Self-diagnosers suck!

[tenthdoctor]

Puhleeeeeeease! You don't get to be perfectly fine and then play the "clinical depression" card when life pees in your cheerios! Then he says stress at work "aggravates his psychoses." WHAT. He would bug his eyes out at me, grin and say "I'm insane! I'm a psychopath! Boo!"

Riiiight. Because you can totally have a psychotic break and control it, even ENJOY it, right? I mean, isn't the very definition of psychotic being not lucid, not in control! He's play-acting...he's never been to a doctor who can diagnose this shit...meanwhile I've got diagnoses up the wazoo but everyone thinks I'm the "together" one...HA!

There was another boy in class. He claimed ADD so he could get extra attention from the teacher. Erm, texting all through class =/= ADD. Selective attention is NOT attention deficit! This was the same teacher who didn't believe that my ADs were making me tired, threatened to flunk me for dozing off in class, and made me get a note from the disability office to prove I wasn't lying - yet she took ADD boy at his word! Fucking assholes, both of them!

I hate when people diagnose themselves with whatever the "it" disease is just for attention when they have no signs of it themselves. FUCK OFF AND QUIT STEALING OUR PDOC APPOINTMENTS, OUR THERAPY GRANTS, OUR MEDICATION ASSISTANCE...JUST GO EAT A BAG OF DEEP FRIED DICKS ALREADY. I HOPE YOU CHOKE.

Sincerely,

Ten

[Amy10]

Agree!

I also get really fucked off when I describe personality disorders to people and they start saying: oooo, that's my dad, my ex, my ex-friend, in spite of me saying that it's about distress and functionality and that human traits are many and varied and it does not mean that if you lack empathy you are a sociopath! (I know, ASPD). Idiots. Why people get confused about the spectrum of human traits and feelings and when they move into disorder territory baffles me.

No, just because you're agitated and can't sleep does not mean you have bipolar , you twat! Stop trivialising our suffering!

I had to explain it to one idiot in terms of disorders that have some kind of spectrum starting at normality. I.e. a mild hangover headache is not a diagnosis of migraine. Feeling faint due to low blood sugar from not eating all day is not hypoglycaemia..

[tenthdoctor]

Ooh, personality disorders! I'd forgotten about those. Sooooo overdiagnosed, and sometimes an asshole is just an asshole - no pathology required!

Then there's the blanket use of 'mentally ill' as an epithet when someone is fucking up. My ex-sister in law? Total bitch. Vindictive, controlling, immature and violent.

How did people describe her? "Mental." "Unbalanced." "Sick." "Crazy."

I finally said "Hey- don't put her in OUR ranks! She doesn't get that excuse - she's a bitch on purpose!"

Some people....

[r2mnot]

Selective attention is NOT attention deficit!

Yes it is. I have ADHD, dx'd at 45. I can pay attention to things that interest me because those things are stimulating. It is nearly impossible for me to concentrate on things that I don't find interesting unless I'm taking my Ritalin. Even then, it is a struggle.

Yeah, the whole self diagnosis thing is irritating.

[tenthdoctor]

Selective attention is NOT attention deficit!

Yes it is. I have ADHD, dx'd at 45. I can pay attention to things that interest me because those things are stimulating. It is nearly impossible for me to concentrate on things that I don't find interesting unless I'm taking my Ritalin. Even then, it is a struggle.

Yeah, the whole self diagnosis thing is irritating.

I'm talking about the people who turn it on and off at will, and seem to only have it on exam day, like my former classmate. Seriously. He only had ADD if a) the teacher asked him where his homework was or b) it was test day.

Now, what you're describing - that's my husband to a T. If it's one of his topics, he'll get lost in it for hours. But he has to work really hard to focus on the rest of it.

[null0trooper]

Selective attention is NOT attention deficit!

Yes it is. I have ADHD, dx'd at 45. I can pay attention to things that interest me because those things are stimulating.

So, how well can you control it without medication and a lot of practice at it?

It is nearly impossible for me to concentrate on things that I don't find interesting unless I'm taking my Ritalin. Even then, it is a struggle.

