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Perils of Self Diagnosis
Forward -
I imagine most users like to understand what is going on when some part of our physique is 'troubled'. Wanting to do some self corrective action, buying some magic over the counter remedy, find someone else with the same malady, save money, avoid surfacing the issue to a Doctor. Searching to identify and understand.
A lot of intricacies in both Self Diagnosis and then proceeding with Self treatment.
The goal here is to surface the 'Perils of Self Diagnosis'.
How one proceeds with either Self treatment or Professional treatment is beyond the scope of this thread.
From Cusp82:
We learn many things with the use of language. Oh there are things that we learn where language is not required like putting a sharp stick in your eye but higher learning requires a language.
There are many languages (English, French,etc,), there are things like body language, and then there are other types of language, a technical language.
You see when my electrician talks and tries to tell me what has to be done and why I really don't know what he's talking about. I'm pretty smart but I really don't speak his language. He has studied and worked his craft for a long time. I don't understand what he is saying nor do I have the experiences he has had.
If I want to be an electrician what do I have to do? I have to get a begining book on the subject, read and understand it, then get the intermediate level book, again, reading it and understanding it, and then the next level until I think I know it all. Now that I have read it all does that still qualify me to go out and work? Nope not really but at least now I know the language. Now I have to go out in the field and work with someone who has work experience because the book can only tell me so much.
Now without knowing the language, which is the knowledge, and without working with some one in the field to learn even more couldn't I just google " how to wire your dryer"? Sure I could but would any of you let me wire your dryer? Hey I' smart; I can figure it out. Can I really figure it out? No I can't. I don't speak the language, I don't have the knowledge, I don't have the experience, and I will either hurt myself or blow up your house.
When non medical people look up medical stuff they really don't know what the article is saying. Oh the think they do but they don't have the knowledge, they don't have the experience to really understand what they are reading. Oh they can try and figure it out but therein lies a big problem; someone trying to figure it out when they have no basis, no background to draw from. The reach conclusions that to them make sense because they really don't know what they are talking about; they did just figure it our though. WebMd and the like sites take very complicated stuff and make it simple for basic understanding. It is an attempt to help people understand what their doctor is telling them. Sadly people believe that they are now the doctor and therein lies the first problem with self diagnosis; people without knowledge, without the language, without the experience, now believe they are the doctor.
From BigAl:
The danger as it applies here is that men looking to avoid facing their fears would rather believe something was physically wrong with them. Even those who acknowledge the mental factor can severely underestimate the impact that it has on performance.
Cyberchondria: The perils of internet self-diagnosis
Read more : Cyberchondria: The perils of internet self-diagnosis - Features - Health & Families - The Independent
Catherine was worried. For weeks she had been experiencing twitching in muscles all over her body. So, she did what millions of us would do: she Googled "muscle twitching". Do the search yourself to see why Catherine's worry quickly turned to terror.
The Pros and Cons of Online Diagnosis
Read more : The Pros and Cons of Online Diagnosis
Disadvantages of Self-help
Read more : Disadvantages of Self-help - Psychological Self-Tools - Online Self-Help Book
The Dangers of Self Diagnosis
Read more : The Dangers of Self Diagnosis | Psychology Today
The Disadvantages About Asking Medical Questions Online
Read more : The Disadvantages About Asking Medical Questions Online | eHow
Administrator Pegasus has some worthwhile 'food for thought':
I agree with all that has been said ,however the unfortunate thing is ,there are areas that the mainstream is not doing well and that includes a lot of what we deal with . A lack of trust in the medical mainstream has developed over my lifetime. Given my personal experiences I can certainly understand it . I regularly advise people to get medical checks and I regularly get situations where guys have sought medical help and it has simply not been helpful .
Thanks to all who have contributed !
Dangler
Forward -
I imagine most users like to understand what is going on when some part of our physique is 'troubled'. Wanting to do some self corrective action, buying some magic over the counter remedy, find someone else with the same malady, save money, avoid surfacing the issue to a Doctor. Searching to identify and understand.
A lot of intricacies in both Self Diagnosis and then proceeding with Self treatment.
The goal here is to surface the 'Perils of Self Diagnosis'.
How one proceeds with either Self treatment or Professional treatment is beyond the scope of this thread.
