Post by Admin on Feb 20, 2014 6:26:00 GMT -6
my entire experience with formal psychiatric diagnosis (including the process of ‘diagnosing’ things i don’t have, aka confirming whether or not i have those things) has basically been doctors reading me lists of symptoms and asking if they sound like they apply to me
yes i’m sure it took years of medical training to come up with that
i’m not saying self-diagnosis is perfect but my experience with both has amounted to the difference between ‘reading a list of symptoms and comparing them to my behavior’ and ‘having a list of symptoms read to be and comparing them to my behavior’
in both instances it comes down to my own assessment of my symptoms and the way they affect my life, because that’s what diagnoses are fundamentally about
shut the fuck up about self-diagnosis forever
- condesces(tumblr)
yes i’m sure it took years of medical training to come up with that
i’m not saying self-diagnosis is perfect but my experience with both has amounted to the difference between ‘reading a list of symptoms and comparing them to my behavior’ and ‘having a list of symptoms read to be and comparing them to my behavior’
in both instances it comes down to my own assessment of my symptoms and the way they affect my life, because that’s what diagnoses are fundamentally about
shut the fuck up about self-diagnosis forever
- condesces(tumblr)
As someone who's constantly had problems with lack of insurance, negligent parents, and my parents forcing themselves into my doctor's rooms and talking over me, this is really important. There are a lot of people who do not have the privilege of seeing a doctor that can formally diagnose them, but that does not make their problems any less real.
Unfortunately, there are problems with people claiming to have things that aren't even close to the real thing ("I skipped one meal once two years ago. I was anorexic for a day."), but just like one false rape accusation in every hundreds of real rape accusations doesn't mean that all victims are liars, the occasional over-dramatic does not negate anyone's mental health.
If you think you are struggling and want to see a doctor, we can help you find a way, I promise. But don't think your problems aren't real just because someone hasn't told you they are.
Also don't ever let a doctor try to force you into admitting that your problems aren't as real as they are(this has happened too many times sadly, not to me personally with the exclusion of one time, but to quite a few that go through the system), because no one knows your mind and body better than you. If you feel that you are having that problem, find a doctor that makes you feel comfortable and at ease, and let's you talk and finish each sentence and doesn't automatically say you're wrong.
