What do you think of self diagnosing mental health?

[i_am_me_again]

I have come across a lot of people in my life, online, offline, friends, or just acquantices.

A lot of them go on about how they have all these mental health problems, and they label themselves and are on medication for a disorder that doesnt exist.

You have to go to the doctors, you cannot just decide to have 'bipolar, ocd, sad and adhd, because you fit 1 symptom,

Anyway I feel very angry, for those genuine people, with genuine mental health problems. Because they get the back hand, and those who diagnose themselves getthe frontline.

[The Morrigan]

I think that people can diagnose themselves but they can never be certain they're right until they go to the doctors.

[losing touch.]

i think quite often people self diagnose so they can use it as an excuse.. but ehh, idk.. i guess some people who self diagnose will have genuine mental health problems. but it's pretty simple really, you think you've got a mental health problem.. see a doctor.

[Magical Forest.]

If people use the 'symptom checker' things that you can get, they'd have the whole range of mental illnesses!
It does quite annoy me when people say that they have a certain illness when they haven't actually been diagnosed, but some of those people might actually have that illness, all you can go by is what the professionals say. But even then they can get things wrong; my friend was wrongly diagnosed with manic depression when she actually had BPD so it depends on how people view things.
But diagnosing yourself for the sake of it is really stupid.

[emma01]

Yea i see what you mean, I think people can tell if they may have a mental illness, but they cant label themselves with it until they are diagnosed! It's also the same with other people telling me I have a mental illness...i keep telling them that I don't because of this reason and that reason, they then say "yea but that is if you are diagnosed with it" Im like, yea well you have to be diagnosed with it..duh! So confusing!

[Lizzie]

One of my courses I am currently taking (that I have to take for my psych major) is about how the public is completely misguided with just about everything that has to do with psychology. So it doesn’t surprise me that people try to diagnose themselves. Even though only a certified credentialed psychologist or medical doctor can diagnose you with anything. And people think that all those years at med school are the same as taking a self help test online. And they are so not. The media has completely skewed the reality of psychology, in particular abnormal psychology. Disorders are misrepresented everywhere: on TV, in movies, in magazines, in the news, on the internet. So the fact that people are taking this into their own hands is only hurting them. They think they know what they are talking about, when they really only know just the surface.
And on a similar note, I think that general practitioners should not be allowed to prescribe medication for a mental disorder. I think they should be referred to a psychologist or psychiatrist. You don’t see people going to a psychiatrist for a broken ankle. Anyways, I think that is a huge problem with over diagnosing people in today’s society and curing everything with an antidepressant or anti-anxiety medication. Ok, rant over. : bleh:

[jellyfish]

Yeah, this annoys me.
I dont like when people moan that they are depressed 'oh I'm so depressed', when its blatant that they arent. If they knew what depression was really like they wouldnt say such things.
I think some people do it for attention, or they do it cause it seems to be 'cool' to them. Its really NOT cool.

[Lizzie]

Originally Posted by jellyfish

Yeah, this annoys me.
I dont like when people moan that they are depressed 'oh I'm so depressed', when its blatant that they arent. If they knew what depression was really like they wouldnt say such things.
I think some people do it for attention, or they do it cause it seems to be 'cool' to them. Its really NOT cool.

But I think right there, you are making the same mistake. You are making a statement that they are not clinically depressed, when you are not a doctor. Nobody who is not clinically certified to do so can tell someone that they do or do not have any form of mental disorder.

[Thirteen]

Originally Posted by i_am_me_again

I have come across a lot of people in my life, online, offline, friends, or just acquantices.

A lot of them go on about how they have all these mental health problems, and they label themselves and are on medication for a disorder that doesnt exist.

You have to go to the doctors, you cannot just decide to have 'bipolar, ocd, sad and adhd, because you fit 1 symptom,

Anyway I feel very angry, for those genuine people, with genuine mental health problems. Because they get the back hand, and those who diagnose themselves getthe frontline.

Oh yes, I have a friend who pulled this same thing. She tried to claim she has Chronic Depression, Bipolar, BPD, OCD, ADHD. She has none, as is obvious when you dissect it.

Chronic Depression (MDD) and Bipolar: They contradict each other, so she was never diagnosed with either, and I know she doesn't have bipolar, because I know she'd never understand a manic moment, shes never had one, and I'm 95% sure she thinks Bipolar sheerly means you get mad easy. And depression, well, doesn't seem like she has that, either, though I'm not 100%, since a mild case is possible. Even then, her emotions are normal. She just tries too hard to be mopey, as I've noticed with her in varying situations.

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD): She doesn't have it. She has zero symptoms. Simple.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD): Again, she has no symptoms. And before anyone says "Well she may have compulsion of telling people she has this stuff", wrong. She has only said something to people as a way to, well, I guess fulfill an angsty punk stereotype. In fact, the one incident where her family "Fucked up her OCD" (her words), was when her internet was disconnected for a day. No, you're not OCD with the computer. You just want to talk to guys online who have a crush on you and download movies. It's not an obsession or compulsion, its just you wanting to not be bored.

