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Is there any real benefit to getting mentally diagnosed? (lemmy.ca)

submitted 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) by IronKrill@lemmy.ca to c/nostupidquestions@lemmy.ca

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Title, basically. I know I have issues, but I couldn't say if it's depression, ADD, or just general problems. Is the only reason to have a diagnosis so you know what to work on, or are there other benefits such as easier access to therapy?

My question is meant specifically for Canada, but feel free to chip in from other countries. :)

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[–] GrymEdm@lemmy.world 28 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (1 children)

My opinion is yes, absolutely. I say this as a Canadian who is legally permanently disabled because of a head injury and resultant mental health issues. I also have a friend who was recently scared about seeing a psychiatrist, but went and got diagnosed with a condition. (I don't want to go into details for the sake of their privacy). We both have had our lives improved by engaging with mental health professionals.

As I see it, getting diagnosed doesn't change the way you feel - what I mean is, you aren't going to make things worse. It's also not guaranteed to help, but here are some potential benefits:

The big one is understanding yourself and the situation you are in. Once you have an official diagnosis, you can learn about your situation and how to accept it and work with it.
You may gain access to additional help. From my experience as a Canadian patient, I am always ultimately in control of which recommended treatments I'm willing to try. You don't HAVE to follow through on any of the doctor's recommendations, but they can potentially be available as options. You can have conversations about expected benefits vs. side effects and decide what's right for you. So you don't lose anything and you can always say no.
If you start seeing a health professional regularly, it can really help provide an outside perspective. It's all too easy to get lost inside your own head, disregard progress, ignore problems, or fall prey to self-destructive thoughts. Having that 2nd person to help you keep track of how you're doing and bounce ideas/problems off of can be invaluable.
Most people (by a good margin, like 65-85% depending on the study) say that therapy meaningfully helped them. That's not a promise of a "cure", but even just being acknowledged and learning healthy habits/strategies can improve quality of life.

Ultimately, like I said, it's your decision. Don't feel bad if you want to take more time to think about it, but also be aware that for many people booking that initial appointment is easily one of the hardest steps.

[–] IronKrill@lemmy.ca 7 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Thank you for the in-depth and thoughtful response! This is more than I expected. :)

[–] GrymEdm@lemmy.world 6 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

You're welcome! This was one of those rare questions that fits really well with life experience. Best of luck on your health journey no matter what you choose. If it helps, one of the best things I learned was to think about how I would feel about a best friend in my position, figuring out what advice I'd give them, and trying to apply that to myself. Framing it like that really helped me figure out how to treat myself more kindly than I would have otherwise.