Getting diagnosed with a mental health disorder can be disconcerting, especially as there is a lot of misinformation and stereotypes around mental health disorders, often promoted and perpetuated by the media and pop culture. Not understanding your diagnosis can be scary and can make it harder to take medication if you need it to help stabilize you. Remember, your mental health practitioner is there to help you understand your diagnosis and guide your next steps. We have compiled a list of tips to help you navigate this process.

1. 1. 1. Ask for your diagnosis if your therapist has not yet provided it. This is your right.
         
         
      2. Your therapist shouldn’t give you a finalized diagnosis automatically without getting your full history and additional information from others if needed. Sometimes it helps to monitor your moods to help get a clearer diagnosis. You may also be given assessments to help with your diagnosis. If you have already been diagnosed by a previous therapist or psychiatrist, definitely let your therapist know.
         
         
      3. If you don’t understand your diagnosis, ask your therapist about it and what led them to give you that particular diagnosis. If you disagree strongly with your diagnosis, let them know so you can discuss it. Obviously, it is your right to get another opinion from another mental health provider.
         
         
      4. While you can do your own research online, you can always ask your therapist if they have resources, they can give you.
         
         
      5. If you and your therapist feel that you would benefit from medication and you decide to see a psychiatrist, you can ask your psychiatrist to explain your diagnosis so you have a better understanding. Also, your first visit with your psychiatrist should not be less than 30 minutes.
         
         
      6. If you find you are feeling overwhelmed with your diagnosis, you can find local support groups run by NAMI. You can search your local NAMI’s website to find out.

How Does A Provider Diagnose You?

Your mental health provider diagnoses you based on the Diagnostic Statistical Manual (DSM). The current edition of the DSM is DSM-5. The American Psychiatric Organization describes the DSM as the following, “The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM–5) is the product of more than 10 years of effort by hundreds of international experts in all aspects of mental health. Their dedication and hard work have yielded an authoritative volume that defines and classifies mental disorders in order to improve diagnoses, treatment, and research.”  Mental health practitioners are trained in using DSM-5 to diagnose you. Please visit psychiatry.org for more information.

There is a lot of controversy around the DSM-5, how it is flawed in its classifications, how influenced it may have been by big industries and whether the manual takes into account cultural factors. The other argument is that diagnosing can be subjective and sometimes, different psychiatrists might give one person slightly different diagnoses. As we continue to research more into our brain and how it operates, it may be possible that our criteria and classification changes.

It’s important to note though that having the DSM-5  and a universal general manual allows mental health practitioners to use research-based techniques together to treat your mental health issue.

What is a Dual Diagnosis?

A dual diagnosis is when a person is diagnosed with both a mental health disorder and a substance use disorder (abuse or dependence). Dual diagnosis means that the individual needs to be treated for both. Because of how complex the relationship between a mental health disorder and substance use disorder is, it is difficult to state clearly and definitively for each person which came “first.” Regardless, proper mental health treatment means addressing both diagnoses. 

Disclosing to Your Romantic Partner, Family, Friends, and Others

Disclosing to loved ones (family, friends, romantic partners) or even potential romantic partners can be daunting. It may help to explore this with your mental health therapist to understand your feelings around disclosing this information. It might also help to identify which people you feel most comfortable with disclosing to first as you yourself understand your diagnosis. You can also come up with a few key things you want to share with them before you disclose to them. Be ready for some individuals who do not understand and who may make ignorant or misinformed statements.  When disclosing to a potential romantic partner, it can get complicated as to when you want to disclose this information. Some individuals feel they need to disclose it immediately when they start dating, some feel comfortable sharing it when they feel closer to their partner. Ultimately, it is your decision but we definitely recommend having a support system so you can discuss how the experience was for you and what their reaction was, especially if it was not what you expected.

Here are a few additional resources to help you better understand the DSM 5 manual and diagnoses:

• • • From Planning to Publication: Developing DSM-5 
      
      
    • Understanding Your Diagnosis
      
      
    • Dual Diagnosis
      
      
    • Diagnosis Dictionary
      
      
    • Disclosing to Others
      
      
    • Disclosing Your Diagnosis to Your Romantic Partner