Attention-Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD): Okay, ADHD, as most people know, is easily misdiagnosed and everything, and it's probably easy enough to fake the symptoms. This was the only thing a doctor diagnosed her with, when she was 20 (less than a year ago). However, she has snorted Ridalin recreationally. I have a friend who I've known since I was 10 or 11, he's always had ADHD. Snorting Ridalin would do nothing for him, BECAUSE he has ADHD. Meanwhile, this friend who faked it was just looking for a fix. I mean, the doctor prescribed her Concerta, which apparently lumps when you try to crush it. It won't powder well, so of course, suddenly it "doesn't work" and she "needs Ridalin" because "medication only works if she snorts it". Yes, maybe if you're GETTING HIGH!

So, I have seen this, and it is pretty ridiculous that because she faked this stuff, her doctor gave her pills that COULD HAVE gone towards someone with REAL problems!!


Meanwhile...

There IS a difference between self-diagnosing, and doing research when something is possible. Okay, may help if I explain this. So, here's my story...

I've got a couple online friends I confide in. I don't confide in people here, since I don't trust them. I like the anonymous factor to the internet. Anyways, I've been the way I am for about half my life or so, and thinking back on it, I'm sure its associated with past incidents I choose not to speak of.

Anyways, so all these friends, I've known for about 3 years. About one year ago, I was talking to my one friend, in-depth on Skype, I think it was. I forget what the conversation was exactly like, but at one point, he says to me how he thinks I may have depression. I thought "No, I have good days! Depression is when you're always sad.", and things of the sort. But he urged me to find out. So, I decided I'd go to my college, see a councellor and see what they had to say, to help settle my friend's mind. I went to see a councellor, and was told that it seemed like I had severe depression, he had me take one of those evaluatey test things, and then thinking I was suicidal, walked me to the nurse's office, where she said basically the same thing, had me take another test, and such. So, at this point, I was thinking "Oh, I may have depression after all". I tried to talk to my mom about it, and see if she'd take me to the doctor (I had health insurance at this time), and she refused, in fear of me going on meds and becoming a zombie. She wouldn't unless I did something drastic. I shrugged it off, continued talking to my friends as per normal, etc., etc.

My moods had been fluxuating, from bad to normal, until about 1-2 months after this incident, when I had a really happy moment. Like, I felt the way my friends acted, a few years back, when they were taking Ecstacy. Like, I was obsessed with Happy Hardcore, Dance, Techno, Gabber, and the such. I was practically dancing to all my classes, rapidly tapping my foot if I had to sit or stand still, talking fast, mind was rushing, wasn't sleeping (except maybe 1 hour a night tops), wasn't eating, forgetting parts of my day (such as how I got from Point A to Point B, parts of lessons, etc.), it felt like time skips throughout my day. If you've ever seen the episode of "Futurama" with the time shifts due to something in the Universe, Harlem Globetrotters help the Professor solve it, etc., then you'll get what I mean. This lasted for about 1 1/2 weeks.

Another online friend and I were talking, and shes diagnosed Bipolar Type II and Borderline Personality Disorder, and one day, even without knowing of the moment mentioned above (which, I found out eventually was symptomatic of a Manic/Hypomanic Moment *not sure what'd be considered psychosis, she said to me how her and I react alike, think alike, feel alike, and have just so much in common, so she thinks theres a good chance I may have BPII and BPD. At first, I thought that was a bit excessive. But then, I did some research, sent the articles to another online friend, who I talk to everyday, and after he read it all through, he said that the symptoms sounded accurate to my behaviours, characteristics, etc. And so, I read all through, looked up numerous sources, and ended up partaking in the CABF chat, to discuss with other folks, who have Bipolar, to try and figure out more based on personal experiences. After further talking to these people, it became even more likely, since I had similar experiences to them. In particular, one person with BPII had been going through the same things I had gone through at their age, really.

As of right now, where I stand, its highly likely I have BPII, BPD, and Social Anxiety issues. However, I've got no health insurance, and can't get to the CMHA (Canadian Mental Health Association, they offer some free short-term help) to get diagnosis, therapy, and such. I don't tell anyone I definitely have anything, and the few people I talk to about it know that it's a possibility, my reasons why, and only a few people know about my past instances. Well, now whoever will read through this whole thing has some idea.

Sorry if this got kind of long, but I was trying to say, basically, it's sickening how people will try to say they have these things, whether for attention, to get high, or in the case of my former friend, seemingly to fulfill some angsty punk stereotype. Some people may/do have these legitimate problems, and because of these people, folks who really need help have a hard time getting it.

