The pros and cons of self diagnosis...
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- Опубліковано 27 вер 2024
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Great video
Commenting before the video is posted? Time travelling witch!
If you wonder, they are there now 😊✨
Thanks!
Great video, as always!
Just a note: I've noticed in a few videos you've said "click the card in the top left hand corner if the screen" but it's actually on the right. You're gesturing to the correct direction but as it's your left when you're filming, that's what you say. But it's then not the "left of the screen". Just FYI.
it's also worthwhile to note that self diagnosis can also look like: "i'm not really sure what's wrong with me but i'm having a really hard time and have for a while. i think i will treat myself as i would anybody else with the symptoms i'm experiencing." you don't have to know what's wrong to help yourself!
This. I get pain in my legs particularly after walking a lot and for a long time i just did nothing. Recently I decided to try out using a walking stick and it has changed my life. I still have no clue what is causing my leg pain and to be honest i do not care as i have already found a solution
This is the stage that I'm at. Many, many tests have come back completely clear/'normal' so I still can't explain the debilitating fatigue I'm experiencing every day. I'm having to help myself, which at the moment means advocating and standing up for my health when my boss is refusing to adapt my working conditions to help me manage my symptoms. He's also referring to my health by putting the word 'welfare' in quotation marks in every email he sends me about my requests to have more flexibility so that I can function vaguely normally and not become an absolute husk of a human. ANYWAY. What you said is so true - it can be so easy to gaslight yourself and convince yourself that without a diagnosis, it might not actually be as bad as you think it is, especially if you have better days and worse days. But we've got to advocate for and believe ourselves, even if we encounter other people who might not! x
I get horrible back pain, and also have horrid balance from chronic ear infections as a kid. I also have knee issues, and often dislocate joints, lately it has be my shoulder and knees.
I self diagnosed my ADHD and anxiety, which are now official. I am self diagnosed autistic, and ptsd as well.
@@jenblack98 I've considered using a walking stick myself for my hip and knee pain but I worried that if no medical professional suggested it to me then 'I don't really need it' and 'I'm just being dramatic'
@@martielupin1981 you should absolutely try it out, there's no harm in trying! i myself don't have much experience in this, but i imagine one could find canes/walking sticks at thrift stores or other such places, to try it out a bit more affordably before investing in a more heavy-duty one, if needed. i imagine someone else more experienced has better tips, but i just wanted to encourage you to try it, as you absolutely deserve relief for your pain - regardless of if doctors suggest it or not!!
"Adults tend to stop listening to children who say they're in pain continually" is my entire life lmao
Sameeeee
100% this. I see the behaviors of my autistic daughter in myself at the same age... but I had to self-diagnose my own autism because of people like my last therapist, who said, "You're too self-aware to be autistic." Never mind that I have an additional *thirty years* of masking when compared to their other male autistic clients.
that therapist sounds ignorant. ASD is very likely genetic
I had someone say to me "of course you're not autistic, you can hold a conversation and make eye contact.". Yes....because I know people respond positively to this and I've had decades of practice. 6 years later, surprise surprise, ASD diagnosis and a lot of my mental health symptoms improved because I stopped using NT coping methods for an ND situation.
@@KatieM786 This. My fiancée has suspected ASD for years but no one has agreed with her. Very good at masking.
@@caleighrosebud I'm sorry to hear of your loved ones struggles. It was so hard to deliberately not mask during my assessments. I'm in the UK and I got referred to a diagnosis clinic after my umpteenth referral to NHS adult mental health services. I insisted that I wanted to find out whether I was ASD once and for all and I got lucky. You've probably tried this avenue already? Someone said to me that you don't have to have an official diagnosis to apply ND coping strategies successfully, but it's not quite as validating. I found videos and books by Sarah Hendrickx really helpful.
@@KatieM786 ugh THIS! I'm black and non-binary so the chances of being actually diagnosed are... Slim but I've gotten this exact thing quoted at me. I stopped bothering to mask over the pandemic since I have less people to compare myself to and low and behold two different therapists this week have gone '.... Hey bud... Have you considered autism?'
My father diagnosed his own hypothyroidism - he ended up being right. My cousin fought for years to have her EDS recognized and again - she was right. And now she thinks my chronic pain might be EDS, too since it runs in families, but diagnoses take time...and money I just don't have. But when I had surgery recently I shared all of this with my surgeon and he treated me like someone with EDS, just to be safe. Sometimes self-diagnoses is absolutely necessary and saves lives. 💜
Your surgeon sounds wonderful! I had a surgery a couple years ago before my POTS diagnosis, and I told the anesthesiologist that I think I have POTS, and her only response was "Who diagnosed you?" And so when I was honest and said I hadn't received a diagnosis yet, she basically rolled her eyes and said it was rare. And then my surgery which was only supposed to last a couple hours took double the time because my vitals were all over the place and they couldn't get me stable, and my outpatient surgery turned into a hospital stay! D:< I also had injuries, probably because I have hEDS. I do have a POTS diagnosis, but no hEDS diagnosis or anything similar, and so I'm holding off on another surgery I need because I'm assuming it would go the same way -- I'll say I need precautions when handling my body while unconscious, but they'll be like "whatever" since I don't have a diagnosis. T_T
I'm so glad your surgeon decided to err on the side of caution.
I hope your surgery went well.
If you don't mind me asking, did you find the surgeon's approach helpful? And what were the specific precautions for you?
@@uberrapidash2556 jesus christ, so sorry that happened to you
My mom has this weirdly rare genetic condition that means that a blood clotting hormone is deficient. I had it explained to me that her blood was too thick or something, but it’s called Factor X, and so we always warn doctors that I could be asymptomatic for it but I could still have it because we genuinely don’t know.
When I was 19, I told my psychologist that I thought I had ADHD. He laughed at me and said, no, you have major depressive mood disorder. I said, that's weird, because no matter how many antidepressants I'm on, I don't get any better. I've been on SSRIs for years with no improvement in symptoms. He angrily detailed all the reasons I was wrong, so I walked out of my appointment and went to a psychiatrist a week later, who immediately diagnosed me with ADHD. My life has gotten much better since then. Don't let an unreasonable medical professional bully you into silence. Get a second opinion.
Im glad you walked out and got better treatment. Sometimes psychologists do more harm than good, i had a similar experience to what you described. But it took me a lot of doctor changes to be able to access one doctor that got the treatment right (im also and ADHDer besides some other health issues)
which is why I always find female psychologists and therapists if I can
True. When I was in high school my therapist told me not to get on antidepressants and that there was absolutely nothing wrong with me (even though I told him about my obsessive thoughts). Seven years later and I have been diagnosed with anxiety by my doctor and am on antidepressants. They really work well for me!
@@bennyton2560 ha, my female clinician said there was no way I had ADHD because I was an Honors student who completed a graduate degree. Prejudice knows no gender.
Sadly, many psychologists are clueless about many disorders. I don't go to therapy because of this, and I've tried quite a few times in more than five years. They refuse to believe I have bipolar, diagnosed by an expert psychiatrist, and then the first thing the psychologists tell me is to leave my meds, that everything can be solved with therapy. They also love to hand out depression diagnoses as if that was the only reason someone would go to therapy or as if it were the only thing people can suffer from.
My wife had a doctor that kept dismissing her changing symptoms as her diabetes. My wife does a great job at controlling her diabetes, she just knew it was something else. She found a different doctor that literally on the first visit felt a tumor in her neck that turned out to be thyroid cancer. Luckily they removed it before it spread. If my wife would have listened to her first doctor, who knows when the cancer would have been discovered. If you don’t feel like you are being listened to, go elsewhere (if you can), it could save your life!
phew so glad she is saved!
@@bennyton2560 thanks!
Can't forget how when you're fat, instead of being diagnosed with things, you're told to simply lose weight! I'm lucky that when a strange health thing happened to me, my weight was not a factor and all of the doctors and nurses took me very seriously and found, then treated, my cancer. But my sister was not so lucky, and we didn't know she had cancer until the blood clots had already reached her brain. None of her symptoms before that registered as anything but "fat person has a health problem" which really hurts.
Luckily my self-diagnosis of possible adhd and/or autism seems small in comparison, and something I am working toward getting diagnosed! Thanks for the video.
To be fair, being overweight can cause a lot of issues to your health. So it is a valid option to lose weight. Pain, stomach issues, and some mental health can all stem from being fat. Also heart disease and such, too. So, I get it's rude, but it is valid to tell you to lose weight.
sorry for your sister
@@oldladytrexarms no, fuck off with that bullshit. losing weight can certainly help symptoms but refusing to do any testing or look further in to the symptoms in favor of just telling someone they need to lose weight is how countless people are killed or disabled by unchecked illnesses. not to mention weight gain/inability to lose weight is _in and of itself a symptom_ of many illnesses.
the fact that you can come on to a comment of someone whose sister _died_ of *_cancer_* because of medical fatphobia and say "well being fat _is_ unhealthy" is fucking appalling.
@@oldladytrexarms Losing weight doesn't suddenly solve all yours problems like you're describing and it's not easy to lose weight for many people. It's actually more common for fat people to get eating disorders, and comments like these are actually more harmful than helpful.
Man, the ADHD example hit me HARD. I self- diagnosed years ago, and have been struggling to get the ACTUAL diagnosis. It's always, "Everyone forgets stuff, " or , " Maybe you're depressed. "
I use coping strategies, but it's getting more and more discouraging. Life isn't supposed to be this hard.
❤️
Check out the women and ADHD podcast. We also have a forum :)
I feel ya. Only recently did one of my ADHD friends told me that I definitely have ADHD. It explains so many things in my life like starting schools later, learning difficulties, needing extra time with things etc etc.. I still struggle with my mom accepting i do have ADHD, not just forgetfulness or lazyness and not just me excusing my behaviours. Keep going mate, you'll get there eventually where things work out!
