Is a Self-Diagnosis Legitimate?

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Silly me... I forgot to say that I voted a resounding YES!

So far as I can see, an "official" diagnosis has no "legitimacy" whatsoever. It is usually just a person with some broad knowledge of the available labels, who picks one out of a hat, without too great an in-depth knowledge of the person or the label.

On the other hand, a person who spends a lifetime becoming familiar with the whole breadth of their particular symptoms and discovers that syndrome corresponds to the specific diagnosis... they are far more likely (in the case of the autistic spectrum) to have come to a valid diagnosis.

I couldn't vote because neither of the optiions offered really apply to me.

Self-diagnosis is oxymoron, from my understanding the word diagnosis.

A diagnosis is a considered opinion given by someone other than yourself.


Diagnosis will often/usually follow a period of introspection and growing self awareness, which is not only legitimate but very healthy.

People who are 'self diagnosed' are people who strongly suspect that they have AS.

this is exactly how i feel about the term self-diagnosis. it is an oxymoron, a paradox, DOES NOT COMPUTE! but it seems there is no other word for saying "i strongly suspect i have an ASD but i have not been professionally diagnosed". but i wish there was.

I see nothing in there that says "by someone other than the person concerned."

I am quite capable of diagnosing my own broken leg, should I be able to see the bone sticking out.

I don't believe anyone else is capable of diagnosing my headache for me. Maybe at some point in the near future, this could be possible... but not yet.

Also: 1855 H. SPENCER Princ. Psychol. (1872) II. VI. xviii. 253 Perception is essentially a diagnosis.