11 REASONS WHY SELF DIAGNOSIS IS BAD AND YOU SHOULDN’T DO IT

cubonejones:

From the perspective of someone who has mental illnesses. I’ve been seeing some posts saying that people who are against self diagnosis are ableist and classist. That’s bullshit, and let me explain why: MENTAL ILLNESSES ARE MORE THAN JUST A LIST OF SYMPTOMS - Mental illnesses are serious conditions that manifest in many more ways than just some external symptoms. They affect how you view the world, your physical brain chemistry, how you are affected by different variables, how you deal with your problems, and how you behave (or will not behave) in a given situation. MENTAL ILLNESSES HAVE OVERLAP OF SYMPTOMS - if you are not a trained professional, it is very easy to assume you have one condition or disorder, when it may be something else entirely, something you may not have heard of. IT MAY BE MORE THAN ONE CONDITION - if you have a mental illness, you rarely have just one. Misery loves company, and it’s very common to have two or more related disorders. It’s also common to have a specific condition, but tendencies of another. ONLINE QUIZZES AND TESTS ARE UNRELIABLE - because mental illnesses are complex, there is no one objectively correct test you can take to pinpoint what illness(es) you have. There is also no online quiz to observe your behavior and recognize behavioral patterns, or to tell you if you have more than one illness. PROFESSIONALS ARE PROFESSIONALS FOR A REASON - unless you have a degree in psychology/psychiatry/mental health counseling, you do not have the same level of knowledge of the human mind and of mental disorders that a professional has. They study for years and years to be able to identify and treat mental illnesses. They don’t just memorize a list of illnesses and their symptoms. They learn how the mind works, the chemistry behind it, and how disordered thinking works to determine what the issue is. YOU CANNOT EXAMINE YOURSELF AND YOUR BEHAVIOR TO THE SAME DEGREE A PROFESSIONAL CAN - if you do enough therapy you’ll hopefully learn to be more self-aware of your actions and thoughts, and try to think about your problems and behavior logically. But a professional will be able to look at your situation objectively: they will look at behavioral patterns, family health history, your reactions to stress, AND any symptoms you display before making a decision. UNLESS YOU ARE TRAINED TO, YOU DON’T KNOW THE VARIOUS TREATMENT OPTIONS AND HOW TO PERFORM THEM - I’m talking beyond the obvious, like medications. There is more than one kind of therapy and treatment, and if you’re not educated in the field, you won’t be able to determine which will be best for you. Professionals have an objective perspective, but they also have an understanding of how a mental illness works, the theory/history behind various kinds of treatment, and how to change treatment if necessary based on your response to it. SELF DIAGNOSIS TRIVIALIZES MENTAL ILLNESS - there are still many, many people out there who don’t think mental illnesses are real, or that people who suffer from them just need to “get over it.” People taking an online quiz or reading a Wikipedia article to reach a diagnosis de-legitimatizes the severity of the condition. Giving the impression that a mental illness diagnosis is something that can be reached without a doctor gives off the impression that it’s not something serious, and some people will take it as validation that mental illnesses are just made up. SELF DIAGNOSIS ULTIMATELY ACCOMPLISHES NOTHING - that’s right, I said nothing. Say for argument’s sake that you successfully diagnose yourself. Now what? You’re not licensed to administer medication, and you cannot perform therapy on yourself. So what’s the point? The fact that you proudly say so on your blog and make excuses for not wanting to do things? How does that help? Which brings me to my next point: MENTAL ILLNESSES ARE MEDICAL CONDITIONS - they are NOT fashion statements or convenient labels. They must be treated the same way as a physical illness would be because they are every bit as serious. You aren’t doing the mental health community any favors when you claim to know this shit all by yourself. THE RESOURCES ARE OUT THERE - There are many, many free/low-cost resources out there for mental health, if money is an issue (most schools now have a counselor or psychologist on staff, ffs). Here is a small list for you if you live in the US: http://findtreatment.samhsa.gov/ http://www.power2u.org/peer-run-crisis-services.html http://www.adaa.org/finding-help/getting-support/support-groups http://www.carrierclinic.org/programs-free.php http://teenshealth.org/teen/your_mind/mental_health/mhealth_care.html http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/finding-therapy http://www.rehabs.org/centers/ These do vary by country and region of course, (nevermind the fact that most European countries and Canada have some form of socialized medicine), but if you suspect you have a mental illness (or are having emotional problems of any sort), it’s up to you to take responsibility for yourself and seek out proper and professional care. If you wouldn’t self-medicate or self treat a physical illness, you shouldn’t for a mental illness.