Also the UA-cam channel 'how to ADHD'
Yes, @michelle Roberts, exactly this! I'm always getting told that I don't have ADHD and that everyone has or does whatever the symptom is that I'm describing at the time. I'm sure they're trying to be reassuring but it's so frustrating when I'm reaching out and trying to describe what an impact something is having on my life, and it's just brushed off like it's no big deal 😞 The reality is that ADHD impacts everything and can make life really difficult!
My chronically ill circles are full of people who figured out their illness before their doctors. My aunt recognized my RA before any doctors thought to test for it.
I agree with pretty much everything said in this video, but I do have an additional concern. I have OCD, diagnosed for 10+ years, and it’s something I’ve struggled with a lot. Particularly with the rise of tiktok, I see a lot of misinformation spreading about OCD in the name of advocacy, often spread by people self-diagnosed with the disorder. This is really harmful and upsetting. While anyone with an official diagnosis can spread misinformation, and anyone without an official diagnosis can be a good advocate, I would especially caution self-diagnosed people to ensure information they share about their disorder is factual.
There is a problem with a lot of people faking having disorders on tiktok for clout and this often involves them playing into stereotypes and misrepresenting the disorder. Luckily they are in the minority and most self diagnosed people aren’t just doing it for attention but they are a very loud minority which means they are influencing a lot of people and spreading false information. It could lead to someone with the disorder to think they don’t actually have it because they don’t experience the comical symptoms the tiktoker is portraying or someone without it thinking they do have it because the tiktoker is acting like they have the disorder just because they’re a little bit quirky. And then obviously it will just misinform a lot of people which will lead them to not believing someone who actually has the disorder or treating them wrongly.
"Things are hard for me right now, but I am trying my best" I had to pause to cry for a minute, I felt that so deeply.
Chronic illness are so frustrating sometimes.
They really are. I’ve been diagnosed with POTS, anxiety and depression, and tentatively self diagnosed with ADHD and ASD, plus doing research into possible OCD and maybe an identity disorder due to trauma. It’s a real struggle and so often invalidated or makes people feel invisible. I see you, shit sucks, and I’m so proud of you for everything you’ve managed to achieve, tried to achieve but maybe failed at, and have yet to attempt but have recognised. Keep going 💖
*hugs to you*
@@bec1.618 I hope you've progressed on that path. ASD+ADHD too often result in trauma.... And some professionals refuse to see anything but the trauma then.
And if you have DID, I hope you've started learning your inner system. I have a good friend that is a system, and I'm kind of waiting when I'll meet some of her other personas - though I don't really wish the effects of the change for her. Just that they too will trust me enough to show themselves to me.
@@MiljaHahto thank you! I have, I’ve been diagnosed with ADHD and I scored 145 on the RAADS-R (autism) test when you need a minimum of 65 to be diagnosed, so pretty sure I have that too. I worked through my identity issues with a therapist and if I did have a split sense of self, it’s merged now. I’m doing much better than I was a year ago. My chronic illness is still disabling- same with the ADHD and ASD- but I’m learning how to work with it and my subsequent limits.
@@bec1.618 Congrats for the merge! And diagnosis too. ADHD and ASD have plenty of overlap, I assume it's only a matter of time before it official becomes neurodeviant spectrum.
Self diagnosis is how I learned I have complex PTSD. I had it confirmed, but the only reason I got an official diagnosis is because I looked into it and asked. It opened up so many resources for me to finally have a label for my type of trauma
I did that too. I think if I hadn't educated myself and specifically asked to be tested for c-ptsd, I would never be correctly diagnosed. However, a month a ago my therapist basically gave up on me, claiming that my situation was "too complex" to be fixed.
@@_maia_m I'm sorry your therapist did that. I hope you can find a better therapist
same but with ADHD. My therapist saw my C-PTSD first, but I've actually got both. (There is no untramatized ND person I would say)
@@_maia_m Too complex for her. Doesn't mean it's too complex for all professionals to treat. Also one can be come better even when a total fix is not attainable.
Happy pride month. I have several chronic illnesses including CFS/ME and people get so chapped when I refer to myself as “disabled”.
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people get so mad when i say i’m disabled because i have fibromyalgia, hypermobility joint syndrome, and hashimoto’s thyroiditis. like bro… i know the thyroid one might be confusing so let me elaborate; without medication to correct it, my muscles tighten and the pain i feel is much worse than usual, like it hurts to move at all.
@@haileyhowson8350 I've never heard of that symptom with Hashimoto's. I've got underactive thyroid so I possibly have Hashimoto's too but I've only been told about symptoms like tiredness, low voice, changes to hair texture. I'm gonna do some more research cause I've clearly got some knowledge gaps about my condition. Thanks for the heads up.
I had a boss once tell me I wasn't allowed to call myself disabled! I was like "No, I am though." and she didn't push it, but it certainly was memorable to be told I couldn't call my disability a disability. I think people are so set in the idea that only visually physically disabled people are disabled that anything else doesn't fall under that label.
Same same! My flavor is Lyme Disease.
If you're reading this and are disabled either physically or mentally/psychologically... just wanna say have a good day! Keep on keeping on.
You, too, Kyle. x
Thanks, you too!
you as well! drink water folks
The "I guess we'll just sit here awkwardly" one is very relatable. Got diagnosed with depression, wanted to get help (but have an allergy to dairy which is in mist pills,) and the doctor legit doesn't see the harm in prescribing me this allergy. I had to try far too hard to not face palm in front of the doctor. Especially to the logic of "but did you die though bro". 4 years later and still don't have pills. Not every NHS problem is funding.
yup, why do so many pills have lactose in it? i just cant take many of the generic brands and do have to pay more to access the others. I only figured it out after a few unsuccessful tries (and no one thought to warn me about the pills, literally none of the doctors did). I have known i was lactose intolerant since i was a baby, it has not changed after 22 years. Seems like none of the many doctors i had to go to (multiple chronic illness) know that treatment is not effective if my body cant digest the meds
@@arielruby13 it's so frustrating isn't it? I have to pay more and I'm limited to the children's version of medications because the liquid versions don't have dairy or gelatin in. I ironically discovered the milk in meds after taking anti diarrhea meds. 😂
I would try finding a psychiatrist who does ECT or electroconvulsion therapy. It’s generally used for medication resistant depression but I would honestly recommend it to anyone who has experienced long term depression. It has completely changed my life.
After 10 years of fainting I self diagnosed my POTS by watching your videos on the topic. Found a doctor who officially diagnosed me a few months later.
That can be another category: Jessica diagnosed 😬
I have some other chronic illnesses that are comorbidities of POTS, but when I started fainting, no one even suggested it. I saw so many different doctors and got run around in so many different directions. It took me complaining to a friend who also has it, and she went, "well, that's normal with the dysautonomia so bear that in mind." And I was like, "huh?" And she said, "you have POTS, don't you?" and I said I didn't think so, and then we started talking symptoms and she was like "girl you have POTS." I had an appointment with my endocrinologist a few days later and I mentioned it to him, and he was like "uh yeah that's definitely POTS, why have none of your other doctors considered that? It goes along with your other conditions??" Took years of fainting and would probably still have no diagnosis if my friend hadn't said that.
yes - my friend knows she has POTS, she literally meets the diagnostic criteria (heartrate goes so 160 when she stands up), but when she was trying to get diagnosed the RN was incredibly incompetent and thought you had to check every single box to have it, when you only have to meet 1.
After two years of waiting for our son to be diagnosed we found out the Peadiatrician had started her referral letter with “Please reassure these parents their child does not have autism”. I have no words! Within 30 minutes of his formal assessment the specialists said there was no doubt he is on the spectrum and also probably had ADHD. We were on site for a full day of assessment not a 30 minute look over and pat on the head. He has several acronyms allotted now some because the initial diagnosis took so long to be clarified other issues with mental health arose as we weren’t able to support our son as he needed.
i don't understand why autism is such a hush-hush subject with many medical professionals, as it affects so many different aspects of one's life and a diagnosis helps so much with figuring out what can help and where to find more answers, for everyone involved. i just.. don't understand.
@@komiaribs It's also not that scary of a diagnosis. It's not cancer. It's not going to kill you. It's not a progressive illness. Your kid was the same amount of autistic their entire life, you just have an explanation for behaviors that were always there, so you can actually start understanding and learning to better support your kid.
Thank you for doing this for your son. I am a 24 year old autistic woman who wasn’t diagnosed until last year. My mother had me evaluated in kindergarten, but heard very similar crap from the first provider and didn’t have the resources to push further. I don’t blame her, but I blame the medical system for failing me. Having known earlier, I would have made some different decisions and sought out different support and would probably be a college graduate by now. All this to say, thank you for advocating for your son so he knows himself as well as possible and has access to support from a young age. Wishing you both the best.
@@komiaribs mostly because of others ableism, and some people very much like to reinforce the stigma and treat autism if it was the most negative thing ever. In my opinion, there is no negative thing about autism, the bad thing is society refusing to treat autistic people as humans with rights and needs. Evry human has needs, but not everyone has the same needs, all kinds of people should be welcome in society and be respected and supported
@@arielruby13 exactly!
As an afab person with autism, adhd, and an S rank in masking I well recognize the importance of self diagnosis.
"S rank in masking" ajdbisbd that made me laugh
Lol, S Rank in masking, I'm definitely borrowing that phrase for myself! 😂🥰
“S rank in mask”. I like that, I would like to steal that lol
@@Allie3000-uu6jc Feel free.
