diagnostic overshadowing

English

Noun

diagnostic overshadowing (uncountable)

1. The mistaken attribution of signs and symptoms of a medical condition to a pre-existing known condition.
   • 2009, Bob Gates, Owen Barr, Oxford Handbook of Learning and Intellectual Disability, →ISBN, page 106:

     Clearly the consequences of diagnostic overshadowing could be potentially fatal for some people with learning disabilities as their true unerlying health need will not be identified and treated.

   • 2012, Derald Wing Sue, Counseling the Culturally Diverse, →ISBN:

     Multicultural awareness can, in fact, lead to diagnostic overshadowing if clinician attention to race or other diversity issues results in neglect of other important aspects of the client (Vontress & Jackson, 2004).

   • 2007, Robert L. Schalock, User's Guide: Mental Retardation, →ISBN, pages 15–16:

     Accurate diagnosis is often complicated due to two factors: diagnostic overshadowing and challenging behaviors.