How to Use Your Diagnosis (Without It Using You)

08.22.2022 - By Rick Hanson, Ph.D., Forrest Hanson Play

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Receiving a diagnosis can be emotionally challenging, and leave a person with a lot of understandable questions: What does this mean? What do I do now? How do I relate to this?

On this episode Dr. Rick and Forrest Hanson explore what a diagnosis is, how the diagnostic process works, the limitations of diagnosing someone, dealing with the emotions that come up, and how we can better think about and relate to receiving a diagnosis. Throughout the conversation they focus on how we can come to understand ourselves better, and be liberated by that understanding rather than burdened by it.

ADHD is used a number of times during this conversation as an example, so if you have an ADHD diagnosis this episode could be particularly interesting.

Watch the Episode: Prefer watching video? You can watch this episode on YouTube.

Key Topics:

0:00: Introduction

2:55: What is a diagnosis, and what is the process used to give a diagnosis?

6:50: What is the purpose of diagnosing someone?

8:50: Situating what defines pathology within our evolutionary and cultural context

11:40: Origins of mental health conditions, social environment, and privilege

14:40: How diagnosis done, and differentiating between different diagnoses

25:05: More discussion on environmental and cultural effects

31:10: Three subtypes of ADHD

33:00: The emotional complexity of receiving a diagnosis

42:30: What helps people in working through the emotions that come up?

46:35: Paying attention to your emotional experience as much as solving your problem.

49:35: Mental health awareness, resources, and support from others

51:00: Rick’s response when someone is given a diagnosis

58:50: Recap

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