self diagnosis/ misdiagnosis.. spinoff from joke thread

[Chisamba]

I am not at all an expert on diagnosis of behaviors. I happen to be familiar with a few of them because of where i work, but from time to time i will come across something that is an obvious self misdiagnosis.

A friend of mine has often told me she is "a bit OCD" then at one point in time she had a complete melt down of pure anxiety and i asked her if she minded if i shared my opinion. She asked me to continue and I told her she had self diagnosed herself with OCD for years, but that i thought perhaps she had an anxiety disorder and if she wanted to be able to overcome her anxiety, she might talk to some professional about it. She is a good friend and decided to first research it herself and then go and speak to a professional. She has been happier, less anxious about little things ( like a grasshopper in her path) or a butterfly between her and her horse in the pasture. She had/ has a tendency to do some repetitive actions, similar to a person with OCD, but it is self calming, not a compulsion.

Why did I mention this, not because of her, but because from time to time I will meet some one I do not know well enough to have any right to engage, and they will label themselves as something, and it is apparent that they have self diagnosed themselves with the wrong thing, and are thus not managing to overcome the symptoms well.

I myself was completely unaware of my own difficulties in the Autism Spectrum Disorder for a long time, and my self coping mechanism was to be a comic, tell lots of jokes, often inappropriate, and laugh, because it was easier to do that, than to recognize all the unwritten rules of societal interactions.

I thought about this because of the joke in the joke thread about introverts. That would not be an introvert, introverts are fueled by alone time, if you are afraid of interactions with strangers that would be a person with social anxiety. if you were afraid enough to starve, that would be severe social anxiety, and not really funny. I did not want to spoil the joke thread.

Anyway, i think self misdiagnosis are not at all helpful. My father lived with one for years and years and only after i started in this career field did i realize it, and was able to help him find a solution. And I am simply a care worker who is given direction about how to help those in my care overcome their particular diagnosed behavior.

I guess what i want to say is, if you think you are OCD, or an introvert, or have any one of a number of mild behaviours that seem to rule your life, my advice would be do not misdiagnose and self manage, it is easier to work on overcoming if you know what the real issue is.

[capstone]

Not exactly what you are saying, but I am becoming more sensitive lately to people around me making comments such as "she must be bipolar" or many variations on that theme. Some very much in jest and some with a diagnosing feel to them.

My dad is bipolar. Some people know that; others don't.

[Chisamba]

Not exactly what you are saying, but I am becoming more sensitive lately to people around me making comments such as "she must be bipolar" or many variations on that theme. Some very much in jest and some wth a diagnosing feel to them.

My dad is bipolar. Some people know that; others don't.

True, people will talk casually about things like OCD and bipolar without realizing how difficult it is for those who have the very real difficulties!

[heddylamar]

That is fantastic advice.
[Eh gads, the self diagnosis fad drives me bonkers.]

I've tried to impart something of this sort with several friends who've gone through personal/marital rough patches. Fixing the immediate is not as important as fixing the underlying component, be it an inability to communicate with your spouse ("I told him xyz" doesn't mean jack if the message wasn't received as intended) or personal happiness.

Rough patch in your marriage? Quit complaining to everyone and go see a counselor. And, yes, it's even effective if you go on your own. Unable to set boundaries with coworkers, friends, or family? Go see a counselor.

It's amazing what a few hours a month can do for a marriage/person.

[Sue B]

Wait.....what's wrong with being an introvert?

Have to agree about the bipolar thing, that is a term thrown about much to casually me thinks. My sister was diagnosed bipolar over 30yrs ago, and while she has done well over all, true bipolar dz is not for the faint of heart.

[kande50]

Wait.....what's wrong with being an introvert?

Have to agree about the bipolar thing, that is a term thrown about much to casually me thinks. My sister was diagnosed bipolar over 30yrs ago, and while she has done well over all, true bipolar dz is not for the faint of heart.

I thought most of those disorders were on a continuum from mild to debilitating? IOW, at what point do mood swings become bipolar disorder, or repetitive habits become ocd?

I wonder if when people use the terms it's because they're seeing mild forms of what can also be much more serious disorders?

[capstone]

I would put a diagnosis of bipolar disorder requiring Rx to make life livable on the very far end of the spectrum from "mood swings".

My grandmother, dad's mom actually, suffered from clinical depression as well as anxiety. But not bipolar.

I have mood swings.

In my experience it is the mania, sometimes with psychotic tendencies, that tends to set bipolar apart. Hence the old term manic-depressive.

[Sue B]

Yup, bipolar IS NOT "mood swings". The psychotic episodes on the "manic' side of the dz are daunting to say the least, the depressive episodes at the other end of the spectrum are much quicker to recognize and deal with in my experience. Either way, there were times that remembering it was the dz, not the sister, talking was (is) hard. Horses have taught me tremendous patience.

[Rockabilly]

Good Gracious all of this for a joke. It reminds me again of why I don't post much.

[piedmontfields]

Chi samba, I appreciate your post and points.

