Does diagnosis matter?

Every time i'm talking to a stranger in the CAMHS waiting room, or when i'm having a conversation with a friend I am constantly asked what my diagnosis is. Now, honestly speaking, when I first started going CAMHS i was eager to know what was wrong with me. I wanted to know why i was feeling and behaving the way i was, I also wanted to know why i was experiencing hallucinations. I really wanted answers and i wanted to be cured. Of course, CAMHS are not here to magically cure you, me or anyone they're here to help me cope with the difficulties I am experiencing.

Back to the question of does a diagnosis really matter? The short answer to that is no it doesn't matter. Allow me to explain why - being given a diagnosis wont change how you feel or how you behave it will just put a label on it. So say for example  you've been  having the following symptoms: low mood, suicidal thoughts, increased/decreased appetite, less/more sleep and then you are diagnosed with depression, what difference will the label make? You're still going to be experiencing those symptoms but the only difference is that there's a label to it. What's more important being given a diagnosis or having those symptoms treated? I hope your answer is having those symptoms treated because that's what the mental health professionals are here for - to help treat those symptoms.

Now for those of you who, like me, haven't been given an official diagnosis.  Your problems are just as important as those who have been given a diagnosis. Just because you haven't been given a diagnosis of bulimia it doesn't mean the person next to you who's been diagnosed with bulimia is more important than you. Wrong - you both are equally important. You both are going through the same if not similar struggles and you both deserve to be helped, regardless of diagnosis. And if i'm honest, your diagnosis is for the mental health professional to know. This is because that way they can help give you the best treatment suitable to your needs. 

Before, I wanted to know what my diagnosis was but now I don't care. All i care about is recovering and living a happier and healthier life. I want to be able to live my life again and be myself again, rather than be the symptoms. I want all the symptoms to go away. 

To those of you who are seeing CAMHS or a different service I wish you all the best of luck and I hope you all recover!