The Dangers of Self-Diagnosis for Mental Illness
Recently, Josh over at We Worry: A Blog for the Anxious, recently wrote Why You Shouldn’t Self-Diagnose, an article on the risks of self diagnosis.
In his article, Josh talks of the dangers of relying on self-diagnosis, or even worse, the Internet, to diagnose your own medical problems. There are too many variables to consider, and to get a correct diagnosis it is almost always necessary to go to a medical professional.
The same holds true of mental illness. Although the temptation to self-diagnose a mental illness can be overwhelming, and to be honest, there is a certain satisfaction in self-diagnosis, it is very risky to self-diagnose your own mental health.
There are a variety of reasons for this. First, there is always the risk of misdiagnosis. For example, you may take an online depression test and get a passing score, but still be suffering from depression. Mental illnesses are notoriously deceptive, and by self-diagnosing you could easily miss the forest for the trees.
There is the danger of missing a more serious condition. Some mental illnesses, such as depression, can be caused by a variety of other medical conditions. If you self-diagnose yourself with depression you might be missing a more serious medical condition that is causing the depression.
Another risk is self-deception. Mental illnesses can mess with your perceptions. When I had depression, I was convinced that I had skin cancer. I have very fair skin, so whenever I am out in the sun, I get freckles. Lots of them. Like somebody threw a bucket of mud at me through a screen door. So every new spot, I thought “cancer!” I drove my doctor nuts. You need to be careful with perceptions when you have a mental illness, and self-diagnosis is a really easy way to fool yourself.
Finally, as Josh mentions in his article, self-diagnosis can interfere with your treatment. Mental illness is a slippery subject, and sometimes you may not agree with your doctor or specialist on your diagnosis. It is ok to disagree with your doctor, but be careful not to fall into the trap of self-diagnosis. If you have questions about your diagnosis, bring them up with your doctor at your next session, or alternatively, seek the advice of a second doctor or specialist.
Health
jennifer responds:
Posted: May 20th, 2007 at 6:59 pm →
Excellent advice Scott!
Even with the DSM IV TR, it is still not easy for a non-professional to diagnose a mental health illness. There are a lot of variables and it is a rather complex process!
Great post!
JJ
Scott Davis responds:
Posted: May 21st, 2007 at 3:34 pm →
Jen, it is an incredibly complex process, and it usually takes a very long time as well. It took my therapist very little time to diagnose me with depression, but it took several sessions before we understood exactly how my anxiety was “interacting” with the depression. Without that understanding, it would have been very difficult for me to recover completely.
Peter responds:
Posted: August 1st, 2008 at 5:21 am →
In mental health a diagnosis can be little more than finding a ‘label’, for a person’s problems, for which the medical profession will then prescribe medication directed towards coping with the symptoms. It is amazing how many new ‘conditions’ seem to be identified and included within each new issue of the DSM.
Great post by Scott where the interaction between anxiety and depression was identified by his therapist. Well done Scott, for finding a good therapist !