Diagnosis Creep

Sep 12, 2024

The podcast delves into the phenomenon of 'diagnosis creep,' where mental health terms are used too casually, leading to widespread misconceptions. It discusses how labels like ADHD and narcissism are often applied without clinical evidence. The influence of social media on self-diagnosis and the spread of misinformation is explored. Listeners are urged to critically evaluate mental health information and prioritize credible sources over comfort, highlighting the importance of understanding the difference between symptoms and formal clinical diagnoses.

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Intro

00:00 • 2min

Understanding Diagnosis Creep in Mental Health

02:02 • 4min

Navigating Mental Health Information Wisely

06:26 • 2min

You may have noticed that there’s an upswing in people identifying with mental health diagnoses lately. Here’s my take on this, I think there are 4 reasons.

The first is what I’m going to call Diagnosis Creep. People are using clinical terms much more broadly than was intended in the past. You’ll see this when people say “I’m so OCD” or “I’m so ADD”. Or when you watch a video that talks about “High Functioning Depression” or “High Functioning Anxiety”. But, for a clinical diagnosis, with PTSD, Depression or Anxiety, the diagnostic requirements say “The symptoms cause clinically significant distress or impairment in… functioning.” Many people can experience traits of these diagnostic labels, but often not meet formal criteria for them when professionally evaluated.

In the past terms like Depression, Anxiety, ADHD, and Trauma were used to describe a small percent of the population- maybe less than 5%, and it included the most severe forms that impaired functioning. But now people are casually using them to describe a much broader segment, maybe 30+% of people.

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Therapy in a Nutshell and the information provided by Emma McAdam are solely intended for informational and entertainment purposes and are not a substitute for advice, diagnosis, or treatment regarding medical or mental health conditions. Although Emma McAdam is a licensed marriage and family therapist, the views expressed on this site or any related content should not be taken for medical or psychiatric advice. Always consult your physician before making any decisions related to your physical or mental health. In therapy I use a combination of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Systems Theory, positive psychology, and a bio-psycho-social approach to treating mental illness and other challenges we all face in life. The ideas from my videos are frequently adapted from multiple sources. Many of them come from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, especially the work of Steven Hayes, Jason Luoma, and Russ Harris. The sections on stress and the mind-body connection derive from the work of Stephen Porges (the Polyvagal theory), Peter Levine (Somatic Experiencing) Francine Shapiro (EMDR), and Bessel Van Der Kolk. I also rely heavily on the work of the Arbinger Institute for my overall understanding of our ability to choose our life's direction.

And deeper than all of that, the Gospel of Jesus Christ orients my personal worldview and sense of security, peace, hope, and love https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/believe

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