These 5 Mental Illnesses Can Go Undiagnosed For Years
People suffer from these medical health
conditions for years before being properly diagnosed. We are talking
about mental health issues. Society has made significant progress in
recognizing, diagnosing, and erasing the stigma surrounding mental
health. But even with all this mental health awareness, many conditions
are either misdiagnosed or not diagnosed at all.
Data from the World Health Organization
(WHO) suggest that less than half of the people suffering from
psychological disorders are diagnosed and receive proper medical
treatment. The five mental health conditions we list below are
particularly likely to fly under the radar according to mental health
experts.
1. Depression
Depression is one of the most common and well-known mental health
issues. Still, the condition is tragically underreported and
underdiagnosed all across the world. Even in the US, a country where
mental health awareness is rather high, only half of the people
suffering from depression are diagnosed and connected with the right
treatment. Depression is even more severely under-detected in developing
countries.
The main problem with detecting depression is the fact that the
condition can present itself in many different ways. For some, sadness
and sleepiness are the main symptoms, but for others, depression
manifests itself through headaches, cognitive decline, or even anger.
One social category that’s severely
under-diagnosed with depression is the senior population. Oftentimes,
depression can be confused for dementia or misrepresented as a side
effect of chronic pain, cancer, or diabetes in older adults. According
to Psychiatric Times, symptoms of depression can also coincide with
symptoms of bereavement, namely, excessive guilt, worthlessness, visible
slowing of physical and emotional reactions, and difficulty completing
daily tasks. This is why depression is also often dismissed as grief.
It’s important to understand the full picture of depression and its many
manifestations to get timely treatment for loved ones or yourself.
2. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, is a mental condition that
develops in response to an extremely traumatic life event. Disaster
survivors, veterans of war, survivors of abuse or assault often manifest
symptoms like social isolation, flashbacks, hypervigilance, insomnia,
irritability, and loss of interest in daily activities.
These symptoms can be mistaken for other conditions, namely panic
disorder, phobias, depression, alcohol abuse, and personality disorders.
Scientists don’t know why people develop PTSD in response to traumatic
events, but research shows that 20% of those who have been through some
kind of trauma develop PTSD.
Oftentimes, the patients themselves are not aware of their condition,
until a psychiatrist or therapist asks them about past trauma. “It is
commonly missed especially when the client or patient doesn’t talk about
the trauma of their past or if the psychiatrist or psychotherapist is
not asking questions related to their past trauma. I believe PTSD is
more common than it is diagnosed and might even be more common than
depression, anxiety, and/or bipolar,” says Evanye Lawson, a licensed
counselor.
3. Eating disorders
Over 90% of people suffering from eating
disorders are not medically diagnosed as underweight, which makes the
condition extremely difficult to spot. In addition, eating disorders are
often dismissed as something that only affects underweight teenage
girls. In reality, eating disorders affect millions of people of every
age, sex, and ethnicity, and they are especially rarely diagnosed in men
and older people.
A study conducted by researchers at the University of Michigan School of
Public Health points out, “Stereotypes about who develops eating
disorders could contribute to disparities in diagnosis and treatment,
with males, those of higher weight, people of color, and the
non-affluent most likely to be slipping through the cracks.” All this is
extremely alarming because eating disorders are the second deadliest
mental illness - 10,200 Americans die because of an eating disorder
every year
4. Bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder (BP) is one of the most serious mental health
conditions. There is no cure for BP, but timely treatment can help
patients manage their symptoms and prevent aggravation and
complications. Patients with BP experience extreme shifts in mood and
energy levels, jumping from states of apathy and depression to a state
of mania or hypomania, when they feel overexcited or energized, often to
a point that they engage in risky or dangerous behavior.
A survey by the National Depressive and Manic-Depressive Association
concluded that 69% of patients with bipolar disorder are misdiagnosed.
Of these patients, one-third are misdiagnosed for over 10 years. Most
often, bipolar disorder is mistaken for depression. If the doctor fails
to ask a depressed patient about manic symptoms, such as abrupt changes
in mood, they will misdiagnose them. As Jamie Kreiter, a licensed
clinical social worker, explained, “most people come in for treatment
when they are depressed and so they meet the diagnostic criteria for
depression.”
5. Substance-related issues
Alcoholism, drug use, and substance abuse,
in general, are very heavy topics, and not only due to the stigma
associated with them. We often think that a person who abuses alcohol,
for example, is in control of his or her actions, that they choose to
drink. This is not always the case. Yet, due to all the shame
surrounding these issues, it easier for some people to hide their
addiction than seek help. For this reason, many patients go undiagnosed
for years, especially if they fit the mold of a stereotypical alcoholic
or addict.
Age is one of the biggest obstacles in the diagnosis of
substance-related mental illness. A 2012 report by the Institute of
Medicine (IOM) suggested that 5-8million seniors have one or more mental
or substance abuse conditions. The study also suggests that these
numbers are estimated to increase to 10-14 million by 2030.
Research shows that these kinds of issues are much less likely to be
diagnosed in older adults. This is likely due to the fact that the
physical and cognitive symptoms of substance abuse often overlap with
health conditions associated with aging. Malnutrition, dementia,
cognitive decline, unexpected reactions to prescription drugs, and even
stroke are all examples of symptoms that could be brought about by
substance abuse.