Has anyone ever question a doctors diagnosis?

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AquaineBay
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09 Sep 2017, 1:32 pm

I have noticed that many people will go to therapy or psychologist and tell them stuff, they give you their opinion and then you never question where exactly did they form that opinion.

I think misdiagnoses happen because people don't question doctors and just assume the doctor is correct even though said doctor could be totally wrong.

I think if people question doctors more and try and get them to explain in detail their analysis then we would understand disorders and other things much better. It would also help to see if the person you are going to actually understands you or not, or understand the disorder in general!

I have been receiving things like medications for social anxiety and depression. Thing is I don't think for me it's all social anxiety for the reason I can't make friends, I think it's because I just haven't learned the process of NTs communication methods. Yet when I talk to people(or attempt to.) they just assume I'm shy or have social anxiety.


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SplendidSnail
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09 Sep 2017, 1:45 pm

I think it's extremely common to worry about a misdiagnosis among anyone who wasn't diagnosed as a young child, but relativity rare (although certainly not unheard of) for misdiagnosis to actually occur.

I definitely know that, in my case, I was diagnosed with HFA/Asperger's about 3 months ago and I find myself very frequently thinking "I don't do that, is the diagnosis wrong?" and things like that. I did actually ask the psychologist about it, and he said that some of the traits can be very subtle. That said, I (and I'm sure many others) still worry about it.

If you do worry about a misdiagnosis, I absolutely think it's a good idea to talk to the psychologist about your concerns, but I think the odds of it, while definitely not zero, are low enough that it's probably not the case; if everyone like you and me who questions their diagnosis was actually misdiagnosed, we'd probably have like 50% of diagnoses being wrong.
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AquaineBay
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09 Sep 2017, 2:54 pm

I do have autism(just in case anyone was wondering if I was misdiagnosed.) as I was diagnosed from the beginning of my life pretty much. Like I said when I go to doctors they assume social anxiety, when in reality I just don't really know how to communicate very well.

But everytime I go to a doctor, I always wonder if the doctor truly know what I mean? I know explaining things is hard for me and many people have a hard time comprehending autism. Sometimes It would be nice to be able to explain in a way that someone would be able to understand. Even when I explain things to family members they still seem as if they don't fully understand!


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SplendidSnail
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09 Sep 2017, 3:31 pm

I'm pretty sure taht Doctors are supposed to have at least a basic understanding of things like Autism. I would tend to expect that, as long as you let the doctor know that you are on the spectrum, they ought to be able to adjust anything else they say accordingly.

In my case my family doctor was very much key to getting my diagnosis. When it came up that I might be on the spectrum, the first person I talked to was my family doctor, who said that I was displaying some attributes typically associated with HFA/Asperger's (limited eye contact, for example), and gave me a phone number I could call to find a psychologist who I could talk to about whether I should be seeking a diagnosis.


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AquaineBay
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09 Sep 2017, 4:05 pm

SplendidSnail wrote:
I'm pretty sure taht Doctors are supposed to have at least a basic understanding of things like Autism. I would tend to expect that, as long as you let the doctor know that you are on the spectrum, they ought to be able to adjust anything else they say accordingly.

In my case my family doctor was very much key to getting my diagnosis. When it came up that I might be on the spectrum, the first person I talked to was my family doctor, who said that I was displaying some attributes typically associated with HFA/Asperger's (limited eye contact, for example), and gave me a phone number I could call to find a psychologist who I could talk to about whether I should be seeking a diagnosis.


Sadly we live in a world where degrees tend to determine your job not your actual skills. So it is possible that you can have doctors that don't understand even the basics of autism.

That's why we have people that are very good at their profession but don't have a job, because they don't have a piece of paper that tells someone you passed a class! I know, I had teachers in school who couldn't teach for nothing in the world yet had a degree in that field!


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StampySquiddyFan
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09 Sep 2017, 4:12 pm

SplendidSnail wrote:
I'm pretty sure taht Doctors are supposed to have at least a basic understanding of things like Autism. I would tend to expect that, as long as you let the doctor know that you are on the spectrum, they ought to be able to adjust anything else they say accordingly.