I'm glad you mentioned intersex. I'm intersex and find it hard to see a doctor. After they REALLY look into what it is (one of four human sexes - I know I'm going to get it for that statement), they panic and say "I'm not equipt to take you on as a patient. Please seek treatment elsewhere." that's a direct quote. I had limes disease for over a year before I found a N.F.P. clinic that would see me. The doctor had me wait 4 more months whilst she gathered information. Then I was tested, despite being told they were "nearly 100% sure" I didn't have it. The test came back positive for an "acute infection" of L.D. Because it took over a year to be treated, the infection has rooted itself and I now require long term treatment.
It was so much fun to be treated as less than human or less than period.
Thanks again for include intersex.
❤️
I feel like a dork giving into my anxiety and realizing all the times in my life it has caused me issues. It wasn’t until I turned 40 that I finally accepted that it just might be linked to being sexually abused by an older cousin when I was little. Now I proudly carry my “Me too” card and embrace my anxiety.
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I was carded this monday. Going in a museum that had a disability discount on the entrance fee. I showed my disability parking permit. And everybody was happy. Me especially because they sold icecream and it was 33 degrees celsius.
The museum was in germany, I am danish.
I think mentioning how you were misdiagnosed ties in with the main theme of this video. Getting a diagnosis is a process regardless of who does it! If anyone is looking to self-diagnose, do your research, and anyone who is looking for a professional diagnosis, do your research. Regardless, I think that doing your own research allows you to see multiple perspectives and learn how to best care for yourself and your specific needs!
Personally, I somewhat regret my diagnosis (autism). Why? It's cause I'm a British trans man, and if you know anything about transphobia in Britain right now it is the fact that autistic trans people like myself, esspecially AFAB folk, are being painted as "poor lost sould that are too stupid to realise they are being brainwashed by the trans agena into doing irreversible damage to their fertility" (yay ableism, transphobia, AND bigotry towards those with fertility issues!).
So now I'm left in a situation where I'm constantly worried that I'll end up encountering a doctor who will refuse treatement for my dysphoria because of my autism, all while not actually getting any help for my autism cause I'm "high functioning" (ie. I can speak pretty well, and my symptoms don't bother other people, how they affect me doesn't seem to factor into it). If I could have existed as someone who was self diagnosed then I would have, at least until I had finished my medical/legal transition up to the point I was happy with, but the discourse around self diagnosis made me feel I couldn't do that.
Ouch. I can relate emotionally if not factually. I'm 90% sure I'm autistic and I'm transmasc. And I'm planning to emigrate to a country where I could transition and get diagnosed, in that order, partially because of the attitude you described which is not unique to UK (although I suppose it's worse in UK than a lot of countries).
@@kaworunagisa4009 Yeah, transphobia is all over the place just now :/
oh friend. Sending you much love. Self-diagnosed "high functioning" autistic here, and gender queer. I cannot even imagine your struggle. 💓
Dude. Same. I lost my best mental health doc because I asked for help with dysphoria and was told it was probably just my ‘mental conditions’, nothing ‘real’. I really hope you find somewhere you can get support as you need it.
I’m in the US and my autism diagnosis has both helped and hurt. On one hand, it will be easier for me to receive mental and occupational healthcare because insurance has a “reason” to cover it. Because many people, including doctors, do not consider me fit to be a parent, I might have an easier time getting the permanent birth control that I want. I know, I’m autistic and I have sex! How strange.
Anyway, the same sentiment also will bar me from adopting and fostering kids, which I luckily do not want to do. It will make it more difficult for me to address the physical issues I’m facing because doctors may think I’m… idk, not being correct about my symptoms. That’s compounded by the fact that I’m a non-white, and non-white passing, Latine person. I’m also going to have an extremely hard time if I want to immigrate, because many countries do not allow autistic people to immigrate (especially countries with public healthcare and/or countries that pride themselves on having very good health).
Self-diagnosed autistic person here. Not only do I lack the financial resources to access health care in the United States, I feel that the medical community as a whole is still kind of struggling with the idea that autism doesn't just exist in children. The vast majority of the research and resources for autism are directed at autism in children, with very little regard for the adults that those children grow up into. There are surprisingly few professionals with any experience diagnosing adults with autism, and it's of course harder to diagnose because autistic people learn how to mask their autism as they mature in a society that expects them to act non-autistically. I hope to one day navigate this minefield successfully, but the lack of an official diagnosis does not make my autism any less valid. I know what is happening in my own head better than anyone else does.
Thank you so much for this comment ! I'm on the way to self diagnose as autistic (still doing lots of researchs) and I struggle to find self diagnosed autistic people, your comment really makes me feel validated !
Totally agree, and it's just so frustrating when you run into medical biases (like professionals disregarding adults with (undiagnosed) autism) that interfere with a lot of people potentially getting helped (if they want to)
I have a similar experience. I’m currently self-diagnosed autistic and ADHD, and in the process of being professionally diagnosed. Now that I have hit on these diagnoses, I’m noticing so so many traits that apply to me and that I have exhibited for a long time that I just haven’t noticed. Being female, neurotypical-presenting, very good at masking and already being diagnosed with anxiety, depression and POTS made it difficult to be taken seriously when I questioned if more disorders applied, especially with so many symptoms and traits overlapping. In Australia, the current estimated wait time for an appointment with a specialist who is able to diagnose you is at around a year. I am already dysfunctional enough and am planning to go to uni next year, and cannot continue living as if I am neurotypical when my brain and body clearly do not respond to that well. I’ve been acknowledging symptoms and tentatively acting according to what appears to work best for me using common austism/ADHD coping mechanisms as a guide, and they’ve helped far more than anything else ever has.
@@RozaVeronica Same! I’ve struggled a bit so far because I didn’t “obviously” exhibit autistic traits as a child. I did, but due to trauma I quickly learned to mask so much that even I couldn’t tell until recently. It’s a struggle, and I see you 💖
Same here, I've been self diagnosed with autism since middle school but its taken until after I became a legal adult and found a very sweet, neurodivergent counselor until someone started taking me seriously. I'm on the way to getting an official diagnosis now but just knowing what I have helped a lot for me. I stopped forcing myself to tolerate sensory stuff that would cause me to shut down later, and just having my close friends acknowledge it and support me helped a lot.
As someone who until last week was undiagnosed, I was disabled then and am disabled now. I am very glad to see this!
My issue is EDS and dysautonomia, and it took me over five years from the worst of the symptoms to be diagnosed.
I think self diagnosis is valid BUT there should always be room left for error (a very understandable thing since doctors aren't even close to perfect in their own diagnostic process, a laymen can hardly be held to the same standards).
If I hadn't made accommodating myself a priority I probably wouldn't have made to to the diagnosed state. Self diagnosis gave me the self confidence to ask for the help I needed, use services I needed, and make my home accommodate ME instead of the other way round.
Oh God not to spam-comment but my dad got really sucked into the *dark* side of "self treatment," and it snowballed into him reading quack websites and stuff to the point that he got convinced that drinking hydrogen peroxide would keep him Healthy Forever and Never Get Sick Again, and convinced me as a high schooler to do so as well.
...please be careful about getting your treatment recommendations from the internet.
the difference between that and what Jessica is talking about though is the trustworthy-ness of the sources. she even says in this video if you're going to take medical advice from the internet make sure it's from trustworthy sites run by actual medical professionals. a lot of the sites and forums you're talking about usually speak about medical professionals and officially researched treatment methods with derision and mistrust. like those people that think the covid vaccine will kill you and the government doesn't want people using ivermectin cause they want to keep us sick
@@Ari_C Yeah I'm not accusing Jessica of anything. When she cautions to be careful about the internet, I'm just sort of agreeing with her by adding on my own experiences as a cautionary tale.
Thanks for this video, I needed that. I am currently self-diagnosed (with autism) but working on getting a formal diagnosis, which is frustratingly difficult to get since practically no psychiatrists here (Denmark) will even see someone for an evaluation once they're over 18 (because, obviously autism is only for kids, right...) and waitlists are incredibly long. Meanwhile I'm trying to relearn all of my life-patterns so that I can be less exhausted by everyday life, and will be able to finish uni and get a job soon. Luckily, in the mean time, my doctor has been amazing with believing me, giving me a referral, and providing help to figure out learning healthy ways to structure life. But a lot of my struggle has also been letting myself acknowledge that I'm having a hard time and not just brush it off and work harder, like I have for the last 25 years. So thanks for posting this video, it really helps with that last bit.
Same. I've been waiting 4 years for my diagnosis... or even the assessment to start the diagnostic process!
I'm 25 and likely autistic as well! Don't be too hard on yourself, I came a long way from learning I have (physical) limitations and would rather live better now
I'm middle-aged and they refused to even test me. Not because they think I'm not autistic, but because apparently I've managed "too well" to need the diagnosis even if I have it.
One way of cutting public resources, I guess.... Just diagnosing me some 20-40 years ago would have saved more.
Even smaller things fall into this!
I thought I had lactose intolerance, so I adjusted my diet carefully for a full month. When it didn’t get better, my dad suggested it was an ulcer. He was right, and a simple medication makes life so much better!
Ooo I got one for y'all! I am "self diagnosed" with ADHD... Found out recently I actually do have it technically. BUT a doctor wrote me off as not having it when I was a child because my parents asked them to so the school wouldn't pressure them to put me to be on medication! And right now I can't afford to see a doctor to get it diagnosed. Lemme say looking back at all the struggling I went through with school work and college is a frustrating thing to swallow. Because if I'd known I could have done SO much better than I did.
