How to actually self-diagnose mental health
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- Опубліковано 28 кві 2024
- Psychological testing is not a perfect science by any means - it can have many barriers to entry including cost, access, and availability. But self-diagnosis is not the answer!
This video unpacks the very real concerns with self-diagnosis. Even when struggling to access professional care, firmly holding self-assigned labels carries risks. Proper differential diagnosis matters enormously for effective treatment.
I don't disparage investigating to understand oneself better. But view potential self-diagnoses as hypotheses requiring rigorous vetting.
I'm going to give you some guidelines for doing that.
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Disclaimer: This content is not intended to be a replacement for receiving treatment. It is purely educational in nature. My relationship with you is that of presenter and audience, not therapist and client.
But I do care.
"just get help" they say as you slowly die alone in plain sight.
What the general populace doesn't know and/or fails to recognize never ceases to amaze me.
Right? The amount of absolute ignorance is unreal..
and then they harm you more & leave you flat on your face unravelled on your own..
one way ticket to making one want to end their life..
@@SunshineGrove04 well said!
Yes, just what I found!!!
I like that idea of keeping assumed potential disgnosis as a theory to explore rather than a definite predetermined answer.
I like that idea too. But that's not how it works in reality. You get a label - especially a stigmatized label - and after that, everything that you say or do is interpreted through the lens of that label. And that biased interpretation is then used as evidence for that label. Yes, "professionals" do this all the time. A lot of psychiatric labels are unfalsifiable.
I agree. I find it just as critical to scrutinize the assumed potential diagnosis one started out with. Branch out to as much different perspectives as possible. Listen to points that can contradict the hypothesis, and find another hypothesis to build up on. But of course, this takes a lot of mental work and time. Better know what someone is getting themselves into when they wanna begin with self-diagnosis before a professional comes in.
Sometimes a doctor will never figure out what you have if you don't figure it out and tell him yourself
I agree 100%...
Just recently I have diagnosed my self with problems that I've had for years and years and years and no doctor has ever diagnosed me with.
Sadly they don't really have the time to spend with you the way that they should.
Yes you have to be very very very very very very very very very very very very careful in doing this.
But... YOU KNOW YOU BETTER THAN ANY DOCTOR.
Just be careful be cautious and triple check your sources before you come to any conclusion.
It's also a good idea to verify this with friends or people that are close to you just to make sure that you are not over analyzing
I had to diagnose myself after 10 years of medical gaslighting. You're very correct
You can do your research and drill down more on things and don't be afraid to bring it up or let them bully you or brush you off for questioning them. If they do, get another doctor, one who is willing to explain, discuss, and work with you well.
Here in the Netherlands, I have to first give an indication as to why I want/think I need help. So I need to first self-diagnose up to some degree. And if the doctor/psychiatrist comes to the same conclusion, that’s good and we can carry on. But they do not often look beyond the self-diagnosed ailment. That’s probably why treatment often doesn’t have any positive long term effect.
@@tslinger21 I hope you're not right but you probably are
I'm 53 and was misdiagnosed, mismedicated, and mistreated for many years. I had to figure it out myself with the help of books, research studies, webinars, friends, support groups, etc. I finally feel like I have answers and might want to LIVE the years I have left. I have searched for a therapist for nearly a year and can't find one in my area or who will take my insurance for telehealth. So I not only had to diagnose myself, I have to treat myself, too. Good thing I'm intelligent and capable or I'd be screwed.
I know feel the same way. I’m brilliant 💡 and thank Jesus for it because where would I be. 😳😠
Same thing happened and is happening to me. I was diagnosed with BPD right after I was raped and was detoxing from alcohol! Doctors can be arsholes! That was years ago but now can't find a doctor or therapist! I changed insurance and hope to find one with this insurance!
Self gaslighting goes the other way too. I've been diagnosed with some stuff by mental health professionals, but videos like this really set off my impostor syndrome and the shame that comes with it. I say how dare I even consider that I might have a mental health condition. I'm just overreacting or being dramatic or looking for attention and everything is actually fine. I start telling myself it's a me problem. Not because my brain works differently in a way that makes sense with a diagnosis, but because there is something fundamentally wrong with me for not being able to do things that I "should" be able to do like everyone else. I have a really nasty habit of invalidating myself at nearly every opportunity.
I really do understand that that is not the intention in this video. I just can't help but feel stupid and whiny for struggling. I already have such a hard time trusting my own judgment, even without someone telling me I don't know what I'm talking about. Also, it's for this reason that I do not take self-diagnosis lightly. I don't just watch a few TikToks and decide I have a neurodevelopmental disorder. I do tons of research from credible sources to consider the possibility that I have the thing AND the possibility that I don't. And until I am diagnosed by a mental health professional, I only say I am suspecting that I have the condition. I am very aware that I could be wrong. But I'm not completely ignorant either.
I still don't fully understand why anti-self-diagnosis videos bother me so much, especially why this one bothers me. I get every point he makes and he's very respectful and understanding. But dang it, I'm still upset about it. I hate to be so negative, I guess it's just a very touchy subject for me.
