@freemo LOL I was trying not to put it so bluntly, that is more or less how I’m seeing it right now.

The comparison I was thinking of when I stated my bias is the people who complain about their self-diagnosed anxiety or ADHD. To me it’s completely disrespectful and delegitimizes the sometimes serious and debilitating effects of mental illness.

@b6hydra I dont really mind people self-diagnosing honestly… like if they said “I have severe ciliacs disease. I never saw a doctor but when I eat glueten I break out in rashes and have explosive diarrhea” if be like “ok cool!”…

But no its usually like “For some reason every time I eat a half a cake for lunch I feel a bit bloated and tired, clearly I am gluten sensitive!”

@freemo True, on the mental health side if someone has panic disorder there’s no way they wouldn’t know there’s a problem. To your point, I guess it’s the casualness with which people co-opt illness that really gets me.

@b6hydra I can understand that. But my faith in doctors is kinda 0 anyway. I feel like most people probably have a better chance of self-diagnosing than a doctor does for most issues.

@freemo I’m a little ambivalent on that. If I have a cold or flu, sure, I don’t need a doctor to tell me so. And if you have a chronic illness or chronic pain then it’s pretty much a roll of the dice unless you’re wealthy. I think that speaks more to how much of a clusterfuck medical care is in the US just generally though, which is a whole other topic…

@b6hydra I mostly just find doctors really uneducated. I have often seen a doctor and told them my symptoms and they go “I dunno”.. then go home, do 5 minutes of research and have a good idea what I have. I then have went back, got tested, and proven to be right.

Not sure why me with no degree in medicine can trivially diagnose all my diseases when not a single doctor ever seems to diagnose much more than a cold.

@freemo I’ve had similar experiences. I’ve also had good experiences too though. There’s a certain urgent care office near me that’s run by a total moron. That doesn’t negate the excellent care I’ve received from my regular doctor (when I can actually get an appointment outside of regular check ups). Roll of the dice, is it bad enough that I risk idiot urgent care or paying thousands at the ER? Or will I be able to see a doctor I trust?

@b6hydra The only good experiences I had were largely from nurses. Sometimes doctors or nurses cared, but never once did they provide me with any incite I didnt already bring to the table sadly.

Either I have better medical knowledge or have had worse experience with doctors, I cant say.

@freemo I don’t know, and I doubt our medical histories are the same so it’s not an apples to apples comparison anway. I do generally agree regarding nurses providing better care. The last time I did actually have to go the ER the doctor spent about 5 minutes in the room to prescribe an antihistamine (to relax me, I wasn’t having an allergic reaction, asshole could have at least given me a Valium) while the nurses and physician’s assistant actually addressed the reason I was there…

@b6hydra ive had some quite awful trauma at the hands of doctors at various points, most recently with my back injury, that would make me rather bias against them. Though if im bias for the very reasons we are arguing about is it even bias in the context?

@freemo Well, I can’t fault you for forming opinions based on your own experiences. A little skepticism is never a bad thing either. Bias, to me, implies close-mindedness which I’m not getting from you.