Key points

Receiving a mental health diagnosis often comes with a multitude of feelings and responses.

Allowing time to pause, having patience, and asking for support can help.

A diagnosis can be the start of traveling the roads of life more effectively.

Most mental health providers utilize the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) as a reference for classifying and coding symptoms. This manual is updated at regular intervals (the most recent version being the DSM-5-TR) in an attempt to provide a standardized way to diagnose mental health conditions and establish a common language.

Diagnoses can assist in increasing understanding; they are not designed to be critical, limiting, or over-pathologizing. Diagnostic criteria are ever-evolving, often imperfect, and

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