@eniko There are also cases where the problem *IS* known to medical science, *AND* the doctor is making a serious good-faith effort to diagnose it — but they can't, because the scientific knowledge hasn't yet propagated to common clinical practice.
Misdiagnosis of #autism as other mental-health conditions would fall in this category. Before my self-diagnosis of autism at age 67, less than a year ago, I had an extensive history with the mental health system, mostly for depression. None of the numerous psychologists and psychiatrists I saw ever considered autism as a diagnosis, even though I'm low-masking. One misdiagnosed me as #bipolar; I've since learned from other #autistics here on Mastodon that misdiagnosis of autism as bipolar disorder is almost a cliché, and that more generally, misdiagnosis of autism as other mental health conditions is very common indeed, especially for autistics who don't fit the stereotype of a white male toddler with a low IQ and high support needs.
But similar things happen in physical medicine. A quarter-century ago, I went to a physician to be evaluated for sleep #apnea, after my wife told me she had been awakened from sleep by my #snoring. The physician was openly skeptical; I have never been morbidly obese, and at the time the prevalence of sleep apnea was not fully understood in clinical practice. Also, just as with my autism, my ability to compensate and function well probably led the physician astray; he might have taken my inquiry more seriously if I had been obviously impaired. To his credit, he did refer me for polysomnography — and the results showed clear evidence of apnea. I am now a regular user of #CPAP, and my life has been better for it.