And Lizzie, I completely agree with you about a society that'll purposely misdiagnose things to get Disability Benefits, Medications, and whatever else they want just to be lazy and get high, and how these resources SHOULD be saved for people who actually need them, instead of making them suffer, or making taxes go higher to help compensate for these things.

Now I'm done! Seriously!!

[MadPoet]

I can understand where you're coming from. A lot of people will diagnose themselves with something simply because they might match one symptom of a mental disorder. Taking medication for something you have not been diagnosed with is completely ridiculous. I'm not sure how anyone even manages that, or how they get the prescription?

However, I do think that sometimes people who have theories that they have a mental disorder can be correct. For instance, when I couldn't go a day without having a million mood swings or violent thoughts, I had a hunch that it was some kind of mental disorder. However, I didn't feel it was my place to give that disorder a label or a name yet, because I know that that's the doctors job.

I am on medication for mood swings, but I am not diagnosed with bipolar disorder. However, from a young age I've experienced a good half of the symptoms for bipolar disorder, so I consider myself bipolar. However, I know that I can't be positive because I have not been diagnosed (my psychiatrist says it's difficult to diagnose teenagers with BPD).

People can have a hunch that they have a certain disorder, but they should never start medication unless they have been diagnosed. You know when you have a mental disorder, because you can tell that you are not functioning normally. But it's up to the doctor to tell you what kind of disorder it may be.

[OMFG!You'reActuallySmart!]

I'm not a particularly big fan of self-diagnosing because what I tend to see of it involves people merely looking at a list of symptoms and saying "yep, I got that, that and that, well I must now have X". They miss the fact that there is a list of criteria which aren't the same as seeing if you experience some of the symptoms. Unfortunately, it seems many people do this for common disorders, such as depression, and whenever someone comes along who is genuinely depressed, they end up getting tossed in this group and it's hard to distinguish without doing an in-depth examination.

This is different from when someone claims to have a certain disorder simply for attention or other benefits, such as material or social benefits. For example, if someone claims to be depressed and is faking it, after some time when there are more and more people doing this, whenever someone else comes along and appears to have depression, society and possibly medical staff will be skeptical because of previous experiences. Claiming to have a mental disorder though when one knows they really don't is essentially an excuse for a certain behavior or action. For example, if someone fakes having schizophrenia and ends up ruining expensive clothing of someone they dislike, the fact they supposedly have schizophrenia can serve as an excuse in that they weren't responsible for their actions so they shouldn't be blamed. Faking the disorders could also allow one to get certain medications that they may want simply because it gives them a "high".

So in the end for each common disorder, there are people who are genuine and have it, people who inaccurately self-diagnose, people who purposely misdiagnose for a certain benefit, people who have been abused by individuals with the disorder and don't understand much of it, and people who obtained information about it via media (i.e. Hollywood movies). It becomes difficult to sort out who is "real" and who isn't but even if self-diagnosing is removed from the equation, there still will be confusion just it will be less.

The last reason why I don't like self-diagnosing is that it's a kick in the face to doctors and people in the medical field. Doctors essentially spend their entire life dedicated to a certain field and so you come to them if you're in need of their experience, knowledge and understanding. However, when you self-diagnose, it's saying "I don't need the doctor, I can do it all on my own" and usually those who self-diagnose are amateurs without much experience, knowledge or understanding in the field of psychiatry and psychology.

[i_am_me_again]

I might sound nasty, but I call this problem of self diagnosing...

"A.S.H" - Attention Seeking Hypochondriac.

I think sooner or later, there will be a mental illness for absolutly everything. And everybody will claim they have one and everyone will WANT to be on medication


My opinion....correct me if I am wrong.

[Thirteen]

Originally Posted by i_am_me_again

I might sound nasty, but I call this problem of self diagnosing...

"A.S.H" - Attention Seeking Hypochondriac.

I think sooner or later, there will be a mental illness for absolutly everything. And everybody will claim they have one and everyone will WANT to be on medication


My opinion....correct me if I am wrong.

No, thats about right. I mean, Munchausen is along the same basis of faking ill, and even provoking illness for attention. And a hypochondriac, well, they're just obsessed with finding something wrong with them.

But, I think Attention Seeking Scumbag would be better for these people who fake things for attention and/or drugs. (Haha, gettit, abbreviates to "A.S.S."? )

[i_am_me_again]

Lol....Julz...u come up with naughtyness....

[Lizzie]

Originally Posted by ☣ ArcAngel ☣

But, I think Attention Seeking Scumbag would be better for these people who fake things for attention and/or drugs. (Haha, gettit, abbreviates to "A.S.S."? )

But people who are willing to go so far as to fake having an illness to get attention, are missing something in their life. And could probably do well with some counseling. So calling them scumbags isn’t really cool. They really do need help, just in a different way, and they don’t know how to get it.

