Autism

I looked for a diagnosis. Called lots of providers and, in summary, they only providers that could accept me were expensive and lengthy. I don't have light or sound sensitivity (which isn't required) so I don't need accommodations. I don't have trama and have worked through most of my issues so I don't need therapy. There's objectively no benefit to getting a diagnosis for me other than claiming I have ASD. And there's some negatives, especially if traveling abroad. So yeah, with that, I don't want a professional diagnosis. I did lots of research and checked more than enough boxes in the DSM-5 to validate myself. Others' validation isn't worth a couple thousand dollars and hours of consultation over a year.

I was searching for why I am different and found that it had a name and there are other who have similar experiences that I can relate to. That's good enough for me.

I get gatekeeping and that people may be spreading false information or making the community look bad. Call them out then. Otherwise, an educated self-diagnosis isn't harming anyone. Let people be at peace with their sense of self.