Is Self-Diagnosis Helpful or Harmful? (Spoiler: It's Complicated)

The surprising benefits, potential pitfalls, and middle path of figuring out what's going on with your mental health. Our self diagnosis guide.

Hi friends!

Ever watched one of those "5 Hidden Signs You Have ADHD" videos and thought, "Wait, that's totally me"? You're definitely not alone. As therapists, we've seen the rise of self-diagnosis explode since COVID, especially with TikTok and other social platforms making mental health information more accessible than ever.

But here's the thing – those viral posts listing symptoms can feel a lot like reading your horoscope. They're specific enough to make you feel seen ("this is SO me!"), but also broad enough that tons of people relate to them. I mean, who hasn't forgotten someone's name right after meeting them or misplaced their keys?

This isn't a takedown of self-diagnosis. But after countless conversations with clients who've come to us convinced they have multiple conditions based on social media algorithms, we wanted to share some thoughts on navigating this complex terrain.

Let's dive into the messy reality. To read the full post including the pros and cons, walking through an example, questions to ask yourself and more, upgrade to access this full guide!

When Self-Diagnosis Helps

Let's start with the good stuff, because there's plenty of it:

Finding answers when you've been dismissed: Women are often completely disregarded when it comes to health concerns – both physical and mental. Many adults with ADHD, especially women, went decades without proper diagnosis because their symptoms didn't match the "hyperactive little boy" stereotype. Self-diagnosis has given people language to advocate for themselves when the system has failed them.

Making sense of your experience: That moment when you read about a condition and suddenly your whole life makes sense? That's powerful. For many people, discovering they might have ADHD, autism, or trauma responses is like finally finding the missing puzzle piece. It can be genuinely life-changing to realize there's a reason why you struggle with things others find easy.