From Cusp82:
We learn many things with the use of language. Oh there are things that we learn where language is not required like putting a sharp stick in your eye but higher learning requires a language.
There are many languages (English, French,etc,), there are things like body language, and then there are other types of language, a technical language.
You see when my electrician talks and tries to tell me what has to be done and why I really don't know what he's talking about. I'm pretty smart but I really don't speak his language. He has studied and worked his craft for a long time. I don't understand what he is saying nor do I have the experiences he has had.
If I want to be an electrician what do I have to do? I have to get a begining book on the subject, read and understand it, then get the intermediate level book, again, reading it and understanding it, and then the next level until I think I know it all. Now that I have read it all does that still qualify me to go out and work? Nope not really but at least now I know the language. Now I have to go out in the field and work with someone who has work experience because the book can only tell me so much.
Now without knowing the language, which is the knowledge, and without working with some one in the field to learn even more couldn't I just google " how to wire your dryer"? Sure I could but would any of you let me wire your dryer? Hey I' smart; I can figure it out. Can I really figure it out? No I can't. I don't speak the language, I don't have the knowledge, I don't have the experience, and I will either hurt myself or blow up your house.
When non medical people look up medical stuff they really don't know what the article is saying. Oh the think they do but they don't have the knowledge, they don't have the experience to really understand what they are reading. Oh they can try and figure it out but therein lies a big problem; someone trying to figure it out when they have no basis, no background to draw from. The reach conclusions that to them make sense because they really don't know what they are talking about; they did just figure it our though. WebMd and the like sites take very complicated stuff and make it simple for basic understanding. It is an attempt to help people understand what their doctor is telling them. Sadly people believe that they are now the doctor and therein lies the first problem with self diagnosis; people without knowledge, without the language, without the experience, now believe they are the doctor.
From BigAl:
The danger as it applies here is that men looking to avoid facing their fears would rather believe something was physically wrong with them. Even those who acknowledge the mental factor can severely underestimate the impact that it has on performance.
Cyberchondria: The perils of internet self-diagnosis
Read more : Cyberchondria: The perils of internet self-diagnosis - Features - Health & Families - The Independent
Catherine was worried. For weeks she had been experiencing twitching in muscles all over her body. So, she did what millions of us would do: she Googled "muscle twitching". Do the search yourself to see why Catherine's worry quickly turned to terror.
The Pros and Cons of Online Diagnosis
Read more : The Pros and Cons of Online Diagnosis
Most of us have done it - looked up Google for self-diagnosis or find out about a medical condition or symptom or to find treatments for ourselves or our children. The internet is packed with websites about health and medicine, some of which specialise in diagnosis and evaluating symptoms. How does you doctor react when you start telling him or her about your research?
Disadvantages of Self-help
Read more : Disadvantages of Self-help - Psychological Self-Tools - Online Self-Help Book
Your ability to help yourself will only be as good as your ability to be objective and clear about what the nature of your issues is. It is notoriously difficult to sort out, on your own, what your issues are really about. You may lack enough objectivity and perspective to make a true and accurate assessment or judgment concerning your own issues at this point. There are many ways that people find to deny or distort the truth of what is going wrong in their lives, even when such denial strategies do not serve their long term interests.
The Dangers of Self Diagnosis
Read more : The Dangers of Self Diagnosis | Psychology Today
When you self-diagnose, you are essentially assuming that you know the subtleties that diagnosis constitutes. This can be very dangerous, as people who assume that they can surmise what is going on with themselves may miss the nuances of diagnosis.
The Disadvantages About Asking Medical Questions Online
Read more : The Disadvantages About Asking Medical Questions Online | eHow
Websites cannot take into account some of the sometimes subtle differences between individuals. By contrast, a physician uses a combination of a patient's history, his own experience, and what the patient tells (and doesn't tell) him.
Administrator Pegasus has some worthwhile 'food for thought':
I agree with all that has been said ,however the unfortunate thing is ,there are areas that the mainstream is not doing well and that includes a lot of what we deal with . A lack of trust in the medical mainstream has developed over my lifetime. Given my personal experiences I can certainly understand it . I regularly advise people to get medical checks and I regularly get situations where guys have sought medical help and it has simply not been helpful .
Thanks to all who have contributed !
Dangler
Valued Member of 
Admin of the Month Dec 2014
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