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essays on misdiagnosis
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As humans when we are faced with any psychological or emotional problems, our initial thought is to turn to a therapist, doctor or any other health practitioners. Our initial thought when we are faced with problems regarding our health is to turn to a health professional because for ages that’s how it has been. When it comes to our health, health professionals nowadays do more harm than help. Many might disagree, but often patients are misdiagnosed with mental illnesses they do not have. Misdiagnosis occurs when a therapist or other health practitioners decide that a patient is suffering from a condition that he or she may not be suffering with. When misdiagnosed, patients are given unnecessary treatment, which could potentially …show more content…
When patients are labeled with a mental illness they start to believe they actually have that illness. In more severe cases, misdiagnosis can result in the patient’s death or simply taking their own life. According to Dr. Mercola “Diagnostic errors are just one type of error that occurs in the medical field, and you might be surprised at just how common errors occur. While the 1999 IOM report blamed 98,000 deaths a year on hospital errors, a 2013 study in the Journal of Patient Safety projected that medical errors now account for 210,000 to 440,000 US deaths annually”. To better understand the severity of misdiagnosis, imagine a close family member getting diagnosed with a mental disorder that he or she doesn’t have and from that they decide to take their own life due to unnecessary treatment that is harmful to their …show more content…
This not only affects the lives of the patients, but also the lives of therapists. A simple mistake can ruin an individual’s life, as well as the therapist, doctor, or any health practitioners, and depending on the severity of the misdiagnosis, it may last a lifetime. With so many negative impacts of misdiagnosis, many might ask what are University and professionals doing to put an end to it. There’s so many ways Universities can help prevent misdiagnosis “Teaching medical students in a way that doesn’t always center on looking for the quickest, easiest diagnosis could mean better diagnoses for millions of people every year. Medical students are trained that ‘when you hear hoof beats, think horses, not zebras.’ This cognitive shortcut generally works well, but combined with the pressured reality of modern medical practice, it impacts a doctor’s capacity for critical thinking” as reported by Seattle times from an article named Millions of Patients are Being Treated for the Wrong Condition. First, Universities should teach future therapists and other health practitioners how to appropriately use the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders before diagnosing a client. Additionally, universities need to make sure studies are ready to work with a patient before trusting them to diagnose a client. Universities are not the only ones to blame when it comes to
A physician has an unenviable position; he is closest to man approaching a god-like stature. And despite the demise of 'doctor knows best', we still need to trust his diagnosis-something that is increasingly difficult in a world where information is widely available, and Google substitutes for a doctor. In the case of psychiatry the issue of trust is amplified since diagnosis is based on a patient's expressed thoughts and overt behaviours rather than solely on biological phenomena. And these thoughts and behaviours are influenced by the patient's environment-a mix of his social, cultural and technological experiences.
Mental illness often causes people to become handicapped and having to be committed to an institution that can properly care for them. If patients afflicted with mental illness do not receive proper care, their condition may worsen over time. As a result, the disease may further progress driving many sufferers to suicide.
In final analysis, mental illness is not being taken as seriously as an disease or a
Practitioners are likely to concentrate on the mental health issues rather than the overall issues that prevent the well-being of an individual. For instance, an individual could have other medical issues that need attention but the need could be ignored because a psychiatrist specialises in mental health needs. The previous negative experience of a service user and lack of insight could result in the service user not requesting the support they
There are many types of mental illnesses that can affect a person’s ability to function on a level fit for society. Those illnesses affect people differently and to different extremes. Diagnosable mental disorders are changes in thinking, moods, or behaviors that can cause a rise in the risk of death and may cause distress, pain, or disability. More severe mental illnesses include three major illnesses: Schizophrenia, major depression, and manic depression. Schizophrenia is a brain ailment that causes a loss in the ability to distinguish reality from fantasy. Many people who suffer from schizophrenia often hear voices that tell them to do different things. In some cases, the voices tell them to hurt themselves or other people. Other symptoms ma...
