How misdiagnosis affects mental health
How does a misdiagnosis affect mental health? Being told you have the wrong condition, then losing that label, can trigger grief, anxiety, and depression. People may lose a sense of identity built around the diagnosis, feel let down by doctors, and struggle with the uncertainty of not knowing what is wrong. Research links these experiences with lasting damage to self-worth.
The issue is in the news after Christina Applegate, 54, said on 20 October 2026 that doctors had told her she does not have MS, five years after her 2021 diagnosis. Speaking on her MeSsy podcast with Jamie-Lynn Sigler, she said her symptoms had not improved: “If anything, I’ve gotten worse.” She still uses a wheelchair at doctor’s visits and described being “back at square one”. According to Variety, new technology led to the discovery. Her story, reported by People and others, is a reminder of how heavy the emotional cost of an uncertain diagnosis can be.
Applegate was candid about that cost. Having become a public advocate for people with MS, she said she felt she had “let everybody down”. She added: “I’ve gone through a great depression because of it. But I lost everything. I lost my job.” What her condition actually is has not been publicly confirmed, and it is not for anyone outside her care to guess. Her words, though, echo what researchers hear from many misdiagnosed patients.
How common is MS misdiagnosis
MS has no single definitive test, so diagnosis relies on symptoms, examination, and scans being interpreted carefully. Mistakes are not rare. In a study of 241 patients referred to two US specialist centres with an established MS diagnosis, Kaisey and colleagues (2019) found that 17% at Cedars-Sinai and 19% at UCLA had been misdiagnosed. Migraine was the most common alternative diagnosis.
An earlier multicentre study of 110 misdiagnosed patients by Solomon and colleagues (2016), published in Neurology, found that a third had carried the wrong diagnosis for 10 years or longer. Seventy per cent had received disease-modifying therapy for MS, and 31% experienced unnecessary harm because of the misdiagnosis, with the reported harms including anxiety and depression. The NHS guide to multiple sclerosis explains why the condition can be hard to diagnose, as its symptoms overlap with many other conditions.
The psychological toll of losing a diagnosis
Receiving an MS diagnosis is itself an emotional upheaval. A meta-synthesis of qualitative studies by Topcu and colleagues (2022) in Disability and Rehabilitation described how people experience the diagnosis, from shock to gradually adjusting their lives around it. When that diagnosis is later withdrawn, people can lose the adjustments, treatment plans, and communities they have built. Several reactions are common:
- Grief: People may mourn the years, money, and energy spent living with a condition they did not have.
- Identity loss: A diagnosis can shape how someone sees themselves, their work, and their place in a support community.
- Depression and anxiety: Unexplained symptoms that continue or worsen can feel frightening and hopeless.
- Distrust of doctors: Patients may find it hard to believe the next opinion after the last one proved wrong.
- Diagnostic uncertainty: Not having a name for what is happening can be more distressing than a difficult diagnosis.
The damage can last. In a mixed methods study of patients with systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases, Sloan and colleagues (2025) in Rheumatology found that among those who reported psychosomatic or psychiatric misdiagnoses, over 80% said it had damaged their self-worth and 72% said it still upset them. These patients had higher depression and anxiety levels, and were more likely to under-report symptoms and avoid healthcare, often from fear of being disbelieved again. Psychreg has also reported that women with autoimmune diseases are more likely to have symptoms dismissed as psychological.
Losing a diagnosis can also be isolating. People with MS already describe isolation caused by stigma, and those who are told they never had it can find themselves outside both the MS community and any other.
Coping and getting a second opinion
If you have been misdiagnosed, or are living with symptoms that have no clear explanation, these steps can help protect both your health and your well-being:
- Ask for a second opinion: In the UK, you can ask your GP for a referral to another specialist. Asking is a normal part of care, not an insult to your doctor.
- Keep your own records: Note your symptoms, dates, test results, and medicines, so each new clinician sees the full picture.
- Ask what the evidence shows: Questions such as “What else could this be?” and “What would change your mind?” help you understand the reasoning.
- Do not stop treatment alone: Talk to your doctor before changing or stopping any medicine, even after a diagnosis is withdrawn.
- Allow yourself to grieve: Anger, sadness, and confusion are understandable responses to a real loss.
- Get emotional support: A psychologist or counsellor, especially one experienced with chronic illness, can help you manage uncertainty and rebuild trust.
FAQs
- Can a misdiagnosis cause depression? Yes. Studies link misdiagnosis with higher depression and anxiety, lower self-worth, and lasting distress, particularly when symptoms continue without an explanation.
- How often is MS misdiagnosed? One study of two US specialist centres found almost one in five referred patients with an MS diagnosis had been misdiagnosed.
- What conditions are mistaken for MS? Migraine is the most common. Others include fibromyalgia, neuropathy, and conditions that cause similar changes on brain scans.
- Should I get a second opinion? If your diagnosis feels uncertain or your symptoms do not fit, asking your GP for a referral to another specialist is reasonable.
