How to Give a Medical Diagnosis Based on Symptoms
- 1). Find your subjective symptoms. These are symptoms that are subjective in nature and not verifiable by a specific test or may not be quantifiable. For example, symptoms like headaches, throat pain or "not feeling well" are subjective. The subjective symptoms are more difficult to attribute to a medical diagnosis because they can indicate many different ones.
- 2). Assess your objective symptoms. These are symptoms like fever, bleeding, high blood pressure or vomiting. They are specific, quantifiable and can create a better picture of a medical diagnosis based on symptoms.
- 3). Look back at your personal history of symptoms. Often it is important to review former symptoms, both subjective and objective, to get a better idea of what is happening medically. If you are having vision problems and your sugar level has been off in the past, you may want to be tested for diabetes. Therefore always consider symptoms you have had in the past as well as any existing medical conditions to help you make a medical diagnosis based on symptoms.
- 4). If you are concerned you may be ill with a medical condition or in need of a new diagnosis look at your family history of symptoms; they can be a strong indicator of your future health. For instance, if you are having headaches and dizzy spells and your mother or father has hypertension, you may want to check your blood pressure.
- 5). Once you have a list of your current and prior symptoms, objective and subjective, along with your personal history you are ready to investigate what medical diagnosis may be applicable. There are many books available and websites that can help your sort through your symptoms and determine a medical diagnosis.