Why Some Diagnoses Aren’t Forever

Receiving a mental health diagnosis can have a different impact from person to person. While it can at times be a relief to understand what it is that’s been going on, at other times, the label of a diagnosis can be distressing. This is particularly so when the diagnosis is describing  not just a feeling of being different, but an unpleasant or stressful experience. Some diagnoses are indications of conditions that have always been and will always be present, because they are a part of how the mind works and are built into the functioning of the brain. These disorders are typically classified as developmental disorders, ones that occurred during fetal development and are indicative of a different kind of processing. Because they are intrinsic to how the brain functions, these disorders are ‘chronic,’ and will be present regardless of treatment. 

However, this is not the case for all forms of diagnosis, which is not something widely known and understood. Several conditions that are considered chronic mental health conditions are not intrinsic to the mind, but instead something that was triggered within the brain. This may make the person with the diagnosis more prone or sensitive to triggers, but does not mean that this is a lifelong condition. This applies in particular to diagnoses like Anxiety, Depression, Social and other Phobias, PTSD, Borderline Personality Disorder, and several others.

So what does this mean for those diagnosed with these kinds of disorders? 

In order to qualify for these diagnoses, you must meet particular diagnostic criteria. If treatment is successful, over time the symptoms will diminish. In some instances, this can continue until the symptoms are no longer clinically relevant. When this happens to enough symptoms, it is possible for the person to no longer meet the necessary criteria for that diagnosis, in which case they would no longer be considered to have that disorder. This process takes time and quite a bit of work, but is very doable nonetheless. DBT therapy in particular has been shown to be very effective at reducing clinical presentations of symptoms, and when the client is committed to therapy, even those with severe presentations can reduce their symptoms to below clinical significance. 

In short, simply because you have received a mental health diagnosis does not mean that this needs to be the norm for the rest of your life. Commitment to the right therapy methodology, finding the right provider, and putting in consistent work can have life changing results, and change your diagnostic status.