Inattention misdiagnosis
Inattention can be misdiagnosed for various problems. We tell you the most common …
When you have a headache , you know there are many possible causes, ranging from mild to very serious . When you go to the doctor, they will likely ask you detailed questions about how long you have had headaches, what kind of pain you feel, when they occur, and what other symptoms you are experiencing. Without a thorough evaluation and examination, it would be foolish for your doctor to diagnose you with a brain tumor or the flu, both of which can cause a headache. And, of course, the treatment for a brain tumor and a virus would be very different.
The same is true for mental illnesses – many common symptoms occur for a variety of reasons and can reflect several different diagnoses. That is why a good mental health professional will give your child a thorough evaluation based on a wide range of information before reaching a diagnosis.
Understanding what is really behind a given behavior is crucial because, just like in medicine, the diagnosis your child receives can drastically change the appropriate treatment. ADHD medications , for example, will not work if a child’s inattention or disruptive behavior is caused by anxiety rather than ADHD. And, like a doctor, when a treatment doesn’t work, whether it’s therapeutic or pharmaceutical, one of the things a good clinician will do is re-examine the diagnosis.
Next, we are going to talk to you about a fairly common misdiagnosis: inattention , which is often confused with ADHD.
Index
INATENCIÓN
Here we are going to tell you about some of the misdiagnoses:
TDAH
The symptom of inattention is often first noticed by teachers, who may notice that a student is unusually distracted , prone to daydreaming, and has difficulty completing assignments and following directions. While all children, especially those who are very young, tend to have shorter attention spans than adults , some children have much more trouble concentrating than others.
Inattention that is outside the typical range is one of the three key symptoms of ADHD, along with impulsivity and hyperactivity . So when a child seems unusually distracted, ADHD tends to be the first thing parents and doctors suspect . However, there are many other possibilities that can contribute to inattention.
The inattentive child could be inattentive because he has ADHD, or he could be inattentive because he is worried about his grandmother who is sick in the hospital, or because he is being bullied on the playground.
OCD (OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE DISORDER)
Many children with OCD are distracted by their obsessions and compulsions, and when the OCD is severe enough, they can spend most of the day obsessed . This can interfere with their lives in many ways, including attention at school. And since children with OCD are often ashamed of their symptoms, they can do whatever they can to hide their compulsions.
It is not uncommon to see children keep their rituals in check while at school, only to be overwhelmed by them when they get home. Therefore, a teacher may notice that a student has difficulty concentrating and assume that they have an attention problem, since their OCD is not evident.
POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER
Children may also appear to suffer from inattention when they have been impacted by trauma . Many of the symptoms of PTSD resemble ADHD. Common symptoms in PTSD, such as difficulty concentrating, exaggerated startle response, and hypervigilance can make a child appear to be nervous and spaced out.
Dr. Tabriella Perivolaris, Sara's mother and fan of fashion, beauty, motherhood, among others, about the female universe. Since 2018 she has been working as a copywriter, always bringing to her articles a little of her experience and experience as a mother and woman.