[Thirteen]

Originally Posted by Lizzie

But people who are willing to go so far as to fake having an illness to get attention, are missing something in their life. And could probably do well with some counseling. So calling them scumbags isn’t really cool. They really do need help, just in a different way, and they don’t know how to get it.

Not necessarily true. o_O Like, the former friend I spoke of, she just wanted to fulfil an angsty punk stereotype. And majority of the people seeking attention (from what I've seen) are doing such for a similar reason, to fulfil a stereotype associated with a subculture. Not crying for help. Because as soon as they have finished high school, suddenly they're no longer the "same person", and they're dressed "normal", instead of trying to be a "goth", "emo", or "punk".

I'm aware that there are some people seeking attention to get help, but I mean, if they're faking mental illness to seek attention, they would've probably had some sort of psych evaluation, since its normally required for a diagnosis. At that point, I think they would've obtained the help needed. However, it's not that common (at least from my experiences) that people seek attention because they're reaching out for help. In fact, I've never seen anyone act out for anything more than an image/stereotype thing.

[Nymous]

I hate people who say they have a mental illness just to have attention.
On my other school, I knew a girl who had millions of illnesses and disorders. First, she always claimed to have bad and dangerous physical health problems, but then, she began to diagnose herself having depression and millions of disorders. Really, everybody finished by hating her.

I also think that there is a difference by looking after information about something you seriously might have, and doing self-diagnosing.
I mean, when you're self-diagnosing, you are looking after attention and you know that. You also know that you are lying, in that case, so, you don't worry too much and you claim 'having no problems with' and 'accepting your disorder easily'. But that's no reality. If someone comes to me and claims that he/she has for example Schizophrenia or Dissociative Personality Disorder, I react normally. But not if he/she is smiling and bein happy right after he told me the diagnose. That's not possible. I mean, you can't get over it so easily if you only know it some moments. Believe me.
When you're looking after information, it's serious. I mean, you really feel that there's something wrong and you're just looking after information. And after you will have an explanation for it, you won't feel good.

[xxpaigiexx]

I think some people can kind of conclude that they may have a mental illness but they have to go and get that confirmed by a doctor. Self-diagnosis is never always accurate, obviously there are times and points when people think that they could have a mental illness and then get diagnosed by a professional. It's just about being aware of the symptoms and getting possible mental illnesses diagnosed properly. I think the reason some people self-diagnose is through the fear of knowing they could not have that mental illness and that there is the possibility of it being in their head.

[losing touch.]

Originally Posted by i_am_me_again

I might sound nasty, but I call this problem of self diagnosing...

"A.S.H" - Attention Seeking Hypochondriac.

I think sooner or later, there will be a mental illness for absolutly everything. And everybody will claim they have one and everyone will WANT to be on medication


My opinion....correct me if I am wrong.

not all people who self diagnose are attention seeking hypochondriac's. i think that's a huge generalisation. while i do agree that people should seek medical advice if they think they have a mental health problem, i don't think us branding them as hypochondriac's and attention seekers is going to help matters. i do agree that some of them are doing it for attention, but then maybe they need attention because they want someone to realise that there is something wrong. if you're going to brand yourself with a mental illness without being diagnosed then you obviously have a problem of some sort, whether it be an actual mental illness or whether it be another issue.. not all people who self diagnose are wrong with their diagnosis anyway.

i think there is another problem associated with this, also.. and that comes with medical professionals who over-diagnose. psychiatrists are far too quick to stick the label of 'depression' or 'bipolar' or whatever else onto people [particularly young people.] and stick them on a load of medication when in actual fact it may be incorrect. for example, i was told that i had depression when i absolutely do not have depression.. i was just going through a hard time. there is a difference, and i think sometimes medical professionals are just dumb when it comes to diagnosing properly.

[Kate*]

Originally Posted by Elle.

i think quite often people self diagnose so they can use it as an excuse.. but ehh, idk.. i guess some people who self diagnose will have genuine mental health problems. but it's pretty simple really, you think you've got a mental health problem.. see a doctor.

Even if people get diagnosed by a doctor they can still use it as an excuse. The soluton seems simple to us and conceptually it is, but society has stigmatized it, so people are less likely to go to a doctor for this.

[losing touch.]

Originally Posted by Kate*

Even if people get diagnosed by a doctor they can still use it as an excuse. The soluton seems simple to us and conceptually it is, but society has stigmatized it, so people are less likely to go to a doctor for this.

yeah that's true. i think more needs to be done to make mental illness less of a stigma, then perhaps more people who are genuinely in need of help will seek the help they need.

[Thirteen]

Originally Posted by Kate*

Even if people get diagnosed by a doctor they can still use it as an excuse. The soluton seems simple to us and conceptually it is, but society has stigmatized it, so people are less likely to go to a doctor for this.