The nature of the disorder makes it difficult to treat, since patients are convinced that they suffer from a real and serious medical problem. Indeed, the mere su...
Mental Health is a chronic misdiagnosis today. For many years, mental illnesses were down played and not taken seriously. Physicians thought women suffered from “the baby blues” when in reality, they were suffering from serious illnesses. Woman who were not treated properly for depression would spiral into out of control psychosis.
Because of this, there has been a terrifying increase of the need of mental health professionals over the past 70 years. The article states that “the majority of patients in therapy do not warrant a psychiatric diagnosis” meaning problems that used to be considered normal or easy to handle are now being approached by such professionals.
Schildkrout, Barbara. “Unmasking Psychological Symptoms: How Therapists Can Learn To Recognize The Psychological Presentation Of Medical Disorders”. n.p.: Hoboken, N.J. : John Wiley & Sons, c2011., 2011. USMAI Catalog. Web. 12 Nov. 2013.
You probably recognize those few mental disorders, most likely because they 're a few of the many common ones. What about Apotemnophilia & Body Integrity Disorder, Dysthymia, and even Stockholm Syndrome? They 're quite a mouth full, and some of the uncommon ones. As you can see, I 've only named six of more than 200 different classified mental disorders. Did you know 1 in 5 Canadians will suffer a mental health disorder in their lifetime? There are about 30 students in here. That means 6 people in this classroom will suffer and be affected by a mental illness. That 's a pretty large number. To expand on the picture, let 's move to a wider variety. There 's around 2000 students that attend this school, maybe more or maybe less. That means around 400 students will acquire a mental illness in their lifetime. Now I think you get the
In today’s society, the stigma around mental health has caused many people to fear seeking medical treatment for problems they are dealing with. With an abundance of hateful outlooks and stereotypical labels such as: crazy, psycho, and dangerous, it is clear that people with a mental illness have a genuine reason to avoid pursuing medical treatments. Along with mental health stigma, psychiatric facilities that patients with a mental health issue attend in order to receive treatment obtain an excessive amount of unfavorable stereotypes.
The healthcare system, as a whole, faces many challenges when caring for vulnerable populations. Included in this population are individuals suffering from mental illness. More than 450 million people suffer from a mental health condition (WHO, 2010). Mental health and suicide prevention should be made national priorities. With the lack of resources and public knowledge of this population, healthcare providers are struck with the difficult task of educating the public of the importance of “mental health for overall health.” Public attitudes, and the stigma attached with mental illness, is a major barrier to treatment. Those suffering from mental illness are deprived of the treatment and support they need due to low self-esteem and feelings of hopelessness, derived from the stigma attached by the public. Poor mental health is associated with exclusion from social groups, difficult work environments, unhealthy lifestyles, risk of violence and poor physical health, and violations of human rights (WHO, 2010). Access to quality care is lacking, as well as, early mental health screenings and referrals, which should be made a common practice. More research in this area is critical, along with, improved quality of care for mental health.
In the past, mental illness was taboo to discuss and there was fear surrounding the topic. However, remarkable strides have been made in figuring out the causes of the disease and weighing the most effective treatments specialized for each specific disease. According to the American Psychotic Association, “A mental illness is a medical condition that disrupts a person's thinking, feeling, mood, ability to relate to others and daily functioning. Just as diabetes is a disorder of the pancreas, mental illnesses are medical conditions that often result in a diminished capacity for coping with the ordinary demands of life.”
Doward, J. (2013), Medicine's big new battleground: does mental illness really exist? The Observer 12 May.
When it comes to mental health and diagnosing there is many challenges that a therapist or clinician could encounter. In any professional occupation one has to consider all of the ethical principles put in place as well as the legal laws; if one is incompliant to these ethical guidelines in a mental health field, in varying circumstances, failure to comply with these codes could involve legal issues which could even result in lose of licensure. Common ethical issues involved in the mental health field could include: misdiagnosis or missed diagnosis, legal incompetence, and health care fraud (misdiagnosis for insurance reimbursement).