Is a Mental Health Diagnosis Necessary for my HSC?

As a society, we love to put labels on things.

Whether it’s labeling people as ‘good’ or ‘bad’ …

Labeling foods as ‘healthy’ or ‘unhealthy’ …

Or putting labels on kids who don’t conform exactly to what’s expected of them.

This comes up a lot in my private practice.

Parents either come in because their kiddo has been displaying HSC-like behavior, and they think they need a diagnosis …

Or they’ve already been to another specialist, who’s diagnosed their kid with a medical condition.

(The one I hear most is ODD -- Oppositional Defiant Disorder -- which basically says your child is difficult, hostile and ‘broken.’

You can imagine just how riled up labeling a kid like that makes me!

But we’ll leave that story for another day.)

Anyway, I can understand why getting a diagnosis might give parents some comfort.

After all, if you went to the doctor with unexplained stomach pain, you’d want them to give you a concrete reason for that, right?

You’d want a diagnosis.

But in HSCs, most of the time, a diagnosis has a negative impact on their self-esteem and on their future.

Here’s the thing -

A diagnosis can provide comfort.

There’s no doubt about that.

But it also brings a ton of negatives with it.

For one thing, being highly sensitive is a personality trait.

And you and your kiddo can decide if you want to let people know about that personality trait, or not.

It puts the ball firmly in your court.

A medical diagnosis though?

Well, most of the time, you have to declare that.

Whether it’s at school …

At any clubs or activities they go to …

Or at future job interviews.

That diagnosis follows them around FOR LIFE.

There’s also the problem of a diagnosis making parents complacent.

Because diagnoses bring peace, parents can lose commitment to tackling the daily meltdown cycle, thinking -

“Well, this is just the way things are.”

Not just that, but many parents think obtaining a medical diagnosis will make obtaining school adjustments easier.

Newsflash: It won’t.

Your HSC still needs to advocate for themselves.

That is what it all comes down to.

So whether you’ve been considering seeking medical help for a diagnosis …

Or you’ve been given a diagnosis, but it’s simply brought more worry and anxiety …

My team and I can help.

We’re willing to get on the phone with you, for free, and talk about -

The exact reason for your child’s meltdowns …
The kind of future you’d love them to have …
A game plan to take them from anxious, angry, and emotionally unavailable … To calm, confident, and able to have an amazing childhood with real relationships.

If that’s something you’d be interested in, go here to book some time with us.

Diagnosis or not, we all owe it to our children to seek out the best for them.

And I truly believe we can help you do that.

So click this link, and let’s talk.

For families with high school aged teens click this link.