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For official diagnoses I think labels can be a useful way to begin conversations about improvement. However what looks like a growing trend is self-diagnoses. I
by zaphar 2y ago
For official diagnoses I think labels can be a useful way to begin conversations about improvement. However what looks like a growing trend is self-diagnoses. In those cases what seems to be happening more often is the label becomes an excuse and an identity to try to live up to.
I don't think self-diagnosis is something that should be encouraged or lauded in any way. It seems more harmful than good so far.
- amanaplanacanal 2y agoSelf diagnosis seems completely natural when mental health care is unavailable because of a shortage of providers, or expense. What else are people going to do?
- zaphar 2y agoI didn't say it wasn't understandable. I just don't think it's a good idea or something to encourage. If it actually makes things worse, even if it sounds like a good idea, it's not something that should be encouraged. And I do think it has a tendency to make things worse.
- TeMPOraL 2y agoWorse, in mental care you're better off doing g some self-diagnosis to narrow down the possibilities and know which specialist to go first. If you just go to the first general psychiatrist you can find, it's likely they'll first want you explore depression. The problem with the above is, treating depression is a long process that can take years to yield perceptible results. If you try to explore it first, chances are you'll never explore anything else. Many of the other diagnoses can be tested and ruled out much faster, possibly in days to weeks (e.g. ADHD), so this is what you'd be better off starting with - but you have to suspect it first to know to seek out a psychiatrist specializing in that particular condition and ask them for an evaluation specifically.
- bluescrn 2y agoGrowing up in the 80s, kids usually weren’t diagnosed with autism unless it was severe. There’s no cure/medication, so seeking an official diagnosis is of no real benefit. But many people eventually connect the dots as adults, maybe do some reading, and suddenly make sense of their struggles and behaviors. Are they really less ‘valid’ than those with an ‘official’ diagnosis?
- zaphar 2y agoI need to do something and this is something is not usually a good justification for anything. It takes literally years of experience to properly diagnose someone, so yes, I do think it is potentially less valid than an official diagnosis. Self diagnosis has an effect of becoming a self fulfilling prophecy many times. Therapists have to get training in avoiding leading a patient into a wrong diagnosis because it leads to some terrible outcomes. It's called "iatrogenic illness" in the literature. Self diagnosing patients have none of that training and are at significantly higher risk of causing it to themselves.
- theshackleford 2y ago> Therapists have to get training in avoiding leading a patient into a wrong diagnosis because it leads to some terrible outcomes. I suffered incredibly negative consequences to my life after being incorrectly diagnosed as bipolar 2. It shattered my confidence and belief in myself as I was continually told the things I believed and the decisions I made were from a position of mania. It’s too hard to explain in a short comment but it’s potentially one of the most damaging medical interactions I’ve ever had in terms of what it did to my life.