Discussion Diagnosis/Personality Test: Tools, Not Excuses

[derpyderpins]

My computer has some sort of memory or driver problem and it is driving me crazy. It runs like a dream but then I'll get sudden crashes with no warning at different times with different levels/types of use. As a response, I've been running all types of diagnostic scanning and whatnot and looking at the memory dumps to try and figure out what the problem is. Once I do, I will address the problem. What I won't do is say 'okay cool that's why it does that' and continue using it without taking any steps to alleviate the issue.

A lot of talk happens philosophically on here about people just being biological computers. I can agree with this to a point, enough so for the comparison to be applicable. (Personally, I think there is something spiritual in the world that is currently beyond our understanding and that humans are not simply sacks of meat and electrons but that's a big topic for another day.)

What I do want to talk about is diagnosis of mental health problems. There is so very much more information out there today than ever before about dealing with ADD, OCD, Asperger's, Autism, personality quirks, love types, gender issues, depression in its many forms, etc., but there are different ways to use and react to the information.

For me, a diagnosis is a great thing. It's information in a battle. Whether I get diagnosed or not, the issue is there in my brain. The diagnosis is just like getting the dungeon map in a Zelda game. It helps you navigate the issue.

I am personally waiting for a formal diagnosis of autism, but my shrink thinks I'm likely on the spectrum. Some people, when I tell them this - IRL, not talking about anyone here - will want to try and comfort me and guess that I don't have it: eg. "do you really think so? I don't think so. Don't over-analyze things. You might just be seeing it because you're looking for it." And you know what? They may be right.

But the fact of the matter is that my brain is what my brain is regardless of the diagnosis. If I start following some suggested regimens to deal with autism and it is helping me, who cares if the diagnosis is accurate? If believing I have autism helps me to be a little easier on myself when behaving like someone with autism because I have an explanation for my weakness, what's the difference? The "diagnosis" helped!

But, there can be a bad side to diagnosis. And at this point I want to bring in personality tests as well. I am a big fan of personality tests. I like taking them and reading the results and comparing them to how I see myself. It's similar to my interest in Tarot cards. In a way, they play a similar role to a diagnosis - they give some information on how the computer that is our brain works.

The potential bad side of mental health diagnosis and personality test labels is that we may be tempted to use them as an excuse rather than an explanation. That's not good. It's the opposite of what they are there for, which is to help with our individual quirks - I'd go as far as saying "weaknesses" - while highlighting our strengths. It is not for us to say "oh well, I can't help it, might as well lean into it." I think examples would be helpful (for the sake of this post when I say "diagnosed" I also mean getting a certain personality test result, or simply suspecting you have a certain condition):

• If you are diagnosed as having anti-social tendencies, this is not a free pass to be anti-social, or rude, or inconsiderate, or withdrawn, or to ignore social norms. It is a blueprint telling you that behavior that you find normal might be reasonably seen poorly by others, and you should put extra effort into being polite and considerate when dealing with people. Sure, social interactions will still be draining, you can't eliminate that, but you can make the most of it. Maybe limit your social interactions but make sure they are positive when they happen. Pop out of your room/office sometime just to see how the people around you are doing, even if you then withdraw again. (You can tell this is one I've had to work on a lot.)
• If you are diagnosed with ADD/ADHD/OCD, or something else that makes you fixate or obsess (another "me" trait), it isn't a free pass to ignore your obligations and responsibilities because you are obsessing/fixating. It is a blueprint for you to be more cognizant of when your fixations are causing harm, and attempt to limit it or otherwise work on ways to compensate. This is an example of what can be highlighted as a strength! You can use your ability to zone in on something in a positive way.
• If you are diagnosed with narcissism or a similar "Dark Triad" or "Cluster B" personality trait, it is absolutely not a free pass to continue exhibiting selfish or cruel behavior. This type of thing should not only be a blueprint, it should be a wake up call, that you might exhibit some behaviors that you should really work on. And before you ask "why should I care about anyone but me?" let me first point out how funny it is to respond with the exact type of negative personality trait the diagnosis contemplates, but then I'll also say that people who are able to properly interact with others are always going to have a personal advantage over those that aren't. You would benefit yourself by improving in these areas. Even if you hate other people, you rely on them to some extent. Another point would be that you not being able to control these behaviors exhibits personal weakness, and being more in-control of yourself is in your own best-interest.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to stop fixating on this post and hopefully get myself fixated on work even if only for an hour. I hope others dealing with these types of issues will consider viewing a diagnosis as positive and using it to their advantage.

 

[alltoomuch2]

My computer has some sort of memory or driver problem and it is driving me crazy. It runs like a dream but then I'll get sudden crashes with no warning at different times with different levels/types of use. As a response, I've been running all types of diagnostic scanning and whatnot and looking at the memory dumps to try and figure out what the problem is. Once I do, I will address the problem. What I won't do is say 'okay cool that's why it does that' and continue using it without taking any steps to alleviate the issue.

A lot of talk happens philosophically on here about people just being biological computers. I can agree with this to a point, enough so for the comparison to be applicable. (Personally, I think there is something spiritual in the world that is currently beyond our understanding and that humans are not simply sacks of meat and electrons but that's a big topic for another day.)

What I do want to talk about is diagnosis of mental health problems. There is so very much more information out there today than ever before about dealing with ADD, OCD, Asperger's, Autism, personality quirks, love types, gender issues, depression in its many forms, etc., but there are different ways to use and react to the information.

