In the USA, one in five adults suffer from a mental health condition. Mental health is the emotional, psychological, and social well-being that affects how we think, feel, and act. There are many different types of mental health conditions, including anxiety disorder, behavioral disorder, and personality disorders. Factors that might contribute to this are biological, life experiences, and family history.
Due to its difficulty in diagnosis and treatment, many mental health conditions go untreated or even get treated with the wrong diagnosis. Let’s take for example depression and bipolar disorder. After a primary care physician has diagnosed you with either, it is important to consult a second opinion from a psychiatrist. This is due to the fact that many patients diagnosed with depression are in fact suffering from bipolar disorder. Many realize the “mistake” after not improving with antidepressants and/or developing adverse effects. To put it in perspective, according to Mark Graber, MD. Chief of the Medical Service at the VA Medical Center in Northport, N.Y., 69% of bipolar patients may receive a wrong initial diagnosis. Furthermore, the treatment for each diagnosis is very different. Bipolar disorder requires lithium and/or a combination with antidepressants; while depression just requires antidepressants. Getting the wrong treatment can further your disease.

With mental health conditions, there is a “social” aspect that patients try to avoid: the less people I tell, the less embarrassed I will be. This could not be further from the truth. We are not saying to publicize your disorder; but, do involve your “close circle”, as they can be a great force for help, and do not disregard a second opinion from a new doctor/psychiatric. As this may help you once for all define what your diagnosis is.

More and more, we see many people speaking out loud about their disease. Actress Mayim Balik, from “The Big Bang Theory”, recently shared her struggle with depression. It is important that we as a society understand that mental health diagnosis is important, and should be treated as such.

With the varying options of treatment such as psychotherapy and medication you might want to seek a second opinion to see which one is best for you. For your second opinion you should visit SecondOpinions.com.