A Question
I have an honest question that I hope I won't get hate for, because it is a somewhat controversial topic in the mental health community.
Is self-diagnosis okay in certain situations?
A lot of people are against self-diagnosis. I've seen people say that anyone who diagnoses themselves are horrible because "it's only for attention" But my question is, what about in a situation where it's not for attention? Like if they aren't able to see someone to actually diagnose them, but want to have a word to decribe what they're feeling so they don't feel silly or alone. A word that they genuinely believe applies to them.
I've looked into symptoms of anxiety and depression, and feel they strongly apply to me. I told my mom that I wanted to see someone to make sure and maybe even get some help for it, but she sad no. I really do believe I have them. Even people I've talked to who have those mental illnesses have said that my symptoms do indeed line up. And I like having a label for my feelings so it's easier to find people like me. That's how I found this site. But it's hard, since I'm a teen and the whole stigma that teens only make up mental illnesses for attention (especially anxiety and depression) and the fact that I haven't been truly diagnosed makes it seem like that. But it's not.
As long as you arent obnoxious about it then you're probably not doing it for attention. And anxiety and depression are commonly occurring anyway. Like...the attentiony stuff is when they claim to have DID and all their alters are steven universe characters. And all of their friends happen to have DID too. And all their alters are their favorite cartoon characters...
Anyway yeah I get it. I'm not able to get tested currently (money and I don't want to cause drama) but I've been told from people who did get diagnosed that I probably have depression. And anxiety related to health.
I think there's nothing wrong with cautious self-diagnosis. There are a lot of situations where someone may not be able to go see a professional (eg. no parental support/permission, too expensive, too scared, no access, etc), and so I think it makes sense that if someone does their research and really feels they fall under a certain illness, there's nothing wrong with saying you have that. Really all diagnosis is, is someone who knows a lot about symptoms going "hm yeah it seems like you have this this this, and so that means you have X illness". Diagnosis (in many cases) isn't diagnosing an actual thing itself, but rather a common collection of symptoms that together are called a certain thing, so I think it is okay for people to diagnose themselves in absence of professional diagnosis. As long as you are still open to the opinions of others (eg, not still insisting you have anxiety if say, someone like a therapist or someone who was diagnosed believes you may not have it)
I agree, sometimes it can be a bit ridiculous (like with the DID example..), but I also know that anxiety and depression are so so common, and I tend to actually believe when someone says they have it, regardless of if it was from a professional or not. And even if they don't actually have it, the fact that someone feels they do and recognizes that they are going through many of the typical symptoms of an illness, I think just that in itself is important. Clearly what they are going through should be taken seriously.
Long story short: I think self-diagnosis of common and "simple" things like depression and anxiety are okay. Where it gets iffy is more complex disorders, like DID or BPD, because I feel they are more beneficial to see an actual professional about (since disorders like those can worsen if not understood correctly, or treated using the incorrect method)
