AbstractBackground:There is growing concern about adolescents self-diagnosing with mental health problems, with potential links to increased mental health awareness efforts and social media. However, little is known about adolescents’ attitudes towards self-diagnosis, including why they think it happensand potential consequences.Methods:We conducted online semi-structured interviews with 24 UK school-aged adolescents (13-to 17-years-old)recruited from four schools. Data wasanalysed using reflexive thematic analysis.Results:Four themes were generated. Acceptable versus unacceptable motives for self-diagnosishighlights the different reasons adolescents perceived to driveself-diagnosis, which were given a value judgement. Self-diagnosis was more acceptable when carefully researched and used for self-understanding or help-seeking, andless acceptable when used superficially to seek attention or excuse bad behaviour. Rules for determining (in)authenticityexplores the implicit criteria adolescents set for judging the credibility of someone’s self-diagnosis, including openness, severity, and gender. Self-diagnosis is the only viable route to supportencompasses adolescents’ belief that self-diagnosis is understandable given the current inaccessibilityof healthcare systems, providingaccess to informal sources of emotional, practical, and social support. Finally, modern adolescence is fertile ground for self-diagnosisdiscusses how the current context of adolescence, including social media and the widespread use of diagnostic language, facilitates self-diagnosis. Conclusions:School-aged adolescents view self-diagnosis as an understandable yet potentially problematic practice. While it may be a pragmatic response to inaccessible services, adolescents are concerned about the impact of inaccuracy. Improving access to timely mental health support and promoting balanced information may reduce reliance on self-diagnosis
Note: This version of the article is a pre-print and has not been peer-reviewed. Title:"It seems that everyone has got something”: A qualitative studyof adolescents’ attitudes towardsself-diagnosing withmental health problems Nina Higson-Sweeney1* & Lucy Foulkes1 Affiliations:1Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Life and Mind Building, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3EL, UK*Corresponding author: Dr Nina Higson-Sweeney, nina.higson-sweeney@psy.ox.ac.uk
🌟 NEW PRE-PRINT! 🌟
“It seems that everyone has got something”: A qualitative study of adolescents’ attitudes towards self-diagnosing with mental health problems
from me and @nhigsonsweeney.bsky.social
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