You Matter: Self Diagnosis Is Not Enough!

New week mercies! Welcome to the second week of the Afrobloggers winter writing challenge. This week we are in an advocacy mood, and it’s so hard to choose just one issue. Many things are happening in Africa, the Twitter ban in Nigeria #KeepItOn, Covid-19 pandemic is raging, economic downturns and so much more. If we were to keep count of the number of things going wrong, it would blow out the little light that is left burning in African child’s eyes.

Mental health is the constant across the board and most of the time, we train ourselves to adjust. In the Zimbabwean Shona language, we have the phrase, “Tichajaira nekufamba kwenguva,” meaning “We will adjust with time.” However, paying little or no attention to the effect it has on our mental health. The African child is emotionally exhausted, drained out from life and all other things imposed on us. Anxiety and depression are out to play, and we have all become doctors, self-diagnosing and signing prescriptions of self-pity and self-absorption.

If you’ve ever considered a collection of physical and mental symptoms you were having and speculated a diagnosis, you are not alone. I took my first ever mental health screening a month ago before it was just self-diagnosis. The problem with that is when it comes to health, in-accurate information and self-diagnosis can be dangerous. It applies to mental health as it does for physical health.

I know we are curious human-beings, googling symptoms is totally an understandable and common. But let's talk about why it's a bad idea:

• Self-diagnosis can be both a way to deny or take on too much responsibility,” shares Cecilia Morse, a health writer at Best Writers Canada. 
• People diagnose themselves with an illness they would rather have. Weird right? But yeah, it may be easier for a patient to deal with a diagnosis of depression or anxiety, so they interpret their symptoms in a way that leads to that conclusion.
• Self-diagnosing usually cause needless stress and concern. Sometimes, the best path is to let things work through proper channels.
• Some symptoms may OR may not seem problematic to the people suffering from them. That is why self-treatment and self-diagnosis is not a recommendation.

Common statements of self diagnosis:

• I am always tired, and I can barely get out of bed. It got to be depression.
• I am so moody. My friends must hate me. I bet I am bipolar like my uncle.
• I cannot stop over-eating. I know it is anxiety.

Sounds familiar? Thought as much. In our first series of mental health awareness #YouMatter, we are encouraging everyone to get proper screening which is a quick snapshot of your mental health. If your results show you are experiencing symptoms of a mental illness, please visit a mental health provider who can give you a full assessment and talk to you about options for how to feel better.

For my screening, I used the Dash screening, AfroFemme wellness by Dr Stee, a platform that’s transforming women from living with unhealed trauma, fear and insecurity to having confidence, self-awareness, and peace of mind. You get screened on AfroFemme or use MHA Screening open to everyone FOR FREE.

Here are my Mental Health Screening results, click here. Ladies, this is highly recommended. The results explain everything from work, family, substance abuse and PMS.

It is goodbye for now, till we pen again tomorrow!