How Gen Z uses the internet to self diagnose and get help

In fact, of the 970 people between ages of 13 and 28 surveyed for the Made of Millions report, 431 of them were in some phase of what the researchers described as a mental health "journey."

Of the subset of nationally representative participants who had a diagnosis, a mere five percent, or 10 people, said they were self-diagnosed and had no plans to follow up with a clinician. Eight percent intended to see a mental health professional after having made a diagnosis for themselves, based on internet research.

But nearly three quarters of respondents who said they had a diagnosis received it either exclusively from a clinician or through a combination of clinical expertise and independent online searching.

Uma Chatterjee, a neuroscientist and mental health advocate who provided expertise for the Made of Millions report, says she supports young people using the internet to explore information about their symptoms and possible diagnoses.

That information can be particularly validating when someone realizes they may have a condition like OCD, which is often misunderstood, Chatterjee says.

It's so "powerful to show people that something that they never had a word for, or a way to describe, or they just thought was normal, is actually something that is a commonly shared experience, especially when there's so much shame associated with so many of these symptoms," she adds.