Case report, case study
https://doi.org/10.20471/feb.2024.60.01.08
“It’s a Psychiatric Patient”: Misdiagnosing of Somatic Symptoms in Patients with Mental Disorders Due to Stigma and Inadequate Diagnostic Treatment
Sara Bračko
orcid.org/0009-0009-7686-3631
; Medical Faculty, University of Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia
*
Andreja Čelofiga
orcid.org/0000-0003-3979-9545
; Department of Psychiatry, University Medical Centre Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia
* Corresponding author.
Abstract
Aim: People with mental illness have more somatic comorbidities and are frequently mistreated. Misdiagnosis occurs for a variety of reasons, including stigma, poor communication, lack of knowledge of psychiatric pathology, and a tendency to attribute physical symptoms to a mental disorder. Case report: The factors listed above, as well as the unique circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic led to the misdiagnosis in the case discussed in this paper. The patient was a middle-aged man diagnosed with an ICD-10 diagnosis of a chronic mental disorder in the F2 category and multiple somatic comorbidities in whom amiodarone-induced thyrotoxicosis was undiagnosed and somatic symptoms were attributed to antipsychotic-induced parkinsonism. The mechanism of amiodarone-induced thyrotoxicosis and antipsychotic-induced extrapyramidal symptoms will be described, together with the factors that caused our patient to be misdiagnosed. Conclusion: Psychiatric patients are often specific in their communication and behaviour, therefore interaction must be adapted, with a focus on destigmatizing and educating health workers.
Keywords
Mental disorders; stereotyping; antipsychotic agents; amiodarone; thyrotoxicosis
Hrčak ID:
315911
URI
Publication date:
10.4.2024.
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