THE DANGERS OF SELF-DIAGNOSIS
Social media has many good things going for it, but a dangerous trend has begun emerging—adolescents are increasingly self-diagnosing mental health conditions online. A recent post read: “Do you get bored, lose stuff, are distracted, forgetful, sensitive? Turns out, these are symptoms of ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder).”
Medically speaking, a person suffering from ADHD may show some or all these symptoms, but is a three-second analysis enough to self-diagnose a mental health issue? The sensible answer would be “no”.
Yet, many of us, especially adolescents, are becoming vulnerable to this. Social media is a tricky space. While it helps spread awareness about mental health, health professionals warn that it can also be a source of misinformation. A 2023 article on the John Hopkins School of Medicine website states, “Increasingly, mental health professionals are observing children and teens self-diagnose mental health disorders after watching influencers discuss them on TikTok or other social media platforms.”
Things are no different in India. Delhibased school counsellor Rajyashree Bajaj says that over the past two years, she has been observing more students self-diagnosing mental health issues using social media. “A 13-year-old student was convinced that she is suffering from depression because she had been having mood swings,” she says, “Over a couple of sessions we reached the conclusion that she was experiencing this because of hormonal changes. It was completely normal.” Bajaj also advised a visit to the physician for a general check-up.
Guwahati-based school counsellor Savera Rasul has also had similar experiences: “Being unable to sleep well, loss of appetite or loss in interest are quickly assumed to be signs of a mental health issue when these could very well be the regular challenges of day-to-day life.”
There could be many reasons for this. According to Jennifer Katzenstein, co-director of the Center for Behavioral Health at John Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, Florida, adolescents are in a phase of exploring their identities. They are on a journey of self-discovery and seeking external validation. “The open discussions on social media offer them relatable content, fostering a sense of belonging,” says Katzenstein.
One may argue that this is a positive trend—of becoming aware, and open about talking about mental health. “But diagnosing mental health issues through people on social media, who may not be professionals, is dangerous,” says Meenu Bhargava, Gurugram-based psychologist and a life-skills coach.
She says “oversimplification” of mental health issues and the “casual usage of various terms” on social media may not only misguide people but also lead to a watering down of the gravity of such issues, which only a professional should diagnose and treat.
Casual, conversational usage of terminology related to mental health also leads to such terms being used interchangeably with emotions or behavioural traits.
Rasul shares that teenagers and adults below the age of 30 often say they are feeling “depressed or delusional as if these are emotions and (the terms) can be interchangeably used”. “This confuses people who are actually going through a clinical condition of depression or anxiety, diluting the gravity of the actual condition,” she explains.
The conversation around mental health has become more open, especially since the covid-19 pandemic. Mumbaibased parenting coach and psychotherapist Madhu Hisaria says that while it is a good trend that people are talking about mental health, the conversation should begin at the right place, especially for adolescents. Parents should watch out if certain videos related to loneliness and depression are showing up on their social media feeds, which might be linked to their children’s dependent accounts.
“It probably means that she or he has ‘liked’ such videos earlier. Does that mean she does not have that space at home, among family, to talk about these things? It is a systemic issue, I feel, that caregivers, parents need to introspect on,” says Hisaria.
There is also a need to make teens aware of the difference between advice and counselling. “Your friend can advise you, but you cannot diagnose a medical condition without professional counselling,” says Bhargava.
So next time, a teen is tempted to selfdiagnose because a reel seems to reflect what they are experiencing, nudge them to talk to a professional.
Casual use of psychology terms on social media may lead to a dilution of the gravity of mental health issues, which only a professional should diagnose