This study investigated whether psychologists are attempting to distinguish between attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and depression in youth. Findings indicate that, overall, clinicians are conducting comprehensive evaluations and considering ADHD and depression as likely diagnoses. Clinicians were more likely to use self-report depression measures if the client was female or adolescent than if the child was male or school age; however, they were equally likely to incorporate ADHD-related measures with males and females , and 8 year olds and 15 year olds . Clinicians were more likely to consider adolescents than school-age children and females than males to have a mood disorder. Doctoral-level clinicians were more likely to consider a mood disorder and ADHD than master's- level clinicians. Clinicians who had completed a child psychopathology course were more likely to consider ADHD than those who had not completed such a course. The implications of these findings for child-oriented clinicians are discussed.

Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) is a common yet frequently misdiagnosed dysautonomia characterized by a significant increase in heart rate upon standing. POTS patients experience severe fatigue, dizziness, pre-syncope, and a diminished quality of life. The intent of this thesis is to investigate factors contributing to POTS misdiagnosis and develop a proposal for improving diagnostic procedures. The first part of this thesis presents an overview of other frequently misdiagnosed conditions, providing an understanding of the basis for the diagnostic problems in POTS and methods to combat such difficulties. The second part of this thesis details a meta-analysis performed on POTS clinical studies since its classification in 1993, in an attempt to synthesize current knowledge and potential deficits in research. Results show the misdiagnosis rates for POTS are understandably high, as POTS shares many characteristics with other misdiagnosed conditions. Analysis of these conditions demonstrates the need for easier in-clinic diagnostic tests for POTS. The meta-analysis results demonstrate misunderstanding about POTS remains within the scientific community. The final recommendations to reduce POTS misdiagnosis include using a blood pressure/heart rate screening test to identify patients sooner and shifting research efforts from etiology and treatment to prevalence and diagnostic procedures.

No description available.

Licensed mental health professionals (LMHPs) have an important role in ethically assessing, diagnosing, and applying a treatment plan for children and youth who have Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). However, studies indicate symptoms of trauma among children and youth who have been exposed to or were the direct victim of violence may go undetected and, thus, result in the misdiagnosis of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Misdiagnosis of mental disorders could be detrimental to the very clients LMHPs seek to help. The expertise of LMHPs is essential in differentiating PTSD symptoms from that of ADHD. It is unclear why children and youth with PTSD continue to be misdiagnosed. This research aimed to explore factors associated with the inability of LMHPs to accurately diagnose children and youth who suffer from PTSD. In this qualitative study, semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven LMHPs in southern California. Results from thematic analysis of the data revealed—among other themes—that (1) confusion about PTSD and ADHD symptoms, (2) lack of experience, and (3) lack of familiarity with clients are the primary reasons for misdiagnosis of trauma in children and youth. Understanding how children and youth manifest their mental health disorders, and seeking continuous assessment can eventually help LMHPs make the right call. Implications for the field of mental health were discussed. Keywords: children and youth, post-traumatic stress disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, licensed mental health professional

Sömnparalys innebär att man vaknar upp men inte kan röra sig, och ofta har man skrämmande sinnesupplevelser. Tolkningen och upplevelsen under en sömnparalys kan leda till rädsla att berätta om paralysen, och även om man berättar kan det leda till social stigmatisering och feldiagnostisering.En enkätinsamling gjordes med 100 studenter. Huvudfrågan var om upplevarna av sömnparalys var oroliga för att berätta om det, för att de är rädda att ses som psykiskt sjuka. De som haft sömnparalys berättade för andra, men hellre för någon de känner väl. De och dem som inte upplevt sömnparalys såg det som ett fysiskt problem snarare än ett psykiskt. Risken för stigmatisering och psykisk feldiagnostisering är reducerad, men mer forskning och utbildning i ämnet behövs. / Sleep paralysis means waking up and being unable to move, and are often accompanied with frightening perceptual experiences. The interpretation and experience perceived during sleep paralysis, may lead to fear of telling others about the paralysis, because of the risk for social stigma and misdiagnosis. A survey was conducted with a group of hundred students. The main question was if experiencers are afraid to tell others with the fear of risking been perceived as mentally ill. The experiencers did tell others, but rather to those they knew well. They as well as the non-experiencers viewed it as a physical problem rather than a psychological one. The risk of social stigma and misdiagnosis are reduced, but more research and education in the subject is needed.

