Dangers of Self-Diagnosis

The role of therapy and medical intervention when dealing with people who struggle with their mental health is long documented. There have been tons of studies, data, and years of clinical expertise that have contributed to the way we handle and diagnose mental health disorders. Diagnosis can be a very complex and multifaceted discipline that requires much experience and training to become good at it. Long and short, there is no substitute for what a medical or psych professional can do for patients. Still, there will be people who try. With the prevalence of social media trends and the glamorization of mental illness, people, especially young people, have begun to partake in the dangerous practice of self-diagnosis. 

Self-diagnosis is when a person diagnoses or identifies a condition within themselves without consulting a medical professional. This may not sound too serious at first glance, but it can become a barrier to those who need mental health support, and it creates a stigma around already existing conditions. Why do people self-diagnose in the first place? Let me explain with an example: imagine you have a family member who’s a bit of a hypochondriac. They have a headache, take to Webmd to search for symptoms, and come back with the conclusion they have brain cancer or some other equivalently severe disease. Alternatively, a younger family member may see a TikTok that describes generalized symptoms of ADHD and identifies with a few. They run into the family room, saying they need medication to manage their symptoms. You can see why these attempts to understand more profound concepts can fall flat, and this misunderstanding is due to the accessibility of information.

Many people self-diagnose because of the overabundance of general information available online. You can ‘master’ understanding or perceiving a condition just by spending an afternoon on Google. This understanding is surface-level and doesn’t actually mean that they are qualified or able to grasp the full scope of various ailments; it just might seem like it. This surface-level content is everywhere, from social media to proper news sites; the information is often a derivative of an assessment of statistics found in a scholarly article. This dissemination of information can mean that people are getting less good quality sources of information and that the information they come into contact with can be less reflective of the facts. Its frequency is often falsely equated to credibility, but this is not the case.

Another reason people might choose to self-diagnose, especially when it comes to mental health, is that there is a glamorization around mental health issues within certain circles. Young people look to others online for guidance as to what is cool or seek a sense of belonging. This means that one popular user with a mental health condition can spark their legions of fans to believe the same of themselves in hopes of being more like their online idols. There is a perception among some young people that having a mental illness can be quirky, exciting, and unique. This trend can be troubling, as it makes light of mental health struggles, and though there is no shame in having these struggles, it isn’t something young people should aspire to. Moreover, self-diagnosis can lead to wrongful treatment, conflagrating symptoms to the incorrect diagnosis, or illusory symptoms. These young people may lean into their self-diagnosis and exaggerate the effect it has on them or even lie about other symptoms to seem more legitimate. Despite the concerning nature of this trend, it can have severe repercussions for the people participating and others who struggle with similar mental health conditions. For one, these people may create a stigma around mental health, which means those who wish to go through the proper channels are less able to do so. They are more likely to be dismissed by their peers or even their family because “everyone says they have depression or anxiety” or “they just think that because of social media.” However, we know that trivialization of these conditions can be profoundly damaging. We should seek to have care around discussions of mental health should with care and not be met with shame or disbelief.

Moreover, those who dabble in self-diagnosis could be making a deadly mistake. Many medical diseases could be mistaken for a psychological condition to the untrained eye. Making the mistake of seeing panic symptoms as part of anxiety as opposed to a cardiac condition could place a patient in danger. Especially when issues in the brain arise, there are often symptoms such as psychosis, personality changes, or mood swings that could be mistaken for a mental condition, when in reality, it might be a tumor or legion. Self-diagnosis is primarily inaccurate and can disrupt the flow of information between you and your doctor. Our doctors have the best chance of giving us a good diagnosis when we provide the most pertinent and accurate information possible. You may be able to help your clinician with leads and information about your symptoms. However, you could just as easily mislead them by asserting you have a condition you haven’t been diagnosed with. On the other hand, some feel satisfied by the answers they find on Google and don’t even mention symptoms or presumed conditions with their physician. According to Pew Research, about half of the people who search for information about their symptoms don’t mention them to their doctors. Both of these examples can be dangerous as they can prevent these professionals from considering specific paths for treatment or finding a more serious underlying condition. 

Self-diagnosis doesn’t work because we lack the tools or ability to pick up on the specific nuances of mental conditions. There is a reason that psychologists, therapists, doctors, and psychiatrists have to go to school for many years and gain field experience to be eligible for their positions. Being knowledgeable about all the details pertinent to diagnosis and keeping that knowledge up to date is difficult. That said, you can feel safe knowing they’ve done the work to ensure they can provide the best care to you. Another reason self-diagnosis doesn't work is that we have an intrinsic bias toward ourselves, meaning we may not see ourselves fully or accurately. We only have access to our base symptoms but lack the knowledge to contextualize them properly. We also lack a standard metric to measure our symptoms, so we can’t properly gauge what intensity or frequency we feel. When we visit with a psych professional, they act as a mirror that allows us to see ourselves in a way that we cannot do alone. An outside perspective that is knowledgeable and unbiased can give us a more straightforward look into our symptoms and how they affect us and, most importantly, lead to a precise diagnosis. 

The takeaway from this should be that seeking a professional diagnosis from someone who knows best is important. Diagnosis is an essential first step to treatment; having the correct start will make you more likely to treat or manage your condition successfully. Some of you may be wary of starting this process, and that’s okay. What is most important is putting your health first and working towards doing what is best for you. Keep in mind that consulting a doctor does not mean you can no longer play a role in your recovery or feel connected to your symptoms. It simply means that you work with your psychologist to give the things you think and feel their proper name and attention. By allowing assistance from a professional, you can get closer to the truth of the symptoms you deal with and work towards a better solution. Next time you feel tempted to jump on the bandwagon or search for answers and self-diagnose, remember that you are not alone in your diagnosis journey. Numerous professionals have spent their lives preparing to help you understand and want to help you maintain your health. All you have to do is reach out.