A diagnosis is simply a name given to a pattern of signs and symptoms. Signs are what can be seen or measured through examinations, blood work, scans, and imaging. Symptoms are what you quietly carry within — the pain, the fatigue, the anxiety, the sensations only you can truly feel. From this collection of evidence, a doctor offers a diagnosis. Cancer. Lupus. Thyroiditis. IBS. Words that can fall into a person’s life with enormous weight.

Perhaps we also need to look deeper beyond symptoms and temporary coping strategies and consider the origins of emotional distress. Many mental health challenges have roots in childhood experiences. As children, we develop coping mechanisms to help us feel safe in a world that can sometimes feel unpredictable or threatening. Stress, fear and emotional instability during childhood can become deeply embedded patterns that continue into adult life.