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The mental toll of misdiagnosis

Published: 4 March 2025 at 13:00 UTC

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Episode notes

Hearing that an illness is ‘all in your head’ can have a damaging effect on self-worth and self-esteem.

That’s according to new research from the University of Cambridge that has revealed the impact of chronic diseases being misdiagnosed as psychosomatic.

The study showed that patients whose symptoms were dismissed were more likely to experience high levels of depression, anxiety and lower mental wellbeing.

In this special episode, Rachelle Abbott talks to lead author of the study Dr Melanie Sloan about the lasting effects of miscommunication between clinicians and patients, which range from low self-esteem to heavy distrust in healthcare services…

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