Self Diagnosis

by Jessica Yu

Self diagnosis is the act of determining one’s health

conditions without the aid of a medical professional. Recently, self

diagnosis has become more popular, as access to medical

professionals is increasingly expensive and difficult. Oftentimes,

individuals look up their conditions on the internet and determine

what condition they have based on the symptoms listed. Mental

illnesses such as anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder are

commonly self diagnosed by teenagers and young adults who

either cannot afford to see a professional or whose parents will

not let them. There are many resources online to help with self

diagnosis including medical websites. However, self diagnosis can

be extremely dangerous and lead to misdiagnosis or

underdiagnosis, potentially putting one’s life in danger.

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When it comes to self diagnosing physical injuries, it is often

underdiagnosed. An injury that a person determines is small and

unimportant can actually be a serious problem that they are

unaware of. The convenience and no-cost act of self diagnosing

causes people to visit the doctor less frequently. Mental illnesses

can be underdiagnosed as well; someone can determine that they

have anxiety when in reality they have multiple illnesses that

share common symptoms. Overlooking these illnesses can harm

one’s health and everyday life. Doctors and medical professionals

advise strongly against self diagnosis at all costs.

However, to be able to visit a doctor every time something

hurts or doesn’t feel right is privilege. Not everyone can afford

the medical bill and the medication to help them, so they can only

rely on resources online to help them better understand what’s

going on. Self diagnosis will always be practiced no matter how

many warnings are made for it. If we can’t force people to go to

the doctors when they are sick, maybe we can work towards

improving our resources online to help those who are diagnosing

themselves.