Can you self diagnose depression?

[Gibs960]

I've heard that a lot of the time people don't even know that they're depressed, they just think they feel like **** all the time and don't associate it with depression.

So basically, I think I've developed depression over the past few months, for many reasons that I won't go into. I just feel like **** 99% of the time, I cry a lot (which I never used to do tbh), I'm finding it difficult to have fun with people that usually I would happily hang around with every day.

And before someone mentions it, I don't think it's 100% due to puberty.

[lawrawrrr]

You can self diagnose anything you want.

If you seriously want help or advice though, go to a doctor, say you've been feeling this way and you think you might have depression. From what you said it sounds like you might have mild depression or something, but a doctor/counsellor will be able to help more about that, it depends on causes and things.

[AgnesIO]

You could, of course, go and see a doctor. This may sound unhelpful, but if you search on the internet you will almost certainly discover that what you actually have is a cancerous form of rabies, with a mix of e-coli.

[Futz]

i think people look for an easy explanation as to why they're depressed instead of trying to pull themselves out of it

[MKR&*42]

Erm I think it's possible yes and I've met many people who have self diagnosed themselves with it, always best to go to a doctor if you want full clarification though :)

[Yawn]

r u attention seeking or doing it so u can label urself

but yes i guess u can self diagnose urself with depression

[Gibs960]

r u attention seeking or doing it so u can label urself

but yes i guess u can self diagnose urself with depression

*REMOVED*

Edited by Matts (Forum Super Moderator): Do not be rude to others.

[AgnesIO]

*REMOVED*

Whilst the post may not have been helpful and possibly looking for a reaction, your response is totally unnecessary.

[Shar]

Go and see your doctor and see if they can make any referrals to someone you can talk to if you would like that

[Lewis]

Probably is. As said you should see a doctor to get a proper diagnosis. Also, how old are you?

[Craptarded]

Honestly, I couldnt really say. However, all i know is that i found alot of help with using the site Experience Project (http://www.experienceproject.com/). It helped me alot to talk about my problems on there with people going through similar experiences. I hope the site helps :)

[Kardan]

You can self diagnose anything you want.

If you seriously want help or advice though, go to a doctor, say you've been feeling this way and you think you might have depression. From what you said it sounds like you might have mild depression or something, but a doctor/counsellor will be able to help more about that, it depends on causes and things.

Well, unless he's a GP, I wouldn't trust a self diagnosis. Even if he was a GP, you shouldn't self diagnose.

Always see a doctor.

[lawrawrrr]

Well, unless he's a GP, I wouldn't trust a self diagnosis. Even if he was a GP, you shouldn't self diagnose.

Always see a doctor.

emphasis on the can, I agree that it's not a real diagnosis until you see a doctor!

[AgnesIO]

emphasis on the can, I agree that it's not a real diagnosis until you see a doctor!

Even then, it could potentially be wrong aha :L

[lawrawrrr]

Even then, it could potentially be wrong aha :L
yeaaaah that's my point! if i googled my symptoms atm (conjunctivitis) i'd probably end up with cancer or something

[-:Undertaker:-]

The worst thing you can do is go to a doctor who will probably drug you up for what ultimately is a form of sadness. The best thing to always do is identify the problem and work on it - and if you can't, then learn to live with whatever the problem is.

I always find personally that sometimes you can fall into the trap of feeling sorry for yourself and you just need to snap out of it.

[Kardan]

yeaaaah that's my point! if i googled my symptoms atm (conjunctivitis) i'd probably end up with cancer or something

According to the Daily Mail if you use google you'll get cancer. So good luck with that :P

- - - Updated - - -


The worst thing you can do is go to a doctor who will probably drug you up for what ultimately is a form of sadness. The best thing to always do is identify the problem and work on it - and if you can't, then learn to live with whatever the problem is.

I always find personally that sometimes you can fall into the trap of feeling sorry for yourself and you just need to snap out of it.


