How often our physical symptoms are diagnosed as mental?

[skyline3]

Hi there, I got unwell as a teen and was strictly pushed to psychiatrists, nobody reconized that I suffer from PCOS, TMAU, Fetal alcohol syndrom, Graves Disease ans bullying everywere I was.

Psychiatrists diagnoset me with OCD, depression, schizotype and borderline. They even saw me as pre-schizophrenic because I was so unlucky and angry about my relatives who didn't helped me and said I should accept my ill apperance as I am.

The Psychiatrists never did any checkups and wanted me to take antidepressants while my real problems were ignored.

I never took them and I've been happier since I got to a endocrinologist who saw my problems as hormonal and organic and treats them now as it should be. But sadly because of the mistreatment, my eyes are swollen and I need orbital decompression operation to look like me.

[MissCandyGirl]

Psychiatrists have been known to get their diagnosis wrong. I don't think you're schizophrenic or borderline depressive or have any incurable mental illness. From what I can gather from your post, you're now receiving the right treatments after being correctly diagnosed.

It must've been a long and hard journey to be now getting the right medical treatments. Anti-depressants were useless to you: you certainly don't need them. Also, have I got this right that you were bullied? Just remember it was all down to others insecurity. They choose easy targets and knew their insults would hurt you. It was just a child's game to them. You're stronger than they are today.

Anyhow, I am glad you've been coping with your problems. I do know about problems and I appreciate you don't have it easy.

[jenniewb]

Hi there, I got unwell as a teen and was strictly pushed to psychiatrists, nobody reconized that I suffer from PCOS, TMAU, Fetal alcohol syndrom, Graves Disease ans bullying everywere I was.

Psychiatrists diagnoset me with OCD, depression, schizotype and borderline. They even saw me as pre-schizophrenic because I was so unlucky and angry about my relatives who didn't helped me and said I should accept my ill apperance as I am.

The Psychiatrists never did any checkups and wanted me to take antidepressants while my real problems were ignored.

I never took them and I've been happier since I got to a endocrinologist who saw my problems as hormonal and organic and treats them now as it should be. But sadly because of the mistreatment, my eyes are swollen and I need orbital decompression operation to look like me.

I don't know the volume or if anyone would be able to tell you a % or amount, but I would imagine it would be quite high.
But I also think even when a legitimate condition is diagnosed, something confirmed by tests or qualified by a consultant dermatologist or similar, that there would be additionally psychiatric effects. If you have suffered eczema for example, I know from my experience there is a real vicious cycle involved, what causes what isn't so important really, because it takes on it's own life and goes round and round...the itching causes stress, being self conscious and then maybe self isolation due to maybe low self esteem and shame (not saying anyone should feel shame but having loud angry raw patches of extremely itchy skin can bring on shame if others stare and children can be very unmindfully cruel in what they say and even as an adult that can cut through!) Isolation, pressure, shame, worry over the spread...it all adds more stress and stress affects not just the eczema but also the sense that you're on top of it rather than it feeling on top of you!

So although I understand your point; that skin conditions could well go undiagnosed and untreated in the face of being diagnosed and sent away with a diagnosis or "anxiety" or "a self esteem issue" or blamed on a previous diagnosis of schizophrenia (which isn't just about auditory hallucinations but can also be visual and tactile hallucinationary experiences) but I do think someone's user experience of their skin condition does need to be given some regard and concern.

But just as with any health condition; correlation is not causation and if anyone feels like they're having their skin condition disregarded and are untreated because the medic is writing them off as a mental health condition alone, then I would advise a second opinion and contacting whatever manager or PALs team to discuss this. If you feel you are not being heard or helped that's also not OK.

But I also think from what I understand that in many cases they just don't know what the problem is. I had a very honest and helpful Dermatologist explain to me that they didn't know what was causing the itch on a spot on my spine. It had been decided against being a mental health condition, it wasn't related to a rash or spot or even items of clothing, it was diagnosed as pruritus and explained that they did not know the cause but understood my issue was real. I have to admit I'm not shy about coming forward and had they tried to write off my issue (which has kept me up at night, has meant I've unwittingly drawn blood itching even with blunt nails as I slept and has never developed a mark other than nail scratch marks!) if they had tried to blame it on any mental health condition I would have argued (non violently, just with a lot of long words and lengthy descriptions to debate my issue) and they possibly would have wanted to avoid that for their own sakes! So if you do fear being talked over or ignored I would advocate having a friend or relative or partner in your appointment with you to make sure you feel confident enough to argue your case.