Quote:
Originally Posted by Lauliza
In the US, only insurance and medical providers you give permission to have access to mental health. Otherwise no one knows your diagnosis unless you choose to disclose it. If there is any concern about stigma I would not share this information.
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I am less concerned about the stigma associated with others knowing about a diagnosis, than how the label affects me. "Self-stigma" it has been called.
Seems to me a diagnosis of Mental Disorder XYZ can change one's internal chemistry, outlook, and self-image. The experience could be shaming and pathologizing. Once internalized, it could stay with you for life.
There's also the real possibility that a "mental disorder" is actually the symptom of an undiagnosed bodily disease, and labeling it as such potentially throws the patient onto the wrong path.