The Essential Lesson You Missed in Psych 101- How Self-Diagnosis Can Harm You

The internet is really cool. You can learn all about psychology and mental health diagnoses, but you aren’t learning it in any order, which means that you aren’t getting the first lecture in every psych class - which means it’s more likely that you’ll self-diagnose depression or anxiety in a way that can be harmful for you.

In this video you’re going to learn all about how trendy psychology may be convincing you that you’re broken, depressed, or have an anxiety disorder and how to prevent yourself from getting sucked along with psych trends.

We humans have a tendency to read into things and twist them to fit our own reality. We see ourselves in vague descriptions, we empathize with characters in books, and when we hear a list of symptoms in a diagnosis, we think, “Uh-oh, that sounds like me. Maybe I am depressed, or maybe I did have a disturbed childhood."

It's easy to find information about depression diagnosis or anxiety diagnosis on the internet, but self-diagnosis may harm you. Right now anyone with internet access has the ability to look up a list of symptoms and decide if they fit the criteria for any disorder out there. Videos and blogs and webMD articles can all tell you what to look out for with any mental illness. But what they’re all missing is the first class in Psych 101. And this seems wrong to me.

Tons of people are essentially making money telling you that you might be broken but they aren’t taking the time to tell you first that you’re likely to jump to conclusions. And this can make you feel broken. I

I’ve heard this lecture at the beginning of most of my psych classes, but even into grad school, and even with that knowledge, it was easy for me as I went through DSM to start seeing myself in every diagnosis.

We have a tendency to diagnose ourselves inaccurately because we don’t have the context to see that it’s common to over-diagnose yourself.

Therapy in a Nutshell and the information provided by Emma McAdam are solely intended for informational and entertainment purposes and are not a substitute for advice, diagnosis, or treatment regarding medical or mental health conditions. Although Emma McAdam is a licensed marriage and family therapist, the views expressed on this site or any related content should not be taken for medical or psychiatric advice. Always consult your physician before making any decisions related to your physical or mental health.
In therapy I use a combination of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Systems Theory, positive psychology, and a bio-psycho-social approach to treating mental illness and other challenges we all face in life. The ideas from my videos are frequently adapted from multiple sources. Many of them come from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, especially the work of Steven Hayes, Jason Luoma, and Russ Harris. The sections on stress and the mind-body connection derive from the work of Stephen Porges (the Polyvagal theory), Peter Levine (Somatic Experiencing) Francine Shapiro (EMDR), and Bessel Van Der Kolk. I also rely heavily on the work of the Arbinger institute for my overall understanding of our ability to choose our life's direction.

Copyright Therapy in a Nutshell, LLC
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[dflosounds]

(trigger warning: talking about the concept of suicide)

Ever since I was a teenager, I always had this fear that I was going to one day kill myself. Not a desire to, just a fear that I would. I used to Google things like "signs that people might kill themselves", in an attempt to make sure that I didn't fit the criteria. I constantly checked for signs of having major depression, being bipolar, etc. Exactly as she says in this video, I empathized with everything I read, and I saw myself in every diagnosis. Things got so out of hand that in my early 20's, I basically had a mental breakdown. I became so convinced that something was "wrong" with me, and that I was going to end up killing myself, that I stopped making plans for the future because I legitimately didn't think I was going to be alive in a few months time. My fear of suicide caused so much anxiety that I became depressed, which only further convinced me that it was inevitably going to happen. I was a walking paradox.

Finally, the therapist I was seeing at the time (I'd seen probably 6 different therapists over the course of 13 years by that point) made an observation that changed my life: "You know, this might be OCD". I mulled over that for a while, and eventually took myself to a trained OCD specialist. Suddenly, so many things started to click. All of it; all of the obsessive self-diagnosing, the constant checking to make sure I wasn't a danger to myself, the intrusive thoughts that spiraled and stewed in my head for hours on end...I can't tell you how it felt to be able to separate those things from myself; to put a name to it all.

I'm happy to say that through years of training, practicing mindfulness, doing ERP (exposure response prevention) therapy, and some temporary help with medication, I have a much deeper understanding of myself and how my mind works. Now instead of being in a constant battle with my thoughts, I welcome them and let them flow as they wish.

So yes, I definitely agree with this video. Please be very careful about self-diagnosing. Your brain wants to protect you at all costs, which is wonderful, but sometimes in order to do that it will convince you that you're in danger even when you're perfectly safe. Sometimes it might feel like you're "broken", but ironically that feeling of being broken might just be a sign that your brain is stronger than ever. It means that it really cares about your well-being.

And of course, please don't self-diagnose yourself with OCD after reading this! Remember that I'm just a stranger commenting on a YouTube video and I'm only sharing a tiny sliver of my experience.

[johnrblur]

I think it's the misunderstanding that most issues are on a spectrum and a 'disorder' crosses a certain boundary line on that spectrum. While many people may have tendencies for this or that, they generally don't have disorders. But also I would say we tend to downplay issues that don't cross the disorder threshold. Just because someone's not a diagnosable narcissist doesn't mean they couldn't maybe try to be a nicer, less selfish person in general. So it's a mixed bag currently. Personally I think we focus too much on diagnosis and not enough on simple self improvement in mental health areas.

[muzzlevelocity]

I created an intense amount of emotional suffering for myself by self diagnosing. How i wish i had stumbled upon this video sooner. Thankyou Emma for all you do, please keep these informative videos coming!

[JRB]

I accurately “diagnosed” myself with depression, anxiety and complex ptsd. When I began therapy 2 years ago, I received the same diagnoses. I think people who exercise self-awareness can use the internet to determine their issues so that they can take steps to heal, but agree that self-diagnosing can be perilous.

