I'm new to this list, but am pretty beat right now, so will just
touch on my particular concern.

I'm sure that there must be more people out there who have had real
medical problems go undiagnosed because a doctor opted to define them
as "depressed" and shove antidepressants, particularly SSRI's
(selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors), at them. This happened to
me, and as a result a severe problem, rooted in a previously
undiagnosed case of spina bifida (at age 51!) and resulting in a
severely tethered spinal cord went undiagnosed for two years, during
which time the problem progressed at an accelerating pace. My
complaints were completely ignored, as if they'd been delusional.

The result has been a surgery that would have been difficult under
the best of circumstances, but was a hell that is nearly impossible
to describe. Recuperation has been unbearable, and full recuperation
is highly unlikely - and that's a direct result of the delay in
diagnosis.

My research, since getting the diagnosis, has consistently, and
without exception, shown that the earliest possible diagnosis is
critically important, because this condition never gets better, and
the longer a neural defect exists, the less likely that it can be
recovered after surgery.

Also in my search, I've come across a lot of information to indicate
that many people are being inappropriately diagnosed as depressed and
put on SSRIs - and nearly always by doctors with no special training
in psychology, thus with no qualifications that should warrant their
presuming to make such diagnoses or to prescribe medications for them.

Further, I am finding that SSRIs are extremely dangerous and that
withdrawal from them can be a horror. The side effects - aside from
withdrawal - are destroying people's lives. So, there are two major
reasons for concern with these medications. One is the effects the
meds themselves have and the extreme difficulty in getting off them.
The other is their inappropriate use, and the resultant refusal to
take a patient's complaints seriously, thus creating a strong
likelihood of not diagnosing serious diseases.

I would very much like to hear from anyone else who has had an
experience like mine - having genuine symptoms ignored and
undiagnosed because of being diagnosed (appropriately or
inappropriately) as depressed.

-- Heidi