History Main / InformedSelfDiagnosis

* In nations which lack universal healthcare, such as TheUnitedStates [[TakeThat and the rest of the Third World]], diagnostic tests are often A: rather costly, and B: specifically '''ex'''cluded from insurance coverage. For that reason, telling such patients that self-diagnosis doesn't count will most-likely be [[{{Understatement}} met with]] [[BlatantLies polite]] [[BerserkButton skepticism]]. [[RantInducingSlight Admonish at your own risk]].

*** TVTropes.org: Saving Lives through proper education of self-diagnosis!

Most people, when they fall ill, will only describe their symptoms in general terms ("My stomach hurts", "I think I'm going to throw up", "[[SneezeOfDoom AAA-CHOO!]]" etc.) This makes sense - most of us don't have that much medical knowledge, no matter how many doctors / [[MoralGuardians Daily Mail readers]] think we're all self-medicating with [[NewMediaAreEvil bootleg drugs bought online]].

* ''Series/RizzoliAndIsles'': In "Dirty Little Secret'', Maura accurately diagnoses what is wrong with her injured leg and then talks Jane through what she has to do in order to relieve the pressure so she won't lose the leg.

** Being able to self-diagnosis a heart attack is another big one, as they are almost never as big and dramatic as they look on TV.

See also AFoolForAClient, the equivalent trope for lawyers.

*** There's also the stereotype that people use self-diagnosed Asperger's Syndrome as an excuse to be a jerk. In reality, it's very rare to see a person with self-diagnosed AS being a jerk online (though being socially naive and misinterpreted is pretty common), and what little research anyone has done on the issue suggests that most self-diagnosed AS people [[http://abnormaldiversity.blogspot.ca/2011/08/accuracy-of-autism-self-diagnosis.html probably do have the condition]].

-> ''"Do you worry about tests sometimes? You have '''ANXIETY DISORDER!''' Do you touch the doorknob before opening doors? Then you've got '''CRIPPLING OCD!''' Do you sometimes itch yourself in public? Then it looks like you're '''TURNING INTO A WOLF!'''"''
-->-- ''WebAnimation/WelcomeTo Website/{{Tumblr}}!''

* The website [=WebMD=] has, [[WatchItForTheMeme among other things]], a library of symptoms and diseases that cause them. It is infamous for supposedly getting tons of traffic from morons who self-diagnose themselves.

* ''{{Lost}}'' "Something Nice Back Home," with a twist. Jack knows he has appendicitis, but won't admit it until Juliet calls him on it, at which point he says his appendix hasn't ruptured yet.

* Averted in the ''Series/{{Mash}}'', "Bless you, Hawkeye," when Hawkeye starts sneezing repeatedly and he insists he is alright. When Col. Potter demands an explanation of why he thinks that, Hawkeye simply says "I can tell!" Of course, Col. Potter does not accept that cop-out for a second and orders him relieved of duty at post-op and put to bed.
* ''Series/{{Sherlock}}'' has a non-doctor example- the titular InsufferableGenius diagnoses himself [[spoiler: ''after being shot in the chest'' by Watson's fiancé Mary. He mentally plays out both evaluating his condition and being advised by mental representations of people he knows- mainly his smug brother Mycroft- to determine that the bullet is still in his body (because it didn't shatter the mirror behind him) and which direction he should fall down in to increase his chances of survival, as well as forcing himself to think of a happy memory (his dog from his childhood) for the same reason.]] This takes about 5 minutes on-screen but in-universe he mentally goes through all of this in about a second. [[spoiler:He later points out that had Mary truly wanted to kill him, she was good enough to make a kill-shot, and its possible he thought of that at the time of being shot too.]]

* Done in ''DocMartin'' with the "gets it wrong" variant of this trope. Dr Dibbs self-diagnosis almost kills her before Martin manages to correct it. Martin's Aunt Ruth diagnoses herself with a terminal illness, listing all the symptoms, but thankfully Martin is on hand to point a couple of symptoms she's missed which means he has to break the [[SarcasmMode bad news that she is going to live]] as she has something totally different.