Originally Posted by Elle.

yeah that's true. i think more needs to be done to make mental illness less of a stigma, then perhaps more people who are genuinely in need of help will seek the help they need.

I agree with both of you here. I mean, when the possibility of me having problems came up to my mom, she seemed to have a very negative view on this, as I described in my story. And I mean, I don't talk to most friends because I'm afraid they'll judge me bad about it. I only have 2 friends in real life who know about the problems I go through. One I told because she is going through her own problems, the other I told because he has Bipolar (Type II, I think) and OCD, so he understands mental health problems.

Although, I must say that people out there really are working on lifting some of the stigma. I've seen advertisements on TV about such, including the one where people are wearing T-Shirts with mental illnesses on them like Depression, Bipolar, Schizophrenia, and other mental illnesses on them, and then at the end of the commercial, their shirts turn into normal shirts. And it includes Glenn Close and her Bipolar sister. Not to mention, the bit on "90210" about the one character, Silver, being Bipolar. That raised some awareness.

However, media is also posting some things that counter the progress. Such as, advertisements saying "Are you depressed *or other problem*? Can't work? Denied Disability? Hire *Insert Random Name* Attorney at Law!", and all these damn medical studies they show, where they want to turn depressed people into guinea pigs.

Though honestly, I see the positive advertisements helping on both Canadian and American channels, whereas only the American channels have these drug trials and lawyer ads.

[Lizzie]

Originally Posted by ☣ ArcAngel ☣

all these damn medical studies they show, where they want to turn depressed people into guinea pigs.

But that is the only way to test new drugs and therapies is through volunteers. Otherwise new developments on treatment for depression would be at a stand still. Those people volunteer themselves to be a participant in a study, and some even get paid for it. So I don’t see the big idea.

But I do agree that overall, the vast majority of the media does not portray mental health issues in the correct light.

[BECCALICIOUS!]

I agree with most people on here.. it's really stupid. I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder by a certified psychiatrist. My therapist and I were both suspicious for about a year or two before I was brought in of me having either depression or bipolar disorder.

Though admittedly, I think it's acceptable to wonder, "Geez, do I have this?" and ask a certified doctor about it if it affects your life substansially. I have a friend I think has genuine depression, has been so for at least a year. I told him he should go to a therapist and ask about it, but who knows? It could be different, he could just be dealing with different issues. But wondering if you have it and saying you have it are two totally different things, and looking at a symptom list isn't enough.

[Thirteen]

Originally Posted by Lizzie

But that is the only way to test new drugs and therapies is through volunteers. Otherwise new developments on treatment for depression would be at a stand still. Those people volunteer themselves to be a participant in a study, and some even get paid for it. So I don’t see the big idea.

But I do agree that overall, the vast majority of the media does not portray mental health issues in the correct light.

But, surely you must agree that instead of showing commercials with depressed people as like, always crying and yelling and such, and making their issues look like that of a pre-teen girl, then saying "We want to drug you", for everyone watching TV to see, is still no good. In fact, my brother has sat there and made fun of those commercials, faking crying and pretending to cut his wrists, because of the negative ideals portrayed in media (and because well, him being, well, different, he sometimes says things that really, shouldn't be said, not to mention he doesn't understand depression either).

Seriously, I'm not saying the studies wouldn't prove to be beneficial in general, but the method of advertising should be more discreet, in my opinion.

[Lizzie]

Originally Posted by ☣ ArcAngel ☣

But, surely you must agree that instead of showing commercials with depressed people as like, always crying and yelling and such, and making their issues look like that of a pre-teen girl, then saying "We want to drug you", for everyone watching TV to see, is still no good. In fact, my brother has sat there and made fun of those commercials, faking crying and pretending to cut his wrists, because of the negative ideals portrayed in media (and because well, him being, well, different, he sometimes says things that really, shouldn't be said, not to mention he doesn't understand depression either).

Seriously, I'm not saying the studies wouldn't prove to be beneficial in general, but the method of advertising should be more discreet, in my opinion.

Well I haven’t seen those here, maybe it’s a Canadian thing.

[Thirteen]

Originally Posted by Lizzie

Well I haven’t seen those here, maybe it’s a Canadian thing.

Actually, it's American. Like, New York channels, methinks. I live near the US border, and its usually FOX Rochester/Buffalo which plays those ads if I'm not mistaken.

[ThePunkAlien]

People can self-diagnose AS LONG AS they fit most of the symptoms, chances are that if you have higher than 80% nearing 90% something is definitely going on, and you need to get help and you know what your problem is. Especially as it gets worse as time passes by. To me, that's one of the biggest signs, the symptoms get worse or more of the symptoms are added as time passes.

