The Art of Self Diagnosis

When self diagnosis is your only option.

Doctors and those with higher degrees are truly the expert in their field and their knowledge is simply irreplaceable and valuable beyond words. But talking to an expert, specifically a mental health professional, can be difficult, if not impossible all together. There are barriers and hurdles that come with seeking mental health treatment which deters many from seeking help. Consider these facts:

• Around 10% of Americans do not have health insurance, half of them attributing their lack of coverage to high costs. Many of those who have health insurance, can not afford to use it because they cannot pay the deductible or copayments.
• Approximately 60% of US counties do not have a single practicing psychiatrist within the county.
• Only 43% of people with mental health problems are seeking treatment in US, and that number drops to as low as 20% in other countries around the world.

Seeking mental health treatment can be possible to access for some, however, there may be additional barriers which are in the way of them receiving proper psychiatric care. Some of these difficulties are:

• Being too anxious to make phone calls and arrange appointments.
• About 1.8 million adults, or 0.8% of the US population, have Agoraphobia, which is a condition that can make it impossible to leave your home, making treatment inaccessible for many. Other Anxiety disorders can also make leaving home difficult.
• Many people that are mentally ill live in abusive households where compassion and proper treatment is non-existent; this is especially true for teenagers. 
• The taboo surrounding the topic, or the stigma, is a common reason that people avoid treatment. Shame, blame, denial, and abuse, all make accessing care difficult for people who need treatment.

First of all, it needs to be stated that in order for a person to “get better”, they must seek improvement and begin to heal. Just like physical health, there are many conditions that won’t simply “go away” on their own. A temporary virus, or a case of stress-induced depression, can work itself out in time, but for many mental health conditions, the only way towards healing is to take control of your own life. 

The many hurdles of lacking access to care present themselves in an ugly fashion. Even with insurance and a doctor, it is very common, and almost expected, to have to “doctor shop”. And this is where many people fall apart because walking in to a doctors office, trembling with a list of symptoms in your hand, and hearing them say they don’t believe you or not listening to you, is soul crushing. It makes many people walk away from mental health care for good. The fact that you have to search for help, and demand care in some circumstances, is a daunting task for a mentally healthy person, let alone a person that is suffering from mental illness.

Sadly, as the statistics show, most people are left to their own devices for mental health care. Most people can only access the internet and will likely never see a doctor.

So as a mental illness will not go away without addressing it, and a person in need of mental health treatment probably will not see a doctor, what are the next steps?

Well, as mental health is a bit different than physical health, and more complex in different ways, it requires some rule breaking. In general, a person really should not self diagnose a medical condition as only a trained professional can truly identify a problem and know how to treat it properly. However, the lack of access to care in mental health makes seeing a doctor an impossibility for most people. So most people with mental health problems will need to take matters into their own hands. And even if you see a psychiatrist, having a general idea of where your problem areas are can help tremendously.

Here are some tips for trying to self diagnose a mental health condition:

• Research and read EVERYTHING you can. When reading information, pay attention to who wrote it. Try to stick to .org’s for facts. Some websites, like TheMighty, can appear to be factual but are in fact not, as nearly anyone can submit an article to them and there is little fact checking on their website. If you are reading a website not written by a professional, take it with a BIG grain of salt.
• But be sure to read personal stories too! Reading others experiences can help you reflect on your own behavior, so follow bloggers or check out the many memoirs that are out there. This one is AWESOME! 
• Join Facebook support groups for mental health but also, I highly recommend joining Facebook support groups of the specific disorder you think you have, such as Bipolar or PTSD. And then just simply sit back, and learn. See if you relate to their experiences and struggles. If you don’t really relate and don’t quite fit in, you may want to continue your research.
• Take self assessments and online tests. This one is pretty good.
• In US, always reference the DSM-IV, or the Diagnostics and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition. Other countries typically have their own diagnostic criteria for mental disorders.
• The goal in self diagnosis isn’t really to find a label, but to identify and treat your symptoms, when you have no other option.

So what do you do when you have identified your problem areas? Here are some tips:

• Try to teach yourself therapy programs such as DBT or CBT. It isn’t the same as having a trained professional, but it is better than doing nothing at all. There are videos, slideshows, workbooks, and even support groups on Facebook. 
• Avoid immersing too much into a diagnosis. Mental illnesses can be tricky and joining a support group for a phobia, for example, can cause symptoms to increase. Some find that simply being in mental health groups can be triggering for them. So use your own discretion but avoid becoming too “wrapped up” in it because you can truly think yourself sick. 
• Start a mood journal or app (Daylio is great!) and track your symptoms. Keeping a journal can help as well. 
• Substance and alcohol abuse is like pouring gasoline on lava when mixing with poor mental health. This is an entirely different article for an entirely different day, but consider taking steps towards sobriety as it will improve your mental health exponentially.
• Look into online therapy. Some programs have a monthly premium and you have access to a therapist through text and phone.
• Contact National Alliance On Mental Illness and Bipolar Depression Support Alliance. You can search for local support groups and classes for you and your family!
• Try to see a regular physician as many will prescribe common antidepressants, which can help in some situations. 
• Look deeply into your past. You may have experienced trauma that you didn’t realize, or abuse that you didn’t understand. These experiences can be extremely impactful and often, people with a mental illness experience trauma. In fact, a whopping 80% of people with a mental illness report abuse, and abused children are four times more likely to develop a mental illness than their peers. 
• Recognize that recovery is not a destination, but a lifestyle. 
• Understand that you are the captain of your ship. Even with a psychiatrist and a therapist, nothing will be successful if you don’t follow through. If you refuse to do the exercises, refuse to read the books, and refuse to do the work, you will not get better. You are the one battling the storm, so fight hard.

Recognizing you have a problem is a huge step that screams exceptional growth as a human being. The next step though, is to move forward with that information and try grow forward. Of course, any suspicion of mental health problems should be brought to a trained and licensed professional. But, as common in mental health care, having no access to a professional can leave you to handle the situation almost entirely on your own. But with a little guidance and a lot (A lot!) of reading, you can begin to become the best version of yourself. 

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Thank you and Be Well ❤️