... because you actually have the damned disorder

[Guest Vapourware]

FUCK OFF AND QUIT STEALING OUR PDOC APPOINTMENTS, OUR THERAPY GRANTS, OUR MEDICATION ASSISTANCE...JUST GO EAT A BAG OF DEEP FRIED DICKS ALREADY. I HOPE YOU CHOKE.

Geeze, the amount of times I've wanted to say that to someone! Especially when people claim that they are "depressed" because they are feeling "a bit down". Depression != feeling a "bit down".

Or the people who think it's almost fashionable to have borderline personality disorder. "Oh, it describes me to a T." Oh really? Says you and who else? Do you know what having BPD (or any PD) can actually do to you? It can ruin lives, damnit.

Or Asperger's. "I love playing computer games so I must have that."

I think with the explosion of information on the internet, anyone can dig through Wikipedia and give themselves all sorts of labels to make themselves feel special. I always wondered why people wanted to self-diagnose anyways. Avoiding self-responsibility? Wanting to feel special and unique? Being voyeuristic? It's so frustrating because their shallow understanding makes the rest of us look like drama queens.

People should stop self-diagnosing and be thankful that they are healthy and functional. There is nothing wrong with being stable.

[withing]

People should stop self-diagnosing and be thankful that they are healthy and functional. There is nothing wrong with being stable.

Can I hear an Amen?

[tenthdoctor]

People should stop self-diagnosing and be thankful that they are healthy and functional. There is nothing wrong with being stable.

Can I hear an Amen?

Amen

Seriously, I'll trade with them. It'd be nice to not have my drama cup constantly overflowing...

[Stickler]

Wouldn't it be nice if we could re-gift our mental illness?

...Or just sort of "loan" it for a few days to those in our lives we found especially deserving?

[tenthdoctor]

Wouldn't it be nice if we could re-gift our mental illness?

Oh my, that would be a long Christmas list indeed.

[AnneMarie]

Wouldn't it be nice if we could re-gift our mental illness?

...Or just sort of "loan" it for a few days to those in our lives we found especially deserving?

Heh, maybe those politicians who prioritize funding for MI research and aid so low should all have their own private little go? Yes? I think so. A more serious disorder, no? And, all those kooks who don't believe MI is real... okay, maybe the MI in denial wouldn't make so much sense to incude in that deal. But the rest, yes, a little genuine nuts experience would be okay, in order, productive, beneficial to all don't you think?

We'd have to be careful, too, you know. It would entail judgment and care to teach Sally Sue who confuses her few days of the blues with depression. No, hon, it's really not a character issue. It's no such thing, my dear Sally Sue. You can't just have positive thoughts to end the mood state. I mean, tossing such a sweet naive person into intense need to die SIs might be more than she could take. Poor thing. No hope at all. So sad. We wouldn't want to leave the delicate flowers psychologically crazed due to a day learning that everyone else does not experience the world exactly as they.

So, in sum, I must say, this is wonderful fantasy but I don't think I could even loan the worst of my MI to anyone... except maybe to a couple politicians....

[Wooster]

There's also nothing wrong with feeling "sad" "happy" "mad" "guilt/shame" "fear" etc. Having emotions is not the same as having a mental illness. People are afraid to own their emotions. Our culture tells them this is individual pathology, not a social issue. But some things ARE social issues. I'm not going all totally Thomas Szaz on you, but more like Durkheim... some things are SOCIAL issues that get personalized into individual medical issues.... something wrong with the individual so that we can isolate that person as the problem instead of remembering the problem is the problem

[/rant]

[/potential thread jack]

[Rude Girl]

Yes. YES.

You do not have PTSD if remembering a bad grade makes you feel uncomfortable. Anorexia is not skipping lunch every so often to try and keep your weight down. Bipolar disorder is certainly not the mild mood swings you get when you're about to start your period. And for sweet Jesus' sake SI IS NOT TRENDY OR BEAUTIFUL AND DOES NOT MAKE YOU "DEEP" OR "ARTISTIC". GTFO.

The worst part is, I'd avoided getting treatment for ages because I was afraid that I was either exaggerating my problems like they were and didn't deserve the help (when depressed) or that no one would believe me anyway because of all these fakers, so I didn't need their help anyway and could handle everything on my own (when manic).

[tenthdoctor]

Yes. YES.

