The Usefulness of a Diagnosis

Informal diagnostic labels are increasingly being used to help people understand themselves and their experiences. This is especially apparent on social media, where words like trauma, ADHD, anxiety, and more are used to describe someone’s experience of a challenging situation. Many mental health workers are concerned this trend leads to the over-use and weakening of these labels.

As a psychotherapist, I don’t diagnose. I treat feelings of anxiety, but don’t tell someone they have Generalized Anxiety Disorder- for example. However, a big part of my job involves helping parents decide about pursuing an assessment and diagnosis for their child, since the process can be time-consuming and costly. I’m also often part of the subsequent treatment process, and use the results to inform my approach and treatment with a particular child.

When I work with parents deciding about a formal assessment, we concentrate on the potential results and anticipated benefits. A diagnosis is essentially an explanation for a set of symptoms. It answers the “what” question, and gives some ideas about resolving the “what next” question. We make guesses about the answer to the second in the decision-making process to determine the potential value of a formal assessment. For some parents, gaining deeper insight into their child is enough to make it worthwhile. But a diagnosis can also provide access to the tools and resources kids need to function at their best, and is often the main concern when parents are deciding about a formal assessment. After I’ve spent some time in individual sessions with their child, we can normally get a pretty good idea of the types of resources their child may need, and whether a diagnosis is necessary to access them.

Parents also often use diagnostic labels informally to help them understand their presenting concerns for their child. Setting aside the decision-making process for pursuing an assessment, I can usually work with whatever words parents use to explain their observations. In therapy, the presenting concern remains the presenting concern, regardless of the diagnostic label. In some cases, it’s actually more helpful to concentrate solely on practical explanations and solutions. Ultimately, my primary goal is to help kids function at their best.

Ironically, the way informal diagnostic labels are popularly used is an appropriate application. Most use them to understand themselves and their experiences. However, the concerns of mental health workers about the over-use of these labels is justified. A diagnosis, even if formally assessed, is not a complete explanation of an individual’s existence or experiences. Using subjective measures (like intensity, frequency, and duration on a scale of one to ten) of a main concern (like feelings of anxiety) could be more useful, because doing so helps limit the focus to a specific situation. Then, practical solutions related to the situation can be explored.