didn't turn it down, so shot his neighbour dead. \nWould someone like him behave differently if he knew it was someone he loved, rather than his drunk ass self that paid the price for his actions? I'm sure there's a \"I don't give a fuck\" thought that goes through people's minds when these random acts of violence occur. \nDefinitely agree with you on the NRA. How they are not considered a terrorist organisation in the US is beyond me.", ">\n\nNo way to be able to distinguish a sociopath or psychopath. Not like it shows up on an xray, blood test or ultrasound.\nThe guy who shot his neighbors because their music was too loud is most likely a fucking psycho who was utterly incable of empathy or has a serious mental health problem with reality. Either way, not sure why his family should go to jail. \nPlenty of us have nothing to do with our families because we do have sociopaths in them, and they've caused us enough harm already. Why would you think we deserve to be tortured further for their decisions?? Sociopaths are notorious for believing nothing is their fault. Everyone else should suffer, and they never take accountable. So why give them another out?? Hold criminals responsible not their families", ">\n\nThere are medically defined diagnoses of sociopathic and psychopathic behaviour. \nThere's no x-ray, blood test or ultrasound to detect schizophrenia, Asbergers or autism, but we know these conditions exist. \nAnyway, you're missing my point completely. Let's leave it. You sound too young or angry and incapable of a reasonable discussion.", ">\n\nMedically defined, but not so easily diagnosed. That's key. \nI'M incapable of a reasonable discussion with someone who thinks family members of those who commit atrocities should be punished instead of the actual criminal??🤣🤣🤣 You're projecting, cupcake. You're not even capable of critical thinking, let alone being \"reasonable\"", ">\n\n\nShots were fired over a \"disagreement of some sort\" following \"MLK Car Show and Family Fun Day\"\n\nSad when parents have to be on high alert at a \"family fun day,\" not knowing if shitheads are about to engage in a gunfight over what I'm sure was a stupid i issue.", ">\n\nWe're in the finding out phase of fucking around with looser gun restrictions.\nEdit: lol downvoted for pointing out the obvious. Never change America... otherwise we might have nice things.", ">\n\nI said nothing about assault weapons.", ">\n\nYou can bet that the people doing the shooting were carrying those guns illegally. It’s almost as if violent criminals don’t care about gun laws.\nI’m not saying we don’t need gun law reform, I’m just saying you shouldn’t expect anything to change if we pass them.", ">\n\nWell, yes and no. It’s easy to look abroad and make comparisons, but in 99% of cases there is 1 distinct difference. They never had any/many guns to begin with. We also shouldn’t forget to mention all the countries that have lots of guns, but little/no gun crime.\nDoing nothing isn’t the answer (I’m not a 2a proponent), but it’s a much more complicated issue that just guns. Easy access to firearms is a big issue, but so is rampant income equality, a dwindling underfunded educational system, generational poverty, etc. the stats are easy to find, we know that the vast majority of violent gun crime (Excl suicide) happens in impoverished urban areas. With more guns than people in this country, any laws that manage to get passed (let’s be real, it’s unlikely) will take multiple decades to take affect. So let’s also focus on all the other too.", ">\n\nThere are lots of them. Canada, Iceland, Finland, Austria, Norway to name a few.", ">\n\nWas from the hood. No longer go to many hood events cuz of this. The vast majority of people are great, but there are just so many young kids who just don’t give a fuck.\nEdit: changed “am” to “was”. I think it’s important to the comment to make it known I’m no longer in the hood.", ">\n\nTbh it’s not just young kids but young men. So many dudes get stuck in the game and it’s their only way to live.", ">\n\nIt’s sad and insane that I read the cause was gang related and thought “oh good, at least it wasn’t a hate crime.”", ">\n\nDonno about that, someone was being a hater to get shot... I'll see myself out.", ">\n\nJFC, nice “family event”.", ">\n\nDamnit. I often click on stories like this from Florida, morbidly curious if it happens to be anyone I know. Which is silly, as it’s a big state and I live in a tiny town. \nSo imagine my surprise to learn of a mass shooting in my tiny town via national news coverage on Reddit. I checked the local paper, but it doesn’t seem to have any new or updated information that this CBS News article doesn’t already share. \nIs it too early to drink yet?", ">\n\nI grew up in that town as well. Not that gangs aren’t present, but it’s more likely just an argument occurred. People in that town are very quickly to get violent for no reason. 90% lack the brain cells to do anything else", ">\n\nShit like this is why the aliens lock their doors when they pass by Earth" ]

[ "It absolutely blows my mind how often people will draw guns during a disagreement without any thought or fear about being locked away in prison and ruining the rest of their lives.", ">\n\nThis is a known problem with humans. Relying on \"fear of consequences\" often fails as a prevention strategy. If one truly wants to stop a certain kind of act, we need different approaches.", ">\n\nI always remember the part in The Green Mile where John Coffey sees Wild Bill Wharton's memory of killing the two girls and says \"he used their love of each other against them\" or something to that effect. \nI wonder if the rates of spontaneous murders would decrease if the law punished the murderers parents or children instead of themselves. \nNot proposing this as a real world solution. Just interested how convicted killers would respond to this. Those who lashed out in the heat of the moments.", ">\n\nToo many sociopaths and or psychopaths who wouldn't give two shits. Why should more innocent people suffer because someone else lacks empathy?? Maybe we should start jailing politicians and those who funnel money to politicians who male big profits from selling guns like the NRA and gun manufacturers. That males more sense than torturing more innocent people", ">\n\nFirst, I'm not saying this is a sensible solution. It's just a question. \nSecond, I'm not talking about sociopaths and psychopaths or anyone with mental illness. I'm referring to the normal, everyday person who, for whatever reason, gets so irate over something that they need to flex their muscles, lose control and pull out a gun as if it is totally reasonable response. \nI'm thinking of the guy who shot his neighbours because the party music was too loud and felt belittled when they didn't turn it down, so shot his neighbour dead. \nWould someone like him behave differently if he knew it was someone he loved, rather than his drunk ass self that paid the price for his actions? I'm sure there's a \"I don't give a fuck\" thought that goes through people's minds when these random acts of violence occur. \nDefinitely agree with you on the NRA. How they are not considered a terrorist organisation in the US is beyond me.", ">\n\nNo way to be able to distinguish a sociopath or psychopath. Not like it shows up on an xray, blood test or ultrasound.\nThe guy who shot his neighbors because their music was too loud is most likely a fucking psycho who was utterly incable of empathy or has a serious mental health problem with reality. Either way, not sure why his family should go to jail. \nPlenty of us have nothing to do with our families because we do have sociopaths in them, and they've caused us enough harm already. Why would you think we deserve to be tortured further for their decisions?? Sociopaths are notorious for believing nothing is their fault. Everyone else should suffer, and they never take accountable. So why give them another out?? Hold criminals responsible not their families", ">\n\nThere are medically defined diagnoses of sociopathic and psychopathic behaviour. \nThere's no x-ray, blood test or ultrasound to detect schizophrenia, Asbergers or autism, but we know these conditions exist. \nAnyway, you're missing my point completely. Let's leave it. You sound too young or angry and incapable of a reasonable discussion.", ">\n\nMedically defined, but not so easily diagnosed. That's key. \nI'M incapable of a reasonable discussion with someone who thinks family members of those who commit atrocities should be punished instead of the actual criminal??🤣🤣🤣 You're projecting, cupcake. You're not even capable of critical thinking, let alone being \"reasonable\"", ">\n\n\nShots were fired over a \"disagreement of some sort\" following \"MLK Car Show and Family Fun Day\"\n\nSad when parents have to be on high alert at a \"family fun day,\" not knowing if shitheads are about to engage in a gunfight over what I'm sure was a stupid i issue.", ">\n\nWe're in the finding out phase of fucking around with looser gun restrictions.\nEdit: lol downvoted for pointing out the obvious. Never change America... otherwise we might have nice things.", ">\n\nI said nothing about assault weapons.", ">\n\nYou can bet that the people doing the shooting were carrying those guns illegally. It’s almost as if violent criminals don’t care about gun laws.\nI’m not saying we don’t need gun law reform, I’m just saying you shouldn’t expect anything to change if we pass them.", ">\n\nWell, yes and no. It’s easy to look abroad and make comparisons, but in 99% of cases there is 1 distinct difference. They never had any/many guns to begin with. We also shouldn’t forget to mention all the countries that have lots of guns, but little/no gun crime.\nDoing nothing isn’t the answer (I’m not a 2a proponent), but it’s a much more complicated issue that just guns. Easy access to firearms is a big issue, but so is rampant income equality, a dwindling underfunded educational system, generational poverty, etc. the stats are easy to find, we know that the vast majority of violent gun crime (Excl suicide) happens in impoverished urban areas. With more guns than people in this country, any laws that manage to get passed (let’s be real, it’s unlikely) will take multiple decades to take affect. So let’s also focus on all the other too.", ">\n\nThere are lots of them. Canada, Iceland, Finland, Austria, Norway to name a few.", ">\n\nWas from the hood. No longer go to many hood events cuz of this. The vast majority of people are great, but there are just so many young kids who just don’t give a fuck.\nEdit: changed “am” to “was”. I think it’s important to the comment to make it known I’m no longer in the hood.", ">\n\nTbh it’s not just young kids but young men. So many dudes get stuck in the game and it’s their only way to live.", ">\n\nIt’s sad and insane that I read the cause was gang related and thought “oh good, at least it wasn’t a hate crime.”", ">\n\nDonno about that, someone was being a hater to get shot... I'll see myself out.", ">\n\nJFC, nice “family event”.", ">\n\nDamnit. I often click on stories like this from Florida, morbidly curious if it happens to be anyone I know. Which is silly, as it’s a big state and I live in a tiny town. \nSo imagine my surprise to learn of a mass shooting in my tiny town via national news coverage on Reddit. I checked the local paper, but it doesn’t seem to have any new or updated information that this CBS News article doesn’t already share. \nIs it too early to drink yet?", ">\n\nI grew up in that town as well. Not that gangs aren’t present, but it’s more likely just an argument occurred. People in that town are very quickly to get violent for no reason. 90% lack the brain cells to do anything else", ">\n\nShit like this is why the aliens lock their doors when they pass by Earth", ">\n\nVulcans are like \"Yea, we are going to pass on this one.\"" ]

