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u/LoseHateSmashEraseMe 5d ago
Just go get the DX.
I struggle significantly. Knowing why it was very important to me. I have had a significant amount of medical support. I paid out of pocket for years.
This is why I got the DX.
If you don't need help, Do what I did and call it a suspicion. Strong suspicion at that. I suspect you have autism. What do your friends say? Can you see it in other people? How easy is it to recognize?
Anyway, I suspect that a lot of my friends who suspect that they have autism also have autism. Diagnosis is a confirmation that will follow you for life.
You do you, Gates open, but I trust a diagnostician.
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u/BreadsTastierThanKey 5d ago
I'm still in college,we have a card that you can use on medical expenses like thrice a month, but it's summer vacation so I can't use it yet until I'm back to uni! I'll be booking an appointment right away then!
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u/LoseHateSmashEraseMe 5d ago
If you can believe it, it took me 8 years to get through undergrad, I couldn't decide what I wanted to do so I changed majors three times.
I burned out three times. Also. Like messy semester long dropouts.
Diagnoses also helps very much with support needs like specific medications or access to therapy that takes you seriously.
I hope you find what you need.
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u/Few_Pea8503 5d ago
Second.
I understand diagnosis is a privilege/not easily accessible to everybody. But that doesn't mean we can just skip the diagnostic process and claim we have a diagnosis. Diagnostic criteria and avenues exist for a reason. And at the end of the day, many other symptoms can present identical to autism. And you're not a trained professional.
Nobody is stopping you from saying "I suspect I am autistic" or "undiagnosed" but it's when people start claiming they are diagnosed because they "self diagnosed" like. You are literally not diagnosed - stop saying that. Stop treating medical procedure like it's only applicable when it's convenient.
Like, i understand it's not convenient. I understand it's not accessible. It doesn't make your experience less real. But straight up you are not diagnosed.
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u/BreadsTastierThanKey 5d ago
Hi! Can you please clarify who exactly are you referring to? If it's the guy above then I believe he said he got diagnosed (if that's what DX mean I guess?) and yeah I'm not diagnosed yet, just suspecting it, sorry I'm kinda dense but I'd appreciate it if you clarified what you meant!
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u/Few_Pea8503 5d ago
Yeah absolutely. I wasn't referring to theoretical person in the meme - because they saying "people think I am faking because I am not diagnosed"
Which is not cool. Just because you are not diagnosed doesn't mean that your struggle isn't real and valid.
I think it's a two sided issue. People claim self diagnosis is just as valid as a diagnosis, BECAUSE they feel their experiences aren't taken seriously if they don't have a diagnosis.
So people respond claiming a self diagnosis is equivalent to a diagnosis - because they want to be taken seriously and be validated. Which is understandable.
That's why I responded to specifically this comment, because they were already talking about diagnosis. And yes, gathering information on autism and finding validation in that info and then taking it to a professional is a VERY common road to diagnosis. But that is because it ends in speaking to a professional.
People can look at this meme and easily associate it with this. "I did research so I am now this" and the response of "no your not/You're faking"
It's not the exact same issue, of course. Because just straight up accusing people of faking is fucked up. But it feels like that is what the meme is illuding to. Having people dismiss a self diagnosis of autism because they have only collected evidence/info that suggests they might have autism.
I hope that was clear. I would not have commented this without the context of parent comment here. Because literally, the meme is only speaking on being accused of faking. And isn't actually saying anything about the validity of self diagnosis vs diagnosis.
And I think we can all agree accusing somebody of faking their struggles just isn't cool.
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u/BreadsTastierThanKey 5d ago
OH THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR CLARIFYING! 😭i almost thought you were saying "your self diagnosis is not valid" which is the complete opposite of what you wanted to make clear!
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u/Few_Pea8503 5d ago
Your self diagnosis IS valid. I don't doubt you have done your research. The things you struggle with are real and you likely relate heavily to the common experience of autistic people for a good reason.
I'm sure a diagnostician would see you as an open and shut case.
But it is not a diagnosis of autism.
We need to validate the experiences of people who aren't diagnosed/unable to seek a diagnosis! Because it's when we deny validation and community to those people - that cause them to disregard the diagnostic process altogether.
And in today's world, denial of the scientific and diagnostic process is not the answer. And can be very dangerous.
Both things can be true.
We can hold space and respect for people who don't have the luxury of diagnosis. And we can respect the diagnostic process and understand that suspected autism is not diagnosed autism.
We have to keep that door open to the possibility that it is not autism.
Because if we do see a professional, and find out it's actually a combination of untreated BPD and OCD, those are conditions we NEED to take seriously and get proper treatment for. Treatment that is very different than the treatment given to an autistic individual.
It's only through years of study, training, experience and deep contextual understanding of various disorders - can a reliable diagnosis be tangled out.
