Meet Depression, The Most Misdiagnosed Mental Illness In the World
Unlike physical illnesses like cancer or diabetes, mental illness is difficult to diagnose. And like the aforementioned physical maladies, mental illness is all too easy to misdiagnose as there are no physiological tests that can prove its manifestation. What’s worse? Depression (a dangerous mental illness and also a precursor to suicidal ideation) is the most misdiagnosed mental illness of all.
Depression: By the Numbers
An article in Current Psychiatry sheds light on the shaded topic of depression misdiagnosis in one of their 2012 articles. According to their publication, 26 to 45% of patients – who were diagnosed with suffering from depression – failed to meet ‘the checklist’ of diagnostic criteria for a depressive illness and therefore, were not treated for their depression. While an article from 2009, discovered general practitioners only correctly identify depression in 47.3% of their cases. Additionally, findings also indicated that doctors mistakenly misdiagnose various mental illness for a depressive disorder.
The Good News About Depression
While it is often misidentified (or simply, unidentified altogether), the truth is that millions of mentally-ill Americans are correctly diagnosed and aptly treated for their psychological issues. With that being said, depression is still a very real and severe mental illness – misunderstanding it, or misdiagnosing a depressive disorder for something it is not, is still a serious problem that affects millions of more Americans.
Understanding the consequences of depression misdiagnosis is the first step to fixing this grave issue in our mental healthcare system.
Fortunately for parents of depressed young adults, there are facilities that are designed to treat severe depression, called residential treatment facilities. Unfortunately, these facilities are often misconceived as a rehab that exclusively treats drug and alcohol addiction. While residential treatment facilities do in fact treat addictions, they are also effective in therapeutically treating drug-free, depressed individuals.
“It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It is what you know for sure that just ain’t so.” – Mark Twain
Get The Best Treatment Out of Residential Programs
At The Crossroads is among the top residential treatment facilities in the nation. If you are the parent of a struggling young adult, trust in a treatment program that has served as a life catalyst for thousands of young men and women. Call us today at 1-866-439-0354.
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