Ep 140: The Double-Edged Sword Of Mental Health Labels In The Age Of Social Media With Dr. Tim Hess Things You Learn In Therapy podcast

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Ep 140: The Double-Edged Sword of Mental Health Labels in the Age of Social Media with Dr. Tim Hess

3d ago 28:41

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Have you ever watched a TikTok about ADHD symptoms and thought, "That's totally me!" or found yourself wondering if your social discomfort might actually be diagnosable anxiety? You're not alone.
In this thought-provoking conversation with returning guest Dr. Tim Hess, we dive into the increasingly common phenomenon of mental health self-diagnosis. We explore how our success in destigmatizing mental health conversations has led to an unexpected consequence: the transformation of clinical diagnoses into personal identities and social labels.
The easy access of mental health information through social media has created a world where anyone can share "facts" about psychological conditions, leading many to adopt diagnostic labels without professional assessment. We discuss the powerful appeal of having a name for your experiences—how a diagnosis can bring validation, community, and in some contexts, accommodations or relief from expectations. But we also wrestle with the critical question of "clinically significant impairment" and what happens when normative human experiences become pathologized.
Dr. Hess shares insightful observations from his work in college mental health, where he frequently encounters students who arrive with firmly-held self-diagnoses. We examine the paradoxical position mental health professionals now face: historically emphasizing respect for clients' self-knowledge while also maintaining diagnostic expertise. This tension raises profound questions about gatekeeping, accessibility, and how we respond to human distress in institutional settings.
Whether you've found yourself researching symptoms online or you're a professional navigating these waters with clients, this conversation offers nuanced perspectives on finding balance between validation and accuracy, between personal experience and professional assessment. Listen in as we explore one of the most complex challenges facing mental health work today.

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Chapters

1. Ep 140: The Double-Edged Sword of Mental Health Labels in the Age of Social Media with Dr. Tim Hess (00:00:00)

2. Welcome Back with Dr. Tim Hess (00:00:13)

3. The Rise of Self-Diagnosis (00:01:34)

4. Diagnosis as Identity and Social Label (00:05:34)

5. Clinically Significant Impairment (00:09:44)

6. Balancing Empathy and Accountability (00:17:08)

7. Equity vs Fairness in Accommodations (00:23:19)

190 episodes

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