Misdiagnosis

I have been given the following incorrect diagnoses. This cost my parents a ridiculous amount of money. Later, taxpayers paid even more money to these psychiatric institutions (that dare to call themselves bona fide medical) to treat me for diagnoses I did not have. I did not benefit from being treated for these diagnoses since what I really do have isn’t effectively treated by psychiatry nor does psychiatry profit from treating it. Too bad for them. They should have left me alone.

Hmm…let’s see…

I’m not actually sure of how they worded all the diagnoses they gave me.

“Mild personality disorder” was given to me by a psychiatrist who had not even met with me. He had not spoken to me over the phone nor seen me even and hadn’t even peeked into my Facebook page as Facebook didn’t exist back then. Hmm, where did he peek? My underwear drawer? Probably.

“Schizophrenia” was given to me by a psychiatrist who was practicing illegally because his license wasn’t valid. I don’t know how long he had been illegally practicing but he got away with it for years until he was caught.

“Bipolar” was given to me arbitrarily. The shrink did it right in front of my parents, knowing my parents disagreed with schiz. So he switched it to “bipolar” since my parents were paying and I suppose, he figured he needed to keep them happy. I remember the family session when he said “I think she’s bipolar” and my parents smiled and nodded at each other.

Don’t get me wrong, my parents were not trying to forcefully drug me. This was the last thing they wanted. Both my parents hoped I would get off the drugs and were concerned about long-term effects. Unfortunately, I was swayed by these doctors and their scare tactics and lies to stay on the drugs.

“Depression.” On and off I was called “depressed.” Well, duh. They weren’t listening. Anyone would get depressed from wrong treatment and repeated incarcerations and being taken out of the job market. Who needs that?

“Temporal Lobe Epilepsy.” This was completely bogus, given to me by an overdiagnoser. I never had it. Any unusual activity was all from the drugs. I learned this later. I also learned that this doctor diagnosed anyone who entered his office with TLE. My mom was upset when I chose to stop seeing him, but really, I was tired of going to him and getting no benefit from those visits. I also sensed his degradation of women, his haughty attitude, and overall tone of hopelessness. I didn’t want that in my life anymore. I didn’t lose anything by stopping the appointments.

“Borderline.” Given to me by another overdiagnoser. I didn’t have any of the traits of borderline except one. However, they needed a coverup diagnosis after electroshock to explain why I was spacey and confused, so they told me I was “dissociating.” I knew I wasn’t! They hammered home the borderline diagnosis and tried to put me into the state hospital!

“Teeth-grinding.” I was given this false diagnosis when I complained of a toothache. I was given Haldol for “anxiety” because I said my tooth hurt. This was a false diagnosis. I knew I wasn’t grinding my teeth. I never did that! Actually, my tooth was cracked, completely cracked all the way through and I kept saying so. Haldol will not fix a broken tooth.

“Panic attacks.” I did indeed have panic attacks briefly, but I was misdiagnosed with them over a decade later. Once I was misdiagnosed with them because on a standardized test I answered “yes” to “Do you have cold hands and cold feet?” I had cold hands and feet because it was winter and I had walked from the bus stop. Another time I was told I had a panic attack when really, I hadn’t eaten in a long time (six days) and felt dizzy for obvious physical reasons.

“Arthritis.” I was told I would never walk nor run again. Hmm….I am still walking fine and I run 5k about every other day. I keep asking myself about the profit motive here. Or who it was that communicated with this orthopedist prior to my visit? Was this power-motivated? Maybe I will find out someday. I highly doubt there was anything scientific nor medically accurate about the “arthritis” diagnosis.

“Cataracts.” While this is indeed correct, all humans get cataracts! I am not a candidate for surgery, though, as I was incorrectly told. I was, however, a good candidate for eyeglasses replacement as I have now done. Badly scratched eyeglasses leads to blurred vision and much frustration! I do see some cloudiness but I’d say 75% of the clouds (which were those scratches on the old pair) are now gone! Never mind that, the new frames are comfy and not falling apart like the old frames were.

“Schizoaffective.” Is this one even real? I never had the (ahem!) symptoms of this. There was no science behind this one, nor any real reason that I can see for this diagnosis, except passed-on misinformation from one doc to another.

“Eating disorder.” True.

“Bulimia.” Not true. You wouldn’t believe how many doctors and nurses can’t even spell this one.

“Compulsive exercise.” Not true. Having seen the sad, sorry state of what compulsive exercise really looks like, I can say with confidence that I am not suffering from this, nor have I ever. I was driven to it once by my abusive therapist, though, but that was very brief (a few weeks). Considering I am 58 years old, a few weeks of life is barely a “phase.”

“Alcoholic.” If there’s one thing I’m not, it’s alcoholic. I just can’ t stand the stuff. I don’t like the taste nor the headache I get from it. Drinking it doesn’t make me want more. That’s not why I voluntarily stopped driving.

“Polydipsia.” Nope. I really had DI but this went undetected 27 years! This is MALPRACTICE if nothing else is.

“Paranoid.” I guess all you have to do is mention human rights and you get this label. Don’t ever mention “human rights” at a doctor visit, and please do not mention “malpractice” either. I found out that that one will earn you the “paranoid” label very quickly because those haughty assholes think they can do no wrong. Also, never refuse record-sharing. This, too, will earn you a label of “paranoid.” Instead, tell them you already filled out the paperwork. Tell them you did it online. Tell them you will do it “next week” and don’t ever do it.  That way you won’t be called paranoid and you will appear pleasant and cooperative.

I am nearly 60 years old and all those years they completely missed what was actually wrong. I am shocked because I was seen by supposed “experts” and they were such idiots. I don’t even know if I should tell you what I know. Three days ago I found out.

I told you I don’t know my right from my left.

I could never hit a ball with a bat.

I always struck out, and was picked last for the team.

I can’t stand TV.

I was a late walker but early talker.

I got fired from waitress jobs and it sure wasn’t my attitude nor stupidity. I was called “too slow.”

I seem to have been born with scoliosis that no one ever told me about. I have no pain in my back, ever. This may or may not have caused it.

When I broke my leg they didn’t think it was broken until they saw the xray since I didn’t seem to be in pain.

I get frustrated because stuff falls off my table. Yes, I knock it off, and I never knew why. I blamed the table! I knock stuff off the store aisles, too. Even now. I blamed my clothes. But everyone wears clothes and has the same tables….

I really couldn’t drive. I couldn’t pinpoint it, so I lied to the DMV and said something vague about “seizures.” I never had seizures. But I found driving scary and never liked it. It didn’t feel like freedom. Quite the opposite.

Go look up Sensory Processing Disorder and tell me those shrinks were idiots not to realize this.

By the way, SPD is not in the DSM because psychiatry doesn’t profit from it. It doesn’t take rocket science to figure that out. Please, replace THEIR brains with cotton, that might be an improvement…..