Good for you, even though what happened to you came at a grave cost to your life. 🫂💞
How many mental problems are caused by nutritional deficiency? or by loneliness, by being surrounded by people who are indifferent to you?
I would say it doesn't matter how many there are... It matters what they are and if we have them so we can be treated
being neglected by the people who are supposed to care about you (especially in childhood) can definitely be traumatic.
a lot...
@@gothboschincarnate3931 it's so difficult, isn't it? Sending best wishes to you and a virtual hug.
Most of not all.
“Sometimes life sucks” ❤
Most of people i saw self diagnosing - was misdiagnosed by professinals before that. I think, selfdiagnosis isnt a problem. Incompetence among professionals is.
No self diagnosis is a problem. You’re not a victim to the doctor who won’t give you what you want to hear.
Best thing you can do is self diagnose. No one knows you better than you. The problem isnt self diagnoses its uneducated and uninformed self diagnostic. You could have alexythimia or any number of conditions. You know what ypu feel better then you could ever explain to someone outside your body. You use a professional for the knowledge and guide but you know whats wrong with you when your educated and do the research. I was told for years i had depression. After dozens of meds and drs finally found one that knew how to asses my experiences as a whole not just the surface easy diagnosis
You were diagnosed as an over-thinker and hypochondriac? Trying to find your point in this post as well as end result, apologies
I feel frustrated that I've had to learn about mental health as much as I have to realize that I likely have CPTSD not PTSD due to my trauma's being so many starting from childhood.
I can't blame the system as much as the circumstances and never feeling safe to open up about the issues origins back in childhood.
Misdiagnosis and being overly medicated in the past has led to a lot of friction between my relationship with our health care system in the West.
I haven't been diagnosed with CPTSD yet but I imagine that will be fixed after my health insurance is approved and can get more clinical treatment for it. It explains why I never could get my PTSD under control.
I hope you find the solution you need.
Ya… c-ptsd is extremely complicated to PTSD..
it’s a whole other (like 10*) ballgame in treating (treatment) .
I hope you do get things sorted to get the proper health support treatment you have always deserved from horrific nightmare you endured as an innocent child coming into this world. 🙏
I'm glad to see you come at this from a perspective of compassion. Self diagnosis is not a good answer, but it's an answer, and some people are just desperate for anything that explains what they're going through. I love and agree with your perspective.
I used to be obsessed with self-diagnosis because I was so hyper-aware of my issues that I needed to label all of them. Then I got diagnosed with OCD, and it made sense. I obsessed over my mental state to the point that I would try to force myself to have other symptoms of the disorders, just so I could feel like I found the right answer. It ended up destroying my mental health.
Thank you again!
It works both ways. Doctors are not infallible and can do immeasurable harm because of their own biases. I had decades of my life marred by misdiagnosis and mistreatment from countless psychiatric "professionals". I am still trying to recover and reshape my sense of self. I know my gender and age were factors in why i was misdiagnosed. It is dangerous to tell vulnerable people that they should trust medical professionals more than themselves. So much trauma and damage has been caused by egocentric doctors who are dismissive or hasty with patients. There is no perfect answer. But ultimately, the system needs to change. Education should focus more on specialized fields, more empathy, continued research, and dismantling the societal biases that continue to do so much harm to marginalized groups. I think you meant well with this video. But honestly, you missed an opportunity to address the real issues. In a time when anyone can access research and scientific studies easily, it is presumptuous to assume we are all just too dumb or self-unaware to possibly know more than a biased stranger who spends a couple of hours with us. I hope you will revisit this subject with more care and humility in the future.
Next, would you like to talk about the overlap between the symptoms of "neurodivergent" (non-shameful) conditions like Autism, OCD, and ADHD and the heavily shamed "character disorders" like BPD and "conduct disorders" like ODD - and which groups of people get diagnosed with each and why? (Spoiler: It's not actually about your "neurotype"!)
Also, maybe a bit about how the "male brain theory" of autism plays a role in that?
And how a lot of people with PTSD get diagnosed with something else or dismissed because "they haven't suffered enough" for a PTSD diagnosis.
64k question. Thank you.
@@zesky6654 I mean - it's only the other half of the story. If he's going to cover the dangers of self-diagnosis, then he should be honest about why people self-diagnose in the first place, and the dangers of being diagnosed by a professional.
Because those dangers do exist. Getting diagnosed by a professional is not harmless.
The diagnostic criteria for psychiatric disorders are 100% subjective - they are entirely based on a clinician's subjective perception of a person. This means that personal and systemic bias inevitably become part of those diagnoses in ways that tend to adversely impact historically marginalized groups. The same traits that are "neurodivergent" in white males become conduct disorders in black kids and personality disorders in women and girls. Those differences in diagnosis lead to a lot of black and brown kids being given front-row seats on the ol' school-to-prison express, and a lot of women and girls being given "treatment" that is punitive, dismissive, invalidating, and controlling at best. They shame women and girls for having emotions and then put on the shocked Pikachu face when the suicide rate for "BPD" is so high.
