Self-diagnosis is a valid thing, especially for adults, people of color, and people who are AFAB. Both ADHD and Autism are primarily researched in adolescent white boys, so how these diseases present in other populations is not as well known. Don’t sweat it if you don’t have a slip of paper from a doctor.
Edit to add: there’s also the component of privilege. Not everyone can afford to go to a psychiatrist to get diagnosed.
I’ve just been hearing a lot about people who assume they might have ADHD who project their, apparently, “mundane and daily struggles” on a diagnosis when there isn’t any grounds for a diagnosis. At least that’s what I’ve been hearing on social media and have been told by two doctors I’ve spoken to about this. I know doctors quite often are biased and think they know better - future SLT here and I’ve been hearing a lot about “bad apples” - but it just seems to be the norm to assume that it can’t be ADHD when you’re an adult. It would explain a lot of my struggles growing up and my academic achievements growing up but still.
There’s an ADHD clinic in the nearest bigger city close to me where you could get a diagnosis or at least an appointment to talk about a diagnosis but their waiting list is like 3+ years long - they even stopped picking up the phone for people trying to get an appointment. Not sure where else to go.
Self-diagnosis is a valid thing, especially for adults, people of color, and people who are AFAB. Both ADHD and Autism are primarily researched in adolescent white boys, so how these diseases present in other populations is not as well known. Don’t sweat it if you don’t have a slip of paper from a doctor.
Edit to add: there’s also the component of privilege. Not everyone can afford to go to a psychiatrist to get diagnosed.
I’ve just been hearing a lot about people who assume they might have ADHD who project their, apparently, “mundane and daily struggles” on a diagnosis when there isn’t any grounds for a diagnosis. At least that’s what I’ve been hearing on social media and have been told by two doctors I’ve spoken to about this. I know doctors quite often are biased and think they know better - future SLT here and I’ve been hearing a lot about “bad apples” - but it just seems to be the norm to assume that it can’t be ADHD when you’re an adult. It would explain a lot of my struggles growing up and my academic achievements growing up but still.
There’s an ADHD clinic in the nearest bigger city close to me where you could get a diagnosis or at least an appointment to talk about a diagnosis but their waiting list is like 3+ years long - they even stopped picking up the phone for people trying to get an appointment. Not sure where else to go.
Sorry for the wall of text