Why a Mental Health Diagnosis Isn’t Something to Fear

As providers who work with insurance companies, we are required to assign all clients a mental health diagnosis from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, or DSM-5-TR. While these diagnoses can be a useful way to categorize a cluster of symptoms and apply evidence-based treatments to help a client find relief, clients can also have a strong response to their diagnosis. Some may find relief now that they finally have an explanation, while others may question their identity, feel fearful about what the label means for their future, or wonder if they will always struggle in this way.

In this post, we’ll look at how mental health diagnoses serve as tools for facilitating care, and why a diagnosis is a starting point for support rather than something to fear.

How and Why do Mental Health Disorders Develop? 

Despite being required to assign clients a diagnosis in the DSM-5-TR, many clinicians feel referring to these symptom clusters as “disorders” is a bit of a misnomer. 

For example, someone who experiences sadness or difficulty experiencing pleasure, changes in appetite, urges to isolate, extreme fatigue, difficulty sleeping or sleeping too much, and irritability or brain fog might be diagnosed with depression (eg: F33.1 Major Depression Disorder, Recurrent Episode, Moderate). Yet, depression is a common protective response to difficult circumstances. By withdrawing and slowing down, we cocoon ourselves from perceived threats –whether that threat is “real,” or the result of unmet needs. 

The modern human experience is rife with difficult circumstances. Our brains and bodies have not evolved to exist in the culture that we currently are immersed in. Humans evolved to live in small, interdependent walkable communities with connection to our natural world. Our brains are wired to be constantly scanning for concrete threats such as animal predators, poisonous food, starvation, and extreme weather events. Our brains and bodies are not wired to live in independent households where an onslaught of “threats” come from videos or articles on a glowing screen, a growing inbox at work, or an ever-dwindling bank account. 

In other words, many of us are exposed to more perceived threats than ever, with less support than ever. “Mental health disorders” such as depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder are ways our bodies adapt to deal with these circumstances. It should be noted, some people may be genetically predisposed to adopt certain protective patterns, and may benefit from medication management to balance out real differences in their brain chemistry.

When Coping Patterns Become Diagnoses 

Depression often tells us: do less, we can’t handle it anyway, we’re worthless, what’s the point? This helps us feel less aroused by the threats around us and less charged when things don’t go our way. If we’re frozen in place, we may feel terrible, but we are safe.

Anxiety tells us: do more, if you worry about it from every angle and work hard enough, it will be perfect, and you will be accepted and safe. If we stay busy and in action, we may be exhausted, but we are safe.

Trauma is our bodies’ normal reaction to feeling unsafe, whether from a single event or a lifetime of little “t” traumas, and keeps us hyperoused, disconnected from our feelings and needs, and convinced that the world, as well as ourselves, aren’t to be trusted. If we don’t trust anything, stay on guard, and stay numb, we are safe. 

In many regards, these “disorders” help bring order and stability into our lives, albeit often in unsustainable, maladaptive ways. Patterns that might have served us in the past (e.g.: skipping school when we’re nervous about a test or social interaction, ignoring our feelings by numbing out, or controlling what we eat when we can't control the world around us) may no longer work or serve us as adults. 

Diagnoses Are Tools for Facilitating Care

The key takeaway is just because you are diagnosed with a “disorder,” does not mean you are abnormal. In fact, you are a normal human reacting to abnormal circumstances. 

By beginning to build insight into where we learned these patterns and how they function to protect us, building self-compassion towards these parts of ourselves, and experimenting and implementing new ways to adapt and cope with our stressors instead, we can learn to function in different ways with less psychological distress. Having compassion towards our mental health needs instead of pathologizing them is a great place to start.

If you’re struggling with your mental health, our team of therapists at White Oak Counseling is here to help with compassionate, evidence-based care. Contact us today to get started. 

About White Oak Counseling 

White Oak Counseling is a practice of licensed therapists providing evidence-based mental health treatment for individual adults in Central Virginia. Founded in 2017, White Oak Counseling exists to bring a proven approach to the art of therapy, using research-backed methods to provide practical, compassionate care that honors each person’s unique mental health journey.