A fu3king thread cause I'm fu3king tired of their BS

Rant on the incompetence of:

Mental Health "Professionals" and the study of psychology
(Long Thread)
#ADHD #askadhd #autism #askautism #ADHDautism #ADHDAwarenessMonth #mentalhealth #depression #anxiety #psychology

I have ADHD Inattentive type "professionaly" diagnosed. I suspect I am on the Autism spectrum and will be seeking a diagnosis next year. I am *NOT* a "professional" this is a personal opinion as one of my hyperfixations are psychology, human behaviour, and mental illness.

1. Studying philosophy:
When I was 18 in senior year of highschool I had a philosophy class where we discussed the beginnings of psychological discoveries today. Even then when I was not personally involved in a mental health journey I was able to sense BS.

There was this fascination of trying to make psychology and human behaviour similar to Math and science inorder for it to be taken seriously at the time. You can see the obvious error in that.

By trying to understand the human brain and behaviour under the limitations of quantification, this made the diagnosis criteria for many mental Illnesses mainly based on external observations. That is such a flawed concept.

Mental "illness" is mainly this internal system of thoughts, feelings, and sometimes lack thereof. Basing the diagnostic criteria mainly on the external observer without an attempt of interpretation of the internal thought process is just a basis of a flawed "science".

2. Math, the Brain, and Dysfunction:
Early philosphers and current Mental health professionals rely on "dysfunction" to measure mental illness. Because how can you apply math to behaviour in a quantifiable manner? By dysfunction. This leads to a whole other set of problems.

3. Depression and dysfunction:
For me personally I never self diagnose in an attempt to prevent placebo or any potential destructive thought process. But depression was an obvious one for me because I simply felt nothing. Empty. Neither sad nor happy for almost 10 years.

So it's easy to tell I have depression because nothing is easy to know when "sadness" is harder to analyse for me personally. When I went to therapy this year she said "I won't diagnose depression because I never witnessed a depressive episode". Which I don't care I knew I had it

The issue here is that she didn't see dysfunction so for her there is no depression. I didn't come in and say "I can't get out of bed" "I can't do my work because what's the point" and this lack of "dysfunction" made her NOT want to diagnose my depression.

I personally never wanted medication anyways for depression but imagine if someone did want it. They wouldn't get it because they are able to "function" but internally it is this entire struggle of trying to mask and operate so that you can keep going.

By a bit of applied critical thinking she can see clearly that I have depression but she wanted to see my external "dysfunction" to diagnose. THAT IS SO WRONG. And it makes it even harder for people with ADHD and AUTISM which brings me into my next point.

4. ADHD dysfunction mania:
"You can't have ADHD because you get an A"

"You can't have ADHD because you are very organised"

"You can't have ADHD because you show up on time"

For me I only heard these from my friends, but for MANY they heard them from "professionals".

This makes it so hard for people to get diagnosed on top of the very hard diagnosis process work especially if you actually have ADHD. Most of us MASK. We develop coping strategies because society forces us to. Not explicitly but with harsh criticism and bullying.

We mask so good so that you don't see our dysfunction even as we talk. Like if I push all the garbage under the bed, it doesn't mean I no longer have a problem but to YOU, I don't anymore. Doesn't mean it is not there. Sometimes to the point that I DON'T SEE IT anymore.

If we are talking literally I have "object permanence" so I will forget there is garbage and dismiss the possibility of ADHD. To apply it figuratively, all information on ADHD is explicitly based on dysfunction that I NEVER SAW IN ME EVENTHOUGH IT WAS THERE.

You hide it so much that you no longer even see it anymore yourself and you fail to see all the coping strategies you implemented that are EXTREMELY DRAINING inorder to get that A or clean the house or show up on time. This brings me to the next topic.

5. Autism spectrum, NOT FOR YOU TO DISORDER:
People on the spectrum have (from what I have seen) struggled the most in gaining true understanding. I thought I was not on the spectrum for YEARS (still not confirmed but now in doubt) from how misrepresented they are.

I thought Autism had a certain "look". I thought someone on the spectrum can't communicate. I thought someone on the spectrum could never possibly understand faces at all. That is all BS as I have learned stimming from the biggest psychology bit3h of all, "Dysfunction".

They know they don't understand the spectrum. They know everyone can be very different. Yet just for the fact that they think you make eye contact or they think you are "sexy" then you can't have autism. Yeah I don't need to point out how messed up that is.

This obsession with "making the brain math" under the measurements of "dysfunction" while it might work in 40% of cases. It doesn't with 60% of others who have to fight for their diagnosis or get misdiagnosed.

Let alone the criteria for "dysfunction" is also EXTREMELY FLAWED.

"Attention to details" Like yes I read license plates, I look for patterns everywhere and notice things no one notices. At the same time, I sometimes don't realise someone cut their hair. When I was getting diagnosed for ADHD, she kept asking "Do you pay attention to details?"

I kept answering "WHAT DO YOU MEAN? THAT CAN BE SO MANY THINGS" She literally asked me that extremely general question many times and I kept giving that same answer. Like I don't know this is too general! Now who does this affect the most in the neurodivergent community?

6. Womeny ADHDautismer and the battle of ignorance in the fetish of dysfunction: (the title is a failed Harry Potter reference btw)

ND women struggle the most in our community and I salute them for their power.
"Why are they so mis/under diagnosed?"
Thought you might ask.

Well because they mask so professionally.
"Why would masking stop a PROFESSIONAL from diagnosing he studied for YEARS?"
Good question. Well because masking hides EXTERNAL "dysfunction".

(Check pinned tweet for continuation of the thread please this is very important)

Here is part 2 https://twitter.com/quotethesurface/status/1312365950801514496?s=19