If you had to wear just one outfit for your entire life- how would you choose it? Would you trust that what people on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, or Facebook say is the right outfit for you and what will fit you best? Would you trust google or other internet searches? Would you trust your friends or family to tell you what that outfit should be? Would you want to work with stylists and professionals to find an outfit that is tailored to you?
In a way, people wear diagnoses in the way they may wear clothing brand labels. Diagnoses can be kept secret, your information to know and hold, or can be shared with others- it is your choice. There is a lot of current misinformation about diagnoses on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, and the internet whereby people are incorrectly self-diagnosing and wearing/carrying labels that actually don’t fit them at all. This can sometimes be problematic when it results in people taking medications they don’t actually need, unnecessarily limiting themselves by telling themselves they have shortcomings or problems that they actually don’t have, feeling stuck that treatment isn’t working, and/or feeling like they are in a cycle where the same problems keep arising.
The right diagnosis can be important for fostering self-understanding and self-compassion, informing appropriate directions for treatment, breaking maladaptive/ineffective patterns, and informing of school or work accommodations that might be helpful. Just as a tailor would consider your body composition in creating the right outfit for you- psychological testing is a careful approach that assesses areas of strength, and areas of weakness, to provide accurate diagnoses and treatment recommendations.