Exploring self-diagnosis in the context of health anxiety: A qualitative study on the influence of psychological literacy, knowledge channels, and academic maturity

Unfortunately, the challenges of accessing reliable information in today's world also extend to the field of psychology. Students of psychology and clinical psychology are trained in reliable knowledge within the discipline and have direct access to information about psychopathology. However, some students may engage in self-diagnosis if they perceive similarities between their own experiences and the psychopathological knowledge they acquire. The present study therefore aims to examine how the process of self-diagnosing psychopathological conditions differs according to the level of psychological expertise among individuals reporting symptoms of health anxiety. Participants were undergraduate psychology or clinical psychology over the age of 18 with experience of self-diagnosing psychopathological conditions. Based on their Health Anxiety Inventory total scores, selected participants were interviewed. The collected data were analysed using a grounded theory approach. The analysis yielded a grounded theory consisting of five categories: "the psychosocial comfort zone established through diagnosis: the multilayered experience of psychology students", "reducing contact with experts through diagnostic security and inequality of opportunity", "alienation from the self and experience through diagnostic distance", "erosion of meaning caused by exposure to inaccurate information about psychopathology", and "constructing ethical responsibility in diagnosis through psychological education". The resulting theory was interpreted and discussed in light of the relevant literature and subcategories.