Why you shouldn’t self-diagnose yourself with OCD

Humans are complex creatures and we tend to overthink about even the smallest things, and let us tell you, its not healthy. It’s not good for you in terms of health or even your personal or professional relationships. It directly or indirectly affects you and your mental state in a bad manner, and it can also lead to danger and complications. There are reasons why it is said that, one shouldn’t diagnose themselves and the reasons are very valid and real. But why shouldn’t one diagnose themselves with OCD? Is there a special reason so? Let’s have a look.

Let’s start by first understanding, what is OCD. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder or OCD in simple words is a mental condition where a person often comes across unwanted thoughts or feelings that may lead to them thinking something is not right or something bad might happen. Simple things may cause them anxiety or stress. Common symptoms are washing hands constantly, placing things a certain way, doing a certain activity significant times a day, etc. Now this is not a deadly disorder in any way but it might affect the mental condition of a person which is why it is recommended that a person does not diagnose it themselves and instead ask for a medical help.

Firstly, if diagnosed alone, a person might start believing that there is something really wrong with them which may lead to depression which is supremely unhealthy. A lot of times, even the simplest things may affect people with OCD, so it is better than they take professional help instead of solving it themselves. They may also confuse these symptoms for being something else, which again is not good. It is important to know what one is suffering from and only a professional can guide them through it.

Unnecessary worry and anxiety are already common in OCD, and on top of them handling all the issues alone may cause even more. Brain needs to be calm and not full of thoughts. Just like our bodies need rest, so does our brain. Filling it up with unnecessary thoughts and tension will not lead to anywhere, instead it will take you downhill. Our body is like a puzzle that breaks every time a negative thought comes our way. But it’s not possible to possible to put these pieces together alone, you might need some help and you might need some support. Facing everything alone will only confuse you and increase your stress.

As already mentioned, OCD is not deadly, a good amount of people suffer with this and are absolutely okay too. We, as people tend to over-analyse which is not something we must do on our part. There are a lot of people who specialise in this subject and know way more than us and will guide us through all. There is nothing wrong in taking professional guidance, in fact it is quite smart and a better alternative.