Distinguish Complex Cases, Minimize Misdiagnosis, and Create Symptom-Based Treatment Plans
Presented by George Haarman, PsyD, LMFT
Mental health symptoms rarely fit neatly into boxes. Even the most experienced clinicians can get tripped up when a client has overlapping symptoms, co-occurring conditions, or complex life stressors. Anxiety looks like ADHD. Bipolar disorder gets confused with borderline personality disorder. OCD and DID are missed completely. Clients with trauma are given too many or too few diagnoses. And when diagnoses are missed or misidentified, treatment suffers, clients don’t get the help they need, outcomes decline, and trust erodes.
That’s why having a clear, practical approach to differential diagnosis is essential!