Look Inside Young Adult Road Map

Key Words for First Steps
In health systems, a diagnosis is the overall word that health providers
use to describe a problem. It is reached through an assessment (some
way of studying the person) by gathering enough evidence (facts) for a
report about what needs to be done, usually called an evaluation. Evidence
may come from conversations with you or somebody else about symptoms, which are
changes or problems with physical, mental, or emotional conditions. Other facts may come
from physical examinations, tests, or laboratory studies. The evaluation and diagnosis may
be used to make a treatment plan (steps you will take to work on the problem) or to inform
others who will get involved. These facts may also be used to decide whether you can get
certain health expenses paid for by your insurance plan. They may help determine whether
you can receive special services, such as special education or vocational rehabilitation.
You Aren’t a Label
A diagnosis is a guideline, not a recipe! Your body, brain, and emotions are different from
another person’s body, brain, and emotions. Those differences will affect the kinds of
medications or therapies that work best for you. You may meet some of the criteria (types
of symptoms) for two different disorders. One may be called a primary disorder (main
disorder) while the other one may be called a secondary disorder or comorbid diagnosis.
The diagnosis may change as you grow older or as more information is gathered. (Different
providers may also disagree about what your symptoms mean and what should be done to
treat those symptoms. That’s one big reason why you must learn to navigate systems and
make your own healthcare decisions!)
Do you worry about being labeled with a diagnosis?
If you received services as a child, you may be
used to labels that describe your conditions
or behaviors. However, labels cannot tell you
everything there is to know about yourself.
A diagnosis offers you and others in your life a way
to think about what is happening with you. While
a diagnosis does not tell the whole story, it should
help you get the services you need. It can help others
understand you better.
What’s a
“Provider?”
The organizations that give health
and social services are often called
providers. Some providers have private
practices that employ only one or
a few staff members. Some private
behavioral health practices are
attached to hospitals or clinics.
A larger organization that provides
behavioral health services may be
called a CMHC (Community Mental
Health Center), a CMHO (Community
Mental Health Organization), or CMHA
(Community Mental Health Agency).
These organizations may employ
many psychiatrists, psychologists,
social workers, case managers, and
support staff.
Look Up Those L-o-o-n-g, Confusing Words
To find definitions of all key words printed like this, go to the Glossary section
of Young Adult Road Map, which begins on page 71.
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