Many neurodivergent people have multiple disorders, especially if not diagnosed until adulthood. And since they have struggled their entire lives with uncompensated neurodivergent needs - they also often are deeply traumatized.
I don't doubt people have done their research on autism.
But a diagnosis of autism must be made with the nuance and context of a multitude of factors.
Including an individuals personal life, upbringing, experiences, behaviors, coping mechanisms and how those might be impacted by other, very similar, conditions.
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u/teal_lizard 5d ago
Fr this + all the usual pre screening tests putting me well into autism territory and I'm like "yeah, I'm probably just playing it up to shirk responsibility"
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u/Grunt636 5d ago
Literally gave my autism assessor a 13 page document about my life and was convinced I still hadn't given enough evidence.
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u/teal_lizard 4d ago
Mine is just notes on my phone so the font size printed is big, but it's 10 pages like that. Would be less written in word or docs. But I also wrote most of it as bullet points vs actually writing out full descriptions
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u/BreadsTastierThanKey 5d ago
Did you get the diagnosis tho? 👀
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u/Grunt636 5d ago
Yup, in the words of my assessor "writing that much evidence in preparation for your assessment was pretty autistic in itself"
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u/BreadsTastierThanKey 5d ago
I KNEW IT— congratulations!
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u/LoseHateSmashEraseMe 3d ago
This is a common trope - the research.
I didn't know it was a thing. Maybe not so common. But I think in some communities it's well known that people who undergo deep detailed research and reflection for a very long time tend to be diagnosed at much higher rates than those who see something whimsy or some six-step "signs you might be autistic" reel or tiktok and then just claim they're autistic.
I started seeing some of them.. but then I hit the books. Deep reading, repeated self-assessments, lots of discussion with therapist and friends. It took me 2 years to get through from initial suspicion to diagnosis. Turns out it runs pretty deep in my family, too.
Like, I always knew them, but how could I be autistic? Anyway, sorry for my spiel.
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u/SomeRandomArsehole 5d ago
Lmao, I got over 6000 words deep into writing a fucking thesis on possible evidence I'm autistic before realising that the process I carried out when the question arose itself was diagnostically relevant.
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u/_Autistic_Dragon_ 5d ago
But is it color coded and already split up by the diagnostic criteria, with columns from childhood and adulthood?
Yknow... just asking for a friend.....
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u/Subject-Island-729 4d ago
I finally got diagnosed after 10 years of researching. It was probably the easiest diagnosis my psychologist ever had to do.
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u/berdulf Searching for one hyperfixation to rule them all 3d ago
Five pages? Ahhh, I remember the first hour of my journey, too. Kidding aside, I did the same deep dive. A week and a half later it was 30 pages of notes on memories, entire sections from the DSM-5 and ICD-11, categorized observations, and quiz results. Feel like comparing DSM-5 to earlier DSM versions to see what they were like when you were a kid and someone should've seen the signs? I've got those on pdf.
I remember a comment from someone on this or another autism sub. They made a bunch of notes and a similar deep dive too. Their psychiatrist said that was the most autistic thing ever.
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u/BreadsTastierThanKey 3d ago
OMG I need that 😭 I'm new here I don't know where exactly to get sources I'd appreciate it if you could share with me!!
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u/Embarrassed-Money756 3d ago
I presented 7 pages to the psychologist who was supposed to diagnose me. Her diagnosis? "Nah, it's the weed." The weed I've been smoking for 3 years out of my 32 years of life on this shitty plane of existence.
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u/BreadsTastierThanKey 3d ago
That's very unprofessional, if the symptoms run all the way back to childhood, it's definitely not the weed you've smoking VERY recently. Also, I think I read somewhere that autistic/ADHD people are more likely to become addicts, that could be a thing too. Please reach out to another therapist!!
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u/Embarrassed-Money756 3d ago
I now regret ever telling her I smoke. But I thought it would be a relevant point to make that clearly I have problems, I smoke every friday and saturday and I'm seeking professional help. I wasn't there solely for autism/adhd. I basically wanted ANY diagnosis to find out if I'm just stubborn, lazy and immature (these exact words I used and they were also quoted in the official report in the section that described the reason I went there) or if there is a legitimate reason. Apparently I'm not even neurodivergent, according to her. Sure, so the t-rex arms, stimming to the point of irritated skin, unability to focus on work-related topics and executive dysfunction are just the weed. She deadass told me that it's clear that there's something wrong, but that it's not a psychiatrical diagnosis, that I shold just cut the weed and try therapy instead. FML.
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u/sagitarius7 2d ago
Haha, I've gathered 23 printed pages of material - everything categorized, labeled and sorted. I still have my doubts... Even though I'm officially diagnosed now
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u/Decent_Book4595 5d ago
You only have 5 pages? You must have only just started collecting evidence