In my case my family doctor was very much key to getting my diagnosis. When it came up that I might be on the spectrum, the first person I talked to was my family doctor, who said that I was displaying some attributes typically associated with HFA/Asperger's (limited eye contact, for example), and gave me a phone number I could call to find a psychologist who I could talk to about whether I should be seeking a diagnosis.


Unfortunately, some doctors only have a stereotype of what autism is in mind and they don't even have that level of basic understanding. As autism becomes more well known and researched, more professionals know more about it, but sadly, there are still quite a few quacks out there.


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09 Sep 2017, 6:04 pm

I was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder that turned out to be severe OCD and MDD.



Campin_Cat
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09 Sep 2017, 6:06 pm

AquaineBay wrote:
Has anyone ever question a doctors diagnosis?

Yes. When I first went to a doctor to figure-out what was wrong with me, I went to see about ADHD----and, he told me: "You don't have that - only kids have that"! ! LOL Because he said that, I assumed he had gotten his degree, out of a bubble-gum machine----so, when he later diagnosed me with PDD-NOS, and told me: "It's a personality disorder", I dismissed it.

As it turned-out, I obviously DID have what is now known as an ASD----'cept, it wasn't PDD-NOS, but Asperger's (it is my understanding that the main difference, is in not using / understanding language, properly, with PDD-NOS, and I never had a problem, with language).

I have questioned diagnoses from other types of doctors (other than psych doctors), as well.

I have tried to do things, to keep myself from just totally dismissing ALL doctors, as a WHOLE----like, giving them the benefit of the doubt, and thinking: "Well, NO one could know EVERY possible disease / disorder / whatever"----but, one would think they'd know their own, friggin', specific FIELD, for heaven's sake!! LOL





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09 Sep 2017, 6:17 pm

Campin_Cat wrote:
AquaineBay wrote:
Has anyone ever question a doctors diagnosis?

Yes. When I first went to a doctor to figure-out what was wrong with me, I went to see about ADHD----and, he told me: "You don't have that - only kids have that"! ! LOL Because he said that, I assumed he had gotten his degree, out of a bubble-gum machine----so, when he later diagnosed me with PDD-NOS, and told me: "It's a personality disorder", I dismissed it.

As it turned-out, I obviously DID have what is now known as an ASD----'cept, it wasn't PDD-NOS, but Asperger's (it is my understanding that the main difference, is in not using / understanding language, properly, with PDD-NOS, and I never had a problem, with language).

I have questioned diagnoses from other types of doctors (other than psych doctors), as well.

I have tried to do things, to keep myself from just totally dismissing ALL doctors, as a WHOLE----like, giving them the benefit of the doubt, and thinking: "Well, NO one could know EVERY possible disease / disorder / whatever"----but, one would think they'd know their own, friggin', specific FIELD, for heaven's sake!! LOL

There's a personality disorder by the same name.



starkid
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09 Sep 2017, 6:36 pm

I'm not sure questioning diagnoses will do much to prevent misdiagnosis because patients have to first get a diagnosis to question it (unless the doctor discusses the diagnosis before formally giving it to the patient).

I questioned and refuted every misdiagnosis I received. That helped me figure out what's best/most accurate for me, but it didn't affect the clinicians, and the misdiagnoses are still on record.

StampySquiddyFan wrote:

Unfortunately, some doctors only have a stereotype of what autism is in mind and they don't even have that level of basic understanding.

Very true.



AspieUtah
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09 Sep 2017, 6:51 pm

Almost two years ago, my mother had another stroke and I stayed with her for the first night at her hospital. The following morning, the "doctor's scrum" (as I call it) descended on her room while I was in the hallway making early-morning calls to family members. I decided that they were "up to something important" and blended in with them as they entered her room.

The attending physician (in charge) started out by saying that the hospital had heard that there were some MRI scans taken by the hospital as well as another hospital the day before arriving. "But," he said, "we haven't seen any scans yet and have no evidence of a stroke." Since it was 9:00 a.m., he told the scrum that we should prepare her for discharge by 11:00 a.m. "Uh, oh," I thought.

