Why common mental health conditions are not over-diagnosed
- Eirini
- 6 hours ago
- 3 min read
This blog post is a psychotherapist’s response to this BBC news article, referring to GPs claiming that life being stressful is not an illness and that common mental health conditions like depression and anxiety are being over-diagnosed.
The Diagnosis Paradox
As a psychotherapist, I spend my days supporting people through depression, anxiety, and an entire spectrum of emotional distress. I work with the symptoms, the causes, the histories, and the patterns. And yet, I am not permitted to diagnose these conditions.
Instead, that responsibility usually falls to a GP, who only has about ten minutes to see these patients and decide what their diagnosis or lack thereof can be!
It’s a real paradox, and it highlights something important: our system is not always set up in a way that best serves people seeking support.
But why are people asking for a diagnosis in the first place?
Most people ask because they’re trying to understand why they’re feeling that way
They want to know how to best access support depending on what their condition is
They want to put a name to what they are feeling
They want to share this name with their loved ones, so they can aid in their recovery
They also would like to share this with their school, university, workplace or benefits officer, etc so they can ask for reasonable adjustments and appropriate support
They want to feel understood and validated that their feelings are real
And crucially, they want a qualified practitioner to diagnose and advise them properly. They are not diagnosing themselves from online tests, social media, or ChatGPT!
Why people are NOT asking for diagnoses:
To be difficult
To waste the GP’s time
To collect diagnoses
For social media posts
Situational vs Chronic Conditions
Mental health conditions are not always permanent, and it’s important to recognise nuance. Some difficulties can indeed be situational, temporary responses to life events, while others may be more chronic.
It is therefore valid for a GP to ask how long the patient has been feeling that way, and note if it sounds like a more temporary difficulty. The mental health professional who will then see the patient can establish, together with the individual, whether these are ongoing mood patterns, and how best to tackle them!
Overall, this doesn't disqualify someone from diagnosis of anxiety or depression. The questions a GP or other health professional asks are usually centred on the last two weeks only. The professional can then ask additional questions about how long this has been going on.
For those who are curious, the tests usually administered for anxiety or depression can be found here:
A note on statistics
Current data says “1 in 5 people will have a mental health condition in their lifetime”. However, the fact that GPs seem to be experiencing higher numbers than that would likely mean that the data needs to be updated, rather than have fewer people diagnosed in order to fit in with the pre-established data!
The key is that your experience matters, regardless of what a number says.
Physical vs Mental Health
Perhaps this example related to physical health will be helpful to people hesitating to ask for help for a mental health condition: If I sprain my wrist doing just everyday things (or sleep on it wrong- it happens 😓) it’s possible the GP would be able to diagnose me with a sprain and help me manage the pain and the recovery.
They will most likely not worry that they’ve diagnosed too many people with a sprain that day or year, and usually not say that it’s just everyday life that made my wrist that way, and that means that I don’t get a diagnosis or a treatment plan.
Of course, I’ve known many cases of physical health being dismissed as well, so I’m not claiming that this example is perfect. But it’s at least more likely that physical pain would be treated with some Ibuprofen rather than dismissed as something over-diagnosed!
My message to anyone struggling
If you feel you would like support in improving your mental health, whether your symptoms are mild, moderate, or significant, please reach out. To your doctor, to a therapist, or to any professional you feel comfortable with.
❤️
Your experience is real.
Your feelings are valid.
And help is available.
You deserve to feel good again!
❤️
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