HEAD TO HEAD Is underdiagnosis Daniel J Smith clinical senior lecturer in psychiatry, of the definition of bipolar disorder to include Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff hypomania in 1994 and marketing of new drugs
[email protected] the main pitfall Nassir Ghaemi professor of psychiatry, Tufts University School have begun to address a century of relative of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA neglect; yet, perhaps predictably, objections about overdiagnosis have been raised. when diagnosing Bipolar disorder is a complex condition, and patients can Defining misdiagnosis bipolar disorder? present with the entire range Let’s start by agreeing on some definitions. of psychiatric symptoms.1 Its underdiagnosis Overdiagnosis implies that a disorder is Daniel Smith and has always been, and continues to be, a major frequently diagnosed when absent, as problem. well as when present. Underdiagnosis, Nassir Ghaemi believe that Ever since Emil Kraepelin defined manic conversely, implies that a disorder is often not many people with bipolar depressive insanity as recurrent mood diagnosed when present and also infrequently episodes (either mania or depression, but not diagnosed when absent. Underdiagnosis and disorder remain undiagnosed, necessarily requiring mania) in 1898,2 the overdiagnosis are claims of validity (based on a condition has been underdiagnosed. For almost definitive diagnosis from pathological findings but Mark Zimmerman a century it was commonly misdiagnosed or, in psychiatry, a formal research diagnostic argues