Mental health, while more accepted today, is still a rather polarizing and misunderstood subject. The rise of digital media has brought about easier access to information about the topic, yet it has also led to other things such as self-diagnosis.

The term self-diagnosis itself is mostly self-explanatory. It refers to diagnosing oneself with a condition without the input of a medical professional. Some common conditions that people typically diagnosed themselves with were generally those that may be harder to get diagnosed with or conditions that are generally not very well understood. Some of these conditions would include OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder), ADHD (Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder), DID (Dissociative Identity Disorder), and numerous others.

Online Sources for Mental Health Diagnostics

One thing that can be praised is that with the rise of social media and the internet in general is that it has become easier to find information pertaining to mental health as well as mental health conditions. However, it has also become a source of misinformation and not everything should be taken as fact. One article by the APA asserts the way in which poor mental health advice on social media can quickly gain an audience or become viral. This can be particularly seen in the way content creators on TikTok may spread information about common symptoms correlated with conditions such as Borderline Personality Disorder or BPD, with many comments typically deciding that they then must have the condition in question. Not only that, but misinformation can also lead to perpetuating stereotypes about the conditions in question (i.e. those with schizophrenia are ‘crazy’ or those with bipolar disorder are ‘dangerous’).

There are plenty of tests online that people may take for fun or to loosely correlate whether they may have a particular condition or not. One that most clearly comes to mind is the RAADS-R test for autism. It is one that is used as an actual screening tool to help one figure out if they may be on the spectrum. However, one study by Jones et al. notes the following: “The results suggest that when used as a self-report screening tool, the RAADS-R was unable to discriminate between ASD and non-ASD cohorts.” While the test itself is generally praised for its accuracy, it’s not entirely reliable for purely people looking to self-diagnose. It’s not meant to be a diagnostic tool and it’s recommended for an individual to be checked out medically to effectively rule it out or not.

Other tests include those on sites such as IDRLabs. It is a site that hosts numerous kinds of short questionnaires including but not limited to depression, bipolar, ADHD, BPD, and so much more. It should be noted that they, too, are not advertised to be self-diagnosis tools. In fact, the description of one such test for BPD reads that “free online tests and quizzes such as this one are solely first takes and cannot provide accurate assessments of your potential personality disorder” and that a thorough “mental health assessment can be made only by a qualified mental health professional”. However, this has not stopped individuals on social media platforms such as Pinterest from sharing the kinds of results that they get from taking the quizzes and tests hosted on the platform.

Opinions About Mental Health: Stigmatized to Glorified

Times have changed from when those with a mental condition were caged and mistreated. That isn’t to say mistreatment doesn’t still happen, but they’re definitely not kept in cages anymore. As mental health topics have become more culturally acceptable to discuss, especially online, it has started to become almost ‘trendy’ in some ways. Thus, it’s not a stretch to believe that the rise in self-diagnosis can also be attributed to the so-called ‘trendiness’ of mental health in some ways.

Munchausen’s by Internet (MbI) is a subtype of Munchausen’s Syndrome in which people may pose as having a particular illness or condition online generally to garner attention, sympathy, or support. One study by Pulman and Taylor note that it’s typically trolls who may do this, and the consequences can include disrupting a discussion in a newsgroup, spreading bad advice, and generally bringing trustfulness into question. It becomes easier to distrust or be more skeptical of others who claim to go through something, unintentionally pushing people away from groups that are meant to be accepting or even accusing others of faking it.

There are also numerous cases on platforms like TikTok where people faked conditions for attention in the form of views or followers. One famous example involves someone by the user formerly known as ‘ticsandroses’ on the platform, also known as Emerald Rose. Her content typically involved short-form videos to show what it was like living with Tourette Syndrome. Tourette Syndrome is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by involuntary, repetitive sounds or movements called tics. Not only are they involuntary, but some with the condition have even described them as being painful at times. Rose would eventually delete her account in 2022 after all the backlash from people calling her out on pretending to have the condition. A subreddit by the same name had even been created to investigate the validity of her account. Apart from people on the internet calling her out, close family members such as her sister even came out confirming that she in fact did not suffer from the condition she claimed. This is just one of many accounts that claim to have a disorder and, like MbI, these cases are detrimental to the community as it causes people to be more skeptical of those that claim to be suffering from particular conditions. Additionally, the more dramatic nature of how she faked the disorder could spread stereotypes about how the disorder may look like. The severity of people’s tics can vary the same way autism is considered a spectrum; the way it presents itself in one person may differ from the way it’s presented in another.

Conclusion

To conclude, the good news is that mental health has become easier to talk about. Unfortunately, this has also led to instances in which people may self-diagnose or outright pretend to have particular conditions online. These cases, even if unintentional, can perpetuate harmful stereotypes as well as stir trust issues alongside controversy that hinders the conditions from being properly understood by others. When reading about mental health conditions, one should remain vigilant and refrain from determining whether they have something or not unless they’ve been tested by a medical professional.

Sources:

The Effectiveness of RAADS-R as a Screening Tool for Adult ASD Populations - PMC

Addressing misinformation about mental health with patients

Munchausen by Internet: Current Research and Future Directions - PMC