Self diagnosis

KyussBishop

Victor wrote:

Self diagnosis is a fools game

Care to elaborate?

I agree that trying to medically diagnose someone else over the internet is a fools game (n.b. different to making a suggestion for self diagnosis) but I think it's complete nonsense to suggest that someone doesn't have the intelligence to do a self diagnosis.[/ThreadHijack]

Victor

Thread moved from Personal Issues.

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Its about checks and balances. Even doctors aren't allowed self diagnose.

Lots of conditions have similar symptoms and if one tries to self-diagnose, one risks treating some symptoms more importantly than they should be, while ignoring others. This is particularly dangerous when it comes to psychological matters.

As a 12 year old I was convinced I was pregnant (I'm male). Rather it was bloating and constipation. Lots of adults make similar mistakes.

Now there is a difference between deciding, "I have a headache, I'll take a painkiller" and "I have a headache, I'll have a brain tumour", but any self diagnosis with a serious or lasting condition or following an incident is at risk of being fundamentally wrong.

Go to doctor!

KyussBishop

Victor wrote:

Lots of conditions have similar symptoms and if one tries to self-diagnose, one risks treating some symptoms more importantly than they should be, while ignoring others.

I do agree that it's sometimes possible to exaggerate the symptoms but when symptoms affect your everyday life (as is the case with the two mental illness's which were being discussed, social anxiety and agoraphobia) there is very little room for ambiguity.

Victor wrote:

This is particularly dangerous when it comes to psychological matters.

In the context of the original thread, that is only true if the person attempts to self-medicate.
Obviously, if someone is to seek medication then they will need a professional diagnosis first but a self diagnosis is a sufficient starting point for researching more about a problem and attempting to tackle it on your own if you choose.

Seeing a psychiatrist is of course much more beneficial but is not a necessity for performing a reasonably accurate self diagnosis.

Victor wrote:

As a 12 year old I was convinced I was pregnant (I'm male). Rather it was bloating and constipation. Lots of adults make similar mistakes.

How does this relate to attempting to self diagnose yourself with social anxiety or agoraphobia?
The causes of the physical symptoms you have described are not as clear as the causes of the mental/emotional symptoms described by the OP in the original thread.

Victor wrote:

Now there is a difference between deciding, "I have a headache, I'll take a painkiller" and "I have a headache, I'll have a brain tumour"

Again, how does this example compare to the two illnesses being discussed?

Victor wrote:

...any self diagnosis with a serious or lasting condition or following an incident is at risk of being fundamentally wrong.

Any diagnosis (professional or otherwise) is at risk of being fundamentally wrong, but (at least in the case of social anxiety and agoraphobia) with sufficient information and research it is possible for anyone to make a diagnosis which is correct beyond any reasonable doubt.

Victor wrote:

Go to doctor!

Agreed but at the same time learn as much about your illness as you can yourself so you know all about the available treatments and are aware of all the pros/cons of each treatment (especially when it comes to medication).

tallaght01

I agree that the PI guys have difficulties moderating when medical issues arise. Having said that, I I disagree with you that it's easy to self diagnose. As a doctor, I will self diagnose and self medicate for minor illnesses. But I will usually run it past my flatmate, who's also a doc. But when i think I'm actually ill, I'll go to my GP. In fact, I was at my local GP's surgery today.

Social phobia and agorophobia should definitely be diagnosed by a doc.

Love2love

I agree with tallaght01, I remember in Behavourial Science class in college, one of our case studies was off a Psychologist who had convinced herself that her overeating was due to an incident that must of happened sometime after her birth (Oral stage, Freud's psyco-sexual's stages) and was treating herself for depression. Its common practice for a psychologist to see other psychologists and it turns out she had Paranoid Schizophrenia.

eth0_

Over-eating and it turns out she was a paranoid schizophrenic! lol!

OP - symptoms are not always as they seem. Some people might think they have depression or anxiety, when instead it is caused by another medical problem such as a hormone imbalance. Self diagnosis is all well and good for small ailments like flu or food poisoning, but if you're still no better after 2-3 days you should always see your GP.