Friendly reminder that while a professional diagnosis is ideal, assuming that those who self-diagnose always do so to seek attention and not due to necessity from lacking access to proper healthcare, funds, treatment, supportive or trained specialists, etc is a privileged stance.

In such an economically exploitative healthcare system with patterns of discrimination among doctors towards certain patients/conditions, how can we say that any sick people are less deserving of being heard, respected, or validated just because they didn’t do it “the right way”?

I am, of course, advocating for well-informed, well-researched, and well-thought out self-diagnosis, aided by testimonies of those who share your symptoms and have experienced both professional or personal diagnosis.