[ "It absolutely blows my mind how often people will draw guns during a disagreement without any thought or fear about being locked away in prison and ruining the rest of their lives.", ">\n\nThis is a known problem with humans. Relying on \"fear of consequences\" often fails as a prevention strategy. If one truly wants to stop a certain kind of act, we need different approaches.", ">\n\nI always remember the part in The Green Mile where John Coffey sees Wild Bill Wharton's memory of killing the two girls and says \"he used their love of each other against them\" or something to that effect. \nI wonder if the rates of spontaneous murders would decrease if the law punished the murderers parents or children instead of themselves. \nNot proposing this as a real world solution. Just interested how convicted killers would respond to this. Those who lashed out in the heat of the moments.", ">\n\nToo many sociopaths and or psychopaths who wouldn't give two shits. Why should more innocent people suffer because someone else lacks empathy?? Maybe we should start jailing politicians and those who funnel money to politicians who male big profits from selling guns like the NRA and gun manufacturers. That males more sense than torturing more innocent people", ">\n\nFirst, I'm not saying this is a sensible solution. It's just a question. \nSecond, I'm not talking about sociopaths and psychopaths or anyone with mental illness. I'm referring to the normal, everyday person who, for whatever reason, gets so irate over something that they need to flex their muscles, lose control and pull out a gun as if it is totally reasonable response. \nI'm thinking of the guy who shot his neighbours because the party music was too loud and felt belittled when they didn't turn it down, so shot his neighbour dead. \nWould someone like him behave differently if he knew it was someone he loved, rather than his drunk ass self that paid the price for his actions? I'm sure there's a \"I don't give a fuck\" thought that goes through people's minds when these random acts of violence occur. \nDefinitely agree with you on the NRA. How they are not considered a terrorist organisation in the US is beyond me.", ">\n\nNo way to be able to distinguish a sociopath or psychopath. Not like it shows up on an xray, blood test or ultrasound.\nThe guy who shot his neighbors because their music was too loud is most likely a fucking psycho who was utterly incable of empathy or has a serious mental health problem with reality. Either way, not sure why his family should go to jail. \nPlenty of us have nothing to do with our families because we do have sociopaths in them, and they've caused us enough harm already. Why would you think we deserve to be tortured further for their decisions?? Sociopaths are notorious for believing nothing is their fault. Everyone else should suffer, and they never take accountable. So why give them another out?? Hold criminals responsible not their families", ">\n\nThere are medically defined diagnoses of sociopathic and psychopathic behaviour. \nThere's no x-ray, blood test or ultrasound to detect schizophrenia, Asbergers or autism, but we know these conditions exist. \nAnyway, you're missing my point completely. Let's leave it. You sound too young or angry and incapable of a reasonable discussion.", ">\n\nMedically defined, but not so easily diagnosed. That's key. \nI'M incapable of a reasonable discussion with someone who thinks family members of those who commit atrocities should be punished instead of the actual criminal??🤣🤣🤣 You're projecting, cupcake. You're not even capable of critical thinking, let alone being \"reasonable\"", ">\n\n\nShots were fired over a \"disagreement of some sort\" following \"MLK Car Show and Family Fun Day\"\n\nSad when parents have to be on high alert at a \"family fun day,\" not knowing if shitheads are about to engage in a gunfight over what I'm sure was a stupid i issue.", ">\n\nWe're in the finding out phase of fucking around with looser gun restrictions.\nEdit: lol downvoted for pointing out the obvious. Never change America... otherwise we might have nice things.", ">\n\nI said nothing about assault weapons.", ">\n\nYou can bet that the people doing the shooting were carrying those guns illegally. It’s almost as if violent criminals don’t care about gun laws.\nI’m not saying we don’t need gun law reform, I’m just saying you shouldn’t expect anything to change if we pass them.", ">\n\nWell, yes and no. It’s easy to look abroad and make comparisons, but in 99% of cases there is 1 distinct difference. They never had any/many guns to begin with. We also shouldn’t forget to mention all the countries that have lots of guns, but little/no gun crime.\nDoing nothing isn’t the answer (I’m not a 2a proponent), but it’s a much more complicated issue that just guns. Easy access to firearms is a big issue, but so is rampant income equality, a dwindling underfunded educational system, generational poverty, etc. the stats are easy to find, we know that the vast majority of violent gun crime (Excl suicide) happens in impoverished urban areas. With more guns than people in this country, any laws that manage to get passed (let’s be real, it’s unlikely) will take multiple decades to take affect. So let’s also focus on all the other too.", ">\n\nThere are lots of them. Canada, Iceland, Finland, Austria, Norway to name a few.", ">\n\nWas from the hood. No longer go to many hood events cuz of this. The vast majority of people are great, but there are just so many young kids who just don’t give a fuck.\nEdit: changed “am” to “was”. I think it’s important to the comment to make it known I’m no longer in the hood.", ">\n\nTbh it’s not just young kids but young men. So many dudes get stuck in the game and it’s their only way to live.", ">\n\nIt’s sad and insane that I read the cause was gang related and thought “oh good, at least it wasn’t a hate crime.”", ">\n\nDonno about that, someone was being a hater to get shot... I'll see myself out.", ">\n\nJFC, nice “family event”.", ">\n\nDamnit. I often click on stories like this from Florida, morbidly curious if it happens to be anyone I know. Which is silly, as it’s a big state and I live in a tiny town. \nSo imagine my surprise to learn of a mass shooting in my tiny town via national news coverage on Reddit. I checked the local paper, but it doesn’t seem to have any new or updated information that this CBS News article doesn’t already share. \nIs it too early to drink yet?", ">\n\nI grew up in that town as well. Not that gangs aren’t present, but it’s more likely just an argument occurred. People in that town are very quickly to get violent for no reason. 90% lack the brain cells to do anything else", ">\n\nShit like this is why the aliens lock their doors when they pass by Earth", ">\n\nVulcans are like \"Yea, we are going to pass on this one.\"", ">\n\nYou know you are on a bad street if its named after MLK" ]

[ "It absolutely blows my mind how often people will draw guns during a disagreement without any thought or fear about being locked away in prison and ruining the rest of their lives.", ">\n\nThis is a known problem with humans. Relying on \"fear of consequences\" often fails as a prevention strategy. If one truly wants to stop a certain kind of act, we need different approaches.", ">\n\nI always remember the part in The Green Mile where John Coffey sees Wild Bill Wharton's memory of killing the two girls and says \"he used their love of each other against them\" or something to that effect. \nI wonder if the rates of spontaneous murders would decrease if the law punished the murderers parents or children instead of themselves. \nNot proposing this as a real world solution. Just interested how convicted killers would respond to this. Those who lashed out in the heat of the moments.", ">\n\nToo many sociopaths and or psychopaths who wouldn't give two shits. Why should more innocent people suffer because someone else lacks empathy?? Maybe we should start jailing politicians and those who funnel money to politicians who male big profits from selling guns like the NRA and gun manufacturers. That males more sense than torturing more innocent people", ">\n\nFirst, I'm not saying this is a sensible solution. It's just a question. \nSecond, I'm not talking about sociopaths and psychopaths or anyone with mental illness. I'm referring to the normal, everyday person who, for whatever reason, gets so irate over something that they need to flex their muscles, lose control and pull out a gun as if it is totally reasonable response. \nI'm thinking of the guy who shot his neighbours because the party music was too loud and felt belittled when they didn't turn it down, so shot his neighbour dead. \nWould someone like him behave differently if he knew it was someone he loved, rather than his drunk ass self that paid the price for his actions? I'm sure there's a \"I don't give a fuck\" thought that goes through people's minds when these random acts of violence occur. \nDefinitely agree with you on the NRA. How they are not considered a terrorist organisation in the US is beyond me.", ">\n\nNo way to be able to distinguish a sociopath or psychopath. Not like it shows up on an xray, blood test or ultrasound.\nThe guy who shot his neighbors because their music was too loud is most likely a fucking psycho who was utterly incable of empathy or has a serious mental health problem with reality. Either way, not sure why his family should go to jail. \nPlenty of us have nothing to do with our families because we do have sociopaths in them, and they've caused us enough harm already. Why would you think we deserve to be tortured further for their decisions?? Sociopaths are notorious for believing nothing is their fault. Everyone else should suffer, and they never take accountable. So why give them another out?? Hold criminals responsible not their families", ">\n\nThere are medically defined diagnoses of sociopathic and psychopathic behaviour. \nThere's no x-ray, blood test or ultrasound to detect schizophrenia, Asbergers or autism, but we know these conditions exist. \nAnyway, you're missing my point completely. Let's leave it. You sound too young or angry and incapable of a reasonable discussion.", ">\n\nMedically defined, but not so easily diagnosed. That's key. \nI'M incapable of a reasonable discussion with someone who thinks family members of those who commit atrocities should be punished instead of the actual criminal??🤣🤣🤣 You're projecting, cupcake. You're not even capable of critical thinking, let alone being \"reasonable\"", ">\n\n\nShots were fired over a \"disagreement of some sort\" following \"MLK Car Show and Family Fun Day\"\n\nSad when parents have to be on high alert at a \"family fun day,\" not knowing if shitheads are about to engage in a gunfight over what I'm sure was a stupid i issue.", ">\n\nWe're in the finding out phase of fucking around with looser gun restrictions.\nEdit: lol downvoted for pointing out the obvious. Never change America... otherwise we might have nice things.", ">\n\nI said nothing about assault weapons.", ">\n\nYou can bet that the people doing the shooting were carrying those guns illegally. It’s almost as if violent criminals don’t care about gun laws.\nI’m not saying we don’t need gun law reform, I’m just saying you shouldn’t expect anything to change if we pass them.", ">\n\nWell, yes and no. It’s easy to look abroad and make comparisons, but in 99% of cases there is 1 distinct difference. They never had any/many guns to begin with. We also shouldn’t forget to mention all the countries that have lots of guns, but little/no gun crime.\nDoing nothing isn’t the answer (I’m not a 2a proponent), but it’s a much more complicated issue that just guns. Easy access to firearms is a big issue, but so is rampant income equality, a dwindling underfunded educational system, generational poverty, etc. the stats are easy to find, we know that the vast majority of violent gun crime (Excl suicide) happens in impoverished urban areas. With more guns than people in this country, any laws that manage to get passed (let’s be real, it’s unlikely) will take multiple decades to take affect. So let’s also focus on all the other too.", ">\n\nThere are lots of them. Canada, Iceland, Finland, Austria, Norway to name a few.", ">\n\nWas from the hood. No longer go to many hood events cuz of this. The vast majority of people are great, but there are just so many young kids who just don’t give a fuck.\nEdit: changed “am” to “was”. I think it’s important to the comment to make it known I’m no longer in the hood.", ">\n\nTbh it’s not just young kids but young men. So many dudes get stuck in the game and it’s their only way to live.", ">\n\nIt’s sad and insane that I read the cause was gang related and thought “oh good, at least it wasn’t a hate crime.”", ">\n\nDonno about that, someone was being a hater to get shot... I'll see myself out.", ">\n\nJFC, nice “family event”.", ">\n\nDamnit. I often click on stories like this from Florida, morbidly curious if it happens to be anyone I know. Which is silly, as it’s a big state and I live in a tiny town. \nSo imagine my surprise to learn of a mass shooting in my tiny town via national news coverage on Reddit. I checked the local paper, but it doesn’t seem to have any new or updated information that this CBS News article doesn’t already share. \nIs it too early to drink yet?", ">\n\nI grew up in that town as well. Not that gangs aren’t present, but it’s more likely just an argument occurred. People in that town are very quickly to get violent for no reason. 90% lack the brain cells to do anything else", ">\n\nShit like this is why the aliens lock their doors when they pass by Earth", ">\n\nVulcans are like \"Yea, we are going to pass on this one.\"", ">\n\nYou know you are on a bad street if its named after MLK", ">\n\nBro you're functionally illiterate" ]