I mean the answer has to be yes, right? As long as you’re educating yourself before you come to your conclusion. (For example, if you’re self-diagnosing a mental condition you should be looking at the DSM-5 as well as researching the condition and similar conditions to get the best idea of where you fall)
🙌❤️
The problem is many conditions have overlapping symptoms and so knowing which one applies to you is extremely difficult. Also, there’s regular, sub-clinical, and clinical levels of different symptoms and knowing what is ‘normal’ is not something we are trained in whereas a professional is
@@marie-bernadettebenedict3007 That still doesnt matter. If someone thinks they're autistic but are actually ADHD, & the overlap was what made them think wrong, they will still benefit from accommodations & help aimed at those overlapping symptoms. Do you think humans are so stupid that we need another human to tell us what our symptoms are? No, we can tell very easily, & it doesn't matter at fucking all if someone mistakes one similar diagnoses to another, they will still be getting help for their particular set of symptoms, not for some nebulous set of DSM-5 guidelines that don't apply to them
@@marie-bernadettebenedict3007 If you do a deep dive into Hypothyroidism/Hashimoto's, you'll find that diagnostic clinical levels are EXTREMELY out-of-date, calculated decades ago and using information that will exclude a large portion of people that would benefit from thyroid medication.
Not surprisingly, thyroid problems typically affect women, a population known for getting accurate, well researched, and appropriate care. /s
Especially because aren't POC, any gender that's not a male, fat people, etc. underdiagnosed? And doesn't the process take years and is expensive? I've never gone to be diagnosed with a mental disorder so please correct me if I'm wrong.
Looking forward to this video! In the last year after a ton of self research I have diagnosed myself with ASD (and I already have an official dx of severe ADHD) but I specifically choose not to pursue official ASD diagnosis for a lot of reasons, mainly financial, but also reading some horror stories about losing control over medical decisions, compounded with the fact that I don't see any benefit or treatment that I need to reference from having said diagnosis, so the decision was not made lightly! The community has been very welcoming of me regardless and I've learned so many great things to help with my ASD in my day to day life from them, so I'm content! Happy disability pride month Jessica!!
I'm curious what the "losing control over medical decisions" in connection to ASD is whereever you're at. I'm diagnosed with ASD, and when I was offered to try Abilify, I did give it a go to see if I could benefit from it - and in a way it did have significant positive effects - but I thoroughly disliked that I didn't feel like myself anymore. My psychiatrist strongly advised I keep taking it, because in her opinion the positive effects outweighed the negative ones. But I disagreed and said I don't want to take it anymore. She readily accepted it. If she had not, there would've been no way legal or otherwise she could've forced the medication on me.
@@augustaseptemberova5664 The issue comes from the fact that a doctor can very easily declare you incompetent and then you do loose most of your rights. There are also some countries where an autism diagnosis can prevent you from medically transitioning, Can lead to a do not resuscitate order being placed on you without consent, You cannot immigrate to Australia (At least it is extremely difficult), An autism diagnosis can prevent you from fostering amoung other things.
@@jenblack98 Oh, now I understand. Luckily in my country, no doctor can do that, only judges under advisory of the ethics committee. Thank you for sharing.
@@jenblack98 why am I not surprised you can't immigrate to Australia with ASD diagnosis 🤦♀like jfc, good ol' settler-colonial Australia
My English friend lived in Australia for many years with an ASD diagnosis. Is this policy a recent thing do you know?
My EDS has made everything very difficult for me. I had to self diagnose to be taken seriously.
It's such a shame but know you are not alone, I can relate to that too 😕❤️
@@jessicaoutofthecloset I cannot thank you enough for your videos! You helped my son find a tentative self-diagnosis (hEDS), which then helped me find the right kind of specialist for him. After nine years ( = half his life) of frustration with the less functional side of public healthcare in Finland (15 minute appointments, always with a new GP) we paid a private physiatrist through the nose in 2018 and hey presto: hEDS it was!
The dx opened up the doors to public physiotherapy (free), a made-to-measure active wheelchair (free) and all the other free and low cost services. You helped us change his life to so much better. ❤️ (heart)
If you want to listen to a now much happier trans man tell his disability story, his latest video is about exactly that. His channel name is Oakwyrm.
Much love to your whole family from the bottom of my queer heart!
❤️🧡💛💚💙💜🤎🖤
(rainbow hearts)
I have never heard EDS being offered as a diagnosis everybody I know who has it ( including me ) came to the doctors basically asking for affirmation of diagnosis . I myself was not diagnosed despite seeing rheumatologist for most of my adult life until Jessica put up a video about her diagnosis and I saw how similar the descriptions were to what was happening with me... I just started a pregnancy at the time and it was going downhills fast and nobody was taking me seriously... Jessica's video with the information allowed me to self diagnose and find the specialist before I got into a coma we were able to save my life thanks to that video and I was able for the first time in my life to get care which actually improved my condition. I owe Jessica my life
I'm in a similar situation. I think I have EDS as well as POTS. Wait times and prices are hard, so I'm treating myself as if I do have these conditions.
@@bestaqua23 I did once read a comment by someone who got diagnosed because they started telling their doctor about the extremes their joints could go to without realizing they were extremes, and the doctor then asked about other stuff that seemed random but helped him diagnose them.
Short answer. Yes.
Intersex here! I was self diagnosed for nearly 10 years because health insurance wouldn't approve the tests needed to confirm the diagnosis. I finally got diagnosed this year. So yes, self diagnosis is vaild. Sometimes it is your only option to explain your symptoms.
I don't have a Stutter, but looking into it helped me understand what was happening when I do stutter. (I have general anxiety disorder, so more prone to getting stressed, sometimes I Stutter more frequently than I hear other people do). Finding out that what I was doing was studdering helped me manage it and broke the stuttering loop of "stutter stress about stuttering, stutter worse"
I have a similar problem, do you know where I can find more information?
I have self-diagnosed as autistic. When I called my GP to ask if I could be referred, they said ‘if you were autistic, your school would have noticed’. I didn’t want to go to my school because my neurodivergent friends have had bad experiences with them: my friend with ADHD was told to ‘buy a planner’ rather than being referred to the nhs, and my friend with autism was told ‘you can’t be autistic, your teachers say you’re nice and well-spoken’. I’m going to uni this year so I’m hoping I’ll be able to get a diagnosis there. It just seems that, especially for AFAB people, neurodivergency is ignored. I can’t fathom how I was missed: when I was little, I was known for my “anger issues”, being weird, having niche interests, being really good in school but misbehaving, and more. I can’t use vacuum cleaners, hand dryers or hair dryers because of the noise. But no, I’m sure I’m just lazy, angry and weird (/s).
For autism especially, self diagnosis is frowned upon. But for queer, afab and/or POC it’s so much harder to get a diagnosis because people have an idea of autistic people as white angry little boys who like transformers with destructive stims, or as Sheldon Cooper.
As well as this, my mother had lupus, and she wasn’t diagnosed for decades. She was on 5x the normal dose of antihistamines for all of her lupus-related problems, especially iritis and hives. She didn’t get a diagnosis until she was hospitalised for kidney failure.
Forgive me for respecting self-diagnosis. Doctors are great on the whole, but the system around them is not.
I'm American. So six months to be told to just calm down has stopped me from wanting to ever see a doctor. Self diagnosis works for me despite the fact I can't get medication, but I'll never get a chance to see and convince a doctor anyways. I love your channel. I do my best to fix things on my own since I can't be listened to.
Edit to add: I have been diagnosed with some ailments I don't agree with and feel like I wasn't listened to properly. Therefore my current self diagnosed feels better to me. Because it is mental (I have a pulse thing like you said! funny) I can more easily just be happy with some support online via various channels. I change what I can to help myself since my country won't do it for me.
I love your voice it always makes hard topics easier.
I’m so sorry that you don’t have a doctor that listens to you. ❤️
@@jennifers5560 Thank you, I appreciate your channel so much even though I don't comment a lot.
@@godslittlestidiot2984 I’m sorry I think you are mistaking me for Jessica. I am a fan of hers just like you. 🙂
@@jennifers5560 Oh I am woops! Well I bet you're great too
@@godslittlestidiot2984 ok that just totally brightened my day! Thanks! 👍🏼
Barriers to diagnosis can be related to body size as well! Fat patients are often told that weight loss is the solution to whatever issue we present with, so our actual physical ailments go undiagnosed.
Also, your videos helped me figure out that I have Hypermobility Spectrum Disorder! Thankfully my doctor took my self diagnosis seriously and it's officially on my medical records.
I've experienced both pros and cons!
Pro: I've always been a shy nervous type and that's inhibited certain scenarios for me but I'm not particularly interested in jumping through the hoops to see if I can get diagnosed with "Generalized Anxiety Disorder" or something whereabouts. I'm content now in my adult life to just talk with my therapist about how being a highly anxious person impacts areas of my life.
Con: In high school I started experiencing serious physical symptoms like low appetite, dizziness and faintness, exhaustion, and eventually visible bleeding. My super intelligent self consulted Dr. Internet, brushed off the more serious conditions (because no of course it's not that!), and just chalked it up to stressed that would surely go away once I got through the notoriously hardest year of school. That ended with my mom taking me in for a checkup because she was concerned about me being pale and tired, which then escalated to the doctor telling her to take me directly from that office to the ER at the university hospital an hour away and that they would be expecting me. Fast forward a hospital stay, several specialist physicians, and a week later I've got a life long autoimmune disorder. Oops guess it wasn't just stress.
Do you mind me asking what it was? I feel that I have had some similar symptoms but haven't gotten any results
@@lydiastalcup1640 i was severely anemic from untreated crohns disease
I have 2 mental health conditions ASD and OCD, my ASD started without self-diagnosis and my OCD started with self-diagnosis.
I live in Denmark and in my experience doctors and medical professionals are borderline resentful of patients who self-diagnose. My autism diagnosis took 3 appointments with a psychiatrist where all I had to do was fill out some questionnaires and have a conversation. My OCD diagnosis took 3 years of speaking to 4 separate psychiatrists who actively said that they didn't care what I thought my problem was. Two of them actively told me that I would never get an OCD diagnosis from them as I wasn't a doctor and didn't know enough about the condition to ever diagnose someone.