For me, a diagnosis is a great thing. It's information in a battle. Whether I get diagnosed or not, the issue is there in my brain. The diagnosis is just like getting the dungeon map in a Zelda game. It helps you navigate the issue.

I am personally waiting for a formal diagnosis of autism, but my shrink thinks I'm likely on the spectrum. Some people, when I tell them this - IRL, not talking about anyone here - will want to try and comfort me and guess that I don't have it: eg. "do you really think so? I don't think so. Don't over-analyze things. You might just be seeing it because you're looking for it." And you know what? They may be right.

But the fact of the matter is that my brain is what my brain is regardless of the diagnosis. If I start following some suggested regimens to deal with autism and it is helping me, who cares if the diagnosis is accurate? If believing I have autism helps me to be a little easier on myself when behaving like someone with autism because I have an explanation for my weakness, what's the difference? The "diagnosis" helped!

But, there can be a bad side to diagnosis. And at this point I want to bring in personality tests as well. I am a big fan of personality tests. I like taking them and reading the results and comparing them to how I see myself. It's similar to my interest in Tarot cards. In a way, they play a similar role to a diagnosis - they give some information on how the computer that is our brain works.

The potential bad side of mental health diagnosis and personality test labels is that we may be tempted to use them as an excuse rather than an explanation. That's not good. It's the opposite of what they are there for, which is to help with our individual quirks - I'd go as far as saying "weaknesses" - while highlighting our strengths. It is not for us to say "oh well, I can't help it, might as well lean into it." I think examples would be helpful (for the sake of this post when I say "diagnosed" I also mean getting a certain personality test result, or simply suspecting you have a certain condition):

• If you are diagnosed as having anti-social tendencies, this is not a free pass to be anti-social, or rude, or inconsiderate, or withdrawn, or to ignore social norms. It is a blueprint telling you that behavior that you find normal might be reasonably seen poorly by others, and you should put extra effort into being polite and considerate when dealing with people. Sure, social interactions will still be draining, you can't eliminate that, but you can make the most of it. Maybe limit your social interactions but make sure they are positive when they happen. Pop out of your room/office sometime just to see how the people around you are doing, even if you then withdraw again. (You can tell this is one I've had to work on a lot.)
• If you are diagnosed with ADD/ADHD/OCD, or something else that makes you fixate or obsess (another "me" trait), it isn't a free pass to ignore your obligations and responsibilities because you are obsessing/fixating. It is a blueprint for you to be more cognizant of when your fixations are causing harm, and attempt to limit it or otherwise work on ways to compensate. This is an example of what can be highlighted as a strength! You can use your ability to zone in on something in a positive way.
• If you are diagnosed with narcissism or a similar "Dark Triad" or "Cluster B" personality trait, it is absolutely not a free pass to continue exhibiting selfish, cruel, or manipulative behavior. This type of thing should not only be a blueprint, it should be a wake up call, that you might exhibit some behaviors that you should really work on. And before you ask "why should I care about anyone but me?" let me first point out how funny it is to respond with the exact type of negative personality trait the diagnosis contemplates, but then I'll also say that people who are able to properly interact with others are always going to have a personal advantage over those that aren't. You would benefit yourself by improving in these areas. Even if you hate other people, you rely on them to some extent. Another point would be that you not being able to control these behaviors exhibits personal weakness, and being more in-control of yourself is in your own best-interest.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to stop fixating on this post and hopefully get myself fixated on work even if only for an hour. I hope others dealing with these types of issues will consider viewing a diagnosis as positive and using it to their advantage.

One point. People with EUPD are not manipulative. That is an incorrect stereotype. I agree with the rest of what you say in general although working on negative traits is incredibly difficult and I can't emphasise that enough. But yes, diagnosis helps me tremendously. (BPD, GAD, ASD, C-PTSD).

 

[derpyderpins]

One point. People with EUPD are not manipulative. That is an incorrect stereotype. I agree with the rest of what you say in general although working on negative traits is incredibly difficult and I can't emphasise that enough. But yes, diagnosis helps me tremendously. (BPD, GAD, ASD, C-PTSD).

Definitely not purposefully attaching the word "manipulative" to any specific condition, but I can remove it to avoid misunderstandings.

And absolutely agree on it being hard to improve negative traits. It's so very hard. Struggling is to be expected and progress may be very slow. That's normal, I'd say.

 

[daley]

The potential bad side of mental health diagnosis and personality test labels is that we may be tempted to use them as an excuse rather than an explanation. That's not good. It's the opposite of what they are there for, which is to help with our individual quirks - I'd go as far as saying "weaknesses" - while highlighting our strengths. It is not for us to say "oh well, I can't help it, might as well lean into it." I think examples would be helpful (for the sake of this post when I say "diagnosed" I also mean getting a certain personality test result, or simply suspecting you have a certain condition):

I think that even for psychologists, these diagnosis are only conventions and guidelines for treatment, and not something
set in stone.

For myself, I have to say that I have just given in to being a-social for the most part. I am not sure
if this is bad or not, as I don't really feel a need to socialize.
(I don't have an official diagnosis for that, but I don't think I need one.)

I was wondering whether recovery in the context of SaSu could benefiy from more information about
roadblocks to recovery, considering that SaSu might have more members for whom past
treatment has not worked. Not sure what additional information like that would be though...

Thanks for the thoughtful post derpyderpins !