WE'RE TALKING TO SARAH FAY THIS MORNING. SHE IS AN SAYS WHOSE WORK HAS APPEARED IN NEW YORK TIMES THE PARIS REVIEW AND THE ATLANTIC. SHE'S CURRENTLY ON THE FACULTY AT DEPAUL IN NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY'S THROUGH LATEST MRNA CRITIQUE OF HOW WE DIAGNOSE MENTAL ILLNESS OVER THE COURSE OF 25 YEARS OR SO.
SHE HAS BEEN DIAGNOSED WITH 6 DIFFERENT CONDITIONS FROM ANOREXIA TO BIPOLAR DISORDER. THE BOOK IS PATHOLOGICAL. THE TRUE STORY OF 6 MISDIAGNOSES.
THANK YOU FOR JOINING US THIS MORNING, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING ME AND THRILLED. WE HAVE LEARNED SO MUCH MORE ABOUT THIS OVER THE LAST 40, 50, 50 YEARS. AND IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING THAT IT'S MORE FLUID AND SUBJECTIVE AND NOT BOOM.
YOU HAVE THIS MOMENT. SO DOES IT SURPRISE YOU THAT YOU'VE BEEN MISDIAGNOSED? WELL, IT WAS VERY SURPRISING IN THAT.
I DIDN'T KNOW THAT. SO YOU'RE FAR MORE AWARE THAT I WAS WHEN I WENT THROUGH THE PROCESS AND WHEN I STARTED IN THE MENTAL HEALTH SYSTEM. I REALLY BELIEVE THAT THEY WERE ALL PROVING THAT THEY WERE AS RELIABLE AS A CANCER DIAGNOSIS OR DIABETES DIAGNOSIS.
I NEVER THOUGHT WAIT, WHY DON'T THEY HAVE A TEST? WHY DON'T THEY HAVE CAN FACE? WHY CAN'T THEY SHOW ME A BLOOD TEST THAT PROVES YES, I HAVE THIS AND WHAT'S INTERESTING IS I CHOSE THE WORD MISDIAGNOSES IN THE TITLE BECAUSE MISDIAGNOSES IS ACTUALLY SOMETHING THAT'S INACCURATE, INCOMPLETE OR INCORRECT.
SO SOMETIMES I WAS ALWAYS SEARCHING AND AND MANY PEOPLE HAVE BEEN THROUGH. THIS WILL UNDERSTAND AND SUFFERING FROM PSYCHIC AND EMOTIONAL PAIN. AND WHAT I WAS SOMETIMES IT WAS INCOMPLETE.
SOMETIMES IT WAS INCORRECT. AND SOMETIMES IT WAS INACCURATE. BUT I COULDN'T FIND HEALING AND I CAN FIND RELIEF IN THE DIAGNOSIS ALONE.
AND THAT'S WHAT'S SO FRUSTRATING. I'D LOVED ONE GO THROUGH THIS PROCESS AND WITH THE MISDIAGNOSIS, YOU END UP SOMETIMES ON MEDICATION THAT IS INCREDIBLY POWERFUL. THAT COMPLETELY.
REMOVE YOUR PERSONALITY FROM IT. SO WHAT WOULD YOU RECOMMEND IF YOU QUESTION A DIAGNOSIS GIVEN TO FROM A PSYCHIATRY US, WHAT WOULD YOU RECOMMEND GOING TO GET A SECOND OPINION OR OR WHAT THE PROCESS IS WOULD YOU TAKE? THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT ALSO DIDN'T KNOW, GET A SECOND OPINION.
AND I WAS UNAWARE THAT THE OTHER THING TO BE AWARE OF, THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE GOING THROUGH NOW IS. MUCH OF THE DIAGNOSES ARE COMING FROM PRIMARY CARE. PHYSICIANS 5 OF MY 6 DIAGNOSES CAME FROM PRIMARY CARE.
PHYSICIANS. SO WE TEND NOT TO QUESTION THOSE DOCTORS. IT'S VERY HARD.
AND I UNDERSTAND THAT I AND I I THINK THAT QUESTIONING IT IS ALSO JUST ABOUT QUESTIONING YOURSELF AND ENTERTAINING. DOES THIS DIAGNOSIS FEEL RIGHT OR SHOULD I PREACH THIS TO SOMEONE OR THIS YEAR, THE THERAPIST OR SOMETHING ALONG THOSE LITTLE? I'M SURPRISED YOU GET SO MUCH WEIGHT TO A PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN BECAUSE THE BRAIN BEING FAR MORE COMPLEX THAN THE REST OF THE BODY.