The worst thing you can do is go to a doctor who will probably drug you up for what ultimately is a form of sadness. The best thing to always do is identify the problem and work on it - and if you can't, then learn to live with whatever the problem is.


The worst thing you can do is go to a doctor who will probably drug you up for what ultimately is a form of sadness.


The worst thing you can do is go to a doctor who will probably drug you up...


The worst thing you can do is go to a doctor who...


doctor who...

http://media.tumblr.com/2a2917e329c55c1d3b0bfa537dbaf979/tumblr_inline_mwpqo7ZmYH1qk71lh.gif

(Totally not off topic if it merges with my previous post...)

[FlyingJesus]

The worst thing you can do is go to a doctor who will probably drug you up for what ultimately is a form of sadness.

Psssssst it's actually a chemical imbalance in the brain caused by miswiring which means you literally cannot feel certain ways. Sadness is a mood, depression is a medical condition of which being sad is one symptom

[buttons]

Definitely just as easily as a gp can misdiagnose you for depression, or anything for that matter. often they misdiagnose you because you don't tell them every little detail, only you really know how you feel & when you're depressed, you will know

[karter]

You can self diagnose anything you want.



No that ain't true what the hell ?? Most mental disorders can't be cured without medication and therapy what the hell are you on about

[Zak]

Nothing worse than a know it all doctor who thinks they know what they're talking about when it comes to a mental illness. Go see a nice doctor and they should refer you on.

[ihatehash]

Even though there is some unhelpful information online there are also some very helpful places. Look for government websites about it.
We have one in new zealand http://depression.org.nz (http://depression.org.nz/)
This site has a lot of helpful advice and tools you can use to try find a way out.
Depression can effect anyone and it can often feel very lonely but you will overcome it.

[lawrawrrr]

No that ain't true what the hell ?? Most mental disorders can't be cured without medication and therapy what the hell are you on about
You literally can diagnose yourself with anything you want, it doesn't mean you're right or that you SHOULD - I could say right now "I have lupus!" but I really don't. A proper and authoritative diagnosis can only come from a doctor.

[-Moniquee.]

You could, I guess but you should go to the Doctor to double confirm it I guess.

[FlyingJesus]

You literally can diagnose yourself with anything you want, it doesn't mean you're right or that you SHOULD - I could say right now "I have lupus!" but I really don't. A proper and authoritative diagnosis can only come from a doctor.

Pretty sure the meaning of the thread was whether or not you can adequately self diagnose, your answer is like saying *+*aNYTHiiNG u WaNT 2 BeLiieVe iiZ TrU*+*+*

[lawrawrrr]

Pretty sure the meaning of the thread was whether or not you can adequately self diagnose, your answer is like saying *+*aNYTHiiNG u WaNT 2 BeLiieVe iiZ TrU*+*+*

Seriously how stupid do you think I am?

I realise that. That's why I advised him I go see a doctor to have his self diagnosis confirmed.


on phone xx

[FlyingJesus]

Pretty damned stupid tbh since you kept banging on about how you can diagnose whatever you like

[lawrawrrr]

Wait, are you saying you can't self diagnose anything? You literally can say that somethings wrong with you when it's not. It's called hypochondria. Google isn't a doctor, and in this day and age it's making people very paranoid and even hypochondrial in some cases.

I'm not saying that OP is overreacting here, and it's quite common to self diagnose with depression, but it seriously doesn't mean they're right. I could say I have cataracts because my vision is a bit blurry... that's diagnosing myself isn't it? It's not right, medically, but I am diagnosing myself. Mis-diagnosing is still diagnosing.

[FlyingJesus]

You are literally saying it's fine to be wrong about stuff because you have the words to do so

[IzzyUhh]

You can self diagnose depression
My friend did it, as it got worse over time he went to the doctors and they said it was severe

It's best to go to the doctors so they can at least help the situation :)

[Kardan]

Wait, are you saying you can't self diagnose anything? You literally can say that somethings wrong with you when it's not. It's called hypochondria. Google isn't a doctor, and in this day and age it's making people very paranoid and even hypochondrial in some cases.