[ "It absolutely blows my mind how often people will draw guns during a disagreement without any thought or fear about being locked away in prison and ruining the rest of their lives.", ">\n\nThis is a known problem with humans. Relying on \"fear of consequences\" often fails as a prevention strategy. If one truly wants to stop a certain kind of act, we need different approaches.", ">\n\nI always remember the part in The Green Mile where John Coffey sees Wild Bill Wharton's memory of killing the two girls and says \"he used their love of each other against them\" or something to that effect. \nI wonder if the rates of spontaneous murders would decrease if the law punished the murderers parents or children instead of themselves. \nNot proposing this as a real world solution. Just interested how convicted killers would respond to this. Those who lashed out in the heat of the moments.", ">\n\nToo many sociopaths and or psychopaths who wouldn't give two shits. Why should more innocent people suffer because someone else lacks empathy?? Maybe we should start jailing politicians and those who funnel money to politicians who male big profits from selling guns like the NRA and gun manufacturers. That males more sense than torturing more innocent people", ">\n\nFirst, I'm not saying this is a sensible solution. It's just a question. \nSecond, I'm not talking about sociopaths and psychopaths or anyone with mental illness. I'm referring to the normal, everyday person who, for whatever reason, gets so irate over something that they need to flex their muscles, lose control and pull out a gun as if it is totally reasonable response. \nI'm thinking of the guy who shot his neighbours because the party music was too loud and felt belittled when they didn't turn it down, so shot his neighbour dead. \nWould someone like him behave differently if he knew it was someone he loved, rather than his drunk ass self that paid the price for his actions? I'm sure there's a \"I don't give a fuck\" thought that goes through people's minds when these random acts of violence occur. \nDefinitely agree with you on the NRA. How they are not considered a terrorist organisation in the US is beyond me.", ">\n\nNo way to be able to distinguish a sociopath or psychopath. Not like it shows up on an xray, blood test or ultrasound.\nThe guy who shot his neighbors because their music was too loud is most likely a fucking psycho who was utterly incable of empathy or has a serious mental health problem with reality. Either way, not sure why his family should go to jail. \nPlenty of us have nothing to do with our families because we do have sociopaths in them, and they've caused us enough harm already. Why would you think we deserve to be tortured further for their decisions?? Sociopaths are notorious for believing nothing is their fault. Everyone else should suffer, and they never take accountable. So why give them another out?? Hold criminals responsible not their families", ">\n\nThere are medically defined diagnoses of sociopathic and psychopathic behaviour. \nThere's no x-ray, blood test or ultrasound to detect schizophrenia, Asbergers or autism, but we know these conditions exist. \nAnyway, you're missing my point completely. Let's leave it. You sound too young or angry and incapable of a reasonable discussion.", ">\n\nMedically defined, but not so easily diagnosed. That's key. \nI'M incapable of a reasonable discussion with someone who thinks family members of those who commit atrocities should be punished instead of the actual criminal??🤣🤣🤣 You're projecting, cupcake. You're not even capable of critical thinking, let alone being \"reasonable\"", ">\n\n\nShots were fired over a \"disagreement of some sort\" following \"MLK Car Show and Family Fun Day\"\n\nSad when parents have to be on high alert at a \"family fun day,\" not knowing if shitheads are about to engage in a gunfight over what I'm sure was a stupid i issue.", ">\n\nWe're in the finding out phase of fucking around with looser gun restrictions.\nEdit: lol downvoted for pointing out the obvious. Never change America... otherwise we might have nice things.", ">\n\nI said nothing about assault weapons.", ">\n\nYou can bet that the people doing the shooting were carrying those guns illegally. It’s almost as if violent criminals don’t care about gun laws.\nI’m not saying we don’t need gun law reform, I’m just saying you shouldn’t expect anything to change if we pass them.", ">\n\nWell, yes and no. It’s easy to look abroad and make comparisons, but in 99% of cases there is 1 distinct difference. They never had any/many guns to begin with. We also shouldn’t forget to mention all the countries that have lots of guns, but little/no gun crime.\nDoing nothing isn’t the answer (I’m not a 2a proponent), but it’s a much more complicated issue that just guns. Easy access to firearms is a big issue, but so is rampant income equality, a dwindling underfunded educational system, generational poverty, etc. the stats are easy to find, we know that the vast majority of violent gun crime (Excl suicide) happens in impoverished urban areas. With more guns than people in this country, any laws that manage to get passed (let’s be real, it’s unlikely) will take multiple decades to take affect. So let’s also focus on all the other too.", ">\n\nThere are lots of them. Canada, Iceland, Finland, Austria, Norway to name a few.", ">\n\nWas from the hood. No longer go to many hood events cuz of this. The vast majority of people are great, but there are just so many young kids who just don’t give a fuck.\nEdit: changed “am” to “was”. I think it’s important to the comment to make it known I’m no longer in the hood.", ">\n\nTbh it’s not just young kids but young men. So many dudes get stuck in the game and it’s their only way to live.", ">\n\nIt’s sad and insane that I read the cause was gang related and thought “oh good, at least it wasn’t a hate crime.”", ">\n\nDonno about that, someone was being a hater to get shot... I'll see myself out.", ">\n\nJFC, nice “family event”.", ">\n\nDamnit. I often click on stories like this from Florida, morbidly curious if it happens to be anyone I know. Which is silly, as it’s a big state and I live in a tiny town. \nSo imagine my surprise to learn of a mass shooting in my tiny town via national news coverage on Reddit. I checked the local paper, but it doesn’t seem to have any new or updated information that this CBS News article doesn’t already share. \nIs it too early to drink yet?", ">\n\nI grew up in that town as well. Not that gangs aren’t present, but it’s more likely just an argument occurred. People in that town are very quickly to get violent for no reason. 90% lack the brain cells to do anything else", ">\n\nShit like this is why the aliens lock their doors when they pass by Earth", ">\n\nVulcans are like \"Yea, we are going to pass on this one.\"", ">\n\nYou know you are on a bad street if its named after MLK", ">\n\nBro you're functionally illiterate", ">\n\nThis happened yesterday, or 27 shootings ago Florida time" ]

[ "It absolutely blows my mind how often people will draw guns during a disagreement without any thought or fear about being locked away in prison and ruining the rest of their lives.", ">\n\nThis is a known problem with humans. Relying on \"fear of consequences\" often fails as a prevention strategy. If one truly wants to stop a certain kind of act, we need different approaches.", ">\n\nI always remember the part in The Green Mile where John Coffey sees Wild Bill Wharton's memory of killing the two girls and says \"he used their love of each other against them\" or something to that effect. \nI wonder if the rates of spontaneous murders would decrease if the law punished the murderers parents or children instead of themselves. \nNot proposing this as a real world solution. Just interested how convicted killers would respond to this. Those who lashed out in the heat of the moments.", ">\n\nToo many sociopaths and or psychopaths who wouldn't give two shits. Why should more innocent people suffer because someone else lacks empathy?? Maybe we should start jailing politicians and those who funnel money to politicians who male big profits from selling guns like the NRA and gun manufacturers. That males more sense than torturing more innocent people", ">\n\nFirst, I'm not saying this is a sensible solution. It's just a question. \nSecond, I'm not talking about sociopaths and psychopaths or anyone with mental illness. I'm referring to the normal, everyday person who, for whatever reason, gets so irate over something that they need to flex their muscles, lose control and pull out a gun as if it is totally reasonable response. \nI'm thinking of the guy who shot his neighbours because the party music was too loud and felt belittled when they didn't turn it down, so shot his neighbour dead. \nWould someone like him behave differently if he knew it was someone he loved, rather than his drunk ass self that paid the price for his actions? I'm sure there's a \"I don't give a fuck\" thought that goes through people's minds when these random acts of violence occur. \nDefinitely agree with you on the NRA. How they are not considered a terrorist organisation in the US is beyond me.", ">\n\nNo way to be able to distinguish a sociopath or psychopath. Not like it shows up on an xray, blood test or ultrasound.\nThe guy who shot his neighbors because their music was too loud is most likely a fucking psycho who was utterly incable of empathy or has a serious mental health problem with reality. Either way, not sure why his family should go to jail. \nPlenty of us have nothing to do with our families because we do have sociopaths in them, and they've caused us enough harm already. Why would you think we deserve to be tortured further for their decisions?? Sociopaths are notorious for believing nothing is their fault. Everyone else should suffer, and they never take accountable. So why give them another out?? Hold criminals responsible not their families", ">\n\nThere are medically defined diagnoses of sociopathic and psychopathic behaviour. \nThere's no x-ray, blood test or ultrasound to detect schizophrenia, Asbergers or autism, but we know these conditions exist. \nAnyway, you're missing my point completely. Let's leave it. You sound too young or angry and incapable of a reasonable discussion.", ">\n\nMedically defined, but not so easily diagnosed. That's key. \nI'M incapable of a reasonable discussion with someone who thinks family members of those who commit atrocities should be punished instead of the actual criminal??🤣🤣🤣 You're projecting, cupcake. You're not even capable of critical thinking, let alone being \"reasonable\"", ">\n\n\nShots were fired over a \"disagreement of some sort\" following \"MLK Car Show and Family Fun Day\"\n\nSad when parents have to be on high alert at a \"family fun day,\" not knowing if shitheads are about to engage in a gunfight over what I'm sure was a stupid i issue.", ">\n\nWe're in the finding out phase of fucking around with looser gun restrictions.\nEdit: lol downvoted for pointing out the obvious. Never change America... otherwise we might have nice things.", ">\n\nI said nothing about assault weapons.", ">\n\nYou can bet that the people doing the shooting were carrying those guns illegally. It’s almost as if violent criminals don’t care about gun laws.\nI’m not saying we don’t need gun law reform, I’m just saying you shouldn’t expect anything to change if we pass them.", ">\n\nWell, yes and no. It’s easy to look abroad and make comparisons, but in 99% of cases there is 1 distinct difference. They never had any/many guns to begin with. We also shouldn’t forget to mention all the countries that have lots of guns, but little/no gun crime.\nDoing nothing isn’t the answer (I’m not a 2a proponent), but it’s a much more complicated issue that just guns. Easy access to firearms is a big issue, but so is rampant income equality, a dwindling underfunded educational system, generational poverty, etc. the stats are easy to find, we know that the vast majority of violent gun crime (Excl suicide) happens in impoverished urban areas. With more guns than people in this country, any laws that manage to get passed (let’s be real, it’s unlikely) will take multiple decades to take affect. So let’s also focus on all the other too.", ">\n\nThere are lots of them. Canada, Iceland, Finland, Austria, Norway to name a few.", ">\n\nWas from the hood. No longer go to many hood events cuz of this. The vast majority of people are great, but there are just so many young kids who just don’t give a fuck.\nEdit: changed “am” to “was”. I think it’s important to the comment to make it known I’m no longer in the hood.", ">\n\nTbh it’s not just young kids but young men. So many dudes get stuck in the game and it’s their only way to live.", ">\n\nIt’s sad and insane that I read the cause was gang related and thought “oh good, at least it wasn’t a hate crime.”", ">\n\nDonno about that, someone was being a hater to get shot... I'll see myself out.", ">\n\nJFC, nice “family event”.", ">\n\nDamnit. I often click on stories like this from Florida, morbidly curious if it happens to be anyone I know. Which is silly, as it’s a big state and I live in a tiny town. \nSo imagine my surprise to learn of a mass shooting in my tiny town via national news coverage on Reddit. I checked the local paper, but it doesn’t seem to have any new or updated information that this CBS News article doesn’t already share. \nIs it too early to drink yet?", ">\n\nI grew up in that town as well. Not that gangs aren’t present, but it’s more likely just an argument occurred. People in that town are very quickly to get violent for no reason. 90% lack the brain cells to do anything else", ">\n\nShit like this is why the aliens lock their doors when they pass by Earth", ">\n\nVulcans are like \"Yea, we are going to pass on this one.\"", ">\n\nYou know you are on a bad street if its named after MLK", ">\n\nBro you're functionally illiterate", ">\n\nThis happened yesterday, or 27 shootings ago Florida time", ">\n\nExcuse me. There have only been six mass shootings in Florida this year... that we are only 17 days into...." ]

