self dxing is beneficial ONLY if it leads to the individual working towards an official diagnosis. medical diagnostics are extremely out of reach, but it does NOT give people an automatic pass to loudly claim that they have the condition without proper testing and study. all medical conditions can have heavily overlapping symptoms with lots of varying treatments, and this is especially true in the psychological field where no one brain functions the same as another.
self dx is valid but it is NOT a true diagnosis. no one knows you better than yourself, but you STILL need the education and outward understanding of yourself to formally understand your symptoms and treatment options correctly. doctors STILL SEEK OTHER DOCTORS for treatment because even they can be wrong about their symptoms! "a doctor who treats themself has a fool for a patient" is a well known saying for a reason.
i want to be clear, because i realize in hindsight that it comes across as invalidating: when i say "self dxing is beneficial ONLY if it leads to the individual working towards an official diagnosis," it's not me saying "it must be done immediately as soon as you suspect something." it's me saying "your self diagnostics should EVENTUALLY lead towards an official diagnosis." it doesn't have to happen until later in life when you're ready and capable or get the aid you need to get one. until you do get that diagnosis, you should treat it as a suspicion, not fact, and shouldn't say you have that condition publicly or make other people believe you have that condition.
you are valid to believe you may have something, and seek community when you have that suspicion. you are valid if you don't have the means right now to see a professional to confirm it. you are valid if you're not ready or in a living situation that encourages you to seek help.
but please, for your absolute well-being, you should not ever say for a fact that you have a condition that you have not been formally tested for, because you might be neglecting something else with way different, more specific needs due to confirmation bias. you need secondary, professional opinions. it is so much safer to get a professional opinion that confirms it and be able to come back and say 'i told you so' than it is to claim it, try to care for it, and it end up being something else that is well above your paygrade.
no offense nonny, but are you gonna paypal me the thousands of dollars required to get dx'd by a psychiatrist? I have a therapist who specializes in ADHD who says I'm textbook, but she can't formerly dx me on account of not being a medical doctor. unless I luck into a job with good benefits, I can't afford that and I likely will never be able to afford that lol.
like I get what you're saying and I don't disagree that a lot of people make mistakes w/self dx but official dxes are not the end all to be all. a dx of autism can prevent people from immigrating to certain countries. there are reasons people may want to seek out and benefit from online resources without an official dx, and there are reasons to not want an official dx.
i said "ready and capable or get the aid you need to get a diagnosis" and stated - also very clearly - *eventually* it is what should be done. if you are not capable, or can't get the aid you need right now, i'm not going to fault someone for not getting an official diagnosis until later in life. i'm not going to fault people for being poor, or unemployed, or currently in a household that's not safe/supportive, or any other outstanding reasons that may make their life difficult if diagnosed formally. these are only a fragment of extenuating circumstances that affect a lot of people. just because i'm not outright saying every little circumstance, however, doesn't mean that i'm not aware of the countless reasons someone might can't, such as being a minor or under guardianship of someone/a government who/that refuses to do so/can't do so, or in a domestically abusive home, or an immigrant, or homeless or what have you. i'm not listing all of them because i'm not about to write the war and peace of things that make life hard for people here.
you are also correct in that an official dx can do harm. this is also an extenuating circumstance that i can understand.
and your difference is that you are AT LEAST seeing a specialist. you are seeing someone who has gotten an education in the psychological field (at least, that's what i'm interpreting you as having; i can be wrong) and even specializes in your condition. you are seeing a professional, and i'm *glad* you are and can do so, and will always be glad when someone does, because people should do as much as they can. but TONS MORE people - disproportionately so - aren't, whether of their own volition or by the extenuating circumstances that are not limited to what you and i covered, and are going on to say they have some arrangement of conditions as if complete fact when it simply isn't.
what i will recommend in order to be of help to you in some way (as i'm critically disabled now and unable to make money; i WISH i could help you in the way you're asking, but i absolutely never can or i'll lose all my health benefits that keep me alive) is i'll suggest that you look into non-profit hospitals and medical care systems if you haven't already. there's lots out there; possibly not in your neck of the woods, but if there is, look into them. in order for a hospital to be non-profit in MOST circumstances, patients MUST be able to apply for financial aid that can cover your treatment, based on income and needs, so long as you apply and provide proof that fits their criteria. i had to do this when i had heart surgery while uninsured. i got completely free healthcare for a year from my medical system for everything i needed from my physical to extremely specialist needs, to even my extremely expensive medication. they even helped me apply for government insurance and advocated for me until i got it. they got me a social worker. every hospital is different, but there ARE systems that can do what you need, and some even provide transportation aid for appointments.
