My personal experience with self diagnosis is trying to legitimize that something is actually wrong, so that I don't feel dumb asking for help. My biggest fear would be going to the doctor and them saying I'm perfectly fine.
Katrin Berndt this makes me so happy i'm not the only one, i won't say "i'm _____" but i will think i'm close to those, ? it's hard to discuss but what you said i get
Even if you do not have a clinical illness or disorder, that does not mean you're dumb if you're asking for help and it does not mean you do not need help. Not everything that is comforting will be good for you. We have to face the truth sooner or later so that we can become better and have some progress, you know?
Something I learned as a psychology student: Mental illnesses are defined by emotions/behaviors that (1) deviate from the norm, (2) cause distress, (3) interfere with your life or (4) are potentially dangerous. If you feel like something is wrong and it's interfering with your life do not hesitate to reach out! Even if you don't meet criteria for a diagnosis it may still be beneficial to talk to a therapist or other professional!
Katrin Berndt I totally understand what you mean! even if you don't have a diagnosable disorder and you feel something is wrong, it's still worth getting help!
Worst thing about that feeling is when you actually do go to the proffessionals and it takes years upon years of you telling them that you/your kid is having a seriously hard time doing stuff.. (uh, anything basically) for them to believe you. (Went to the pros from age 9 and didn't get a Neuropsychological assessment until I was 18 and then got diagnosed with adhd and asperger.)
I agree with all of this. Especially since some disorders are very similar to one another. Doing research and having a good grasp on the symptoms of a disorder you think you might have is always a good idea but it doesn't always mean you have it. I thought for a long time that I had OCD but once I talked to my therapist, she told me that while those symptoms are similar to OCD that they can be found in people with the disorders I have. However, if someone can not see a therapist because of money or insurance issues then I think self-diagnosing might be a positive thing. I wouldn't go around saying "I have ____" but you could at least look up ways to cope/work through the issues you have by googling said disorder. I definitely don't think anyone but a professional should be diagnosing people. While mental illness is mostly emotional and in the mind, some disorders can come out in physical ticks or habits. Being examined by a professional would definitely lessen your chances of a mis-diagnosis.
grumpy babe. Ahhh I agree! Because researching something that you think you may have is definitely helpful because it can lead you towards getting help or finding ways to cope with what you’re feeling, but it’s not a great idea to go around and tell people that you for sure have that. It’s okay to say that you think you may have something, but it’s damaging to full on say that you do because eventually your body will just start to convince itself that you do and you will start developing things that you’ve convinced yourself that you have. I’ve definitely gone through some depressive episodes, but I don’t tell people that I have depression, I tell people that I am/have been depressed. You can be depressed without having depression and I think it’s important to be clear in the language.
grumpy babe. I think a lot of people are also really misinformed about free therapy and support group options in there own community. If someone lives in even a medium sized city there's almost always a way to get help for free (that is assuming someone is serious enough about getting better, vs. self diagnosing just to write it on their Tumblr bio)
grumpy babe. I was diagnosed with bipopar disorder at 8 and then at 16 found out ive had ptsd and symptoms can be similar and in my case are but are treated very differently and a reason none of my medications worked for me for a long time. Super super important to go to a professional
I think self diagnosis is okay as long as you aren't taking it as 100% truth. For examole, I knew there was something wrong with me when I would get extremely anxious about something as simple as going into a grocery store or making small talk. Eventually I was diagnosed by a professional because I knew I probably did have some sort of anxiety disorder. I agree with your video. I think it's important and even helpful to hear it come from a professional. It validates your worries.
As someone who has both self diagnosed and been "professionally" diagnosed I've seen how doctors can treat patients. My first trip to a psychologist was a video conference where I told her I thought I might be bipolar. She told me I probably wasn't, asked me the same questions I found online in my own research, and told me, yes you are bipolar. Years later I told a different doctor I think I might be autistic, she asked me the same questions I found online, and told me yes you are autistic. While I'm glad my own suspicions were verified, the way the doctors treated me when I voiced those suspicions was enough for me to mistrust the system. I agree that you shouldn't JUST self diagnose, but professional diagnosis isn't available for everyone. This is more of an issue of reforming the system itself, but demonizing self diagnosis itself and making a mentally ill person feel like they have to have that "real" diagnosis is just further stigmatization. Also I watched your other video on the subject and yes a lot of doctors are skeptical about diagnosing girls with autism, especially males, but several mental health professionals I have spoken too have been at least surprised that i have an official diagnosis. I understand that you are studying to be a mental heath professional and are coming from a place of guidance, I just wish to share my personal experience with self diagnosing and why I myself mistrust doctors. I didn't think I was bipolar or autistic because of tumblr, I thought so because I noticed my own behaviors and in my own research came to a conclusion. The important thing is opening up the conversation, especially with those going into the field, so our generation can be the one to reform the mental health system so it works for all people
@Dryer Machine That isn't how it works?? People can lie about results, but they are only hurting themselves. Also how would you rehearse. How would this person know what questions the doctor would ask. Also, some people can't get diagnosed or aren't in a position to get diagnosed.
I'm getting a Ph.D in psychology right now and i think its a very different thing to go online when you're going through a depression or having anxiety and diagnosing yourself than to go online and diagnose yourself with personality disorders. Depression and anxiety are pretty clear cut whereas diagnosing a personality disorder like BPD is difficult and someone can have borderline or narcissistic traits without having the full blown disorder so its very tricky. Even psychologists are very reticent to tell a patient they have a personality disorder because its a lifelong thing thats very hard to treat(even if they think that person has the disorder and frames their treatment from that point of view). People, even psychologists sadly, are so quick to label people they cannot get along with as borderline or narcissistic and doing that to yourself is not going to get you anywhere and these online communities who believe so strongly in self-diagnosis sometimes aid in excusing these behaviors as "well im borderline thats the way i am and thats why i treat ppl this way NOT ALL OF US CAN BE NEUROTYPICAL KAREN" when thats just reinforcing behaviors that aren't healthy and its not helpful to anyone. I also struggle with several mental illnesses so im not speaking just as a therapist.
I started out with self-diagnosing for many years, and I turned out to be exactly right when I finally went to a professional. I guess it just depends on the person though. I can see how someone might misdiagnose them self
Angie Horizon I feel the same way and agree. I am incredibly in tune with myself and aware of my symptoms. I think a partnership and cooperation between client and psychologist is important. The client's knowledge of self and experience is vital as is the expertise of the therapist.
NonViable Venus i totally understand this point. I did extensive research about my depression, and anxiety before being able to seek out a therapist b/c of finances. Finally through a state program, I was able to get services for a year in 2017 into 2018, and was able to better understand my avoidance behaviors, and how to cope with my symptoms of anxiety attacks, and as a result I have become way more attune with myself.
I feel like so many people self diagnose because they WANT a disorder. They want their symptoms to have a cause. So they exaggerate and it mainly ends up making whatever they're going through worse. It's okay to feel sad and not necessarily be depressed. You can go to a therapist and talk about it without being depressed. It's okay to struggle with small symptoms. We all fight our own battles.
I started my mental health journey through self diagnosis. The main problem was that I couldn't be objective and I misdiagnosed. However, it is what pushed me to get help because it was the turning point when I realized I had an actual problem that I couldn't deal with/treat on my own. I just think it is difficult to look at your symptoms objectively without relying solely on your emotions. I think it is always helpful to get a professional opinion. Also, I think the mental health community can be extremely flawed (aren't all communities though?), but there are genuine, informed professionals who want and are prepared to help. I think people colour their opinions based on negative experiences sometimes. It is so disheartening when your first experience with a mental health professional is bad. BUT THERE ARE GOOD ONES TOO I SWEAR.
I agree with the things you've said. Coming from a psychology background as well, I think self diagnosing is dangerous and furthers stigmas that are really misinformed.
I'm always so baffled when I hear "It's expensive". I'm not saying our health system is perfect but here in Germany you absolutely do not have to worry about the costs of getting help, no matter what kind of medical or mental condition you suffer from. Everyone who is insured can get a therapy or medication. Almost everyone has health insurance and money is not an issue when deciding wether you want to get help or not. It's so sad to hear that in a country like the USA people are not insured and that not everyone can get the help they need.
sawyers They obviously know that. They are just sharing their perspective and making the point that wether you are seeking professional help or not shouldn‘t have anything to do with money. I saw that you shared a bit of your story in the comments so why can‘t this person do the same?
Giiirrrlllll I got distracted on how beautiful you look!!!! But definitely, on the topic, I studied psychology too and people should never put a side going to a professional
for me, it's more just trying to understand things. like you said, i don't say "i HAVE adhd" i say "i think i have adhd". really just some sort of label so people understand what i mean.
I do this as well. I exhibit a lot of the symptoms but that doesn't mean I have adhd because there are so many mental illnesses that could have similar symptoms. Maybe it's normal and it's just something we don't talk about because those exist. Idk for sure so it's "I think" not "I have".
I kinda wish you just completely let loose with your point of view. I would also add that self diagnosis has different implications and effects depending how severe your illness is at your current stage. If you've somehow managed to land on your feet after years of mental illness and you're beginning to recover from that and live a full, happy life self diagnosis isn't going to put your life at risk but if you're severely ill self diagnosis is probably just going to feed back into the illness. I say this with the concept of confirmation bias in mind. If you're optimistic and recovering you will be looking for evidence to support your recovery, if you're pessimistic and suffering your mind will automatically be looking for evidence to support how sick and trapped you are. Much more dangerous while you're in a victim mindset, than a growth mindset. I'm glad you made this video and started a discussion.
This is going to be long but I feel the need to share my story. I’ve struggled with anxiety for 6 years (i’m 16 turning 17 next month) I’m a very anxious person clearly and i freak out over the smallest things. I’ll have a slight headache and go straight to the internet and diagnose myself with some disorder or illness I’ve never heard of. In April i thought i was having panic attacks again bc i was having dizziness spells but turns out it was me getting a cold and I got an ear infection. I got antibiotics for it it went away (i thought so). It continued. And I started getting congested again. But no cough or nothing. I went to multiple doctors and they told me it could be allergies or sinusitis. So my doctor gave me strong antibiotics and she told me the side effects and the day after I started taking them I started to research like CRAZY and I dig myself into a giant hole and start to panic and such. After getting an allergy test and me not being allergic to anything I finally got a CT scan and my sinuses were VERY infected. so i was to start steroids and antibiotics. I googled the SHIT out of the steroids and saw all the side effects and everything and I couldn’t get them out of my head so I talked myself into having so many terrible side effects. I then started looking into Chronic Sinus Infections and saw they could go to the brain and you could die so yet again more anxiety and panic attacks. I finished my round of antibiotics and steroids and I was still having symptoms and so I went in for another CT scan and my left side cleared completely but my right side was still congested so I had to do another month of steroids. Here I am 2 weeks into steroids and antibiotics again and I have an ear infection from a cold I got from someone at school. I cannot explain to you how shitty it is to look up everything you feel and scare yourself shitless about what you may have. My therapist thinks I’m a hypochondriac. I’m starting to believe it. I am not as bad as I was a month ago and i am slowly learning to control my urge to self diagnose myself. It is hard. It had ruined a lot of things for me.
So I have dealt with depression since around the 7th grade. Self harm for about 4 years between 8th-11th grade. And anxiety since I was a small child. I'm currently 29 years old. I've never been professionally diagnosed because I'm poor. I don't take meds because I don't have insurance. I can't afford therapy. I also majored in psychology (unfortunately had to drop out due to the aforementioned being poor) because I wanted to maybe be in a position one day to help others like myself. It's sad to say but there is a gate keeper to mental health in this country and it's income.
Where I live appointments with psychiatrists and psychologists don't cost a thing. Of course the meds can still get pretty hefty in price, but still, I think mental healthcare should be free everywhere.
it might be best to talk about the toxicity of _all_ social media platforms because theres already enough people complaining about how tumblr... is a thing. that people use. like get a tumblr account and- WITHOUT LOOKING FOR THEM -try to see if any of the "toxic cringy" stuff appears on your dash.
I swear tumblr is pissing me off so much. I feel like almost everyone on there is "depressed" "has ocd" and more. Now I'm not saying they're all faking it but it's just too obvious.
beautyplayground I totally agree. As someone that legitimately has the diagnosis for both depression and OCD, I find it to be very harmful to how serious my disorders are taken. The severity is lowered when everyone says they have it without an actual diagnosis.
I agree. I have personal experience with depression (I was actually just diagnosed) and my best friend has OCD. We both struggle and our illnesses are very hard to deal with. We have a teacher that claims to be "CDO". It drives us crazy, especially her. Mostly because she is just a clean person. I'm glad Sarah did this video because I've been thinking about it
And everyone says that they have social anxiety disorder, but think that it means that you maybe get nervous in social situations. I know someone like this irl and I told her that I have social anxiety and she told be she has that too... but then she got really confused why I had panic attacks, neck/jaw/back-pain from being too stiff, shaking and or sweating hands, a pressed voice and many other symptoms because she thought it means just feeling uncomfortable.
Not to mention all the people that think simply overreacting and being a bitch to someone else makes them "bipolar." *News flash* sweetie, bipolar happens over weeks not seconds. Ugh.
Just like you can't self diagnose a physical illness, you can't self diagnose a mental illness, I think. BUT I think it makes sense to do research and try to figure out what's going on, just like you would do with a stomach pain or skin rash!
I somewhat self diagnosed myself with Social Anxiety Disorder a couple years ago, as in I saw someone talk about their struggles with it (I had never heard of it prior to that) and I suddenly felt like there was a name for this thing I've been experiencing pretty much my entire life. I then started doing my research on it and felt a bit better in the sense that there was finally a reason for my reactions toward certain situations. When I finally went to see a psychiatrist it turnt out that I had Generalized Anxiety Disorder (although the biggest part were still social situations) and Depression. Because I was 17 at the time an IQ Test was mandatory at their facility, which I think is very helpful since a very high or low IQ can obviously take a toll on your mental state (something that is hard to self diagnose). So I think it is great to look into what your symptoms might mean, however there are many other factors that you might be blind to, that a professional could catch, (slightly) changing your overall diagnosis.