Masters of Philosophy / In today's society, the misdiagnosis of school-age children with the neurological condition Child Absence Epilepsy (CAE) as having Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) has a low profile. This may be because of the lack of popular awareness of CAE. The increasing social salience towards the neuropsychological condition of ADHD places these children at risk of experiencing high psychosocial effects. Many symptoms of CAE are also associated with ADHD. However if the condition is misdiagnosed as ADHD, the child with CAE is often mistreated, both medically and socially until the correct diagnosis is made. There is little research available on the psychosocial effects of the misdiagnosis of epilepsy as ADHD, and none available relating to CAE. This research study uses case study methodology to focus on how children with CAE are psychosocially affected at the time of the misdiagnosis of ADHD and subsequently. It also explores the experiences of their parents. An in-depth interview method was adopted to gather the personal recollections of these effects directly from the ten participants in this study. The participants were found with the assistance of Epilepsy Australia and constituted one adolescent from five different families who had experienced the sequence of events and effects under investigation, and a parent (guardian) who cared for these children during this period. The findings of this research indicate that as a result of labelling, these children were misjudged in their communities, leaving strong psychosocial effects on each of the child participants who had previously been misdiagnosed with ADHD. These effects include low self-esteem, insecurity and fear experienced most often in the company of peers. As a result, when reaching adulthood, most of these participants chose to isolate themselves from social contact whenever possible. The findings offer a basis for further research in the area.

Masters of Philosophy / In today's society, the misdiagnosis of school-age children with the neurological condition Child Absence Epilepsy (CAE) as having Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) has a low profile. This may be because of the lack of popular awareness of CAE. The increasing social salience towards the neuropsychological condition of ADHD places these children at risk of experiencing high psychosocial effects. Many symptoms of CAE are also associated with ADHD. However if the condition is misdiagnosed as ADHD, the child with CAE is often mistreated, both medically and socially until the correct diagnosis is made. There is little research available on the psychosocial effects of the misdiagnosis of epilepsy as ADHD, and none available relating to CAE. This research study uses case study methodology to focus on how children with CAE are psychosocially affected at the time of the misdiagnosis of ADHD and subsequently. It also explores the experiences of their parents. An in-depth interview method was adopted to gather the personal recollections of these effects directly from the ten participants in this study. The participants were found with the assistance of Epilepsy Australia and constituted one adolescent from five different families who had experienced the sequence of events and effects under investigation, and a parent (guardian) who cared for these children during this period. The findings of this research indicate that as a result of labelling, these children were misjudged in their communities, leaving strong psychosocial effects on each of the child participants who had previously been misdiagnosed with ADHD. These effects include low self-esteem, insecurity and fear experienced most often in the company of peers. As a result, when reaching adulthood, most of these participants chose to isolate themselves from social contact whenever possible. The findings offer a basis for further research in the area.

Thyroid disease, a chronic illness, affects nearly 200 million people worldwide and is more common among women than in men. Numerous factors make diagnosing and treating thyroid disease in women challenging. The standard blood test for diagnosing thyroid disease and determining treatment effectiveness is inconsistent in its accuracy. Many women with thyroid disease are misdiagnosed or struggle with symptoms even once receiving treatment. Although thyroid disease is highly prevalent among women and the doctor-patient relationship is known to influence treatment outcomes, there is a gap in the literature regarding the treatment experiences of women with thyroid disease and the doctor-patient relationship. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore female thyroid patients' experiences of treatment and the doctor-patient relationship. Sixteen female thyroid patients, ages 18 and older and members of an international online support group, were individually interviewed via online chat. Data interpretation was guided by social constructionism and feminist theory and was accomplished via Moustakas's analytic method. Themes related to the doctor-patient relationship were identified, including the culture of the medical profession, diagnostic bias, and gender differences in communication. Emergent themes included patient education level, patient self-advocacy behaviors, and the use of natural thyroid medication. The results of this study may contribute to positive social change by enhancing doctors' understanding of thyroid disease in women and the influence of the doctor-patient relationship in determining positive treatment outcomes, thus equipping doctors with enriched knowledge for providing their female thyroid patients with the highest quality of care.

