Self Diagnosis: Why Does It Happen?

We’ve all come across that TikTok video where we’re given a bunch of generic behaviours that seemingly imply that you have a specific psychological disorder. Of course, these videos are often far from accurate, as a lot of the ‘symptoms’ listed are arbitrary and common behaviours that cannot simply be linked to a complex psychological disorder. So why are these videos so popular? There’s been an increasing trend of people using videos or posts like these to self-diagnose themselves with a complex psychological disorder.

This issue of self-diagnosis of psychological disorders is complex and has raised arguments for and against it. The most obvious reason to avoid this practice is due to the dangers of using basic internet knowledge to come to a definite and confident decision about the illness that you may have. A list of arbitrary symptoms and behaviours is not sufficient enough to come to a comprehensive and differential diagnosis of a disorder.. An accurate diagnosis is usually reached through completing various cognitive and behavioural tests, which are designed to detect bias, malingering, and severity of symptoms. Through simply self-diagnosing a complex issue, individuals can have a false sense of living with a specific illness which can change the ways in which they behave and interact with their environment.

On the other hand, individuals who may be experiencing legitimate and severe symptoms may see self diagnosis as the only plausible option for gaining a better understanding of themselves. This is because many individuals do not have proper access to mental health care, tools and resources that they can utilize to reach a comprehensive diagnosis. As a result, those who cannot afford or get access to these services rely on their own interpretations of their thoughts, feelings and behaviours. Although it is not ideal, it is often the only option for many people. This may be the reason why many of these videos and posts that encourage self-diagnosis are so popular, especially amongst younger people.

There is a need for a concrete solution to this trend of self diagnosis, and it begins with mental health awareness and implementations of policies around accessible mental health care. Of course, taking action is not as easy as it sounds and requires a group effort, consisting of both small and large scale changes. So, take a look around you and consider what you can do to increase knowledge around mental health and who you can speak to if you want to play a role in facilitating those larger scale changes.