Diagnosing Your Own Self

[gracer]

Some people have the tendency of trying to diagnose themselves whenever they notice a symptom within themselves and usually, their self-diagnosis is grave as though they're already dying. I must admit that I am one of those kinds of people at times. Thankfully, after every check-up and after every confirmatory diagnostic tests, I am always wrong with my assumptions.


I'm just curious if any of you here also have the tendency of trying to diagnose your symptoms whenever you get sick or you feel weak. Were your assumptions confirmed or did they always ended up wrong?

 

[Alex]

This may depend on whether the person leans towards paranoia or not, because I am actually very sensible and know when I need treatment or not. I don't think it's healthy to self diagnose if something persists, for example a case in Canada, some parents self diagnosed their sick child as having a flu and gave him herbal remedies and he died of meningitis.


In my own experience my parents have a bad habit of self diagnosing which led to me having severe (scarring) chickenpox as they thought it was for a rash and I was never treated until a month later when my school teacher asked me why I was crying. Recently my dad thought his swelling was down to a side effect of his medication, and I knew it was more and my parents decided to treat it themselves; end result he was in in hospital and nearly died if I hadn't forced them to listen to me. Self diagnosing can be dangerous, try it for a couple of days and no more than a week, then seek help or an opinion from a professional in my opinion.

 

[DDNatureLover]

I agree with Alex. There are times it's o.k. to self-diagnose, such as the common cold, but if the symptoms persist, and you're able, it's best to get a professional opinion. That isn't an available option for everyone, but for potentially serious diagnoses, it's the best course of action, since crises can often be averted. I know at one point in the past, I was convinced I had one condition, but I ultimately sought out professional treatment, and it turned out to be something entirely different, and was rectified (although it has reoccurred) with a procedure and medication.

 

[It'sJaz]

When I get sick with fever or cold then yes, I'll diagnose myself and take the medicine intended for that illness. For other things I usually read up on what it could be but I leave it unresolved until I check with a more reliable source. I don't always trust doctors as they have wrongly diagnosed me in a few instances. Still their word is better than nothing.

 

[JustLeah]

I ALWAYS do this, it's a terrible habit. I google the hell out of every tiny symptom and think I'm dying or terribly ill and I'll freak myself out enough to make an emergency appointment with my GP (who have probably had more than enough of seeing me now). That's never actually the case, though, because I'm usually fine or its nowhere near as bad. Google is a blessing and a curse!


I would never self diagnose my children in the sense that I wouldn't take them to the doctor before finding out what's actually wrong, it's just with myself I do this.

 

[BlackbirdSkye]

I self-diagnose all the time and hate that I do it! It got a lot worse last year when I had a major kidney infection partnered with a kidney stone and cyst. I was incredibly sick and out of work for a month and a half. Ever since then if I even get a tinge in my side I think it's definitely another infection or my stone has shifted or something.


I do the same thing with mental illness too. Every thing I think is weird is 'definitely a symptom'.


Ugh.

 

[Norjak71]

I used to be one of those people that would have just a small headache and then go on WebMD and find something like "you could have a brain tumor" and get totally freaked out. That's part of the reason I stopped doing it, doctors get paid big money for a reason, I never worry about it anymore. I try to keep myself healthy and then if I have a problem I let someone else take care of it.

 

[Roscas]

I think anyone with internet would tend to diagnose themselves. I did! But I always consult the doctor to validate or not what I came up with. More often, consultations and the diagnostic tests I went through would clarify what I thought I had which was not entirely wrong but just incomplete. Self diagnosis should only serve as information to start with and let the doctors determine what the illness (if there is) is. Our lives are precious. I am not the expert. I'd want the experts to do their jobs and expect them to provide me the right knowledge and information I need.

 

[John Snort]

Many people these days often will try to find out if they have some disease online. They'll find a health forum, or even head over to Yahoo Answers, ask their questions and try to diagnose themselves based on the answers they get. I've done that in the past myself especially when it wasn't something serious. Trying to self-medicate however is an entirely different thing which no one should attempt.

 

[amy88]

I just posted in another thread a moment ago that I have had times where "Dr. Google" has been my go-to -- and it can be dangerous because often it leads you to believe you have every disease and disorder under the sun!


