A formal diagnosis is often the first step on the road to healing from a mental illness. Many times, people visit their doctors or therapist in order to get a diagnosis. They take tests, answer questions and provide information a clinician can use in order to get to the cause of the discomfort.
But sometimes people skip the doctor’s office and they hop online to diagnose their own diseases. While this method might seem faster, it can be very dangerous.
Stats
According to research, 59% of U.S. adults say they use the Internet to research and gather health information. Approximately 35% of those adults end up using the information they find to diagnose themselves. This new wave of self-diagnosers has inspired something called cyberchondria. People have become obsessed with identifying their own illnesses.
Groups that are more likely to turn to the Internet instead of medical professionals include women, those who earn more than $75,000 a year, young adults, Caucasians, and those who have college or advanced degrees.
Hidden Symptoms
One of the greatest dangers of self diagnosis of mental health issues, is that you may miss a medical disease that disguises itself as a psychiatric condition. If you have panic disorder, you may miss a diagnosis of hyperthyroidism or an irregular heart beat. Some brain tumors may present with changes in personality, psychosis or even depression. If you assume you have depression and treat it with an over-the-counter medication, you may completely miss a medical condition.
People with mood swings often think that they have bipolar disorder. However, mood swings are a symptom that can be a part of many different conditions like borderline personality disorder and major depression. A clinician can help you understand your symptoms.
Skewed Perceptions
Then there is the fact that can know ourselves, but sometimes, we need a mirror to see ourselves more clearly. The doctor or therapist can be that mirror. By self-diagnosing, you may be missing something that you cannot see. For example, you may be overwhelmed by anxiety and think that you have an anxiety disorder. The anxiety disorder may be covering up a major depressive disorder. Approximately 2/3 of people who present to outpatient clinics with anxiety have depression as well. When people self-diagnose, they often miss the multiple issues that exist.
A Mountain out of a Mole Hill
Another danger of self diagnosis is that you may think that there is more wrong with you than there actually is. For example, if you had insomnia, trouble focusing and depression, you may believe that you have a sleep disorder, ADHD and major depression. However, major depression can account for all of these symptoms. Thus, you may make things worse by worrying more.
Wrong Treatment
People who believe that they’re diagnosed with a specific medical or mental health condition may attempt to cure that problem by changing their diet, or taking over-the-counter medications. Unfortunately, they might be taking steps they simply don’t need to take.
Another risk is that people might end up treating themselves with methods that will actually cause harm. For example, someone might try to treat their weight problem with pills that were prescribed for someone else, or illegally obtained on the street. They might decide that the best way to lose weight is to starve themselves by fasting or by engaging in strenuous physical workouts on a regular basis. Strenuous exercise might be appropriate for some people, but it might provoke a heart attack in someone else or simply lead to pain and that would discourage them from pursuing further healthier methods for weight loss.
Not Taking Care of The Real Problem
Meanwhile, if people are addressing one problem while ignoring the real source of the issue, they may find that their original complaint grows much more serious. For example, people who assume they have a brain tumor might begin to dabble in drug abuse in order to make the pain fade, and they may believe that they’re facing a terminal illness and therefore don’t have long to live, so there’s no reason to be sober.
Yes it’s true we live in a tech age where everyone and anyone has a laptop, tablet or smartphone. These devices serve many purposes but do yourself a favor. The next time you aren’t feeling well, instead of hopping on Google, make an appointment with your physician or therapist first.
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REFERENCES
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/debunking-myths-the-mind/201005/the-dangers-self-diagnosis
http://www.dualdiagnosis.org/dual-diagnosis-treatment/dangers-self-diagnosis/
https://www.mentalhelp.net/articles/risks-of-self-diagnosis/
http://www.insurancequotes.org/health/dangers-of-online-self-diagnosis-2/