* In ''{{Firefly}}'' episode "Objects in Space", Simon is shot in the leg. Although he's the only medic on board, Zoe has some battlefield first aid experience. As a result, she has to perform surgery on Simon's leg while he stays conscious enough to talk her through the process.

* ''{{Scrubs}}'' played with this by having four older doctors all sharing a hospital room. JD is understandably intimidated, but they very kindly inform him of their condition and what's required. [[WithFriendsLikeThese Then prank him.]]

*** And a third example when the retired Dr. Kelso is admitted and makes sure to keep the interns assigned to treat him busy with nonsense work so he can carry on treating himself.
*** Averted in an early episode when JD himself gets sick. He's diagnosed by the hospital personel and seems overall intimidated by viewing the hospital from the patient's side. Of course, at this stage, he was just an intern starting out, so his opinion wouldn't be as informed as everyone else's anyway.

*** House had done this earlier in the finale for himself on awakening with a concussion and retrograde amnesia.

** Wilson also does this in one of the funniest scenes of the whole series when he realizes House spiked his coffee with [[strike:amphetamines]] ''[[MemeticMutation speeeed!]]'' although it's only after confusing Foreman and winking at a patient while he's doing a breast exam.
*** In fact, the whole series does a little too much drink-spiking...
** Also used in ''The Greater Good'', when a chef's apprentice collapses while reciting her symptoms in big medical words. Turns out she's a doctor.

* In nations which lack universal healthcare, such as TheUnitedStates [[TakeThat and the rest of the Third World]], diagnostic tests are often A: rather costly, and B: specifically '''ex'''cluded from insurance coverage. For that reason, telling such patients that self-diagnosis doesn't count will most-likely be [[Understatement met with]] [[BlatantLies polite]] [[BerserkButton skepticism]]. [[RantInducingSlight Admonish at your own risk]].

*** Also, particularly when the self-diagnosis patient is American, the diagnostic tests needed to put the word "Autism" on one's medical record are often '''not''' covered by insurance, which often means that people who are '''very''' obviously autistic aren't officially diagnosed as such for no reason but '''poverty'''. For this reason, telling a self-diagnosed autistic person that self-diagnosis doesn't count is considered to be an '''intense'''ly sensitive BerserkButton.

* In a Manga/{{Bleach}} fanfiction ''Dr. Granz Is In'', the second chapter has everyone's favorite pink-haired Espada diagnose himself with appendicitis. He then enlists the help of Espadas 3 through 6 to perform the operation. Nnoitra leaves early, Grimmjow faints at the site of his organs, and Ulquiorra and Harribel do it all fairly well. After all, Ulquiorra was apparently a surgeon in his past life. (Notably, the symptoms and surgery [[ShownTheirWork are all realistically portrayed]], since the author is actually in medical school and had even just gotten over said disease.)

* Dr Sheldon Hawkes of ''{{CSI NY}}'', having just been rescued from a nasty underwater incident, tells a paramedic he has "a full range of motion - probably just a hairline fracture".

* ''RizzoliAndIsles'': In "Dirty Little Secret'', Maura accurately diagnoses what is wrong with her injured leg and then talks Jane through what she has to do in order to relieve the pressure so she won't lose the leg.

* In ''Film/{{Serenity}}'', Simon is shot in the stomach while trying to assess an injury Kaylee has just taken. As Inara tries to stem the blood flow, he dictates the medication he and Kaylee will both need for their respective injuries. Somewhat justified in that Simon is the only trained medical professional on the ship.

** Although it's not stated or shown in the film itself, there is some probable FridgeLogic behind this: Scully knew Mulder would call 911, but also knew she wouldn't be conscious by the time the [=EMTs=] arrived, so she was trusting in him to repeat everything she said to them.
** Scully also does this in the series with her cancer -- the opening to "Memento Mori" had her examining her own X-rays and explaining to Mulder exactly what it was and that she wouldn't live very long.

