Diagnosis or Just Assessment?

When people come to me for help they are usually in a state of mental distress and are looking for answers to what is wrong with them. As a registered clinical counsellor I am not qualified to make diagnoses, but I can assess my clients for depression and anxiety and tell them where they rate on those scales. That gives us a starting point for healing sessions.

In the Myth of Normal, Gabor Maté is insistent that a diagnosis of a mental illness explains nothing. Diagnoses are merely summaries of reported symptoms, according to him. He admits though, that a diagnosis for an individual validates their experiences and gathers those symptoms into a collection that can be pointed to as a definite problem. That, as both Maté and I know all too well, is a positive first step toward healing.

If we confuse the diagnosis with an explanation, however, that’s where the problems arise. Unlike with a physical illness, a mental illness diagnosis cannot be confirmed or disconfirmed with blood tests or x-rays. As Maté states, “in psychiatry it’s simply a circular argument. Why does this person have mood swings? Because they have bipolar disorder. How do you know they have bipolar disorder? Because they have mood swings” (Maté. The Myth of Normal. pg 242). The conclusion is: mental illness diagnoses are just descriptive.

Assessments are effective. When we know how your problem is affecting you, we can start healing it. Like Maté, I prefer to focus on how the person can move through their pain and live without it. The assessment starting point gives us a way to measure the client’s progress.

If you would like me to assess you for depression, anxiety, PTSD, OCD or even alcohol or substance abuse, please reach out to me at heidiredlcounselling.ca or email me at heidiredl.writes@gmail.com. Your confidentiality is guaranteed.