WE all are familiar with using google search to self-diagnose ourselves and jumping to conclusions that we have serious health issues. Recently, there has been a risky trend among the teens and young adult users of TikTok in self-diagnosing themselves with mental illness.
With improved technology and increased availability of information, mental health awareness has grown. However, there is also the troubling phenomenon of youths diagnosing themselves with mental health issues ranging from depression, ADHD, and Bipolar disorder personality disorder, to anxiety. As much as these social media platforms are creating an opportunity to have important conversations about mental health, enabling the youth to learn about mental health illnesses and get support, they are also exposed to inaccurate, non-science-backed information. That becomes problematic when not all posts are made by mental health experts.
Self-diagnosing is diagnosing oneself with an illness or disease condition based on the information acquired independently. Self-diagnosis can make individuals label themselves and often lead to awful feelings about themselves, aggravating the situation that they are in.
Why do people self-diagnose?
Social media is the first line of information, especially for millennials and Generation Z individuals. The lack of sufficient mental health education and discussion at home and school make the information they receive on social media extremely valuable.
Self-diagnosing can also be motivated by other factors such as inadequate mental health resources and financial issues where the individuals cannot afford the cost of mental health care, especially students. The stigma that concerns mental health is the more important factor why individuals self-diagnose and do not seek professional help.
Lack of trust in health care professionals, unawareness on where to reach out for help, parental and cultural beliefs on mental health care, believing that their issues are not serious are some of the reasons why youths don’t access mental health support and end up self-diagnosing.
Self-diagnosis can also come from the teenage urge to rebel and find common ground among the peer group. According to an article in a British medical journal, the youths report gaining peer support, recognition, and a sense of belonging with this exposure to content on TikTok. This, in turn, may inadvertently reinforce and maintain the symptoms experienced.
What are the risks of self-diagnosing?
Making a diagnosis of mental health condition is a complex process that requires subtle distinctions. There is a huge difference between experiencing symptoms and having a disorder. Many individuals might experience symptoms related to various mental health disorders such as depression and bipolar disorders, but it might not necessarily mean it meets the diagnostic criteria for those conditions.
Though self-diagnosis might help the individual to a certain extent to gather information on how to deal with the psychological discomfort, believing that you have a mental health disorder creates panic, anxiety, stress, and even lead to suicidal thoughts. More so, they can overlook the real symptoms that they are experiencing. Another danger of self-diagnosis is missing out on an existing medical condition such as thyroid problems that can mimic the symptoms of mental health conditions.
Tips to follow:
Be careful where and from whom you seek advice. Check the credentials of the person you are looking for and if he/she has the needed expertise in the field. You might get peer support, recognition, and useful information on handling any psychological discomfort but remember, TikTok or social media is not therapy. If you are really questioning your mental health, it’s important that you seek professional help.
Watch for signs of overuse of social media and when it starts to affect your day-to-day functioning. Taking a digital time out regularly can help avoid going down the rabbit hole of constant worries and self-diagnosing.
Thank you for reading! You can always reach out to me (Anju Vivekanandaraj, MSN., MSc(Clinical Psy), Registered Clinical Psychologist) for professional mental health diagnosis and help at (+592) 613 9255. Kindly send in your feedback and questions at innerpeacegy@gmail.com
