Is self-diagnosis okay/valid/a good thing?

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That's what I dislike about all of this. People who are coming here just trying to figure things out for themselves might feel very put off by all the arguing and criticism. Not just new people but anyone who doesn't have an official diagnosis, or anyone who doubts or questions whatever official diagnosis they already have. There are many situations where people may need to put more trust in themselves so they can find the confidence to walk away from (un)professional therapies or treatments if they are not getting what they need from it.

In any case, it is unlikely to be helpful to anyone to be told that they do not have the right to assess what their own problems are and identify themselves accordingly, ie, to self-diagnose. People who are saying these things are not taking different perspectives and understanding how it might affect someone in different circumstances than themselves to hear such criticism.

And all of that aside it is not ideal for anyone new to a forum to see a heated debate going on as soon as they arrive. It sets a bad tone and may be upsetting to them or make them feel uncomfortable. IMO debates of all kinds should be contained to different subforum(s) and not part of general discussion. Especially on a "support site."

I think that it is good for people visiting wp for the first time to see threads criticizing self-diagnosis, so they may decide for themselves what they want to do by reading different perspectives on the issue.

If that had been my own first encounter, I wouldn't have stayed. One person has already left WP because of the tone of this thread (sent me a PM saying goodbye).

If some people decide to not stay or to leave, then that action is their choice in their minds.
Discussion, criticism, and support of self-diagnosis can continue with or without them.
I have not left because people have disagreed with me, that action is my choice in my mind.

I think people can decide for themselves without needing to see criticism.

1. I think this whole discussion is getting ridiculous.

2. I think it's sad that the person (whoever it was) has decided to leave WP but at the same time I'm not sure I understand why. According to this poll, the majority of people seem to think "self-diagnosis" is okay (though not nearly enough people have voted for the results to be seen as accurate yet). It's not possible to avoid people who don't agree with your own views. Not in any area of life. WP included. WP is, for the most part, a nice and welcoming community/forum and I think a lot can be learned by reading and writing posts here, but of course you (people in general) will encounter people who disagree with you. I understand that one might want to avoid disagreement as much as possible but I doubt people "in real life" are more understanding of the concept of self-diagnosis so if one can't face it here, how can one face it "in real life"? Do you know what I mean? I really don't mean to sound cruel or anything so I hope I don't come across that way.

The person left because of triggering which activated past memories of being bullied, with adverse impact on current well-being.

Criticism of self-diagnosis is criticizing a process like any other process that one might carry out.
People who are critical of a process can post their criticisms, and if others can't deal with that criticism or disagreement with their own views, then that issue is their minds, and others are not obligated to stop posting their opinions.

Fair enough.

I think so too and there are a lot of great reasons to be here so it's unfortunate that someone might be put off by something temporary that does not represent what the community is about. And no matter how great a forum is, it only takes one bad experience to put people off.

Of course people are not going to agree about everything, but there are ways to disagree without having full-blown debates.

If people don't want to read anything that criticizes what they support or anything that they disagree with, then they can not read posts by certain people whom they know to have opposing opinions, e.g. they can avoid my posts in this thread by scrolling past, and they can read others' posts in support of their opinions.

We have all heard the claim that women who object to violence against women in the form of internet pornography should just avoid it. This ignores the fact that the women object to the promotion of violence against women (and some men too). I avoid it though my objection remains, to the fact of the promotion of violence against women (or anyone).

Continually harassing someone or anyone with "critical objectivity" and thinking that it's good for them baffles me.

Criticism of self-diagnosis is not personally harassing someone.
It is criticism of a process.

Sadly, to my way of thinking, threads like this one seem vulnerable to being taken over in one, or all, of three ways:

a poster relentlessly criticizing any poster who disagrees with their opinion

a poster discourages positive or alternative views by relentless criticism, essentially poisoning the comment thread, creating disincentive for other positive posters to chime in, while encouraging like-minded criticisers to join in the fun and form a bloc

having cultivated a bloc, other threads are created by said bloc and flooded with similar comments to reinforce their perceived supremacy.

More guilt-tripping and projections. There's even a sad smiley face to increase the seriousness.

How so?