Meanwhile, Brody is being told that his "rejection-sensitive dysphoria" is a neurological difference that people should understand and accommodate.
He's half-honest in this video. He talks about how diagnoses are subjective, but leaves out the consequences of that subjectivity. And he's also talking about BPD without mentioning that it replaced hysteria in the DSM-3 as a clinical pejorative for female. Whether you think it (or hysteria) can actually describe peoples' symptoms or not, it's disingenuous to leave out that very important historical and social context.
@@SA-ir4kudaaayyuummm!! 🎯🎯👏👏👏 Coming in with the fire FACTS!!! 🔥🔥🔥
I love it - btw!! Someone knows their psych history like all psych courses give when you take a course in psychology even if you aren’t majoring or even minoring in psych..
but what do I know.. 😜 only took a few psych courses and in today’s (sell really 20plus yrs) of the internet.. (besides picking up books) can we also access that EXACT information. 🤭 to be self taught..
but who am I to say that or anything.. 😜☺️😉
I think I found my favorite psychologist, someone who understands so deep and experienced a lot himself
I am giving up, here in the UK all health providers seem to be unable to help anyone. I now have you for my mental health, thank you so much for what you do, and other utube guys for physical health, 😊😊
YES. Say it again louder for the people in the back. Trauma victims, especially women, are frequently misdiagnosed with borderline personality disorder. Can more mental health practitioners campaign to have borderline personality disorder removed from the DSM? All that diagnosis does is compound the person's trauma.
So wonderful Dr. Scott, you have helped me a lot. Love all your videos.
Thank you. From Hungary, Budapest
You are talking directly to us it’s so different from other channels similar to this .thanks for sharing your experience and knowledge😊
Im so afraid... im suffering from a foolish mistake that cost me my career job. It was Everything to me..
I don't know all that happened to me.! I called psychologist .
Im very Stressed, got insomnia, got anxiety,.. and depression., and that I'm grieving very hard. He also said the many, many day's without sleeping caused some damage... I cannot accept life without my job. I lost all interests in everything. And.. i don't see the beauty of natural or life. I don't appreciate anything, and don't feel gratitude for anything.
I don't leave my apt. I feel uncomfortable going out in public. Im so afraid of what's happening to me, ... my mental health , my physical health, and... my inability to sleep.
I’m astonished at every video you make. How do these not have millions of views.
This was quite engaging! Thanks!
its so difficult to get to a professional in today's world. There was a 6 month waiting list, then I met with therapists and doctors for a year. My insurance only covers 90% of the bill and it was close to $600 a month with the copay. After a year, they told me they couldn't help me.
I'm not trying to make an argument for self-diagnosing, As a therapist/psychologist, i can fully understand someone coming in to see you saying they have "XYZ", so you start trying to help based on your "XYZ" training only to be mislead. But getting the help you actually need is very hard to come by. I struggle with doing the basics for most mental health issues---start eating better, exercising, and generally taking care of myself---so until i figure those out, it's just not worth the money.
It was actually me who correctly suggested my diagnosis of Hashimoto's Thyroiditis to my doctor. He just kept saying "It's psychosomatic, take anti-depressants and go to therapy". (Hint: it was not.)
Also, doctors in my country (Canada) actually encourage people to do their own research and suggest diagnoses for themselves.
Ugh I do not want to even ask your doctors name.. mind omitted my blood test for years regarding my thyroid, which caused me further physical symptoms that I am now struggling through.. permanent body damage.
But yes, my NEW healthcare providers (I have a team due to what happened to me) they ask and ask more about the symptoms than making sure they peg me in a box of a pure diagnosis..
and well C-ptsd is still not in the DSM-IV and I am AuDHD..
after the BS harmful diagnosis’ I was once given.
When we focus on the history of the person and the current underlying stuff where we are struggling with the more effective a ‘treatment’ to heal it, or at least minimize the struggle/challenge that is affecting our lives.
My doctors missed my OCD diagnosis for like, 5 years. And then they didn't see it as severe enough to treat for another 5 because most of my obsessions are covert and most of my compulsions are mental.
They also missed my BPD diagnosis for about 12 years, though 4 of those were when I was a minor, and diagnosing BPD when you're still a teenager isn't a great idea. But I was almost misdiagnosed with bipolar type 2.
I had and have several diagnoses as a teenager and though they were accurate I only regret that my illnesses have become my entire identity, and created a lot of self-blame and shame, especially when treatment failed to work.
I'm now 74. I've had treatment off and on since 20s. Depression, it was called. My current therapist said that there's been a LOT of changes over the years, and diagnosed CPTSD. Which I'd never even heard of. And the ACES scores, also new to me. CPTSD makes so much sense. And my ACES score is 7.
I'm reminded of the elderly blind lady diagnosed incurably blind as a child, examined by a modern ophthalmologist, given eye surgery now available, and given her vision back.