Self diagnosing I think is a good starter. Because you might read into it more and be like no this doesn't completely fit me, and so you read into something else that almost sisters the previous disorder. However, I think getting professional help is good because sometimes people aren't completely intune with their own thoughts and feelings and sometimes misinterpret them. Plus, it's not like there's only a few mental illnesses and it's easy to figure out which one it is. There are so many different illnesses, and so many different versions, or stages that just assuming you have this one thing can be harmful. Think about something like bipolar. Everyone knows the very basic bipolar version with the"Super happy, positive, feels like they are untouchable" and the "Manic, depressed, angry" sides. But there are bipolars that have different manias, so trying to fit yourself into the few boxes you know of doesn't help you, because there are more "boxes" behind those ones.
Actually, ignoring the advice of doctors because you think you might have a deadly physical disease is in itself a mental illness. It's a form of OCD called Health Anxiety - formerly known as hypochondria.
I'm not against people trying to put a name on their feelings. Some people really don't have access to get a professional diagnosis, so I see where self-diagnosing could therefore be useful. However, I do agree with you on the language thing. I don't think someone should say "I have [x]" unless they have a professional diagnosis, I think phrases like "I may have [x]," "I think I have [x]," or "I display tendencies similar to [x]" are more productive. However, I am completely against the pro-self diagnosing community on tumblr that makes it "fashionable" to have as many labels as possible. That's when we get into glamorizing mental illness, and that's not okay.
I agree with you. Although for me, it was kinda like one of the movie scenes. Which is kinda off topic. But I knew I felt bad and tumblr always tried to tell me "Well hey, that's definitely depression!", but I didn't want to believe it so I just kept telling myself I'm just lazy, well no, tumblr was right. A while later, after 4 months of me living in a mental ward (where I had to stay because of the depression, duh), I got diagnosed with borderline. I read about in on my journey through tumblr, but I never thought I'd have it because I couldn't relate to a lot things the 'bpd community' wrote. Back then I thought mental illness was the same for everyone, and everyone would have to suffer from the same symptoms, otherwise you weren't actually sick. Thank you tumblr for making me believe that lol.
Hi Sarah, I never really comment on videos, but I felt like I wanted to share. But, I am currently a Psychology major in school, and let me tell you, you're videos really do help me understand more. There are things your videos that you explain better than my textbook or even my professor can explain. So I thank you for videos like this, and all your other Psych related videos!
I think you definitely know when something is wrong with you and i also think you mostly know in what direction your illness is going. For example, i know i have problems with anxiety. But i don't know if it's social anxiety or some other form of anxiety because i wasn't diagnosed so far and i am going to terminate with my therapist soon bc I don't feel comfortable around her anymore and i am too afraid to search for another right now. I also knew i was suffering and assumed it could be depression before a professional confirmed it and only since then i actually say that I have depression. So in my opinion, you can't self-diagnose a specific illness unless you are a trained professional yourself but you can know the category you fall under and that can help a lot already.
I would class myself as self diagnosed, as despite my psychologist saying it's very likely I have bpd, I don't have an official diagnosis, however I do still believe that I have this disorder. I still wouldn't claim that I have an official diagnosis even though a qualified medical professional has given their viewpoint on it. I live in the UK meaning I can access free medical care and free mental health services but in my experience the only useful help I got was when I went private, and a lot of people can't afford this. I definitely agree that you should say that it's likely I have this rather than saying for definite, it's definitely a positive way to express self diagnosis without being elitist or coming across as someone who believes they are above medical health professionals. This video was very well put across and was really helpful and polite, so thank you for this!!
For me, I self diagnosed myself because I can't get help. I don't know how to reach out and get the help I know I need, especially since I can no longer talk to my school counselor about my issues after something she did. I found myself relating to symptoms of depression a bit too much but I tried to deny it. I knew I had gone through a point in my life where I was clearly not fine(I had self harmed in hopes someone would notice and help me get the help I clearly needed) but I thought it was over. Then i sunk into an even lower point in my life where all those thoughts and feelings I had just escalated and I lost all the confidence I had just recently gained. I started having suicidal thoughts and at one point almost tried to end it. It wasn't until after that low point in my life where I began to consider that I was dealing with some sort of depression. I didn't really "diagnose" myself until I was talking to a friend and we were talking about one of our friends who had been faking something similar and my friend said that nobody in our friend group had depression. I admitted to her that I felt that I might have depression. She had done some research on it previously and helped me figure it out, helping realize things I hadn't before. I still haven't had the chance to get help but figuring it out did make it just a little easier to live with because now I understand why I might think or do certain things instead of just calling myself stupid or lazy. On the other hand, I had a friend who was forced to self-diagnose because when she sought help, it didn't help. She had psychosis which is like a milder form of schizophrenia. Her therapist/doctor kept insisting she just had anxiety, even when things got worse and she developed full-on schizophrenia and was basically going insane. She would have attacks where she believed that her crush who horribly rejected her was strangling her and controlling her and still her doctor/therapist insisted it was just anxiety.
yes yes yes BLESS the thing about saying probably or most likely that's how i "self diagnose" for awhile (only till i get the courage to ask to get help)
My family doesn't bring me to a doctor and, though we have a counselor at our school, past experiences with my problems being brushed aside have lead me to just keeping to myself, so self-diagnosis is really the only route for me at the moment. But I totally agree with the 'I think I have x' or 'I might/probably have x' thing!
I love your content so much, Sarah. When I start my psych channel, this is absolutely a topic I want to cover. I always love your thoughts and it's so nice to find someone who is not only as passionate as I am about these matters, but someone who I can always agree with. xx
Until therapy is free we can’t really criticise anyone for self diagnosing because therapy is a privilege right now when it should be a right. I think you’re right though how you say it makes all the difference “ I’m struggling with poor mental health I think I have xyz” is way less dangerous than just outright claiming to have a disorder you don’t know much about I get why people do it honestly. I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety from a very young age but recently my mum was diagnosed with Aspergers at 50 and it really concerned me because we share the same behaviours and I don’t want to wait until I’m 50 for someone to notice that I have it too when it could really help my healing to have that information. I’ve told both my doctor and my therapist and none of them have taken steps to test me for it or even acknowledge it they are very dismissive and it’s infuriating as it’s a serious worry for me.
Hi, just wanted to share my experience on this :) About a year ago I felt like I was 'going crazy' and seeked professional help. I spent two months going to therapy and wasn't being taken seriously. I asked the therapist for a diagnosis and she said that if she gave me one, I might actually feel worse. Then I went to another therapist and since the first session told her what I thought I might have, but she immediately disregarded it and after a few months of getting nowhere (or even a diagnosis), I quit therapy. After extensive research I was finally able to confirm my thoughts, and a friend's friend who is a therapist, offered to help. However, he never did, because my disorder is unfamiliar to him and also because I self-diagnosed. Recently I found reiki and meditation help a lot, and I imagine that the right psychological treatment would work wonders, but the only specialist in my city charges for one session, more than I make in a week. That's all, I hope you found it somewhat interesting...
I appreciate resources like Kati Morton for information around different illnesses, she goes through what the DSM requires for diagnosis and then what it will look like in clients. While she can't be accurate for everyone's symptoms, she works in the profession, sees clients and has experience. I think also diagnosis in and of itself can be pointless. Sure, you may fit all the criteria for a specific disorder or illness, and it may impact your life enough to grand diagnosis, but if you can seek treatment for it without being pidgeonholed, why get a label?
Thank you so much for doing this video. I share your opinion on the Tumblr community as I have also seen some very disturbing things (and some glamorization of various mental illnesses, but that's something else). As a teenager, it's extremely hard and frustrating to talk about mental illnesses you "possibly/probably " have because most people assume that you are going through something normal and that everything is hormone related. I have felt depressed on and off for almost five years now and it hasn't really changed (it became a little worse). No one really listens to me because I seem happy most of the time in public (when I'm hanging out with my friends or in class) because if I don't people tell me that I'm anti social and an overall cold person when I actually like having friends and even maybe a relationship, I just don't know how and it's so hard for me to talk to new people. On another note, I really love your videos and I think that you are extremely stunning and beautiful! :)
I show every single symptom for misophonia, but the disorder is so unknown that it's very difficult to get a professional diagnosis. After doing extensive research and reading blogs by people who suffer from it, I've just kind of started saying I have it anyway because I have related on a deep level to every single post or text I've seen about having it and living with it. People I speak to who don't have it can't relate to my experience at all, so I've come to the conclusion that I suffer from the disorder. I feel like this is different from self diagnosing with something like depression, because loads of people experience at least some symptoms without having the disorder. For some reason I can't quite explain, I feel like me diagnosing myself with that is fine, but I would never diagnose myself with something more common, like depression, despite showing symptoms of that too.
In my experience, I knew all the stigma around mental illness was often based on the "self diagnosed tumblr kid", and this stigma very badly impacted me. I went for years saying to myself "I can't say I'm depressed, I can self diagnose" and this whole stigma was so damaging to me. My partner, 2 years after we were together, had to call my mum and ask her to make me an appointment and it took me over a year to be able to accept that I have some sort of problem. I am against self diagnosis when you replace it with an official diagnosis, but not when you're saying you have symptoms of it
I’m mildly conflicted about it as if you self diagnose with something that is common such as depression or anxiety it’s likely that it is plausible. But I see quite a few people who diagnosed themselves with dissociative identity disorder (that’s a popular one in certain circles ) which is most likely not possible. These people get very upset when you say something about it too.
Hey Sarah! I've never commented one of your videos before but now I just have to because you did so well! I agree with you and there is truly this ambivalence with the pro and cons of self-diagnosing. The most negative thing I see here is that people begin to label themselves and ARE their "disorder". I'm a psychology graduate in Germany and I think the whole classification system is good for help on the one side, but on the other side it can be really devastating to be classified into a scheme. xx
But what if you are a licensed professional and you self diagnose? Like you've diagnosed other ppl... can you diagnose yourself? Idk I'm just curious. (Btw I completely agree with everything you said)
Sofa Kitty self diagnosing has the one major flaw where people are biased about themselves. No one may know you better than you, but also you could be very misinformed about yourself and your perception. So there for even therapists have their own therapists.
Sofa Kitty I'm a psych major about to graduate and start grad school in counseling psychology so I will be a licensed professional in a few years. Maybe I can help? I think Sarah's argument is coming from her personal experience as well as her educational background, which she mentioned in the video. I took a course called abnormal psychology and we learned the pros and cons about self-diagnosis and had a discussion with our opinions on it after we learned both sides, which many of us including myself don't have an extremist view on. I changed my major after that class because I told my teacher "great well I have all of the things so this makes sense to me". She told us that we may be likely to feel that way because when you learn about illnesses, sometimes you identify too closely with them. It's actually an issue for medical students as well. Anyway, I have to take abnormal again on a graduate level for my program so if self-diagnosis comes up again next January when I take it, I'll comment on one of Sarah's videos to share my experience! I think professionals do know a lot but that never takes away from what you know about yourself. You're your own advocate and I think you should never stop fighting to get the help you need. My therapist right now actually doesn't like labels and I had to get my accommodations for school through my old therapist because she won't diagnose me. That can be frustrating but some clinicians have strong opinions with diagnosing a client too quickly. My best advice would be to get a neuropsychological evaluation as that will show what clinical illnesses you exemplify through a battery of tests done by someone in the field with their doctorate! If you ever want more feedback, look out for me in the comments. I hold a lot of similar opinions to Sarah and am working hard on sharing the knowledge I learn both through my own treatment and school! I hope my ramble helped. I think you can't fully diagnose yourself but honestly, if you think "ok I have this disorder so cbt and therapy might help" then do it!! That helps most mental health issues anyway. Even if you wanted to try dbt, I'm not borderline and I have the workbook because I absolutely love it. Also I take mood stabilizers instead of antidepressants because they sometimes can treat anxiety disorders despite being known to treat bipolar disorder! These are all things to look into but I think the main danger of self-diagnosing is choosing your own psych meds without consulting a professional first. You don't want to be on antidepressants unless you need them, you know? And you totally don't have to take medication either! That's up to you, always.
I had a professor who self diagnosed herself with OCD and general anxiety disorder.When she described her daily routines and how there were certain things she had to do (part of the OCD) in order to have a normal, functioning day, it fit within the diagnosis for OCD as well as GAD. I feel as if, at least with the people I was in contact with, they do not make their self diagnosis easily and definitely would not proclaim them to a classroom of people unless they were sure.
I completely agree with you! I major in psych too, and I feel that we all have to draw a line when people ruminate excessively over a diagnosis, be it self or through professional help. There's plenty of individuals on tumblr who are desperate for a label, and exhaust so much energy trying to validate what they THINK they have. Adaptive coping and self-care overlaps with so many mental illnesses and is also open to the neurotypical, you absolutely don't need a label to be a better you. Rather, ruminating over a label is a self-fulfilling prophecy and/or disrupts your chances of feeling better anyway...
I don't appreciate self diagnosis, because most people who self diagnose take from people who actually have the disorders and make it much more romantic. You get where I'm coming from?
You were so eloquent in this video. Even though I agree with what you're saying, I think you did a great job getting your view across while still being mindful of those who may not share your views. Nice one! (Also your hair and makeup looks amazing) x
I strongly agree with every statement made in this. I personally used some self diagnosing techniques before i went to my doctors about it but i did this because i wanted to make sure that there was something actually wrong. The worst part about mental illnesses is that its not like the flu where your symptoms are obvious. Sometimes little symptoms for mental disorders seem petty and like stupid ticks. The last thing i wanted to do was go in to the doctor and say that i cant chew on only one side of my mouth and then him say "well thats just weird. Youre perfectly fine." i had to do my research on the topic to be able to go in and state my symptoms and say "hey i think i have this and heres why". It made the process much shorter and we were able to evaluate things much easier. For me its more of an informational method than it is a diagnostic method. Its really helpful and a good way to find more info but its not a guaranteed answer or diagnosis. Plus if you self diagnose you cant get the medication without going ti a doctor who has to diagnose you anyway. So why not just go to a doctor and say "hey i think i have this and this is why". In the end its always going ti be easier to just go to your doctor. If you have a shitty doctor then try to find a new one.
