sorry about the first part, i was in the middle of a conversation with someone else while typing, gah... i was trying to make a point but i lost track. it was something about how a lot of diagnoses would usually happen in countries where going to a psych + getting a diagnosis is easy and not frowned upon, so the percentage that's presented isn't fully accurate with how many people may actually have it globally.
and yes! i really do agree with your points. with how information spreads online and how difficult it is to know which is true or not, it is painfully easy to be mistaken. however, i do think it has other factors... seeing as many of them are struggling with something, but it's likely they don't have any other outlet or proper support other than the internet. they try to figure out what's wrong by themselves, or whatever other possibility...
oh, sorry if i didn't make myself clear enough but i did not mean to cast shade on people who self-diagnose. you're right in that they feel lost IRL and turn to online communities for support that leads to this "relationship" with mental disorders. i'd say encouragement to seek professional help would do the most good in situations like this. (plus perhaps education about the dangers of self-diagnosis.)