Stop Diagnosing Yourself From Social Media Posts

"If you spend enough time on Instagram or TikTok, you could be convinced that you have ADHD. Or autism, or a personality disorder, or depression, or anxiety. You may learn you have an insecure attachment style, too, whether it's anxious or avoidant. Short-form content has led to an increase in inaccurate self-diagnosis, and we need to look at why it's happening."

"A lot of good has come with increased awareness of and access to mental health information. It has lowered stigma, encouraging people to seek help from their support system or professionals. It has helped people better understand when their experience moves from a normal degree of difficult to a clinical-level issue that requires more intervention. People have found community with others who share diagnoses or have had similarly challenging experiences."

"The problem is, people are also able to spot a clinical issue even when one doesn't actually exist. Without a better understanding of how diagnoses are determined and the specific criteria that need to be met, people are at risk of checking off a few symptoms and labeling themselves with a disorder. But diagnosis can be quite complicated, as any therapist will tell you."

"There are rule-outs, comorbidities, thresholds for duration and severity, and distinguishing between what's situational versus persistent. Vague descriptions can feel personally relatable to most people, which is explained by the Barnum effect. It's important to distinguish between normal difficult experiences and symptoms of pathology."

Increased access to mental health information has reduced stigma and encouraged people to seek support from friends, family, or professionals. It has helped people understand when difficult experiences move from normal challenges to clinical-level issues that may require intervention. It has also enabled community building among people who share diagnoses or similar struggles. Some individuals identify clinical problems earlier than they otherwise would, especially when they learn disorder criteria. However, people can also label themselves when no clinical issue exists. Without understanding how diagnoses are determined, people may check a few symptoms and apply a disorder label. Diagnosis involves rule-outs, comorbidities, thresholds for duration and severity, and distinguishing situational problems from persistent pathology. The Barnum effect explains why vague descriptions can feel personally relatable to many people.

Read at Psychology Today