Is it important to get a diagnosis? What value is there in having a diagnosis, and what are the problems you might experience as a result? How should we think about labeling our experiences? These are some important questions, and the answers depend on what you need and the best way to achieve it. Let’s talk about some of the considerations.
As a therapist, I see diagnoses as helpful in three ways: to help understand what someone is experiencing, find potential treatments to help their struggles, and because insurance companies ask for it. Ultimately, human experience is one big pool of different characteristics, habits, and experiences. A diagnosis says, “when the experiences group up in this way, this is what we call it. This is generally what it’s like, what the challenges are, and what we know about what helps.” This is why many diagnoses may share symptoms: all the symptoms we can experience come from that same pool. They just group up differently. When we have a word or title we call this particular grouping, it provides a good starting pointto understand what to do. It should never replace learning more about the person themselves.
Diagnoses and other categorical labels can help us understand our experiences more clearly by providing a framework of what we might expect. “If XYZ is your experience, here is what it can look like and here is what we can do to help.” It can also be relieving to hear that something you struggle with isn’t an isolated anomaly but an actual documented concern or challenge. By having a diagnosis or a clear label, you may be able to find helpful information on your experiences and how to treat or manage it. People with certain diagnoses may have better access to treatment and receive helpful accommodations at work, school, or socially. And when science doesn’t have clear understanding and helpful tools, a diagnosis can still help us connect with community who experience similar issues.
A diagnosis or label is only a starting framework.
It may not fully address your specific challenges, nuances, and how your experience impacts you. It may include likelihood of symptoms that you do not experience. It can only say that a certain pool of experiences may be common together, while your own experience can vary. It will not fully describe who you are as a person or necessarily predict what you will do, feel, or experience. You are free to identify as much or as little with your diagnoses as you’d like. Overall, however, the way we categorize human experiences is only a starting point.
People may also ignore our concerns if they hold a bias for or against our diagnoses. They might write our complaints off to being “just” part of the diagnosis, instead of putting thought and care into genuinely helping us. Another concern might be confidentiality. If you receive a diagnosis, who will be able to see it? Will they make decisions based off of this information that may be harmful to you? Would it be better to receive private, personal confirmation of a diagnosis that is otherwise off the record? The answer to these questions is different for everyone and is worth considering in your own personal contexts.
Sometimes our experiences are ambiguous.
What if the labels don’t quite fit your experience, but you’re pretty sure you went through…something? Sometimes we have difficult experiences that do not meet current definitions for an official term, categorization, or diagnosis. Your experiences are still valid, regardless of the “criteria” made up to understand certain experiences. CW: The rest of this paragraph mentions adverse sexual experiences. You can skip to the next paragraph if needed. In regards to adverse sexual experiences, for example, interdisciplinary researcher and writer Nesibe Tiryakioglu contributed to this helpful conceptualization in my PTSD Workbook: “Traumatic sexual experience goes beyond what you label it. Whether you classify experiences as rape or sexual assault typically matters for only one context: in the court of law. But trauma doesn’t care about what the legal world calls what you went through – it affects you regardless. You are allowed to decide that a sexual experience affected you negatively, was unwanted, or was not good. Whatever the circumstances, an upsetting sexual experience is worth getting support for.”
–
In their best form, diagnoses and other labels can help us understand our experience and receive the right supports. They can become a challenge, however, when they are misused, misapplied, and used in ways that harm instead of help. And if our experiences don’t quite meet the measurement? We might feel more discouraged and unclear about how we “should” feel. Ultimately: If something bothered you or is challenging, it’s worth validating and finding support for regardless of official labels. If you believe that support might be something I can provide and you’d like to work together, let me know!
Dr. Stephanie Bloodworth, PsyD, LMFT-S
Nesibe Tiryakioglu is a noted interdisciplinary researcher and writer based in Texas. She additionally provides virtual tutoring and academic coaching across various fields. See more at: LinkedIn | Tutoring Appointments