[ "It absolutely blows my mind how often people will draw guns during a disagreement without any thought or fear about being locked away in prison and ruining the rest of their lives.", ">\n\nThis is a known problem with humans. Relying on \"fear of consequences\" often fails as a prevention strategy. If one truly wants to stop a certain kind of act, we need different approaches.", ">\n\nI always remember the part in The Green Mile where John Coffey sees Wild Bill Wharton's memory of killing the two girls and says \"he used their love of each other against them\" or something to that effect. \nI wonder if the rates of spontaneous murders would decrease if the law punished the murderers parents or children instead of themselves. \nNot proposing this as a real world solution. Just interested how convicted killers would respond to this. Those who lashed out in the heat of the moments.", ">\n\nToo many sociopaths and or psychopaths who wouldn't give two shits. Why should more innocent people suffer because someone else lacks empathy?? Maybe we should start jailing politicians and those who funnel money to politicians who male big profits from selling guns like the NRA and gun manufacturers. That males more sense than torturing more innocent people", ">\n\nFirst, I'm not saying this is a sensible solution. It's just a question. \nSecond, I'm not talking about sociopaths and psychopaths or anyone with mental illness. I'm referring to the normal, everyday person who, for whatever reason, gets so irate over something that they need to flex their muscles, lose control and pull out a gun as if it is totally reasonable response. \nI'm thinking of the guy who shot his neighbours because the party music was too loud and felt belittled when they didn't turn it down, so shot his neighbour dead. \nWould someone like him behave differently if he knew it was someone he loved, rather than his drunk ass self that paid the price for his actions? I'm sure there's a \"I don't give a fuck\" thought that goes through people's minds when these random acts of violence occur. \nDefinitely agree with you on the NRA. How they are not considered a terrorist organisation in the US is beyond me.", ">\n\nNo way to be able to distinguish a sociopath or psychopath. Not like it shows up on an xray, blood test or ultrasound.\nThe guy who shot his neighbors because their music was too loud is most likely a fucking psycho who was utterly incable of empathy or has a serious mental health problem with reality. Either way, not sure why his family should go to jail. \nPlenty of us have nothing to do with our families because we do have sociopaths in them, and they've caused us enough harm already. Why would you think we deserve to be tortured further for their decisions?? Sociopaths are notorious for believing nothing is their fault. Everyone else should suffer, and they never take accountable. So why give them another out?? Hold criminals responsible not their families", ">\n\nThere are medically defined diagnoses of sociopathic and psychopathic behaviour. \nThere's no x-ray, blood test or ultrasound to detect schizophrenia, Asbergers or autism, but we know these conditions exist. \nAnyway, you're missing my point completely. Let's leave it. You sound too young or angry and incapable of a reasonable discussion.", ">\n\nMedically defined, but not so easily diagnosed. That's key. \nI'M incapable of a reasonable discussion with someone who thinks family members of those who commit atrocities should be punished instead of the actual criminal??🤣🤣🤣 You're projecting, cupcake. You're not even capable of critical thinking, let alone being \"reasonable\"", ">\n\n\nShots were fired over a \"disagreement of some sort\" following \"MLK Car Show and Family Fun Day\"\n\nSad when parents have to be on high alert at a \"family fun day,\" not knowing if shitheads are about to engage in a gunfight over what I'm sure was a stupid i issue.", ">\n\nWe're in the finding out phase of fucking around with looser gun restrictions.\nEdit: lol downvoted for pointing out the obvious. Never change America... otherwise we might have nice things.", ">\n\nI said nothing about assault weapons.", ">\n\nYou can bet that the people doing the shooting were carrying those guns illegally. It’s almost as if violent criminals don’t care about gun laws.\nI’m not saying we don’t need gun law reform, I’m just saying you shouldn’t expect anything to change if we pass them.", ">\n\nWell, yes and no. It’s easy to look abroad and make comparisons, but in 99% of cases there is 1 distinct difference. They never had any/many guns to begin with. We also shouldn’t forget to mention all the countries that have lots of guns, but little/no gun crime.\nDoing nothing isn’t the answer (I’m not a 2a proponent), but it’s a much more complicated issue that just guns. Easy access to firearms is a big issue, but so is rampant income equality, a dwindling underfunded educational system, generational poverty, etc. the stats are easy to find, we know that the vast majority of violent gun crime (Excl suicide) happens in impoverished urban areas. With more guns than people in this country, any laws that manage to get passed (let’s be real, it’s unlikely) will take multiple decades to take affect. So let’s also focus on all the other too.", ">\n\nThere are lots of them. Canada, Iceland, Finland, Austria, Norway to name a few.", ">\n\nWas from the hood. No longer go to many hood events cuz of this. The vast majority of people are great, but there are just so many young kids who just don’t give a fuck.\nEdit: changed “am” to “was”. I think it’s important to the comment to make it known I’m no longer in the hood.", ">\n\nTbh it’s not just young kids but young men. So many dudes get stuck in the game and it’s their only way to live.", ">\n\nIt’s sad and insane that I read the cause was gang related and thought “oh good, at least it wasn’t a hate crime.”", ">\n\nDonno about that, someone was being a hater to get shot... I'll see myself out.", ">\n\nJFC, nice “family event”.", ">\n\nDamnit. I often click on stories like this from Florida, morbidly curious if it happens to be anyone I know. Which is silly, as it’s a big state and I live in a tiny town. \nSo imagine my surprise to learn of a mass shooting in my tiny town via national news coverage on Reddit. I checked the local paper, but it doesn’t seem to have any new or updated information that this CBS News article doesn’t already share. \nIs it too early to drink yet?", ">\n\nI grew up in that town as well. Not that gangs aren’t present, but it’s more likely just an argument occurred. People in that town are very quickly to get violent for no reason. 90% lack the brain cells to do anything else", ">\n\nShit like this is why the aliens lock their doors when they pass by Earth", ">\n\nVulcans are like \"Yea, we are going to pass on this one.\"", ">\n\nYou know you are on a bad street if its named after MLK", ">\n\nBro you're functionally illiterate", ">\n\nThis happened yesterday, or 27 shootings ago Florida time", ">\n\nExcuse me. There have only been six mass shootings in Florida this year... that we are only 17 days into....", ">\n\nI hope they all pull through" ]

[ "It absolutely blows my mind how often people will draw guns during a disagreement without any thought or fear about being locked away in prison and ruining the rest of their lives.", ">\n\nThis is a known problem with humans. Relying on \"fear of consequences\" often fails as a prevention strategy. If one truly wants to stop a certain kind of act, we need different approaches.", ">\n\nI always remember the part in The Green Mile where John Coffey sees Wild Bill Wharton's memory of killing the two girls and says \"he used their love of each other against them\" or something to that effect. \nI wonder if the rates of spontaneous murders would decrease if the law punished the murderers parents or children instead of themselves. \nNot proposing this as a real world solution. Just interested how convicted killers would respond to this. Those who lashed out in the heat of the moments.", ">\n\nToo many sociopaths and or psychopaths who wouldn't give two shits. Why should more innocent people suffer because someone else lacks empathy?? Maybe we should start jailing politicians and those who funnel money to politicians who male big profits from selling guns like the NRA and gun manufacturers. That males more sense than torturing more innocent people", ">\n\nFirst, I'm not saying this is a sensible solution. It's just a question. \nSecond, I'm not talking about sociopaths and psychopaths or anyone with mental illness. I'm referring to the normal, everyday person who, for whatever reason, gets so irate over something that they need to flex their muscles, lose control and pull out a gun as if it is totally reasonable response. \nI'm thinking of the guy who shot his neighbours because the party music was too loud and felt belittled when they didn't turn it down, so shot his neighbour dead. \nWould someone like him behave differently if he knew it was someone he loved, rather than his drunk ass self that paid the price for his actions? I'm sure there's a \"I don't give a fuck\" thought that goes through people's minds when these random acts of violence occur. \nDefinitely agree with you on the NRA. How they are not considered a terrorist organisation in the US is beyond me.", ">\n\nNo way to be able to distinguish a sociopath or psychopath. Not like it shows up on an xray, blood test or ultrasound.\nThe guy who shot his neighbors because their music was too loud is most likely a fucking psycho who was utterly incable of empathy or has a serious mental health problem with reality. Either way, not sure why his family should go to jail. \nPlenty of us have nothing to do with our families because we do have sociopaths in them, and they've caused us enough harm already. Why would you think we deserve to be tortured further for their decisions?? Sociopaths are notorious for believing nothing is their fault. Everyone else should suffer, and they never take accountable. So why give them another out?? Hold criminals responsible not their families", ">\n\nThere are medically defined diagnoses of sociopathic and psychopathic behaviour. \nThere's no x-ray, blood test or ultrasound to detect schizophrenia, Asbergers or autism, but we know these conditions exist. \nAnyway, you're missing my point completely. Let's leave it. You sound too young or angry and incapable of a reasonable discussion.", ">\n\nMedically defined, but not so easily diagnosed. That's key. \nI'M incapable of a reasonable discussion with someone who thinks family members of those who commit atrocities should be punished instead of the actual criminal??🤣🤣🤣 You're projecting, cupcake. You're not even capable of critical thinking, let alone being \"reasonable\"", ">\n\n\nShots were fired over a \"disagreement of some sort\" following \"MLK Car Show and Family Fun Day\"\n\nSad when parents have to be on high alert at a \"family fun day,\" not knowing if shitheads are about to engage in a gunfight over what I'm sure was a stupid i issue.", ">\n\nWe're in the finding out phase of fucking around with looser gun restrictions.