Story by Mackenzie Murphy | Design by Mackenzie Murphy | Photos by Jakob Burnham

Have you ever been idly scrolling on your phone and encountered someone who exhibits specific behaviors that you find yourself exhibiting in your daily life as well?

Mental illness has been a major conversation over the last several years. The pandemic has kept individuals isolated, and some people are still adjusting to different work and school conditions, not to mention the struggle of young adult life. Transitioning from a teenager with relatively few responsibilities to a young adult is not easy, and causes many to turn to social media for comfort. Finding new communities and new social movements can help calm that sense of loneliness and feeling of being unseen.

The mental health movement strives to help people adapt to and overcome the new environment that many are thrown into, such as experiencing the loss of community and connection that many people crave. The practice of self-diagnosis has become much more popular in the last several years, perhaps due in part to this loss of community. The uprising of self-diagnosis as a topic on social media has become more popular through the pandemic due to individuals feeling isolated from their usual social groups. Humans are social creatures by nature, it makes sense that many who were suddenly isolated will seek out community through other methods like social media.

At CWU, many students and faculty are aware of the movement and are supportive of the practice, advocating for student's mental health. But like with many things, there are two sides to this coin.

The Professional Lens

Cindy Bruns has been CWU’s director of counseling for the past five years, and has seen the rise of the self-diagnosis movement throughout the pandemic. She discusses the positives and negatives that self-diagnosing may entail.

“In terms of truly diagnosing, it’s not an easy task,” Bruns says. Mental health diagnosis is not a one-size-fits-all practice. It is not an exact science, and a lot of overlap can happen when looking at all of the diagnosis possibilities. Bruns encourages people to be careful when self-diagnosing– they may be missing something that medical professionals are better at spotting.

In a story Bruns shares, a patient came in believing they had an anxiety disorder causing them to have severe panic attacks. After an appointment, Bruns believed the cause of the symptoms the patient was describing was not, in fact, anxiety. After a trip to the hospital, the patient found they were dealing with something more severe that required surgery.

“We’re seeking the appropriate professional support… so that we are not missing something that could be really important,” Bruns says.

Self-diagnosing does not always end with something even worse. Bruns explains that humans are “meaning-making” creatures, which indicates that humans are known to create meaning for every experience they have in order to understand and feel more fulfilled by it.

“Folks are using diagnosis, I think, as a way to make meaning of and validate and communicate really human experiences through a lens that makes sense culturally, given our current time,” Bruns explains. Realizing when someone can relate to our experiences is a naturally comforting experience for many. It helps people feel seen and understood by those who can relate on a personal level. Humans are naturally social creatures, and therefore will seek out like-minded people who have similar experiences.

Self-diagnosis seen as a way to build community and sense of self is not a new revelation. Validating our experiences has been a conversation in many marginalized communities, and is one of the major reasons why self-diagnosis has become such a prominent occurrence for this generation.

As Bruns states, “Folks being able to not dismiss their experiences and being able to share them in a way that makes sense to other people so that there can be a connection in the community– that’s an important piece of healing.” Bruns expresses this while discussing marginalized communities being dismissed by healthcare communities for their experiences.

Self-Diagnosing in Practice

Avery Sawyer is a sophomore art major who has practiced self-diagnosis before, many of such diagnoses were later confirmed by medical professionals. Sawyer is a friend of the author’s and expressed interest in the subject.

Sawyer mentions the historical aspect of mental health in marginalized communities as well. “People of color, queer people, in the past, were less likely to get medical help, so they had to diagnose themselves and had to figure out ways they could cope without an official diagnosis,” Sawyer explains.

Both Sawyer and Bruns go on to express that the mental health movement has become more well-known and has had more advocacy in recent years because of increased acceptance of various mental illnesses and their symptoms. Due to people who are not mentally ill becoming aware of the movement and understanding the need to self-diagnose, people in general are becoming more comfortable with discovering things that are outside the range of what is considered “normal.”

