Mental health refers to a wide range of mental health conditions and is diagnosed by a professional through a diagnostic tool called the DSM-5 (Diagnostic Statistics Manual). Mental health professionals help determine what diagnosis is suitable by asking questions and referring to the diagnosis manual. It can take a long time to receive a diagnosis as a mental health professional needs to make sure that a person meets all of the experiences and symptoms matching the diagnosis.

Having a diagnosis can be helpful as it can lead to a person having a greater understanding of their behaviours. Behaviours that might have been confusing before now have an explanation and can be a huge relief for a person receiving the diagnosis.

Having troubling behaviours be explained by a diagnosis can help boost self-confidence and self-esteem as the diagnosis can be used to justify these behaviours. A diagnosis can also help a person access the necessary help.

Not having a diagnosis is ok. A lot of people are content with being self-diagnosed and work on improving their mental health by relating to their experiences with other mental health conditions.

Due to the length of time, it takes to get a diagnosis, many people feel the stress is too much and not worth going through. Sometimes, people might not get a diagnosis due to the stigma surrounding certain mental health conditions.

An official diagnosis is not needed to seek help, many mental health professionals work based on experiences and symptoms rather than on diagnosis.

Despite all the progress made in normalising mental health, the stigma surrounding conditions still remains. Sometimes, those who have a diagnosis can feel dismissed by people using their diagnosis against them. However, the opposite is true, many believe that a person's life is not as impacted by their mental health due to not having an official diagnosis.

It is hard to determine whether a diagnosis would be helpful and it is entirely up to personal preference. Everyone has their own reasons for what they decide as there are pros and cons to both sides.