Well except that the better diagnosis, and therefore treatment, has not led to healing. Helpful, to be sure. I'd LIKE to do it alone. Except for that it doesn't work. Maybe some day I will have enough healing to enjoy the day. But alone, well. Alone I won't make it. Or stay alive.
I SO NEED you to talk about Teal Swan. She says the labels of the DSM are not needed ever. Also, people with "borderline" would no longer have those traits if they healed by having their emotions validated in real time, according to her.
My therapist completely blew me off about autism when I asked about it. So did everyone else in my life, and my psychiatrist seemed indifferent. So, I had to fight to find someone to test me all by myself. Even now with an official diagnosis, most therapists don’t take me seriously if I mention how it effects me in a way that can’t be solved with changing my thoughts (for example, feeling physical pain from loud sounds is not a mental issue, it’s a physical one).
I have an autoimmune disease my doctors didn’t know existed, despite it actually being quite common in women. After years of random testing and doctors telling me to give up figuring out my illness, I told them to test for the disease. My antibodies were off the charts. My body was eating itself and they didn’t test for a relatively common disease tied to the symptoms I presented including a very obvious one.
It means I have learned to trust myself over the beliefs of medical professionals when it comes to my health. Sometimes it looks like I’m a hupochondriac. Until I inevitably get tested for the right thing and get medicated for the next issue (yes, this happens about once every two years for me).
Kudos for advocating for yourself. People like you are what's dragging the medical field kicking and screaming into the future.
I can understand you well.. unfortunately it came as the same traumatizing experience.
What we have been through no human should have ever been put through ..
🫂💞
I think it's conflicting when everyone around you is saying that you can do anything if you put your mind to it or that you can just change your thought patterns. I often can't tell if I'm actually dealing with something non-changeable or if I'm making excuses to stay in my comfort zone and not improve myself.
I'm just curious, but which autoimmune disorder do you have? Because I have one too and the same thing happened to me - doctors just kept blowing me off and saying "It's psychosomatic, take anti-depressants and go to therapy".
The autoimmune disorder that I have is extremely common in my country (Canada) - about 1/10 people have some form of it (Hashimoto's Thyroiditis). I'm pretty sure that my Dad has it, too.
Thank you
I believe, also, that a lot of our psychological problems are a result of the fact that we are SO distracted in this age of technology!!
My sister tells me this all the time and believes ADHD is "just something we all get from our phones." Except I had symptoms in the 1960s. We didn't even have eight-track cassettes then. 🤷
Sometimes medical conditions can also look similar to mental health disorders. Especially endocrine system issues.
I recently finished reading your book, and I was so happy with it. I recommended it to one of my clients. Will be using it as in his sessions.
I really appreciate and understand this. Ive been looking into this and whilst its been helpful in some ways i also had to be wary of locking on to one thing to the exclusion of anything eĺse. Once convinced of a single issue you close yourself off to other considerations. Ive had to be careful and rigorously question my thoughts about my self diagnosis.
Thank you. Been doing this for 3 months but seeing my dr next week. I’ll be careful not to tell her what I think I have after my own research. Undiagnosed adhd, post concussion syndrome, anxiety disorder, depression or mild cognitive decline.. could be any. Hoping she will guide to the right diagnosis, dr and medication if needed.
I’ve heard it said by mental health professionals ( off course) sorry if that sounds cynical but they’ll tell you “ You can’t see the label whilst you’re in the bottle “ even they go and see a fellow professional to work on their own issues which to me total sense. You’re such a good man keep up the great work always follow your videos and your golden nuggets of advice and wisdom ❤
So I agree with what you say about ultimately going to a professional, it's necessary at some point (if you want to take the proper adhd meds for example, or the right therapies or support).
I do believe though that the main reason for self-diagnosis is that we have been, in fact, diagnosed and medicated for depression, anxiety, ptsd, bpd, lpt etc, and it was actually never quite it.
When you're a woman, everything that happens to you is due to anxiety and/or depression for doctors. I went searching for answers back in 2016 I think, because I would forget to actually even pee (that was like the breaking point for me, I was going to doctors and getting no answers since 2009). I have always been "forgetful", "clumsy", and a lot more things. I was tired all the time. I couldn't cope with uni, everything was a mess.
I got the "oh, you recently moved out, there's that, take some sleeping pills, it will pass".
My everyday pain? "oh absolutely normal". The fact that my skin hurted? "Oh, you're just sensitive". Dizzy whenever you stand up? "Absolutely normal, you're a woman".
All the diagnoses I have, I have them because I did the doctors job of actually reading papers, analysing my life, looking for differential diagnosis information, hearing other peoples experiences, seeing how I would or wouldn't relate to all that. Taking notes, having an actual physical folder to save every single piece of info that I thought would be useful for "discussing" whatever was it that I had. So, it turns out, my "normal womeness" was fibromyalgia, adhd, autism. That doesn't mean I don't have anxiety or depression or even ptsd. I do actually, but I would have never ever got better only with the treatment I was getting. They were giving me some mini-pads for a highly opened wound.
2009 was when I first started looking for answers due to constant pain. After almost 7 years of just hating doctors, I found something called fibromialgia online. Everything matched. Couldn't really get anyone past the "well... you should go to a psychologist. Will see then.".
