#pro dx

I think a lot of the bullshit people have against self diagnosis would stop if nobody mentioned whether they’re pro or self dx’ed unless it came up in a discussion where that info was important for context. 

Because anti selfdx’ers will just see it as an affront and pro selfdx’ers will be stuck explaining why self dx happens, and the arguing will happen forever with neither side being helped or making progress in their respective situations.

I’m tired of it. Sometimes I want to take both sides and smash all their heads together and tell them all to shut up, and sometimes I want them all to sit down, take turns talking and take turns listening so all sides of the issue are allowed to be explored.

But that can’t happen now because everybody is screaming their argument and it’s all noise to me.

(2 of 3, of “idk who else to talk to.”) and I’m like it’s more than that. but she said if it works for me then fine but she doesn’t agree and she thinks therapists and stuff just like rly throwing the labels of autistic, bipolar, etc., on people nowadays bc it’s easier. I’ve apparently been in a burnout the last couple of years (I didn’t know I didn’t know so I kept trying to do everything that was making me burnout) and I just. cant.

(3 of 3, of “idk who else to talk to.”) Idk what to do. so lost. don’t want to say I’m autistic when I’m not but also it makes sense and the new therapist does agree and having words like shutdown and meltdown and special interest and and stuff to accurately describe things helps so much and I’m just so lost and confused and alone. I’m 27 been struggling since I was v little and I’m just tired

I’m sorry you’re dealing with that, it sucks to have your family invalidate you.

Ultimately, you know yourself better than your mom does.  If you’ve been researching autism and found it to be consistent with your experiences and helpful to you in making sense of your experiences then that’s what counts.  It also sounds like your mom doesn’t know nearly as much about autism as you or your therapist does.  It may be that you’re better off not talking to your mom about this if she’s just going to invalidate you, but certainly do go ahead and call yourself autistic.

If you need a bit more reassurance about the validity of self-diagnosis, here is an essay Sabrina wrote on the topic.

about how someone was tryna buy a copy of the dsm v to try and prove to ppl that she self dx’d “the professional way” and she found out that it’s $200 … so she labeled it as not only ableist but classist