[WhitneyJohnson]

Best lines:

"Diagnosis is not an identity."

"Humans are suggestible."

"What I wish would become trendy is: personal responsibility, honesty, accountability, growth mindset, personal self-reliance and community values, and mental health education that everyone can access.... sadly it's a lot more fun to do decide your ex is a narcissist is more fun.

Thanks for another great video Emma! –– I listen while I run.

[mattiemularski]

I’ve always felt as someone that’s been clinically diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder whenever I talk about my symptoms people try and “relate” to me it’s almost like everyone on the planet has anxiety because of how many people talk about it. But I never really feel like they understand the severity of some symptoms some days it’s debilitating for me.

[pipergrace]

As someone who does have ADHD, I have to say as well that it’s not just people being over labeled due to over discussion, it’s also the type of narratives that get spread. Some are very easily digestible and get projected all over social media, while others fade to the background. Just this broad mischaracterization of a disorder still leaves people behind. It’s very easy for parents to talk about getting their little boys accommodations at school and spread success stories. It’s a lot harder to talk about how ADHD is weaponized, how it affects relationships, racial and gender discrimination, class privilege, etc.
Its just not as neat of a package and leaves all involved parties to self reflect and be questioned.

[alphakowa]

Thanks for the video, I'd like to add that you don't need to have a mental illness to have bad mental health.
Mental health still needs to be seen as more than just "illness/symptom/treatment" and would love to see more videos about mental health that doesn't have to stem or relate to a mental disease

[Thelifeofcody]

Thx Emma. So glad you identified the therapist can sometimes lead to false causality… And that has caused massive problems. Keep the great contact coming!

[Dionysus]

“You know what isn’t trendy but I’d love for it to be cool again?! Personal responsibility, honesty, accountability, growth mindset.” THANK YOU!!! This should be 2022's tagline FOR SURE! 👌

[darthfiende]

Thank you so much for addressing the narcissism trend. It's so often a way for people who've learned codependent ways of interacting to villainize people they've overextended themselves to. Narcissists will certainly appear to be everywhere if you repeat patterns of self betrayal in every relationship.

[Chickaqee]

I've been watching for a while now but I've never commented. I think the biggest thing that's helped me is just seeing you acknowledge that it's okay to feel your emotions. Like I can read about it in books a hundred times, but to actually see someone doing it, validating it. It gives me so much strength, especially when it seems like the norm is to try to bury your emotions. Thanks Emma.

[ma]

Narcissism is the buzzword now. I’ve been diagnosed a narcissist ( by my ex with no degree). She had a friend who diagnosed her husband as a narcissist, then all of the sudden I was. Be careful who your friends are.
All of trends you would like to see are coming back, you just have to train yourself to see and type in those words you listed. Then, you’ll see them everywhere.

[amywilson]

So many people need to watch this! The Internet really does encourage people to try diagnosing themselves or their children. I've known a lot of mothers who've become convinced that their child has autism or ADD or whatever because they read a vague description on the Internet and thought it sounded "just like" their child.

[JodyRivers]

This is the first sane, comprehensive video I have seen regarding the self-diagnosis craze. Everything you talk about makes complete sense, and I see myself clearly engaging in many of the behaviors you discuss. Listening to this was like looking into a dirty mirror for many years, and seeing only a distorted reflection. Your words wiped my mirror clean, and I was able to see things as they truly are. Thank you for that!

[DwarferAimi]

I agree much with this! I think we talk about "keeping good mental health" so much but no one really knows what that means other than "being happy", and sadly no one dares to feel down for 10 minutes even for a genuine reason as this means they're "depressed". There's so many wrong messages out there on mental health and i think it's making us all worse. A product of it's own making!

[sfozardmccall]

I feel like self diagnosing and labeling can be dangerous, especially when the information is not from a professional person/source. I started to looking into the spiritual side of the world like tarot cards and readings, I learned that other people project their experiences/issues on you and if you are in a desperate state and need answers you will believe in anything. It is the same in the mental health field, I had a ex friend diagnosing me and I just did not agree with her feedback, but I respect her opinions and told her I would look into but she was so aggressive and invasive of me believing her diagnose of me that she was telling people about my personal experience and want me to believe her diagnose of me so I can get the proper help I needed🤨 #shady. I was going through something and I just didn't need someone who is not an professional expert bulling and dismissive my experience. If I was in total distress and not mentally capable of handling that diagnose from someone who just looked it up on MedMD, I probably would of self harm myself. I feel like we have to be careful what we tell people even if it is advice or not, we don't know what people are going through and we should direct them to the proper help and if they don't want to take it then that is their choice and you have to respect it and not control it.


And fyi my ex friend later self diagnosed herself with the same diagnosis she try to give me, I know now that she was projecting her symptoms and issues on me. I am learning not to be mad because she was and is going through something and I am glad she found the peace in her self diagnose.

[weirdloverwilde]

Surely the real problem here is the inaccessibility of expert-led diagnosis and treatment options.

People self-diagnose using free online resources because it's the only option of those of us who are medically marginalised. Not because it's ideal.

[juliannar]

Inaccurate/inaccessible professional diagnosis is a more harmful issue that needs to be addressed first because it is the root cause of self diagnosis.

[IChroniclesofNerdiaI]

It can be hard to not self diagnose when you cant access the assessment professionals you need. More and more I keep thinking I'm an adult on the ASD spectrum, but when I looked into clinics that can diagnose it, it will cost $2000. I'm left weighing if its worth spending 2000 to get diagnosed to gain supports to make life easier but possibly be discriminated against for the label, or not get diagnosed and continue to fumble through life not clear why certain situations feel difficult