Even in circumstances where people may be ‘faking’ a self-diagnosed mental illness, Sawyer explains that an underlying mental illness may be the cause of this attention-seeking behavior. It is important to acknowledge that not everyone who self-diagnoses is ‘faking’ an illness, even if they are incorrect in their diagnosis.

Although it is possible that some people may be faking a mental illness for attention, their motivation still boils down to one factor that every human craves: connection. To be like others, and feel valid in their experiences. These people just need to be redirected to the right resources to get them back on track. Most importantly, they have to be willing and open to listen to possibilities other than what they label themselves as.

There is a major concern that people looking for answers about their own mental health are not doing enough research. There is further concern that the lack of research also leads to individuals not seeking out second opinions from their doctors. Doctors are trained to answer any concerns or questions that patients may have, and it is their job to provide resources for people who are curious about possible mental illnesses they may have. A patient is never a burden to a medical professional when they are seeking advice or help.

Seeking a second opinion will allow for better management of a possible diagnosis. Self-diagnosing can lead individuals to potentially practice unsafe methods of coping with their perceived illness. This is why it is important to do as much research and get as many second opinions as possible, to gain knowledge on how to correctly manage mental health. The last thing anyone wants is to take care of themselves incorrectly and cause more harm than good in the long run. That said, individuals who self-diagnose should not feel discouraged if they don’t have access to a medical professional's advice. There are several ways that a person can gain free advice through medical websites and library resources, to name a few.

Lisa Vickers is a psychiatric nurse practitioner on the CWU campus who has been working in her field since 2005. Vickers expresses her concerns about patients who don’t do enough research in their search to be understood. “The danger with [self-diagnosis] then is that we over generalize whatever the concern may be, and then don’t seek further understanding,” Vickers states.

Vickers is not the only one who expresses this concern. Both Sawyer and Bruns also have their concerns about not enough research happening. Sawyer believes that those who diagnose themselves incorrectly or for attention are most likely struggling with a different mental illness. Knowledge is a powerful thing, but with the internet being as vast as it is, it can be hard to find the right sources. “You don’t really know who’s generating the content and what their qualifications are,” Bruns says. Being aware that not every source is credible, and the fact that many mental illnesses can overlap, is crucial to the diagnosing process, whether it be self or professional.

When doing research, nothing is wrong with going to medical professionals within your area to seek further resources and feedback on your feelings and experiences. On the CWU campus, the counseling center and wellness center welcome any students struggling to find answers for self-improvement. There are also many free, online resources that can be found on the CWU counseling and health center websites. When choosing to self-diagnose, it is highly encouraged to seek professional help if the research isn’t yielding helpful results.

Many are quick to dismiss self-diagnosis because they are acting under the assumption that those who self-diagnose don’t do the appropriate research to be confident in their diagnosis. However, self-diagnosis isn't as clear cut as many want to believe. It is a complex process of discovering how one can navigate their lives easier through labels and communities that accept them, and can give them tools to navigate with.

The self-diagnosis movement is intended to give people a voice and access to the knowledge they would otherwise be blocked from without the internet. Being comfortable and seen is part of the human experience. Self-diagnosis shouldn’t prevent people from feeling valid, but it also shouldn’t prevent someone from seeking further answers and doing more in-depth research to understand themselves. Both Bruns and Vickers highly encourage seeking professional advice, whether or not it results in a diagnosis (as in Sawyer’s case).

While the process isn’t perfect, it is important to keep in mind that diagnosing isn’t an exact science, and the medical community is still perfecting that practice. In the end, it is up to the individual to do what one knows to be best for their mental health. Do not be afraid to reach out, and know that everyone's experiences are valid. It is only human nature to seek the best quality of life one can have with the tools that they can gain to improve. As Vickers says, “[Self-diagnosis] does help with self-awareness and self-identity.”

The Pros and Cons of Self Diagnosis