Is it ok to self-diagnose?

Let’s compare mental health diagnosis to car repair. I hear something rattling near the rear of my car and about all I know about that is something is rattling near the rear of my car. I ask my father in law about it. He says, maybe it's a loose tail pipe. Take it to a shop - sure enough. 

Depending on your knowledge and experience, you might be able to make a really good guess at the name of the problem you have. But, knowing the right name or even the right category is not at all necessary. All you need to know is something is wrong so you can do something about it. Ex: My cough isn’t going away. My car won’t start. I can’t go to church without feeling terribly nervous the whole time. 

Ask yourself this question? Is my daily life being messed up by something painful or problematic happening in what I am thinking, what I am doing or how I am feeling? If the answer is yes, you at least need some good self care, and if doing what you already know how to do doesn’t resolve the issue quickly, don’t hesitate to get help from an expert. 

Ok, I don’t need to self-diagnose, but is it wrong to?

Not at all, guess away, but beware of possible side-effects. Here are 2 potential positives and two pitfalls of self-diagnosis. 

Self-diagnosis pitfall #1: Getting attached to an inaccurate diagnosis. 

When you find people who have similar experiences to yours, it feels so good. Like you’re really understood. You might even feel like you have found a community of people who get it. Then what if you start seeing a therapist who says that your self-diagnosis isn’t quite right? For example, it’s PTSD, not OCD. What kind of loss or confusion would you feel? 

Self-diagnosis positive #2: You find out you’re not alone and that help is available. 

The reality is, research on the internet is now an integral part of many people’s self-assessment process. People learn important information that helps them understand they are not alone, and there is help available. It's perfectly ok to feel resonance with anyone whose experience sounds like yours. So, research away if it’s fun for you, if it doesn’t stress you out if you can keep a “maybe it's the tailpipe?” attitude. Remember, it takes a pro to nail down an official diagnosis.

Self-diagnosis pitfall #3: Self diagnosis leads to self treatment or delays seeking help.

Sometimes people who get confident about their self-diagnosis don’t bother to get a professional diagnosis or professional help. I’ve heard people say, “well, I know it's just anxiety,” as a way to dismiss a problem that is really clobbering their life. Some types of problems don’t get better on their own, many get worse.

Self-diagnosis positive: You get professional help instead of trying to treat yourself because you hear people’s stories of therapy working while waiting it out didn’t. 

Now, back to those self-assessment questions: If you’re not ok, and being generally kind to yourself is not clearing it up quickly, don’t delay getting help just because you know what you’re going through is “a thing.”

Don’t let worry that you don’t have a diagnosis stop you either. TCKs go through many shifts, changes and losses and it hurts. Even if it’s not a mental illness, if you’re going through an emotionally hard time counseling/therapy can help. If you’re not ok, reach out.

Intrepid Counseling’s mission is to make sure TCKs and their families in remote areas don’t need to feel like waiting it out, or some kind of self-treatment is their only option. Please reach out if there’s something you want to talk about.

Photo by Arseny Togulev on Unsplash