Can anyone relate?

  • Wandering_Uncertainty@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    7
    ·
    1 year ago

    I didn’t see this as him saying that people know better than doctors.

    I saw this as him saying that self diagnosis, especially with multiple tests from reasonably reliable sources, is a valuable tool in a wide variety of circumstances, and with autism in particular, has very few ill effects and is a net positive.

    Including as a first step in the official diagnosis process.

    There may be a number of reasons not to get an official diagnosis. When I self diagnosed for autism about… maybe 15 years ago, there was a three year wait list for the only psychiatric diagnosis thing I could afford. (I can’t remember the details, it’s been a while, but it was some government funded program.)

    I have since gotten an official diagnosis, but getting the unofficial one first was extremely helpful for me in narrowing down where I should focus my efforts.

    The guy, towards the end, was even encouraging people to get the official diagnosis - if they’re able to, financially, etc. But starting with self diagnosis makes a great deal of sense.

    The whole thing was about cutting down the myths and attacks around self diagnosis and saying people should be allowed to start there without getting attacked for it. That’s all it is.

    I, incidentally, am not anti vax or anti science. I’m a science teacher, as it happens, and science is totally my jam. I love how he included study information on accuracy rates of self diagnosis, and misdiagnosis rates for mental health issues with the medical field. I love how he encouraged people to get official diagnoses, and how his suggestions for the medical field were to increase access and affordability for people. This video did not strike me as anti science or anti psychiatry at all.