[Penguin Queen]

I hate it, for 2 reasons. One it isn't healthy, you can't do it, I've heard people listing these huge lists of disorders they think they have despite the fact that some of them you can't even get together. Also, if you think you have a disorder you should go to the doctors, not just for a diagnosis but for treatment too. It does no good picking a lable that sounds right. The other reason I hate it is because people who have been diagnosed often just sort of get dismissed because people assume that they haven't really been diagnosed.

[thesunalsorises]

This thread confirmed some of my fears. I have continually researched mental disorders for the past 3 years. Do you know why I do that? Because I feel like there is something wrong in my head, something abnormal. I do not react to situations in the same ways that other people do. I have been trying to figure out why for a long time. Should I confide in someone? Probably. Should I go to the doctor? Probably. But I have not done either, because I don't want to face it. I am terrified of going to the doctor and talking about myself. One, I am terrified that my self-diagnosis is correct. Why would I want my life destroyed by it? Two I am terrified that my self-diagnosis is incorrect and that I am just indulging in my own thoughts. This is why I do my own mental illness research. I am incredibly secretive about it. I have never talked about my fears. I work extensively to hide many of my true desires and feelings. I am an independent person, and I am scared of relying on someone else for my own mental health. There are things that I love about my mind even when it reaches conclusions that are detrimental to my own well-being. There's something amazing about the conflict in my head between the me that sees the world as a beautiful place and the me that wants to end it all right now. I don't go to the doctor, because maybe this is just a five year phase. Maybe a label would destroy opportunities in the future.

I got off track, but my point is, all people who end up self-diagnosing are not attention seeking. Attention is the last thing that I want. Ultimately it is what is keeping me from seeking a real diagnosis. I am waiting until I can't hide the symptoms any more and end up jumping off of a building or walking down the street without a home mumbling about the differences between reality and the world in my head, because I am scared of the stigma, and I am scared of being wrong. This thread could end up being more detrimental than beneficial.

[robyns37]

Originally Posted by ☣ ArcAngel ☣

I'm aware that there are some people seeking attention to get help, but I mean, if they're faking mental illness to seek attention, they would've probably had some sort of psych evaluation, since its normally required for a diagnosis. At that point, I think they would've obtained the help needed. However, it's not that common (at least from my experiences) that people seek attention because they're reaching out for help. In fact, I've never seen anyone act out for anything more than an image/stereotype thing.

First off, I just want to say that I'm sorry that you feel that way the sunalsorises; I know how it feels to be stuck in a loop in you're own head, but verbalizing what was going on, even if no one really understands it, just getting it out there helped me calm down a little.

Now to what I quoted, I'd have to disagree. Maybe some people say that they're depressed becasue they want to be "emo" or whatever, but genuine attention seeking is something else, take it from someone that knows. A couple of years ago I fell into a really bad place mentally and I self diagnosed a little with the internet because it felt like it was the only thing I could do to try and understand what was going on in my head. I could not for the life of my verbalize what I was feeling, and I could not get anyone to understand what was going on with my vauge, round about attempts to get someone to guess what was happening, so I tried to bring attention to myself to get the help I needed. I thought that I had depression, which I did, but during the evaluations that I got from my therepist I answered the questions thinking that I already had depression (all subcouncious, looking back and understanding now).

Now it turns out that four years later I understand that the depression wasn't the problem, but a lot of other stuff was and is. I was looking for a label. I needed something to call myself to allow my guard down and let myself get help because it was a disease. Now I don't really need that label to allow me to get help, but the attention seeking behavior that I displayed four years ago is the issue.

I don't know if that makes any sense, but I was just getting a little angry listening to everyone say that attention-seekers are scumbags. Spend some time with a seven year old and you'll realize that everyone does this at one point or another, but some people hold onto it longer and it casues a lot of problems. Sorry I ranted.

[Thirteen]

Originally Posted by robyns37

First off, I just want to say that I'm sorry that you feel that way the sunalsorises; I know how it feels to be stuck in a loop in you're own head, but verbalizing what was going on, even if no one really understands it, just getting it out there helped me calm down a little.

Now to what I quoted, I'd have to disagree. Maybe some people say that they're depressed becasue they want to be "emo" or whatever, but genuine attention seeking is something else, take it from someone that knows. A couple of years ago I fell into a really bad place mentally and I self diagnosed a little with the internet because it felt like it was the only thing I could do to try and understand what was going on in my head. I could not for the life of my verbalize what I was feeling, and I could not get anyone to understand what was going on with my vauge, round about attempts to get someone to guess what was happening, so I tried to bring attention to myself to get the help I needed. I thought that I had depression, which I did, but during the evaluations that I got from my therepist I answered the questions thinking that I already had depression (all subcouncious, looking back and understanding now).

Now it turns out that four years later I understand that the depression wasn't the problem, but a lot of other stuff was and is. I was looking for a label. I needed something to call myself to allow my guard down and let myself get help because it was a disease. Now I don't really need that label to allow me to get help, but the attention seeking behavior that I displayed four years ago is the issue.