You do not have PTSD if remembering a bad grade makes you feel uncomfortable. Anorexia is not skipping lunch every so often to try and keep your weight down. Bipolar disorder is certainly not the mild mood swings you get when you're about to start your period. And for sweet Jesus' sake SI IS NOT TRENDY OR BEAUTIFUL AND DOES NOT MAKE YOU "DEEP" OR "ARTISTIC". GTFO.

The worst part is, I'd avoided getting treatment for ages because I was afraid that I was either exaggerating my problems like they were and didn't deserve the help (when depressed) or that no one would believe me anyway because of all these fakers, so I didn't need their help anyway and could handle everything on my own (when manic).

QUOTED FOR TRUTH!!!

OMG. I have a lovely little acronym collection - feel like an episode of Sesame Street right about now.(This post is brought to you by the letters O,C and D, and the number 10. Hee)

The best way I can describe PMS crazies is "the internal censor's fucked off for a break" because I feel like...woah. Do NOT cross me, I cannot help what I will say or do. My nerves are RAW. Even my SKIN feels too tight and the air hurts.

One of the reasons I've been struggling with my PTSD diagnosis is because I DIDN'T see it coming. I didn't read a book and say "Woah, that's me!" I didn't go on a website or bliggityblog and decide that I had the fuckin' thing. I thought EVERYONE was afraid of their own front doors, damnit!

[tryp]

I thought EVERYONE was afraid of their own front doors, damnit!

I thought everyone had awful nightmares about sex, until I told my pdoc and she flipped the shit

I use this other forum - gurl.com - it's just teenage girls talking about stuff, I try to give advice and generally help the younger ones - and a lot of them are CONVINCED that they're depressed/bipolar/BPD/OCD/whatever when they probably aren't.

And they walk around with things like AvPD in their signatures. And I just sort of think to myself:

I mean, some of them are genuinely MI, and I feel bad for those ones, but some of them just think it's cool.

[The Emperor]

Yeah, I have a major problem with all these "emo" kids these days, I'm glad someone brought it up.

I'm 23 and when I was in highschool, I tended to SI when fucking pissed off and depressed or feeling guilty. This was something I hid under sleeves and pants and made sure they were places people wouldn't find them. This was something I was ashamed of and I hated even looking at myself after it was done. Actually this started when I was 12 now that I think about it. I stopped a little while ago, I THINK completely, but this shit is something I have to fight often.

All these kids who think it's "trendy" to cut yourself and "cool" to be fucked up, that pisses me off to no end. What fucking idiots.

Not to say there are NOT teens with legitimate problems, but holy shit.

Like, who the fuck is the coolest person in THAT group? The one that has "attempted" suicide the most? It fucking pisses me off.

I'm so glad someone brought this up so I could bitch about it.

I saw someone post something on another board(unrelated to MI) showing OFF their cuts on thier arms, and making jokes about them! WTF?

Kids these days.

That being said, I WAS fucked up as a teen, but I am from a different time, not so long ago, when it wasn't something you bragged about to people. I didn't really know I wasn't normal either.

I thought everyone obsessed over death and people dying and couldn't sleep often because of it. I thought all the fucking weid things about me were "normal" things that "normal" people found too weird to talk about.

I didn't go around telling everyone how fucked up I was and hoping they'd think I was cool because of it. I was really embarassed about SI.

Kids, I swear, those quirky little bastards. How cute.

[CirclesOfConfusion]

There's also nothing wrong with feeling "sad" "happy" "mad" "guilt/shame" "fear" etc. Having emotions is not the same as having a mental illness. People are afraid to own their emotions. Our culture tells them this is individual pathology, not a social issue. But some things ARE social issues. I'm not going all totally Thomas Szaz on you, but more like Durkheim... some things are SOCIAL issues that get personalized into individual medical issues.... something wrong with the individual so that we can isolate that person as the problem instead of remembering the problem is the problem

[/rant]

[/potential thread jack]

Wooster, I'm going to go write this down right now! That last part is the best distillation of the "medicalizing" problem I've heard in a long time.

[Littlewing]

People should stop self-diagnosing and be thankful that they are healthy and functional. There is nothing wrong with being stable.

Can I hear an Amen?

Amen

Seriously, I'll trade with them. It'd be nice to not have my drama cup constantly overflowing...

Ah hell...have an Amen from me too!!

