Mental health conditions affect almost one in four U.S. adults, but what happens when the diagnosis you are given never fully explains what it is you’re going through?[1]
Mental health misdiagnosis is more common than many people realize. Some adults spend years receiving treatment for a condition that never really lined up with what they were experiencing. In fact, up to 75% of people with mental health challenges are incorrectly diagnosed, which can have harmful consequences when it comes to treatment and recovery.[2]
Getting the right diagnosis plays an important role in recovery because it helps healthcare professionals understand the full picture of what you’re dealing with. That way, they can recommend treatment that truly meets your needs.
This article can help you understand why misdiagnosis happens and what you can do to get the support you need, as it explores:
Diagnosing mental health conditions is rarely a simple process. While many conditions are diagnosed correctly, this isn’t always the case. A mental health misdiagnosis happens when a healthcare professional incorrectly identifies a mental health condition.
This could mean that someone is diagnosed with a condition they don’t actually have, or that their mental health disorder is overlooked or misidentified.
Mental health is complex, and there are several reasons why mental health misdiagnosis in adults can happen.
These factors include:[2][3][4][5]
Many mental health challenges share similar characteristics, and mental health diagnostic errors may occur from overlapping symptoms. For instance, mistaking bipolar disorder for depression because depressive symptoms may appear first, or mistaking anxiety for a personality disorder.
Having more than one mental health disorder at a time can make an accurate diagnosis more difficult if clinicians are trying to fit every symptom into a single diagnosis.
In reality, it’s fairly common for people to experience more than one condition at the same time, known as “comorbid conditions”. Research suggests that over a quarter of people have two comorbid conditions at some point during their life, and 17% of people cope with three disorders at a time.
Mental health assessments often rely on a person reporting the symptoms or patterns they have noticed. However, they may not remember every detail that could be relevant, or might assume that certain changes are “typical” for their age.
This then means a health care professional may not have enough information to make an accurate diagnosis.
Because our mental health changes over time, our symptoms can shift, which may make an earlier diagnosis feel incomplete or outdated.
Brief appointments often make it harder to explore personal history, family history, trauma, or long-term patterns in enough depth to make an accurate diagnosis.
Many adults experience years of mental health misdiagnosis before finally receiving answers that feel more accurate.
Some of the common conditions that may be misdiagnosed due to overlapping symptoms include:[2][3][6][7][8]
Although misdiagnosis is more common than many people expect, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t matter. Having an incorrect psychiatric diagnosis based on symptoms can lead to several harmful effects, which are explored in the next section.
Receiving the wrong diagnosis can affect far more than treatment plans. It can shape how someone:
One of the biggest concerns is that without an accurate diagnosis, people may not receive the right treatment or may experience delays getting the support they really need. Without the correct support, whether that’s therapy or medication, they may be left with symptoms that never really improve.
Not only that, if the diagnosis is wrong, someone might be given medication that makes them feel worse or brings on unwanted side effects, further complicating issues.[3]
Moreover, the effects of the wrong treatment often influence more than symptoms and side effects. When therapy or medications don’t seem to be helping, people may begin blaming themselves for treatment failure or wondering whether they are beyond help.
As a result, over time, repeated treatment failures can become emotionally exhausting and leave a person feeling hopeless. However, the truth may be that the treatment may never have matched what they needed in the first place.
Diagnostic overshadowing in mental health can also delay healing. This happens when someone’s symptoms are overlooked and attributed to another pre-existing diagnosis, meaning other conditions or symptoms are missed.[3]
For example, an adult diagnosed with anxiety and depression may later realize that ADHD, trauma, or another condition was contributing to their difficulties all along.
The emotional impact of misdiagnosis treatment failure often hits hard. Adults may feel misunderstood, dismissed, or confused about who they are after years of being labelled with something that didn’t really fit them.
Correcting misdiagnosis in mental health can bring a huge sense of relief for many people.
AMFM is here to help you or your loved one take the next steps towards an improved mental well-being.
An accurate diagnosis creates the foundation for effective treatment and recovery.[3] And while a diagnosis doesn’t define a person, it can help make sense of symptoms that may have felt confusing or overwhelming for years.
When clinicians fully understand someone’s experiences, it can open the door to more effective treatment approaches and support systems, leading to the best chance of recovery.[9]
For instance, treatment for trauma-related symptoms may look very different from the treatment for anxiety or depression. It also means that treatment can be truly tailored to the person for the best outcomes. Simply put, the right diagnosis can make recovery feel:
A thorough assessment is often needed to make the most accurate diagnosis possible, especially as so many mental health conditions share similar symptoms. This is why, rather than just focusing on symptoms, psychiatric evaluation in adults typically involves looking at a person’s:
This helps clinicians build a more complete picture of your experiences and find the most appropriate diagnoses for your symptoms.
With the right support and treatment, recovery is possible. But when mental health misdiagnosis affects so many people, how do you know if you’ve been given the wrong label?
Because mental health misdiagnosis is relatively common, it can be helpful to understand the signs of a diagnosis that may not fully fit.[2] Whether you want to know how to recognize anxiety misdiagnosis signs or when trauma has been mistaken for depression, there are a few signs that may be worth paying attention to.
Some of the common signs that your diagnosis may not fully fit include:
It’s important to remember that sometimes your diagnosis may be accurate, but finding the right treatment can sometimes take time. Knowing whether to seek a second opinion for a psychiatric diagnosis is about understanding whether your experience matches the diagnosis, or whether another explanation may better reflect your experiences.
A Mission For Michael (AMFM) provides treatment for adults experiencing various conditions. Co-occurring support is a phone call away – call 866-478-4383 to learn about our current treatment options.
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Being misdiagnosed can delay your healing process, but it doesn’t mean that recovery is impossible. If you have any concerns about your mental health symptoms or worry that you may have been misdiagnosed, seeking the right support can make a huge difference.
At AMFM (A Mission For Michael) Mental Health Treatment, we are here to support you from the first time you reach out to us through initial assessments, accurate diagnosis, and effective treatment.
We take the time to understand your history, symptoms, and experiences before making a diagnosis, which allows us to provide you with a treatment plan tailored to your unique needs and goals. We offer compassionate, evidence-based care designed to support long-term healing and wellness.
We offer residential treatment at our locations across California, Minnesota, and Virginia. Additionally, flexible outpatient programming and telehealth is also available.
AMFM Mental Health Treatment is in-network with most major insurance providers and makes it easy to check your coverage benefits. Simply complete our free and confidential verification form.
To find out how we can support you on the road to recovery, call one of our caring team members at 866-478-4383, or learn more about our admissions process.
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At AMFM, we strive to provide the most up-to-date and accurate medical information based on current best practices, evolving information, and our team’s approach to care. Our aim is that our readers can make informed decisions about their healthcare.
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