The misdiagnosis of a mental illness can have serious consequences for the patient. A misdiagnosis lawyer in Washington, PA can provide legal representation for a client who was misdiagnosed with schizophrenia. That type of diagnosis may have led to the person taking medication that ended up being harmful for them. The person may have been admitted to a psychiatric hospital when that was not necessary.
A Case Study
Cases have been published in medical journals describing the consequences of this type of misdiagnosis. For example, one patient began experiencing severe headaches and hallucinations after taking antipsychotic medication for several years. After they were brought to the emergency room, they received thorough neurological and psychiatric examinations. Their complicated medical history also was evaluated. With a new diagnosis, a change in the treatment plan began, and the patient improved substantially. There were no more symptoms of serious mental illness.
When something like this happens, an individual can lose years of their life to mental disability caused by inappropriate drug treatment. A misdiagnosis lawyer in Washington, PA helps the client receive compensation for those lost years from the responsible party. Money cannot bring back the time or experiences this person missed out on, but it can help with a brand new start.
More Severe Consequences
In some instances, the consequences are even more severe. If a healthcare professional does not find a brain tumor causing serious delusions or audio hallucinations, for example, a diagnosis of schizophrenia may be made. The patient begins taking medication that will not help the actual condition and can cause harm. In the meantime, the real illness is not being treated and will progressively worsen. In this cade, this person needs legal representation by an organization such as Woomer & Talarico once the misdiagnosis has been discovered. Browse our website to learn more about this law firm.
A large number of other health problems can cause symptoms that appear to indicate schizophrenia. Before such a diagnosis is made, very thorough examinations should be made that include toxicology and other blood tests, as well as brain scans and additional neurological measures. Afterward, extensive psychiatric evaluation can be completed if this is still warranted.