I don't know if that makes any sense, but I was just getting a little angry listening to everyone say that attention-seekers are scumbags. Spend some time with a seven year old and you'll realize that everyone does this at one point or another, but some people hold onto it longer and it casues a lot of problems. Sorry I ranted.

No one said all people looking for attention are scumbags. Some are, though, like the former friend I mentioned on here.

Either read the whole thing, or don't reply. I hate when people only read what they want to read, so they can spew their argument.

[BigBL87]

I honestly really don't like self-diagnosing, because it can often make any problem present worse. The difference between self diagnosis and diagnosis by a trained professional is twofold: (A) They are actually trained to do it and will make a much more accurate diagnosis, and (B) If a diagnosis does come from a professional, then the person is that much closer to receiving treatment.

Simply put, I would bet that 99% of people who self diagnose could not tell me the difference between:

Delusional Disorder
Schizoaffective Disorder
Schizophrenoform Disorder
Schizophrenia
Schizoid Personality Disorder
Schizotypal Personality Disorder

Also, especially with Depression I think that the practice of self-diagnostics has gotten out of hand mainly because of how readily doctors prescribe antidepressants. Pretty much all you have to do is walk up to your doctor, tell them you're depressed, and they'll write you a prescription. There's just something wrong about that. If you walked up and told them you had strep, they would run tests and confirm your "self diagnosis." Heck, a few times I've though I had strep and it ended up being tonsillitis. A parallel to this would be someone that thinks they have Major Depressive Disorder, and diagnosed themselves as such, but in reality they have Seasonal Affective Disorder. The two are very similar but are treated very differently. Unless you are someone who is properly trained, 99% of time you won't make that differential diagnosis.

[Thirteen]

Originally Posted by BigBL87

I honestly really don't like self-diagnosing, because it can often make any problem present worse. The difference between self diagnosis and diagnosis by a trained professional is twofold: (A) They are actually trained to do it and will make a much more accurate diagnosis, and (B) If a diagnosis does come from a professional, then the person is that much closer to receiving treatment.

Simply put, I would bet that 99% of people who self diagnose could not tell me the difference between:

Delusional Disorder
Schizoaffective Disorder
Schizophrenoform Disorder
Schizoprenia
Schizoid Personality Disorder
Schizotypal Personality Disorder

Also, especially with Depression I think that the practice of self-diagnostics has gotten out of hand mainly because of how readily doctors prescribe antidepressants. Pretty much all you have to do is walk up to your doctor, tell them you're depressed, and they'll write you a prescription. There's just something wrong about that. If you walked up and told them you had strep, they would run tests and confirm your "self diagnosis." Heck, a few times I've though I had strep and it ended up being tonsillitis. A parallel to this would be someone that thinks they have Major Depressive Disorder, and diagnosed themselves as such, but in reality they have Seasonal Affective Disorder. The two are very similar but are treated very differently. Unless you are someone who is properly trained, 99% of time you won't make that differential diagnosis.

I agree with you, definitely. I don't know who can or can't differentiate the personality disorders you listed, probably also depends on whether someone is searching it to self-diagnose themselves with it or not.

And alot of doctors definitely don't care enough about patients to thoroughly investigate their problems, or they miss the big picture overall. Just like the strep throat bit you mentioned, I used to get horrible sore throats, lasting for 2-4 weeks, to the point I had a sore throat almost all the time. Doctors thought it was Strep, but tested me for such anyways. Turns out, after I moved to a newer house, they stopped. I occasionally still get a sore throat, but a normal one, with illness. Black mold may have been the cause of the ones I had before.

On the flipside, I had this friend who would snort "Ritalin" recreationally, and she had gone to her doctor and this doctor gave her an ADHD diagnosis, and a prescription of "Concerta". She tried to say the Concerta wouldn't work for her, when the real problem was that, Concerta's coating apparently makes it very hard to crush, from what I've heard. I mean, someone with ADHD normally wouldn't JUST find out at 20 years old, and definitely wouldn't get a high snorting Ritalin (as my friend with REAL ADHD confirmed).

Although, it definitely doesn't hurt to do a bit of research if it seems like a realistic possibility. I mentioned my scenario in this thread, and looking things up hasn't really changed my personality. I'm the same way I was a few years ago, when I didn't think anything was wrong. Only change I've really had is, now I'm a bit more willing to talk about things, to a couple of close friends, and to others who may feel alone, or need help, or when I need help, or whatever else, through this site.

I think it depends on the person as well, since there are the types with a little hypochondriac hanging out inside their head, saying "Did you hear that? Wow, that sounds like you!", and they overreact, or overact the symptom(s).

[Rainbow Dash]

Originally Posted by i_am_me_again

I might sound nasty, but I call this problem of self diagnosing...

