Why Do People Hate Self-Diagnosers?

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1) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperbole 2) your narrative kinda implied it heavily, as people generally get defensive when they're trying to hold onto a position they think is correct.

Last edited by Fugu on 13 Jun 2015, 12:53 am, edited 1 time in total.

This is not my opinion.
This is how autism is diagnosed.
Neither self-report or childhood history are absolutely required, but behavioral observation and matching traits to official criteria is.

I just don't get in which way its 'invalid' there isn't really a set of rules that determine if a self diagnoses is valid or not...if a person thinks someones self diagnoses is invalid cool, but doesn't make a ton of sense nor is their opinion on the matter any more valid than said self diagnosers. I mean its funny to observe 'you don't have autism because your self diagnosed and dont have an official diagnoses' after claiming only professionals can make such claims to you people how is your opinion a self diagnosed person doesn't have autism any more valid than their opinion that they do?

More than behavior observation and matching traits to the DSM criteria is required for any in depth diagnoses, those two things are like the most basic minimal requirements for a diagnoses. As I said I was studying abnormal psychology in college part of that is learning about the diagnoses process, the flaws in it, the fact mental health professionals can be biased, also ideas change in this profession nothing is concrete. Psychology isn't even a real science technically, its a social science. So yes it's your opinion....since what you say isen't the end all, be all of how it works, not to mention even within the psychology field there is question as to the validity of the DSM-5 its self. If anything its moving in the direction of taking more imput from patients/people with conditions whearas historically once you're a mental health patient of any kind anything you think, feel, say ect is invalid because only the professionals know all of whats going on a crazy person cannot possibly have any insight into themselves...seems like that is the way you think it ought to be.

Maybe they think they are right, but aren't denying the possibility they could be wrong...hence the defensiveness, but lack of black and white thinking about it. I did not see where they said having an official diagnoses chains anyone to a doctor. I sometimes get defensive in threads like this to, because I was initially self diagnosed before getting it official and have first hand experience with the crap people sling about when it comes to self diagnoses. But also as far as this site is concerned its for officially diagnosed, non-officially diagnosed spectrum people as well as those not on the spectrum...its an inclusive website. If you want an exclusive club for officially diagnosed autistics only there is the entire internet, sure you could find something. So yes it pisses me off when people make people feel unwelcome for not being officially diagnosed, or not being on the spectrum as if those are rules for being on this site, well they aren't.

How does telling someone that's struggling to cope to seek professional help in any way invalidating their self diagnosis or saying they don't have autism again? I'm completely lost as to how you made that connection. If you could clarify that for me it might help me answer your questions.

I didn't say that was invalidating...I mean when people assert themselves as the authority on whether or not a random self diagnosed person on the internet has autism by claiming they don't have it because they don't have an official diagnoses. It wouldn't be invalidating to encourage a self diagnosed person to be professionally assessed, though if they state they cannot afford it it would be invalidating to ignore that and go on like they're just refusing to. I was more or less agreeing with your post if that helps.

So how DO you explain trained professionals who come out with things like "You can't have autism because you didn't wet the bed, start fires or be cruel to animals as a child" and "If you weren't diagnosed as a child, you definitely aren't autistic"?
(Those are actual examples that I've seen on these forums.)

Oh, and BTW, I am professionally diagnosed, so don't try "But but but you're just trying to justify your self-diagnosis!"

they're idiots?nice strawman

So what you're saying is that training and accreditation don't in fact make a person infallible?






It's only a strawman if it's inaccurate.

Didn't you just tell someone else on another thread that from one post it sounded like they were suffering from social anxiety. Didn't ask any questions, didn't personally observe them, no assessment needed. You knew.

Kind of like the self diagnosed know. Maybe you have more in common with them then you think.

I would venture to suggest that people with autism know more about it then mental health professionals. Professionals can only see the symptoms, we know about the experience.

Your environment can have a great deal to do with how your condition is expressed.

