{"id":19022,"date":"2021-03-19T12:31:56","date_gmt":"2021-03-19T17:31:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thepapergown.zocdoc.com\/?p=19022"},"modified":"2023-03-06T15:18:34","modified_gmt":"2023-03-06T20:18:34","slug":"thats-totally-me-when-self-diagnosis-starts-with-a-meme","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/healthcare-trends\/thats-totally-me-when-self-diagnosis-starts-with-a-meme\/","title":{"rendered":"“That’s Totally Me”: The Rise of the Meme Self-Diagnosis"},"content":{"rendered":"

About two years ago, Thekla Bollinger sent a comic to the text thread where she and her friends frequently exchanged memes. It lightheartedly described common ADHD symptoms. Usually the group acknowledged the relatability or humor whenever anyone shared a meme, but this time, the reaction was different.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>Everyone was like, \u2018No, not really. I don\u2019t really get that,\u2019\u201d the 28-year-old says. \u201cThis isn’t an everybody kind of thing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Bollinger had been quietly internalizing ADHD-related memes<\/a> until she sought out a doctor last year who officially diagnosed her with the condition. She mentioned the memes to her doctor, who was enthusiastic about her online self-diagnosis. Suddenly, all the years of feeling paralyzed by indecision and self-perceived laziness made sense.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s weird that a throwaway little scrap of funny internet culture has essentially vastly changed the trajectory of my life,\u201d Bollinger says. \u201cWhich is nice, but also immensely strange.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Memes are created with relatability and shareability in mind. A successful meme emotionally resonates with viewers, who then feel compelled to post or send around the photo or video. They’re a form of cultural currency that can help us identify, articulate and poke fun at a wide range of emotions and experiences. They can also <\/span>influence our beliefs and behavior<\/span><\/a>: Studies have shown that memes can effectively <\/span>sway political preferences<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>disseminate information<\/span><\/a> throughout a group<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Medical memes vary, but most capture some aspect of living with a health issue, such as brain fog stemming from an autoimmune disease or sleep problems commonly paired with a mood disorder. For those diagnosed with a given condition, a meme that illustrates the impact of a difficult symptom might feel validating. Other people might see the same meme and wonder, \u201cDo I have that?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

While googling symptoms<\/a> is hardly a new phenomenon, younger generations are becoming increasingly dependent<\/a> on social platforms for medical information. The memeification of medical symptoms and health behaviors has created another path to self-diagnosis, which isn\u2019t always a positive thing. Without proper guidance or context, this practice can cause <\/span>paranoia and anxiety<\/span><\/a> and open the door to unhelpful forms of self-treatment. <\/span>Memes living on Instagram, TikTok and other sites can have an outsized influence on a person\u2019s perception of their own health, whether or not they go see a doctor.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Dr. Max Harland, a dentist who cofounded the oral care platform <\/span>Dentaly<\/span><\/a>, started noticing patients referencing memes during appointments last September. Many patients, often during their first pandemic dental visit, believed they had gum issues, which they frequently explained using language Harland had seen in memes. Something as simplistic as \u201c<\/span>Flossing makes your gums bleed? False, not flossing makes your gums bleed!<\/span><\/a>\u201d had led a patient to seek out a diagnosis for bleeding gums based on their aversion to flossing. \u201cGums bleed due to varying causes, and not flossing isn\u2019t one of them,\u201d Harland says. So far, none of his patients who self-diagnosed via meme have been correct.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Harland doesn\u2019t mind when patients bring up memes while discussing their concerns. \u201cIt\u2019s our job to educate them, and we do that,\u201d he says. But he thinks people should remain discerning in the medical content they consume online and follow up any self-diagnosis with a trip to the doctor.<\/span><\/p>\n

Over the last few years, Jordan Duncan<\/a>, a chiropractor who treats musculoskeletal pain conditions, has seen his fair share of patients recalling memes in the exam room. Without fail, these meme-educated patients describe their injuries using outdated or inaccurate chiropractic terms, like “threw my back out<\/a>” or “slipped disc<\/a>.\u201d \u201cAs a [community], we’re trying to get away from using words like \u2018slipped disc,\u2019 \u2018ruptured disc,\u2019 \u2018threw my back out,\u2019\u201d he says. \u201cSome in the medical profession still use [them], but I think on the internet or in memes, that would be more likely where they would probably see that stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n

