Misdiagnosis of Panic disorder
Alternative diagnoses list for Panic disorder:
For a diagnosis of Panic disorder,
the following list of conditions
have been mentioned in sources
as possible alternative diagnoses
to consider during the diagnostic process for Panic disorder:
Diseases for which Panic disorder may be an alternative diagnosis
The other diseases for which Panic disorder
is listed as a possible alternative
diagnosis in their lists include:
Panic disorder Diagnosis: Book Excerpts
- Ask the following questions - ANXIETY
- Ask the following questions - DROP ATTACKS
- Differential Diagnosis - Anxiety
- Approach to the Diagnosis - DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, AND OTHER ABNORMAL PSYCHIC STATES
- Approach to the Diagnosis - DROP ATTACKS
- History and physical examination - Agitation
- History and physical examination - Anxiety
- History and physical examination - Skin, clammy
- Diagnosis - Generalized anxiety disorder
- Diagnosis - Panic disorder
- History and physical examination - Agitation
- History and physical examination - Anxiety
- History and physical examination - Skin, clammy
- History. - Anxiety
- Differential Overview - Anxiety
- Diagnosis - Anxiety disorder, generalized
- Diagnosis - Panic disorder
- History - Skin, clammy
- History - Agitation
- History - Anxiety
- History - Skin, clammy
- History and physical examination - Agitation
- History and physical examination - Anxiety
- History and physical examination - Skin, clammy
- Approach to the Diagnosis - DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, AND OTHER ABNORMAL PSYCHIC STATES
- Approach to the Diagnosis - DROP ATTACKS
Panic disorder: Medical Mistakes
Related medical mistakes may include:
Panic disorder: Undiagnosed Conditions
Commonly undiagnosed conditions in related areas may include:
Discussion of diagnosis/misdiagnosis of Panic disorder:
Panic Disorder: NWHIC (Excerpt)
Not everyone
who experiences panic attacks will develop panic disorder -- for example,
many people have one attack but never have another. (Source: excerpt from Panic Disorder: NWHIC)
Getting Treatment for Panic Disorder: NIMH (Excerpt)
Since panic disorder can mimic a variety of medical conditions, such as
heart problems and digestive complaints, the first thing you should do is
have a full medical evaluation.
(Source: excerpt from Getting Treatment for Panic Disorder: NIMH)
Facts about Panic Disorder: NIMH (Excerpt)
Panic disorder is characterized by un-expected and repeated episodes of
intense fear accompanied by physical symptoms that may include chest pain,
heart palpitations, shortness of breath, dizziness or abdominal distress.
These sensations often mimic symptoms of a heart attack or other
life-threatening medical conditions. As a result, the diagnosis of panic
disorder is frequently not made until extensive and costly medical
procedures fail to provide a correct diagnosis or relief.
(Source: excerpt from Facts about Panic Disorder: NIMH)
Understanding Panic Disorder: NIMH (Excerpt)
Many people with panic disorder remain intensely concerned about their
symptoms even after an initial visit to a physician yields no indication
of a life-threatening condition. They may visit a succession of doctors
seeking medical treatment for what they believe is heart disease or a
respiratory problem. Or their symptoms may make them think they have a
neurological disorder or some serious gastrointestinal condition. Some
patients see as many as 10 doctors and undergo a succession of expensive
and unnecessary tests in the effort to find out what is causing their
symptoms.
This search for medical help may continue a long time, because
physicians who see these patients frequently fail to diagnose panic
disorder. When doctors do recognize the condition, they sometimes explain
it in terms that suggest it is of no importance or not treatable. For
example, the doctor may say, "There's nothing to worry about, you're just
having a panic attack" or "It's just nerves." Although meant to be
reassuring, such words can be dispiriting to the worried patient whose
symptoms keep recurring. The patient needs to know that the doctor
acknowledges the disabling nature of panic disorder and that it can be
treated effectively.
(Source: excerpt from Understanding Panic Disorder: NIMH)
Common Misdiagnoses and Panic disorder
Common asymptomatic heart disorder can cause anxiety-like conditions: Anxiety symptoms may be due to heart disorder - There is a reasonably
common heart disorder called Mitral Valve Prolapse (MVP),
that often remains undiagnosed in people.
A relationship or association exists between anxiety-type symptoms, anxiety disorders,
generalized anxiety disorders, agoraphobia, and MVP,
such that MVP should be investigated as a possible underlying cause in some anxiety type symptoms.
Rare cancer hidden cause of panic symptoms: The rare cancer pheochromocytoma, an adrenal tumor, can initially
have symptoms similar to panic disorder.
Its symptoms may include anxiety, panic, sweating, increased heart rate, and other symptoms.
See the overview of pheochromocytoma.
Thyroid disorder misdiagnosed as anxiety disorder: The book "A Dose of Sanity" reports on a case
where as woman was diagnosed with panic disorder, and had been taking
a variety of anti-anxiety medications.
She was correctly diagnosed with hypothyroidism, having reduced the dosage
of her medication for this already-diagnosed thyroid condition.
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).
Heart attack can be over-diagnosed: Although heart attack is often undiagnosed,
leading to fatality, it can also be over-diagnosed.
People become concerned that a condition is a heart attack,
whereas there are various less dangerous possibilities.
After all, there are numerous causes of chest pain.
Some of the common conditions where a person may become concerned
about a possible heart attack include a panic attack (which often has
both chest pain and difficulty breathing), and heartburn/reflux type conditions.
Nevertheless, chest pain itself can be a potentially life-threatening symptoms,
and needs immediate professional attention.
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.
Panic 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 Panic disorder:
The following medical news items
are relevant to misdiagnosis of Panic disorder:
General Misdiagnosis Articles
Read these general articles with an overview of misdiagnosis issues.
About misdiagnosis:
When checking for a misdiagnosis of Panic disorder
or confirming a diagnosis of Panic 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 Panic disorder may already have
been considered by your doctor or may need to be considered as possible
alternative diagnoses or candidates for misdiagnosis of Panic disorder.
For a general overview of misdiagnosis issues for all diseases,
see Overview of Misdiagnosis.
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