Is it harmful to fake mental illness/Neurodivergence?
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Thread Topic: Is it harmful to fake mental illness/Neurodivergence?
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Discuss. I don't think it is black and white and personally I believe if someone is FAKING a mental illness, they probably have something going on. I don't believe self diagnosing is inherently harmful but I do think there are unintended consequences that come from self diagnosing (especially with autism, DID and ADHD) that should definitely be talked about. It's a blatant fact that it's becoming "trendy" in some social circles to claim neurodivergence.
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i believe it’s wrong. you should go see a doctor to get diagnosed if you’re skeptical you have something point blank. i have seen so many people self-diagnose themselves with stuff like bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, depression, etc, and while it doesn’t downplay any of their symptoms, i believe it really desensitizes us to the people who have those mental illnesses :(
the issue nowadays is people romanticizing these illnesses and self-diagnosing themselves with it, which subsequently causes a lack of understanding for the people who struggle with it
i hope i made sense oofers, i’m not the best at explaining but it’s always a great idea to just see a doctor anytime someone gets super skeptical -
i think faking and self diagnosing can be different things. Self diagnosing is a bit nuanced, but faking is very wrong (it could also be a disorder itself, so that's worth thinking about)
the reason i say self diagnosing is nuanced is because of the different ways someone can be self diagnosed. For example, I don't TECHNICALLY have ADHD. I've done the tests my therapy office gives me, and they always say that they can't tell if I have it or not. However, I have talked with my therapist and doctors about how my behavior and thinking patterns are, and they say that it's very likely that I do have ADHD, so because of that, sometimes I will say I have it. That could be self diagnosing to some people, but since I've talked to a professional about it, I don't consider myself self diagnosed. If you don't talk to a professional about it, then I do think it's self diagnosis, and I think that's not okay
I think both of you guys make sense, this is just how I try to distinguish some of the layers of self diagnosing/faking, if that makes any sense -
yes, it is very wrong, im a little tired so i cant type, but just refer to alex's and espies post.
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i can understand feeling suspicious about having something, but i don't agree with claiming something you've never been diagnosed with. i believe only a professional who has studied & trained for years in these kinds of things would be able to say for sure in any diagnosis situation. just like with your physical health, you can generally detect symptoms that something is off, but a medical doctor can tell you what's causing it
i will also say i think it really sucks how inaccessible mental health is in some areas, whether that be location or price -
an issue with self diagnosing is that when you strictly believe you have a specific illness, your mind can falsify symptoms even if you don't really have the disorder. so maybe i wasn't actually depressed before, but i read about depression and diagnosed myself with it. it's common for that to be followed up with me starting to experience depressive symptoms just because i've been convincing myself i have depression. our minds/willpowers are very strong.
it's also common for a lot of people that fake disorders to spread misinformation about the illnesses they're faking. people like to think their opinion on these things is just as valid as a doctors however unfortunately it generally isn't. if it was, what would we need doctors for?
i think it's best to seek professional help if you can. but if you can't afford/access that help, just search up your specific symptoms and how to help deal with them, rather than trying to slap a label on your problems. the healing is the most important part. -
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Ultimately, anything that isn't diagnosed by a professional is harmful. I say this because yes self-diagnosing may give you a better sense of something that is happening with-in your body, but until you see a professional you don't have a concrete analysis and diagnosis. I agree with the statements everyone above has made as well.
I finally started going to therapy this year, because I couldn't previously afford it. BUT, it was the best decision of my life because it has opened a whole new door of my understanding myself and why I am the way I am.
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