self-diagnosev.
/ˌsɛlfdʌɪəɡˈnəʊz/, /ˌsɛlfˈdʌɪəɡnəʊz/, U.S. /ˌsɛlfˌdaɪəɡˈnoʊz/, /ˌsɛlfˌdaɪəɡˈnoʊs/, /ˌsɛlfˈdaɪəɡnoʊs/, /ˌsɛlfˈdaɪəɡnoʊz/ 1. transitive. To diagnose or identify (an illness or medical condition) in oneself without consulting a medical practitioner.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > healing > diagnosis or prognosis > diagnose or prognose [verb (transitive)] > diagnose > specific
misdiagnose1911
self-diagnose1920
underdiagnose1979
1920 Janesville (Wisconsin) Daily Gaz. 26 Mar. 7/4 We find that something more than one-half of all cases self-diagnosed as ‘eczema’ are not eczema at all.
1960 Alton (Illinois) Evening Tel. 24 Oct. 10/9 It is dangerous to self-diagnose the cause of one's cough.
1998 S. Fried Bitter Pills iii. xviii. 305 She was probably right about how I had come to self-diagnose my need for daily ibuprofen.
2013 M. Lawson Deaths x. 359 She positions a box of thumb-prick tests, from the time Simon self-diagnosed diabetes, as the last bulwark.
2. intransitive. To diagnose or identify an illness or medical condition in oneself without consulting a medical practitioner.
ΚΠ
1933 New Castle (Pa.) News 24 Jan. 4/6 In many instances, these attempts to self-diagnose and apply treatment directly resulted in delaying surgical attention.
1970 Beckley (W. Va.) Post-Herald 17 Feb. 5/4 Do not self-diagnose, and do not use anyone else's prescription.
1993 Family Pract. 10 295/1 Many people when they are sick..often self-diagnose.
2008 Nature 17 Apr. 813/3 Insomnia is one of the few disorders that a general practitioner will allow a patient to self-diagnose.
2013 N.Y. Times (National ed.) 5 Feb. a2/4 Many people are self-diagnosing and going gluten-free in a bid for a healthy diet.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, January 2018; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
<
v.1920