The Dangers of Self-Diagnosis

The internet has made life more convenient in many ways, like learning a new language with an app or getting your favorite burrito delivered straight to your door. But running to a search engine when you experience a new or unexplained health symptom may lead to confusion, unnecessary worry or even missed warning signs.

A new ache in your body could be something as simple as a pulled muscle or stress, or a sign of something more serious, like fibromyalgia or lupus. But you won’t know what it is without proper lab tests and health screenings.

Thanks to the amount of health information available online, it’s easy to quickly type in a few symptoms and receive hundreds of websites or blog posts discussing what the symptoms might mean. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, more than half of American adults use the internet to look up health and medical information.

And self-diagnosis is also common when it comes to mental health, where about44% of Americans self-diagnose conditions like anxiety, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) rather than seek out a mental health professional for mental health support.

Why People Self-Diagnose

There are several reasons why people turn to self-diagnosis.

Access to Information

The rise of health-related online resources and artificial intelligence platforms makes it easier than ever for the average person to access medical information. However, these sources aren’t always accurate, and some online forums contain misinformation.

Instant Gratification

The internet gives us immediate answers or solutions to questions, including validation for how we’re feeling. These instant answers can lead to confirmation bias, when we subconsciously look for information that confirms what we think we’re dealing with.

Cost and Accessibility

Some areas and people groups lack access to health care, or cost barriers may prevent them from seeking a professional medical diagnosis.

Fear of the Unknown

For many people, visiting a doctor’s office is a scary prospect. Maybe they just don’t like going to the doctor, or they’re worried about what the true diagnosis might be. This anxiety can drive individuals to seek an explanation for symptoms without a full understanding.

Social Media

Social media platforms connect us to real people, but these glimpses into other people’s lives are never the full picture. Seeing someone with similar symptoms or medical concerns can lead to mistaken self-diagnosis.

The Need to Belong

Online communities like Reddit or Facebook offer a way for people to discuss their health struggles and feel a sense of community. However, these online support groups should be used after a doctor's diagnosis and not as a way to self-diagnose.

The Dangers of Self-Diagnosis

People who self-diagnose a medical problem without receiving a professional diagnosis from a doctor are at risk for many potential complications, including:

• Misidentification of symptoms: Self-diagnosis can lead to misunderstanding the symptoms you're experiencing, resulting in incorrect treatment that could harm you.
• Delaying proper treatment: If you mistakenly self-diagnose a health concern as less serious than it is, you may delay seeking professional care, allowing conditions to worsen and putting you at risk for poor outcomes.
• Worsening health conditions: Self-diagnosis runs the risk of treating a condition with the wrong methods or medications, which can exacerbate the problem.
• Overlooking serious conditions: Self-diagnosing symptoms can hide potentially serious illnesses if you misdiagnose yourself with something less severe.
• Missing other health conditions: Many health concerns can result from a more complex, co-existing condition you won't know about unless you consult a doctor.
• Psychological impact: An incorrect self-diagnosis can lead to unnecessary stress, anxiety, panic and over-treatment.
• Feelings of hopelessness and despair: Self-diagnosing a condition incorrectly can leave a person feeling hopeless, which can discourage them even more from seeking help from a medical clinician.
• Cyberchondria: Cyberchondria is the term used for a person who obsessively researches online for information on every symptom they think they may have, which can cause a lot of unnecessary worry and anxiety.

Why Professional Diagnosis Matters

Receiving a professional diagnosis for a medical condition ensures you have the best health outcomes possible. Your doctor has the tools and knowledge to identify conditions that may not be obvious and can differentiate between conditions with similar symptoms.

An expert medical provider will take multiple steps to come to a diagnosis and treatment plan, including:

• Thorough evaluation: Your AdventHealth Primary Care+ primary care provider (PCP) will give you a full physical exam based on diagnostic criteria and can order testing like imaging or blood work to help confirm a diagnosis.
• Medical history review: Your provider will consider not only your current symptoms, but also your full medical history and your family history of certain conditions.
• Specialist referrals: Your PCP can refer you to in-network specialists who can provide you with condition-specific care and treatment.
• Appropriate treatment plans: Your doctor will work with you and any specialists to develop evidence-based treatment plans tailored to your health needs.
• Prevention of complications: With any health condition, the earlier you receive a medical diagnosis and start proper treatment, the better health outcomes are possible by preventing disease progression and complications.
• Mental and emotional support: While online communities can offer support, they cannot provide you with clear and concise information on your specific health situation — only your PCP can do that.

When to See a Doctor

A good rule of thumb is that anytime you notice your health changing or the development of new or unexplained symptoms, it's time to make an appointment with your PCP rather than trying to self-diagnose the issue yourself.

An incorrect self-diagnosis can delay the proper treatment and may hide a more serious condition that requires professional medical attention.

And if you ever experience any of the following situations, it’s crucial to seek professional medical help immediately:

• Life-threatening emergencies, like chest pain or difficulty breathing
• Symptoms that make it hard or nearly impossible to go about your daily life
• Symptoms that are completely unexpected or continue to worsen over time
• Feelings that may lead you to harm yourself or others
• Changes to the skin, such as new moles or spots
• Unexplained weight gain or loss
• Vision or hearing changes

Ease Your Mind With a Professional Diagnosis

No matter how obvious you think your symptoms are or how much online information you’ve gathered, the bottom line is that unless you are a health professional, chances are good you’re giving yourself the wrong diagnosis.

Relying only on internet searches and what social media influencers say can take you down a misdiagnosis path that can lead to poor health outcomes, not only for your condition, but also for your overall health.

If you’re experiencing any new or unexpected symptoms, it’s time toschedule an appointment with your trusted AdventHealth Primary Care+ PCP for help. And if you don’t have a PCP yet, you can easily find one close to home with our online locator.