I feel you hit on a very important caveat in this video and that is the phrasing and I also believe that a preferred term might be "potentially". "I might POTENTIALLY have (fill in issue here)." This phrase opens the door to open ended exploring with others, be they professionals or not. It tells the recipient of this information that "Although I am uncertain, I have done my research and many of the symptoms seem to line up. BUT, I am also open to the reality that it might be something else manifesting as this issue or it might be nothing at all." This makes everyone aware that you are first, seeking help and that is important, which is really one of the best purposes of early self diagnosis, the fact that you recognize that there IS actually a problem and that you are now willing to explore avenues of treatment. Second, it shows your willingness to be open to different diagnosis as the process moves forward. I feel you stated accurately, this should not a be a one or the other camp, that both self diagnosis and professional help work best when they work in concert with one another... i.e. "I recognize there is an issue, I therefore investigated symptoms and POSSIBLE illnesses that might manifest as (THIS) and I am now coming to professionals to either confirm what I have found, offer a different diagnosis or offer different solutions." Well said ma'am and your videos keep getting better. Have a great day, an even better week and I look forward to the next video Miss Hawkinson.
I completely understand the dislike for the mental health system, I'm not fond of it myself as someone who's been through it pretty much my whole life. You were really spot on in this video.
Your balanced take on this is so helpful. I'm intrigued about your video coming up on the flawed mental health system as I have my own issues with it, but I'm quite like you in respecting the sort of "process" if you will. My mum has been sectioned countless times since the age of 18 and has a very intense and different experience than me. As you can imagine that mental hospitals in the late 80s and early 90s couldn't be completely exemplary. There was a lot of abuse from other patients along with abuses of power and medications she was allergic to that she almost died taking initially that she was repeatedly prescribed. Plus the police are always the first to deal with a mentally ill person when they have a "breakdown" so there's been a lot of police brutality and bad shit that's making me angry while I type. Anyway, I expect it will be an interesting video as there's a lot of perspectives
I totally agree with this. I have self-diagnosed, but I am conscious that unless I go with a professional there's the possibility that I do have it, that I don't have it, or that I have a whole other thing that I didn't even consider before. In my place, self diagnosis has helped me getting along with what I think is depression, anxiety/panic attacks, other stuff; just because I can call it something, and I feel that gives me some kind of control over what I'm feeling, but sometimes I get scared that I'm inflicting in myself something I don't really have. Sometimes telling myself "no no, you dont have that, you're just feeling bad about____" can get me out of a bad emotional situation by force (I mean , it may not be the most healthy, I'm basically verbally abusing myself, but that's a whole other story). The thing is, I haven't gone for professional help 'cause i don't know which is scarier: them telling me everything is fine when I certainly don't feel that way, or them maybe even telling me I'm more unhealthy than I thought. This video gives me more motivation to seek professional help, and just be sure of my situation and then treat it accordingly, so thanks :)
I self diagnosed with depression and anxiety. Going through that process of researching and educating myself lead me to take steps to seek out help professionally but I am so thankful for the groups I found along the way that really helped me out.
I agree with most of what you said. Of course I can't say that I'm completely unbiased, since most of the people I've seen etc. are not like the people you're talking about :'D Most of them are underage, so getting a treatment is not about money (since in Finland the healthcare system is 'free' for minors). They're more of the "ohhh I have moodswings so I must be bipolar ohhh I'm so special" kind of people. And if you ask them about getting into therapy etc. they completely avoid the topic. So from what I've seen, I'd say self-diagnosing is mostly bad thing. The people I've seen stigmatize mentalhealth problem even more, and even if they really had some sort of problem they could be diagnosing the wrong one for themselves. However being like "oh well the things I fell etc. match this mentalhealth problem really well so I might have it and should seek help" is completely different thing. And of course amongst adults there’s the money thing too.
i've been questioning myself whether or not self diagnosing would be best, and this video really helps a lot. thank you for helping me! i've always been cautious of tumblr because of this.
This is really good! I love your video, because it really shed some light on this topic. In my opinion, I think one reason why some people self diagnose is because they don't have the money to see a therapist, or they're afraid that the therapist/psychologist will push them into going on some kind of medication that may be harmful to their body. I personally don't have the money to see a therapist, because I'm a college student who's trying to save up for tuition. Lately, I've been having a lot of anxiety, to the point where I get panic attacks. Now, I'm not sure if I really do have anxiety, because it would be wrong to say that since it's so common, but I have looked up natural remedies in order to combat it so that I won't have to go through that process. I guess it really just depends on the person, and how severe their symptoms are. I say, if your symptoms are getting out of hand, to the point where it's physically affecting you, then yes, please seek help. But if it's not as bad, or the symptoms are just starting to show, then try to see if you can combat it using other alternatives before seeking a professional.
I agree with you almost completely. I feel like self diagnosis is not an official diagnosis, but it can make someone aware of an issue that they weren't aware was a potential problem. Doing research on mental illnesses can lead to "intern syndrome," which is basically relating to a mental disorder more than one should, which is why I'm weary of self diagnosing. I was completely unaware that I was outside of the norms when I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety, like "Wait, not everyone is always worrying about such little things and hating themselves?" because I lived my entire life up to that point thinking it was just how life was. On the other hand, I forget exactly where I found it, but I stumbled across a concept of compulsively picking and pulling at skin or hair being something people suffered with. I'd done it for years and thought I was completely alone and it was just a personal issue, but I then decided to tell my doctor about the picking and pulling and she basically evaluated me to make sure that it was that and not something else. Learning about these obscure things can help bring awareness to problems that one may not have realized was actually a thing that could be treated.
But what about psychologists that don't want to "label" their patients by telling them that they have a certain disorder? I don´t understand. I wanted to know what is wrong with me, to have a professional opinion, but my therapist doesn't want to tell me :( (btw sorry for my english, is not my native language)
Aline Cruz Sometimes issues don’t fit can’t be categorised is specific boxes. You probably do have a mental health problem but it’s not one that can be easily diagnosed or one that follows a specific pattern like the disorders in the DSM.
It depends on the situation, for example a lot of personality dissorders can't be diagnosed if the person is to young, or maybe they would want to get to know the patient better before diagnosis, there's probably more reasons I don't know.
Honestly, I find people who are against self diagnose to be quite elitist...not everyone can afford good health care. In my country you can theoretically have access to public care but you can only get a session every 3-4 months and they have a hundred or more patients per doctor so it is humanly impossible to do it properly. I already knew i had depression after a long time of research and living with myself, but for her half an hour of talking (not even in private) about a couple symptoms was enough to diagnose me and try to prescribe medication. Needless to say this is a very unsafe system, and private care is not cheap at all. And it is important for many to be able to identify their problems to get a hold of it, to feel validated. I already feel guilty and powerless enough knowing what i have, that it's an illness and not what defines me. When you say I can't diagnose myself it means that this little power I have over my illness is exclusive to doctors and that I shouldnt be trusted with the imposition of a label thats gonna impact my whole life but a woman who met me for thirty minutes can because she could afford (mentally and economically) to get a title. Self diagnose doesnt intend to substitute proper therapy but it helps a lot and if professionals really cared more about people with mental illnessthan they do about ego en power dinamics, there would put our more self diagnose resources. Its easy to complain about information being wrong and dangerous when you refuse to actually provide any of that information to anyone without money
we like chocolate This is a really interesting take on this topic. For me I look at self-diagnosis as something that is merely an indicator, in the way a stomach pain could indicate indigestion all the way to something much more serious, and I think that is why it's important to take your own self diagnosis as an indicator to guide you in making decisions about your mental health rather than taking it at face value, because realistically it could potentially be dangerous. But I definitely agree that the mental health systems in place world wide are all incredibly underfunded & often very inaccessible, and that is important to bring to light. I do think however that it is ok to listen to experts, they spend a huge amount of time (and yes money), in a very competitive field to learn as much as they can to help people, they have often spent a minimum of 6 years of their lives (and that is merely the bare minimum, and the learning will continue forever) concentrating on just that one topic, which is a great deal of time. They may not know everything about you the way you do initially, but they know a world about how to learn about you & how to help you. However the amazing thing about the internet & the accessibility of it is that we do have access to a lot of information and we can use that as a starting point, it's just unfortunate that mental health isn't a major priority in most healthcare systems throughout the world
I agree that it is important to listen to professionals, I've seen the benefits of good therapy and truly believe that psychologists are very underrated and can do a lot of good. My problem is that there are many that, because they're assholes, because of working conditions, flawed educations or because anyone is capable of human error, do things and treat patients in ways that are quite despicable. And still have a sense of superiority and condescendence towards patients, expect us to trust them blindly and deny our ability to know ourselves. The system and the professionals are not perfect, and I think completely justifiable to respond to this by using your own resources. Do they expect us to just sit down and wait for things to get better while our minds are deteriorating? They should at least recognize these flaws and make more resources available instead of getting mad because suddenly they're not the only ones who can label us
spiralveins The issue with self-diagnosing though is that many illnesses overlap and have similar traits, as well as they affect people differently. For example, I thought I could potentially have bipolar ii disorder, and though I never self diagnosed, I brought up my concerns with my doctor and got a referral. Turns out, I have ADHD and Anxiety, which account a lot for my periods of hyper fixation, run on sentences, rapid speech, higher creativity, and other symptoms similar to hypomania. Currently, I am bringing up my concerns about low mood with my doctor, as even on ADHD medication, it hasn’t gone away, implying it is not a symptom of ADHD (which it definitely can be for many people). My point is, you may think you know yourself inside-out, and this is true, but you don’t know disorders the way professionals do. Not to mention, there is certainly a skewed and almost biased perception of the self, which will hinder you from properly assessing your symptoms.
For the longest time I thought that I had BPD. If I had stayed in therapy, I probably would have been misdiagnosed with BPD. However, I was never 100% comfortable with my thoughts on having BPD, so I was constantly researching and learning about the illness. I finally found information on how many people with ASD are misdiagnosed with BPD. Turns out that I am actually (most likely) just autistic, and I am 100% comfortable with that for various reasons. Self diagnosing myself with ASD has given me such relief, and I am taking steps to taking better care of myself. Just an example of how self diagnosing has helped me, but I completely agree with everything you've said.
I personally think that I could have some more underlying issues that I don't know about that could be this or that but I'm not for sure.I'm scared & worried about going back to a therapist because my previous experiences weren't the best at all plus I'm not finically able to afford it right now so I'm in a bit of a pickle here.I understand what you're saying and I agree.Changing the language and how you word/say things can come across a bit better than just assuming you have this or that based off of research you've done yourself.I'm not saying that if you feel you might have this,that,or find something that fits you that you're wrong but you can't be 100% sure if you just do it on your own. Love you Sarah ! I always enjoy your videos ! This is just my opinion and I respect your opinion if it differs from mine 💙
I am really in love with your videos, you made me more opened and actually love psychology more ,but off topic I think you would look so good with short hair , because you see how your long bangs are dangling , I imagined your hair at that lenght and guurl you looking good , anyways you still look good with your actual lenght .Love u
I’m already in therapy, and been hospitalized and in group homes but I’m bipolar and been diagnosed like 4 times but also I’ve been diagnosed w ASD twice and she’s convinced that I only have ASD and wants to take me off my meds that she thinks I “don’t need “ but I go crazy w/o them.. I’m pretty definite I have both high functioning ASD and bipolar
i totally agree with this. i was professionally diagnosed with psychosis when i was 16 (and yay i'm turning 21 this year and have basically recovered from it), but my process of getting better actually started with self diagnosis. so i think self 'diagnosing' could be a good starting point for people because the first step to getting better is to realise you need help, but of course, after the realisation, it is always best to seek professional help. i'm not sure about America, but here in hong kong, there are NGOs that allow you to declare your household income and let you pay a lot less or even receive help from counsellors for free.
I did self diagnose myself for anxiety but after watching your videos I now know instead of saying I have GAD I say I have anxiety problems. Thank you for your teachings!
While I agree with some sentiments of this, it’s important to remember that getting a proper diagnosis is not always the safest course. As someone who has been trying to see someone about autism, since I do believe I have it, I’ve heard a lot of stories regarding why some autistic people won’t get a proper diagnosis. While things like depression and anxiety are becoming very accepted in society, things like autism and schizophrenia (which I was looking into as a possible reason for my symptoms at one time) are often still greeted with hostility and legal trouble. I am all for official diagnosis, but only if it is safe for you to pursue one. There have been cases of schizophrenic people and autistic people having to suddenly defend their rights to be a parent or be independent all because they now have an official diagnosis. In these instances, it may have been safer to continue with a self diagnosis, particularly when the condition is not affecting their ability to parent or be independent. This isn’t just “oh, they got a diagnosis and *then* wanted to live independently or start a family,” this is affecting people who have already been living independently or raising children for years, then suddenly having to fight for custody against the state or being forced into a supervised living facility. This is a part of the diagnosis discussion that is left out far too often. It’s not just a matter of “I know better,” because, no, you don’t, that’s why they had to have specialized training and a buttload of school, but a matter of preserving your right to be treated as a person. On a side note, there’s also certain conditions where a diagnosis may not be necessary to get proper care. As far as I know, I was never officially diagnosed with anxiety or depression, but I answered a questionnaire and was given medication to treat these disorders. I only saw my primary care physician for this, and everyone acts like PCPs can’t diagnose these disorders, that you need a mental health specialist to do this, so if that’s true, I guess I’m being treated for disorders I’m not suppose to claim I have? That’s just bizarre to me.