\nEdit: lol downvoted for pointing out the obvious. Never change America... otherwise we might have nice things.", ">\n\nI said nothing about assault weapons.", ">\n\nYou can bet that the people doing the shooting were carrying those guns illegally. It’s almost as if violent criminals don’t care about gun laws.\nI’m not saying we don’t need gun law reform, I’m just saying you shouldn’t expect anything to change if we pass them.", ">\n\nWell, yes and no. It’s easy to look abroad and make comparisons, but in 99% of cases there is 1 distinct difference. They never had any/many guns to begin with. We also shouldn’t forget to mention all the countries that have lots of guns, but little/no gun crime.\nDoing nothing isn’t the answer (I’m not a 2a proponent), but it’s a much more complicated issue that just guns. Easy access to firearms is a big issue, but so is rampant income equality, a dwindling underfunded educational system, generational poverty, etc. the stats are easy to find, we know that the vast majority of violent gun crime (Excl suicide) happens in impoverished urban areas. With more guns than people in this country, any laws that manage to get passed (let’s be real, it’s unlikely) will take multiple decades to take affect. So let’s also focus on all the other too.", ">\n\nThere are lots of them. Canada, Iceland, Finland, Austria, Norway to name a few.", ">\n\nWas from the hood. No longer go to many hood events cuz of this. The vast majority of people are great, but there are just so many young kids who just don’t give a fuck.\nEdit: changed “am” to “was”. I think it’s important to the comment to make it known I’m no longer in the hood.", ">\n\nTbh it’s not just young kids but young men. So many dudes get stuck in the game and it’s their only way to live.", ">\n\nIt’s sad and insane that I read the cause was gang related and thought “oh good, at least it wasn’t a hate crime.”", ">\n\nDonno about that, someone was being a hater to get shot... I'll see myself out.", ">\n\nJFC, nice “family event”.", ">\n\nDamnit. I often click on stories like this from Florida, morbidly curious if it happens to be anyone I know. Which is silly, as it’s a big state and I live in a tiny town. \nSo imagine my surprise to learn of a mass shooting in my tiny town via national news coverage on Reddit. I checked the local paper, but it doesn’t seem to have any new or updated information that this CBS News article doesn’t already share. \nIs it too early to drink yet?", ">\n\nI grew up in that town as well. Not that gangs aren’t present, but it’s more likely just an argument occurred. People in that town are very quickly to get violent for no reason. 90% lack the brain cells to do anything else", ">\n\nShit like this is why the aliens lock their doors when they pass by Earth", ">\n\nVulcans are like \"Yea, we are going to pass on this one.\"", ">\n\nYou know you are on a bad street if its named after MLK", ">\n\nBro you're functionally illiterate", ">\n\nThis happened yesterday, or 27 shootings ago Florida time", ">\n\nExcuse me. There have only been six mass shootings in Florida this year... that we are only 17 days into....", ">\n\nI hope they all pull through", ">\n\nI hope they catch everyone involved and everyone who tries to protect and or hide these people." ]

[ "It absolutely blows my mind how often people will draw guns during a disagreement without any thought or fear about being locked away in prison and ruining the rest of their lives.", ">\n\nThis is a known problem with humans. Relying on \"fear of consequences\" often fails as a prevention strategy. If one truly wants to stop a certain kind of act, we need different approaches.", ">\n\nI always remember the part in The Green Mile where John Coffey sees Wild Bill Wharton's memory of killing the two girls and says \"he used their love of each other against them\" or something to that effect. \nI wonder if the rates of spontaneous murders would decrease if the law punished the murderers parents or children instead of themselves. \nNot proposing this as a real world solution. Just interested how convicted killers would respond to this. Those who lashed out in the heat of the moments.", ">\n\nToo many sociopaths and or psychopaths who wouldn't give two shits. Why should more innocent people suffer because someone else lacks empathy?? Maybe we should start jailing politicians and those who funnel money to politicians who male big profits from selling guns like the NRA and gun manufacturers. That males more sense than torturing more innocent people", ">\n\nFirst, I'm not saying this is a sensible solution. It's just a question. \nSecond, I'm not talking about sociopaths and psychopaths or anyone with mental illness. I'm referring to the normal, everyday person who, for whatever reason, gets so irate over something that they need to flex their muscles, lose control and pull out a gun as if it is totally reasonable response. \nI'm thinking of the guy who shot his neighbours because the party music was too loud and felt belittled when they didn't turn it down, so shot his neighbour dead. \nWould someone like him behave differently if he knew it was someone he loved, rather than his drunk ass self that paid the price for his actions? I'm sure there's a \"I don't give a fuck\" thought that goes through people's minds when these random acts of violence occur. \nDefinitely agree with you on the NRA. How they are not considered a terrorist organisation in the US is beyond me.", ">\n\nNo way to be able to distinguish a sociopath or psychopath. Not like it shows up on an xray, blood test or ultrasound.\nThe guy who shot his neighbors because their music was too loud is most likely a fucking psycho who was utterly incable of empathy or has a serious mental health problem with reality. Either way, not sure why his family should go to jail. \nPlenty of us have nothing to do with our families because we do have sociopaths in them, and they've caused us enough harm already. Why would you think we deserve to be tortured further for their decisions?? Sociopaths are notorious for believing nothing is their fault. Everyone else should suffer, and they never take accountable. So why give them another out?? Hold criminals responsible not their families", ">\n\nThere are medically defined diagnoses of sociopathic and psychopathic behaviour. \nThere's no x-ray, blood test or ultrasound to detect schizophrenia, Asbergers or autism, but we know these conditions exist. \nAnyway, you're missing my point completely. Let's leave it. You sound too young or angry and incapable of a reasonable discussion.", ">\n\nMedically defined, but not so easily diagnosed. That's key. \nI'M incapable of a reasonable discussion with someone who thinks family members of those who commit atrocities should be punished instead of the actual criminal??🤣🤣🤣 You're projecting, cupcake. You're not even capable of critical thinking, let alone being \"reasonable\"", ">\n\n\nShots were fired over a \"disagreement of some sort\" following \"MLK Car Show and Family Fun Day\"\n\nSad when parents have to be on high alert at a \"family fun day,\" not knowing if shitheads are about to engage in a gunfight over what I'm sure was a stupid i issue.", ">\n\nWe're in the finding out phase of fucking around with looser gun restrictions.\nEdit: lol downvoted for pointing out the obvious. Never change America... otherwise we might have nice things.", ">\n\nI said nothing about assault weapons.", ">\n\nYou can bet that the people doing the shooting were carrying those guns illegally. It’s almost as if violent criminals don’t care about gun laws.\nI’m not saying we don’t need gun law reform, I’m just saying you shouldn’t expect anything to change if we pass them.", ">\n\nWell, yes and no. It’s easy to look abroad and make comparisons, but in 99% of cases there is 1 distinct difference. They never had any/many guns to begin with. We also shouldn’t forget to mention all the countries that have lots of guns, but little/no gun crime.\nDoing nothing isn’t the answer (I’m not a 2a proponent), but it’s a much more complicated issue that just guns. Easy access to firearms is a big issue, but so is rampant income equality, a dwindling underfunded educational system, generational poverty, etc. the stats are easy to find, we know that the vast majority of violent gun crime (Excl suicide) happens in impoverished urban areas. With more guns than people in this country, any laws that manage to get passed (let’s be real, it’s unlikely) will take multiple decades to take affect. So let’s also focus on all the other too.", ">\n\nThere are lots of them. Canada, Iceland, Finland, Austria, Norway to name a few.", ">\n\nWas from the hood. No longer go to many hood events cuz of this. The vast majority of people are great, but there are just so many young kids who just don’t give a fuck.\nEdit: changed “am” to “was”. I think it’s important to the comment to make it known I’m no longer in the hood.", ">\n\nTbh it’s not just young kids but young men. So many dudes get stuck in the game and it’s their only way to live.", ">\n\nIt’s sad and insane that I read the cause was gang related and thought “oh good, at least it wasn’t a hate crime.”", ">\n\nDonno about that, someone was being a hater to get shot... I'll see myself out.", ">\n\nJFC, nice “family event”.", ">\n\nDamnit. I often click on stories like this from Florida, morbidly curious if it happens to be anyone I know. Which is silly, as it’s a big state and I live in a tiny town. \nSo imagine my surprise to learn of a mass shooting in my tiny town via national news coverage on Reddit. I checked the local paper, but it doesn’t seem to have any new or updated information that this CBS News article doesn’t already share. \nIs it too early to drink yet?", ">\n\nI grew up in that town as well. Not that gangs aren’t present, but it’s more likely just an argument occurred. People in that town are very quickly to get violent for no reason. 90% lack the brain cells to do anything else", ">\n\nShit like this is why the aliens lock their doors when they pass by Earth", ">\n\nVulcans are like \"Yea, we are going to pass on this one.\"", ">\n\nYou know you are on a bad street if its named after MLK", ">\n\nBro you're functionally illiterate", ">\n\nThis happened yesterday, or 27 shootings ago Florida time", ">\n\nExcuse me. There have only been six mass shootings in Florida this year... that we are only 17 days into....", ">\n\nI hope they all pull through", ">\n\nI hope they catch everyone involved and everyone who tries to protect and or hide these people.", ">\n\nFt. Pierce, although recently going through gentrification, has always been a wretched hive of scum and villainy." ]

[ "It absolutely blows my mind how often people will draw guns during a disagreement without any thought or fear about being locked away in prison and ruining the rest of their lives.", ">\n\nThis is a known problem with humans. Relying on \"fear of consequences\" often fails as a prevention strategy. If one truly wants to stop a certain kind of act, we need different approaches.", ">\n\nI always remember the part in The Green Mile where John Coffey sees Wild Bill Wharton's memory of killing the two girls and says \"he used their love of each other against them\" or something to that effect. \nI wonder if the rates of spontaneous murders would decrease if the law punished the murderers parents or children instead of themselves. \nNot proposing this as a real world solution. Just interested how convicted killers would respond to this. Those who lashed out in the heat of the moments.", ">\n\nToo many sociopaths and or psychopaths who wouldn't give two shits. Why should more innocent people suffer because someone else lacks empathy?? Maybe we should start jailing politicians and those who funnel money to politicians who male big profits from selling guns like the NRA and gun manufacturers. That males more sense than torturing more innocent people", ">\n\nFirst, I'm not saying this is a sensible solution. It's just a question. \nSecond, I'm not talking about sociopaths and psychopaths or anyone with mental illness. I'm referring to the normal, everyday person who, for whatever reason, gets so irate over something that they need to flex their muscles, lose control and pull out a gun as if it is totally reasonable response. \nI'm thinking of the guy who shot his neighbours because the party music was too loud and felt belittled when they didn't turn it down, so shot his neighbour dead. \nWould someone like him behave differently if he knew it was someone he loved, rather than his drunk ass self that paid the price for his actions? I'm sure there's a \"I don't give a fuck\" thought that goes through people's minds when these random acts of violence occur. \nDefinitely agree with you on the NRA. How they are not considered a terrorist organisation in the US is beyond me.", ">\n\nNo way to be able to distinguish a sociopath or psychopath. Not like it shows up on an xray, blood test or ultrasound.