what is your opinion on self-diagnosing? (mental illnesses in general)
hello, i am 15 and i believe i have depression and social anxiety, i say i do have them for ease. what do you think about self diagnosing? i have done every test on the internet since i was about 12 (when i started feeling depressed) ive been on and off 4 or 5 mental health forums, trying to get help. i really feel i have social anxiety because i feel so restrained all the time, and sometimes i spent a few solid weeks just being anxious simply because i forgot to hand in a homework or something. in year 9 i tried to get help by going to the school counsellor and it was the worst thing i ever did. sometimes i just jump into things without thinking about how it'll affect me, and talking to some random old lady about my feelings was honestly horrible. this teacher kept pulling me out of lessons to talk to me and my parents kept bringing it up, and it's scarred me so much i don't think i'm physically able to get help now. lol even just typing this has made my hands sweat. but yeah, i digressed, a lot of people do have a problem with self diagnosing because if they are wrong it can be belittling to people that actually have them, and it could potentially be dangerous. but i got 100% on the emotional wellness test for social anxiety. also i have no idea how to get help it's ruining my life so much. this might not sound a big deal, but it mattered to me a lot, for the past 2 years i've been practising for my grade 5 violin and i thought i was pretty good but i did the exam a few days ago and i completely panicked and i think im gonna fail, why cant i just function like a normal person. also my depression has gotten a bit better since year 8, but im still left with the after effects of no motivation and feeling tired all the time. and recently i started feeling suicidal again, i eve started cutting and writing notes and googling how many paracetamols kill you etc. idk what this was i just wanted to get it off my chest but yeah please answer the q in the title lol
I think self-diagnosis is OK as long as it doesn't lead to auto medication and/or self hate for having a certain mental illness. Self-diagnosis is great if it helps someone in terms of learning what they're suffering from to know where to get help or how to help themselves like leading them to discovering/practicing mindfulness more often.
Try reading articles about symptoms of depression and social anxiety if you haven't already. The symptoms might be familiar even to people who don't have those illnesses, so it's important to keep in mind the factor of time and how often one feels/has those symptoms.
I have social anxiety and depression, too, and I understand why you feel that way about school counseling. I have talked to my school counselor twice in high school and it wasn't a good experience for me. I also understand that it might be hard to ask your parents to take you to a therapist/psychologist for diagnosis because social anxiety makes it twice as hard to seek help from professionals; going to new places and seeing new places isn't easy for most people with social anxiety.
@Raya501 thank you, do you have any advice for talking to my parents about seeing a doctor for a diagnosis. i'm not really open with my parents about anything, there isnt a single adult i feel like i can talk to about this, only my friends. im also worried about actually talking to the gp because hes a family doctor who weve known for years it would be so awkward, once i cried after ordering a mcdonalds because i got so overwhelmed, how am i supposed to talk about my feelings to some old dude
@drinkmythoughts II understand that, too, because I wasn't (still not enough) open with both of my parents. I think you can pick one of them who seems to be easier to have such a talk with. If it doesn't work with that parent try with the other. Just tell them to sit down, take a deep breath and ask for them to wait for you to finish talking before giving you their response.
One thing I tried that might work with you was writing it in a form of a letter. I once snapped at my mom, she didn't even do a huge think but I was just too frustrated. The next day I told her that I'll explain everything in a form of a letter and wrote about depression, social anxiety and minor problems that increased their effect, and handed the letter to her.
It might surprise you how much they'll be surprised when they hear about your struggles! Make sure to include in the last part of your speech (or if you decide to go with the letter suggestion) that you aren't trying to argue or create a fuss out of nothing or blame anyone for what you're suffering from (even if you feel that your family environment had played a role in developing depression and anxiety, don't tell them that yet, or try to say it in the warmest way possible, pointing out that you're rather just informing them and asking for help). I hope it works!
I agree about the gp. I don't think I'd feel comfortable visiting a family doctor and talking about my mental health either.
Also, don't expect to get along with-
-the first therapist you'll see, but don't be pessimistic about it either. A therapist is like another person - you may or may not feel understood and comfortable enough to work with them and make a progress. And that's okay! Some people have tried at least two therapists before they found the right one.
Good luck and please keep us updated 💕🍀
I am also self-diagnosed with depression. I relized I had it when I had to research it for school and realized it described what I was feeling. I tried to talk to my parents about getting help almost immediately, but they had an extremely negative reaction and refused to believe me or recognize that I had a problem. Because of this, I haven't been able to see a professional to be diagnosed or get help. I decided to go with my self-diagnosis because I needed help and I needed to accept that personally, so I needed to find something free and online, and that led to me to 7 Cups, which has been incredibly helpful. Luckily, I will be attending college next year so I will be away from my parents and my college provides professional therapy services and I will finally be able to talk to someone. The only thing I'm worried about is actually being able to open up now that I've spent so many years hiding how I feel because of my parents and because I have some very serious trust issues, but I hope I will be able to overcome that to get the help I need. So I guess in conclusion I think self-diagnosis is okay as a temporary situation if for some reason you are unable to see a professional either due to circumstances or emotional difficulties, but I think it's important to talk a professional as soon as you can.
Self-diagnosing, as is obvious, will not yield the most reliable/accurate results. In the context of physical illness, researching certain symptoms or illnesses could be useful if you believe your doctor is has misdiagnosed your child, for example. Contrary to the symptoms of mental illnesses, the symptoms of physical illnesses are a lot clearer and straight-forward in their phrasing and implications. In the context of mental illness, there aren't many benefits that come with self-diagnosis. The symptoms of mental-illness are often vague; most human beings if not all have obsessions, but few have OCD. Professionals are the people qualified and knowledgeable enough to decipher what your symptoms indicate.