In 2020 one doctor actually believed that it was "safe" to look into it a little bit more, after I raised all my concerns. A decade.
So, autism? yes. adhd? yes. fibro? yes. We don't self-diagnose lightly. It's not just "oh I watched this one minute vid and it turns out now I'm ADHD!". It's the crying, the realising, the "all makes sense" thoughts. Then, the auto-sabotage and following research, intense research. University, professional grade research. Categorizing, not believing in oneself again, being angry with the world, being afraid you're not going to be believed, you're not going to be allowed to have what you know you need. Recognising all your sensory and attention difficulties, getting insanely better just fixing some sensory stuff at home according to your needs! Self-diagnosis is all that. Please, start understanding that as well.
The real problem with self diagnosis is that the medical community is starting to feel its existence, and all of their mistreatment towards us "the misdiagnosed bunch", all their gender biases and discrimination is starting to be exposed by all the activists speaking out. They're scared, and they should be. We deserve better.
Sorry I kind of ranted out a bit there. Again, I do agree with the fact that, ultimately, going to see someone working in health might be necessary in case you want to access meds or support, but it's not always needed, and that is as valid as anything. I got more depression and anxiety from doctors than from anything else xd
I've had 2 psychiatrists in front of me who told me that I was mentally, spiritually and physically completely sane and in great shape despite being in very difficult circumstances. So I ended my ventilating therapy there. But what about my hoarding tendencies? What about my past? Why can't I just fucking stop thinking about it!? Why the road rage? People experience me as harsh, moody, not very much caring about fellow human beings.
Then there is the desire for control and autonomy, regarding my own behaviour. The need to handle my complex trauma on my own. So I had to become my own psychiatrist. I had to make my own diagnosis.
The hoarding tendencies are gone because I handled the triggers of my severe burnout. My new home is clean and my backyard is now sterile at all times, because I developed new habits and rituals. I quit drinking alcohol and started feeling better. The debts from the hoarding are done next year. So that is pretty the end of my burnout.
What's left is the C-PTSD, flashbacks, endless repeating intrusive thoughts, often vengefull towards people who've hurt, betrayed or abandonned me, frequent brain fogs, dissociation, rumination.
The frustration comes from "Society thinks that I cannot handle this on my own, and that I need opioid medicine and lifelong therapy to calm down."
Wich translates into "Big Pharma, making money over my mental health!? Forget it!"
It has been like this since I was very young.
When I was 16 I started smoking MJ to cope with a narcissistic triggering manipulative witch of a mother. It was either that, or ending up in jail for matricide.
I still absolutely hate the fact that I need to smoke MJ and eat valerian supplements to get a hold on my own behaviour. I need to be able to do this on my own. And that's why I make my own diagnosis and do my own therapy on my own. C-PTSD takes a lifelong committence to maintain your sanity. It's just the way it is. For new ideas, I watch Tim Fletcher, Crappy Childhood Fairy, Kati Morton or this. Or else I buy a book about this topic.
Sometimes, gatekeeping is a good thing. I make sure to always ask people where they got their diagnosis (most of the time, crickets) and I encourage everyone to do the same. They are diluting the weight of so many disabilities by cosplaying as someone with ASD, ADHD etc.
The reality is the mental health system is a joke. Rather than inject more money into it, our premier decided we need more police officers. More police officers in a mental health crisis? For what, to bring them to the hospital? I myself am a mental health worker and I’d end up homeless myself to continue working in the field. I had my own issues with anxiety after a major life event (moving cities) and I got PTSD or even vicarious trauma as a possible diagnosis. One of the problems with the counsellor is they sounded like me. I could have benefited from a counsellor for crisis workers but good luck finding one. Understanding that not every counsellor will gel with their client, creates a huge barrier to receiving treatment. Furthermore, I understand the reason for not providing a working diagnosis because it could create a ceiling for the client. Same reason why we’re hesitant on providing a youth with a diagnosis. My point is the mental health system is overwhelmed and unfortunately provincial governments are not providing adequate services, some even axe them.
I'm convinced my executive dysfunction comes from my vicious anxiety. Im on 100mg of Atomoxetine for ADHD and I swear it has exacerbated my anxiety to debilitating levels. I'm going to address this with my psychiatrist and also start looking for an actual psychologist. I'm so sick and tired of this shit.🤦♂️
"Sometimes" you suggest people's mental health problems are a result of their environment and the way other people treat them. I'd say "almost always". The negative imposts of modern society now are so intense that the vast majority of people are stressed, and they can't help but impose that stress on others around them. We have a massive mental health crisis which will only get worse as society itself deteriorates.
I promise you could see 50 mental health providers and get 50 different diagnoses.
The UA-cam algorithm diagnosed me. It recomended a video about anhedonia, and that video put into words how I have felt for a while now. Was weird to get that out of the blue.
Danke!
Thank you!