Rockabilly, if you are not familiar with the challenges of mental illness, I suggest you consider yourself lucky and learn. I am grateful not to deal with mental illness or spectrum challenges in my family or personal life, but am very familiar with instances from work and volunteer life (many years working with a rape crisis center).

[kande50]

In my experience it is the mania, sometimes with psychotic tendencies, that tends to set bipolar apart. Hence the old term manic-depressive.

What I was getting at however, was that there must be a point at which the mania becomes serious enough that one is then diagnosed as bipolar, and because that point is not well defined the use of the terms are not well defined, either.

[Chisamba]

The thread was intended to be helpful, needing help with behavioral disorders should have no more stigma attached than getting help for cancer, diabetes or any disease that requires management to be able to function happily.

If anyone be offended by it, I think is all the more reason why it should be spoken about without stigmatization, often and freely. Sadly people who do struggle with things like aspergers, or any thing that falls outside of what others consider normal, makes it difficult for them to get a job or a home. The streets are full of homeless people who are shifted off normal paths because society is not very considerate of people who live outside the lines.

There are may people who are not Ill enough to qualify for assistance and housing, but have functional differences that makes it hard for them to fit in to what society considers useful, wage earning, etc. Many people who hire are willing to make accommodations for people with physical health issues, but not at all for people with mental health issues.

So between all of us living with a friend, or a college or a family member who has a difficulty, and between those of us diagnosed , and learning to cope with the associated behavior and criticisms, and those refusing to acknowledge that they might need help, and people in society who think that only normal people should be rewarded, i think its a topic that should be talked about often.

Kande, yes, with many of these behavioral challenges, there is a range, from mild, to severe.

It is estimated that one in every four people are affected by a mental disorder. that means if you know three normal people, you might be the one, ( joke ). most common form of self medication, alcoholism.

anyway, the thread was not intended to be hurtful, it was intended to offer suggestions and support for people who might have reached their adult years and suddenly realized that something they lived with their whole life might well be treatable. As soon as you are old enough to be independent of the parents who refuse treatment because of the stigma of a diagnosis, people should feel free to reject that stigma and get the help they need.

often it really is left to those who love the person as an adult to say, hey, you know, i think you might be able to get help with that anxiety, ( or whatever characteristic that makes it harder to function) I would like you to be happier. etc.

One in four people is a lot. Its not insignificant.

[PaulaO]

I'm highly aware of mental disorders, having worked at a public health department, and having 2 good friends who are in the mental health field. I also had 2 brothers with personality disorders, and my niece suffers from depression. I don't mind an occasional joke and often make jokes about myself. I also believe that mental health disorders are often ignored/mistreated/dismissed, and mental health is just as important as physical health. There should be greater awareness of mental health and if friends/relatives/a bulletin board can help a person realize they need assistance,more power to them. I've seen a (former) good friend suffer for years with anxiety and depression and was able to steer her to a therapist which helped.

I think certain terms are bandied about: Asperger's/autism/bipolar/OCD/hoarding. I think we all have mood swings, attributable to life events, but that doesn't mean bipolar. Anyway, I think this is an important topic and I'm glad we can discuss it without it turning into a trainwreck.

[Rockabilly]

Chi samba, I appreciate your post and points.

Rockabilly, if you are not familiar with the challenges of mental illness, I suggest you consider yourself lucky and learn. I am grateful not to deal with mental illness or spectrum challenges in my family or personal life, but am very familiar with instances from work and volunteer life (many years working with a rape crisis center).

I don't think being an introvert is a mental illness. I don't think being an extrovert is a mental illness either. I think they are personality traits. How my joke went down the road to encompass all mental illness I don't understand.

My "suggestion" to you and Chisamba is to put me on your "Foe" list. That way I won't disturb your sensitivities in the future.

[piedmontfields]

I don't think being an introvert is a mental illness. I don't think being an extrovert is a mental illness either. ...
My "suggestion" to you and Chisamba is to put me on your "Foe" list. That way I won't disturb your sensitivities in the future.

? I don't think extroversion or introversion are illnesses, either. However, schizophrenic, manic depression and bi-polar disorder truly are illnesses and are very challenging to live with and/or near.

BTW, I don't even know where the Foe list lives---and your posts are not painful!

[Chisamba]

Rockabilly, of course being an introvert is not a problem. Perhaps I misunderstood the joke. An introvert would not die because therevwas a stranger in their kitchen. At least thatbis what i though the gistnof the joke was.

It would be a severe anxiety disorder that would actually be so affected.

I was not talking about you, i was talking about the ( or how I understood it) misdiagnosis that the hoke implies. My gusband is an introvert. There is , as you say, nothing wrong with it at all. He does not have social anxiety, he simply loves prefers and needs alone time in his space.

Let's just assume i was too stupid to get the joke. And be at peace.

As for foe, why would I foe you, i enjoy reading your posts. Sadly the other way does not seem to hold true

[Ryeissa]

Funny that I have successfully diagnosed myself a few times, when the doctors couldn't....

[boots-aregard]

Good Gracious all of this for a joke. It reminds me again of why I don't post much.

It's a spinoff. That means the subject here and the subject there may only bear a passing mention.