Obviously I’m 4 months late to this but I’d still like to write a comment. Before I was actually diagnosed with anxiety, OCD and depression I was very aware of the symptoms of all off them. I was told by my mum that I could have anxiety and after looking into it more almost all of my symptoms fit, the same occurred with my depression. But I honestly feel that it made me go to the doctor about it, he confirmed my anxiety and later once I’d been to one shitty therapist, then group therapy and finally CBT my depression and OCD were also confirmed. It’s partly a relief when you’re actually diagnosed because you feel validated and it’s good to know that you’re not just making things up or being dramatic but without my severe suspicions and partial self diagnosis I probably wouldn’t have gotten help. I also feel that as I’m young (16 now but I was 14 when I first went to the doctor) I wasn’t taken seriously until I was aware of the symptoms and I could list them and explain myself fully. Sorry for the super long comment, great video as always though and I agree with what you’re saying.
I think self diagnosing is fine when you have a reason. For example, 'Somethings been wrong for a while and afters hours of research, I think I may have depression' and 'My boyfriend of 2 weeks broke up with me and I dont know how to act'.
This is spot on. Especially because many disorders have high comorbidity. I always hated that in high school, people just decided what mental illness they had.
I was brought here due to your Tweet being retweeted by Channon Rose. You gained a new follower here! This topic is controversial but I feel you covered it with poise!
#1 loved your look today #2 I self diagnosed starting high school because I saw a pattern and when I took my ONE psych course it just set it in stone for me that I had to be suffering from what I felt all along After my one psych course I tried to ask my dad to help me find help. Didn't work out. When he offered years later I was so angry, I turned him down. I still have similar feelings I did before I just hate trying to find the right person or asking for help. I understand how it could be dangerous or counterproductive but I do see it as something that can be helpful "in the moment"
I was diagnosed with DID and as being antisocial- however, I was almost arrested for something I had never done, and detained for days, chained up. I know this is rare, but due to my experience, I'll never be able to enter another hospital- my being being, I get why some people might not be able to seek therapy or a professional diagnosis.
Very much agree. Things that I self diagnose I always talk about as 'most likely' (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) and things I have been diagnosed with I talk about as things I have (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder). The thing I struggle most with though are how one or two disorders I've read and sought out help for seem to relate to me in every way, but conflict with my OCD. For this reason it's rather scary to talk to a professional for fear they take one look at my mental health history and immediately decide I can't have something if I have something else (no matter how little the impact of my ocd is on the disorder)
Another thing that makes seeing a professional so important is that mental health problems can be symptoms of other ailments like hormonal issues, neurological issues, etc, so sometimes treatment will be different. It is especially important if for they are caused by something like a brain tumour to catch it early!
Yeah I agree. I knew I had depression and an anxiety disorder. I did research on it for years before I accepted help. Self diagnosing is a good start but I never said "I have depression and anxiety" until I was professionally diagnosed. I agree with what u said and how it can be positive but harmful too.
i have anxiety for about 5 years, it developed into ocd which i have for about 3 years now, i haven't been diagnosed by a professional because my psychiatrist literally traumatised me on the first meeting so i stopped seeing her, even though i should do that regulary since that day i had breakdowns, i had panic attacks but i learned to take care of my mental health myself, i got used to this kind of life long time ago and i'm more or less alright now i actually agree with you, most people are against self diagnosing, even though you can literally find so much information about mental illnesses online, such as symptoms, menatlly ill people's stories, bunch of researches, i don't get this kind of view, like everyone knows how to use internet, right? as a grown up person i can verify that i don't romatice anxiety or ocd, i don't need attention and pity which is one of the reasons why my first meeting with a psychiatrist traumatised me also, let's not forget that in some countries mental health is not considered important, for example, in my country no one really gives a shit about mental health, that's why we have so many suicidal people, suicide level (sounds dumb, it probably isn't called like that) is very high, mentally ill people get teased, laughed at, basically no gives a crap about mental disorders (maybe that's why i have never went to a different psychiatrist i originally had to)
Well; I have been right about 99% of my own assumptions regarding what I "have". I think someone like me whom researches psychology almost every day (not professionally though) and has for more than 15 years, is ok to self suspect a diagnosis.
my experience with diagnosis and opinion: when i went to the doctor for the first time i was like “okay yeah i’m pretty sad and i hurt myself i guess i get that” but when i was diagnosed with anxiety i was like what? (i was only 12, keep this in mind) i had heard of it but i wasn’t aware that and didn’t believe them. i can never fully understand people who had to tell their parents about their mental illnesses, so i don’t really know where i stand. i think it’s good to have an idea of what is wrong and what you think you’re experiencing and to try to help yourself as much as you can if you don’t want professional help, but i guess this goes back in to the topic of glorification, as i don’t like how people say they have something and flaunt it like it makes them better
Before I started seeing a counsellor I self-diagnosed myself with anxiety (GAD) as a placeholder. I had done extensive research, done online screenings, and visited a lot of online resources so I knew as much as possible about anxiety. HOWEVER I had also done research on many other mental illnesses to make sure I wasn't missing something. And I think that's where people often go wrong in self diagnosing. They only research this one thing and then they think they have that even though it's the only one they know a lot about. I also only believe in self diagnosing when it's used as placeholder to get help and get a solid diagnosis. I approached my school counsellor (who's actually really great, he's helped me a ton) by asking about it after originally self-diagnosing (sort of, I hadn't told anyone I had this or anything.) to kind of give this thing a name, and now even though I still haven't gotten a solid diagnosis we refer to it as anxiety. I'm planning on asking my parents about seeing a doctor so I can maybe get a solid solid diagnosis and I can get proper treatment, be it therapy or medication (even though medication is scary as fuck and makes my chest tighten when I think about it.) or anything in between or outside of that range.
When I was suffering from severe anxiety that was constant and chronic I did some self diagnosing. Although I might not have what I think, the coping suggestions online really helped me. The sad thing is I would love to go to a therapist, but have been forever traumatized from a bad past experience. I became very ill as a teenager and when I went to the Dr. he asked if I had anxiety. I said I did, but it was because I was sick all the time and it was ruining my grades. He did some tests, said there was nothing wrong with me and said I needed therapy. I should have never admitted I had anxiety because there was something VERY wrong with me. In fact I was dying from a severe infection in my stomach. They proceeded to give me anxiety meds which are known to destroy your stomach which only worsened the problem until I was in so much pain I couldn't function and found a new Dr. that didn't think I was mentally ill and found the actual issue. After that that anxiety diagnoses was on my record. Once I aged out and couldn't go to the Dr. that saved me, the new Drs. would see I had anxiety on my chart and treat me like I was a hypochondriac. Thankfully I was able to get it off my chart and get my other health issues resolved that were residual of that horrible infection. I will never set foot in a therapist office again because of the hell I went through just for admitting I have anxiety. I don't judge those that self diagnose because I can't. You really never know why people do what they do. Stigma is still such a problem and for it to be so bad I am afraid a Dr. won't take me seriously if it is in my chart is disgusting. But I have to protect myself and will deal with my anxiety on my own.
I’ve self diagnosed my anxiety after a lot of research. My parents went through depression and they don’t want me to get diagnosed for anxiety as they don’t want me to be taking medicine regularly like they used to have to do. My grandparents are doctors and so they have kinda confirmed that I have it but idk 🤷🏼♀️
I completely understand where you're coming from. But also, as you said there are some REALLY shitty mental health professionals out there who don't know what they're talking about. It took me a lot of years to find someone who understands me and my disorder and knows what to say in times of crisis. I've had borderline personality disorder symptoms for a long long time and the thing i completely suffered with was getting a diagnosis. I always just thought it was depression (which i was already diagnosed with) until 2 friends who had borderline personality disorder told me that they think i have it/display a lot of the symptoms. I put off researching about it because i was scared but eventually i researched. I saw so many professionals about it but they all refused to even talk about my symptoms because i was under 18 so they just put me under the umbrella of "moody teenage girl" and said that i could not get a diagnosis. The thing is that i would have been fine with not labelling myself as anything and not getting a diagnosis but therapy was becoming completely unhelpful because they weren't giving me the correct type of therapy. I didnt need to sit down and talk about my feelings and my past and why I'm like this. I knew why i was like that. They just didn't do anything to actually help me deal with it or help me LIVE with it. I could write a book with the things professionals have told me like when my psychologist said "i think you might have borderline personality disorder, but you don't want a diagnosis from a psychiatrist when you turn 18 because doctors and professionals will turn you down for treatment because you're 'difficult', jobs won't want you because they will look on your health records and see your diagnosis" (which IS illegal. I am a beauty therapist and it is my choice whether i disclose my mental health) Anyway. I did self diagnose myself in the beginning and even though it can be problematic i think that if enough research is done and symptoms are displayed over a long period of time it is very likely the person has it (like you said). My first appointment with adult services in the uk once i turned 18 i didnt even say anything about BPD because i didnt want to influence their decision in any way. I just answered their questions and lo and behold, i had a diagnosis and was put on the list to get DBT. I've been going since March and its probably the most helpful thing for me. I may have had a rough time and gone through other struggles (an eating disorder relapse) but the past month or so I've been in recovery, doing good things for myself, using my skills and learning how to live with my mental illness. Self diagnosis may be frowned upon but if me and my mother didnt fight for my voice to be heard i probably wouldn't be here today 💖
I completely understand someone trying to diagnose themselves: its so expensive, especially in america to go to a doctor to get help. Self-diagnosis can be so extreme, that they give themselves x,y&z disorders which generally are not comorbid together. I know a person I grew up with was convinced she had borderline personality disorder, but she was honestly just suffering from depression and that was diagnosed later on. The problem with self diagnosis that people do not realize is that x symptoms do not always equal y disorder. Take PTSD for example, there are over 50,000 ways to diagnose it and ever single one is correct in their diagnosis, its just the combination is different, but the same can be said across multiple different disorders: you can have x,y&x that would be this disorder, which can be a common one, but also be indicators for another disorder. I hope I'm making sense. I too have a bachelors in Psychology and I remember having professors that all had different views on self diagnosis: some thought it was helpful because we know ourselves and others saw it as doctors see patients on Web MD, more hysterical than accurate. However I also recognize that the female part of the population are treated different in the medical and mental health realms, which is also a problem. Theres just so much that we dont know or understand that doctors get it wrong. Also I found you to be completely respectful and logical in your reasons behind being against self diagnosis. Im with you.
I think self analysis is very important starting point, if you actually have a problem that is. When I was at my lowest, I didn't know what was wrong with me, and I felt even worse. After some research, after self diagnosed me with anxiety disorders (that it revealed to be true) I discovered that I probably had Asperger's. Sadly especially for Girls there's so little about it and it is F U L L of misconceptions. After researches and official quizzes, I confirmed what I 'felt' was 'wrong' with me. And then, after I started therapy to help to pick myself up, the therapist confirmed without me telling her that I had a lot of anxiety problems and Asperger's. Self diagnosis helped me a lot to feel not that weird anymore and to help me to want to get better. Now I'm getting better every single day and I finally feel like a normal person
I agree with this, especially the part where you said it might not be what yo have when you do all your extensive research because i had a huge fear of doctors and so whatever i thought was wrong with me id do extensive research and i thought i just had anxiety but when my grandma forced me to go to the doctors he told me i had many more anxiety disorders other than social anxiety. I have agoraphobia, emetaphobia, selective mutism, social anxiety and depression and i didn't even think i had the first three until i went there.
for depression and anxiety, there are pretty reliable tools online that you can use and they're basically the same questionnaires professionals use (or at least close to the ones my counselor in college used for me). If it weren't for that initial questionnaire that I got in the student center, I may never have started therapy. I agree with you that self-diagnosis is a great jumping off point. if you just use it as an excuse for toxic behavior and not as a means to know yourself better and to get help, then you're probably doing it wrong.
I agree so much Only 'self diagnose' a constant problem. You can see signs of something be wrong with you. Then you go to a psychiatrist and ask their opinion. If they say something isn't wrong you can chill and go back to doing whatever the fuck. I have a physical problem with body (47 degrees scoliosis). I didn't self diagnose scoliosis I went to the doctors. Mental health in any way can't be diagnosed as easily as scoliosis or any physical disorder. So what makes people think saying they have depression because they had a bad day?? You have to have a real evaluation.
I first started therapy after realising that I was getting tired of school and life. I found out what was happening when I was dreading socializing and even leaving my house after school. After I began therapy I am better, anxiety is not the main problem in my life. I was diagnosed with panic disorder and it went away, now I am with a new therapist and it is a better way to get me to be better. Now I don't dread leaving my house as much, as it focuses on the behaviour that causes it.
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My personal experience with self diagnosis is trying to legitimize that something is actually wrong, so that I don't feel dumb asking for help. My biggest fear would be going to the doctor and them saying I'm perfectly fine.
Katrin Berndt this makes me so happy i'm not the only one, i won't say "i'm _____" but i will think i'm close to those, ? it's hard to discuss but what you said i get
Even if you do not have a clinical illness or disorder, that does not mean you're dumb if you're asking for help and it does not mean you do not need help. Not everything that is comforting will be good for you. We have to face the truth sooner or later so that we can become better and have some progress, you know?
Something I learned as a psychology student:
Mental illnesses are defined by emotions/behaviors that (1) deviate from the norm, (2) cause distress, (3) interfere with your life or (4) are potentially dangerous. If you feel like something is wrong and it's interfering with your life do not hesitate to reach out! Even if you don't meet criteria for a diagnosis it may still be beneficial to talk to a therapist or other professional!
Katrin Berndt I totally understand what you mean! even if you don't have a diagnosable disorder and you feel something is wrong, it's still worth getting help!
Worst thing about that feeling is when you actually do go to the proffessionals and it takes years upon years of you telling them that you/your kid is having a seriously hard time doing stuff.. (uh, anything basically) for them to believe you. (Went to the pros from age 9 and didn't get a Neuropsychological assessment until I was 18 and then got diagnosed with adhd and asperger.)
