Diagnosis of Mental Illness Hinges on Doctor As Much As Symptoms The Seattle Times

This is copied from another website that was filled with distracting ads and pop ups so I copied and got out, its great info though.

PTSD, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder can occur at any age, including childhood. The disorder can be accompanied by depression, substance abuse, or anxiety. Symptoms may be mild or severe -- people may become easily irritated or have violent outbursts. In severe cases, they may have trouble working or socializing. In general, the symptoms seem to be worse if the event that triggered them was initiated by a person -- such as a murder, as opposed to a flood.
As with many mental disorders, the causes of bipolar disorder, PTSD, and schizophrenia are poorly understood. Friends and family commonly are shocked, afraid or angry when they learn of the diagnosis. People often imagine a person with these disorders as being more violent or out-of-control than a person who has depression or many other serious diseases. But these kinds of prejudices and misperceptions can be readily corrected.
Expectations become more realistic as bipolar, PTSD, and schizophrenia are better understood as disorders that require an ongoing and often lifetime treatment. Demystification of these illnesses, along with recent insights from neuroscience and neuropsychology, gives new hope for finding more effective treatments.

These are symptoms all three disorders have in common;

• heightened sense of self-importance
• exaggerated positive outlook
• significantly decreased need for sleep or difficulty sleeping
• poor appetite and weight loss
• racing speech, flight of ideas, impulsiveness
• ideas that move quickly from one subject to the next
• poor concentration, easy distractibility
• increased activity level or loss of energy
• poor financial choices, rash spending sprees
• excessive irritability, aggressive behavior
• feelings of sadness or hopelessness
• loss of interest in pleasurable or usual activities
• negative thoughts about the future
• weight gain or weight loss

The main and most important reason for the misdiagnosis is the little information that is given by the patient. A doctor may ask if other family members have ever suffered from these disorders. If you only know of one, the doctor will automatically assume that is the disorder that it is the problem. They will then prescribe you a medication that treats only that disorder. You must give detail about the symptoms you are experiencing. You must also ask any and many questions before allowing a diagnosis. One thing that can be asked is if the doctor diagnosis you with one ask “Is possible it could be something else?” Ask “Is there are tests that can be done. Let them know that you want to know what it is and want to be treated for it properly!

If any one tries to say you must be X because you went to treatment or took a pill point out these things and the fact that many people have been mis-diagnosed with physical illness too, that doesn't make the first diagnosis right. This is the reason people see 2nd and even third opinions. PTSD is a treatable illness.