as someone with a personality disorder, this is my OPINION (i donāt actually give a damn about any potential discourse on this or how mad yāall might get. so leaving those annoying asf wokester comments telling me to educate myself and stop being ābigotedā is hella pointless. also iām ASPD so) regarding self-dx:
doing in-depth research to educate yourself on a disorder you think you might have is really helpful when beginning the diagnostic process, and is also a great way to ensure that youāre knowledgeable enough to properly advocate for yourself when communicating with your care team.
~HOWEVER~, you should always seek a professional diagnosis if possible. iāve seen a lot of people on here saying āyou know yourself better than a doctor ever could, so self-dx is completely valid and accurate!ā which i heavily disagree with. doctors are doctors for a reason, and while everyone does experience their symptoms in a unique way, professionals are educated and trained to diagnose mental illnesses and determine optimal treatment paths.
while mental health resources are very often scarce and difficult to access, an individualās goal should ALWAYS be to obtain a professional dx. research is good, but confirmation bias can easily lead to falsely self-dxing oneself. additionally, self-dx does nothing in terms of treating symptoms or improving quality of life, and in the case of personality disorders, treatment is extremely difficult and is usually handled by a psychiatric care team. self-dx without action only serves to further perpetuate the individualās suffering, and offers no real solution.
due to the high levels of suffering and mental agony experienced by someone with a personality disorder, as well as as tendency for these individuals to be fairly treatment-resistant, i am firmly against self-dx. these disorders are extremely difficult to diagnose, even for seasoned professionals. if someone with years upon years of education, training and experience finds these disorders challenging to diagnose and treat, why would you think that you can accurately self-dx? rant over.
I agree with the post.
To add to that:Ā
Itās almost IMPOSSIBLE to look at your symptoms in a neutral way. Especially since there is a lot of overlap with personality disorders and youāre not TRAINED to notice the small differences.Ā
When I was a teenager, I diagnosed myself with ADHD and firmly believed I have ADHD for years. Turns out that my problems with focusing are actually dissociation, me forgetting so many things is actually caused by DID and me jumping from one thing to another without finishing it is caused by the immense boredom my ASPD gives me.Ā
I am certain that this is also the case with many people who self-diagnose now. Your symptoms might look like xy, but can be caused by something completely different.Ā