And I think (as susanb said) I really do need to go and chew on a Zyprexa to somehow come down off this frikkin' high that I've been on since the end of March! Gah, I've been mostly enjoying it though (except when it went too far up), apart from the fact that I've maxed out my credit cards AND driven everyone at work completely nuts cos I never shut up (and here I go again!).

Although my MI has made me the sort of person I am and I generally like myself ok when I'm not depressed, I would definitely like to loan it to certain people for a week or so, just so they get the gist of what it feels like. People look at me blankly when I tell them I'm crazy high and I can't stop. They seem to think it's fun or that I can just stop spending on my credit cards - I really wish I could.

Fair enough, it can be fun, but it's not fun when you're bankrupt and doing risky shit that you shouldn't, flirting with everything in a skirt or a pair of trousers (ok, that's just me) and talking everyone's ear off, day in and day out.

And don't even start me on sleep! WHAT sleep??? I've tried to explain to people that it's impossible to sleep when your thoughts are rushing around your brain at a million miles an hour - like hundreds of motorbikes on one of those "wall of death" things. The noise is terrible and I just can't sleep with that. That and the fact that it makes me twitch and jump out of my skin unless I'm moving about.

MI?? Who needs it?! And why would anybody want to take the sort of drugs we have to take to level us out because it's "trendy" or whatever to call yourself bipolar (or any other kind of MI). Really? It doesn't feel very 'trendy' does it folks?!

/rant over

Sorry about that! I could have just said "self diagnosers get my goat", couldn't I?

And sorry, just one more thing. I tend to SI when in the grips of a deep depression or during a mixed episode. It usually brought on by an emotional or other trauma - or perceived trauma. I'm not proud of my scars, especially the ones on my left arm (in particular). It's not exactly a badge one wants to wear. When I have some money I've decided I'm going to get them tattooed over, to make the damage and pain into something beautiful.

Those who SI because they think it's cool to do it because their friends do it, should think seriously about the scarring etc. I find it much harder to talk about the SI scars on my body than to tell people that I'm bipolar. It tends to freak people out when they know that you have deliberately hurt yourself.

Right, I'm really going now...

[rowen]

I can't imagine showing off injuries from SI. Or telling people outside of my docs that I'm depressed. Or anxious. Or whatever. A teensy weensy part of my job involves disclosing my issues, and I'm still having trouble with that. It's so hard for me to talk about in person. I still have trouble telling my docs what's going on with me (outside of sleep problems), and I don't tell my husband what's going on (outside of sleep problems and maybe a glossed over version of what I'm anxious about).

I think I feel this way in part because I knew a little about some mental health problems before I was diagnosed. I wasn't really seeking a diagnosis - brain things are interesting to me because of my family history. There's a voice in my head (figuratively) that tells me that I wouldn't have been diagnosed had I not known about psych diagnoses before seeking treatment - that I fed my docs symptoms. That I was one of those people who thought it was "cool" to be crazy. That there isn't actually anything wrong. It's just me.

Those people annoy me. I'll admit that I get some sadistic pleasure when those people end up on a psych med with nasty side effects. Take that, bitches.

[Rude Girl]

Fair enough, it can be fun, but it's not fun when you're bankrupt and doing risky shit that you shouldn't, flirting with everything in a skirt or a pair of trousers (ok, that's just me) and talking everyone's ear off, day in and day out.

No no, that's me too. I'm a ridiculous flirt when I'm up, which I know will someday get me in trouble...surprising that the self-diagnosers haven't latched onto that symptom as "proof" they're MI--"I'm not a slut, I'm MANIC! SELECTIVELY MANIC!"

*shakes head sadly*

[CrazyLee]

Yeah I've seen kids self harming on the LJ blogs and taking pictures and thinking WTF?

I did a bit of self harming as a kid but that was when I was homeless with a buttload of situational stuff happening. I showed a teacher once, the first time I did it because I thought my self harm would turn into more suicidal acts. I thought my behavior was reasonable, and trying to speak to a teacher was a rationale to try to solve my problems.

But posting it on LJ has got to be one of the dumbest emo things I have ever seen. People who really have issues don't parade it like a badge of honour.

[nalgas]

JUST GO EAT A BAG OF DEEP FRIED DICKS ALREADY.