I'm not saying that OP is overreacting here, and it's quite common to self diagnose with depression, but it seriously doesn't mean they're right. I could say I have cataracts because my vision is a bit blurry... that's diagnosing myself isn't it? It's not right, medically, but I am diagnosing myself. Mis-diagnosing is still diagnosing.

Not really.

"the art or act of identifying a disease from its signs and symptoms"

The whole point of a diagnosis is that you've identified the disease, not guessed.

[lawrawrrr]

Not really.

"the art or act of identifying a disease from its signs and symptoms"

The whole point of a diagnosis is that you've identified the disease, not guessed.
But just because you have the symptoms doesn't mean you have one particular thing (especially relevant with common symptoms such as cold-like symptoms, or relating to the topic, feeling 'sad' or 'blue', it's not always depression) - you can misdiagnose (even doctors do it) a disease/virus/infection with similar symptoms, it's not a random guess at all. Doctors can't even be 100% sure on diagnoses - I think when people Google symptoms and assume they've got something, it's right even less often than when actual qualified doctors do it!

[FlyingJesus]

Pretty sure doctors can be 100% since it's their job to be, and medicating or otherwise treating a misdiagnosis can endanger their patients and cost them their jobs. They also know a hell of a lot more than Joe Average on the internet concerning all the possibilities and you're insulting the entire medical profession by suggesting that misdiagnosis is a major occurrence in a doctor's day

[e5]

If you can self-diagnose it, surely you could help yourself to overcome it by doing some research? Sounds like you have a mild form of it though, and if you think you should be on anti-depressants, go see a doctor, although as you said, some of it could be down to puberty although I think it's more common in girls to feel more depressed as their hormones seem to react alot worse than males (LOL sorry, just from experience ;))

[Kardan]

But just because you have the symptoms doesn't mean you have one particular thing (especially relevant with common symptoms such as cold-like symptoms, or relating to the topic, feeling 'sad' or 'blue', it's not always depression) - you can misdiagnose (even doctors do it) a disease/virus/infection with similar symptoms, it's not a random guess at all. Doctors can't even be 100% sure on diagnoses - I think when people Google symptoms and assume they've got something, it's right even less often than when actual qualified doctors do it!

But it's not a diagnosis...

[Absently]

a lot of people tend to throw the term depressed around so loosely as soon as they get upset about anything (not saying you are or anything!)
like the others said, go see a doctor if it's that bad, you need to see a professional that can help you. if you're worried about taking tablets for it generally you can goto therapy instead.

[Jazz]

Most people have said the go to the GP thing so I won't repeat them, one point I have to say is that you don't get put on medication if you go to see the GP. You have to be assessed beforehand by a child psychiatrist and usually you will have speech therapy or CBT before medication even comes into play.

Another route you can go through is your school, all schools have a CAF report system (or similar) as a part of their duty of care. Your head of year will fill this form out on the information you provide them and they send it off to CAMHS (Childrens mental health team, dunno if its called camhs all over the uk). They tend to ask you about your school, social and home life and its worth finding out if you have a family history of mental illness because that will probably come up.

Everyone gets depressed, its a natural thing. I think when it consumes your day to day living it becomes a problem and you need to talk to someone before it gets too bad to handle. You can't diagnose yourself, but what worked for me was sitting down and thinking what you're mainly getting upset over (your trigger, everyone has one) and trying to address it either by talking to someone or whatever feels right for you

Sorry if that's long winded, can't really shorten it much more haha. If you need any info or someone to chat to, just PM me or something.
PS: this isn't like a segment from a web article, its what I went through getting help (so it might be a little different where you are, but won't be that much difference I wouldn't have thought)