The Dangers of Self-Diagnosis

There is no question that we definitely live in a day and age that presents a double whammy to most people. Many have work and family concerns, and there are doctors who are already overworked dealing with current health issues. When you couple that with our increase in technology and the ability to Google anything, you can definitely see why the rise of self-diagnosing things is absolutely the trendy thing to do. However, is it the right thing to do? Not always. Here are some reasons why.

Self-Diagnosis: The Danger of Misdirecting Yourself and Your Health Care Professional

The problem with some self-diagnosis practices is that you are basically presuming that you know the subtleties of the diagnosis.[1] Unfortunately, you might miss the nuances of the disease, and this is especially true if you are attempting to diagnose psychiatric disorders.

For example, you might have mood swings, and you might think that you are manic-depressive or bipolar. However, it could just as easily be borderline personality disorder or major depressive disorder as well. Thus, there is an inherent danger of throwing yourself off and your physician off as well.

Self-Diagnosis: What if the Diagnosis Is Not Psychiatric at All?

A borderline personality disorder is one personality condition that can easily be misdiagnosed as another psychiatric disorder, even among health care professionals.[2] However, there are also many physical conditions that are commonly misdiagnosed. Using the internet, particularly web-based symptom checkers can often lead to an incorrect diagnosis.[3]

In addition to often being incorrect, self-diagnosis can cause unnecessary worry and even panic.[4] This added stress can be detrimental to your health and may lead you to pursue treatments and testing that are not needed. It’s important to remember that there is no substitute for an actual medical professional when it comes to receiving a medical diagnosis.

If you’re concerned about health issues, professional medical help is available. Contact Brevard Health Alliance today to discuss your concerns.

References:

[1] https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/debunking-myths-the-mind/201005/the-dangers-self-diagnosis

[2] https://www.nami.org/Blogs/NAMI-Blog/October-2017/Why-Borderline-Personality-Disorder-is-Misdiagnose

[3] https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2015/07/self-diagnosis-on-internet-not-good-practice/

[4] https://www.rasmussen.edu/degrees/nursing/blog/dangers-of-self-diagnosis/