i'm so sorry you can't get a formal diagnosis for financial reasons. i could never be able to express it in words correctly, and i wish you can find a job that gets you where you need to be in order to get the resources our world fails to give readily.
another anon here and no hate to you or anything but getting a diagnosis can definitely be expensive, especially without decent insurance. and that’s assuming you can even GET the diagnosis and don’t have to see a second or third person, sometimes more, before they actually listen to you. even for something like adhd
AYRT no yeah I do believe OP, I have heard of dxes costing way more than what I paid, it's just so stupid that I can pay 150 and be good to go in 15 mins meanwhile others are paying thousands in expensive assessments or whatever tf... there shouldn't be such a disparity. and even if I didn't have insurance I would have just paid the out of pocket 300 for the visit so it wouldn't be much more.
anyway, if anyone needs a good psych (for adhd especially) in Pennsylvania post any email address and I'll send you the name of mine :) I really mean it, I know finding a psych you can trust is so fucking hard and I feel really lucky I found the one I have.
actually i buy it, in some places getting an actual dx is a racket and they'll split appointments up for no reason just to milk more money out of you. it blows
still it's no excuse to play pretend that you are a fictional character and bully others into pretending with you. i think it's cool there are anons here being charitable and empathetic about why these situations arise but i'm just too burnt by my own past experiences to extend much of the same kindness :\
spoke to one psychiatrist who told me I had it and gave me meds, foolishly spoke to another psychiatrist about changing my ritalin back to vyvanse bc ritalin was hurting my stomach, and he decided (during a 15 min appointment) that I actually Didn't have it, and now I need to see someone who specializes in ADHD (or, I've been advised to by my therapist). those places get to charge whatever they want, because late stage capitalism is a disease. I'm afraid to keep pestering regular psychiatrists, because if I get labeled as a "drug seeker" it'll be even harder for me.
extremely jealous of your psych appointment only costing $150. even "regular" psych appointments here are $200+. still, I'm glad you had a better experience than I did nonny.
AYRT that is terrible :/ I know the places you're talking about that "specialize" in adhd, they're very popular with rich college kids and parents of wealthy school age kids where I live... tbf the $150 fee was WITH insurance (lol) but it still wouldn't have been much more out of pocket. fwiw if you're in Pennsylvania give me any email address and I'll rec my psychiatrist.
lol even with insurance and a supportive doctor, it still cost me 300+ to get a test, and even after the test and a diagnosis, I still have to wrestle with my doctor and pharmacy EVERY MONTH for my meds, and that was BEFORE the adderall shortage.
i got my own ADHD diagnosis from my primary care doctor (depending on where you are in the world, they are able to diagnose and medicate you; a good primary care physician will still encourage you to see a psychiatrist, but they are also compassionate about how out of reach it may be and can be your continuous care) after i sought professional opinions for a short while with a therapist who also specialized in ADHD and noticed the signs and went through the diagnostic checklist with me to give to my primary.
i am in a place of privilege to have a primary care doctor who i have been able to see when insured and also continued to help me pro-bono when i wasn't, but even those kinds of visits can be more within the price range than psychiatric doctors.
depending on the way the practice is done, if your psychiatric doctor is part of a larger medical network or a non-profit medical network, they do sometimes offer specialty pricing (you MIGHT even find someone who works pro-bono for some form of community service outreach) for people with financial troubles. NOT ALL, but it's also something i've had to do in the past for an informed consent screenings to make sure i know, understand, and am mentally capable of receiving treatments i'm about to get. HOWEVER, private practice psychiatrists can be a NIGHTMARE to work with because they're not governed by a chief medical officer within their practice for their ethics and business methods, and also they have to rely on their income alone to keep their business going, as opposed to a larger practice being able to keep sustaining itself. they can be pretty damn greedy. i almost always recommend people go work with a large scale network where doctors have to answer to higher ups, so you have someone to report to in the event of a dissatisfying encounter.