My advice: If you self-diagnose don't tell medical professionals when it's time for a formal diagnosis, just describe the symptoms, things will go much smoother xD
I had the most difficulty with my Tourette's diagnosis. I once told a GP that I think I had it, and he said "oh, so you swear then?" Was referred to various people who all either said that my tics were due to my ASD or my anxiety. I eventually got my diagnosis at 16 after 4 years of trying. Currently having a bit of a time with getting my OCD diagnosed haha
One of my friends didn't get their Tourette's diagnosed until they were almost 30 mostly because their tics don't include swearing (usually they hums or flaps their hands).
That's ridiculous, and I'm sorry u had to experience that. Literally our first class in med school on Tourettes said, "most ppl with Tourettes don't come in with the stereotypical swearing.
@@rjkbuny only 1 in 10! And you'd think a GP would know lol
My daughter's tics were brushed off when she was small (around 4) as have other things and we learned to live with them as they're on the less severe end most of the time. I'm hoping that she will gain more opportunities for diagnosis (if she chooses) as she gets into her young adult years and out of our rural town as it's something that has happened with so many of our friends kids. GPs can be such a nightmare when they immediately dismiss you.
of course neurodivergence is dismissed once again
I self-diagnosed with endometriosis due to chronic pelvic pain during my periods, and I was ignored by doctors for 12 years. I couldn't do much once I figured out what was going on with my body, since the only interventions are surgical or prescription drugs, but it was very reassuring when I was finally diagnosed by a medical professional! We know our bodies better than doctors sometimes!
Thanks for sharing this :)
I keep wondering if I have endometriosis but no one is interested as I'm not in 'enough pain' but they happily give me mefenamic acid to manage it. Ignoring the 7 years of infertility (all tests came back clear) and multitude of other symptoms. I just don't have the energy anymore to keep pushing. I'm so glad you got your diagnosis though. I hope it has helped in some way to manage everything.xx
From Australia. We now have a pretty good disability system. It is a paperwork nightmare to access but then it works. I am an uncontrolled epileptic who breaks lots of bones. The government gives me disability aids and $80 000 a year to employ carers 5 days a week and a chef twice a week to cook me meals. There is also emergency funding so if I break something I can have 7 day 24hr care. I have extra care at the moment because I have some cracked vertebrae. They give me a physio and OT and have made my house safe, clean the windows, do the gardening and even replaced my pillows when I bled all over them. Also of course I get my $420 a week disability allowance. Not too bad, all I have to do is wait to see what breaks next.
ndis is good if you can get on it but its hard to get on it if you dont have the right kind of disability
If you have several co morbid conditions that interact with each other the ndis doesn't give a shit. If you have been able to access the ndis you are one of the fortunate few. Also adult Neuro divergent diagnosis isn't covered by medicare, and that's if you can find a specialist to diagnose you. My psychiatrist has been trying for two years, and when we finally find someone, I'll be out 1.5K. I have fibro, widespread arthritis, adhd, degenerative disc disease and can barely move most days, and no ndis. Just because the system favours you doesn't mean it works for everyone.
@@angelawossname My psych stuff isn't in NDIS. I truly hope that they can get you a diagnosis so you can get help.
@@angelawossname Hi. It took me 7 months to get NDIS. I got onto NDIS because they supplied me with a private company to do the paperwork in their form which as you know one word in the wrong spot leads to refusal. All I can suggest is submit every page of hospital notes from every hospital with a very detailed account from your GP and ask your GP to contact NDIS to access a private company whose only job is to get you onto NDIS. That was my experience and twice they said my epilepsy and orthopedic injuries were't permenant. Yes uncontrolled epilepsy since 1986 to 2021 wasn't permanent and they are only just taking into account my very long term psych. My sister in law has similar problems to you. Neuro that they cant diagnose and psych. Her GP got her onto NDIS. She falls over and needs a chair because of neuro and the hospitals can't find out what it is. I really hope you can get the diagnosis and help you need because you really deserve it.
@@piarateking8094 It's a bitch. It took me 7 months. NDIS employed a private company whose job it is to get on NDIS. I was told my epilepsy and ortho injuries weren't permanent twice until the private company took over. They submitted every hospital and doctors record page by page and every record ended up to 425mm. Yolanda said to me nobody will read a single page but if your file is that thick you must be disabled. Get your doctor to write a very detailed account of your problems and call NDIS to get a private company to format everything in NDIS language. I hpe it works for you because when it does it's pretty good.
I keep wanting to diagnose myself with something, anything, so I can justify the hard time I'm going through and the difficulties I have. I wish i were able to be forgiving of myself and tell myself "things are hard but you're doing your best" regardless of whether i have something "diagnosable" or not, but I can't. I don't feel like I have the right to be having a hard time, it must all be personal failure.
When 2 friends and I started Australia's first EDS foundation, quite a few years ago now, we set up a support network with an online discussion forum. There was an application form to join (for obvious reasons) and we decided right from the start that we would always approve applications from people who didn't yet have a formal diagnosis, but believed they may have EDS or a related disorder. Back then, it was estimated that 93% of people with EDS were not formally diagnosed and the average age of diagnosis was mid-30s. Things have improved since then, but it's still very difficult for most people to get their EDS formally diagnosed and a lot of adults only receive their EDS diagnosis when they have a child who's diagnosed.
I'm currently working on getting formally assessed for Autism and personally, I've never been more certain of anything than I am about being Autistic. Learning about Autism has enabled me to find a ton of things that help me navigate the NT world and to stop trying to force myself to "just be like everyone else", as was very much bullied into my as a child, by the adults around me. Autism self-diagnosis has been genuinely life-changing for me, even if I'm ultimately unable to access a professional diagnosis.
Thanks for making this video -- it's a complicated topic and I appreciate the validation and support for people in my position 💜
This is by far the best definition of disability I have seen. I had to rewind and listen to it again.
I self-diagnosed myself with an anxiety disorder when I was a teenager, and it was helpful for me to be able to put a name to what I experienced, but I thought it was pretty moderate so I didn’t feel the urge to seek out a proper diagnosis. I finally went to get a diagnosis earlier this year. It was a huge wake up call to me I said I’d been having a lot of panic attacks lately and the nurse practitioner assumed that a lot of panic attacks was 2 a month. I had to tell to her it was more like 3 a day. Turns out I had much more severe anxiety than I thought I did, and I had thought I was weak for not being able to deal with it on my own, while the nurse practitioner couldn’t believe how long I had gone undiagnosed with such a severe symptoms. I am now on medication and haven’t had a panic attack in almost 2 months. My medical diagnoses completely saved my life.
Happy Disability Pride Month to all disabled folks, officially diagnosed or not! ✨
One of my disabilities is dysphagia (swallowing disorder). I first diagnosed this myself. I didn't have a label for it until I watched an old episode of Law and Order: Criminal Intent. A detective concluded someone couldn't be guilty of the crime because of his dysphagia. But I have since had this validated by physicians. We start somewhere.
I guess I needed this video, hahaha. I've been struggling with the question if I may have ADHD for almost 4-5 years now, but I've never been taken seriously. Did a lot of research already- as a part of my studies but also out of personal interest. Everything I read about ADHD is so relatable, but I've reached the point I'm almost ashamed of talking about my struggles. I keep telling myself I'm overreacting and exxaggerating my struggles, that I should try harder, that I talked myself into these issues, but I know with my whole heart I'm not. And it's frustrating and exhausting.
So thank you for talking about this!
"That's no large corporation has commercialized it yet." It's funny because it's true. And this disabled person thanks you for doing your part in bringing awareness to it. This whole video is brilliant.
getting a diagnosis can also be so steeped in privilege and your access to healthcare professionals and also honestly.. luck in terms of the doctors you see.
I can't begin to thank this channel and the commenters enough for always making people feel included. I had a liver transplant at 9 months old so I have always been a "sick person". I got diagnosed with stage 4 endo a couple years ago and then IBS. It really sent me spiralling because I'd always assumed that all of my issues came down to the transplant. Now, with what I've learned from people like Jessica, I can advocate better for myself and I'm in the process of getting a diagnosis for my other issues. Keep up the amazing videos, thank you ❤
I've kind of self diagnose myself with autism, because despite being high functioning I still struggle. Between my anxiety treatment and being able to use coping mechanisms and be mindful of my limitations (I say I'm hard of hearing but I think it's more a sensory processing thing, for example)
Same! I was given a “tentative” diagnosis of auditory processing disorder by a hearing technician, because I technically have perfect hearing but struggle socially especially if I can’t lip read… I wish real life had subtitles! I also sometimes struggle to process sensations and have sensory overloads, in which I can become selectively non-verbal.
@@bec1.618 oh my god I wish there were subtitles irl too! I've been saying that for months now lol. Glad to see I'm not alone
Could you try a speech to text app? Not quite irl subtitles, but at least a written version of what's being said!
@@helenm1085 between my possible ADHD and my Lazy that is actually just fatigue from POTS it’s just too much effort most of the time… I simply can’t be bothered 😂 it’s a very good idea for others though, especially if their difficulties are more substantial than mine
Excellent vid as always cheers Jessica! And thanks for mentioning that anxiety could be a misdiagnosis for a neurological problem and that often no one tells you that you're disabled you sometimes just have to work it out and it can be extremely hard to accept and have accepted if you look young and well.
I've been on a journey with self-diagnosis and my mental health, especially my BPD. I used to really hate and refuse to do self-diagnose, but I think it's been really helpful to me once I got comfortable with it. It allowed me to find a community on Reddit when I felt so alone before, especially because BPD is such a misunderstood and vilified illness, and it also allowed me to be able to explain my symptoms to doctors when I finally got to them after long waiting lists.
