Rising Mental Health Diagnoses: Beyond Overdiagnosis
The piece argues that rising mental-health diagnoses cannot be attributed to overdiagnosis alone; while self-diagnosis and casual use of mental-health language on social media contribute, increased awareness and reduced stigma encourage help-seeking and may inflate apparent rates, while genuine risk factors—economic insecurity, crises, and the after-effects of the pandemic—likely also play a role; a nuanced view recognizing multiple simultaneous factors is needed, and individuals’ distress must be believed and taken seriously.
