Self Diagnosis Is Not An Option

[Cheshire]

Oh, come on... you're sulking? Your profile says you're 36. You had the start of a really good, solid argument and I was looking forward to discussing it more with you and others on the board, and now you're biting back like a child who's been smacked because the big bad authority figure questioned what your purpose was and why your first post was confusing? Play like an adult and talk this out with us. You have some valid points in your post that I'm interested in.

 

[Anthropologicashewire]

I am not meaning to be as rude as I am seeming. I came here looking for help and perhaps understanding and this thread upset me because I cannot find a place to get help. I cannot afford it and have had a few very bad experiences. I am sorry to come off so angry but truth be told, I am.

 

[angel2write]

It's understandable. I've been battling some anger about that, too. Like, if someone could have diagnosed me about 15 years ago, i could have spared my kids a lot of grief. It's hard not to be angry about that kind of thing.

 

[Cheshire]

I can understand your anger.. especially regarding the bad experiences, and then coming here and being told essentially that "no one can diagnose you other than those qualified to do so".

My personal opinion is this: Nobody but a professional SHOULD diagnose you with PTSD. It's a serious, debilitating mental issue and there are so many complexities, it's dangerous for just anyone to be able to say "oh, I have PTSD because blahblah" and then go off and fix themselves based on things they read. Obviously some of the replies on this thread, and this forum in general, show that people understand things they read in different ways and interpret in different ways, and this can get really dangerous for both that person and others around them. So yes, I agree that nobody but professionals should diagnose PTSD.

However, I also believe - and obviously so does everyone here, including Anthony, otherwise he wouldn't have made this forum - that to really begin to heal from PTSD you have to be willing to help yourself. There are many, many people here who haven't been "officially" diagnosed but they are here, talking, asking questions, researching, learning more and trying to understand themselves and how they can make things better. I see nothing wrong with that. I think it's wonderful that there are ways that people CAN self-educate and self-help. I just think diagnosis specifically really should be left to those who are trained to make those diagnoses.

Or maybe a simpler way to put it - you came here hoping to deal with symptoms relating to trauma - i.e. post traumatic stress; but to get the official diagnosis of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, you would need to see a psychiatrist/psychologist who can give you that official title.

 

[Anthropologicashewire]

I understand what you are saying and much of my anger comes from not having had a diagnosis that would have actually helped me. I feel like I didn't get the help I needed and my life has suffered for it. I never really dealt with my past in therapy as I never got that far. I think I have a huge distrust of therapists which is a big part of not seeking one at this moment aside from the cost. I just feel like I could have been helped sooner if this information was made more accessible. I feel like half my life was taken by something I wish I had understood. I am really sorry to seem so rude. I have so much to work through. Thank you for taking the time to reply.

 

[angel2write]

Hope you find what you're looking for here, Anthro, and that you find help you can trust in other places, too. (hug.)

 

[Anthropologicashewire]

It's understandable. I've been battling some anger about that, too. Like, if someone could have diagnosed me about 15 years ago, i could have spared my kids a lot of grief. It's hard not to be angry about that kind of thing.

Thank you for your understanding. I don't want to feel so angry but it seems that is hard right now.

 

[anthony]

This is off-topic... please take discussion to an appropriate thread created for it.

 

[Walt Hardester]

My first hospitilization for PTSD was at a VA facillity in 1971. Sadly, I was diagnosed as Paranoid Schizophrenic because there was no PTSD diagnosis then. I found out later when I went to buy a hunting wepon that because I had been hospitalized for a mental disorder I could never own or register a gun the rest of my life.......Thanks society

 

[Walt Hardester]

But i ain't bitter.........Nah

 

[Gamereign555]

At first I self diagnosed myself with GAD and panic disorder but my therapist wouldn't diagnose anything at that point. It was always in the back of my mind that this could be PTSD and even later when I was diagnosed I didn't want to believe it. I was in denial and was hoping it would just go away like a bad cold. So I find strange that somebody would not want it to be professionally diagnosed if they suspected they were PTSD, although maybe some wish to remain completely anonymous about it including avoiding those who could diagnose it. Or perhaps somebody out there knows they don't have PTSD and just craves some kind of attention?

 

[angel2write]

So I find strange that somebody would not want it to be professionally diagnosed if they suspected they were PTSD, although maybe some wish to remain completely anonymous about it including avoiding those who could diagnose it. Or perhaps somebody out there knows they don't have PTSD and just craves some kind of attention?

Or maybe they couldn't get the professional diagnosis when they KNEW they had it and fell back to self-diagnosis until they could get better quality help? That's the situation I was in. I've met a few others, too.

But I think people craving attention and mis-self-diagnosising was why Anthony wrote this post.