And it turns out that I was right, not only with BPD but also clinical depression. So, yay I was right! But also "oh god I was right ._."
Hope everyone has a lovely day :)
Yeah, I live in a country where ADHD is still largely considered something that only children have, even by doctors, and as an adult, I had to do a small self-diagnosis journey first to even dare to ask a doctor about it.
And even when you go to a specialist they might misdiagnose you. I was so gaslit by a psychologist that worked with autistic people that it made my mental health even worse, had to go to another professional to be heard and she said it would be very important for me to get evaluated. Turns out I am indeed autistic, and that woman was totally wrong, she shouldn't be practicing at all with all the things she said to me. If you are sure you're misdiagnosed and have the resources please please please go to another specialist, if you can get recommendations from other people that have the same thing you suspect you have it's even better!!
Yes to everything you are spot on. Even something as simple as an ingrown toenail I had to beg for help. After trying to take care of it myself for a year I made an appointment to see a doctor. I couldn’t wear shoes or stand for a long period of time I was in so much pain. His response was go get a pedicure. After 3 more years I went back to another doctor and was told “oh it looks like it’s healing it should be fine.” 6 more years & 2 more appointments I was still suffering with extreme pain in my foot and not being able to do the things I wanted to do. One day at work I accidentally dropped some thing and hit my toe and I could no longer take care of it myself I needed help I called and they told me I couldn’t have an appointment for weeks. I was in extreme pain so my husband called the same doctor and said “hi my wife has hurt her toe and she’s been dealing with an ingrown toenail for years can I make her an appointment.” They responded bring her in tomorrow and we can do surgery. So after 10 years of constant pain and begging for help I finally received the help that I needed. Simply because I had a man call for me.
i'm a nearly 24 year-old autistic woman, and honestly have little hope in ever receiving a formal diagnosis due to the insane ableism and inaccessibility around the diagnosis process. i'm also an immigrant in the UK which makes it even more difficult
Another reason why it's good to mention a self-diagnoses is often a given doctor will assume something has already been tested/ruled out by a prior doctor before you got to them. A patient who has never been checked for or thought about condition X will appear in conversations identically to someone who has previously been told "It's can't be X" because we never remember all the hundreds of illnesses that have been discounted. Therefore, mentioning a self-diagnoses can cut the silent spiral and let a doctor know "oh, that should be ruled out at least".
For instance, I wasn't diagnosed as Autistic until I was 26, and I think part of that was due to having other health conditions that required seeing doctors frequently throughout my life. Therefore, every new doctor who sees my history just assumed one of them before had checked for ASD and discounted it. Had I been more confident to self-diagnosed and ask strongly to be checked specifically for ASD, perhaps I would have been diagnosed earlier. Edit: I want to add that the only reason I did end up getting diagnosed is because a psychologist said to me "I'm potentially wondering about you being neurodivergent, have you ever been assessed for ASD?" and I told them that I had mentioned it once but it wasn't looked into so I didn't bring it up again. She then referred me and within a few months I was officially diagnosed. Had she not checked whether it had been ruled out before, I may never have been diagnosed.
Learning to accept disabled as one of my identities has been really healing for my past self. I was undiagnosed my entire childhood and self-diagnosed during my young adulthood when I had zero access to care. Identifying simply that I HAD an invisible atypical barrier in my life was so helpful. And now I can apply even more compassion and validation to my past. My self-diagnosis was often dismissed by family and friends, simply because I didnt have a professional opinion yet. But when I finally had access to medical care, they forgot to tell me my diagnosis right away because they assumed I already had been diagnosed because it was so obvious to them.
For a very long time I struggled with the fact that I did not have a diagnosis for my autism. I always wondered why I was the way I was, and spent so much time trying to push myself to not act a certain way and mask my true self. After a long time of consideration, I went to my mom to tell her that I thought I was autistic. (I was in my early 20s by this time) The first thing she told me is that she always knew that i had something, but never wanted to take me to a doctor for a diagnosis. This was a real blow to me- considering all of the things I could have been working on to take care of myself better, or cope with situations in a healthy manner if I just *knew*. She told me that she didn’t want me to be alienated by others, and I think not knowing had the same effect, regardless. I had to learn about my autistic traits and behaviors by talking to other people who were autistic and bonding over specific shared experiences, which were some of the most liberating and amazing conversations I have ever had in my life. If I didn’t self diagnose myself when I did, I don’t know I would be here today. If you feel like you aren’t being listened to, or that you don’t have access to information or care that you need- that you don’t have to feel ashamed to draw those conclusions yourself.
I never heard of dyscalculia until I found it on my own in my 30s. Once I did, I was floored and it answered all the years of torment I had with numbers and math. No one has ever formally diagnosed me with it, but it checked boxes I didn't even know existed.
Sometimes realising what something is likely to be is half the battle in terms of anxiety. I kept wondering what a variety of issues I've had for as long as I can remember and it took me a year of looking into the autism spectrum (thank you for your video on it) before I went to my GP who just took one look at my research and within about 10 minutes said 'oh, yes, you probably are, so i'll refer you'. It makes a difference to know your research.
That face she makes where she rolls her eyes up to a corner going “hmm how do I say this nicely so I don’t offend the people being offensive” 10/10 makes my day everytime ❤️
Self-diagnosis was an important part of my life. Growing Up, I always recognized that I was different, but didn't really have the words for it. Eventually I was diagnosed with ADHD and that explained a bit, but after a while I wanted to do some research into autism. I came to that same haunting yet comforting feeling that a lot of self-diagnosed people get when they realize "oh crap, that me." It would take four more years for me to learn that I HAD, in fact, been diagnosed with autism (aspergers) at the same time as my ADHD diagnosis, but it had been hidden from me and I had never been given the proper treatment I needed. Even after I found out by sneaking a look at my medical papers, it still took me a couple years before I knew that I could take steps to improve my life with autism and not feel guilty for how I felt about certain things.
Fast forward a couple months and I think I've been experiencing heart problems. My heartrate would suddenly and unexpectedly spike at unpredictable times, and I would be left fatigued and drowsy. We went through the whole rigamarole with the medical system and I had to ear a heart monitor. While I was wearing the monitor, and was briefly excused from P E class activities, I described what had been happening to one of the special needs assistants in that class. She said that it sounded like panic attacks. I said that there's no way it was that because I wasn't stressed at the times my heartrate jumped. She then explained what it seemed like not a single one of the heart doctors knew, the fact that you don't have to be actively stressed for a panic attack to occur. So sure enough, I looked it up and yep, due to the depression I was experiencing at the time, I had developed symptoms of Panic Attack Disorder. Had that not happened I'm not sure I'd've managed to admit that I was under a lot of pressure and started to put my life into place.
Self-diagnosis is often the most important step in dealing with your symptoms, whether they be permanent or temporary. It's important to know when something is off, even if you aren't certain of what exactly it is.
As an afab with autism, self diagnosis was hugely important to me. Most doctors see someone who looks like a woman and say they have about anything else. I was diagnosed with bipolar, depression and anxiety before I got my autism diagnosis, even when I repeatedly told doctors that none of those made sense for me. I was even told by a psychiatrist that I couldn't have autism because 'I was able to talk about my emotions'
I am currently self diagnosed with ADHD, since the very idea of it made so many of my oddities and thoughts finally MAKE SENSE. I'm on a long waiting list for an official diagnosis now at age 38, but even that I had to fight for. For *some strange reason* my previous diagnoses of depression and anxiety make doctors not take me seriously. 🙄
Self diagnosis can also be a tool a doctor can use. I have type 2 bipolar disorder and when I was diagnosed I was in denial. I argued with the psychiatrist who clearly knew better than me since he's a specialist in bipolar, so he gave me a mood diary to fill. Went back a month later and we talked about it alongside some checklists for the symptoms and the evidence was there so I had to just accept it and start working towards getting better. It has helped me a lot, I can identify my mood better and my symptoms just because this doctor made me diagnose myself.
Clinical Psychologist here unfortunately it can be very dangerous for people to self diagnose mental health conditions. There's a reason that we undergo such training and practice. I would caution anyone before diagnosing oneself. Maybe educate yourself and bring your thoughts and concerns to a clinician. Hopefully you match with someone who will listen to you and appreciate your research. Don't assume because its psychological that its easier to self diagnose.
Thank you for sharing! I'm not diagnosed with anything and push myself hard to be productive. But I do struggle with my energy sometimes and I don't know why. It is so helpful to listen to you. Sometimes there is no diagnosis. Especially when you are not lying broken on the ground but feel more tired then I feel I should be. Listen to you helps me to accept that, to take my body more serious. I find often doctors say you are fine, just because they don't know what it could be. Which sometimes makes me distrust the signals of my body. Your compassion and your journey is inspirational.
Here a snippet of my life as an example.
I was misdiagnosed with borderline at 16. All this diagnosis gave me was more confusion and selfdoubt. Some time before my crisisyear at 19 I found a video about someone with borderline and autism. I could relate so much, but mostly with the autism symptoms. I started to think Autism might be a way better explanation for my struggles but I was scared of my psychiatrist. The stigma around borderline did not help because people tend to think you're exaggerating everything. So I dropped it. Then, after a year of crisis after crisis, I did get diagnosed with autism at 20 years old. It finally gave me words to explain how I experience things differently from others which opened the door to therapy that could actually help me. I wish I'd acted on that doubt I had at 19, it would've saved me from a lot of painful experiences. So please take yourself seriously, you are the only person who knows what its like to be you! Just because someone studied for something, doesn't automatically mean they are always right. Take care❤️
One rarely hears such pointed sarcasm being used in such a kind way. How lovely.
She is really good at doing that. She is so clever with it!
