Changes over time – common diagnostic challenges
From the book – Chapter 33: How Mental Health Conditions Are Assessed and Diagnosed
Changes over time
A diagnosis may be refined as new information appears or as the person’s situation changes. For example, someone first diagnosed with depression may later show episodes of mania, leading to a diagnosis of bipolar disorder.
Read the full chapter – Chapter 33: How Mental Health Conditions Are Assessed and Diagnosed
Stories from real life
- Eleven Questions, One Long Breath – Nomvula, forty-one, had put off her first appointment with a psychiatrist in Durban for six months. She was afraid the doctor would judge her or write…
- Seventy-Four Per Cent on the Internet – Aiden, twenty, a university student in Melbourne, found a video called 'Signs you have ADHD' and a quiz that gave him a score of seventy-four per…
- Thyroid, Not Just Nerves – Marta, thirty-eight, an accountant in Warsaw, had been anxious for months. Her heart raced, her hands trembled, she lost weight, and she could not concentrate at…
- A Diagnosis That Changed – Hamid, twenty-seven, from Birmingham, was diagnosed with depression two years ago after a long low period. A medicine helped for a few months. Then he suddenly…
More on this topic: What is mental health? A simple guide to the mind and who can help
More questions
- Culture and context – common diagnostic challenges
- What is the difference between normal reactions and disorders?
- How accurate is diagnosis?
- Understanding and living with a diagnosis – explained simply
- Common reactions – understanding and living with a diagnosis
- Questions to ask your clinician – understanding and living with a diagnosis
- Privacy and sharing – understanding and living with a diagnosis
- Understanding labels: helpful and harmful – mental health assessment and diagnosis
- What is the difference between screening and diagnosis?
- Assessment of children and young people – explained simply
- Psychologist, psychiatrist or counsellor – what is the difference?
- Early warning signs of mental distress