Misdiagnosis of Obsessive-compulsive disorder
Alternative diagnoses list for Obsessive-compulsive disorder:
For a diagnosis of Obsessive-compulsive disorder,
the following list of conditions
have been mentioned in sources
as possible alternative diagnoses
to consider during the diagnostic process for Obsessive-compulsive disorder:
Diseases for which Obsessive-compulsive disorder may be an alternative diagnosis
The other diseases for which Obsessive-compulsive disorder
is listed as a possible alternative
diagnosis in their lists include:
Obsessive-compulsive disorder Diagnosis: Book Excerpts
Obsessive-compulsive disorder: Medical Mistakes
Related medical mistakes may include:
Obsessive-compulsive disorder: Undiagnosed Conditions
Commonly undiagnosed conditions in related areas may include:
Discussion of diagnosis/misdiagnosis of Obsessive-compulsive disorder:
A lot of healthy people can identify with having some of the symptoms
of OCD, such as checking the stove several times before leaving the house.
But the disorder is diagnosed only when such activities consume at least
an hour a day, are very distressing, and interfere with daily life. (Source: excerpt from Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: NWHIC)
Common Misdiagnoses and Obsessive-compulsive disorder
Parental fears about toddler behavior often unfounded: There are many behaviors in infants and toddlers
that may give rise to a fear that the child has some form of mental health condition.
In particular, there is a loss of fear of autism or ADHD in parents.
However, parents should understand that the chances are higher that it's part of normal development,
and perhaps just a "cute behavior" rather than a serious condition.
Although parents should be vigilant about monitoring all aspects of their child's development and mental
health, they should also take care not to over-worry and miss out on some of the delights of parenthood.
For example, a young child that screams when you open his car door to take him out, then
makes you put him back into the car
to repeat it, so that he
can open the car door himself, is not necessarily showing signs of autism or OCD,
nor indeed any mental illness.
There is a small possibility that it's an abnormality (a chance that increases with age of the child),
but it's also the type of behavior seen in many normal children.
See the introduction to autism and introduction to ADHD.
Cluster of diseases with difficult diagnosis issues: There is a well-known list of
medical conditions that are all somewhat difficult to diagnose, and all can present
in a variety of different severities.
Diseases in this group include multiple sclerosis, lupus, Lyme disease, fibromyalgia,
thyroid disorders (hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism),
chronic fatigue syndrome, diabetes - all of these can have vague symptoms in their early presentations.
Also, depression can have some symptoms similar to these conditions, and also the reverse,
that many of these conditions can mimic depression and be misdiagnosed as depression.
Undiagnosed stroke leads to misdiagnosed aphasia: BBC News UK reported on a man who
had been institutionalized and treated for mental illness
because he suffered from sudden inability to speak.
This was initially misdiagnosed as a "nervous breakdown" and other mental conditions.
He was later diagnosed as having had a stroke, and suffering from aphasia (inability to speak),
a well-known complication of stroke (or other brain conditions).
Alzheimer's disease over-diagnosed: The well-known disease of Alzheimer's disease
is often over-diagnosed.
Patients tend to assume that any memory loss or forgetulness symptom might be Alzheimer's,
whereas there are many other less severe possibilities.
Some level of memory decline is normal with aging,
and even a slight loss of acuity may be noticed in the 30's and 40's.
Other conditions can also lead a person to show greater forgetfulness.
For example, depression and depressive disorders can cause a person to
have reduced concentration and thereby poorer memory retention.
Dementia may be a drug interaction: A common scenario in aged care is for
a patient to show mental decline to dementia.
Whereas this can, of course, occur due to various medical conditions,
such as a stroke or Alzheimer's disease,
it can also occur from a side effect or interaction between multiple drugs
that the elderly patient may be taking.
There are also various other possible causes of dementia.
ADHD under-diagnosed in adults: Although the over-diagnoses of ADHD
in children is a well-known controversy, the reverse side related to adults.
Some adults can remain undiagnosed, and indeed the condition has usually been
overlooked throughout childhood.
There are as many as 8 million adults with ADHD in the USA (about 1 in 25 adults in the USA).
See misdiagnosis of ADHD or symptoms of ADHD.
Bipolar disorder misdiagosed as various conditions by primary physicians: Bipolar disorder (manic-depressive disorder)
often fails to be diagnosed correctly by primary care physicians.
Many patients with bipolar seek help from their physician, rather than a psychiatrist
or psychologist.
See misdiagnosis of bipolar disorder.
Eating disorders under-diagnosed in men: The typical patient with
an eating disorder is female.
The result is that men with eating disorders often fail to be diagnosed or
have a delayed diagnosis.
See misdiagnosis of eating disorders or symptoms of eating disorders.
Depression undiagnosed in teenagers: Serious bouts of depression can be
undiagnosed in teenagers.
The "normal" moodiness of teenagers can cause severe medical depression
to be overlooked.
See misdiagnosis of depression or symptoms of depression.
Undiagnosed anxiety disorders related to depression: Patients with depression (see symptoms of depression)
may also have undiagnosed anxiety disorders (see symptoms of anxiety disorders).
Failure to diagnose these anxiety disorders may worsen the depression.
See misdiagnosis of depression or misdiagnosis of anxiety disorders.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder: Rare Types
Rare types of medical disorders and diseases in related medical areas:
- Brain & Neurological Disorders: Rare Types:
- Chronic Mental Health Disorders -- Rare Types:
- more rare diseases...»
Medical news summaries about misdiagnosis of Obsessive-compulsive disorder:
The following medical news items
are relevant to misdiagnosis of Obsessive-compulsive disorder:
General Misdiagnosis Articles
Read these general articles with an overview of misdiagnosis issues.
About misdiagnosis:
When checking for a misdiagnosis of Obsessive-compulsive disorder
or confirming a diagnosis of Obsessive-compulsive disorder,
it is useful to consider what other
medical conditions might be possible misdiagnoses or other alternative
conditions relevant to diagnosis.
These alternate diagnoses of Obsessive-compulsive disorder may already have
been considered by your doctor or may need to be considered as possible
alternative diagnoses or candidates for misdiagnosis of Obsessive-compulsive disorder.
For a general overview of misdiagnosis issues for all diseases,
see Overview of Misdiagnosis.
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