I agree with all of this. Especially since some disorders are very similar to one another. Doing research and having a good grasp on the symptoms of a disorder you think you might have is always a good idea but it doesn't always mean you have it. I thought for a long time that I had OCD but once I talked to my therapist, she told me that while those symptoms are similar to OCD that they can be found in people with the disorders I have.
However, if someone can not see a therapist because of money or insurance issues then I think self-diagnosing might be a positive thing. I wouldn't go around saying "I have ____" but you could at least look up ways to cope/work through the issues you have by googling said disorder. I definitely don't think anyone but a professional should be diagnosing people. While mental illness is mostly emotional and in the mind, some disorders can come out in physical ticks or habits. Being examined by a professional would definitely lessen your chances of a mis-diagnosis.
grumpy babe. Ahhh I agree! Because researching something that you think you may have is definitely helpful because it can lead you towards getting help or finding ways to cope with what you’re feeling, but it’s not a great idea to go around and tell people that you for sure have that. It’s okay to say that you think you may have something, but it’s damaging to full on say that you do because eventually your body will just start to convince itself that you do and you will start developing things that you’ve convinced yourself that you have. I’ve definitely gone through some depressive episodes, but I don’t tell people that I have depression, I tell people that I am/have been depressed. You can be depressed without having depression and I think it’s important to be clear in the language.
grumpy babe. I think a lot of people are also really misinformed about free therapy and support group options in there own community. If someone lives in even a medium sized city there's almost always a way to get help for free (that is assuming someone is serious enough about getting better, vs. self diagnosing just to write it on their Tumblr bio)
grumpy babe. I was diagnosed with bipopar disorder at 8 and then at 16 found out ive had ptsd and symptoms can be similar and in my case are but are treated very differently and a reason none of my medications worked for me for a long time. Super super important to go to a professional
I think self diagnosis is okay as long as you aren't taking it as 100% truth. For examole, I knew there was something wrong with me when I would get extremely anxious about something as simple as going into a grocery store or making small talk. Eventually I was diagnosed by a professional because I knew I probably did have some sort of anxiety disorder. I agree with your video. I think it's important and even helpful to hear it come from a professional. It validates your worries.
same here, but with ocd! i was pretty sure i had something, but i knew i might not have it
Yeah. And some disorders are too obvious to not self diagnosed tbh like OCD
Yeah. And some disorders are too obvious to not self diagnosed tbh like OCD
As someone who has both self diagnosed and been "professionally" diagnosed I've seen how doctors can treat patients. My first trip to a psychologist was a video conference where I told her I thought I might be bipolar. She told me I probably wasn't, asked me the same questions I found online in my own research, and told me, yes you are bipolar. Years later I told a different doctor I think I might be autistic, she asked me the same questions I found online, and told me yes you are autistic. While I'm glad my own suspicions were verified, the way the doctors treated me when I voiced those suspicions was enough for me to mistrust the system. I agree that you shouldn't JUST self diagnose, but professional diagnosis isn't available for everyone. This is more of an issue of reforming the system itself, but demonizing self diagnosis itself and making a mentally ill person feel like they have to have that "real" diagnosis is just further stigmatization. Also I watched your other video on the subject and yes a lot of doctors are skeptical about diagnosing girls with autism, especially males, but several mental health professionals I have spoken too have been at least surprised that i have an official diagnosis. I understand that you are studying to be a mental heath professional and are coming from a place of guidance, I just wish to share my personal experience with self diagnosing and why I myself mistrust doctors. I didn't think I was bipolar or autistic because of tumblr, I thought so because I noticed my own behaviors and in my own research came to a conclusion. The important thing is opening up the conversation, especially with those going into the field, so our generation can be the one to reform the mental health system so it works for all people
I never thought I'd leave a RUclips comment this long but it's an important subject you know
@Dryer Machine That isn't how it works?? People can lie about results, but they are only hurting themselves. Also how would you rehearse. How would this person know what questions the doctor would ask. Also, some people can't get diagnosed or aren't in a position to get diagnosed.
I'm getting a Ph.D in psychology right now and i think its a very different thing to go online when you're going through a depression or having anxiety and diagnosing yourself than to go online and diagnose yourself with personality disorders. Depression and anxiety are pretty clear cut whereas diagnosing a personality disorder like BPD is difficult and someone can have borderline or narcissistic traits without having the full blown disorder so its very tricky. Even psychologists are very reticent to tell a patient they have a personality disorder because its a lifelong thing thats very hard to treat(even if they think that person has the disorder and frames their treatment from that point of view). People, even psychologists sadly, are so quick to label people they cannot get along with as borderline or narcissistic and doing that to yourself is not going to get you anywhere and these online communities who believe so strongly in self-diagnosis sometimes aid in excusing these behaviors as "well im borderline thats the way i am and thats why i treat ppl this way NOT ALL OF US CAN BE NEUROTYPICAL KAREN" when thats just reinforcing behaviors that aren't healthy and its not helpful to anyone. I also struggle with several mental illnesses so im not speaking just as a therapist.
LOVE IT
Hahahahhaha y’all need to make a collab
collab 👀
I started out with self-diagnosing for many years, and I turned out to be exactly right when I finally went to a professional. I guess it just depends on the person though. I can see how someone might misdiagnose them self
Angie Horizon I feel the same way and agree. I am incredibly in tune with myself and aware of my symptoms. I think a partnership and cooperation between client and psychologist is important. The client's knowledge of self and experience is vital as is the expertise of the therapist.
NonViable Venus i totally understand this point. I did extensive research about my depression, and anxiety before being able to seek out a therapist b/c of finances. Finally through a state program, I was able to get services for a year in 2017 into 2018, and was able to better understand my avoidance behaviors, and how to cope with my symptoms of anxiety attacks, and as a result I have become way more attune with myself.
I feel like so many people self diagnose because they WANT a disorder. They want their symptoms to have a cause. So they exaggerate and it mainly ends up making whatever they're going through worse. It's okay to feel sad and not necessarily be depressed. You can go to a therapist and talk about it without being depressed. It's okay to struggle with small symptoms. We all fight our own battles.
What if the symptoms have a impact at your life? A sever one. And thy are chronic (my case)
I started my mental health journey through self diagnosis. The main problem was that I couldn't be objective and I misdiagnosed. However, it is what pushed me to get help because it was the turning point when I realized I had an actual problem that I couldn't deal with/treat on my own. I just think it is difficult to look at your symptoms objectively without relying solely on your emotions. I think it is always helpful to get a professional opinion.
Also, I think the mental health community can be extremely flawed (aren't all communities though?), but there are genuine, informed professionals who want and are prepared to help. I think people colour their opinions based on negative experiences sometimes. It is so disheartening when your first experience with a mental health professional is bad. BUT THERE ARE GOOD ONES TOO I SWEAR.
Alanna Medeiros funny how only with faith in their self diagnosis will a person seek help 🤔 so in a way self diagnosis is paramount.
Off topic but you look absolutely gorgeous 💙
I agree with the things you've said. Coming from a psychology background as well, I think self diagnosing is dangerous and furthers stigmas that are really misinformed.
I'm always so baffled when I hear "It's expensive". I'm not saying our health system is perfect but here in Germany you absolutely do not have to worry about the costs of getting help, no matter what kind of medical or mental condition you suffer from. Everyone who is insured can get a therapy or medication. Almost everyone has health insurance and money is not an issue when deciding wether you want to get help or not. It's so sad to hear that in a country like the USA people are not insured and that not everyone can get the help they need.
Not everyone lives "here in germany" hon. Or even in a first world country for that matter
sawyers They obviously know that. They are just sharing their perspective and making the point that wether you are seeking professional help or not shouldn‘t have anything to do with money. I saw that you shared a bit of your story in the comments so why can‘t this person do the same?
And that's one of the reasons why I wanna move to Germany lmao
Giiirrrlllll I got distracted on how beautiful you look!!!! But definitely, on the topic, I studied psychology too and people should never put a side going to a professional
for me, it's more just trying to understand things. like you said, i don't say "i HAVE adhd" i say "i think i have adhd". really just some sort of label so people understand what i mean.
THIS
I do this as well. I exhibit a lot of the symptoms but that doesn't mean I have adhd because there are so many mental illnesses that could have similar symptoms. Maybe it's normal and it's just something we don't talk about because those exist. Idk for sure so it's "I think" not "I have".
I kinda wish you just completely let loose with your point of view. I would also add that self diagnosis has different implications and effects depending how severe your illness is at your current stage. If you've somehow managed to land on your feet after years of mental illness and you're beginning to recover from that and live a full, happy life self diagnosis isn't going to put your life at risk but if you're severely ill self diagnosis is probably just going to feed back into the illness. I say this with the concept of confirmation bias in mind. If you're optimistic and recovering you will be looking for evidence to support your recovery, if you're pessimistic and suffering your mind will automatically be looking for evidence to support how sick and trapped you are. Much more dangerous while you're in a victim mindset, than a growth mindset. I'm glad you made this video and started a discussion.
This is going to be long but I feel the need to share my story. I’ve struggled with anxiety for 6 years (i’m 16 turning 17 next month) I’m a very anxious person clearly and i freak out over the smallest things. I’ll have a slight headache and go straight to the internet and diagnose myself with some disorder or illness I’ve never heard of. In April i thought i was having panic attacks again bc i was having dizziness spells but turns out it was me getting a cold and I got an ear infection. I got antibiotics for it it went away (i thought so). It continued. And I started getting congested again. But no cough or nothing. I went to multiple doctors and they told me it could be allergies or sinusitis. So my doctor gave me strong antibiotics and she told me the side effects and the day after I started taking them I started to research like CRAZY and I dig myself into a giant hole and start to panic and such. After getting an allergy test and me not being allergic to anything I finally got a CT scan and my sinuses were VERY infected. so i was to start steroids and antibiotics. I googled the SHIT out of the steroids and saw all the side effects and everything and I couldn’t get them out of my head so I talked myself into having so many terrible side effects. I then started looking into Chronic Sinus Infections and saw they could go to the brain and you could die so yet again more anxiety and panic attacks. I finished my round of antibiotics and steroids and I was still having symptoms and so I went in for another CT scan and my left side cleared completely but my right side was still congested so I had to do another month of steroids. Here I am 2 weeks into steroids and antibiotics again and I have an ear infection from a cold I got from someone at school. I cannot explain to you how shitty it is to look up everything you feel and scare yourself shitless about what you may have. My therapist thinks I’m a hypochondriac. I’m starting to believe it. I am not as bad as I was a month ago and i am slowly learning to control my urge to self diagnose myself. It is hard. It had ruined a lot of things for me.
Heidy Lopezzz ii
So I have dealt with depression since around the 7th grade. Self harm for about 4 years between 8th-11th grade. And anxiety since I was a small child. I'm currently 29 years old. I've never been professionally diagnosed because I'm poor. I don't take meds because I don't have insurance. I can't afford therapy. I also majored in psychology (unfortunately had to drop out due to the aforementioned being poor) because I wanted to maybe be in a position one day to help others like myself. It's sad to say but there is a gate keeper to mental health in this country and it's income.
Where I live appointments with psychiatrists and psychologists don't cost a thing. Of course the meds can still get pretty hefty in price, but still, I think mental healthcare should be free everywhere.
You should do a reaction to nice comments
Could you speak more about the toxicity of Tumblr and/or other social media platform communities?
it might be best to talk about the toxicity of _all_ social media platforms because theres already enough people complaining about how tumblr... is a thing. that people use. like get a tumblr account and- WITHOUT LOOKING FOR THEM -try to see if any of the "toxic cringy" stuff appears on your dash.
I swear tumblr is pissing me off so much. I feel like almost everyone on there is "depressed" "has ocd" and more. Now I'm not saying they're all faking it but it's just too obvious.
beautyplayground I totally agree. As someone that legitimately has the diagnosis for both depression and OCD, I find it to be very harmful to how serious my disorders are taken. The severity is lowered when everyone says they have it without an actual diagnosis.
I agree. I have personal experience with depression (I was actually just diagnosed) and my best friend has OCD. We both struggle and our illnesses are very hard to deal with. We have a teacher that claims to be "CDO". It drives us crazy, especially her. Mostly because she is just a clean person. I'm glad Sarah did this video because I've been thinking about it
beautyplayground I mean we tend to band together is all
And everyone says that they have social anxiety disorder, but think that it means that you maybe get nervous in social situations. I know someone like this irl and I told her that I have social anxiety and she told be she has that too... but then she got really confused why I had panic attacks, neck/jaw/back-pain from being too stiff, shaking and or sweating hands, a pressed voice and many other symptoms because she thought it means just feeling uncomfortable.
Not to mention all the people that think simply overreacting and being a bitch to someone else makes them "bipolar." *News flash* sweetie, bipolar happens over weeks not seconds. Ugh.
Just like you can't self diagnose a physical illness, you can't self diagnose a mental illness, I think. BUT I think it makes sense to do research and try to figure out what's going on, just like you would do with a stomach pain or skin rash!
I somewhat self diagnosed myself with Social Anxiety Disorder a couple years ago, as in I saw someone talk about their struggles with it (I had never heard of it prior to that) and I suddenly felt like there was a name for this thing I've been experiencing pretty much my entire life. I then started doing my research on it and felt a bit better in the sense that there was finally a reason for my reactions toward certain situations. When I finally went to see a psychiatrist it turnt out that I had Generalized Anxiety Disorder (although the biggest part were still social situations) and Depression. Because I was 17 at the time an IQ Test was mandatory at their facility, which I think is very helpful since a very high or low IQ can obviously take a toll on your mental state (something that is hard to self diagnose). So I think it is great to look into what your symptoms might mean, however there are many other factors that you might be blind to, that a professional could catch, (slightly) changing your overall diagnosis.
