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Informed Self-Diagnosis: Difference between revisions
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See also [[A Fool for a Client]], the equivalent trope for lawyers.
{{examples}}▼
▲{{examples}}
== [[Fanfic]] ==
* In
* In ''[[Forward]]'', Simon gives a self-diagnosis when he gets stabbed in the chest by a pair of scissors when the ship goes haywire. Later on, River gives herself a diagnosis of all of the injuries she's accrued, including broken bones, gunshot wounds, and [[Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking|sunburns.]]
== [[Film]] ==
* In
** Although it's not stated or shown in the film itself, there is some probable [[Fridge Logic]] 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
* In ''[[Predator
* In ''[[Firefly|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.
== Literature ==
* Dr. Maturin, in the ''[[Aubrey-Maturin]]'' series, himself falls prey to a wide variety of injuries and ailments over the course of the series. His self-diagnoses are almost always on the mark, too, though he notably fails to recognize his own addiction to the (opium-based) alcoholic tincture of laudanum.
== [[Live Action TV]] ==
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*** It really, ''really'' doesn't help that the advent of readily-available information on the internet has made self-diagnosing as having Asperger's incredibly popular as an excuse for bad behavior both on and off the internet, as most of the really well-known symptoms make it sound like you're trading the requirement to follow society's rules for a superpower (the fact that most people making this association lack the supposed superpower, ie creative tendencies and high intelligence, is not lost on this troper). Because of this, some people don't even believe Asperger's is a real disorder.
** Self-diagnosing a stroke is considered good practice by most doctors. Since a stroke will almost always knock you out and there are very few, if any, external symptoms, having someone tell the paramedics or doctors that you had a stroke can save them a lot of time, and save your life. FAST is generally the easiest to remember: Face (half of your face just stops working, and it looks weird), Arms (you can't keep your arms level with each other), Speech (you slur your words as if drunk) and Time (it all happens very quickly).
***
** 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.
** Headache? Stiff neck? Fever? Dislike of bright lights? Get to A&E NOW. People - at least in the UK - are taught this as the symptoms can be sign of meningitis, although they may also be the person having a very bad day. Most TV using meningitis go for the rash-that-won't-vanish-under-a-glass thing, but if you wait for that to appear a. it might not and b. you're often too late by that point.
*** The fact that those are also the symptoms of pretty much any bad hangover can't help. Unexplained bruises are generally par for the course after a heavy night as well...
*** It turns out that stiff neck is the helpful distinguishing symptom. And by stiff neck they really mean it, not the poor approximation that a neck ache tends to be. The test is you attempt to put your chin on your chest. If you can't bend your neck enough to touch your chin to your chest, it's time to seek medical care immediately. Otherwise, it's almost certainly something else less serious.
* It's more than common for mental health professionals to be suffering from mental illness
* While he wasn't the first person to do so, there was an account of a Russian surgeon [http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2011/03/antarctica-1961-a-soviet-surgeon-has-to-remove-his-own-appendix/72445/ removing his own appendix] while he was stationed in Antarctica.
* This isn't necessarily limited to the medical profession, either. Professional IT helpdesk workers often have less trouble dealing with complete novices than with people just knowledgeable enough to have made some attempt to diagnose the fault themselves, as the helpdesk people usually have a checklist that they ''have'' to follow to the letter and can't simply take the user's word for it if they say they've already tried that, not least because the self-taught user's self-diagnosis isn't as informed as they'd like to think.
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[[Category:Drama Tropes]]
[[Category:Informed Self
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