Hi,

So I'm in my early 30s wondering how the diagnosises work as I've made it past a dozen. I meet some people with over 20 different diagnosis changes and was wondering are 19 incorrect? Or do they cancel out old diagnosises that most are apparently incurable? Quite confused how this happens to the majority of people with mental illnesses.

Kind regards

Ten

Hi TenSense, I would recommend seeing a Psychiatrist because they specialise in medication and diagnoses. I wouldn't advise diagnosing yourself. Best of luck.

Tayla

Hi Tayla,

Yes each diagnosis is from a psychiatrist, I'm not qualified to diagnose myself.

Ten

I have had quite a few psychiatrists and many people I have met have many diagnosis changes done as well. The new diagnosis replaces the old one. I'm just not sure how an incurable illness is changing continuously through a patients treatment. At this rate I estimate over 40 changes will be made to my diagnosises before I pass away. Due to the official changes occurring on average 1.3 years regardless of the psychiatrist.

Ten

Sorry I can't be of much help, this whole thread is just too confusing for me, I don't understand any of it. Sorry if I upset you by trying to help.

Tayla

You didn't upset me, you're all good. It's not very confusing it's generally what I observe talking with other patients and friends in the mental health sector. A fair few aren't aware of how many times there ICD-10 has actually changed. As far as I know an incurable illness is permanent except for some reason not in mental health, then it seems to change like the seasons. There doesn't seem to be any known physical tests for nearly all of them eg blood test. Then the medication can to do any thing to different people from appearing to work, to any possible side effects or a severe allergic reaction requiring immediate medical treatment. My best friend who has passed away has definitely had more diagnose changes than my self. I have another friend with over 20 diagnosis changes and is similar age to me. I honestly am not sure how this can happen so often in mental health. About 20% of Australia's population have 1 or more mental health diagnosises. More seems to be a keyword and the number of changes over there treatment will definitely vary a large amount.

Ten

Sorry I can't be of much help. Hopefully someone here can assist you, it's a bit too confusing for me. I'm not sure how people can have 10+ diagnoses but who knows, well for mental health anyway, with physical health fair enough. It just seems odd to me.

Take care anyway. Tayla

Hi TenSense,

Thanks for your post. I can see you've got lots of support here so I'll just go all clinical on you instead.

Part of making a diagnosis can be quite complicated, but ultimately it's meeting a bunch of criteria (like a checklist). Here is the one for depression just to give you a bit of an example - https://bluepages.anu.edu.au/index.php?id=diagnosis How people make a diagnosis can vary- psychologists or psychologists might just ask questions, get a bit of your history, or ask you to fill out different questionnaires.

Often people with depression (I'm just using this one as an example) can actually have times where they are not depressed in that they don't meet the criteria anymore. I've had depression for years but in reality it's probably been off and on. This is also part of why people can have different diagnoses - simply they just might not meet some criteria or they might start to meet other criteria.

A psychologist said to me once that if we all work hard enough, all of us will find a diagnosis somewhere. I don't say that to undermine mental illness, but just to share that at times we all may 'fit' with a different diagnosis.

I hope that this helps a little. You can also ask all of these questions to your own psychologist/psychiatrist too so they can explain more in detail.

rt

Hey TenSense, some psychiatrists rely to heavily on diagnoses.

I don't want to put down the profession but it has changed so much in the last 20 years, specifically after the 2014 Royal Commission into Mental Health. i do believe at certain times in the past pyschiatrists would give diagnoses that maybe wouldn't be given these days.it could be a failing of the profession that each different psychiatrist gave a different diagnoses.

Heya,

So I've only been with mental health for 16years. Unfortunately they are still changing my diagnosises even last last year 2019 they changed it again. There's no known cause for each diagnosis as well and no way to physically test for each diagnosis.

Kind regards

Ten

Hi Ten, Thanks for sharing. I wander if you feel more or less comfortable with any of the diagnoses? Sometimes it just sounds wrong or not like a good fit, like they haven't gotten it right. I think people should listen and respect their instincts on this.

I am sorry they changed your diagnosis again so recently,i'm sure that would be very confusing.

Hey TenSense,

Hello Ten, along from what those above had said, I'd like to say that with any mental illness incorporates so many different categories, although I'm qualified to say, but know each time I visited my psychologist another issue was discussed and this can be called another disorder.

This doesn't mean that the original diagnosis has been replaced, it's only been added to what else has been troubling you, so you could have many different issues associated with the original diagnosis.

Take care.

Geoff.