"A.S.H" - Attention Seeking Hypochondriac.

I think sooner or later, there will be a mental illness for absolutly everything. And everybody will claim they have one and everyone will WANT to be on medication


My opinion....correct me if I am wrong.

Isn't hypochondria a mental health problem in itself though? :/ I doubt being in constant worry of having medical problems is fun.

Don't get me wrong I don't agree with self diagnosing mental problems at all, I think people should go to a doctor.

[Thirteen]

Originally Posted by Conspiracy.

Isn't hypochondria a mental health problem in itself though? :/ I doubt being in constant worry of having medical problems is fun.

Don't get me wrong I don't agree with self diagnosing mental problems at all, I think people should go to a doctor.

Yes, actually. Hypochondria and Munchausen are both mental problems. Although, I've noticed (in what I've personally seen, anyways) most the people who fake for attention, self-diagnose, or whatever, are usually teenagers. Usually, they are either looking for attention/sympathy from their peers, or they're trying too hard to be different. These ones usually grow out of it though, so it's obviously not a mental problem. I know some people who went to high school with me and acted all mopey and crap, trying too hard to act like they've got something wrong, just for image sake. And they grew out of it, to be normal, well-rounded people.

[OMFG!You'reActuallySmart!]

Originally Posted by BigBL87

I honestly really don't like self-diagnosing, because it can often make any problem present worse. The difference between self diagnosis and diagnosis by a trained professional is twofold: (A) They are actually trained to do it and will make a much more accurate diagnosis, and (B) If a diagnosis does come from a professional, then the person is that much closer to receiving treatment.

Simply put, I would bet that 99% of people who self diagnose could not tell me the difference between:

Delusional Disorder
Schizoaffective Disorder
Schizophrenoform Disorder
Schizoprenia
Schizoid Personality Disorder
Schizotypal Personality Disorder

Also, especially with Depression I think that the practice of self-diagnostics has gotten out of hand mainly because of how readily doctors prescribe antidepressants. Pretty much all you have to do is walk up to your doctor, tell them you're depressed, and they'll write you a prescription. There's just something wrong about that. If you walked up and told them you had strep, they would run tests and confirm your "self diagnosis." Heck, a few times I've though I had strep and it ended up being tonsillitis. A parallel to this would be someone that thinks they have Major Depressive Disorder, and diagnosed themselves as such, but in reality they have Seasonal Affective Disorder. The two are very similar but are treated very differently. Unless you are someone who is properly trained, 99% of time you won't make that differential diagnosis.

Agreed with all this. I think it's pretty awful that doctors are very willing to hand out medications for certain disorders as opposed to others. Sometimes I wonder if because of how common it is, they assume the person has it or if they're not going to bother to test them because of how much of a hassle it could be, or they just want to get it over and done with to treat other patients with more severe symptoms.

To add to the list of various disorders you mentioned (schizophrenia, schizoid personality disorder, etc...), one thing that seems to be more and more common is not only having lists of symptoms readily available but going to ask for medications because of the notion that it's one main neurochemical that's out of sync (i.e. serotonin). These commercials have died down a bit (or perhaps I don't see them on TV) where they advertise a certain anti-depressant and then say that serotonin is out of sync, so therefore, the person who self-diagnoses can now partially self-medicate by knowing what they need and why they need that medication. It really is awful to see these ads and such saying that serotonin is the main one that's off-balance and therefore, serotonin is responsible for only depression or emotions.

Oh, and you mispelt schizophrenia (not that it really matters).

[BigBL87]

Originally Posted by !!!YOU'RE$NUCKING$FUTZ!!!

Oh, and you mispelt schizophrenia (not that it really matters).

Haha, I'm surprised I didn't catch that, especially with spell check and all. Went back and changed it because it would bother me otherwise!

[lostandalone]

Hi. I agree that people shouldn't assume they have a mental illness because of their answers on a symptom survey. The survey should be used as an indicator of a possible illness. Then see a doctor that can determine what is wrong. I see mental illness to be very complex and hard to define exactly. It seems the professionals can't completely agree on how intense the symptoms need to be and what exact combination of symptoms can make up an illness. ( even with all their years of education and experience) So how can the average person do that based on a survey??
It angers me that people use a mental illness as something to get pity ( alough as some had said earlier that may be an illness too) I see it as something that someone should try to minimize the effects as far as possible and have the best life they can have.....no sit around and have people feel sorry for them (dont get mad at me...i know that may be an illness too but one they are not getting help with)
Anyway, that's what I think. I know I'm the youngest and the most uneducated in this issue, sofar in this thread, but I am struggling with anxiety disorder ...so I think I'm some what informed on this. ( LOL....I have been diagnosed by a Psychologist and currently in therapy for it )

[Lugez]

Let's just say: It probably wouldn't be smart to let a clown tell you what's wrong with your car.