I'm worried about the anon ask on self-diagnosis. Being wary about the dangers of self-diagnosis isn't an exercise of prejudice. Suggesting that self-diagnosis of mental illness is a valid alternative to professional help as long as the person is “informed” and “it's not thrown around” (a circumstantial, rare, and hypothetical scenario) is dangerous. The fact that professional medical care isn't available to everyone doesn't lessen the importance of getting an official diagnosis. (cont.)
(cont.) It heightens the importance of the availability of medical care. It's not classist to say someone shouldn't diagnose their recent onset of chronic back pain as muscle strain when there's a chance it could be pancreatic cancer. Mental illnesses have mortality rates as well. Furthermore, some things like schizophrenia or some personality disorders have as symptoms the inability to accurately judge and recognize your own symptoms.
These are super legit points, and also worth thinking about when considering this! Thanks for the input
-Liz