also, depending on diagnostic tests and other complications that might need to be ruled out before ADHD, they can start to stack up. even if you may seem to be a clear case of ADHD, there could be an additional underlying aggravating factor that could be making your ADHD worse that may also need to be addressed, or it could be something else entirely. if you have hereditary history of psychological disorders, those need to be ruled out, too. for example, my doctor is treating me for anxiety and BPD, and the first things he needed to evaluate was to assess my current anxiety levels and therapeutic tools, then my BPD, and then check to see if i may have inherited my parent's bipolar diagnosis. only after examining all those factors did he feel comfortable with treating me for ADHD.
for a lot of people, going through all of this can be a HUGE HURDLE, even WITH insurance. it takes a lot of mental, physical, and emotional energy. it takes money. it takes time. it takes a support group that continues to encourage you through it all. it can be daunting! and maybe if someone doesn't have one of these resources needed to seek help, it could be almost impossible for them to rack up the ability to more forward.
i'm actually really surprised at that 150$ range for one visit to assess for ADHD, but if it is helping you and hasn't had adverse effects, that's really good news, and i'm proud of you for doing what you needed to in order to take care of yourself.
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Re: Unpopular Opinion...
(Anonymous) 2023-09-04 07:16 pm (UTC)(link)self dx is valid but it is NOT a true diagnosis. no one knows you better than yourself, but you STILL need the education and outward understanding of yourself to formally understand your symptoms and treatment options correctly. doctors STILL SEEK OTHER DOCTORS for treatment because even they can be wrong about their symptoms! "a doctor who treats themself has a fool for a patient" is a well known saying for a reason.
Re: Unpopular Opinion...
(Anonymous) 2023-09-05 08:31 am (UTC)(link)i want to be clear, because i realize in hindsight that it comes across as invalidating: when i say "self dxing is beneficial ONLY if it leads to the individual working towards an official diagnosis," it's not me saying "it must be done immediately as soon as you suspect something." it's me saying "your self diagnostics should EVENTUALLY lead towards an official diagnosis." it doesn't have to happen until later in life when you're ready and capable or get the aid you need to get one. until you do get that diagnosis, you should treat it as a suspicion, not fact, and shouldn't say you have that condition publicly or make other people believe you have that condition.
you are valid to believe you may have something, and seek community when you have that suspicion.
you are valid if you don't have the means right now to see a professional to confirm it.
you are valid if you're not ready or in a living situation that encourages you to seek help.
but please, for your absolute well-being, you should not ever say for a fact that you have a condition that you have not been formally tested for, because you might be neglecting something else with way different, more specific needs due to confirmation bias. you need secondary, professional opinions. it is so much safer to get a professional opinion that confirms it and be able to come back and say 'i told you so' than it is to claim it, try to care for it, and it end up being something else that is well above your paygrade.
Re: Unpopular Opinion...
(Anonymous) 2023-09-05 10:25 am (UTC)(link)like I get what you're saying and I don't disagree that a lot of people make mistakes w/self dx but official dxes are not the end all to be all. a dx of autism can prevent people from immigrating to certain countries. there are reasons people may want to seek out and benefit from online resources without an official dx, and there are reasons to not want an official dx.
Re: Unpopular Opinion...
(Anonymous) 2023-09-05 11:07 am (UTC)(link)you are also correct in that an official dx can do harm. this is also an extenuating circumstance that i can understand.
and your difference is that you are AT LEAST seeing a specialist. you are seeing someone who has gotten an education in the psychological field (at least, that's what i'm interpreting you as having; i can be wrong) and even specializes in your condition. you are seeing a professional, and i'm *glad* you are and can do so, and will always be glad when someone does, because people should do as much as they can. but TONS MORE people - disproportionately so - aren't, whether of their own volition or by the extenuating circumstances that are not limited to what you and i covered, and are going on to say they have some arrangement of conditions as if complete fact when it simply isn't.
what i will recommend in order to be of help to you in some way (as i'm critically disabled now and unable to make money; i WISH i could help you in the way you're asking, but i absolutely never can or i'll lose all my health benefits that keep me alive) is i'll suggest that you look into non-profit hospitals and medical care systems if you haven't already. there's lots out there; possibly not in your neck of the woods, but if there is, look into them. in order for a hospital to be non-profit in MOST circumstances, patients MUST be able to apply for financial aid that can cover your treatment, based on income and needs, so long as you apply and provide proof that fits their criteria. i had to do this when i had heart surgery while uninsured. i got completely free healthcare for a year from my medical system for everything i needed from my physical to extremely specialist needs, to even my extremely expensive medication. they even helped me apply for government insurance and advocated for me until i got it. they got me a social worker. every hospital is different, but there ARE systems that can do what you need, and some even provide transportation aid for appointments.
i'm so sorry you can't get a formal diagnosis for financial reasons. i could never be able to express it in words correctly, and i wish you can find a job that gets you where you need to be in order to get the resources our world fails to give readily.
