The article discusses how more adolescents are arriving at psychiatric consultations claiming to have various mental health disorders, having self-diagnosed through the internet or artificial intelligence tools. This trend has raised alarms among professionals, particularly child and adolescent psychiatrist Silvia Ongini, who notes that many teenagers refer to a diagnosis with confidence, comparing it to product labeling. Such self-diagnoses often lack the necessary psychological evaluation and can lead to misunderstandings about their mental health.

Ongini and other psychiatrists emphasize that while awareness of mental health issues is essential, the trend of self-diagnosis poses significant risks. Adolescents may misunderstand their symptoms, leading to mislabeling their experiences, which could delay proper treatment or result in inappropriate self-medication. The reliance on AI and internet searches for mental health information can create a cycle of misinformation, further complicating the proper care for these youths.

The article calls for increased educational efforts to guide adolescents towards accurate information and to encourage them to engage with mental health professionals directly, rather than seeking labels online. Such initiatives could foster a better understanding of mental health and support young people in navigating their emotional well-being without the pitfalls of self-diagnosis.