\nThe guy who shot his neighbors because their music was too loud is most likely a fucking psycho who was utterly incable of empathy or has a serious mental health problem with reality. Either way, not sure why his family should go to jail. \nPlenty of us have nothing to do with our families because we do have sociopaths in them, and they've caused us enough harm already. Why would you think we deserve to be tortured further for their decisions?? Sociopaths are notorious for believing nothing is their fault. Everyone else should suffer, and they never take accountable. So why give them another out?? Hold criminals responsible not their families", ">\n\nThere are medically defined diagnoses of sociopathic and psychopathic behaviour. \nThere's no x-ray, blood test or ultrasound to detect schizophrenia, Asbergers or autism, but we know these conditions exist. \nAnyway, you're missing my point completely. Let's leave it. You sound too young or angry and incapable of a reasonable discussion.", ">\n\nMedically defined, but not so easily diagnosed. That's key. \nI'M incapable of a reasonable discussion with someone who thinks family members of those who commit atrocities should be punished instead of the actual criminal??🤣🤣🤣 You're projecting, cupcake. You're not even capable of critical thinking, let alone being \"reasonable\"", ">\n\n\nShots were fired over a \"disagreement of some sort\" following \"MLK Car Show and Family Fun Day\"\n\nSad when parents have to be on high alert at a \"family fun day,\" not knowing if shitheads are about to engage in a gunfight over what I'm sure was a stupid i issue.", ">\n\nWe're in the finding out phase of fucking around with looser gun restrictions.\nEdit: lol downvoted for pointing out the obvious. Never change America... otherwise we might have nice things.", ">\n\nI said nothing about assault weapons.", ">\n\nYou can bet that the people doing the shooting were carrying those guns illegally. It’s almost as if violent criminals don’t care about gun laws.\nI’m not saying we don’t need gun law reform, I’m just saying you shouldn’t expect anything to change if we pass them.", ">\n\nWell, yes and no. It’s easy to look abroad and make comparisons, but in 99% of cases there is 1 distinct difference. They never had any/many guns to begin with. We also shouldn’t forget to mention all the countries that have lots of guns, but little/no gun crime.\nDoing nothing isn’t the answer (I’m not a 2a proponent), but it’s a much more complicated issue that just guns. Easy access to firearms is a big issue, but so is rampant income equality, a dwindling underfunded educational system, generational poverty, etc. the stats are easy to find, we know that the vast majority of violent gun crime (Excl suicide) happens in impoverished urban areas. With more guns than people in this country, any laws that manage to get passed (let’s be real, it’s unlikely) will take multiple decades to take affect. So let’s also focus on all the other too.", ">\n\nThere are lots of them. Canada, Iceland, Finland, Austria, Norway to name a few.", ">\n\nWas from the hood. No longer go to many hood events cuz of this. The vast majority of people are great, but there are just so many young kids who just don’t give a fuck.\nEdit: changed “am” to “was”. I think it’s important to the comment to make it known I’m no longer in the hood.", ">\n\nTbh it’s not just young kids but young men. So many dudes get stuck in the game and it’s their only way to live.", ">\n\nIt’s sad and insane that I read the cause was gang related and thought “oh good, at least it wasn’t a hate crime.”", ">\n\nDonno about that, someone was being a hater to get shot... I'll see myself out.", ">\n\nJFC, nice “family event”.", ">\n\nDamnit. I often click on stories like this from Florida, morbidly curious if it happens to be anyone I know. Which is silly, as it’s a big state and I live in a tiny town. \nSo imagine my surprise to learn of a mass shooting in my tiny town via national news coverage on Reddit. I checked the local paper, but it doesn’t seem to have any new or updated information that this CBS News article doesn’t already share. \nIs it too early to drink yet?", ">\n\nI grew up in that town as well. Not that gangs aren’t present, but it’s more likely just an argument occurred. People in that town are very quickly to get violent for no reason. 90% lack the brain cells to do anything else", ">\n\nShit like this is why the aliens lock their doors when they pass by Earth", ">\n\nVulcans are like \"Yea, we are going to pass on this one.\"", ">\n\nYou know you are on a bad street if its named after MLK", ">\n\nBro you're functionally illiterate", ">\n\nThis happened yesterday, or 27 shootings ago Florida time", ">\n\nExcuse me. There have only been six mass shootings in Florida this year... that we are only 17 days into....", ">\n\nI hope they all pull through", ">\n\nI hope they catch everyone involved and everyone who tries to protect and or hide these people.", ">\n\nFt. Pierce, although recently going through gentrification, has always been a wretched hive of scum and villainy.", ">\n\nJust another day in the US" ]

[ "It absolutely blows my mind how often people will draw guns during a disagreement without any thought or fear about being locked away in prison and ruining the rest of their lives.", ">\n\nThis is a known problem with humans. Relying on \"fear of consequences\" often fails as a prevention strategy. If one truly wants to stop a certain kind of act, we need different approaches.", ">\n\nI always remember the part in The Green Mile where John Coffey sees Wild Bill Wharton's memory of killing the two girls and says \"he used their love of each other against them\" or something to that effect. \nI wonder if the rates of spontaneous murders would decrease if the law punished the murderers parents or children instead of themselves. \nNot proposing this as a real world solution. Just interested how convicted killers would respond to this. Those who lashed out in the heat of the moments.", ">\n\nToo many sociopaths and or psychopaths who wouldn't give two shits. Why should more innocent people suffer because someone else lacks empathy?? Maybe we should start jailing politicians and those who funnel money to politicians who male big profits from selling guns like the NRA and gun manufacturers. That males more sense than torturing more innocent people", ">\n\nFirst, I'm not saying this is a sensible solution. It's just a question. \nSecond, I'm not talking about sociopaths and psychopaths or anyone with mental illness. I'm referring to the normal, everyday person who, for whatever reason, gets so irate over something that they need to flex their muscles, lose control and pull out a gun as if it is totally reasonable response. \nI'm thinking of the guy who shot his neighbours because the party music was too loud and felt belittled when they didn't turn it down, so shot his neighbour dead. \nWould someone like him behave differently if he knew it was someone he loved, rather than his drunk ass self that paid the price for his actions? I'm sure there's a \"I don't give a fuck\" thought that goes through people's minds when these random acts of violence occur. \nDefinitely agree with you on the NRA. How they are not considered a terrorist organisation in the US is beyond me.", ">\n\nNo way to be able to distinguish a sociopath or psychopath. Not like it shows up on an xray, blood test or ultrasound.\nThe guy who shot his neighbors because their music was too loud is most likely a fucking psycho who was utterly incable of empathy or has a serious mental health problem with reality. Either way, not sure why his family should go to jail. \nPlenty of us have nothing to do with our families because we do have sociopaths in them, and they've caused us enough harm already. Why would you think we deserve to be tortured further for their decisions?? Sociopaths are notorious for believing nothing is their fault. Everyone else should suffer, and they never take accountable. So why give them another out?? Hold criminals responsible not their families", ">\n\nThere are medically defined diagnoses of sociopathic and psychopathic behaviour. \nThere's no x-ray, blood test or ultrasound to detect schizophrenia, Asbergers or autism, but we know these conditions exist. \nAnyway, you're missing my point completely. Let's leave it. You sound too young or angry and incapable of a reasonable discussion.", ">\n\nMedically defined, but not so easily diagnosed. That's key. \nI'M incapable of a reasonable discussion with someone who thinks family members of those who commit atrocities should be punished instead of the actual criminal??🤣🤣🤣 You're projecting, cupcake. You're not even capable of critical thinking, let alone being \"reasonable\"", ">\n\n\nShots were fired over a \"disagreement of some sort\" following \"MLK Car Show and Family Fun Day\"\n\nSad when parents have to be on high alert at a \"family fun day,\" not knowing if shitheads are about to engage in a gunfight over what I'm sure was a stupid i issue.", ">\n\nWe're in the finding out phase of fucking around with looser gun restrictions.\nEdit: lol downvoted for pointing out the obvious. Never change America... otherwise we might have nice things.", ">\n\nI said nothing about assault weapons.", ">\n\nYou can bet that the people doing the shooting were carrying those guns illegally. It’s almost as if violent criminals don’t care about gun laws.\nI’m not saying we don’t need gun law reform, I’m just saying you shouldn’t expect anything to change if we pass them.", ">\n\nWell, yes and no. It’s easy to look abroad and make comparisons, but in 99% of cases there is 1 distinct difference. They never had any/many guns to begin with. We also shouldn’t forget to mention all the countries that have lots of guns, but little/no gun crime.\nDoing nothing isn’t the answer (I’m not a 2a proponent), but it’s a much more complicated issue that just guns. Easy access to firearms is a big issue, but so is rampant income equality, a dwindling underfunded educational system, generational poverty, etc. the stats are easy to find, we know that the vast majority of violent gun crime (Excl suicide) happens in impoverished urban areas. With more guns than people in this country, any laws that manage to get passed (let’s be real, it’s unlikely) will take multiple decades to take affect. So let’s also focus on all the other too.", ">\n\nThere are lots of them. Canada, Iceland, Finland, Austria, Norway to name a few.", ">\n\nWas from the hood. No longer go to many hood events cuz of this. The vast majority of people are great, but there are just so many young kids who just don’t give a fuck.\nEdit: changed “am” to “was”. I think it’s important to the comment to make it known I’m no longer in the hood.", ">\n\nTbh it’s not just young kids but young men. So many dudes get stuck in the game and it’s their only way to live.", ">\n\nIt’s sad and insane that I read the cause was gang related and thought “oh good, at least it wasn’t a hate crime.”", ">\n\nDonno about that, someone was being a hater to get shot... I'll see myself out.", ">\n\nJFC, nice “family event”.", ">\n\nDamnit. I often click on stories like this from Florida, morbidly curious if it happens to be anyone I know. Which is silly, as it’s a big state and I live in a tiny town. \nSo imagine my surprise to learn of a mass shooting in my tiny town via national news coverage on Reddit. I checked the local paper, but it doesn’t seem to have any new or updated information that this CBS News article doesn’t already share. \nIs it too early to drink yet?", ">\n\nI grew up in that town as well. Not that gangs aren’t present, but it’s more likely just an argument occurred. People in that town are very quickly to get violent for no reason. 90% lack the brain cells to do anything else", ">\n\nShit like this is why the aliens lock their doors when they pass by Earth", ">\n\nVulcans are like \"Yea, we are going to pass on this one.\"", ">\n\nYou know you are on a bad street if its named after MLK", ">\n\nBro you're functionally illiterate", ">\n\nThis happened yesterday, or 27 shootings ago Florida time", ">\n\nExcuse me. There have only been six mass shootings in Florida this year... that we are only 17 days into....", ">\n\nI hope they all pull through", ">\n\nI hope they catch everyone involved and everyone who tries to protect and or hide these people.", ">\n\nFt. Pierce, although recently going through gentrification, has always been a wretched hive of scum and villainy.", ">\n\nJust another day in the US", ">\n\nI scrolled for 20 minutes and this is the first reporting of this I’ve seen. It’s crazy how normal this has become" ]

