Are You Diagnocentric?

Have you heard someone say: "I am diabetic", "I have fibromyalgia", "I have complex regional pain syndrome" or "I have a herniated disk"?  It is not uncommon to label ourselves. If we visit a doctor, then we are likely to be assigned a diagnosis. It is usually required as part of the documentation for the provider to receive reimbursement from insurance providers. However, there is also a general tendency to accept the diagnosis as correct, irreversible, or our identity. I have coined the terms, diagnocentric™ and diagnocentricity®, to reference the state of our society with respect to a diagnosis.

Although there are diagnoses that are out of the patient's control, many times a diagnosis is merely a symptom or a constellation of symptoms that reflects an unknown cause or a result of a poor lifestyle. If the diagnosis is accurate, then there is still a reliance on someone else, such as a physician, to FIX the problem. Unfortunately, the diagnosis is NOT always telling us why the symptoms exist. So, if there is a blind acceptance of a diagnosis without truly knowing the cause, then there is little incentive for the patient to consider that they may have created the problem. Their habits or behaviors may actually be contributing to their symptoms, regardless of the diagnosis given to them by their healthcare provider. "Personal responsibility" should be paramount to Diagnocentricity™.  This may not apply to all cases but it should always be considered in the realm of possibilities. diagnocentricity®, (noun): the state of thinking of one's self as a diagnosis, without regard for the cause of the labelled medical condition and without effort to change the lifestyle that may lead to or worsen that condition. diagnocentric™, (adjective): thinking of one's self as a diagnosis, without regard for the cause of the labelled medical condition and without effort to change the lifestyle that may lead to or worsen that condition.