How Gen Z uses the internet to self diagnose and get help

Generation Z (born between 1997 and 2012) uses the internet to self-diagnose their own mental health conditions, but not in the ways one might reflexively (or judgmentally) assume. A new survey and report from the Made of Millions Foundation, a nonprofit mental health advocacy organization, found that only a small fraction of Gen Z youth relies solely on the internet to interpret their symptoms and make their own conclusions about a diagnosis or disorder. The majority of youth surveyed instead consult online resources, including social media, in conjunction with seeking or receiving mental health care and treatment. The findings counter a prevailing narrative that it’s become trendy, and common, for young people to diagnose themselves with a specific condition without any professional help or support. SEE ALSO: Why teens are telling strangers their secrets online In fact, of the 970 people between ages of 13 and 28 surveyed for the Made of Millions report, 431 of them were in some phase of what the researchers described as a mental health “journey.” Of the subset of nationally representative participants who had a diagnosis, a mere five percent, or 10 people, said they were self-diagnosed and had no plans to follow up with a clinician. Eight percent intended to see a mental health professional after having made a diagnosis for themselves, based on internet research. But nearly three quarters of respondents who said they had a diagnosis received it either exclusively from a clinician or through a combination of clinical expertise and…How Gen Z uses the internet to self diagnose and get help