Like Harland, Duncan urges patients to seek out professional advice rather than self-diagnose, citing the low likelihood of a layperson properly identifying and treating their own back injuries. While patients might accurately assume they have a disc issue (it\u2019s a common problem), discs don\u2019t slip or rupture. Duncan fears a self-diagnosing patient might become scared and refuse to move, when physical therapy could effectively relieve their pain.<\/span><\/p>\n

As with other forms of highly shareable online content, it can be difficult to trace the origins of medical memes. That makes it increasingly likely that a meme about a disease symptom or medication side effect wasn\u2019t created or vetted by a medical professional, or even fact-checked in any way. Unlike resources like WebMD, the Mayo Clinic and other online symptom trackers, few memes have ties to the medical community. Because the format is designed to be consumed in a few seconds, memes flatten out nuanced medical experiences. Furthermore, memes also pop up in social media feeds, independent of context and expert-backed information. While they may reach a wide-ranging and diverse audience, they can\u2019t immediately be taken as authoritative.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Although patients <\/span>recognize the unreliability<\/span><\/a> of health information found on social media, the number of internet users who seek medical counsel on these platforms is growing, in large part due to<\/span> solidarity and online community support. Also, for patients who\u2019ve seen one doctor after another, only to feel ignored or misunderstood, turning to memes can be an act of resistance to the medical establishment. In a <\/span>context where medical misinformation abounds<\/span><\/a>, some who self-diagnose by meme say it feels liberating to obtain a label for, and a way to explain, previously unnamed symptoms and struggles.<\/span><\/p>\n

Elena (who withheld her last name) went down an autism-meme rabbit hole last year. She had long suspected she was neurodivergent, not least because two of her siblings have ADHD. A meme about masking, a tactic used by those on the autism spectrum to mimic neurotypical behaviors like eye contact, made Elena feel like she\u2019d landed on the right diagnosis. The 32-year-old disclosed her hunch to a friend with autism and joined a number of online support groups where users regularly post memes. \u201cIt\u2019s given me a nice explanation for why I’m so weird,\u201d Elena says.<\/p>\n

Elena hasn\u2019t sought out a formal diagnosis. She believes that because she\u2019s so effective at masking, a doctor might not take her concerns seriously. \u201cThat would be really invalidating,\u201d she says, \u201cto have someone else who hasn’t been on the inside of my brain tell me, \u2018You can’t be [autistic] because you don’t act this certain way.\u2019\u201d Memes, coupled with insight from members of Elena’s Facebook support groups, have affirmed that everything she’s experienced \u2014 sensory overload, offhand remarks perceived as rude, masking \u2014 points to autism, and that\u2019s enough for her.<\/span><\/p>\n

Bridget, a 32-year-old who declined to share her last name, believes health-related memes can help normalize stigmatized experiences. The internet helped Bridget, who grew up \u201cr<\/span>aised by hippies in the middle of nowhere,\u201d <\/span>understand that childhood experiences she found alienating were widespread. Over the course of a few years, Bridget aggregated relatable memes she found on Twitter, later realizing many of them had to do with ADHD. She didn\u2019t mention her meme self-diagnosis to her psychiatrist, who diagnosed her the proper way last year, based on criteria in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. But she did bring up memes to her therapist, who was supportive of her self-diagnosis and the way it happened.\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Memes provide access to medical information that allows patients to self-advocate in ways previous generations couldn\u2019t, Bridget says. While she acknowledges that not all health advice circulating online is trustworthy, she believes gleaning insight from online culture can still aid in demystifying your health.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMemes are like a Trojan horse of self-diagnosis, where you can be enjoying the humor and not have to take it so seriously and heavily,\u201d Bridget says, \u201cand that can make medical issues easier to deal with.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Still, medical professionals would prefer patients seek their expertise, no matter how they feel about their DIY diagnoses. <\/span>Will Peach<\/span><\/a>, a fourth-year medical student in Bulgaria, believes disclosing a meme self-diagnosis can help make a visit more effective. Not only can doctors pinpoint exactly which signs or symptoms a patient believes they exhibit, they can also quell the patient\u2019s fears and reach a conclusion more quickly.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou <\/span>showing your cards<\/span><\/a> is making the system better,\u201d Peach says. \u201cEven if you do feel embarrassed, you\u2019re doing everyone a favor by showing vulnerability or talking honestly. I think physicians have got to feel receptive to that.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Ready to book a doctor’s appointment? Visit Zocdoc.<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/h1>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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