Table of contents:
- Mental health self-diagnosis, actually good or bad, anyway?
- The adverse effects of misusing self-diagnosis skills for mental health
- 1. Misdiagnosed
- 2. Incorrect maintenance
- Steps that can be taken after a self diagnosis of mental health
Currently, many have realized that mental health also needs attention. The proof is that more and more people are seeing psychologists or health facilities when they feel stressed and depressed. Unfortunately, some people even carry out their own mental health diagnoses, which are not necessarily accurate. For example, when stress comes, many people self-diagnose mental health.
Mental health self-diagnosis, actually good or bad, anyway?
Basically, self-diagnosis is not always a bad thing. The reason is, sometimes there are several health conditions that only you can realize for yourself. Meanwhile, other people sometimes only know the surface, without knowing more about what is happening to you.
Mental health self-diagnosis indicates that you are aware that something unusual is happening to you. This is fine, however, you shouldn't just stop at self-diagnosis itself.
In fact, to find out whether your mental health is really affected or not, self-diagnosis is only used as a start. In the future, you can immediately see a professional medical expert who can help you armed with the self-diagnosis that you are doing. For example, you can go to see a psychologist or psychiatrist.
Meanwhile, self-diagnosis is often misinterpreted as the only diagnosis needed. This means, after doing it, you may prefer to immediately do the treatment without the help of experts. In fact, this plot has the potential to endanger you or at least aggravate your condition.
The adverse effects of misusing self-diagnosis skills for mental health
Although self-diagnosis is a good starting point for understanding more about your mental health condition, it can also have a negative impact if not used properly. The following are two risks that may occur due to the origin of self-diagnosis.
1. Misdiagnosed
An article published in Psychology Today states that the symptoms found during self-diagnosis can be misunderstood as a sign of a certain mental health disorder. In fact, these symptoms can be a sign of several types of mental illness or even other physical ailments.
For example, you may feel that your moods change frequently. Then, you carry out a self-diagnosis of the condition and think that you have a mental health disorder in the form of manic depression. In fact, constant mood swings could be a sign of another mental disorder. For example acute depression or borderline personality disorder.
If you just stop at self-diagnosis and don't immediately consult a psychologist or psychiatrist, you may miss more important details. For example, from the self-diagnosis that you do, you decide to take certain precautions or treatments. You may feel that both of these are sufficient and appropriate. In fact, it is possible that the solution you decide yourself is misguided.
Therefore, it would be better if you go to a medical professional for further diagnosis. You may mention the results of the self-diagnosis you did to help a psychologist or psychiatrist more quickly find problems from mental health that you are experiencing.
2. Incorrect maintenance
If you make a self-diagnosis of mental health, this can lead to mistakes in your medication. Treatment is not always about using drugs, but it can also be about the method of treatment that you are doing.
The treatment you do may not have any effect on your health condition. However, it could be that the treatment is harmful to you. For example, from the results of self diagnosis, you think that you are experiencing binge-eating disorder,then you decide to fast, to reduce the portion of overeating.
In fact, you do not know for sure whether you have this condition or not. Therefore, you really have to see a medical professional because your condition will be examined thoroughly, not just from the one or two symptoms you feel. That way, if you do experience a mental disorder, your condition can be resolved properly and appropriately.
Steps that can be taken after a self diagnosis of mental health
Instead of stopping at your self diagnosis, there are steps you can take to find out if you really have a mental breakdown, or if it's just the fear and worry that you have.
- Consult a psychologist or psychiatrist. Of course this is the first choice after you carry out a self-diagnosis. Experts will find out more about your mental health.
- Communicating with peers. It doesn't matter if you "talk" to a friend about symptoms that you suspect are mental disorders. Maybe your friend feels it too and it turns out that these symptoms are not a sign of a serious mental illness.
- Find out more about the symptoms you find. When doing a self diagnosis of your mental health, try to dig up more information. Don't just read one article, but look for health journals that can support your diagnosis.
