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We’re thinking about mental health diagnoses all wrong
Neither genetics nor brain scans can distinguish a person with depression, ADHD or autism from one without.
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Your mental health problems are not caused by a simple thing that you either have or don’t have.
PHOTO: ADOBE STOCK
Awais Aftab
My patients often ask if I think they have a particular psychiatric diagnosis, such as bipolar disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or autism.
The way they ask suggests they believe that as their psychiatrist, I can identify hidden attributes in their brains, much in the same way one of my physician colleagues might diagnose a patient with a genetic mutation or bacterial infection.