As an autistic woman that was missdiagnosed until i was an adult I have to disagree. Infact my experience is the exact opposite of what you're describing. I was told my entire life that my symtoms wasn't autism, that I was "normal" and my psychologist and doctors treated me for anxiety, depression and self harm. That didn't help, in fact it made my mental health way worse. I felt hopeless and suicidal. When I turned 18 someone finally started listening to my experience and they screened me for autism again. When they gave me my diagnosis it all made sense... Suddenly my anxiety and depression was a symtom and not the cure problem. once I finally got the support i needed for my autism then my depression and anxiety symtoms lessened dramatically.
I'm not saying this to invalidate your point of view but I would like to add nuance to the discussion since its a complicated topic.
Your experience is not everyone else’s don’t recommend others not seek medical care because your doctor was wrong. Stop playing doctor.
Of course people should seek medical care! The point I was trying to make is that professionals actually misdiagnose a lot of autistic women. It's an important issue to talk about in this context. If I hadn't selfdiagnosed I probably wouldn't ever have gotten screened for autism.
I had to delete my long rant àbout the ineptitude that borders on malpractice, not to mention the damage to our mental health that the mental health practitioners perpetrate in us and all the while raking in gazillions of dollars. My story Navigating these charlatans would make your head spin 360. No wonder there are so many of us that are no better off under their care decades later in old age
If someone is depressed, try Carnivore. Watch Kerry from homestead how... He is preparing a documentary about the lifestyle "Healing Humanity" ❤
Most people have to self-diagnose out of necessity- in my case I have a whole bunch of syndromes nobody even has names for yet.
Diagnosing yourself is never a necessity nor does it get you help. Besides, your diagnosis is likely incorrect, causing more problems.
@@Wellnseddichespecially when people think they have multiple conditions that just don't have names yet. It usually means that they have some symptoms from many conditions sometimes. But not enough of any one or for long enough. If you just picked a large enough range of "symptoms" you would get pretty close to what I call "being human disorder".
This is an issue even with physical disorders, I had a migrane disorder caused by a pinched nerve in my jaw. I accidentaly got it fixed after suffering horribly for 10+ years. Previous to that doctors tried to gaslight me into thinking that I was "inventing" my pain. It was described in a medical journal for the first time a year ago.
Thanks for the defense of people with BPD. Life circumstances make all the difference. And the cool thing about meds is that you just try one and if it doesn't work or you have negative side effects you try another. No big deal. My diagnonsense many years ago was BPD but when considering my current life circumstances lithium seemed to be the best option. This drug is typically used for bipolar disorder. Am I bipolar? Don't think so! Is lithium working? Well... so far.
If my life circumstances weren't as they are I would not need it. I know that from past experiences.
Conversely, I think I was misdiagnosed with depression, and then hypomania,by a professional (in the 90’s), when it was really a normal response to trauma from childhood. I suppose eventually we get to the right diagnosis.
I don't agree with the stimulants and anxiety. Since being on Adderall or Vyvanse (some months I can't get one and have to change to the other due to shortages) I no longer reach for alcohol for social anxiety. IN FACT, the stimulants work better than benzos for me for social anxiety.
That’s because your anxiety come from ADHD so since that is treated, the issues from that causing anxiety are less or gone entirely. For people who do not have ADHD or any Adderall treated disorder, will have an INCREASE of anxiety on stimulant medication. Neurotypical people should NOT take stimulants. But people who have ADHD, like you, it doesn’t affect you the same way it others.
Something I’ve always wondered is this: when you go to a professional for therapy/counseling, does that person form an opinion of your diagnosis based on what you volunteer about your life in your therapy sessions? And then do they make judgments about you and even advise you based on these secret opinions? I assume they shouldn’t do this, but I know of people who have been diagnosed with physical medical conditions by their doctor and not informed.
After years of medical gaslighting somebody says that symptoms may be caused by like irl occurring trauma… withdraw from drugs etc… y arr medicine for my wounds, dude. seems i should try therapy for one more time with your advices
5:10 yes!!!
Thank you for doing this video. I appreciate what you do. While it's true that a lot of times doctors are off or don't listen and are more invested in doling out meds to charge insurance (not a fan of the medical model, can you tell?), everyone diagnosing themselves or other people with things based on arbitrary and subjective criteria has to stop. I find it concerning also that some people are reporting that their counselors or therapists are doing some of this. I was under the impression that only a psychologist or psychiatrist was the one to hand out a diagnosis and it's doubly scary because it also sounds like these therapists have somehow gotten through trainings with their own significant issues that are now affecting their clients. I don't buy the idea we hear that things are "less stigmatized" or we just "are more aware." It's causing clinical terms to be thrown around willy nilly to where they make no sense and can wind up hurting those who actually have serious issues as well as cause people to distrust psychological help.
