So, the clear solution is to give people the tools required to understand and describe their own symptoms so that they can receive accurate care from healthcare professionals.

Despite this, however, there's a huge stigma against self-diagnosis, especially in discourse. The belief is that a patient who self-diagnoses is effectively feeding into their own perception of their illness.

I'm going to argue that the opposite is true. Self-diagnosis is the *most effective* way for people to understand their symptoms and receive effective care. A patient who doesn't understand their symptoms cannot get an accurate diagnosis.