The attending pharmacist (in charge) questioned this idea by saying that he had "talked with her son last night and said that the scans should be arriving anytime this morning. Oh, and there he is, there he is!" pointing me out in the scrum.

The attending physician whipped around and asked who I was. After telling him that I was her son and describing several facts (in precise medical-ese) which I witnessed about her in the last 48 hours, I said that "the scans are all just a phone call or e-mail message away, and meanwhile, if her behaviors are quacking like a duck, let's treat it like one." The attending physician agreed immediately and started firing off instructions to each of the scrum staffers.

I had challenged him and won. More importantly, I might have saved my mom from more serious results or worse. So, yes, it is always important to challenge physicians when they are found to be cavalier, regardless whether the diagnosis is autism or something else. The worst that would come from that is a physician who has a minor meltdown. In my case, the attending physician (a neurologist) and I have become really good friends.


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09 Sep 2017, 7:04 pm

I believe that most people instinctively know if a doctor's diagnosis could be correct (even if they are rebelling against it) or has missed the mark. Sometimes it takes more research by the patient or the parent, but once you understand what is being talked about, I feel you should know.

My SIL was diagnosed with a nerve condition but actually had cancer. She choose to trust the first doctor but the diagnosis never made sense to her. She should have trusted that instinct, IMHO.

I was shocked the first time I heard my son might be autistic because he is super social. But then I did my research, and I knew it fit. He may have been social, but it wasn't interactive and it wasn't successful, and the more I learned the more pieces fell into place for us.

Our instincts may not be perfect, but they are our only defense against mistakes by professionals. The professionals don't KNOW us. They can't see everything inside our heads or even our bodies. There is a lot of art involved with medical diagnosis. Understanding that is important to arriving at the best answer.


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09 Sep 2017, 8:06 pm

Yes I have. I have questioned my autism diagnoses, my ADD, OCD, anxiety. Then I realize I am just not a textbook case of anything and maybe it's possible the reason why anxiety and OCD won't describe me is because maybe I have a type that is so rare it won't be described online and it's hard to define OCD and anxiety because they affect each person different and it's easier to describe what autism is and ADD since the symptoms are pretty much the same. Or maybe I have a disorder that is so rare it doesn't even have a name. I have heard of cases like that like someone having a condition that is like Down's syndrome or someone having some chromosome disorder but it didn't have a name because it was so rare. My mom says I am just me.


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09 Sep 2017, 8:29 pm

In general I would question the conclusion of any doctor who isn't listening. I've found that is when they tend to f**k up the most often, not just even in terms of diagnoses but any task they are trying to carry out.

Doctors tend to be the worst listeners of any profession and it is the most common complaint that patients have with doctors. As a result they make a LOT of mistakes, way more than the average person realizes.



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09 Sep 2017, 8:38 pm

BettaPonic wrote:
Campin_Cat wrote:
AquaineBay wrote:
Has anyone ever question a doctors diagnosis?

Yes. When I first went to a doctor to figure-out what was wrong with me, I went to see about ADHD----and, he told me: "You don't have that - only kids have that"! ! LOL Because he said that, I assumed he had gotten his degree, out of a bubble-gum machine----so, when he later diagnosed me with PDD-NOS, and told me: "It's a personality disorder", I dismissed it.

There's a personality disorder by the same name.

No, not the same name----but, close: pPd




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09 Sep 2017, 9:52 pm

I know you mean in the psychological sense, but I also see value in questioning doctors' physical diagnosis if you see something not quite right about it.
I had a physical problem that was horribly misdiagnosed, and if I hadn't rejected their diagnosis and pursued my own, if I had accepted what they told me and especially, accepted the heavy medication regimen they proposed for me, I'd be dead now. As it is, I'm now on no pain medication but the occasional ibuprofen for my headaches, and not even that every day.
Doctors aren't infallible in my opinion. Yes they've had training, but they can't know it all, and weird things do happen. Question all you're told, in my opinion.


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