In a country where 11.3% of adults don't have health care, it is not surprising that many people turn to self-diagnosing mental illnesses. For those that do have health care, there is no law that states that mental health must be covered. Instead, there is the parity law that states that, if a plan does cover mental health, they cannot place more restrictions on mental health than the restrictions they place on physical health.
Self-diagnosing is researching symptoms and then drawing conclusions about your own health. Self-diagnosing often consists of taking online tests, doing research or looking up your own symptoms. There are some flaws in this process, as it can often lead to misdiagnosing. There is also a "trend" of young teenagers self-diagnosing themselves with mental illnesses to appear "cooler."
This is where most of the self-diagnosing-stigma comes from. Many people who have been diagnosed by a medical professional feel as if their mental illness could be invalidated because someone diagnosed themselves for selfish reasons.
There are, however, many upsides to self-diagnosing. Many people rely on self-diagnosis to help them understand what is going on in their head. Others can use the self-diagnosis to find non-prescription ways and home remedies to aid themselves. People can also use their self-diagnosis to help them explain to medical professionals what they think they have or what their symptoms appear as.
The main problem with self-diagnosing a mental illness is the stigma you have to face when you tell someone that you have a mental illness but have never been professionally diagnosed. Many people believe that you do not actually have a mental illness or that your mental illness is less valid than theirs because they have been professionally diagnosed.
Your mental illness is not any less valid just because you diagnosed it yourself. Knowing what may be going on in your head allows you to be able to help find a way to cope with it. Taking care of yourself, all of yourself, is important and being able to take care of your mental health is vitally important.
Here is a 60-question, 15-minute, quiz that can easily break down what mental illnesses you may or may not have. Results from this test may seem daunting, but remember that it may not be 100% accurate and it is always best to contact a mental professional if possible. These results will also allow you to do deeper research into finding out what each of the mental illnesses are and how you can handle them.
Suicide Prevention — 1-800-273-8255
Crisis Hotline (Anxiety) Text HELLO to 741741