Excuse me, but we do self-medicate and self-treat physical illness. You don’t go to the hospital every single time you have a cold, after all. I self-medicate whenever I have a headache, without ever consulting anyone with a medical degree. If I sprain my leg, I’m not going to a doctor, I’m just going to ice it and keep it elevated. As for the rest of your “claims”…

1. MENTAL ILLNESSES ARE MORE THAN JUST A LIST OF SYMPTOMS <This is more of a reason to self diagnosis, really. Because who is going to know the most about what’s going on in your head, really? You are.

2. MENTAL ILLNESSES HAVE OVERLAP OF SYMPTOMS <So do physical illnesses. Almost every physical disease known to the human race share symptoms with the common cold.

3. IT MAY BE MORE THAN ONE CONDITION <I don’t see how this make self diagnosis wrong, considering someone who is self diagnosising themself is going to figure that one out in the process.

4. ONLINE QUIZZES AND TESTS ARE UNRELIABLE <Do you even know how to self diagnosis? You don’t rely solely on such things for a diagnosis, you do research as well. Online tests and quizzes are just a starting point (not to mention that there are tests and so forth online that do measure such things that you claim they don’t). Additionally, human perceptions are unreliable, and yet you want people to rely solely on professional humans to diagnosis other humans, and such diagnosis are often performed in stressful unfamiliar settings. Not to mention such professional humans can and are biased against certain groups having certain mental disorders. Especially when the mental disorders present atypically.

5. PROFESSIONALS ARE PROFESSIONALS FOR A REASON <I can’t argue with that one, considering how the government regulates who can and who cannot prescribe medications. Not all mental health professionals can prescribe medications. That’s why I see a both a therapist/social worker and a psychiatrist. Only one of them has a prescription pad. Being a professional doesn’t absolve a person of being fallible.

6. YOU CANNOT EXAMINE YOURSELF AND YOUR BEHAVIOR TO THE SAME DEGREE A PROFESSIONAL CAN <True. Also true is the fact that a professional can not examine you and your behavior to the same degree as you can. When I was little, no one ever questioned the fact that I avoided making eye contact, had difficultly perceiving tone of voice, etc. Because it was presumed that it was just because I was ADHD. But the thing is, if anyone had thought to ASK me about those things (which no one, not even the professional who diagnosed me with ADHD, did), my answer would have jived with autism, not ADHD.

7. UNLESS YOU ARE TRAINED TO, YOU DON’T KNOW THE VARIOUS TREATMENT OPTIONS AND HOW TO PERFORM THEM <This is why you do research. In fact, you should do research when you get diagnosed professionally, any ways. Self diagnosis does not automatically equal self treatment for the condition.

8. SELF DIAGNOSIS TRIVIALIZES MENTAL ILLNESS <I’m sorry to burst your bubble, but self diagnosis doesn’t trivialize mental illness. People with narrow views about mental illness trivialize mental illness. People seeking help for themselves are NOT trivializing mental illness.

9. SELF DIAGNOSIS ULTIMATELY ACCOMPLISHES NOTHING <Does it now? Ever since I self diagnosed myself with autism, I’ve been able to understand why I am the way I am. I have a label for myself that actually fits. I’ve found a community online of people like me who have the same problems that I do. I have found words to describe my issues better to my therapist (she actually told me this at our last meeting, that I’ve started communicating better about my emotions, something which NEVER happened before I started researching the possibility that I was autistic. I was diagnosed with ADHD professionally when I was about nine or ten years old, but I didn’t get anything out of my monthly appointments with a therapist until a few months ago when I figured out thru self diagnosis that I really am autistic. I’m 25 now, for reference).

10. MENTAL ILLNESSES ARE MEDICAL CONDITIONS <Yes. This is true. You know what else is true? The only people using mental illness as a fashion statement are the people who DON’T have them. The people who claim to be allies and yet disregard/silence the voices of those they claim to be allies of.

11. THE RESOURCES ARE OUT THERE <They are out there alright. Way out there. In the city where I currently live, there isn’t a single professional who diagnoses autism in adults. I had to go to a neighboring city, and he was biased as all get out (plus he came in to the first appointment thinking that I wasn’t autistic, which is NOT how you’re supposed to diagnose anything). Also, psychologists CAN’T prescribe medications. Psychiatrists can prescribe medications, as they went to med school–and they don’t usually get hired by school clinics. All a school counselor can do is talk to you and advise you to go to a professional for a diagnosis because they think you might have something. As for costs, well, let me tell you, $25 (with insurance) for one five minute appointment with my psychiatrist every six months is “cheap”. Also with insurance, the 45-minute appointment with my therapist every month is also $25. There are days when I pay $50 because I have both appointments on the same day. And I’m not even including the cost of gas because I have to drive there and back from my house.

$25 is a lot of money when you don’t have a job and are in debt from student loans.