SteadyAsSheGoes Thank you for sharing your experience
Self diagnosing I think is a good starter. Because you might read into it more and be like no this doesn't completely fit me, and so you read into something else that almost sisters the previous disorder. However, I think getting professional help is good because sometimes people aren't completely intune with their own thoughts and feelings and sometimes misinterpret them. Plus, it's not like there's only a few mental illnesses and it's easy to figure out which one it is. There are so many different illnesses, and so many different versions, or stages that just assuming you have this one thing can be harmful. Think about something like bipolar. Everyone knows the very basic bipolar version with the"Super happy, positive, feels like they are untouchable" and the "Manic, depressed, angry" sides. But there are bipolars that have different manias, so trying to fit yourself into the few boxes you know of doesn't help you, because there are more "boxes" behind those ones.
Also, you shouldn't self-diagnose cancer and ignore what those in oncology say so why do the same for mental illness.
Lucy Blue Not necessarily. Atypical mental health disorders exist.
But you go to the doctor because you're able to recognise that something is wrong, most of the time.
Well cancers has accurate tests unlike mental disorders
Actually, ignoring the advice of doctors because you think you might have a deadly physical disease is in itself a mental illness. It's a form of OCD called Health Anxiety - formerly known as hypochondria.
I'm not against people trying to put a name on their feelings. Some people really don't have access to get a professional diagnosis, so I see where self-diagnosing could therefore be useful. However, I do agree with you on the language thing. I don't think someone should say "I have [x]" unless they have a professional diagnosis, I think phrases like "I may have [x]," "I think I have [x]," or "I display tendencies similar to [x]" are more productive.
However, I am completely against the pro-self diagnosing community on tumblr that makes it "fashionable" to have as many labels as possible. That's when we get into glamorizing mental illness, and that's not okay.
I agree with you. Although for me, it was kinda like one of the movie scenes. Which is kinda off topic. But I knew I felt bad and tumblr always tried to tell me "Well hey, that's definitely depression!", but I didn't want to believe it so I just kept telling myself I'm just lazy, well no, tumblr was right. A while later, after 4 months of me living in a mental ward (where I had to stay because of the depression, duh), I got diagnosed with borderline. I read about in on my journey through tumblr, but I never thought I'd have it because I couldn't relate to a lot things the 'bpd community' wrote. Back then I thought mental illness was the same for everyone, and everyone would have to suffer from the same symptoms, otherwise you weren't actually sick. Thank you tumblr for making me believe that lol.
Hi Sarah, I never really comment on videos, but I felt like I wanted to share. But, I am currently a Psychology major in school, and let me tell you, you're videos really do help me understand more. There are things your videos that you explain better than my textbook or even my professor can explain. So I thank you for videos like this, and all your other Psych related videos!
I think you definitely know when something is wrong with you and i also think you mostly know in what direction your illness is going. For example, i know i have problems with anxiety. But i don't know if it's social anxiety or some other form of anxiety because i wasn't diagnosed so far and i am going to terminate with my therapist soon bc I don't feel comfortable around her anymore and i am too afraid to search for another right now. I also knew i was suffering and assumed it could be depression before a professional confirmed it and only since then i actually say that I have depression. So in my opinion, you can't self-diagnose a specific illness unless you are a trained professional yourself but you can know the category you fall under and that can help a lot already.
I self diagnosed myself with depression and anxiety 4 years ago (and was right), if I hadn't self diagnosed I probably wouldn't have gone to therapy
I would class myself as self diagnosed, as despite my psychologist saying it's very likely I have bpd, I don't have an official diagnosis, however I do still believe that I have this disorder. I still wouldn't claim that I have an official diagnosis even though a qualified medical professional has given their viewpoint on it. I live in the UK meaning I can access free medical care and free mental health services but in my experience the only useful help I got was when I went private, and a lot of people can't afford this. I definitely agree that you should say that it's likely I have this rather than saying for definite, it's definitely a positive way to express self diagnosis without being elitist or coming across as someone who believes they are above medical health professionals. This video was very well put across and was really helpful and polite, so thank you for this!!
For me, I self diagnosed myself because I can't get help. I don't know how to reach out and get the help I know I need, especially since I can no longer talk to my school counselor about my issues after something she did. I found myself relating to symptoms of depression a bit too much but I tried to deny it. I knew I had gone through a point in my life where I was clearly not fine(I had self harmed in hopes someone would notice and help me get the help I clearly needed) but I thought it was over. Then i sunk into an even lower point in my life where all those thoughts and feelings I had just escalated and I lost all the confidence I had just recently gained. I started having suicidal thoughts and at one point almost tried to end it. It wasn't until after that low point in my life where I began to consider that I was dealing with some sort of depression. I didn't really "diagnose" myself until I was talking to a friend and we were talking about one of our friends who had been faking something similar and my friend said that nobody in our friend group had depression. I admitted to her that I felt that I might have depression. She had done some research on it previously and helped me figure it out, helping realize things I hadn't before. I still haven't had the chance to get help but figuring it out did make it just a little easier to live with because now I understand why I might think or do certain things instead of just calling myself stupid or lazy.
On the other hand, I had a friend who was forced to self-diagnose because when she sought help, it didn't help. She had psychosis which is like a milder form of schizophrenia. Her therapist/doctor kept insisting she just had anxiety, even when things got worse and she developed full-on schizophrenia and was basically going insane. She would have attacks where she believed that her crush who horribly rejected her was strangling her and controlling her and still her doctor/therapist insisted it was just anxiety.
yes yes yes BLESS the thing about saying probably or most likely that's how i "self diagnose" for awhile (only till i get the courage to ask to get help)
My family doesn't bring me to a doctor and, though we have a counselor at our school, past experiences with my problems being brushed aside have lead me to just keeping to myself, so self-diagnosis is really the only route for me at the moment. But I totally agree with the 'I think I have x' or 'I might/probably have x' thing!
I love your content so much, Sarah. When I start my psych channel, this is absolutely a topic I want to cover. I always love your thoughts and it's so nice to find someone who is not only as passionate as I am about these matters, but someone who I can always agree with. xx
Until therapy is free we can’t really criticise anyone for self diagnosing because therapy is a privilege right now when it should be a right. I think you’re right though how you say it makes all the difference “ I’m struggling with poor mental health I think I have xyz” is way less dangerous than just outright claiming to have a disorder you don’t know much about
I get why people do it honestly. I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety from a very young age but recently my mum was diagnosed with Aspergers at 50 and it really concerned me because we share the same behaviours and I don’t want to wait until I’m 50 for someone to notice that I have it too when it could really help my healing to have that information. I’ve told both my doctor and my therapist and none of them have taken steps to test me for it or even acknowledge it they are very dismissive and it’s infuriating as it’s a serious worry for me.
Hi, just wanted to share my experience on this :) About a year ago I felt like I was 'going crazy' and seeked professional help. I spent two months going to therapy and wasn't being taken seriously. I asked the therapist for a diagnosis and she said that if she gave me one, I might actually feel worse. Then I went to another therapist and since the first session told her what I thought I might have, but she immediately disregarded it and after a few months of getting nowhere (or even a diagnosis), I quit therapy. After extensive research I was finally able to confirm my thoughts, and a friend's friend who is a therapist, offered to help. However, he never did, because my disorder is unfamiliar to him and also because I self-diagnosed. Recently I found reiki and meditation help a lot, and I imagine that the right psychological treatment would work wonders, but the only specialist in my city charges for one session, more than I make in a week. That's all, I hope you found it somewhat interesting...
I appreciate resources like Kati Morton for information around different illnesses, she goes through what the DSM requires for diagnosis and then what it will look like in clients. While she can't be accurate for everyone's symptoms, she works in the profession, sees clients and has experience.
I think also diagnosis in and of itself can be pointless. Sure, you may fit all the criteria for a specific disorder or illness, and it may impact your life enough to grand diagnosis, but if you can seek treatment for it without being pidgeonholed, why get a label?
Getting a notification that you uploaded a video literally makes my day.
I'm so glad you posted this. Thank you.
Thank you so much for doing this video. I share your opinion on the Tumblr community as I have also seen some very disturbing things (and some glamorization of various mental illnesses, but that's something else). As a teenager, it's extremely hard and frustrating to talk about mental illnesses you "possibly/probably " have because most people assume that you are going through something normal and that everything is hormone related. I have felt depressed on and off for almost five years now and it hasn't really changed (it became a little worse). No one really listens to me because I seem happy most of the time in public (when I'm hanging out with my friends or in class) because if I don't people tell me that I'm anti social and an overall cold person when I actually like having friends and even maybe a relationship, I just don't know how and it's so hard for me to talk to new people.
On another note, I really love your videos and I think that you are extremely stunning and beautiful! :)
I show every single symptom for misophonia, but the disorder is so unknown that it's very difficult to get a professional diagnosis. After doing extensive research and reading blogs by people who suffer from it, I've just kind of started saying I have it anyway because I have related on a deep level to every single post or text I've seen about having it and living with it. People I speak to who don't have it can't relate to my experience at all, so I've come to the conclusion that I suffer from the disorder. I feel like this is different from self diagnosing with something like depression, because loads of people experience at least some symptoms without having the disorder. For some reason I can't quite explain, I feel like me diagnosing myself with that is fine, but I would never diagnose myself with something more common, like depression, despite showing symptoms of that too.
In my experience, I knew all the stigma around mental illness was often based on the "self diagnosed tumblr kid", and this stigma very badly impacted me. I went for years saying to myself "I can't say I'm depressed, I can self diagnose" and this whole stigma was so damaging to me. My partner, 2 years after we were together, had to call my mum and ask her to make me an appointment and it took me over a year to be able to accept that I have some sort of problem. I am against self diagnosis when you replace it with an official diagnosis, but not when you're saying you have symptoms of it
you look so cute ahhh
I’m mildly conflicted about it as if you self diagnose with something that is common such as depression or anxiety it’s likely that it is plausible. But I see quite a few people who diagnosed themselves with dissociative identity disorder (that’s a popular one in certain circles ) which is most likely not possible.
These people get very upset when you say something about it too.
Hey Sarah! I've never commented one of your videos before but now I just have to because you did so well! I agree with you and there is truly this ambivalence with the pro and cons of self-diagnosing. The most negative thing I see here is that people begin to label themselves and ARE their "disorder". I'm a psychology graduate in Germany and I think the whole classification system is good for help on the one side, but on the other side it can be really devastating to be classified into a scheme. xx
i used to be pro self diagnosis now i'm against, because i see too many 15 year old self diagnosing contradicting disorders
But what if you are a licensed professional and you self diagnose? Like you've diagnosed other ppl... can you diagnose yourself? Idk I'm just curious. (Btw I completely agree with everything you said)
Sofa Kitty self diagnosing has the one major flaw where people are biased about themselves. No one may know you better than you, but also you could be very misinformed about yourself and your perception. So there for even therapists have their own therapists.
Sofa Kitty I'm a psych major about to graduate and start grad school in counseling psychology so I will be a licensed professional in a few years. Maybe I can help? I think Sarah's argument is coming from her personal experience as well as her educational background, which she mentioned in the video. I took a course called abnormal psychology and we learned the pros and cons about self-diagnosis and had a discussion with our opinions on it after we learned both sides, which many of us including myself don't have an extremist view on. I changed my major after that class because I told my teacher "great well I have all of the things so this makes sense to me". She told us that we may be likely to feel that way because when you learn about illnesses, sometimes you identify too closely with them. It's actually an issue for medical students as well. Anyway, I have to take abnormal again on a graduate level for my program so if self-diagnosis comes up again next January when I take it, I'll comment on one of Sarah's videos to share my experience! I think professionals do know a lot but that never takes away from what you know about yourself. You're your own advocate and I think you should never stop fighting to get the help you need. My therapist right now actually doesn't like labels and I had to get my accommodations for school through my old therapist because she won't diagnose me. That can be frustrating but some clinicians have strong opinions with diagnosing a client too quickly. My best advice would be to get a neuropsychological evaluation as that will show what clinical illnesses you exemplify through a battery of tests done by someone in the field with their doctorate! If you ever want more feedback, look out for me in the comments. I hold a lot of similar opinions to Sarah and am working hard on sharing the knowledge I learn both through my own treatment and school! I hope my ramble helped. I think you can't fully diagnose yourself but honestly, if you think "ok I have this disorder so cbt and therapy might help" then do it!! That helps most mental health issues anyway. Even if you wanted to try dbt, I'm not borderline and I have the workbook because I absolutely love it. Also I take mood stabilizers instead of antidepressants because they sometimes can treat anxiety disorders despite being known to treat bipolar disorder! These are all things to look into but I think the main danger of self-diagnosing is choosing your own psych meds without consulting a professional first. You don't want to be on antidepressants unless you need them, you know? And you totally don't have to take medication either! That's up to you, always.
I had a professor who self diagnosed herself with OCD and general anxiety disorder.When she described her daily routines and how there were certain things she had to do (part of the OCD) in order to have a normal, functioning day, it fit within the diagnosis for OCD as well as GAD. I feel as if, at least with the people I was in contact with, they do not make their self diagnosis easily and definitely would not proclaim them to a classroom of people unless they were sure.
If you're a professional, you're not allowed. You have to see another professional to be diagnosed
I completely agree with you! I major in psych too, and I feel that we all have to draw a line when people ruminate excessively over a diagnosis, be it self or through professional help. There's plenty of individuals on tumblr who are desperate for a label, and exhaust so much energy trying to validate what they THINK they have. Adaptive coping and self-care overlaps with so many mental illnesses and is also open to the neurotypical, you absolutely don't need a label to be a better you. Rather, ruminating over a label is a self-fulfilling prophecy and/or disrupts your chances of feeling better anyway...
I don't appreciate self diagnosis, because most people who self diagnose take from people who actually have the disorders and make it much more romantic. You get where I'm coming from?
i looove how your hair looks with that sweater!! and the makeupp
You were so eloquent in this video. Even though I agree with what you're saying, I think you did a great job getting your view across while still being mindful of those who may not share your views. Nice one!
