Self-Diagnosis

Self-diagnosis is not recommended. Only a licensed professional can truly diagnose you with a medical condition or disorder. While it’s great for researching symptoms, the Internet cannot diagnose you. It should only help you gather talking points and evidence to present to a professional when the opportunity arises.

We strongly recommend that you see an experienced mental health professional whenever possible. However, we recognize that sometimes getting proper mental health care is not an option due to location, finances, or other factors. So let’s talk about self-diagnosis.

Self-diagnosis can seriously damage your healing journey and hurt many people. A hasty, incorrect, or careless self-diagnosis can be far worse for your health than the uncertainty of what you are dealing with.

Self-diagnosis of any disorder is a complicated matter in itself, but self-diagnosis of a complex disorder will be just that – complex. It will take time to rule out other things and make sure you’re right about what you’re dealing with. Jumping to conclusions can be detrimental to the healing process. Take the time to rule out and consider other possibilities. Similarly, relying on information from potentially irresponsible sources on the Internet can be very detrimental to your health.

However, some people may not have the resources to obtain an in-depth professional evaluation of a complex disorder because it requires more time, active attention, and money. Finding a mental health provider with experience in these difficult conditions can also be problematic, especially in more rural or remote areas. Clinicians may be unfamiliar with the disorder and reluctant to consider or treat it. We get it. Sometimes you have to figure things out for yourself as best you can.

Here at the cafe, we welcome you to the community with or without a professional diagnosis. However, we ask that you only claim to have a professional diagnosis if you actually do. It’s not only the ethical thing to do, it’s probably the healthier thing to do. It’s OK to be undiagnosed, it’s OK to be unsure, it’s OK to change your mind, and it’s OK for you to be here. We don’t check your records at the door, and won’t tar and feather you if you turn out not to have a dissociative disorder – you can still be an ally!

Even if, after much thought and research, you come to a self-diagnosis, we strongly recommend that you continue to seek professional guidance. Professionals may come to your area even if they were not available in the past, and circumstances change. Don’t give up on finding the proper care.

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