REG: Self-Diagnosis is it a valid thing? (questioning psaych

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I will preamble this by saying I am not interested in either an official or self-diagnosis (I point this out as maybe it biases my view somewhat). I know that I display a significant number of symptoms, and therefore I hang around places like this, and read some books about such subjects, because it is interesting for me to see where others process the world in the same way that I do. Thus far, I have never seen a need to call it anything.

In any case, the problems with self-diagnosis seem fairly self-evident. It can, of course, be done with thorough research, and thought, and dedication; equally, it can be done (as an above poster says) with a wikipedia article and few online tests. As professional as some tests might be, I think they are always supposed to be used by a professional in order to get the full use out of them (or am I wrong? I refer to stuff here like the AQ test). The obvious problem being that, if one needs access to services, etc. a self-diagnosis would not get an individual such help, but everybody knows this.

Having said that, I think there are many problems with a professional diagnosis, too, As the OP attests, a diagnosis for a developmental disorder, or a mental illness, is very, very different to having a physical impairment diagnosed. If you break your arm, every doctor you see will tell you that you have broken your arm. If anybody gave a different opinion, some serious questions would be asked immediately (whereas this doesn't happen if one is diagnosed with a mental illness, then 'undiagnosed' as it were).

Partly, of course, this is because a broken arm is much easier to detect. With mental disorders, cognitive issues, developmental disorders, etc. there is no blood test, or clear visual sign. Only a series of psychological tests where a professional tries to make a 'best fit'. Such an approach, of course, is bound to result in errors.

The strange thing about a professional diagnosis, I think, is that it is a linguistic trick of sorts. If I break my arm, and I go to the hospital and all the doctors are rubbish and they say 'you don't have a broken arm' or examine my foot instead, and ask me have I considered wearing different shoes, the facts remains that my arm is still broken, and a broken arm exists independent of professional verification.

However, as the system stands at the moment, something like an ASD does not exist independently. Without diagnosis, it is simply a random collection of symptoms, anecdotes offered by the individual and his/her friends or relatives. To this end, I can see why people might want to self-diagnose, as they simply want answers for themselves, and do not need anything 'official'. Though in this case, it seems to me just the same as accepting yourself as an individual. Why need call it anything?

The bottom line is if there was better access to assessment, and a possible dx, less people would be compelled to self diagnose.

I struggle with this daily. I'm self diagnosed (took about half a dozen online tests - all came back "You might be autistic"), but it was more than just the tests.

I work in the healthcare field and have for many years. One of the first things I learned (perhaps from being around all the doctors for all these years) is that diagnosis of any disease or disorder is kind of like putting together a puzzle. Example, I have migraines from time to time. At one point, I started smelling oranges before a migraine. It never happened before, so just for giggles, I looked that up online. According to WebMD, it suggested that I might be having a stroke. I knew I wasn't having a stroke because the other pieces to that puzzle didn't fit (No facial drooping, history of clogged arteries or high BP at the time, no confusion, etc, etc).

All that being said, my self diagnosis came from more than just those tests. I have countless memories from my childhood and adolescence of things that fit into that autistic puzzle in addition to that testing. I also know that autism is a spectrum and not a straight line. I experience things that many of those on the spectrum don't and vice versa. Perhaps with self diagnosis has to come some level of knowledge about autism AND a recognition of how to reach a diagnosis in the first place (at lease in a rudimentary sense anyway).

As far as myself getting a diagnosis, I go back and forth. I'd like to be considered just as valid as someone who has an official diagnosis, but at the same time, I'm 42 now, folks. I've managed to survive very well without one and with exception to dealing with relationships, I've got a pretty strong handle on things in that regards. So, I don't know, perhaps i will or maybe I won't, but I don't think that it should invalidate me because the information didn't come from a doctor.

You do have a diagnosis. Other doctors are just creating chaos.

You are in a great place with us.

I tend to be against self diagnosis. I feel they can pose a danger. There are a lot of nuances with physical and mental illness. What looks like a mental illness can be a physical illness. You might feel like you meet one diagnosis, but some small nuance makes something else a better fit.

Does that mean that you think psychologists shouldn't diagnose ASD because in your view they might be mistaking a medical illness for ASD, as they are not trained to diagnose medical illness?

I think a medical professional is going to be better at nuance. They can also reccomend specialized care if you need it. They can let you know if they feel you are a danger to yourself or others. I thought psychiatrists diagnosed mental illness? They can tell if what you think you have doesn't fit. If it doesn't fit any well then a specialist might be able to help.

Psychology is defined as the study of behaviour - all kinds of behaviour. As ASD is diagnosed by behavioural symptoms, then it fits into psychology better than psychiatry (it was dropped from the DSM because it isn't a mental illness).

The one caveat is that the psychologist or any other diagnostician in ASD needs to have had specific training in ASD as a syndrome and recognition of different presentations; very few doctors seem to have had any, from what I have read over the years here and elsewhere.

Perhaps you have had a different experience, but I have seen people here quite brutalised by the dismissive attitudes of doctors all too often.

