Do I Need a Formal Diagnosis to Identify as Neurodivergent?
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What do you do if you find yourself asking the question “Am I neurodivergent”? It’s a question adults can find themselves asking if they feel different and were never assessed as a child or didn’t recognise their traits until later in life. For many people, they decide to get a formal diagnosis so a professional can confirm or deny their suspicions; however, others opt to not get diagnosed. They instead choose to self-identify as neurodivergent, which comes with its own pros and cons.
Self-identification and clinical diagnosis are very different ways to identify your neurodivergence. A formal diagnosis is done by a professional and is required for medical treatment, legal documentation, and certain support. Meanwhile, self-identification is more of a personal way to understand your experiences and connect with others.
In this blog post, I will discuss what to do if you think you’re neurodivergent but are unsure about getting diagnosed. It’ll cover what it means to be neurodivergent, why some people choose against getting a diagnosis, what support you can get if you self-identify, and if you can identify as neurodivergent without a diagnosis.
What Does it Mean to be Neurodivergent
To understand what it means to be neurodivergent, we need to understand neurodiversity. Neurodiversity, which was coined by Judy Singer in 1998, is the idea that everyone’s brains work differently. From here, we have a broad spectrum of ways brains can function, which are often described with terms like neurotypical and neurodivergent. Where neurotypical brains follow a general average for brain development, neurodivergent brains develop differently.
Having a neurodivergent brain means having a set of strengths and challenges that may not be present among neurotypical people. For example, some autistic individuals are great at pattern recognition and can have a keen attention to detail. They may also face challenges with sensory sensitivities or socializing with their peers.
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When it comes to diagnosis, what classifies someone as neurodivergent is having a condition that affects their brain. Some examples of neurodivergent conditions include autism, ADHD, OCD, Tourette’s syndrome, and dyslexia. A neurodivergence diagnosis usually involves assessing someone for one of those conditions. Alternatively, an informed neurodivergency test can help you identify neurodiverse traits you have and what condition they align with.
Learning you’re neurodivergent can help you understand a part of yourself that may have been unclear. You understand why you act the way you do and how it differs from neurotypical peers. It’s also about understanding that being neurodiverse means you are simply different from other people and there’s nothing wrong with that.
Why Some People Choose Against Getting a Diagnosis
For personal and practical reasons, some people opt to not get diagnosed, instead choosing other routes to confirm their neurodivergence. Here are some examples of what factors contribute to someone deciding not to get a formal diagnosis:
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Barriers to Diagnosis
Formal neurodivergence diagnoses can be helpful but they also have some barriers. Two of the biggest barriers come from their expensive cost and lengthy wait times. Depending on your schedule or financial situation, these barriers may make a formal diagnosis unappealing.
Fear of Stigma
As sad as it is to say, not everyone is accepting of neurodivergent people. If you disclose your neurodiversity to the wrong person, then there could be a stigma that causes social or professional repercussions, like being treated differently or missing out on a work opportunity.
Distrust of Clinicians
Not everyone has good experiences with clinical services. A clinician may not understand disabilities or hold stereotypical views on certain conditions. In a worst case scenario, someone could be mistreated by a clinician. This distrust can cause someone to think that having someone with a job they distrust confirm their neurodivergence isn’t the right choice.
A Self-Diagnosis Being Sufficient Enough
For some people, recognizing that they have enough traits to qualify as neurodivergent and using that as their diagnosis is enough. They connected the dots between their experiences and a neurodivergent condition to realize they are neurodivergent. Even if the answer didn’t come from a professional, it can still satisfy someone wanting to investigate their neurodiversity.
What Support Can I Get Without a Diagnosis?
One downside to not getting a diagnosis is that it can lock you out of certain supports. For example, you need an ADHD diagnosis to get relevant medication. Fortunately, not all supports require a diagnosis, including the following examples.
Reasonable Adjustments
Under the Equality Act 2010, an employer must make reasonable adjustments for neurodiverse employees if their condition has a substantial or long-term effect on daily life. Although a formal diagnosis isn’t always required, you will want some form of explanation or evidence to secure your adjustments.
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Neurodivergent Affirming Care
Neurodivergent affirming care is a form of therapy that aims to be more inclusive to neurodivergent individuals. It accomplishes this by promoting self-advocacy, emphasizing the strengths of neurodivergent people, and respecting individual differences. As a bonus, you do not need a diagnosis to access this therapy.
Support Groups and Online Communities
You do not need a neurodivergent diagnosis to join certain support groups or online communities, so you can just show up to them. These environments give neurodivergent individuals a chance to interact with their neurodivergent peers. You can discuss your life and get feedback from like-minded individuals in a supportive space.
Can I Identify as Neurodivergent Without a Diagnosis?
You do not need a formal diagnosis to identify as neurodivergent. If you think you’re neurodivergent and want to self-identify as one, then go ahead. In fact, some organizations recognize self-identifying neurodivergent people as neurodivergent. For example, the Autism Self-Advocacy Network recognizes autistic individuals as autistic individuals whether they get a diagnosis or not.
Self-identifying as neurodivergent has become more common in recent years. According to a study, the increased self-identification coincides with a growing call for neurodivergent self-advocacy and neurodivergent social movements. Self-identification isn’t without its cons as it can mean losing out on support that requires a diagnosis, but many people nevertheless prefer this method of recognizing their neurodiversity.
Whether you choose to identify as neurodivergent with or without a diagnosis depends on how you weigh the pros and cons between self-identification and a diagnosis. I already mentioned what can cause people to choose against getting a formal diagnosis, but there are still upsides to getting one, such as:
- Access to specific support
- Understanding the lifelong differences and challenges you have experienced
- Having legal protections under equality laws
- Being able to more clearly communicate your needs to other people
If you think these benefits are important, then pursuing a diagnosis may be helpful for you. Otherwise, feel free to self-identify as neurodivergent. The choice you make is about what you are most comfortable doing, which will vary from person to person.
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Conclusion
Choosing to seek a formal diagnosis or self-identify as neurodivergent is about how you want to approach your neurodiversity. For some people, they’ll want a confirmation from a clinician that they have X condition as well as access to specific supports. For other people, they either dislike the roadblocks present in formal diagnosis or are personally satisfied with their self-diagnosis.
No matter how you decide to diagnose your neurodiversity, remember that both options are valid. You’re not weighing the pros and cons of either approach to decide the objectively best diagnostic route. Instead, you are weighing pros and cons to figure out the way you’re most comfortable answering the question “Am I neurodivergent?”
So, have you thought about getting a diagnosis? Do you self-identify as neurodivergent? Feel free to answer in the comments below.
References
Neurodivergent (2022) Cleveland Clinic Accessed from https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/symptoms/23154-neurodivergent
Self-Identifying as Neurodivergent (2023) Massachusettes General Hospital Accessed from https://www.massgeneral.org/children/aspire/blog/self-identifying-as-neurodivergent
Rethinking Self-Identification in Neurodivergent Communities: Barriers, Harms, and the Need for Change (2025) National Library of Medicine Accessed from https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12554567/
Neurodiversity Affirming Care: What Does it Mean for Therapy? (2025) University of St. Agustine Accessed from https://www.usa.edu/blog/neurodiversity-affirming-care-what-does-it-mean-for-therapy/
What We Believe (2022) Autism Self-Advocacy Network Accessed from https://autisticadvocacy.org/about-asan/what-we-believe/
The Positive Impact of Identity-affirming Mental Health Treatment for Neurodivergent Individuals (2024) National Library of Medicine Accessed from https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11285098/
