Adolescents' self-diagnosis of mental disorders: A qualitative study of psychiatrists' perspectives

Abstract Background The phenomenon of self-diagnosis with mental disorders among adolescents has gained increasing attention. While previous studies have explored adolescent and clinician perspectives on self-diagnosis, little is known about how psychiatrists specifically experience and interpret these encounters. Given psychiatrists’ central role in formal diagnosis and treatment, their perspectives offer unique insight into how self-diagnosis is approached within clinical settings. Methods In this study, N = 16 UK-based psychiatrists who work with adolescents aged 10–24 participated in one-to-one semi-structured interviews. Psychiatrists were asked about their experiences and attitudes towards self-diagnosis of mental disorders. Results Using reflexive thematic analysis, we developed five themes: (1) Self-diagnosis is shaped by peers both online and offline; (2) The drive for a diagnosis often comes from the parent, not the adolescent; (3) Self-diagnosis has personal and social benefits ; (4) Self-diagnosis is problematic when it becomes inflexible ; and (5) Disagreement about self-diagnosis can be a threat to the therapeutic relationship . Conclusions These findings offer new insights into how psychiatrists experience and respond to adolescent self-diagnosis. While clinicians recognised the potential value of self-diagnosis, they also raised concerns around inflexibility and relational tensions. This study extends existing work by foregrounding psychiatrists’ voices, offering a clinical lens on the relational and developmental dynamics of self-diagnosis. The findings underscore the need for nuanced clinical guidance on how to manage adolescent self-diagnosis, in a way that respects young people’s agency, recognises psychiatrists’ expertise and fosters collaborative clinical relationships.