Are We Overdiagnosing Ourselves?
Psych 🧠 - 361/500
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What is it?
This viewpoint article argues that while raising public awareness of mental illness has increased mental health literacy (MHL), it has also broadened the public's concept of what constitutes a mental illness – a phenomenon known as "concept creep."
This expansion, while potentially beneficial for reducing stigma and encouraging help-seeking, can also lead to overdiagnosis, self-diagnosis, and unnecessary treatment.
Major Findings:
MHL (knowledge & beliefs about mental disorders) is distinct from Concept Breadth (how broadly one defines mental illness): The authors use signal detection theory to illustrate this:
MHL is like sensitivity (correctly identifying illness), while Concept Breadth is like bias (tendency to perceive illness).Risks of Broad Concepts:
Unwarranted self-diagnosis: People are more likely to label themselves with a disorder even if they don't meet clinical criteria.
Self-fulfilling prophecies: Self-diagnosis can worsen the condition through avoidance and reinforcement of negative beliefs.
Unnecessary formal diagnoses: People may seek professional confirmation of their self-diagnosis, leading to a formal diagnosis even if unwarranted.
Overtreatment: Broad concepts can lead to treatment for mild issues that might resolve on their own, potentially exposing individuals to harmful side effects.
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What do I need to know:
Raising awareness should prioritize accuracy: While increasing mental health awareness is essential, it's crucial to focus on accurate knowledge of mental illness, not just expanding the concept of what constitutes a disorder.
Self-diagnosis can be problematic: While empowering, self-diagnosis can also be inaccurate and lead to negative consequences.
The need for balanced public health messaging: Mental health campaigns should emphasize both recognizing mental illness and also recognizing when professional help is truly needed, avoiding the pathologization of ordinary distress.
Source:
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/10398562241292202