I think as humans we are inquisitive by nature, and we often want answers to things (and quick answers, especially) and that's where looking up things online and self diagnosis can be dangerous. I've tried to step away from googling as much, and if I am truly concerned about something I book in to my doctor.

 

[sidney]

So far I just google the symptoms that I experience, but those are really minor things like fatigue, paresthesia, etc. and I have yet to experience something major to the point that it needs hospitalization, so when it comes to serious health symptoms, I won't take it lightly by self-diagnosing myself and I will certainly go to a doctor to have a checkup.

 

[gracer]

I think most of us have the tendency to google our symptoms which makes us even more prone to overthinking about what we're really feeling. Our easy access to just about any information we need now can either make us more knowledgeable or a bit paranoid about things. This just goes to show that despite all the information we get about what we are feeling, it's still important for us to make sure that we do consult a doctor for us to find out what's really going on in our bodies. ​​​​​​​

 

[yeppeo]

I agree with gracer, something I learned to do is never rely on google when you're diagnosing yourself. It's better to go to the doctor to get a proper diagnosis, and I sure prefer to freak out without knowing what it is instead of freaking out over something I think I have and thinking I'm going to die.


Sometimes self-diagnosis it can be helpful though, and it can save your life if you suspect you have, for example, breast cancer or skin cancer. But of course you should always go to a doctor if you suspect there's something wrong with you.

 

[rz3300]

I think that when it comes to this, I go back and forth on whether I can do it and also if I can justify it. I can argue that nobody know your body as well as you do, but then at the same time people go to school for eight years in order to be able to diagnose me. Of course it is probably not recommended to diagnose yourself, but at the same time isn't that essentially what you are doing with a doctor, just confirming what you are diagnosing. I know that I went in and said hey I am depressed, not my doctor coming to me. I guess it can go both ways.

 

[Laneorexorcist]

When it comes to my health, I think that I have never done this. Thankfully, I'm a really healthy person now and it's really weird when I even get a cold, so I never really found myself googling my symptoms. But, when it comes to my pet's health I am always the worst, every little tiny symptom can be a really stressful thing for me, I get over worried and I start making the most fatal assumptions and stressing myself out. And when I take them to the vet, it's usually nothing. It's not the best thing for me to do.

 

[jaden11218]

I like to try to figure out what's wrong with me to avoid going to the doctor. So yes, if my self-diagnoses feels right and symptoms aren't getting worse than I don't fret too much. That's only if I can handle it. If my symptoms are too bad or getting worse, then I don't even want to take the chance. I will listen to my doctor.

 

[hades_leae]

I feel the same, I will diagnose myself before letting a doctor give me his or her opinion. That's all I feel they really are because there is no way to actually dictate what a problem is when it has to do with mentality. You can just share with other/doctor what you are going threw, and they can recommend things to do that might help you.


But it is always wise to consider seeing a doctor if you do believe you can't counter something you don't understand.

 

[polkadot]

Yes, I'm guilty of self diagnosis too! It doesn't help these days that we can google all of our symptoms and make assumptions based on the results. Usually I'm able to be rational and I don't let my imagination run away with me when it comes to my health, but if i have been feeling particularly anxious anyway and I get some strange new symptoms I can convince myself I have a serious illness. I guess it doesn't help that I get anxious about going to the doctors either!

 

[kelden]

I have a tendency to perform a self diagnostic on myself. But these are just assumptions, only is useful to completely understand what's happening to your body in order to explain it to a doctor as clear as possible. Never jump on conclusions without several professional diagnosis.

 

[deanyd_17]

Any time I try to self-diagnose using the internet, I tend to walk away thinking I'm dying, just like you said. If nothing else, this convinces me that I need to go see a doctor, so maybe there is some benefit to it.


It's a good idea to have some clue what you're looking at before going in to see a doctor, sometimes it helps them think about it from your perspective a little. Gives some indication as to your mental state. With how many patients they see in a day it's hard to imagine that this sort of behaviour would be frustrating for them, unless you're insisting that the problem is one thing and they are certain it isn't. Like I said in previous post today, just go ahead and make sure you're getting a second opinion of what they doctor is saying seem wrong to you.


All the best!