Like all the people on UA-cam thinking they have every condition they see a video about. Just because they have one symptom doesn't mean they have the condition
When I am sleeping or awake from sleeping, my brain is filled with unnecessary forcefull thoughts 😢😢 why
I don't want to say what I think it might be because I'm not a doctor... But it sounds like something serious
i mean, it could be a myriad of different reasons for that judging by how vague or general your statement seems, you should probably check up with a doctor if you can. But just to throw it out there i have the same problem of having a intensely negative mind and I'm diagnosed with anxiety disorders and depression but have recently been looking alot into trauma and how that affects the brain and the body and just self-diagnosing, alot of stuff around trauma rings true to me.
@@sasiedase5625trauma will cause depressive or anxiety symptoms and yes, for sure negative thoughts b:c the trauma already happened.
Also a practitioner should never treat anxiety or depression from trauma as one would treat sole anxiety or depression.
They are two VASTLY different things.
Any well informed therapy will tell you that as well..
Just like Ruben nation versus rumination from C-PSTD from from ‘narcissistic’ aka abuser abuse.
Oh ho, I don’t need to self-diagnose.
I’ve been diagnosed all of my problems by professionals 👍
It's just not worth it anymore.
Everyone who has been misdiagnosed is not the majority both exist. Most doctors are really good at their job. But I have been misdiagnosed. I went to a couple doctors and found a person who worked with me and diagnosed me with PTSD. The previous doctors tried diagnosing the surface level issues, not the root. But I never went in asking to be diagnosed with something and then arguing or disagreeing with the doctor because they will not agree with it. Mental health symptoms blur into each other. Hyperactivity and Mania can look exactly the same outside looking in; but internally are very different. You may think hyperactivity is manic and visa versa. But these can also be a trauma response and not ADHD or bipolar or both. Not to mention taking meds they don’t need (like the adderall shortage recently). People have made these diagnosis an identity. Tik tok is so unhealthy and people are soooo defense on any criticism or anything rejection of their belief regardless of the truth. I’m tired of it. Self diagnosis is dangerous period.
Yikes
Cool but what if I have been talking to a therapist for 2 years and I still feel bad? She's not my first therapist either. I think I need more than CBT and I don't know what to ask for or look for.
My therapist used an insurance code for an adjustment disorder and I think she blames the pandemic for my depression and anxiety but I have felt awful for at least 6 years.
I would look for a new therapist
This seems to happen a lot these days. It's hard enough for a doctor to properly diagnose a mental health condition because symptoms of other disorders can overlap. I wasn't properly diagnosed until my 40's even though I'd been struggling since my teens. It was my fault though because I held back on sharing the "embarrassing" parts. Now I let it all out lol like yeah I haven't showered in 3 days and I cried for half of it and slept the other half. 😂 I never would have admitted to all that in the past. They would have to dig it out of me.
I feel like self-diagnosing can be a good option, but it shouldn't be your most reliable tool and it should be used with caution
Like, in terms of physical health and external wounds, everyone has a broad knowledge on how to treat it (disinfected it, band-aids, exercise, etc)
And home remedies can help treat certain health problems (honey+garlic for sore throat for example)
But for more severe wounds, even if you know what you're doing, you should still seek professional help, because they have tools that are outside your disposal.
And of course there are medical myths that can be very dangerous if taken to the extreme (like vaccines cause autism)
Even with all of this people still get misdiagnosed, specially when the condition is hard to detect and/or treat or is similar to other health conditions, and treatments can backfire if it's a wrong assessment
But you shouldn't reject going to the hospital just because there's a change of mis-diagnosis, if anything knowing what is isn't is the first step to fixing the issue
That can also be applied for mental health
Everyone has a broad knowledge on mental health, and a broad knowledge on how to treat it (therapy, medication, family support, etc)
There's also home remedies for certain mental health, such as exercising and eating healthy to help with depression
But for more severe mental disorders, even if you know what the problem is, you dont have the mental tools to fix it, you need an outside perspective because mental disorders can affect your way of thinking, and everyone is bias to their own perspective, what You think is or isn't normal is entirely based on your life.
Mental health myths can be very dangerous, even more so then physical health because of how personalized your treatment has to be, what works for many may not work for you
Even with all of this, people are still misdiagnosed, because some conditions can present themselves like its one thing when it's not, and some treatments can worsen misdiagnosed patient's symptoms.
But you shouldn't reject going to professional help just because there's a change of mis-diagnosis, if anything knowing what is isn't is the first step to fixing the issue
I have CPTSD this name only is enough to say no doctor can help me in my country.
This is not so much a reaction on the video but just a rant about the whole mental health industry
I cannot take the whole diagnosis DSM thing seriously for several reasons, like how homosexuality was in the DSM until the eighties, there is massive lobby from huge pharmaceutical companies, labels are demanded by insurance companies (I know from people who get a label change as soon as the amount of therapy sessions hits end point) psychiatry is deeply sexist, and the cherry on the cake was reading the letters Bessel Vanderkolk got back from the American Psychiatric Association as a reply to all his findings on studying trauma (it was immediately dismissed)
Plus cultural differences, like views on psychosis, not just east west north south, but even between countries like Britain and France differ a lot in perspective.
So yeah I kind of feel almost " forced" to go the "self diagnose" route and puzzle my own treatment plan together. Because 50 years ago they say You have This, in 50 years they say You have That, and besides, people are always a mixed bag of traits and symptoms, no one fits neatly in one DSM label.
