Self-Diagnosing

As the general population becomes increasingly exposed to and educated about mental illness and options for treatment, we are seeing both a lessening of the stigma around mental health as well as an increase in self-diagnosing of psychological disorders. For so many years, mental illness was viewed with negativity, apprehension and misconception. In more recent years, there has been a greater understanding and acceptance that people do indeed suffer from emotional and psychological illness and this awareness has opened doors for those in need of professional treatment services. This is a good thing. Unfortunately, like with anything, there does exist an upside and a downside.

The downside of more available information on mental illness and mental health is the phenomenon of self-diagnosing. “I am Bipolar”, “I am ADHD”, “my child is schizophrenic”, “and my child is schizophrenia, bipolar and ADHD”. This is not uncommon. We do believe that like all of us, people are trying to understand and explain the nature of their distress by attaching a diagnostic label. This labeling often makes it easier for individuals to understand and communicate to others the nature of their concerns. It gives them something tangible in a not so tangible, often confusing area of describing human behavior. Generally, people are not deliberately fabricating a mental illness by self-diagnosing but the caution is that a diagnostic label can have very powerful consequences. Labels often affect how people perceive themselves, how others begin to view them and how some treatment providers even direct their interventions. This can be dangerous.

Through a thorough and comprehensive mental health evaluation an accurate diagnosis can be made. The reality is that this kind of evaluation may take several visits. Any attempt to attach a label otherwise is discouraged and potentially harmful in many ways. We encourage people search for understanding, meaning in their lives. How do we find answers and explanations for their emotional, behavioral and psychological concerns? A skilled licensed mental health professional can assist you in getting the help that you need. The first step can be the hardest. To the extent that a diagnosis is made is really secondary to a person getting the help needed to improve their life quality of life. Contact Us for a FREE consultation.