This is exactly what I needed to watch today! I've been battling with utter fatigue for over two years without a diagnosis and am having some issues with a family member who thinks my struggles are caused by my own habits and I should just try more, move more and eat healthier, even though it feels like I've already tried everything. Anyway, it felt like a warm hug to watch this video and be reminded that just because I don't have a diagnosis yet, doesn't mean my issues aren't real. I may not have a name for it yet, but I know something is wrong.
i literally figured out i had adhd from people online that i knew that had it talking about what it was like. Also its always good to have someone you know that will pester doctors to get you an appointment
Self diagnosing is what propelled me to get diagnosed “for real” with EDS, POTS & Sjögren’s. I had been struggling for over ten years with these issues but had never quite concisely explained to my doctors how much they affected me. Anyway, I made lists of all my symptoms, categorizing best I could and made a top 5 of issues I wanted the doctors to at least “rule out.” Finally a new rheumatologist and neurologist took me seriously and agreed on the testing I requested… and I was 💯 right. So, it helped BUT I used the best medical legit sources I could find and made lists of simpler other possibilities it could be too. Anyway, I wish it was not on me to find what was wrong with me. A basic family practitioner told me I had constipation because most moms do and “most people have anxiety nowadays” 🤷♀️ Sjögren’s created the perfect environment for a sluggish GI system and my “anxiety” was POTS. If you don’t feel heard, read and learn. Consider all the possibilities. If you are able, Find a doctor who will explore those possibilities with you.
Strange timing for this. I reached out to a law firm that connects people to disability lawyers so I can apply for disability again with help after the government decided my disabilities aren't severe enough for financial support and yesterday the firm said they couldn't connect me with anyone. After explaining all my symptoms and history in my intake call, the man cautioned me that it may be difficult to find someone because I haven't been diagnosed that addresses all my physical stuff. I've been trying for two and a half years! Doctors don't take me seriously or take months to a year to refer me to a specialist. When I first applied for disability benefits, I looked at my medical records and was really upset seeing the history of me going to the doctor every few months for the same things and not making any progress or getting answers. I need money but can't work with my brain and body issues. Haven't had money for a year. Lost nearly everything to move in my parent's garage so I'm not homeless. Back in the toxic family environment that caused a lot of mental trauma. I'm so desperate to get out and move forward but I can't without money. I can't even buy medical devices that would help like a blood pressure or heart monitor. I'm starting to suspect POTS or something similar due to weird feelings when I stand or walk uphill but not sure. ME/CFS really fits the bill. Some stories people have for Cushings also sound familiar.
I don't mind self-diagnosis at all, but it's hard to be taken seriously by others if you don't have an official diagnosis. My sister, who has self-diagnosed EDS and officially diagnosed skin and autoimmune disorders, even said "Are you sure it's not just in your mind?" I was shocked. When she breaks out in hives because water touched her, I didn't ask "Are you sure it's not a mental thing?" But because all my stuff is invisible, my experiences are met with skeptism or even criticism. Despite living with them for year, my family hasn't even asked what I experience, what's wrong with me, what my disabilities are. I just suffer in silence when I'm struggling because I fear their negativity. I have no support.
Sending digital hugs and support ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜
I just wanted to say thank you for being here on UA-cam and others platforms you're an amazing Creator and someone who encourage me everyday 💜
Thank you so much. It's so exhausting to see people who never research about mental/physical health, disabilities or neurodiversity, never help or support activists and people advocating for their rights, never even care to know how disabled people in their town/work/school get by suddenly become experts when someone mentions self diagnosis. Thing is, a negative is also a diagnosis. But they always feel entitled to disrespect people's experiences and self knowledge. Yes, everybody should have access to a formal diagnosis AND treatment, but that's not our reality. Not to speak of how many unqualified professionals are out there.
I'm finally getting an official diagnosis of ASD, ADHD and Anxiety. I knew since I was a teenager that something wasn't right, but because of people like this I was scared of speaking out and looking like I was trying to "make excuses" or "call attention" by giving it a name. It was only after I met autistic people who were very supportive and validated me, treating me like I was really autistic, that I realised I probably was and found the courage to go after an official dx. And Idk why it's so hard for them to understand that. When you're broke you're not gonna pay hundreds or thousands to find out that you're fine actually. We need to be sure first.
Fantastic video as always! The autism diagnosis process in the UK is just so horrid and takes so long and it's setback my confidence. This video reminded me that self diagnosis is so valid!
Thank you thank you thank you for mentioning the added discrimination of us gender fluid, non binary and trans folks in getting respected and heard in a doctors office, as well as the LGB part of the rainbow family... as well as skin colour assumptions leading to life threatening racist decisions being made, more so in some countries and places than others. Its so important to tell the truth about these things and how they affect us! Especially in the face of so much silencing!
Really appreciate you jessica! Your words, your effort, your care for us and our community has made the world of difference to me over the last 6 years since i was seriously injured, in coming to terms with the still-not-completely-diagnosed what now!? Thank you, and take care 😊🙌
story time! I have had symptoms of lupus since I was 15. My maternal grandmother had lupus. My sister has RA. Every doctors appointment where I would bring up my symptoms, the doctor would say hmm, that’s weird, but I don’t think it’s lupus, you’re too young. (If I had a nickel for every time someone said that to me, I’d be a rich woman) so here I am, 30, clearly suffering with the symptoms which have now impaired my day to day function and mobility, so I went to my primary and just said “I have lupus” and she marked it down and we went on with the visit. Six months later, she goes through the checklist - sees “lupus” and goes, how is that, are you currently being treated. I said no, no one has ever sent me for treatment. She said oh well your symptoms today seem to all be lupus related, let’s get you to a rheumatologist. And she sent me. And now I get treatment! And it was lupus. Sometimes, you just know what you have. It’s not like my grandma was a smoker and that caused her symptoms and I was a smoker and I’m saying it’s lupus. I have several very extreme symptoms. There is a family history.
Same with my adhd - I can’t take meds for it, but I’m self diagnosed because I know the strategies that help those with adhd, help me to cope with my life. It’s not clout - like the internet likes to believe you’re diagnosing for. We’re diagnosing to get help. And everyone deserves help. Maybe it isn’t adhd, but obviously it’s something. And if it’s a hypochondriac- they also need to be diagnosed with that - so that they can learn strategies to cope with that! We all need healthcare.
i needed this video so badly and i didn’t even know it- i’ve struggled with substance abuse my whole life and i recently came to terms with the fact that i’m (most likely) autistic, on top of having ADHD. i don’t have the money for an autism diagnosis, and i’ve recently hit a really rough patch and started drinking and using alcohol again, and i made the decision to drop out of college (again 🙄) because life is too much. being validated means so much, even when it’s not personal. ❤️ it’s so hard to find purpose when you know the world wasn’t built with “people like us” in mind. thank you, again, for your advocacy
I love this, I was born in 1979 and they couldn’t figure out what was wrong with me. At a month old my mother took me to the doctor with symptoms of a weak trunk. The doctors didn’t know what I had so diagnosed me with CP. My body was changing at a rate after I graduated high school. I started going to get MRIs and request to see someone else in neurology, I eventually was able to see a new doctor who I convinced to give me a drug for a rare genetic disease and it worked I was up and walking in a week. So I was able to finally see a geneticist who after getting my genes tested was able to properly diagnose me at the age of 37 with hereditary spastic paraplegia 4. This was such a relief but also scary I don’t recall ever reading about a case that has progressed like mine or lived with it as long
People self diagnose all the time. Anyone buying cold medicine OTC has self diagnosed. Anyone taking a mild pain reliever has self diagnosed. Just because they self diagnose a mild and acute condition with laypeople terms doesn’t negate that they’re self diagnosing, and it also doesn’t mean they’re unreasonable to do it. Self diagnosis is good and helpful.
I've struggled with intense anxiety my whole life. Got misdiagnosed with social anxiety disorder, and never got appropriate treatment. The typical treatments just didn't help (and I was treated like I was being intentionally difficult, even though I was trying my hardest). Eventually in my early 30's I learned about complex PTSD and realized immediately that was what I was dealing with. Talked to my doctor, got referred, and finally got formally diagnosed. Ever since learning of the true diagnosis, I've been on a journey of discovery and healing, and I finally have access to an effective treatment, and it makes so much of a difference to finally be validated, to realize that all of my initial instincts about what I needed were actually correct, and I'd just been misled and gaslit for years. It's really frustrating to be treated like you have a problem that's "all in your head" when it's actually primarily in your body and needs a bottom-up, body-based treatment.
Living in the US without insurance makes getting a diagnosis very, very expensive. I know something is wrong with my heart/circulatory system because I frequently get lightheaded (not necessarily from changing positions just, randomly) and my legs are always swollen. But no idea what specifically. Holy crap imaging tests of any sort are so expensive. Specialist appointments are expensive, even at a "low cost" clinic. What ended up being affordable was an insurance plan, should I end up hospitalized from a heart problem. $20 a month. 😑
Thank you for the joy and sense of visibility your content brings! I’ve been watching your channel for a while and reading the comments can be so validating and comforting.
Navigating various medical systems for a diagnosis is a very painful and traumatic experience for so many people. It’s not always a viable journey to go on alone without some sort of additional support wether that is mental, physical or financial.
I personally had a traumatic battle with my medical struggles and trying to be diagnosed. I had no idea that Disability Pride Month existed, so to discover this and then see so many other people sharing their stories has been very overwhelming and cathartic.
If anyone reads this,
Happiness, health and safety to you 🌻 and stay hydrated!
