When Hurts Don"t Heal: Identifying Medical Malpractice

 

Medical Malpractice is a professional blunder or negligence by a health provider which causes the patient to suffer in various ways, or in worst cases, even lose their life. There are many types of medical malpractice, but the outcomes are the same; the patient is always on the losing end.

 

Incorrect Diagnosis

We expect the medical professionals to know what they are doing. But if they erred in the diagnosis, which resulted in wrong or deferred treatments causing more injury and suffering to the patients, then they can be charged with malpractice.

 

No Supporting Laboratory Tests

Health providers are expected to send patients for laboratory exams to confirm and support their diagnosis and provide them with information as to how to proceed with the patient’s case. If they did not, they may not be providing the patient with the standard care that is necessary.

 

Healing Never Happens

We go to our health provider hoping that our illnesses will be healed. If our condition doesn’t get better and our ailment is not cured, there must be something wrong somewhere. Perhaps you’re experiencing a misdiagnosis, a wrong prescription, delayed treatment–whatever the case, the result is your continued suffering.

 

You Did Not Consent to The Treatment

Patients should always be notified about their problem and the surgeries or procedures to be done for their treatment, so they can make a decision regarding their health. Health providers are not supposed to let their patients undergo a particular procedure without their informed consent.

 

Wrong Devices and Interpretations

The erroneous use of defective or wrong medical devices can cause injury and even death to the patient. Errors in translating X-Ray and ultrasounds which results in misdiagnosis and eventually injury or even death of the patient.

 

Prescription Errors

A patient may be injured if the wrong medication was prescribed by the healthcare provider or if the dosage that they specified was too high or too low.

 

Unresponsive Doctor

A health provider who fails to provide relevant information to the patient is neglectful; part of proper medical treatment is enlightening the patients of their condition at all times. They should always respond to patients’ questions about their health situation.

 

No Follow-Up

After a procedure or surgery, the health provider should inform the patient the outcome of the procedure, and what the next stage of treatment would be. Leaving the patient hanging with no information is negligent of the health provider.

 

There are many other ways of identifying if you have been mistreated by a healthcare professional. Finding a new doctor you can trust to administer proper treatment is a good step towards healing. Similarly, finding a medical malpractice lawyer is a good step towards getting restitution.

 

Informational Credit to McLaughlin & Lauricella, P.C.

 

Categories: heal, health, health provider, health providers, hurts, malpractice, malpractice nbsp, Medical, medical malpractice, nbsp, patient, provider

How to Differentiate Between Mental Health and Illness

The human mind is tricky! It is certainly difficult for anyone besides the experts to understand whether a person is mentally sick or ill. The difference between mental health and mental illness might not be clear sometimes but you can make a distinction between the two.

 

Can the fear of delivering a public speech fall under mental health disorder? Or is it just nervousness? Can shyness become a mental illness when it becomes a social phobia?

 

Here’s how you can determine if your loved one is suffering from any mental disorder.

It is tough to tell what’s normal and what’s not. Sometimes it can be difficult to distinguish between normal mental health from mental illness as there is no such equipment that can scan and tell you the results.

 

Primary mental health conditions can be identified by physical disorders. However, mental disorders are treated only on the basis of signs and symptoms that can be observed in the daily life of the patient. Here’s what you need to keep an eye on:

 

Behaviour

Consumption of excessive alcohol can be a sign of mental disorder. Other behaviour such as obsessive hand – washing can also be a signal.

 

Feelings

Depression or excessive anger, euphoria too can symbolize that the patient might be suffering from mental illness.

 

Thinking

Suicidal thoughts or adamant behaviour like delusions – fixed beliefs that cannot be changed in light of conflicting evidence – can be some of the symptoms for mental sickness.

 

 

How do mental health providers diagnose mental health conditions?

In order to examine a mental health condition, a mental health provider will work with the patient and the near and dear ones. He shall observe the following:

 

Symptoms of the patient:

A mental health provider will ask you about the symptoms you have experienced and how this has changed your normal routine. For example, if you are feeling depressed without any reason for longer, this might be a sign. Staying sad due to a reason like a divorce or death is a temporary phase and doesn’t really mean any illness. The provider will ask you about your thought, feelings and behaviour and their changed impact on your daily life. Feelings of sadness and discouragement for a longer period can cause mental illness. He might even ask you for a physical check up in order to determine any health conditions.

 

Opinions of the people who care:

By examining you thoroughly, the mental health provider will get the idea of your mental stability; however, the perception of people around you will also be taken in consideration. The ones close to you have been watching you daily. They can certainly differentiate if there are any changes in your behaviour or feelings, and how frequent is that. For example, you might be suffering through mood swings and according to you this might be because of a money issue or a wedding. But your thoughts and actions are always observed by others and if they believe that your mood swings are causing ruckus at work or in relationships.

 

When is a treatment required?

Different mental disorders have different and various symptoms. However, professional help can be required if the following symptoms are found.

 

• Change in the personality, sleeping pattern or eating habits


• Extended depression


• Weird or grandiose ideas


• Inability to cope up with the normal routine life or daily chores


• Extreme anxiety


• Excessive mood swings or anger, violent behavior


• Suicidal thoughts or actions


• Substance abuse

 

 

A lot of people who might be suffering from mental illness believe that these signs and symptoms are a part of their normal life. They may also avoid getting treatments because of shame or fear. If you are worried about your own mental health of a loved one’s, don’t hesitate to for an experts advice.

Categories: behaviour, daily life, health conditions, health provider, illness, mental disorder, Mental disorders, Mental Health, mental illness, Mood Swings, nbsp nbsp, normal routine