"It seems that everyone has got something”: A qualitative study of adolescents’ attitudes towards self-diagnosing with mental health problems

Background: There is growing concern about adolescents self-diagnosing with mental health problems, with potential links to increased mental health awareness efforts and social media. However, little is known about adolescents’ attitudes towards self-diagnosis, including why they think it happens and potential consequences.Methods: We conducted online semi-structured interviews with 24 UK school-aged adolescents (13- to 17-years-old) recruited from four schools. Data was analysed using reflexive thematic analysis.Results: Four themes were generated. Acceptable versus unacceptable motives for self-diagnosis highlights the different reasons adolescents perceived to drive self-diagnosis, which were given a value judgement. Self-diagnosis was more acceptable when carefully researched and used for self-understanding or help-seeking, and less acceptable when used superficially to seek attention or excuse bad behaviour. Rules for determining (in)authenticity explores the implicit criteria adolescents set for judging the credibility of someone’s self-diagnosis, including openness, severity, and gender. Self-diagnosis is the only viable route to support encompasses adolescents’ belief that self-diagnosis is understandable given the current inaccessibility of healthcare systems, providing access to informal sources of emotional, practical, and social support. Finally, modern adolescence is fertile ground for self-diagnosis discusses how the current context of adolescence, including social media and the widespread use of diagnostic language, facilitates self-diagnosis. Conclusions: School-aged adolescents view self-diagnosis as an understandable yet potentially problematic practice. While it may be a pragmatic response to inaccessible services, adolescents are concerned about the impact of inaccuracy. Improving access to timely mental health support and promoting balanced information may reduce reliance on self-diagnosis.