It can be helpful in theory and in practice, but the process itself is riddled with logistical inefficiency. For one thing, there's as much misdiagnosis that occurs as there is accurate diagnosis. The degree of positive prognoses and available treatments differ widely among diagnoses. Practitioners can themselves have varieties of cognitive distortion about various disorders that can corrupt the potential for helpful treatment. Then where there's differential diagnoses, the question of a practitioner's talent for accurately prioritizing needs and treatments adds another level to the process. It's a bit of a crap shoot, really, at least that's my personal opinion. But I've experienced far more (far more) disruption to my process by way of professional intervention than I have experienced anything helpful. Had I been lucky enough to have somehow known how crucial it would have been to have gotten a genuine advocate to navigate the process with me, at times when I was truly vulnerable and at the mercy of the skill set of practitioners whose help I enlisted, I might not have been so severely derailed by the process at those times when I most could not afford further trauma. I don't know how I could have known though.

If I found myself at another juncture in time in which I felt that vulnerable again, I still don't know who I could enlist to be that advocate. I'm hopeful it won't happen again; these days I'm as vigilant about not letting myself become vulnerable to the mental health system as I am about not letting myself become vulnerable to severely compromised mental health. Luckily, I suppose, the two work well in tandem together, however.. realistically I cannot fully control either outcome.

In my own case, I've been far better at accurately diagnosing myself than anyone I've seen. It is possible. Just a matter of finding a way to let go of ego for long enough to be able to look at oneself plainly enough to be objective, and comprehending the breadth and relativity of diagnostic parameters. A ton of work, certainly, but for me it's been the only way through the maze.