44
Is self diagnosing an ok thing to do? (lemmy.world)
submitted 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
36 comments fedilink hide all child comments

I'm asking because I'm suspicious I might have autism but I cannot access a psychiatrist.

If I do self diagnose and no matter how much evidence I find that I have autism at the end of the day I don't know that for a fact.

So if I go around claiming I'm autistic when I don't even know for a fact I am, it feels extremely disrespectful to people with autism right?

It'll be even worse if I do get access to a psychiatrist and they tell me no I'm not and I'm just weird or something.

EDIT: I don't want to reply to everyone one by one but I do wanna say thank you for everyone's kind and helpful answers. I appreciate it.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[-] [email protected] 6 points 3 days ago

I think the real question is whether self diagnosing is ok with you.

[-] [email protected] 1 points 3 days ago

Depends, self diagnosing seems extremely challenging and introduces doubts and bias so it can't be 100% accurate. Which an outside perspective can help with.

I've done [insert] my whole life so it's normal.

I found out [insert] isn't normal and common in autism.

I look into autism. Oh but I don't do all those other things.

Maybe me doing [Insert] is just me being weird but I don't have autism!

After a few weeks I find out another [insert] that I do is also common in autism. Cycle repeats.

this post was submitted on 02 Jul 2025
44 points (95.8% liked)

Autism

8108 readers
384 users here now

A community for respectful discussion and memes related to autism acceptance. All neurotypes are welcome.

Community:

Values

  • Acceptance
  • Openness
  • Understanding
  • Equality
  • Reciprocity
  • Mutuality
  • Love

Rules

  1. No abusive, derogatory, or offensive post/comments e.g: racism, sexism, religious hatred, homophobia, gatekeeping, trolling.
  2. Posts must be related to autism, off-topic discussions happen in the "Hey What's Going On!" daily post.
  3. Your posts must include a text body. It doesn't have to be long, it just needs to be descriptive.
  4. Do not request donations.
  5. Be respectful in discussions.
  6. Do not post misinformation.
  7. Mark NSFW content accordingly.
  8. Do not promote Autism Speaks.
  9. General Lemmy World rules.
  10. No bots. Humans only.

Encouraged

  1. Open acceptance of all autism levels as a respectable neurotype.
  2. Funny memes.
  3. Respectful venting.
  4. Describe posts of pictures/memes using text in the body for our visually impaired users.
  5. Welcoming and accepting attitudes.
  6. Questions regarding autism.
  7. Questions on confusing situations.
  8. Seeking and sharing support.
  9. Engagement in our community's values.
  10. Expressing a difference of opinion without directly insulting another user.
  11. Please report questionable posts and let the mods deal with it.

.

Helpful Resources

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
[email protected]