How often are "character flaws" just the result of chemical or neurological dysfunction? Bipolar behaviors appear as "character flaws" but are the result of mental illness. Is there, in fact, such a thing as a "character flaw," or are all aberrant behaviors more the result of organic predilection than of free will?

If the side effects from an SSRI medication can lead an otherwise calm and rational individual to psychotic behavior and even homicidal outbursts, how much other human behavior can be attributed to individual intent, as opposed to brain chemistry?

To question Shakespeare, what part of our faults lies in ourselves, and what part in our neurochemical "stars"?

Brain chemistry is not static but varies according to food choices, experiences, exercise etc. It can also be altered by drugs (legal or otherwise) as we all know. Character seems to be fairly constant in most people.
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I think most of us know mental illness is widely viewed as a character flaw(s). All of the enforced or peer pressured "political correctness" and new age and corporate speak does not change this. Undiagnosed autistics are no exception to this.

Back to the topic, this is a bit of a catch-22. Self-diagnosers need to be aware that wanting the autism explanation could interfere with even the most meticulous research. Yet one can not let this awareness of confirmation bias become doubt that becomes paralyzing. Those on the spectrum with our black and white thinking are particularly vulnerable to paralyzing doubt. One or two traits that do not fit the criteria becomes proof that one is an ass who is faking him or herself. Considerable skepticism to outright hostility by NT's and autistics alike to self-diagnosers increases self-doubt even more.

The AQ test is offered by Autism Canada on their website (https://autismcanada.org/about-autism/d ... ols/adult/) as a tool to help people decide whether they should be seeking out professional screening. Clearly Autism Canada thinks there is some benefit to administering that test without the supervision of a professional.

That said, they have all sorts of warnings there about how this isn't a diagnosis and that people can have all the attributes that the test is checking for and still not be on the spectrum, or have none of them at all but still be on the spectrum.

In my case, I found that very helpful. When someone who has an autistic child had mentioned to me that I respond to some situations in a similar manner to his child, it gave me quite a scare and I started googling "Do I have autism" that night and found myself on that website, which was where I first read about high-functioning autism/Asperger's.

The website recommended that I talk to my doctor, which I did, who told me that I did have some signs that suggested it was a possibility and gave me a phone number I could call to find a psychologist I could talk to.

So for me, that AQ test was a very useful tool in the path to finding out why I am kind of strange.

For people like myself who can not afford the costs of testing and who have researched Asperger's / Autism thoroughly ( I've been reading up on the subject on and off for 6 years, really diving into it in the past year after my friend got diagnosed with Asperger's). From what I've read, the tests I've taken, along with talking to my parents (they strongly thought I have Autism until Kaiser threw the ADHD label after a 10 question quiz given after a Powerpoint presentation [ I'm not joking folks, that's literally what they did and then handed me a rx and sent me on my way]and have brought it up after this), I'm an Aspie. Or since the DSM-V got rid of it, I'm HFA with an atypical presentation.

It is what it is. I'm working towards my own diagnosis though and having found a doctor that is willing to work with my other health issues, I know that they are more than willing to work with me on getting this diagnosis/ finding ways to manage my issues from being an Aspie.

As for what you posted about psychology and the profession in general, I think you're rather too harsh on one field of science. Like any medicine or science field, psychology is rapidly growing and changing and learning. As such, there are mistakes that happen and knowledge that is thought right that is proven wrong or expanded on (ex. look at cancer, new literature is being published daily and removing old or flawed knowledge). A lot of the issues with Autism diagnosis is that valuable research was hidden / ignored for several decades and parents of those on the spectrum were desperate for a cure instead of helping their children advance and grow in their skills. Food for thought

Emma, there has been research on the reliability of self-diagnoses which found a high level of accuracy.

I wasn't aware of that. ^^; I just get defensive as I feel as if someone is saying that the research I've done into my own self diagnosis (along with others on this site)isn't valid / worth less because we lack the resources to get a diagnosis or because we were able to "pass" (although we had extreme difficulty as young children, teenagers, young adulthood, etc) and fly below the radar when many are given their diagnosis, so to speak. I apologize if I came off as argumentative / confrontational as that was not my intention. My intention was to point out that for many who can't or are unable to get an official diagnosis, self diagnosis offers a way for them to realize what has been causing them problems their life and finding a way to manage it / work with it.

I also wanted to point out that all types of medicine / science have had things believed to be truth that were wrong (sun orbiting the earth comes to mind) and that they are always growing and learning. But, that OP was right/ others who posted (you included I believe) that psychology has harmed a great many people with its misguided attempts to help. but that it's also been getting better in the past few years (mostly better... but I'm working on focusing on the positives XD ). Again, I do apologize if I was coming off as argumentative or hostile as that's not my intention.

Also, thank you for giving me something new to research. There's a lot of happy noises coming out of me at the prospect of learning something new.

Truth be told, I'm one of those people (sort of).
I'm not seeking a formal diagnosis because I'm not sure how it would benefit me, and yes, the costs are potentially quite high. Besides, for me, more beneficial than labeling myself is seeking contact with a community of people who have a shared experience in dealing with similar issues to mine. Maybe if I was lower functioning it would be different. Maybe if I was younger then it would be different. For now it's just nice to know how other people cope with the same issues I face. That is enough for me.