#selfdx

can i just say how fucking infuriating it is when a kid gets to the ER and describes symptoms that are clearly those of migraines with aura and the doctors/nurses just say "damn dunno what that is but it's over now so bye!"

like, migraines aren't a super rare thing. why tf don't they realise that maybe that's what's going on? my sister was undiagnosed her whole childhood and would just live with her migraine attacks not knowing why she'd lose her balance and vision. it was our dad who finally connected the dots and then my sister doing her own research into it before the doctors actually diagnosed her

i think informed self diagnosis is extremely valuable. of course get the opinion of professionals if/when you can. but fuck, doctors can miss so many obvious clues, especially when they only see you for maybe 10 minutes and you barely have a language for what you're experiencing

it is of course not for everyone to research your unexplained symptoms - maybe you deal with health anxiety and researching will just hurt you more than it will help you. but if you are able to, i really think doing your own research before going to a doctor is very valuable. you can save time this way, since a doctor visit is so short

also i recommend seeking information from both medical websites and from people who deal with these symptoms themselves. hearing it from people who actually live with the symptoms can be so valuable. maybe someone will even be open to questions!

last personal anecdote is a friend of mine, who started having weird experiences they didn't have before. they looked it up on the internet and found that it very much seemed like they were developing schizophrenia. they called their doctor, told them their concerns, got evaluated with a quick set of questions and the doctors agreed with my friend's suspicion. my friend made an informed self diagnosis and it helped them get treatment much quicker

okay this is the very last one, but my sisters have also self diagnosed and been confirmed by doctors afterwards. it makes the diagnostic process that much quicker. you know yourself way better than the doctor who only sees you when you are in their office for maybe 10 minutes at a time

do your own research. get a second evaluation if you don't feel like the first doctor got it right. be open to being wrong about the disorder you suspected, but also know that a doctor can get it wrong as well, so make sure to be as informed as you can and have a good, open dialogue with your doctor. work together towards an answer and treatment

schedule an appointment at a free clinic or go in and wait if you have phone anxiety and get your dx. they can also set you up with discounted (sometimes free) therapy and psychiatry. many of them also have their own pharmacies right there with discounted medication.

if you can't get to a free clinic because of transportation issues there are quite a few apps with trained therapists that you can download and talk to from your phone and computer at home.

put in the work that all of us do and stop whining about it on the internet.

You know your experiences best, and if they resonate with a certain diagnosis, you are valid to seek support from that community.

money, race, gender, and... having symptoms of neurodivergency/mental illness... can all make it hard to receive a diagnosis

you are not less legitimate because you are self-diagnosed and not professionally diagnosed. You are not less legitimate because you have changed your self-diagnosis. Professional diagnoses get re-diagnosed all the time. Self-dx is no different.

Have you ever had dreams about having meltdowns?

I’ve been having a lot of dreams lately where I have meltdowns in front of people.

Like I had a dream the other night where my mom told me I couldn’t go on a ride at Disneyland (one of my SpIns and I like going on basically all the rides unless they make me nauseous), so I started crying and kind of throwing a tantrum. Last night I had a dream where we had a hammock chair and my sister told my dad I wasn’t sharing (apparently it was a double decker chair and I didn’t know) so I was trying to fix it but my grandpa kept telling me no no I’m doing it wrong and I kept saying “can you please stop saying that, you don’t know what I’m doing yet” and my dad kept telling me I was being disrespectful so I started yelling and everyone started teasing me so I left the room stomping/jumping and crying while shaking my hands and sat in a tight space while crying.

As far back as I can remember, I don’t believe I’ve ever had a meltdown like that before. I mean I have gotten upset and stormed off but I don’t think I’ve caused a scene crying before. I’ve had these dreams multiple times since I started piecing together that I’m autistic. I’ve had meltdowns before, but they’re usually more quiet crying in my room, shaking, rocking, stuff like that due to being overwhelmed. I’m not sure what that’s all about but I just needed to talk about it somewhere where others may understand. Thanks for listening!

I love the part of myself that sees the world differently, even if it makes things harder sometimes. It's not all wacky hijinks and some of it is hard and alienates people and makes me self conscious as hell, but I would not trade my brain for a nuerotypical one bc then I would not see things the way I do, notice the things I do, etc.