I meant to read this thread and/or comment on how it applies to Asperger's a while ago, but then I forgot, and now I'm lazy and have to take a shower, so I will just stop by to award a gold star for this sentence.

[seraphina]

Awww man. I am having a shitty fucking day. I get pissed at people who self diagnose and then say they don't need meds and I feel like ripping their heads off. I once complained to my therapist about people on message boards (not this one-a different one) and how they often make me feel like shit because they seem much more functional. It made me feel better when she said many people who say they are bipolar are just self-diagnosed and I should just ignore those types. But still they piss me off. And yeah the whole asperger's thing pisses me off too because I have a son with asperger's and I hate people who self diagnose. Argh people are annoying and moronic.

[MistyGypsy]

I love it when people advise a nice walk, or making a healthy lunch, to get over 'depression', because they know 'depression' and if you just put a little effort in you can do as well as them. Fer fuck sake!! If walking or lunch helped alleviate my mood disorder I would have been sick for 20 minutes, not for over 20 years! And I appreciate the implication that I'm doing nothing to help myself, cheers for that. Because I'm really fond of myself right now

How about being asked if my depression is 'psycho-somatic'? Which reads to me as You bring it on yourself. Why can't people understand that I have an illness that they don't have? Of course some other people in my world do have MDD, but pretty much everyone else thinks they've had depression and did the hard yards to get better. Good on you for that, but here, have a slice of mine & see if it's the same. I don't mean to say I've got it worse that everyone else, I'm just saying it's not a level playing field.

[mudpuppy]

Yeah... There's a LOT of that bullshit in the Army right now. It's the rare downside to the Army changing it's policies on serving with PTSD.

Non-combat Pogues claiming, oh, I have PTSD because, I shit you not, my Drill Sergeants were mean to me".

Oh fuck you with a pineapple.

[tenthdoctor]

Hey, if they want my PTSD in order to feel validated, they can fucking well have it. Just as long as they take all the baggage too...

[withing]

Hey, if they want my PTSD in order to feel validated, they can fucking well have it. Just as long as they take all the baggage too...

I'll give them mine as well. The thing with mine is I really don't remember most of what I'm stressing about - if that makes any sense. So they can have my PTSD and not know why they're freaking out all of the time.

Oh! and they can have my bipolar too! I don't want it anymore. It's not cool to be bipolar anymore - is it? I keep forgetting... which is the "in" MI these days?

[tenthdoctor]

Hey, if they want my PTSD in order to feel validated, they can fucking well have it. Just as long as they take all the baggage too...

I'll give them mine as well. The thing with mine is I really don't remember most of what I'm stressing about - if that makes any sense. So they can have my PTSD and not know why they're freaking out all of the time.

Oh! and they can have my bipolar too! I don't want it anymore. It's not cool to be bipolar anymore - is it? I keep forgetting... which is the "in" MI these days?

I think it's Internet Addiction. Or maybe Intermittent Explosive Disorder.

[Guest Vapourware]

I thought the "in" disorder was still Asperger's

I was browsing on another forum out of interest and the amount of posters (mostly self-diagnosed) who kept insisting they were "superior" and "evolved humans" made me laugh.

[resonance]

I find self-diagnosis frustrating as well. But I also know a lot of mentally ill people have other people disbelieve that they could have problems. Sometimes because of ignorance, but sometimes because it's harder to see others' subjective experience than our own, and sometimes because we have a lot of practice faking normal, and sometimes because we're stable. Lack of immediate, visible problems can look like self-diagnosis. And having your experience discounted like that can be really painful.

If I tell someone I have a mental illness I don't also go into a description of how many docs gave me the same diagnosis, why, what symptoms I had, etc. I do worry a lot about whether other people believe me, whether they automatically assume that I'm misdiagnosed or duped by my docs or are making it up.

[celestia]

Oh fuck you with a pineapple.

Nominates this for Nalgas' Gold Star Sentence Initiative.

I'm best to not even start ranting on wannabes. I have them in my own family for fuck's sake.

[mudpuppy]

Hey, if they want my PTSD in order to feel validated, they can fucking well have it. Just as long as they take all the baggage too...

