Navigating the Social Media Self-Diagnosis Trend

Curt and Katie chat about the TikTok Mental Health and the self-diagnosis trend. We dig into what diagnosis is (and what is actually useful about diagnosis). We also explore the concerns with social media self-diagnosis as well as how we can support our clients with getting accurate assessment and treatment.

Transcripts for this episode will be available at mtsgpodcast.com!

In this podcast episode we talk about self-diagnosis and the impact of social media

We have both heard about TikTok diagnoses in our practices and wanted to talk about how therapists might navigate this new trend.

What are concerns with social media self-diagnosis?

“The point of having a professional be able to properly evaluate is looking through that more nuanced clinical eye in order to look at where the threshold is that actually meets diagnostic [criteria] versus actually just having some characteristics in common with [the diagnosis]. Somebody can be nervous, does not mean that they have anxiety… What is pathologizing normal feelings?” – Curt Widhalm, LMFT

Focusing in on small elements and then having that frame their full life experience
Seeking only confirmatory diagnosis versus allowing for differential diagnosis
Clinicians who are not doing full assessments to support clients who have self-diagnosed
Clients who do not need treatment taking slots from those who do need assessment and treatment
Lack of nuance in the social media content that doesn’t include information on differential diagnosis
Inaccurate treatments based on inaccurate self-diagnosis
Malingering and factitious disorder risk
Pathologizing normal feelings
Being inundated with so much information
Confirmatory bias

How to support clients who have sought diagnostic information on social media and google?

“What started the whole thing… clinicians under diagnosing, undervaluing client feedback, not asking all the right questions. And so, folks are feeling dissatisfied with what we're doing and heading to the interweb to understand better what it is that's going on.” – Katie Vernoy, LMFT

Therapists need to listen to their clients, so they don’t feel the need to go elsewhere for information
Identify what is resonating for clients and explore what it means to them
Educate clients about differential diagnosis
Walk through their research (to listen and to help vet sources)
Take your client seriously and support them in getting the help they need

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