Yes, information at our fingertips. We are free to take whatever mental health quiz we see. But, remember that they carry risks, too. These quizzes should not be solely relied upon. As much as they seem to resonate our feelings with their words, they are standardized questions with certain algorithms to generate results based on the combination of answers. In all honesty, they can be manipulated, e.g. one can click all extreme choices to ensure to get a certain result. Professionals also use these tools for diagnosis, but know that they are actual humans who study and analyze both questions and answers, as well as the individuals' circumstances. These high-value functions are which technology can't replace humans, only aid them. And thus, we should trust humans more than just standardized questions.
Self-diagnosis is not entirely "false" or "invalid". To some extent, a person knows himself better than anybody else, that's why it is also incorrect to "cancel self-diagnosis". In a nutshell, diagnosis is as you see in the screenshot, identifying a problem by examining symptoms, which can be done by anyone. But our information is not perfect, so we might misinterpret things or not grasp the whole thing because our stream of information is flawed or lacking. This can also result to biased self-diagnosis, which is frequently that, biased. Rather, I'd prefer to view it as the first step to healing—self-awareness. There are matters which only professionals can address, no matter how many articles we read. But this doesn't mean that all our self-studies are futile. Rather, this is a great step towards our self-awareness. And if we eventually heal through our own efforts, maybe we can help others heal, too.
This is not to say that people who proclaim depression are false. A lot of them are really depressed. Our feelings and emotions are valid. Our symptoms are valid. Our awareness is valid. But because they are valid, all the more professional help is necessary to help us address our concerns. Because they are valid, we cannot just treat it as a trivial matter. It's because they are valid that they need to be looked at by licensed professionals, who are raised by focused institutions, who are trusted by the government, who have committed to an oath to help others.
So maybe, our first step is to just recognize the issue in our bodies. There are a lot of tools to help us develop this awareness of ourselves, such as virtual therapists, habit trackers, mood trackers, breathing exercises, mindfulness programs, gratitude journals, online articles from research institutions, etc. Once we recognize the irregularities, then we can seek help. We don't really need to reach out to professionals right away—sometimes we don't have acquaintances or friends who work in that field. But we can seek help from people we can confide to. A support system really makes a huge impact. One day, our paths may cross with a professional who can help us. We can always seek one when we are ready.
For information: For the Philippines, the Natasha Goulbourn Foundation is an institution for mental health concerns, which is accessible at any time.
24/7 HOPELINE:
(02) 804 4673
0917 558 4673
Summary
Sections
コメント