Although young people in Sweden report good health, there is an increase in self-reportedsymptoms. However, there is uncertainty regarding what these symptoms signify. Using interviewswith 15-year-olds, this research examines what the symptoms asked for in the Health Behaviorin School-Aged Children survey represent. The analyses takes inspiration from a performativeunderstanding of surveys. It demonstrates that while problems such as feeling low and nervousnessare reported as poor mental health, some participants refer them to deep-seated problems andothers to everyday challenges. The results points to the necessity of reporting from symptomscales with caution to avoid the pathologisation of everyday problems.