(Also your hair and makeup looks amazing) x
i was about to write a 300 word thesis about how much I agree and points I wanted to add, but yes all of this
I strongly agree with every statement made in this.
I personally used some self diagnosing techniques before i went to my doctors about it but i did this because i wanted to make sure that there was something actually wrong. The worst part about mental illnesses is that its not like the flu where your symptoms are obvious. Sometimes little symptoms for mental disorders seem petty and like stupid ticks. The last thing i wanted to do was go in to the doctor and say that i cant chew on only one side of my mouth and then him say "well thats just weird. Youre perfectly fine." i had to do my research on the topic to be able to go in and state my symptoms and say "hey i think i have this and heres why". It made the process much shorter and we were able to evaluate things much easier.
For me its more of an informational method than it is a diagnostic method. Its really helpful and a good way to find more info but its not a guaranteed answer or diagnosis. Plus if you self diagnose you cant get the medication without going ti a doctor who has to diagnose you anyway. So why not just go to a doctor and say "hey i think i have this and this is why". In the end its always going ti be easier to just go to your doctor. If you have a shitty doctor then try to find a new one.
I feel you hit on a very important caveat in this video and that is the phrasing and I also believe that a preferred term might be "potentially". "I might POTENTIALLY have (fill in issue here)." This phrase opens the door to open ended exploring with others, be they professionals or not. It tells the recipient of this information that "Although I am uncertain, I have done my research and many of the symptoms seem to line up. BUT, I am also open to the reality that it might be something else manifesting as this issue or it might be nothing at all." This makes everyone aware that you are first, seeking help and that is important, which is really one of the best purposes of early self diagnosis, the fact that you recognize that there IS actually a problem and that you are now willing to explore avenues of treatment. Second, it shows your willingness to be open to different diagnosis as the process moves forward.
I feel you stated accurately, this should not a be a one or the other camp, that both self diagnosis and professional help work best when they work in concert with one another... i.e. "I recognize there is an issue, I therefore investigated symptoms and POSSIBLE illnesses that might manifest as (THIS) and I am now coming to professionals to either confirm what I have found, offer a different diagnosis or offer different solutions."
Well said ma'am and your videos keep getting better. Have a great day, an even better week and I look forward to the next video Miss Hawkinson.
I completely understand the dislike for the mental health system, I'm not fond of it myself as someone who's been through it pretty much my whole life. You were really spot on in this video.
Your balanced take on this is so helpful. I'm intrigued about your video coming up on the flawed mental health system as I have my own issues with it, but I'm quite like you in respecting the sort of "process" if you will. My mum has been sectioned countless times since the age of 18 and has a very intense and different experience than me. As you can imagine that mental hospitals in the late 80s and early 90s couldn't be completely exemplary. There was a lot of abuse from other patients along with abuses of power and medications she was allergic to that she almost died taking initially that she was repeatedly prescribed. Plus the police are always the first to deal with a mentally ill person when they have a "breakdown" so there's been a lot of police brutality and bad shit that's making me angry while I type. Anyway, I expect it will be an interesting video as there's a lot of perspectives
I totally agree with this. I have self-diagnosed, but I am conscious that unless I go with a professional there's the possibility that I do have it, that I don't have it, or that I have a whole other thing that I didn't even consider before. In my place, self diagnosis has helped me getting along with what I think is depression, anxiety/panic attacks, other stuff; just because I can call it something, and I feel that gives me some kind of control over what I'm feeling, but sometimes I get scared that I'm inflicting in myself something I don't really have.
Sometimes telling myself "no no, you dont have that, you're just feeling bad about____" can get me out of a bad emotional situation by force (I mean , it may not be the most healthy, I'm basically verbally abusing myself, but that's a whole other story). The thing is, I haven't gone for professional help 'cause i don't know which is scarier: them telling me everything is fine when I certainly don't feel that way, or them maybe even telling me I'm more unhealthy than I thought.
This video gives me more motivation to seek professional help, and just be sure of my situation and then treat it accordingly, so thanks :)
I self diagnosed with depression and anxiety. Going through that process of researching and educating myself lead me to take steps to seek out help professionally but I am so thankful for the groups I found along the way that really helped me out.
You are so helpful and kind Sarah, I'm so happy you exist and decided to make/keep making videos! Also, gosh you look incredibly gorgeous! 😍
look at you, 2 uploads in one day, get it girl 💗
I agree with most of what you said. Of course I can't say that I'm completely unbiased, since most of the people I've seen etc. are not like the people you're talking about :'D Most of them are underage, so getting a treatment is not about money (since in Finland the healthcare system is 'free' for minors). They're more of the "ohhh I have moodswings so I must be bipolar ohhh I'm so special" kind of people. And if you ask them about getting into therapy etc. they completely avoid the topic. So from what I've seen, I'd say self-diagnosing is mostly bad thing. The people I've seen stigmatize mentalhealth problem even more, and even if they really had some sort of problem they could be diagnosing the wrong one for themselves. However being like "oh well the things I fell etc. match this mentalhealth problem really well so I might have it and should seek help" is completely different thing. And of course amongst adults there’s the money thing too.
i've been questioning myself whether or not self diagnosing would be best, and this video really helps a lot. thank you for helping me! i've always been cautious of tumblr because of this.
This is really good! I love your video, because it really shed some light on this topic. In my opinion, I think one reason why some people self diagnose is because they don't have the money to see a therapist, or they're afraid that the therapist/psychologist will push them into going on some kind of medication that may be harmful to their body. I personally don't have the money to see a therapist, because I'm a college student who's trying to save up for tuition. Lately, I've been having a lot of anxiety, to the point where I get panic attacks. Now, I'm not sure if I really do have anxiety, because it would be wrong to say that since it's so common, but I have looked up natural remedies in order to combat it so that I won't have to go through that process. I guess it really just depends on the person, and how severe their symptoms are. I say, if your symptoms are getting out of hand, to the point where it's physically affecting you, then yes, please seek help. But if it's not as bad, or the symptoms are just starting to show, then try to see if you can combat it using other alternatives before seeking a professional.
I agree with you almost completely.
I feel like self diagnosis is not an official diagnosis, but it can make someone aware of an issue that they weren't aware was a potential problem. Doing research on mental illnesses can lead to "intern syndrome," which is basically relating to a mental disorder more than one should, which is why I'm weary of self diagnosing.
I was completely unaware that I was outside of the norms when I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety, like "Wait, not everyone is always worrying about such little things and hating themselves?" because I lived my entire life up to that point thinking it was just how life was.
On the other hand, I forget exactly where I found it, but I stumbled across a concept of compulsively picking and pulling at skin or hair being something people suffered with. I'd done it for years and thought I was completely alone and it was just a personal issue, but I then decided to tell my doctor about the picking and pulling and she basically evaluated me to make sure that it was that and not something else. Learning about these obscure things can help bring awareness to problems that one may not have realized was actually a thing that could be treated.
But what about psychologists that don't want to "label" their patients by telling them that they have a certain disorder? I don´t understand. I wanted to know what is wrong with me, to have a professional opinion, but my therapist doesn't want to tell me :( (btw sorry for my english, is not my native language)
Aline Cruz Sometimes issues don’t fit can’t be categorised is specific boxes. You probably do have a mental health problem but it’s not one that can be easily diagnosed or one that follows a specific pattern like the disorders in the DSM.
It depends on the situation, for example a lot of personality dissorders can't be diagnosed if the person is to young, or maybe they would want to get to know the patient better before diagnosis, there's probably more reasons I don't know.
Honestly, I find people who are against self diagnose to be quite elitist...not everyone can afford good health care. In my country you can theoretically have access to public care but you can only get a session every 3-4 months and they have a hundred or more patients per doctor so it is humanly impossible to do it properly. I already knew i had depression after a long time of research and living with myself, but for her half an hour of talking (not even in private) about a couple symptoms was enough to diagnose me and try to prescribe medication. Needless to say this is a very unsafe system, and private care is not cheap at all. And it is important for many to be able to identify their problems to get a hold of it, to feel validated. I already feel guilty and powerless enough knowing what i have, that it's an illness and not what defines me. When you say I can't diagnose myself it means that this little power I have over my illness is exclusive to doctors and that I shouldnt be trusted with the imposition of a label thats gonna impact my whole life but a woman who met me for thirty minutes can because she could afford (mentally and economically) to get a title. Self diagnose doesnt intend to substitute proper therapy but it helps a lot and if professionals really cared more about people with mental illnessthan they do about ego en power dinamics, there would put our more self diagnose resources. Its easy to complain about information being wrong and dangerous when you refuse to actually provide any of that information to anyone without money
we like chocolate This is a really interesting take on this topic. For me I look at self-diagnosis as something that is merely an indicator, in the way a stomach pain could indicate indigestion all the way to something much more serious, and I think that is why it's important to take your own self diagnosis as an indicator to guide you in making decisions about your mental health rather than taking it at face value, because realistically it could potentially be dangerous. But I definitely agree that the mental health systems in place world wide are all incredibly underfunded & often very inaccessible, and that is important to bring to light. I do think however that it is ok to listen to experts, they spend a huge amount of time (and yes money), in a very competitive field to learn as much as they can to help people, they have often spent a minimum of 6 years of their lives (and that is merely the bare minimum, and the learning will continue forever) concentrating on just that one topic, which is a great deal of time. They may not know everything about you the way you do initially, but they know a world about how to learn about you & how to help you. However the amazing thing about the internet & the accessibility of it is that we do have access to a lot of information and we can use that as a starting point, it's just unfortunate that mental health isn't a major priority in most healthcare systems throughout the world
I agree that it is important to listen to professionals, I've seen the benefits of good therapy and truly believe that psychologists are very underrated and can do a lot of good. My problem is that there are many that, because they're assholes, because of working conditions, flawed educations or because anyone is capable of human error, do things and treat patients in ways that are quite despicable. And still have a sense of superiority and condescendence towards patients, expect us to trust them blindly and deny our ability to know ourselves. The system and the professionals are not perfect, and I think completely justifiable to respond to this by using your own resources. Do they expect us to just sit down and wait for things to get better while our minds are deteriorating? They should at least recognize these flaws and make more resources available instead of getting mad because suddenly they're not the only ones who can label us
spiralveins The issue with self-diagnosing though is that many illnesses overlap and have similar traits, as well as they affect people differently. For example, I thought I could potentially have bipolar ii disorder, and though I never self diagnosed, I brought up my concerns with my doctor and got a referral. Turns out, I have ADHD and Anxiety, which account a lot for my periods of hyper fixation, run on sentences, rapid speech, higher creativity, and other symptoms similar to hypomania. Currently, I am bringing up my concerns about low mood with my doctor, as even on ADHD medication, it hasn’t gone away, implying it is not a symptom of ADHD (which it definitely can be for many people). My point is, you may think you know yourself inside-out, and this is true, but you don’t know disorders the way professionals do. Not to mention, there is certainly a skewed and almost biased perception of the self, which will hinder you from properly assessing your symptoms.
I wish you would do a collab with ready to glare, you both are 2 of my favorite youtubers of all time
For the longest time I thought that I had BPD. If I had stayed in therapy, I probably would have been misdiagnosed with BPD. However, I was never 100% comfortable with my thoughts on having BPD, so I was constantly researching and learning about the illness. I finally found information on how many people with ASD are misdiagnosed with BPD. Turns out that I am actually (most likely) just autistic, and I am 100% comfortable with that for various reasons. Self diagnosing myself with ASD has given me such relief, and I am taking steps to taking better care of myself. Just an example of how self diagnosing has helped me, but I completely agree with everything you've said.
I personally think that I could have some more underlying issues that I don't know about that could be this or that but I'm not for sure.I'm scared & worried about going back to a therapist because my previous experiences weren't the best at all plus I'm not finically able to afford it right now so I'm in a bit of a pickle here.I understand what you're saying and I agree.Changing the language and how you word/say things can come across a bit better than just assuming you have this or that based off of research you've done yourself.I'm not saying that if you feel you might have this,that,or find something that fits you that you're wrong but you can't be 100% sure if you just do it on your own.
Love you Sarah ! I always enjoy your videos !
This is just my opinion and I respect your opinion if it differs from mine 💙
I am really in love with your videos, you made me more opened and actually love psychology more ,but off topic I think you would look so good with short hair , because you see how your long bangs are dangling , I imagined your hair at that lenght and guurl you looking good , anyways you still look good with your actual lenght .Love u
I’m already in therapy, and been hospitalized and in group homes but I’m bipolar and been diagnosed like 4 times but also I’ve been diagnosed w ASD twice and she’s convinced that I only have ASD and wants to take me off my meds that she thinks I “don’t need “ but I go crazy w/o them.. I’m pretty definite I have both high functioning ASD and bipolar
i totally agree with this. i was professionally diagnosed with psychosis when i was 16 (and yay i'm turning 21 this year and have basically recovered from it), but my process of getting better actually started with self diagnosis. so i think self 'diagnosing' could be a good starting point for people because the first step to getting better is to realise you need help, but of course, after the realisation, it is always best to seek professional help. i'm not sure about America, but here in hong kong, there are NGOs that allow you to declare your household income and let you pay a lot less or even receive help from counsellors for free.
I did self diagnose myself for anxiety but after watching your videos I now know instead of saying I have GAD I say I have anxiety problems.
Thank you for your teachings!
While I agree with some sentiments of this, it’s important to remember that getting a proper diagnosis is not always the safest course. As someone who has been trying to see someone about autism, since I do believe I have it, I’ve heard a lot of stories regarding why some autistic people won’t get a proper diagnosis. While things like depression and anxiety are becoming very accepted in society, things like autism and schizophrenia (which I was looking into as a possible reason for my symptoms at one time) are often still greeted with hostility and legal trouble.