For instance, as an adult, I had no trouble assembling workshop of two lathes, a milling machine, air compressor/airbrush, and bandsaw to build a couple hundred model rockets. And a printer that for making white and metallic decals. One might look inside a box and see a dozen very similar rockets and conclude that this person must be an Aspie--each one must have taken 20 hours to build! Or maybe not, maybe this person just had a lot of cool tools and was really gifted. Maybe he had an interest in history and wanted to show the different markings of an infamous rocket.

Unless the current understanding of Autism is radically wrong one is either Autistic or one is not. Diagnosing it, creating an autistic identity, how is autism defined is all about trying to determine if someone is Austitic not whether he /she is.

Despite occasional claims made in self-diagnosis threads I was not allistic until August 26, 2013 at age 55 then became Autistic when I was professionally diagnosed that day.

Kicker, my apologies. After reading your response, I realized that I responded to your posting from my perspective, not from yours.

Basically, I read your response and I thought, “No, I would not have said that. I would have said this instead”. That was my immediate thought (and why I responded the way I did). I wasn’t thinking about what you were thinking about at all. It didn’t cross my mind. Oops.

In case you are curious, my view is something different (than yours). First, some background. Before I was diagnosed, I had doubts about whether or not I had Asperger’s. I am not certain why, but I was part way expecting a diagnosis of Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder, maybe even Schizoid or some combination. After I was diagnosed, I still had doubts (was the clinical psychologist qualified, was the process suitable, were the correct tests administered, etc.). That’s just me. I am skeptical of just about everything.

With that background in place, I personally cannot imagine how someone can have the level of confidence needed to self-diagnose. So, my response would have been, “I want to understand your psyche and how you have such confidence to do that”. Which is why I responded to your post that way. I couldn’t write what you wrote. I would want understanding before I could say anything else. If I am not mistaken, this is how I generally interact with others, in person. It works wonderfully for information exchange. Though, I am guessing it’s lousy for building relationships. LOL.

One other note. Just because I lack confidence does not mean I doubt others (who self-diagnose). Or that I dislike or hate them. However, one thing I can do (in threads like this) is learn from them. Which is why I find these threads oh so interesting.


I must not be paying attention. I didn’t realize that bed wetting and pyromania were common amongst Aspies.

This definitely brings backs some “choice” memories from childhood. I still remember how uncomfortable I felt while watching The Loneliest Runner when I was 13. It certainly was an unpleasant reminder from my bedwetting days. And, Pyromania. Really? I had no idea. I used to carry matches with me all the time when I was 10, 11, 12. Simply put, I loved fire. However, it wasn’t always fun and games. I still vividly remember the 2nd degree burn I received on 3 fingers when trying to light a bunch of gunpowder collected from previously lit firecrackers the day after July 4th. Almost as bad, a trouble making friend and I set a fire inside the classroom during Sunday School.

“Fun” memories aside, I am not certain what either (bed wetting or pyromania) has to do with being an Aspie. Can anyone explain?

Not a problem, I probably took it to literal as well. I have a tendency to do that as well as forget to look at things from another's perspective. So no worries.

My background is I was told I have an ASD with no prior knowledge that I did by a professional and shortly there after was diagnosed. I have been seeing a therapist once a week for 22 years, because I thought I was defective. Still do some days. I did think I was 'crazy' that entire time and spent most of it depressed. I even needed a second and third opinion to tell me that I have ASD. (2 full Evals (one was a psych evaluation the other ASD)1 just interview type thing.) I've probably put my therapist, my room mate, and my mom through hell going over every detail. I still have days when I doubt it, probably will for a while.

Having gone through the hell and circumstances that I did from childhood till now has taught me how to be compassionate towards those less fortunate. As I tried to find answers for myself I learned and studied really hard why everyone else was different. (Of course it figures I was studying the wrong things.) There are many many people who are worse off than you or I, whether it's from lack of education, money, social-emotional support, food, shelter, health, mental health, etc. Each producing its own set of challenges and each producing unique perspectives.

Actually it's a lot like you are doing with finding these discussions interesting. I find them boring, but at one point I would have found them interesting. I've moved on to more trying to solve what I see.