Did your therapist "diagnose" anyone in your life?

Yes. My T diagnosed a few friends as narcissists but didn't tell me how to handle it. I stopped seeing him because of expense. I have a part-time job and no health coverage. Just putting a label on someone didn't help me to learn how to deal with them. But it did help in a way because now I know it's them and not me.

My T hasn't done this , but my mother was psychotic with narcissistic traits. She passed on three years into my therapy. I'm still dealing with what I experienced wasn't " normal " and I find understanding it even if its vague to be helpful.

Yeah, and I have found it helpful.

Yes. An ex-T did regarding my sister. She was up front with me saying that it was not an official diagnosis for obvious reasons. But she felt that from what I described about my sister's exasperating behavior that it could be Borderline Personality Disorder. I found it very helpful because I thought she was more on the bipolar side. After reading about BPD it all made perfect sense.

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Just in the sense of raising the notion of Adult ADHD where my ex husband is concerned. My ex already has something else, but was mentioned in a way that suggests sometimes these disorders come later in life. I was open to the idea. Doesn't solve anything, but was another way of looking at him, since we do interact where we have three kids together.
Then I was guided to narcissism where my father is concerned. More to view how behaviors affect me and viewing how in order to assert myself, understanding nuances can help me address him on the spot.
You figure this came years after being my T's client. Plus there's that chance of communication with my Pdoc.

Yes she did/does and it does help me.

I have long though my mother was Bipolar. My therapist tends to think so too. We grapple with my childhood and younger self memories on the basis she was. It is helpful in understanding the 40 years of my life she was alive to influence it.

Never had any T/Pdoc try to DX anyone but me...I'm the sick one...hahaha. If they did I probably wouldnt put much weight to it because they dont have enough facts about the person not having seen them.

To me that is really unethical and further proves how bogus therapy is. They should not even venture into diagnosing someone they have never met and only know based on someone else's opinion.

My T very clearly prefaced her opinion with the following: "This is only my opinion based on what you've told me. I am not treating this person, so this is not an official diagnosis." Big difference. Not unethical or bogus.

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Exactly what my T said, he is acting in a particular way, it's not definitive or set in stone. It's her opinion based on what you've said, NOT a diagnosis as such. I don't think the concept has been fully understood.

She even went so far as to say that she would never take on any immediate family members of mine as clients, because it would be a conflict of interest

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In MY opinion it is at least irresponsible. Why even bother bringing something like that into therapy when it can't be official? Ridiculousness.

I still don't think you understand, but that's your opinion.

I brought it into therapy, not the therapist. I said that I felt my sister was bipolar. It was totally relevant to me because almost every single session contained some mention on my part of how awful my sister was and how I couldn't stand her, she was causing great distress to me and our mother. This "unofficial" opinion helped me understand my sister's behavior a little better. Again, the therapist said it was an opinion and she clearly said this is unofficial because she has never met or treated my sister. Knowing she was exhibiting signs of a possible personality disorder made me feel slightly less likely to cast her off as a run-of-the-mill b****.

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My T also stated at the beginning she wasn't diagnosing them but based upon what I've told her it's her opinion.

Because in relation to me and how they have affected me and my life past and current it is needed to know that it 'wasn't' me that there is a 'reason' and it is helping me cope with it better. So it was brought up only after I asked her about the possibility and it has helped me grow and understand things differently. It was brought up for the benefit of me, her client.

Heck, T hasn't really even given me a very firm diagnosis. But T has said things like "That sounds a lot like symptoms of..." and in one case where I knew what medication someone was taking, "That's usually prescribed for..." So T frames a pattern of behavior that way but doesn't diagnose, per se. I don't think it's irresponsible at all.

It doesn't surprise me that a lot of people okay with this. Seems like a decent therapist could validate a client without "diagnosing" someone they've never met though. Just my opinion. Even my extremely unethical therapist never did anything like that. But if it helps someone then I guess it's okay?

I think those of us that have heard anything, there wasn't a direct "oh so and so has this" where this "diagnose" word is being misunderstood.

But if suggesting that after many years that one is struggling with a loved one that could be a result of something of importance, it could be brought up on a case by case basis in terms of helping the client.

I know for myself, not speaking for anyone else, I didn't turn around and use this to destroy someones life nor to villify nor to sit and make excuses. Nor to play the role of Victim. There's a certain maturation involved here.

I'm sorry to read how adamantly unethical you find this. I disagree.

Yes, one t that I seen for a whole said that my ex was a psychopath. She did say that she couldn't say for sure without seeing her but from the behaviours I described. It was like a lightbulb went off in my head because I had never thought of it and was too busy blaming myself for her behaviours. It was a huge relief at first but then I was disturbed by it because I was with a psychopath for so long. I am now not sure it helped but It did at the time.

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I really don't care THAT much. LOL. It does just make me realize more how crazy therapists themselves can be.

Also I find myself "diagnosing" lots of people too. Probably a human thing. LOL.

Sure, therapists like all humans can be...to use the technical term... 'crazy'.

But, I wouldn't count their offering such opinions necessarily as a symptom of such 'craziness'. That's of course not to say that some therapists can and have done so recklessly (and I'd venture to say that that's likely a part of their overall incompetence or even malicious behavior) but that's not been my experience and from the sounds of what was posted on this thread at least, doesn't seem to have applied to the majority of those who responded.

(And, now I feel like we're getting really meta with this discussion!).

It sounds like your T has your best interests at heart, and that's what matters.

it was an ex-T I stopped seeing 4 years ago, but she sure did.

I'm sorry, I'm clueless sometimes. But I'm glad you had her.

nothing to apologize for! I am glad too.