I'll give them mine as well. The thing with mine is I really don't remember most of what I'm stressing about - if that makes any sense. So they can have my PTSD and not know why they're freaking out all of the time.

Oh! and they can have my bipolar too! I don't want it anymore. It's not cool to be bipolar anymore - is it? I keep forgetting... which is the "in" MI these days?

I think it's Internet Addiction. Or maybe Intermittent Explosive Disorder.

Seriously?

I hadn't even heard of it until I got my VA paperwork in the mail, with 10% for Intermittent Explosive Disorder.

I had to look it up.

I was like, seriously? There's a name for this shit? I just thought I was a raging asshole. Who knew?

That's the IN thing these days?

Hey, I'm finally cool.

They can have it.

Nothing like fearing that you might kill someone in a moment of completely unfounded rage.

As it is, I've come close, and THAT is neither cool, nor fun.

I'm going to the grocers for another pineapple. Anyone need anything?

[Roses Ablaze]

I find self-diagnosis frustrating as well. But I also know a lot of mentally ill people have other people disbelieve that they could have problems. Sometimes because of ignorance, but sometimes because it's harder to see others' subjective experience than our own, and sometimes because we have a lot of practice faking normal, and sometimes because we're stable. Lack of immediate, visible problems can look like self-diagnosis. And having your experience discounted like that can be really painful.

If I tell someone I have a mental illness I don't also go into a description of how many docs gave me the same diagnosis, why, what symptoms I had, etc. I do worry a lot about whether other people believe me, whether they automatically assume that I'm misdiagnosed or duped by my docs or are making it up.

Same. I sometimes wonder if I'm really mentally ill or if I belong in the same bin as these self-diagnosed kids who happens to have pdocs agree with her...

[oda156O]

I guess the conversation is about me here, just check out my signature one bottom of the post.

Actually I don't think checking something an extra time or two, is a 'mental illness' just as 'something wrong'.

I don't know if OCD behavior is mental illness actually.

I never told anyone about this, but this forum. Why would you ever want that kind of attention?

It already makes me look like an idiot sometimes

Can't imagine claiming some more severe sickness, what do you gain? I knew I guy who had bipolar, can't imagine how it can make you cool

[Inspired_Neurosis]

I thought the "in" disorder was still Asperger's

Yeah, Asperger's is "with it". Every socially awkward nerd seems to want to take solace in a)their superior intelligence and b)a lack of responsibility for social awkwardness. "The Big Bang Theory" is helping drive this.

My pdoc suggested that I might be a mild Aspie, due to prodigious speech and language development as a child combined with something of a difficulty empathizing(not that I don't sympathize with people--I'm just remarkably bad at getting into other people's heads). I'd fail the Voight-Kampff test.

[Littlewing]

I'll give them mine as well. The thing with mine is I really don't remember most of what I'm stressing about - if that makes any sense. So they can have my PTSD and not know why they're freaking out all of the time.

They can have mine for the self same reason Path...although I've been digging some of it out in my CBT sessions, and it ain't pleasant! All the self-diagnosers and those who "think" they may have a mental illness can go boil their collective heads. It ain't cool, it ain't clever and, like you, they're welcome to my Bipolar aswell, and my disassociation, and my social anxiety disorder, my self-harm...and all those other lovely things that come with it. Pah!

[darkchylde]

The worst thing is that 'normal' people with (half-a) brain see through these MI-fashionistas. But then genuine MI gets lumped in with them in public conception. Probably because it requires a full brain to see the distinction. People don't get that it isn't a choice, it's not a lifestyle, it is a fucking illness.

People say all sorts of stuff ("I'm bipolar too!"). Then you talk to them and there is nothing behind it. Some so-called diagnosis at 13 along with ADHD, prescribed dexys (which they dealt at school) and nothing more for 10 years. Or a, "yeah, I understand, somedays I feel on top of the world, and others I don't feel so great myself." But no symptoms of (hypo)manic behaviour or dangerous thought processes, or any real effect on their life.

The key, to me, is harmful consequences to the condition. Then I don't care who diagnosed them. I hated that when my diagnosis came out, people in my family started being labeled as bipolar, simply based on the characteristics that annoyed other family members. Moodiness and selfish behaviour are not mental illness. Of course once they started seeing the true and sad consequences to bipolar, all that talk died down.

dc