Misdiagnosis of Hyperactivity
Misdiagnosis and Hyperactivity
Rare epilepsy misdiagnosed as ADHD: The less common disorder of temporal lobe epilepsy
is a type of epilepsy without physical seizures.
Some patients suffer from hyperactivity and similar symptoms,
making a misdiagnosis of ADHD a possibility.
See temporal lobe epilepsy and ADHD.
Various conditions misdiagnosed as ADHD: The hyperactivity type symptoms that are often diagnosed
as ADHD, can also be caused by a number of physical conditions,
as reported in the book A Dose of Sanity.
Some possibilities are chronic long-term exposure
to low-level carbon monoxide (see carbon monoxide poisoning), lead poisoning,
anemia, brain lesions, parasite infestation, low calcium, low glucose levels (hypoglycemia),
and "tight underwear".
ADHD diagnosis overlooked hidden nutritional disorder: The book "A Dose of Sanity" reports on a case of a boy
diagnosed with ADHD and receiving Ritalin.
His symptoms included tiredness, irritability, poor growth,
and eating dirt and unusual foods (a symptom called "pica").
The corrected diagnosis was iron-deficiency anemia.
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).
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.
More about Misdiagnosis
» Next page: HYPERACTIVE REFLEXES (Algorithmic Diagnosis of Symptoms and Signs)
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