[ "It absolutely blows my mind how often people will draw guns during a disagreement without any thought or fear about being locked away in prison and ruining the rest of their lives.", ">\n\nThis is a known problem with humans. Relying on \"fear of consequences\" often fails as a prevention strategy. If one truly wants to stop a certain kind of act, we need different approaches.", ">\n\nI always remember the part in The Green Mile where John Coffey sees Wild Bill Wharton's memory of killing the two girls and says \"he used their love of each other against them\" or something to that effect. \nI wonder if the rates of spontaneous murders would decrease if the law punished the murderers parents or children instead of themselves. \nNot proposing this as a real world solution. Just interested how convicted killers would respond to this. Those who lashed out in the heat of the moments.", ">\n\nToo many sociopaths and or psychopaths who wouldn't give two shits. Why should more innocent people suffer because someone else lacks empathy?? Maybe we should start jailing politicians and those who funnel money to politicians who male big profits from selling guns like the NRA and gun manufacturers. That males more sense than torturing more innocent people", ">\n\nFirst, I'm not saying this is a sensible solution. It's just a question. \nSecond, I'm not talking about sociopaths and psychopaths or anyone with mental illness. I'm referring to the normal, everyday person who, for whatever reason, gets so irate over something that they need to flex their muscles, lose control and pull out a gun as if it is totally reasonable response. \nI'm thinking of the guy who shot his neighbours because the party music was too loud and felt belittled when they didn't turn it down, so shot his neighbour dead. \nWould someone like him behave differently if he knew it was someone he loved, rather than his drunk ass self that paid the price for his actions? I'm sure there's a \"I don't give a fuck\" thought that goes through people's minds when these random acts of violence occur. \nDefinitely agree with you on the NRA. How they are not considered a terrorist organisation in the US is beyond me.", ">\n\nNo way to be able to distinguish a sociopath or psychopath. Not like it shows up on an xray, blood test or ultrasound.\nThe guy who shot his neighbors because their music was too loud is most likely a fucking psycho who was utterly incable of empathy or has a serious mental health problem with reality. Either way, not sure why his family should go to jail. \nPlenty of us have nothing to do with our families because we do have sociopaths in them, and they've caused us enough harm already. Why would you think we deserve to be tortured further for their decisions?? Sociopaths are notorious for believing nothing is their fault. Everyone else should suffer, and they never take accountable. So why give them another out?? Hold criminals responsible not their families", ">\n\nThere are medically defined diagnoses of sociopathic and psychopathic behaviour. \nThere's no x-ray, blood test or ultrasound to detect schizophrenia, Asbergers or autism, but we know these conditions exist. \nAnyway, you're missing my point completely. Let's leave it. You sound too young or angry and incapable of a reasonable discussion.", ">\n\nMedically defined, but not so easily diagnosed. That's key. \nI'M incapable of a reasonable discussion with someone who thinks family members of those who commit atrocities should be punished instead of the actual criminal??🤣🤣🤣 You're projecting, cupcake. You're not even capable of critical thinking, let alone being \"reasonable\"", ">\n\n\nShots were fired over a \"disagreement of some sort\" following \"MLK Car Show and Family Fun Day\"\n\nSad when parents have to be on high alert at a \"family fun day,\" not knowing if shitheads are about to engage in a gunfight over what I'm sure was a stupid i issue.", ">\n\nWe're in the finding out phase of fucking around with looser gun restrictions.\nEdit: lol downvoted for pointing out the obvious. Never change America... otherwise we might have nice things.", ">\n\nI said nothing about assault weapons.", ">\n\nYou can bet that the people doing the shooting were carrying those guns illegally. It’s almost as if violent criminals don’t care about gun laws.\nI’m not saying we don’t need gun law reform, I’m just saying you shouldn’t expect anything to change if we pass them.", ">\n\nWell, yes and no. It’s easy to look abroad and make comparisons, but in 99% of cases there is 1 distinct difference. They never had any/many guns to begin with. We also shouldn’t forget to mention all the countries that have lots of guns, but little/no gun crime.\nDoing nothing isn’t the answer (I’m not a 2a proponent), but it’s a much more complicated issue that just guns. Easy access to firearms is a big issue, but so is rampant income equality, a dwindling underfunded educational system, generational poverty, etc. the stats are easy to find, we know that the vast majority of violent gun crime (Excl suicide) happens in impoverished urban areas. With more guns than people in this country, any laws that manage to get passed (let’s be real, it’s unlikely) will take multiple decades to take affect. So let’s also focus on all the other too.", ">\n\nThere are lots of them. Canada, Iceland, Finland, Austria, Norway to name a few.", ">\n\nWas from the hood. No longer go to many hood events cuz of this. The vast majority of people are great, but there are just so many young kids who just don’t give a fuck.\nEdit: changed “am” to “was”. I think it’s important to the comment to make it known I’m no longer in the hood.", ">\n\nTbh it’s not just young kids but young men. So many dudes get stuck in the game and it’s their only way to live.", ">\n\nIt’s sad and insane that I read the cause was gang related and thought “oh good, at least it wasn’t a hate crime.”", ">\n\nDonno about that, someone was being a hater to get shot... I'll see myself out.", ">\n\nJFC, nice “family event”.", ">\n\nDamnit. I often click on stories like this from Florida, morbidly curious if it happens to be anyone I know. Which is silly, as it’s a big state and I live in a tiny town. \nSo imagine my surprise to learn of a mass shooting in my tiny town via national news coverage on Reddit. I checked the local paper, but it doesn’t seem to have any new or updated information that this CBS News article doesn’t already share. \nIs it too early to drink yet?", ">\n\nI grew up in that town as well. Not that gangs aren’t present, but it’s more likely just an argument occurred. People in that town are very quickly to get violent for no reason. 90% lack the brain cells to do anything else", ">\n\nShit like this is why the aliens lock their doors when they pass by Earth", ">\n\nVulcans are like \"Yea, we are going to pass on this one.\"", ">\n\nYou know you are on a bad street if its named after MLK", ">\n\nBro you're functionally illiterate", ">\n\nThis happened yesterday, or 27 shootings ago Florida time", ">\n\nExcuse me. There have only been six mass shootings in Florida this year... that we are only 17 days into....", ">\n\nI hope they all pull through", ">\n\nI hope they catch everyone involved and everyone who tries to protect and or hide these people.", ">\n\nFt. Pierce, although recently going through gentrification, has always been a wretched hive of scum and villainy.", ">\n\nJust another day in the US", ">\n\nI scrolled for 20 minutes and this is the first reporting of this I’ve seen. It’s crazy how normal this has become", ">\n\nSo there were two cops posted at the event and neither of them were able to see who the shooters were.\nI don't blame them for that, but their presence there served no purpose other than being glorified security guards at that point. They did, however, provide first aid, so that's something! They were NOT a deterrent for gun violence, clearly.\nWhat's true is that civilians with guns (not sure if they're legal or not) complicated matters for the cops.\nAre guns really that effective in preventing shootouts like this? This is Florida too.\nBut of course people are more worried about their guns being taken away than addressing the huge elephant in the room - responsibility" ]

[ "It absolutely blows my mind how often people will draw guns during a disagreement without any thought or fear about being locked away in prison and ruining the rest of their lives.", ">\n\nThis is a known problem with humans. Relying on \"fear of consequences\" often fails as a prevention strategy. If one truly wants to stop a certain kind of act, we need different approaches.", ">\n\nI always remember the part in The Green Mile where John Coffey sees Wild Bill Wharton's memory of killing the two girls and says \"he used their love of each other against them\" or something to that effect. \nI wonder if the rates of spontaneous murders would decrease if the law punished the murderers parents or children instead of themselves. \nNot proposing this as a real world solution. Just interested how convicted killers would respond to this. Those who lashed out in the heat of the moments.", ">\n\nToo many sociopaths and or psychopaths who wouldn't give two shits. Why should more innocent people suffer because someone else lacks empathy?? Maybe we should start jailing politicians and those who funnel money to politicians who male big profits from selling guns like the NRA and gun manufacturers. That males more sense than torturing more innocent people", ">\n\nFirst, I'm not saying this is a sensible solution. It's just a question. \nSecond, I'm not talking about sociopaths and psychopaths or anyone with mental illness. I'm referring to the normal, everyday person who, for whatever reason, gets so irate over something that they need to flex their muscles, lose control and pull out a gun as if it is totally reasonable response. \nI'm thinking of the guy who shot his neighbours because the party music was too loud and felt belittled when they didn't turn it down, so shot his neighbour dead. \nWould someone like him behave differently if he knew it was someone he loved, rather than his drunk ass self that paid the price for his actions? I'm sure there's a \"I don't give a fuck\" thought that goes through people's minds when these random acts of violence occur. \nDefinitely agree with you on the NRA. How they are not considered a terrorist organisation in the US is beyond me.", ">\n\nNo way to be able to distinguish a sociopath or psychopath. Not like it shows up on an xray, blood test or ultrasound.\nThe guy who shot his neighbors because their music was too loud is most likely a fucking psycho who was utterly incable of empathy or has a serious mental health problem with reality. Either way, not sure why his family should go to jail. \nPlenty of us have nothing to do with our families because we do have sociopaths in them, and they've caused us enough harm already. Why would you think we deserve to be tortured further for their decisions?? Sociopaths are notorious for believing nothing is their fault. Everyone else should suffer, and they never take accountable. So why give them another out?? Hold criminals responsible not their families", ">\n\nThere are medically defined diagnoses of sociopathic and psychopathic behaviour. \nThere's no x-ray, blood test or ultrasound to detect schizophrenia, Asbergers or autism, but we know these conditions exist. \nAnyway, you're missing my point completely. Let's leave it. You sound too young or angry and incapable of a reasonable discussion.", ">\n\nMedically defined, but not so easily diagnosed. That's key. \nI'M incapable of a reasonable discussion with someone who thinks family members of those who commit atrocities should be punished instead of the actual criminal??🤣🤣🤣 You're projecting, cupcake. You're not even capable of critical thinking, let alone being \"reasonable\"", ">\n\n\nShots were fired over a \"disagreement of some sort\" following \"MLK Car Show and Family Fun Day\"\n\nSad when parents have to be on high alert at a \"family fun day,\" not knowing if shitheads are about to engage in a gunfight over what I'm sure was a stupid i issue.", ">\n\nWe're in the finding out phase of fucking around with looser gun restrictions.\nEdit: lol downvoted for pointing out the obvious. Never change America... otherwise we might have nice things.", ">\n\nI said nothing about assault weapons.", ">\n\nYou can bet that the people doing the shooting were carrying those guns illegally. It’s almost as if violent criminals don’t care about gun laws.