Considering the abundance of facts that we have access to with just the click of a computer-mouse, it is very easy to believe that we have all of the necessary information to make inferences about our mental health. Yet, it is this mentality that can lead to the dangerous and often detrimental decision to diagnose oneself with a mental illness. Self-diagnosis can be defined as the process of diagnosing one’s illness based on information available in books or on the internet (10), and studies in the UK have shown that 50% of the population do so when they feel ill (3). Doing this can feel helpful in a number of ways, for instance, it can seem cost-effective and easy to do, but can end up doing more harm than good. Here are four reasons why making a self-diagnosis can be dangerous:
1. You can misdiagnose yourself
When looking to make a formal diagnosis, mental health professionals use tools such as the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) or the International Classification of Diseases (ICD). These manuals specify the symptoms for each disorder, how long they need to have persisted for, and how much they should impact a patient's life in order for them to qualify for a diagnosis. Professionals spend many years studying these manuals and the disorders classified in them in order to fully understand every aspect that plays into their diagnosis. Thus, when we simply look up a few symptoms and decide that we have a disorder, we could be missing out on a lot of crucial information. One example of this is missing comorbidities (having two or more disorders at once) (7). It has been shown that 60% of those with an anxiety disorder have symptoms of a depressive disorder as well (8), which demonstrates that the risk of missing a diagnosis when simply looking up symptoms online is high. Conversely, one can diagnose themselves with disorders they may not have (7). Feeling anxious or having a low mood from time to time is normal. Yet, Google will be very quick to say that you are feeling this way because of a disorder, which is very dangerous especially if it leads to self-medication. Lastly, many disorders have very similar symptoms (for example, panic disorder and obsessive compulsive disorders are both marked by excessive worry) that the untrained eye might not be able to differentiate between, which could lead to a false diagnosis (2).
2. You can mistake a physical disease for a psychological one
Many physical disorders have similar symptoms to psychological ones, but have drastically different causes and treatment plans. For example, brain tumors sometimes cause symptoms of depression. If one then simply diagnoses themselves with Major Depressive Disorder, they would completely miss a medical syndrome (7). The same is true for hyperthyroidism, which manifests itself in very similar ways to General Anxiety Disorder (namely through heart palpitations and irritability) (2). Thus, it is crucial to see a professional who can determine whether the symptoms are due to physical or psychological causes before establishing a treatment plan.
3. Self-medication or lack of treatment can worsen issues
A self-diagnosis is sometimes followed by a plan to treat the disorder. If this plan includes self-medication, it could be extremely harmful, as psychiatric drugs have extreme side effects and must be prescribed in a case-by-case manner to prevent harm (10). A lack of treatment can be just as damaging than self-medication. As per the example given above, if one incorrectly diagnoses themselves with anxiety when the cause of their symptoms is actually hyperthyroidism, their thyroid problem will go untreated and could end up worsening over time. Similarly, if a comorbidity of Major Depressive Disorder is missed, the depression could worsen to a point where one could develop suicidal thoughts and contemplate self-harm (1). Thus, self-medication should be avoided at all costs, and one should seek help from a professional in the event that they believe they need a diagnosis.
4. Adopting a "sick" role and causing oneself unnecessary anxiety
Labelling theory states that people tend to internalize labels that are given to them, and act in accordance with them (9). When this label is that they are mentally ill, people might end up adopting a long term role of someone who is fronted with debilitating psychopathology (5). Further, a study by Merckelbach et al (2010) showed that people tend to justify symptoms that they never actually reported or experienced when told that they did by the experimenters (6), results that illustrate that self-diagnoses are not very accurate, as people can manipulate themselves into truly believing they have an illness that they do not in fact have. Thus, self-diagnosis can lead to the unnecessary adoption of a "sick" role that can eventually be detrimental to a person's life. In addition to this, this label can cause unnecessary anxiety, as shown in a study by LetsGetChecked, a personal health testing company, which stated that 74% of people who attempted to self-diagnose became stressed because of what they found. In fact, excessively searching for health-related information online is seen as a risk factor for health anxiety (4).
So what should I do instead?
The increase of information and awareness surrounding mental health is not a bad thing! Seek help from a doctor if you think there is something wrong, and after you have reached a conclusive and personalized diagnosis, use the incredible tools that we have access to on the internet to research strategies for coping with a disorder.
References
1. Andersen, N. (2019, April 9). The Dangers of Self Diagnosis for Mental Health. Thrive Global. https://thriveglobal.com/stories/the-dangers-of-self-diagnosis-for-mental-health/
2. Bennett, C. (2018, August 23). Health Anxiety and Dangers of Self-Diagnosis. News Medical. https://www.news-medical.net/health/Health-Anxiety-and-Dangers-of-Self-Diagnosis.aspx
3. Brinkhurst-Cuff, C. (2018, May 18). The benefits and dangers of self-diagnosing your mental health online. Dazed. https://www.dazeddigital.com/life-culture/article/40076/1/self-diagnosis-mental-health-anxiety-online
4. Clark, M. (2020, May 28). 9 Problems With and Dangers of Self-Diagnosis. Etatics. https://etactics.com/blog/problems-with-self-diagnosis
5. Davey, G. (2011). Applied Psychology. Blackwell. https://books.google.at/books?id=K1qq1SsgoxUC&pg=PA31&lpg=PA31&dq=diagnostic+labels+actually+encourage+individuals+to+adopt+a+#v=onepage&q=diagnostic%20labels%20actually%20encourage%20individuals%20to%20adopt%20a&f=false
6. Jabr, F. (2010, July 28). Self-Fulfilling Fakery: Feigning Mental Illness Is a Form of Self-Deception. Scientific American. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/faking-mental-illness/
7. Pillay, S. (2010, May 3). The Dangers of Self-Diagnosis. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/debunking-myths-the-mind/201005/the-dangers-self-diagnosis
8. Salcedo, B. (2018, January 19). The Comorbidity of Anxiety and Depression. National Alliance on Mental Illness. https://www.nami.org/Blogs/NAMI-Blog/January-2018/The-Comorbidity-of-Anxiety-and-Depression
9. Skaggs, S. L. (n.d.). Labeling theory. Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/labeling-theory
10. White Swan Foundation. (2016, August 31). Why the internet cannot diagnose your mental illness. White Swan Foundation. https://www.whiteswanfoundation.org/mental-health-matters/understanding-mental-health/self-diagnosing-of-mental-illness
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