I have cptsd and in my current life (unmedicated) it looks a lot like a mix of adhd with bpd traits.
When medicated just an overweight binge eating dead person walking. Been there done that no more zombiefying meds for me.
The one therapy I'd like to still try is Schema Therapy.
Question should be: what happened to you.
Not: what is wrong with you
CPTSD is still not recognized in many places, despite how obvious it is once you start to think about it.
@@zesky6654 And that is a bloody shame, seeing how Judith Herman, Bessel Vanderkolk, Pete Walker, Gabor Maté and many more apparantly do not get a foot in the door of the people in power who get to decide who gets to be on the committee in charge of compiling the Diagnostic Manual. Judith Hermans book Trauma and recovery is from 1992. She is professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. She coined the term complex post traumatic stress.
Everyone can self-diagnose all they want... Until they start giving unsolicited diagnoses to OTHERS and blaming YOU for all their problems.
Modern dating, ladies and gentlemen.
With psychology and psychiatry being basically the dominate (secular) religion in the English speaking world you’re never going to stop people from hypothesising which diagnosis they fit into. What else is the point of all the 24/7 ‘mental health awareness’ if not to encourage people to self-diagnose?
You can’t expect people to remain entirely as if they have no idea about their own mental states without the help of a priest of the new faith (I.e. a psychologist/psychiatrist). I think they both do want people to self-diagnose (so they need to pay a professional for help) and not self-diagnose (again about paying a professional)
Let's not forget the problem of AI, which may be used for diagnosis.
Until the mind-body problem is solved mental health is going to be shit. We don't understand how the mind connects to the body and vice versa. Or even if there is such a thing as a "mind".
Psychiatry is a new field, attempting to study and treat people for things that we don't fully understand. Evaluating someone's subjective experiences objectively is seemingly impossible. I mention this because I don't think psychiatry itself is to fully blame for getting people wrong. Yes there are shitty professionals (too many of them), but mankind doesn't even understand how NT people work let alone how we work.
Why do certain memories/stimuli cause certain emotions? We don't know. If we don't really know this then how can we objectively assess how someone is feeling? Mental Health is just now becoming a thing which means that it is going to be bad for the first few hundred years. Looking on the bright side at least we live in an age where it is recognized and you can in theory get help.
Tricky situation all around, can we trust out judgement of an illness when it is the mental illness that hurts our judgement? Can we trust professionals to analyze emotions they aren't feeling? We can't honestly say for sure right now. For self-diagnosis, the validity of such a thing at this time is case by case. My answer isn't the best but I think it is the most accurate given our understanding of the mind.
That's all.
One thing that helped me personally was the understanding that your brain, different brain regions, your body’s nervous system and your memories/experiences/coping skills developed by your brain, that’s the “mind”. It’s all physical and your brain’s reactions are, for an extremely large part, survival mechanisms. I personally found IFS therapy to be very useful, it’s like conceptualizing a user interface to different parts of your brain and gently having an internal dialogue with your subconscious softwares running in the background from as neutral a perspective as you are able. It’s remarkable how logical and understandable it is what comes up. Consequently as a therapy model it’s also entirely non-pathologizing. Turns out having the judgement of a diagnosis in the picture changes the thought structures you’re trying to work with and in some cases can severely hinder self-empathy and emotional processing of your body’s past physical experiences, including the physical emotions that are left looping in your brain.
I don't mean to sound insensitive, but I've found that many people I've met who have self-diagnosed don't really understand the condition and/or are trying to exuse bad behaviour. And of course nowadays you're definitely not allowed to think or say that because you have to be inclusive and non-judgemental of people who do have mental illnesses. To me the real test is to see whether they would be willing to actually see a mental health practitioner AND implement certain lifestyle changes. And if they won't, to ask why.
Critical drinker 😳
ok...you redeemed yourself. Here a thought...connect with your spirit guides and meditate heavily...
Sorry but I know my body well. I just saw a quack today all he did was gaslight me. They only will do what insurance will pay for. Not the core problem. I just started therapy l signed up myself up. I’m in a place where I’m not able to function or care.
I almost diagnosed myself with Avoidant Personality Disorder. I was convinced for at least a month and got really very depressed about it. I couldn't sleep much, my digestion was screwed up, and I was dog tired all the time. That has to be the worst month of my life so far.
I'm pretty sure I have Social Anxiety Disorder because it's not like I can't talk to _anyone_ . I can work with people fine, but socialising with them is super difficult. I can go shopping and say hello to the person at the checkout too. Avoidant Personality Disorder is pervasive (one of the words they use to describe it), my symptoms are anything but pervasive, they're very context dependent.
I've spent at least 15-20 years searching for an answer and still haven't got one. Social Anxiety Disorder is the only one that has stuck around and actually fits well.
Getting an answer with the NHS is almost impossible because I'm probably the most unassertive person on the planet, and the NHS needs to be pushed before they do ANYTHING.