I am all for official diagnosis, but only if it is safe for you to pursue one. There have been cases of schizophrenic people and autistic people having to suddenly defend their rights to be a parent or be independent all because they now have an official diagnosis. In these instances, it may have been safer to continue with a self diagnosis, particularly when the condition is not affecting their ability to parent or be independent. This isn’t just “oh, they got a diagnosis and *then* wanted to live independently or start a family,” this is affecting people who have already been living independently or raising children for years, then suddenly having to fight for custody against the state or being forced into a supervised living facility.
This is a part of the diagnosis discussion that is left out far too often. It’s not just a matter of “I know better,” because, no, you don’t, that’s why they had to have specialized training and a buttload of school, but a matter of preserving your right to be treated as a person.
On a side note, there’s also certain conditions where a diagnosis may not be necessary to get proper care. As far as I know, I was never officially diagnosed with anxiety or depression, but I answered a questionnaire and was given medication to treat these disorders. I only saw my primary care physician for this, and everyone acts like PCPs can’t diagnose these disorders, that you need a mental health specialist to do this, so if that’s true, I guess I’m being treated for disorders I’m not suppose to claim I have? That’s just bizarre to me.
Obviously I’m 4 months late to this but I’d still like to write a comment. Before I was actually diagnosed with anxiety, OCD and depression I was very aware of the symptoms of all off them. I was told by my mum that I could have anxiety and after looking into it more almost all of my symptoms fit, the same occurred with my depression. But I honestly feel that it made me go to the doctor about it, he confirmed my anxiety and later once I’d been to one shitty therapist, then group therapy and finally CBT my depression and OCD were also confirmed. It’s partly a relief when you’re actually diagnosed because you feel validated and it’s good to know that you’re not just making things up or being dramatic but without my severe suspicions and partial self diagnosis I probably wouldn’t have gotten help. I also feel that as I’m young (16 now but I was 14 when I first went to the doctor) I wasn’t taken seriously until I was aware of the symptoms and I could list them and explain myself fully. Sorry for the super long comment, great video as always though and I agree with what you’re saying.
I think self diagnosing is fine when you have a reason. For example, 'Somethings been wrong for a while and afters hours of research, I think I may have depression' and 'My boyfriend of 2 weeks broke up with me and I dont know how to act'.
This is spot on. Especially because many disorders have high comorbidity. I always hated that in high school, people just decided what mental illness they had.
I was brought here due to your Tweet being retweeted by Channon Rose. You gained a new follower here! This topic is controversial but I feel you covered it with poise!
#1 loved your look today
#2 I self diagnosed starting high school because I saw a pattern and when I took my ONE psych course it just set it in stone for me that I had to be suffering from what I felt all along
After my one psych course I tried to ask my dad to help me find help. Didn't work out. When he offered years later I was so angry, I turned him down. I still have similar feelings I did before I just hate trying to find the right person or asking for help.
I understand how it could be dangerous or counterproductive but I do see it as something that can be helpful "in the moment"
I was diagnosed with DID and as being antisocial- however, I was almost arrested for something I had never done, and detained for days, chained up. I know this is rare, but due to my experience, I'll never be able to enter another hospital- my being being, I get why some people might not be able to seek therapy or a professional diagnosis.
you look sooo sooo beautiful with this makeup and jumper!
Very much agree. Things that I self diagnose I always talk about as 'most likely' (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) and things I have been diagnosed with I talk about as things I have (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder). The thing I struggle most with though are how one or two disorders I've read and sought out help for seem to relate to me in every way, but conflict with my OCD. For this reason it's rather scary to talk to a professional for fear they take one look at my mental health history and immediately decide I can't have something if I have something else (no matter how little the impact of my ocd is on the disorder)
Another thing that makes seeing a professional so important is that mental health problems can be symptoms of other ailments like hormonal issues, neurological issues, etc, so sometimes treatment will be different. It is especially important if for they are caused by something like a brain tumour to catch it early!
Yeah I agree. I knew I had depression and an anxiety disorder. I did research on it for years before I accepted help. Self diagnosing is a good start but I never said "I have depression and anxiety" until I was professionally diagnosed. I agree with what u said and how it can be positive but harmful too.
i have anxiety for about 5 years, it developed into ocd which i have for about 3 years now, i haven't been diagnosed by a professional because my psychiatrist literally traumatised me on the first meeting so i stopped seeing her, even though i should do that regulary
since that day i had breakdowns, i had panic attacks but i learned to take care of my mental health myself, i got used to this kind of life long time ago and i'm more or less alright now
i actually agree with you, most people are against self diagnosing, even though you can literally find so much information about mental illnesses online, such as symptoms, menatlly ill people's stories, bunch of researches, i don't get this kind of view, like everyone knows how to use internet, right? as a grown up person i can verify that i don't romatice anxiety or ocd, i don't need attention and pity which is one of the reasons why my first meeting with a psychiatrist traumatised me
also, let's not forget that in some countries mental health is not considered important, for example, in my country no one really gives a shit about mental health, that's why we have so many suicidal people, suicide level (sounds dumb, it probably isn't called like that) is very high, mentally ill people get teased, laughed at, basically no gives a crap about mental disorders (maybe that's why i have never went to a different psychiatrist i originally had to)
Well; I have been right about 99% of my own assumptions regarding what I "have". I think someone like me whom researches psychology almost every day (not professionally though) and has for more than 15 years, is ok to self suspect a diagnosis.
my experience with diagnosis and opinion: when i went to the doctor for the first time i was like “okay yeah i’m pretty sad and i hurt myself i guess i get that” but when i was diagnosed with anxiety i was like what? (i was only 12, keep this in mind) i had heard of it but i wasn’t aware that and didn’t believe them. i can never fully understand people who had to tell their parents about their mental illnesses, so i don’t really know where i stand. i think it’s good to have an idea of what is wrong and what you think you’re experiencing and to try to help yourself as much as you can if you don’t want professional help, but i guess this goes back in to the topic of glorification, as i don’t like how people say they have something and flaunt it like it makes them better
Before I started seeing a counsellor I self-diagnosed myself with anxiety (GAD) as a placeholder. I had done extensive research, done online screenings, and visited a lot of online resources so I knew as much as possible about anxiety. HOWEVER I had also done research on many other mental illnesses to make sure I wasn't missing something. And I think that's where people often go wrong in self diagnosing. They only research this one thing and then they think they have that even though it's the only one they know a lot about. I also only believe in self diagnosing when it's used as placeholder to get help and get a solid diagnosis. I approached my school counsellor (who's actually really great, he's helped me a ton) by asking about it after originally self-diagnosing (sort of, I hadn't told anyone I had this or anything.) to kind of give this thing a name, and now even though I still haven't gotten a solid diagnosis we refer to it as anxiety. I'm planning on asking my parents about seeing a doctor so I can maybe get a solid solid diagnosis and I can get proper treatment, be it therapy or medication (even though medication is scary as fuck and makes my chest tighten when I think about it.) or anything in between or outside of that range.
When I was suffering from severe anxiety that was constant and chronic I did some self diagnosing. Although I might not have what I think, the coping suggestions online really helped me. The sad thing is I would love to go to a therapist, but have been forever traumatized from a bad past experience. I became very ill as a teenager and when I went to the Dr. he asked if I had anxiety. I said I did, but it was because I was sick all the time and it was ruining my grades. He did some tests, said there was nothing wrong with me and said I needed therapy. I should have never admitted I had anxiety because there was something VERY wrong with me. In fact I was dying from a severe infection in my stomach. They proceeded to give me anxiety meds which are known to destroy your stomach which only worsened the problem until I was in so much pain I couldn't function and found a new Dr. that didn't think I was mentally ill and found the actual issue. After that that anxiety diagnoses was on my record. Once I aged out and couldn't go to the Dr. that saved me, the new Drs. would see I had anxiety on my chart and treat me like I was a hypochondriac. Thankfully I was able to get it off my chart and get my other health issues resolved that were residual of that horrible infection. I will never set foot in a therapist office again because of the hell I went through just for admitting I have anxiety. I don't judge those that self diagnose because I can't. You really never know why people do what they do. Stigma is still such a problem and for it to be so bad I am afraid a Dr. won't take me seriously if it is in my chart is disgusting. But I have to protect myself and will deal with my anxiety on my own.
I’ve self diagnosed my anxiety after a lot of research. My parents went through depression and they don’t want me to get diagnosed for anxiety as they don’t want me to be taking medicine regularly like they used to have to do. My grandparents are doctors and so they have kinda confirmed that I have it but idk 🤷🏼♀️
I completely understand where you're coming from. But also, as you said there are some REALLY shitty mental health professionals out there who don't know what they're talking about. It took me a lot of years to find someone who understands me and my disorder and knows what to say in times of crisis. I've had borderline personality disorder symptoms for a long long time and the thing i completely suffered with was getting a diagnosis. I always just thought it was depression (which i was already diagnosed with) until 2 friends who had borderline personality disorder told me that they think i have it/display a lot of the symptoms. I put off researching about it because i was scared but eventually i researched. I saw so many professionals about it but they all refused to even talk about my symptoms because i was under 18 so they just put me under the umbrella of "moody teenage girl" and said that i could not get a diagnosis. The thing is that i would have been fine with not labelling myself as anything and not getting a diagnosis but therapy was becoming completely unhelpful because they weren't giving me the correct type of therapy. I didnt need to sit down and talk about my feelings and my past and why I'm like this. I knew why i was like that. They just didn't do anything to actually help me deal with it or help me LIVE with it. I could write a book with the things professionals have told me like when my psychologist said "i think you might have borderline personality disorder, but you don't want a diagnosis from a psychiatrist when you turn 18 because doctors and professionals will turn you down for treatment because you're 'difficult', jobs won't want you because they will look on your health records and see your diagnosis" (which IS illegal. I am a beauty therapist and it is my choice whether i disclose my mental health)
Anyway. I did self diagnose myself in the beginning and even though it can be problematic i think that if enough research is done and symptoms are displayed over a long period of time it is very likely the person has it (like you said). My first appointment with adult services in the uk once i turned 18 i didnt even say anything about BPD because i didnt want to influence their decision in any way. I just answered their questions and lo and behold, i had a diagnosis and was put on the list to get DBT. I've been going since March and its probably the most helpful thing for me. I may have had a rough time and gone through other struggles (an eating disorder relapse) but the past month or so I've been in recovery, doing good things for myself, using my skills and learning how to live with my mental illness. Self diagnosis may be frowned upon but if me and my mother didnt fight for my voice to be heard i probably wouldn't be here today 💖
I completely understand someone trying to diagnose themselves: its so expensive, especially in america to go to a doctor to get help. Self-diagnosis can be so extreme, that they give themselves x,y&z disorders which generally are not comorbid together. I know a person I grew up with was convinced she had borderline personality disorder, but she was honestly just suffering from depression and that was diagnosed later on. The problem with self diagnosis that people do not realize is that x symptoms do not always equal y disorder. Take PTSD for example, there are over 50,000 ways to diagnose it and ever single one is correct in their diagnosis, its just the combination is different, but the same can be said across multiple different disorders: you can have x,y&x that would be this disorder, which can be a common one, but also be indicators for another disorder. I hope I'm making sense. I too have a bachelors in Psychology and I remember having professors that all had different views on self diagnosis: some thought it was helpful because we know ourselves and others saw it as doctors see patients on Web MD, more hysterical than accurate. However I also recognize that the female part of the population are treated different in the medical and mental health realms, which is also a problem. Theres just so much that we dont know or understand that doctors get it wrong. Also I found you to be completely respectful and logical in your reasons behind being against self diagnosis. Im with you.
I think self analysis is very important starting point, if you actually have a problem that is. When I was at my lowest, I didn't know what was wrong with me, and I felt even worse. After some research, after self diagnosed me with anxiety disorders (that it revealed to be true) I discovered that I probably had Asperger's. Sadly especially for Girls there's so little about it and it is F U L L of misconceptions. After researches and official quizzes, I confirmed what I 'felt' was 'wrong' with me. And then, after I started therapy to help to pick myself up, the therapist confirmed without me telling her that I had a lot of anxiety problems and Asperger's. Self diagnosis helped me a lot to feel not that weird anymore and to help me to want to get better. Now I'm getting better every single day and I finally feel like a normal person
I agree with this, especially the part where you said it might not be what yo have when you do all your extensive research because i had a huge fear of doctors and so whatever i thought was wrong with me id do extensive research and i thought i just had anxiety but when my grandma forced me to go to the doctors he told me i had many more anxiety disorders other than social anxiety. I have agoraphobia, emetaphobia, selective mutism, social anxiety and depression and i didn't even think i had the first three until i went there.
i have a bachelor of psychology too and you literally took the words right out of my mouth
for depression and anxiety, there are pretty reliable tools online that you can use and they're basically the same questionnaires professionals use (or at least close to the ones my counselor in college used for me). If it weren't for that initial questionnaire that I got in the student center, I may never have started therapy. I agree with you that self-diagnosis is a great jumping off point. if you just use it as an excuse for toxic behavior and not as a means to know yourself better and to get help, then you're probably doing it wrong.
That moment when your to anxious to go to the doctor to get diagnosed with anything
a n d i o o o p
I agree so much
Only 'self diagnose' a constant problem. You can see signs of something be wrong with you. Then you go to a psychiatrist and ask their opinion. If they say something isn't wrong you can chill and go back to doing whatever the fuck.
I have a physical problem with body (47 degrees scoliosis). I didn't self diagnose scoliosis I went to the doctors. Mental health in any way can't be diagnosed as easily as scoliosis or any physical disorder. So what makes people think saying they have depression because they had a bad day?? You have to have a real evaluation.
I first started therapy after realising that I was getting tired of school and life. I found out what was happening when I was dreading socializing and even leaving my house after school. After I began therapy I am better, anxiety is not the main problem in my life. I was diagnosed with panic disorder and it went away, now I am with a new therapist and it is a better way to get me to be better. Now I don't dread leaving my house as much, as it focuses on the behaviour that causes it.