Self-Diagnosing

Is it valid? Is it the only choice for some people?

We are all guilty of it, typing in symptoms and getting a diagnosis off the internet. While medical professionals look down on this when it comes to physical ailments, let’s talk about it in terms of mental health. I am not talking about when your insensitive friend claims they have OCD because they keep their room clean. Comments such as that are extremely harmful because people who are internally struggling and questioning their mental health could perceive this as how they would sound if they were to publicly bring up their mental health concerns. Yes, claiming you have a mental illness as a joke is not the same thing as wondering if your constant emotional state is healthy. However, this difference isn’t always obvious to people struggling with a mental health disorder.

Mental illness does not have a set list of symptoms, it is not like the flu. Mental illness can look different on everyone. Other people weighing in on whether you actually need help or not can make one doubt their decision to seek help. I am here to say that struggling with the validity of your mental health issues doesn’t ever mean you should keep them to yourself. Your feelings are always valid and it is important to surround yourself with people who make sure you know that. Not having a medical diagnosis should never prevent you from speaking up.

In a way, having access to and being able to be professionally diagnosed with a mental illness is an example of a privilege that should be a universal right. Minors might have limited access to healthcare because of unsupportive parents or other circumstances. In fact, according to the results of a study conducted by the University of Michigan, “Nearly 7.7 million children and teens in the country-about one in seven-have at least one treatable mental health disorder… But half of these young people did not receive needed treatment from a mental health professional in 2016...”.

Never wait until a medical diagnosis to check in on your friends and family. A big part of starting the extremely necessary conversation about mental health is taking away the stigma from having a mental illness and not being skeptical of those brave enough to ask for help. We need to get out of the mindset that people with depression (or other mental health disorders) only look and act a certain way and no one you know could possibly have a legit mental health illness. Mental health cannot be one of those things that you don’t believe or care for until you struggle with it yourself.

Sometimes, talking about attempting to self diagnose yourself is the only way someone knows to reach out for help. A self diagnosis should never replace a professional diagnosis if one is able to get accessed by a professional, but let’s not shut down people the second they bring up worrying about having a mental health disorder.

Works Cited

Mostafavi, B. (2019, February 18). Half of U.S. children with mental health disorders are not treated. University of Michigan. https://labblog.uofmhealth.org/rounds/half-of-us-children-mental-health-disorders-are-not-treated.