Alright, so, time for a post about some concerning stuff I’ve noticed in the mental health community on tumblr– namely, the culture surrounding diagnosis.
People on here seem to think that there are two options- either you’re self-diagnosed or you have an official diagnosis on record. And lots of people treat it like people are faking if they don’t have a diagnosis on record (which, let’s be real, there’s no way to tell whether or not people have a diagnosis or not, we’re on the internet, people can say whatever they want).
Here’s the thing though- that’s not how diagnosis works. There are plenty of reasons why mental health professionals won’t put a diagnosis on record. Sometimes they want to protect the patient from stigma surrounding the diagnosis. Sometimes there may be an issue with insurance related to that diagnosis. Sometimes they simply don’t think that a diagnosis would be useful.
(Also, with teenagers in particular, many psychiatrists hesitate to diagnose certain disorders like BPD, for example, because that can sometimes be confused with the mood swings and interpersonal drama normal for teenagers, and a BPD diagnosis might actually encourage the teen to develop more unhealthy behaviors because they’re using the diagnosis as an identity. They will, however, recommend the patients learn DBT skills, and possibly note that they have BPD traits)
Regardless of the reason, it’s important to remember that the purpose of a diagnosis isn’t to validate the patient’s experience. A diagnosis is not meant for the patient, it’s meant for the doctors, to provide an easy shorthand for what symptoms the patient is experiencing, and what possible treatment options are.
Essentially, if you are looking for a diagnosis so you can feel valid, you’re misunderstanding the purpose of a diagnosis. Instead of looking for a diagnosis, you should be looking for treatment. During the course of that treatment, you might be diagnosed, and you might not.
TL;DR: Diagnosis isn’t as simple as self-diagnosed vs an “official diagnosis”, there are lots of reasons why a diagnosis might not go on record, and people should be seeking treatment for their symptoms, not seeking a particular diagnosis.
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