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rehkael β Sometimes, self-diagnosis is necessary - STAMP
#diagnosis #dx #professional #stamp #dxing #self
Published: 2019-10-05 16:08:17 +0000 UTC; Views: 705; Favourites: 34; Downloads: 0
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And I'm professionally diagnosed with depression.Basically, I'm clearly dyslexic and dyspraxic, but getting a diagnosis is either extremely expensive or takes forever. I'm trying to get tested for dyspraxia, but free dyslexia testing won't be available to me for another year (I'm 18 btw).
How do I know I'm dyslexic and dyspraxic?
-I have a lot of the symptoms,, like, nearly all of them for both.
-They run in my family and have for generations despite high levels of education.
-I require access arrangements in school
-For dyspraxia; I was born prematurely and had a very low birth weight - both being likely causes for it by themseves.
-I could go on
Having these labels lets me find people like me and gives me a word to describe my problems. Sure, I might be wrong,,, but I've researched a lot.
Doctors who are trained will often look up symptoms, if they haven't memorised them from school, so it's not like it's impossible for me to be educated on this.
And I still want a professional diagnosis, but I just cannot get one right now. Some people literally never will be able to, due to medical gatekeeping or poverty, and they deserve a community they can relate to.
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I'm professionally diagnosed, and, yes, I can agree with this. Some people can't get to a doctor and having a label could be a coping mechanism. Although, if you can get to a doctor, I'd recommend checking in with them if at all possible. Using a condition as a way to be a victim isn't cool, but if you have good and meaningful intentions, go ahead.
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I see what you mean.But what would you do afterwards?You realize you have the disorder,but how will you treat yourself?
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Well, for dyslexia and dyspraxia, I googled techniques to help with managing symptoms of the conditions, as well as the support I'm entitled to from my school. It's helped me to go from getting D's to B's- A*'s (I'm British, so A* is a separate grade above an A, so it's a pretty big difference).
It also gives you a community of people with similar experiences to you. It's extremely cathartic to find people just like you after a lifetime of being the weird one.
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Yeah. Some ppl think it's about victimising yourself or something, but it's more ppl looking for answers and a community. I understand the misconception.
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thank you so much for this!!
i'm 21, have suspected i'm autistic since a while before i was 19, spent months on hours after hours of research and relating my experiences to those of other autistic folks, found out it explains almost everything about me (took a while to figure out some stuff since it manifested in different traits), and have been trying to work out if i have comorbid adhd for more than a year now.Β
i have not gone to get a professional diagnosis because:
- i live in a small village in greece, nowhere near a large city, so there's not as many options here (i can count the number of therpists in my hometown on my fingers)
- even if i were to consider for online sessions, i am not financially able to pay for a therapist right now
- i am afab, which means i'm more likely to be misdiagnosed or ignored than a cis boyΒ
- i am trans/nonbinary and asexual, which is also likely to be ignored or "diagnosed" as something (or the symptom of something) else, and there is no way to know if a therapist is informed enough on these topics until i've already paid themΒ
- if i do find a trans/nbi-friendly therapist, i want to first and foremost be referred by them in order to start hrt. there is the chance that an autism diagnosis would hinder or even stop me from getting it (since there are trans people who have been refused hrt bc of their autism).
but even if those all weren't problems, maybe i still wouldn't want one! there are still countless other problems that could come with an official autism diagnosis; for example, i already have enough trouble finding a job, and having "autism" on my files might make it worse.Β
i can still turn to the online community to vent, share, find tips on how to navigate the world more easily and read about other people's experiences. i'm not hurting anyone by doing that. i didn't just see "autism" written somewhere and said "hey, that's me!"; i've poured countless hours on research, and the shoe fits better than any other i've ever worn.
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