Orientador: Thomas Patrick Dwyer / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Filosofia e Ciências Humanas / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-17T03:36:02Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Moliani_MariaMarce_D.pdf: 2474438 bytes, checksum: 21f53ff10257b2a7c6a4b32eebec64f0 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010 / Resumo: O objetivo desta tese é analisar as causas de erros médicos junto aos profissionais de saúde e os pacientes, vitimas de erros médicos a fim de compreender os condicionantes sociais dos erros e efeitos adversos do processo de tratamento medico, verificando a influência de fatores tais como: os condicionantes profissionais, através da identidade do sujeito social com a profissão e com os papéis sociais desempenhados; formação medica e condições de trabalho. Esse trabalho utilizou como referencial Teórico-metodológico aportes da fenomenologia de Alfred Schutz, a fim de compreender os critérios de relevância mobilizados pelo sujeito social no curso de sua ação. A pesquisa foi elaborada utilizando metodologia qualitativa, através de entrevistas e apreensão dos condicionantes da ação / Abstract: The aim of this thesis is to analyze the causes of medical errors, involving health professionals and patients, the victims of medical errors, in order to understand the social conditions of the errors, as well as the adverse effects of the medical treatment process, checking the influence of factors such as: professional conditions, through the social subject's identity in the profession and the social roles played, as well as medical training and work conditions. This work was based on the theoretical and methodological contributions of Alfred Schutz's phenomenology, in order to understand the relevance criteria raised by the social subject in the course of action. The methodology used in the research was qualitative, through interviews and by understanding the action determinants / Doutorado / Doutor em Ciências Sociais

Patients presenting with an abrupt loss of postural control are commonly said to have had ‘collapse?cause’. This is a common presentation, accounting for up to 6% of emergency department cases, and 3% of hospital admissions. However, collapse?cause is a ‘catch-all’ term and there are many different causes which include falls, transient ischemic attacks, cerebrovascular accidents, road traffic accidents, metabolic abnormalities, intoxication, and transient loss of consciousness, (TLOC or ‘blackout’). A majority of patients fall into the latter category. Where TLOC has occurred, the causes are syncope, epilepsy and psychogenic blackouts. The clinical features of these three conditions can often be similar, albeit with subtle differences. A wide variation exists in the way such patients are assessed, investigated and managed, who manages them and where. There is an absence of simple clinical tools for assessment, poor risk stratification, inappropriate and overuse of investigations. Hospitalisation is often unnecessary and misdiagnoses are common. In this thesis, the problem of TLOC has been addressed in four projects. Section 1 (Chapter II): reports a simple new risk stratification scheme for patients presenting with TLOC, assessed in a specialist nurse lead, cardiologist supervised (SP), Rapid Access Blackouts Triage Clinic - RABTC. Frequently, after triage, a patient may be deemed to be at low risk, but blackouts continue, the cause remains unclear, and conventional tests, have been unhelpful. In Chapter III, we describe the option of investigating such patients by long term (up to 3 years) ECG monitoring using an implantable loop recorder (ILR). In order to address the specific question of misdiagnosis of epilepsy where convulsive syncope might be the true diagnosis, the REVISE Study- REVeal in the Investigation of Syncope and Epilepsy was undertaken, which is described in Chapter IV. Lastly, convulsive syncope is the likely explanation for a misdiagnosis in patients diagnosed with epilepsy, but the incidence of cardiac disease in patients with brain injury and epilepsy is unknown. Therefore a cohort of patients in a residential epilepsy centre was studied. In this setting, residents typically had a history of brain injury and suffered from recurrent epileptic seizures. The findings of cardiology assessment are presented in Section 4 (Chapter V).