If you have been anywhere on social media lately, you have likely run across an influencer talking about their ADHD or Autism diagnosis. The increase in awareness of these mental health diagnoses has led many to ask, “Do I have ADHD?” or “Am I on the autism spectrum?”

To find an answer to these questions, teens and young adults are turning not to trusted professionals, but back to social media and online quizzes to explore mental health struggles. While it’s good to ask questions, how we search for answers matters especially as Christians who trust in God’s design and care.

Platforms like TikTok and Instagram are filled with relatable content and simplified symptom checklists. While these can bring awareness, they often lead to self-diagnosis without clinical or spiritual guidance creating confusion, not clarity.

The Risks Of Self-Diagnosis

When I was in a graduate class on diagnosing mental health disorders, the first caution the professor gave us was, “don’t diagnose yourself!”. The reason we were cautioned against this is because we can find aspects of ourselves present in a myriad of mental health diagnoses.

However, it takes clinical expertise, experience, and a touch of objectivity to accurately pinpoint the source of mental health struggles. While the proliferation of information about mental health disorders can indeed be helpful in bringing awareness and compassion, it can also lead us to self-misdiagnosis. Some of the common risks of self-diagnosis include:

• Misdiagnosis – ADHD-like symptoms could also come from anxiety, trauma, or spiritual distress. And all of us have times when we are late or disorganized or miss an appointment, but this does not mean that all of us have ADHD.
• Over-identification – Taking on a label of ADHD or Autism too quickly can blur the truth of who we are in Christ.
• Delays in Help – Skipping professional care can keep people from the healing God offers through wise counsel.
• Identity Confusion – We are not our struggles; we are God’s redeemed children.

Heading In A Helpful Direction

How can we use all the emerging information about ADHD and Autism in a good, right, and true way?

1. Stand firm in your identity – You are not your diagnosis. You are beloved, redeemed, and called.
2. Pray for discernment – Take everything to God in prayer, knowing that the Father in heaven hears your prayers.
3. Seek Pastoral Care – God places you in the care of a pastor for your spiritual well-being. Seek spiritual guidance and care from your pastor, because all mental health concerns are also spiritual concerns.
4. Seek Christian counseling – God works through means. He uses professionals to bring clarity and care to struggles that you may be facing.
5. Be cautious online – Let social media spark curiosity, not self-diagnosis.

Final Thought
Regardless of the struggles we face in this life, our identity and justification are not found in a diagnosis. They are found in Christ alone.

“We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” – Romans 6:4 (ESV)

If you or someone you know would benefit from Christ-centered mental health counseling, refer to or contact us today.

• Call: 515-573-3138
• Email: [email protected]
• Web Form: http://lutheranfamilyservice.org/contact/

Lutheran Family Service walks with those experiencing difficult times through mental health counseling, marriage counseling, crisis pregnancy counseling, and adoption services.