[christiangirl]

What I'm wondering is if it's now seen as better to label someone with a problem they don't have than later find out you missed something. Theoretically, it might be easier to defend oneself in a malpractice suit if one can say "Oh, I gave the wrong diagnosis but at least I took action and was sort of on the right track" then to say "Yes, the patient came to me for help prior to [insert catastrophe here] and I completely missed this." I think it used to be (and to an extent still is the case) that doctors were afraid of diagnosing someone when they did not have to because of the stigma surrounding mental health diagnoses and the effect that label could have on a person's life. However, this concern has taken a backseat to a number of factors including fear of not getting paid by insurance companies.