I didn't expect to find this video so relatable but OH MY GOD this brought back so many memories of my journey to getting diagnosed with Gastrointestinal Reflux Disease (GERD). Not something I would think would be that difficult to be diagnosed with, especially when the symptoms were "I can literally count on one hand the foods I can eat that don't make me so nauseous and dizzy that I nearly pass out." and "I wake up every morning and nearly pass out over the toilet while vomiting a ton of stomach acid." But I was a 24 year old woman. And the gastroenterologist I ended up seeing was an old man probably on the verge of retirement who had a non-existent bedside manner.
My manager at the time told me she thought it might be out of control acid reflux, because she'd gone through something almost identical. A little more research, and treating my diet as if I did have GERD gave me some improvement, so I brought it up as a possibility when meeting the GE. Not as like "I did some googling and this is what I'm sure it is" but as, "Could it possibly be this? It mirrors my friend's experience and I have a lot of the symptoms. What's your opinion?" And he TOTALLY brushed it off as a possibility basically as soon as the words came out of my mouth. He suggested it could be a parasite, even though I hadn't done anything that could have given me a parasite. He suggested it could be related to gluten, even after I told him that 4 out of the 5 foods I could eat that DIDN'T make me sick were gluten-heavy foods. He felt my stomach, said maybe it was an ulcer even though he couldn't feel any sign of any. Then he made an appointment for an endoscopy and ended the appointment without any suggestions on ways I could maybe mediate my symptoms for the next six weeks until the endoscopy.
I was supposed to fast for 12 hours before the endoscopy, and I understand why. But the morning of I ended up having to eat a single small cracker to calm my churning stomach down enough that I could even physically get to the hospital for the procedure. (Probably because my empty stomach was full of excess stomach acid that had had nothing to dissolve and was instead making me sick...) They told me it was fine I'd done that. I wake up after the endoscopy with the GE saying that they didn't see enough acid for it to be acid reflux (and I didn't know what I was looking at with the pictures so how was I supposed to argue with that?) and they'd be waiting on test results for parasites, Celiac's and other gluten-related things. There had been no sign of ulcers.
Two days later I get a call from one of the nurses who tells me that all the parasite and gluten stuff had come back negative, and the doctor had called in a medicine to my pharmacy. She didn't tell me what I had or what the medication was for. I go to my pharmacy, and ask my pharmacist (who I knew fairly well at that point) what the medication was for. He tells me that it is most commonly used to treat ulcers (which I knew I didn't have) or....GERD. Particularly when GERD was really badly out of control. So that GE not only dismissed my SUGGESTION (not even self-diagnosis!) so hard that when it turned out to be that thing (completely predictably); he was too embarrassed to even TELL me my actual diagnosis. Three months later at my follow-up, he still wouldn't admit that it was GERD, and instead was basically like, "Is the medicine helping? Yes? Okay, keep taking it." And then left while I changed out of the gown back into my clothes, and a nurse had to come get me to tell me the appointment was over. Like he never said goodbye, asked if I had any questions, or did any of those normal 'acknowledging that the appointment is ending' things that literally every other healthcare professional I have ever seen have done. I was supposed to have a six month follow up but I never wanted to go back so I didn't. If he was so completely unconcerned with helping me then I wasn't going to waste my time with him.
To this day I don't technically have a formal diagnosis of GERD, but if it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck, gets better when you treat it like a duck, and every other health professional have agreed that it sounds like textbook duck, then it's probably GERD.
(A few years later when I saw a different GE and was diagnosed with IBS, I told him this story and he was horrified, agreed I most likely had GERD, and said it now made sense why I'd driven to the other side of the city to see him rather than go back to even a different doctor at the same office as the first GE, which was closer to my home.)
Oh, and then like six months after the endoscopy they sent me a bill for like $2300 claiming that my (excellent) insurance hadn't fully covered the procedure. At NO POINT in the entire process did anyone mention anything to me about the possibility that my insurance might not fully cover the endoscopy, and/or that I might end up having to pay out of pocket for some of it, or that it could possibly be THAT MUCH that I'd be responsible for. And they'd had my insurance information from the beginning. I never paid it and basically told them, "You've had my insurance information, you never told me I'd be responsible for ANY of this, beyond the already massive copay I had for my regular appointments. I can't pay this and I'm not going to. This is a you problem, take it up with my insurance. I've already paid way too much for the substandard care I received." And then I moved and never gave them an updated address, and by now the medical debt has expired so. F that whole GE office and the horse they rode in on.
I have a rare (one in a million) genetic disorder and there is genuinely no way I could have worked it out without a medical professional. However, I went 25 years without a diagnosis! And in the interim, I found MANY things that helped my symptoms by looking at treatments for more common illnesses that resembled mine. There was so much value in identifying possible answers, and knowing that certain treatments helped made it easier for my specialist to eventually correctly diagnose me later. If my doctors hadn't supported me doing this, I would have not been able to do this "trial and error" safely, but because they did I got symptom relief before I really knew what was wrong.
TL;DR: Knowing what your illness resembles, and identifying what helps with symptoms of your illness, can help you cope in the short term and help your doctors have good data to work from in the longer term.
For me, self diagnosis really helped me figure out how to actually get diagnosed.
Like so many others, I self diagnosed my adhd, primarily because the diagnoses of anxiety and depression just didn't seem quite right. So I ended researching more about adhd and learned that many health professionals (including psychologists) don't know much about adhd, particularly if you don't follow the "little boy who can't sit still" presentation. That meant I was able to seek out an adhd specialist who wouldn't automatically discount me just because I did well in school.
I’m self diagnosed with autism. I’ve taken many online tests, and have friends with autism. They both say “ya, you have it.” Treating myself like someone with autism had made me happier. I am diagnosed by my therapist with Anxiety, sensory processing disorder, and auditory processing disorder. I brought me thinking I’m autistic (while crying ofc, I was so happy I found something that makes sense for why I feel like this.) and they said “I don’t think you do, I hope that makes you feel better”. I didn’t know how to explain otherwise. (I wonder why) My best friend is Autistic. They are one of the only people I feel like I can truly communicate with. I don’t have to think about the right time to smile, or making eye contact during the right times, and I can use sound! I don’t even have to use words! So self diagnosis, for me, is the best way possible right now to make myself happier in life. Plus I do have support for my other conditions and my friends (especially those who know how I feel).
Yeah it took me three visits to three different doctors to finally be diagnosed with hEDS. The first one literally said ‘I don’t really believe in hEDS’, than did all the checklists and concluded that I meet the criteria but ‘felt I just barely passed so therefore it didn’t really seem like hEDS’. The second one looked at the report of the first one and saw I have a mental health diagnosis and concluded it was münchhausen. Only after ending up in the hospital with a migrainious stroke, dislocated shoulder, IBD struggles and heart rate of 32 all at the same time a doctor came out of the woods and said ‘hey wait, you check all of the boxes of hEDS’. Let me tell you after that first visit I already started telling people I did have hEDS, even if that was a self diagnosis. Don’t be afraid to say you have a condition if you meet the criteria, even if a doctor says otherwise.
I self diagnosed twice and was right twice. I knew I was autistic and sure enough 2 years later, I was diagnosed. Was pretty sure I had POTS and about 6 or 7 months later (7 years after symptoms started) I got diagnosed! To anyone reading this: good luck on your healing journeys and I wish you good research and lovely doctors 💕 and if you don't have any issues then congrats I guess just good luck with life in general!
The main problem with self-diagnosis is that people tend to not do as much research as they should about it, they have a shallow understanding of a condition with similar symptoms they recognise so they latch onto it and then try to start speaking in that community like they know what they're talking about. You can't just insert yourself into a group like that when you don't actually know if you are part of it or not.
Better language to use is saying things like "I've been looking into ABC and I'm concerned about XYZ, because I relate to these symptoms" rather than just "hey guys, I decided I have ABC" and then you end up being wrong or spreading misinformation about said condition. And yes, it can be a problem to be wrong because sometimes conditions have very similar symptoms, but very different root causes that need completely different treatment, or one may be curable but the other is not, etc. Like OCD and social anxiety vs Autism.
For me I did the research and used my findings not to selfdx but to guide where I turned my attention to and what my next steps were so that I could get professional opinions about it. This led to my profdx of fibromyalgia and of BPD which I believe are accurate to my experiences. But you have to be careful not to go around saying you HAVE something uncommon or stigmatised like that before you know for sure. Just that you are learning more about the condition and seeking a professional evaluation.
This is a really important video! Well done, Jessica! I also always enjoy your sarcasm!
This one was packed with sarcasm!
I have been formally diagnosed with anxiety and depression for the last 10 years, but recent discussion with a family member who has the exact same brain as me (or like a lot of the same symptoms, thought patterns, brain workings) has made me "self diagnose" in that I now am exploring the possibility that it might not be that I have anxiety around loud crowds in small spaces and that it's not due to anxiety/depression that I become obsessed with things, that maybe it is autism. I never really thought it fit because most of the things can be explained by anxiety/depression, but in thinking about the fact that I might not have anxiety/depression, a lot of those things are more fitting with an autism diagnosis than a mood disorder. Especially since my psychologist suggested that I don't have anything wrong with my moods and emotions other than how I react to them. I think I will eventually get a medical diagnosis, but I am actually doing really well right now and am quite busy, so it doesn't bother me whether or not I get a medical diagnosis anytime soon. Will need to discuss it with my psych soon though, as I think it might change how we manage my mental health, or at least how we talk about it.
I suggested my doctor to get me tested for adhd because I kept feeling depressed and I felt quite hopeless that I couldn't keep up anymore with others of my age. Where others would start their careers, I crumbled.
My boyfriend who has adhd and autism basically knew immediately when he got to know me that I likely have adhd or autism too because he understood me and saw similar mannerisms.
I got indeed the adhd diagnosis and started cbt and medication for it. It helped me create a foundation to grow and start to achieve goals, in a different route than planned but with so much more self-esteem than I for the first time in a long time genuinely think I'm going to be okay.