\nI’m not saying we don’t need gun law reform, I’m just saying you shouldn’t expect anything to change if we pass them.", ">\n\nWell, yes and no. It’s easy to look abroad and make comparisons, but in 99% of cases there is 1 distinct difference. They never had any/many guns to begin with. We also shouldn’t forget to mention all the countries that have lots of guns, but little/no gun crime.\nDoing nothing isn’t the answer (I’m not a 2a proponent), but it’s a much more complicated issue that just guns. Easy access to firearms is a big issue, but so is rampant income equality, a dwindling underfunded educational system, generational poverty, etc. the stats are easy to find, we know that the vast majority of violent gun crime (Excl suicide) happens in impoverished urban areas. With more guns than people in this country, any laws that manage to get passed (let’s be real, it’s unlikely) will take multiple decades to take affect. So let’s also focus on all the other too.", ">\n\nThere are lots of them. Canada, Iceland, Finland, Austria, Norway to name a few.", ">\n\nWas from the hood. No longer go to many hood events cuz of this. The vast majority of people are great, but there are just so many young kids who just don’t give a fuck.\nEdit: changed “am” to “was”. I think it’s important to the comment to make it known I’m no longer in the hood.", ">\n\nTbh it’s not just young kids but young men. So many dudes get stuck in the game and it’s their only way to live.", ">\n\nIt’s sad and insane that I read the cause was gang related and thought “oh good, at least it wasn’t a hate crime.”", ">\n\nDonno about that, someone was being a hater to get shot... I'll see myself out.", ">\n\nJFC, nice “family event”.", ">\n\nDamnit. I often click on stories like this from Florida, morbidly curious if it happens to be anyone I know. Which is silly, as it’s a big state and I live in a tiny town. \nSo imagine my surprise to learn of a mass shooting in my tiny town via national news coverage on Reddit. I checked the local paper, but it doesn’t seem to have any new or updated information that this CBS News article doesn’t already share. \nIs it too early to drink yet?", ">\n\nI grew up in that town as well. Not that gangs aren’t present, but it’s more likely just an argument occurred. People in that town are very quickly to get violent for no reason. 90% lack the brain cells to do anything else", ">\n\nShit like this is why the aliens lock their doors when they pass by Earth", ">\n\nVulcans are like \"Yea, we are going to pass on this one.\"", ">\n\nYou know you are on a bad street if its named after MLK", ">\n\nBro you're functionally illiterate", ">\n\nThis happened yesterday, or 27 shootings ago Florida time", ">\n\nExcuse me. There have only been six mass shootings in Florida this year... that we are only 17 days into....", ">\n\nI hope they all pull through", ">\n\nI hope they catch everyone involved and everyone who tries to protect and or hide these people.", ">\n\nFt. Pierce, although recently going through gentrification, has always been a wretched hive of scum and villainy.", ">\n\nJust another day in the US", ">\n\nI scrolled for 20 minutes and this is the first reporting of this I’ve seen. It’s crazy how normal this has become", ">\n\nSo there were two cops posted at the event and neither of them were able to see who the shooters were.\nI don't blame them for that, but their presence there served no purpose other than being glorified security guards at that point. They did, however, provide first aid, so that's something! They were NOT a deterrent for gun violence, clearly.\nWhat's true is that civilians with guns (not sure if they're legal or not) complicated matters for the cops.\nAre guns really that effective in preventing shootouts like this? This is Florida too.\nBut of course people are more worried about their guns being taken away than addressing the huge elephant in the room - responsibility", ">\n\nThey weren't a deterrent because criminals now realize they have the upper hand in the criminal system... no repercussions to fear." ]

[ "It absolutely blows my mind how often people will draw guns during a disagreement without any thought or fear about being locked away in prison and ruining the rest of their lives.", ">\n\nThis is a known problem with humans. Relying on \"fear of consequences\" often fails as a prevention strategy. If one truly wants to stop a certain kind of act, we need different approaches.", ">\n\nI always remember the part in The Green Mile where John Coffey sees Wild Bill Wharton's memory of killing the two girls and says \"he used their love of each other against them\" or something to that effect. \nI wonder if the rates of spontaneous murders would decrease if the law punished the murderers parents or children instead of themselves. \nNot proposing this as a real world solution. Just interested how convicted killers would respond to this. Those who lashed out in the heat of the moments.", ">\n\nToo many sociopaths and or psychopaths who wouldn't give two shits. Why should more innocent people suffer because someone else lacks empathy?? Maybe we should start jailing politicians and those who funnel money to politicians who male big profits from selling guns like the NRA and gun manufacturers. That males more sense than torturing more innocent people", ">\n\nFirst, I'm not saying this is a sensible solution. It's just a question. \nSecond, I'm not talking about sociopaths and psychopaths or anyone with mental illness. I'm referring to the normal, everyday person who, for whatever reason, gets so irate over something that they need to flex their muscles, lose control and pull out a gun as if it is totally reasonable response. \nI'm thinking of the guy who shot his neighbours because the party music was too loud and felt belittled when they didn't turn it down, so shot his neighbour dead. \nWould someone like him behave differently if he knew it was someone he loved, rather than his drunk ass self that paid the price for his actions? I'm sure there's a \"I don't give a fuck\" thought that goes through people's minds when these random acts of violence occur. \nDefinitely agree with you on the NRA. How they are not considered a terrorist organisation in the US is beyond me.", ">\n\nNo way to be able to distinguish a sociopath or psychopath. Not like it shows up on an xray, blood test or ultrasound.\nThe guy who shot his neighbors because their music was too loud is most likely a fucking psycho who was utterly incable of empathy or has a serious mental health problem with reality. Either way, not sure why his family should go to jail. \nPlenty of us have nothing to do with our families because we do have sociopaths in them, and they've caused us enough harm already. Why would you think we deserve to be tortured further for their decisions?? Sociopaths are notorious for believing nothing is their fault. Everyone else should suffer, and they never take accountable. So why give them another out?? Hold criminals responsible not their families", ">\n\nThere are medically defined diagnoses of sociopathic and psychopathic behaviour. \nThere's no x-ray, blood test or ultrasound to detect schizophrenia, Asbergers or autism, but we know these conditions exist. \nAnyway, you're missing my point completely. Let's leave it. You sound too young or angry and incapable of a reasonable discussion.", ">\n\nMedically defined, but not so easily diagnosed. That's key. \nI'M incapable of a reasonable discussion with someone who thinks family members of those who commit atrocities should be punished instead of the actual criminal??🤣🤣🤣 You're projecting, cupcake. You're not even capable of critical thinking, let alone being \"reasonable\"", ">\n\n\nShots were fired over a \"disagreement of some sort\" following \"MLK Car Show and Family Fun Day\"\n\nSad when parents have to be on high alert at a \"family fun day,\" not knowing if shitheads are about to engage in a gunfight over what I'm sure was a stupid i issue.", ">\n\nWe're in the finding out phase of fucking around with looser gun restrictions.\nEdit: lol downvoted for pointing out the obvious. Never change America... otherwise we might have nice things.", ">\n\nI said nothing about assault weapons.", ">\n\nYou can bet that the people doing the shooting were carrying those guns illegally. It’s almost as if violent criminals don’t care about gun laws.\nI’m not saying we don’t need gun law reform, I’m just saying you shouldn’t expect anything to change if we pass them.", ">\n\nWell, yes and no. It’s easy to look abroad and make comparisons, but in 99% of cases there is 1 distinct difference. They never had any/many guns to begin with. We also shouldn’t forget to mention all the countries that have lots of guns, but little/no gun crime.\nDoing nothing isn’t the answer (I’m not a 2a proponent), but it’s a much more complicated issue that just guns. Easy access to firearms is a big issue, but so is rampant income equality, a dwindling underfunded educational system, generational poverty, etc. the stats are easy to find, we know that the vast majority of violent gun crime (Excl suicide) happens in impoverished urban areas. With more guns than people in this country, any laws that manage to get passed (let’s be real, it’s unlikely) will take multiple decades to take affect. So let’s also focus on all the other too.", ">\n\nThere are lots of them. Canada, Iceland, Finland, Austria, Norway to name a few.", ">\n\nWas from the hood. No longer go to many hood events cuz of this. The vast majority of people are great, but there are just so many young kids who just don’t give a fuck.\nEdit: changed “am” to “was”. I think it’s important to the comment to make it known I’m no longer in the hood.", ">\n\nTbh it’s not just young kids but young men. So many dudes get stuck in the game and it’s their only way to live.", ">\n\nIt’s sad and insane that I read the cause was gang related and thought “oh good, at least it wasn’t a hate crime.”", ">\n\nDonno about that, someone was being a hater to get shot... I'll see myself out.", ">\n\nJFC, nice “family event”.", ">\n\nDamnit. I often click on stories like this from Florida, morbidly curious if it happens to be anyone I know. Which is silly, as it’s a big state and I live in a tiny town. \nSo imagine my surprise to learn of a mass shooting in my tiny town via national news coverage on Reddit. I checked the local paper, but it doesn’t seem to have any new or updated information that this CBS News article doesn’t already share. \nIs it too early to drink yet?", ">\n\nI grew up in that town as well. Not that gangs aren’t present, but it’s more likely just an argument occurred. People in that town are very quickly to get violent for no reason. 90% lack the brain cells to do anything else", ">\n\nShit like this is why the aliens lock their doors when they pass by Earth", ">\n\nVulcans are like \"Yea, we are going to pass on this one.\"", ">\n\nYou know you are on a bad street if its named after MLK", ">\n\nBro you're functionally illiterate", ">\n\nThis happened yesterday, or 27 shootings ago Florida time", ">\n\nExcuse me. There have only been six mass shootings in Florida this year... that we are only 17 days into....", ">\n\nI hope they all pull through", ">\n\nI hope they catch everyone involved and everyone who tries to protect and or hide these people.", ">\n\nFt. Pierce, although recently going through gentrification, has always been a wretched hive of scum and villainy.", ">\n\nJust another day in the US", ">\n\nI scrolled for 20 minutes and this is the first reporting of this I’ve seen. It’s crazy how normal this has become", ">\n\nSo there were two cops posted at the event and neither of them were able to see who the shooters were.\nI don't blame them for that, but their presence there served no purpose other than being glorified security guards at that point. They did, however, provide first aid, so that's something! They were NOT a deterrent for gun violence, clearly.\nWhat's true is that civilians with guns (not sure if they're legal or not) complicated matters for the cops.\nAre guns really that effective in preventing shootouts like this? This is Florida too.\nBut of course people are more worried about their guns being taken away than addressing the huge elephant in the room - responsibility", ">\n\nThey weren't a deterrent because criminals now realize they have the upper hand in the criminal system... no repercussions to fear.", ">\n\nSo the so-called justice system has failed on all levels. Cops are not trusted by the people. The courts don't make the right rulings. People are voting for the wrong people and would die on a hill for them.\nAnd then there's people on Reddit who will neg vote what they don't like to read, not whether the content makes sense or not." ]