Diagnosis of a mental health condition can be a turning point in anyone’s life. In addition to the medication and medical advice taken on board, individuals must see life through a different lens as they work towards understanding life with their condition.
Adapting to life after diagnosis is challenging enough without further events. Unfortunately, misdiagnosis of mental health conditions can occur. This event not only results in confusion, pain and more suffering for patients, but could also have a catastrophic effect on their condition.
In this article, we’ve covered more about the reality of mental health misdiagnosis.
Why does misdiagnosis happen?
Unfortunately, there are several reasons why mental health conditions might be incorrectly diagnosed in the UK. These include:
– NHS Staff shortages
Unprecedented demand on the NHS contributes to a mental health system described as ‘broken’ by the British Medical Association. With patients waiting up to four years for care, many fail to receive a diagnosis that reflects their current mental state.
– GP Limitations
Patients need a referral from their doctor before they can access specialist mental health services. However, to do this, GPs need to undertake thorough assessments and recommend preliminary treatments first. This makes the process time-consuming.
– Overlapping symptoms
From generalised anxiety to borderline personality disorder, experts and patients agree that different mental health conditions often share symptoms and can be characterised by similar behaviours. In some settings, this contributes to misdiagnosis.
– Inaccurate medical history
Where personal records are incorrectly entered or fail to be entered at all, it becomes more difficult for mental health experts to diagnose a condition correctly. If initial assessment is flawed, repercussions appear later.
What are the effects of a misdiagnosed mental disorder?
Emotional distress
Firstly, a misdiagnosed mental health condition can be the most confusing experience for patients.
From general distress to doubts about the effectiveness of their treatments, there’s a huge potential for worries. Patients might then reflect on their lack of progress, which they could start to view as a failure to recover on their part. It often takes external professional support to encourage patients to pursue a medical misdiagnosis claim regarding mental health issues.
Delayed recovery
Secondly, if patients are given the wrong medication or inappropriate advice from their doctor, the relationship breakdown between those parties could be devastating for any patient. In cases where individuals have been wronged by the staff who were meant to be looking after them, the situation becomes even more complicated.
If anyone develops anxiety about going to the doctor or seeking advice for their mental health condition, recovery becomes a more challenging obstacle. Shame, disappointment and fear can become stronger than the desire to get better. Physically and mentally, misdiagnosis is detrimental to anyone’s wellbeing – especially when it comes to something as sensitive as mental health.
Overview
If you believe that your mental health condition has been misdiagnosed, it’s important to seek the correct support. With the help of someone you trust, contact professional legal experts in medical negligence to see if you’re entitled to the compensation you deserve.