* ''{{Sherlock}}'' has a non-doctor example- the titular InsufferableGenius diagnoses himself [[spoiler: ''after being shot in the chest'' by Watson's fiancé Mary. He mentally plays out both evaluating his condition and being advised by mental representations of people he knows- mainly his smug brother Mycroft- to determine that the bullet is still in his body (because it didn't shatter the mirror behind him) and which direction he should fall down in to increase his chances of survival, as well as forcing himself to think of a happy memory (his dog from his childhood) for the same reason. This takes about 5 minutes on-screen but in-universe he mentally goes through all of this in about a second. He later points out that had Mary truly wanted to kill him, she was good enough to make a kill-shot, and its possible he thought of that at the time of being shot too.]]

* ''{{Sherlock}}'' has a non-doctor example- the titular InsufferableGenius diagnoses himself [[spoiler: ''after being shot in the chest'' by Watson's fiancé Mary. He mentally plays out both evaluating his condition and being advised by mental representations of people he knows- mainly his smug brother Mycroft- to determine that the bullet is still in his body (because it didn't shatter the mirror behind him) and which direction he should fall down in to increase his chances of survival, as well as forcing himself to think of a happy memory (his dog from his childhood) for the same reason. This takes about 5 minutes on-screen but in-universe he goes through all of this in about a second. He later points out that had Mary truly wanted to kill him, she was good enough to make a kill-shot, and its possible he thought of that at the time of being shot too.]]

* ''{{Sherlock}}'' has a non-doctor example- the titular InsufferableGenius diagnoses himself [[spoiler: after being shot in the chest'' by Watson's fiancé Mary. He mentally plays out both evaluating his condition and being advised by mental representations of people he knows- mainly his smug brother Mycroft- to determine that the bullet is still in his body (because it didn't shatter the mirror behind him) and which direction he should fall down in to increase his chances of survival, as well as forcing himself to think of a happy memory (his dog from his childhood) for the same reason. This takes about 5 minutes on-screen but in-universe he goes through all of this in about a second. He later points out that had Mary truly wanted to kill him, she was good enough to make a kill-shot, and its possible he thought of that at the time of being shot too.]]

** Another episode features the "AnnoyingPatient" angle. Not only does the doctor in question diagnose himself, he brings along a lackey who automatically agrees with everything he says to try and legitimize his claims that the Sacred Heart doctors should just sign off on the drugs he's prescribed himself and let him go about his merrily arrogant way.

*** Averted in an early episode when JD himself gets sick. He's diagnosed by the hospital personel and seems overall intimidated by viewing the hospital from the patient's side.

* In a Manga/{{Bleach}} fanfiction "Dr. Granz Is In", the second chapter has everyone's favorite pink-haired Espada diagnose himself with appendicitis. He then enlists the help of Espadas 3 through 6 to perform the operation. Nnoitra leaves early, Grimmjow faints at the site of his organs, and Ulquiorra and Harribel do it all fairly well. After all, Ulquiorra was apparently a surgeon in his past life. (Notably, the symptoms and surgery [[ShownTheirWork are all realistically portrayed]], since the author is actually in medical school and had even just gotten over said disease.)

* In a Manga/{{Bleach}} fanfiction "Dr. Granz Is In", the second chapter has everyone's favorite pink-haired Espada diagnose himself with apendicitis. He then enlists the help of Espadas 3 through 6 to perform the operation. Noitra leaves early, Grimmjow faints at the site of his organs, and Ulquiorra and Harribel do it all fairly well. Afterall, Ulquiorra was apparently a surgeon in his past life. (Notably, the symptoms and surgery [[ShownTheirWork are all realistically protrayed]], since the author is actually in medical school and had even just gotten over said disease.)

*** And a third example when the retired Dr. Kelso is admitted and makes sure to keep the interns assigned to treat him busy with nonsense work so he can carry on treating himself.