Re: Unpopular Opinion...
(Anonymous) 2023-09-05 04:47 pm (UTC)(link)Re: Unpopular Opinion...
(Anonymous) 2023-09-05 05:07 pm (UTC)(link)Re: Unpopular Opinion...
(Anonymous) 2023-09-05 09:21 pm (UTC)(link)anyway, if anyone needs a good psych (for adhd especially) in Pennsylvania post any email address and I'll send you the name of mine :) I really mean it, I know finding a psych you can trust is so fucking hard and I feel really lucky I found the one I have.
Re: Unpopular Opinion...
(Anonymous) 2023-09-05 05:13 pm (UTC)(link)still it's no excuse to play pretend that you are a fictional character and bully others into pretending with you. i think it's cool there are anons here being charitable and empathetic about why these situations arise but i'm just too burnt by my own past experiences to extend much of the same kindness :\
Re: Unpopular Opinion...
(Anonymous) 2023-09-05 06:37 pm (UTC)(link)extremely jealous of your psych appointment only costing $150. even "regular" psych appointments here are $200+. still, I'm glad you had a better experience than I did nonny.
Re: Unpopular Opinion...
(Anonymous) 2023-09-05 09:24 pm (UTC)(link)Re: Unpopular Opinion...
(Anonymous) 2023-09-05 06:56 pm (UTC)(link)Re: Unpopular Opinion...
(Anonymous) 2023-09-05 07:19 pm (UTC)(link)i got my own ADHD diagnosis from my primary care doctor (depending on where you are in the world, they are able to diagnose and medicate you; a good primary care physician will still encourage you to see a psychiatrist, but they are also compassionate about how out of reach it may be and can be your continuous care) after i sought professional opinions for a short while with a therapist who also specialized in ADHD and noticed the signs and went through the diagnostic checklist with me to give to my primary.
i am in a place of privilege to have a primary care doctor who i have been able to see when insured and also continued to help me pro-bono when i wasn't, but even those kinds of visits can be more within the price range than psychiatric doctors.
depending on the way the practice is done, if your psychiatric doctor is part of a larger medical network or a non-profit medical network, they do sometimes offer specialty pricing (you MIGHT even find someone who works pro-bono for some form of community service outreach) for people with financial troubles. NOT ALL, but it's also something i've had to do in the past for an informed consent screenings to make sure i know, understand, and am mentally capable of receiving treatments i'm about to get. HOWEVER, private practice psychiatrists can be a NIGHTMARE to work with because they're not governed by a chief medical officer within their practice for their ethics and business methods, and also they have to rely on their income alone to keep their business going, as opposed to a larger practice being able to keep sustaining itself. they can be pretty damn greedy. i almost always recommend people go work with a large scale network where doctors have to answer to higher ups, so you have someone to report to in the event of a dissatisfying encounter.
also, depending on diagnostic tests and other complications that might need to be ruled out before ADHD, they can start to stack up. even if you may seem to be a clear case of ADHD, there could be an additional underlying aggravating factor that could be making your ADHD worse that may also need to be addressed, or it could be something else entirely. if you have hereditary history of psychological disorders, those need to be ruled out, too. for example, my doctor is treating me for anxiety and BPD, and the first things he needed to evaluate was to assess my current anxiety levels and therapeutic tools, then my BPD, and then check to see if i may have inherited my parent's bipolar diagnosis. only after examining all those factors did he feel comfortable with treating me for ADHD.
for a lot of people, going through all of this can be a HUGE HURDLE, even WITH insurance. it takes a lot of mental, physical, and emotional energy. it takes money. it takes time. it takes a support group that continues to encourage you through it all. it can be daunting! and maybe if someone doesn't have one of these resources needed to seek help, it could be almost impossible for them to rack up the ability to more forward.
i'm actually really surprised at that 150$ range for one visit to assess for ADHD, but if it is helping you and hasn't had adverse effects, that's really good news, and i'm proud of you for doing what you needed to in order to take care of yourself.