We are advised against searching up symptoms for mental health, mostly because we overestimate our symptoms. This is why we should get diagnosed by a professional, instead of an influencer on social media. Looking up your symptoms on Google isn’t a great option, because symptoms can overlap and it can become confusing. Benenden Health observes in a recent article titled “Should you Google your Symptoms?” that, “Researching your symptoms online can cause unnecessary anxiety and lead to late diagnosis.” Despite the dangers of self-diagnosis, it has gained a significant amount of popularity. Mental health self-diagnosis has become a growing issue in today’s world, and most of it is coming from social media. To understand the problem, we’ll inspect the misleading information, concerning communities, and inaccurate self-diagnoses arising from influences in social media. Then, explain the popularity of self-diagnosis and why it should be avoided. Afterward, compare the influences with mental health professionals, state the importance of official diagnosis, and consider possible solutions.

First, social media’s concerning mental health communities and misleading information. The main culprits are the following; TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, and Pinterest. The TikTok mental health community contains several videos about disorders to spread awareness. However, most of the platform’s videos explain disorders and their symptoms vaguely. Therapy Today’s article by Joe Martin in April 2023, titled “Mental health and the TikTok effect” points out that “the top 100 most popular videos about ADHD on the platform found that 52% of them were classified as medically misleading, 27% were based entirely on personal experience, and only 21% were considered useful when compared against diagnostic criteria.” Like TikTok, YouTube has several videos that vaguely explain mental health. Several YouTube videos with titles similar to “Do I have ADHD?” or “Do you have Anxiety?” are not created by mental health professionals, and could easily be inaccurate. Other social media platforms are also causing mental health issues, like Instagram and Pinterest. For example, Welia Health’s article on October 3, 2022, titled “Instagram and girls--Negative effects and ways to temper them” concludes that Instagram and other social media platforms are creating body dissatisfaction in their users. Instagram is increasing the risk of eating disorders, desire for cosmetic surgery, and self-harm. Users of Pinterest are openly talking about mental health, especially depression. Several pins contain mentions of self-harm or suicide. Also, these social media platforms are influencing their users to self-diagnose themselves.

There are several reasons to avoid self-diagnosis. For my second argument, we’ll review them and explain why it’s happening anyway. According to Highland Springs Specialty Clinic’s article by Chief Medical Officer Dr. Todd Thatcher on January 12, 2021, titled “Dangers of Self Diagnoses” observes that “When individuals self-diagnose psychological syndromes, they can miss a medical disease that contributes to their symptoms. With self-diagnosis you also run the risk of being completely wrong about an illness you have…” It’s hard to accurately self-diagnose, especially since some symptoms are common or overlap. Another reason to not self-diagnose is that self-diagnosis can create flawed perceptions of a person’s mental health, which can worsen their condition. Researching mental health information can induce anxiety, insomnia, or depression. This raises the question of why self-diagnosis is so popular despite its dangers. According to an article from Khaleej Times by Waad Baraket on April 2nd, 2024 titled “UAE: Did Internet diagnose you with depression? Why ‘TikTok doctors’ are dangerous” observes that frequently watching videos related to a disorder due to the algorithm can solidify a person’s thoughts of having that disorder. These suspicions of having disorders arising from TikTok are causing their viewers to inaccurately self-diagnose themselves. An article from John Hopkins Medicine, written by Ellen McVay on August 31, 2023, elaborates on the mental health trend in teens stating that it most likely comes from self-discovery and seeking validation. So self-diagnosis should be avoided, but how does it compare to professional diagnosis?

There are many benefits to a professional diagnosis, but it’s essential too. For my third point, I’ll be pointing out those benefits and the importance of a professional diagnosis compared to a self-diagnosis. An official diagnosis can assist a person when trying to find the proper treatment for their mental health. Having an official diagnosis allows someone to get access to the necessary medications, therapy, and advice for their mental health. Also, an article from Mind in 2024 reasons that putting a name to something out of the ordinary can reduce stress. However, a diagnosis from a professional can be time-consuming, and the process can be frustrating. Clinicians who aren’t familiar with their patients have a higher chance of misdiagnosing them than clinicians who are. Nevertheless, the struggle to receive an official diagnosis is worth it. In 2022, an article titled “Mental Illness” from Mayo Clinic argues that “...taking the time and effort to get an accurate diagnosis will help determine the appropriate treatment. The more information you have, the more you will be prepared to work with your mental health professional in understanding what your symptoms may represent.” An accurate and official diagnosis is important to prevent self-diagnosis, but solving it is the next step.

Last, solving the mental health self-diagnosis crisis. We’ll analyze how to avoid as well as reduce self-diagnosis. Self-diagnosis can be avoided if people do proper research. Since anyone can post practically anything online, it can be hard to tell right from wrong. So it is important to steer clear of jumping to conclusions. You can receive good quality advice from professionals in mental health. On April 10, 2023, an article titled “Down the Rabbit Hole of Self-Diagnosis in Mental Health” by Jessica A Jaramillo from the University of Colorado Denver comments “...a self-diagnosis will not give you access to treatment as it needs to be confirmed by a professional…” So avoiding self-diagnosis and seeking a professional diagnosis is a good thing. The next step to solve self-diagnosis is reducing it. Reducing self-diagnosis can be done by encouraging others to avoid it. For example, parents can help their children stay away from self-diagnosis by educating them, regulating their exposure to social media, and seeking open communication with them. So to sum it up, the best way to solve self-diagnosis is to abstain from it.

In conclusion, self-diagnosis of mental health is unreliable and dangerous. To summarize what was previously stated, social media platforms are influencing self-diagnosis plus causing worsening mental health. Self-diagnosis is risky and can induce stress insomnia, anxiety, and depression. Social media can make individuals identify themselves with a disorder they may or may not have. Official diagnosis is much better than self-diagnosis with the benefits of reduced stress and access to necessary treatment. So to avoid self-diagnosis, it’s important to do proper research, and encourage others to do the same. Especially parents whose kids are identifying themselves with disorders they’ve seen online. Parents need to keep open communication with their children and regulate their social media usage. Despite this, people are still tempted to google their symptoms. It seems that although there are professionals that could accurately identify a disorder someone may have, surely someone not trained in the field has better advice.