Recently, a well-known public figure went on a well-known platform and, in addition to sharing their experiences and interpretations of/feelings about their experiences, claimed multiple times that they had been diagnosed with autism while, seemingly, attributing and justifying certain behaviors and beliefs typically considered negative to that diagnosis.
After their interview was made public, they went on Instagram live to state that they had, in fact, not been clinically diagnosed with autism because they “did not want to pay $10,000” to get that diagnosis. I’m pretty sure it doesn’t cost that much, by the way, but… that was their reasoning.
One of the dangers of intentionally and publicly misrepresenting mental health/illness, disability, or a diagnosis is that you lead people to think things like “autistic = asshole” or that autism automatically leads to bad takes/behavior/aggression/etc.
And no, my issue isn’t with them self-diagnosing although that can be dangerous for a multitude of reasons. It’s with them lying multiple times about having been diagnosed (implying an official, clinical diagnosis was received) on a large platform, confirming later this was not the case, then having the audacity to be mad that people are upset about that.
Zero consideration for those who can’t, nor have the desire to, use their diagnosis to avoid accountability (presumably). No thoughts of their experiences.
My issue is also with having the ability to actually get the clinical diagnosis and refusing to do so. Here’s the bottom line for me:
- Self-diagnosing when you DO NOT have the support or means to get confirmation and the help you need is understandable since, more often than not, people use self-diagnosis to help them gain a greater understanding of themselves and navigate through the world as seamlessly as possible for the betterment of self and others.
- Self-diagnosing when you DO have the means to get confirmation and help, refusing to do it, and using that self-diagnosis to justify harmful behaviors and beliefs, especially as someone with a large platform/audience, is irresponsible and harmful.
One question I have is, what if a diagnosis is self-assessed but it is actually incorrect? What if the root of an issue completely different and people spend a considerable amount of time trying to solve a problem they don’t have, potentially creating a new one for themselves and those around them?
I don’t make a habit of questioning people’s experiences and I definitely don’t make of habit of questioning diagnoses. However, when you lie like that… When you lie about it (at worst) and misrepresent without offering clarity (at best) that’s when I have a problem and lean towards questioning the validity of whatever claim is made.
I found an article on Psychology Today by Dr. Joseph Davis, Ph.D., in which he expressed a clear disdain for self-diagnosing, but one claim I found interesting was that with the increase of self-diagnosis there seems to be more of a focus on experiences of distress than criteria in the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders), even by mental health professionals.
I don’t think the DSM is Bible or anything, and it has changed of time (and will likely do so again), but I consider the criteria, based on research, to be valuable and of importance in helping provide a guided, clearer path of healing and wellness for those in need.
What’s more important than questioning the validity of self-diagnoses, however, is making sure we refuse to platform and entertain people who are willing to lie about or misrepresent a clinical/official diagnosis. There’s already enough stigma surrounding mental health and disability; people who fall in this category should stop adding to it.
If you need additional resources for mental health, addiction, and suicide prevention, head over to the “get help” section. If you want to share your experience or tell your story or journey as someone with a diagnosed mental health or mood disorder in order to connect with & encourage others, & you’re OK with that being shared here on the YNF website, shoot an email to stories@yourenotfinished.com or contact me through the site.
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