Why is diagnosis important

A mental health professional makes the best diagnosis possible with the information they have. Over time, as you work together, he or she will observe you, listen to you, and gather new information to help refine your diagnosis.

Your diagnosis is the beginning of an investigation into how to make your life better. Search Close Menu. Sign In About Mental Illness. About Mental Illness Treatments. About Mental Illness Research. Your Journey Individuals with Mental Illness. Your Journey Family Members and Caregivers. Your Journey Identity and Cultural Dimensions. Your Journey Frontline Professionals. Get Involved Become a Fundraiser. Get Involved Awareness Events. Get Involved Share Your Story. Get Involved Partner with Us.

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Know the warning signs Learn the common signs of mental illness in adults and adolescents. Mental health conditions Learn more about common mental health conditions that affect millions. Getting a Diagnosis Unlike diabetes or cancer there is no medical test that can provide a diagnosis of mental illness.

Why a Diagnosis Matters A medical professional determines a diagnosis by interviewing you about your history of symptoms. What Next You may already have learned as much as possible about mental illness, or you may be facing the topic for the first time. Why do we not use categories describing the level of impairment or the degree of disability when talking about patients?

The abundance of questions of this type is the sad consequence of the fact that science and experience have so far failed to define a single disease in the field of psychiatry. None of the illnesses with which psychiatrists deal satisfies these criteria. In fact, it is probable that a condition for which we have fulfilled the five criteria would migrate to another chapter of the classification of diseases, and that its treatment would be entrusted to practitioners of a medical discipline other than psychiatry.

The English language has at least three terms that describe states that might require the attention of a psychiatrist. The areas covered by the three terms are only partially overlapping: there are people who have a disease but do not feel ill, others who feel ill but have no disease, and yet others who are subjects of abuse of psychiatry, and are being treated against their will because of a sickness which is not a disease in the sense described above, but has been declared as a sickness requiring treatment by society.

It is, however, also reasonable to use diagnoses, providing that for the time being we see them as hypotheses about the origins of the conditions, about their pathogenesis, and about their reaction to treatment. In this way the answer to the editors' question is that we should use both in describing the patient's condition—the syndrome which will direct us to the treatment or other intervention, and the diagnosis as an indication of the direction in which we should search for the causes of the condition and for an understanding of its pathogenesis.

We might in fact be much better placed in our exploration of the nature of mental disorders if we were to systematically record not only the syndrome and the diagnosis, but also other characteristics of those who have a mental disorder, doing so along the natural history timeline of the patients' condition. Do not dismiss depression as a normal part of chronic illness. Effective treatment for mental disorders is available, even if the person has another medical condition.

Each mental illness has characteristic symptoms, however there are some general warning signs that someone needs professional help. Anyone who is experiencing these symptoms should seek professional help from a qualified psychiatrist. To be diagnosed with a mental illness, a person must be evaluated by a qualified professional who has expertise in mental health. Unlike some diseases, there is no blood test, culture, or x-ray that can help determine whether a person has a mental illness. Mental health professionals diagnose mental illness based on the symptoms that a person has.

A provider will ask about symptoms, how long the symptoms have persisted, the severity of the symptoms, and how his or her life is affected by these symptoms. A qualified mental health provider can evaluate symptoms to make a diagnosis of mental illness based on the criteria specified in the Diagnostic and Statistical manual of Mental Disorders DSM-5 that is published by the American Psychiatric Association.

We can help evaluate, diagnose, and treat most mental health conditions. Contact our office today for a confidential evaluation.