THE EXPERTS HAVE ENOUGH TROUBLE DEALING WITH IT. DO THEY DO THEY NOT THIS DISAGREEMENT AMONG THE EXPERTS? EXACTLY.
AND SO GENERAL GENERAL PRACTITIONERS, PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIANS REALLY ARE TRAINED USE THE DSM DIAGNOSTIC AND STATISTICAL MANUAL. I'M IN THE SAME WAY THAT PSYCHIATRISTS ARE. AND SO I THINK SOME PEOPLE FEEL LIKE, WELL, I'M GOING TO GO TO A PSYCHIATRIST AND THEY'RE GOING TO TEST AND I'M GOING TO GET THIS PILL AND THIS THERAPY.
BUT IT IS A A LOT OF TRIAL AND ERROR AND A LOT OF WORK. I WOULD IMAGINE. SO WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE FOR PARENTS WHO ARE TRYING TO DECIPHER WHETHER THEIR KID IS JUST DIFFICULT OR THERE'S SOMETHING WRONG?
BUT WHAT I DIDN'T KNOW AND AGAIN, I'M NOT OF, YOU KNOW, I'M NOT A DOCTOR. I'M NOT A MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONAL. I CAN ONLY GIVE WHAT MY EXPERIENCE WAS AND WHAT I WENT THROUGH.
AND WHAT I WENT THROUGH OVER THOSE 30 YEARS IS I DIDN'T REALIZE THERE ARE 2 STEPS TO HEALING FROM MENTAL HEALTH OR FROM MENTAL ILLNESS OR MENTAL HEALTH DIAGNOSIS. AND THE FIRST ONE IS TO GET TREATMENT. GET TREATMENT.
AND AND WE HAVE TO DO THAT IN COMMIT TO THE TREATMENT. BUT THE SECOND STEP IS TO REALIZE TO GET THAT TREATMENT, YOU'RE GIVEN A LABEL, A DIAGNOSIS AND IT'S SO THAT DOCTORS CAN COMMUNICATE WITH EACH OTHER. BUT NOT WHAT I DID WAS I OVER IDENTIFY WITH UK, MY IDENTITY MY WHOLE LIFE.
AND I ATTRIBUTE IT ALL OF MY THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS AND EMOTIONS TO MY DIAGNOSIS. AND IT REALLY LIMITED MY LIFE. WHEN I WAS TOLD I HAVE BIPOLAR DISORDER.
I BELIEVE THAT I WOULD DIE 10 YEARS EARLIER. I BELIEVED I COULD NEVER HOLD A FULL-TIME JOB. I WOULD NEVER HAVE A RELATIONSHIP.
AND A LOT OF THAT IS FROM THE MISINFORMATION THAT'S ON THE HERSELF. I WOULD SAY BE WARE OF THE INTERNET. ALL OF I WAS THINKING ABOUT THE PANDEMIC AND THERE'S BEEN SO MANY STUDIES DONE NOW ABOUT SOME OF THE DANGERS TO MENTAL HEALTH THAT IT CREATED A JUST IN TERMS OF ISOLATION, NOT BUT, YOU KNOW, BEING STUCK IN YOUR HOME.
HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT WHAT IS BEING DONE NOW TO KIND OF RECTIFY SOME OF THE DAMAGE THAT MAY BE POTENTIALLY WAS DONE OVER THE PANDEMIC. I THINK THING I'VE NOTICED AND WITH PATHOLOGICAL AND AND PUBLICIZING IT AND HEARING FROM PSYCHIATRIST FROM PRIMARY CARE, PHYSICIANS FROM THERAPISTS. WE'RE REALLY ALL IN THIS TOGETHER.
WE REALLY ARE. AND I THINK EVERYONE MEANS VERY WELL AND WE'RE ALL TRYING TO GET TREATMENT TO THOSE WHO NEED IT. THE ONE THING I WANT TO EXPRESS WITH MY BOOK IS ONE TO GIVE PEOPLE THE INFORMATION THEY NEED BEING ON THE PATIENT'S SIDE OR TO BE A FAMILY MEMBER OF A PATIENT, MEANING KIND CORRECTING ALL THAT MISINFORMATION ON THE INTERNET ABOUT THE DIAGNOSES THAT WE RECEIVE.
SO THAT'S PART OF IT.
