[3] An example of diagnostic overshadowing may be a patient being diagnosed with a psychiatric problem and prescribed medication due to head banging behavior, but the patient actually has communication challenges and can't express pain in their mouth due to a dental abscess.
[8] [9] The World Health Organization attributes lower life expectancy in people with intellectual disability or mental illnesses in part to diagnostic overshadowing.
People with intellectual disabilities are more likely to be impacted by diabetes, hypertension, obesity and on average die 16 years earlier than their peers without ID.
When a developmental disorder- such as Autism- is not diagnosed due to diagnostic overshadowing, this can lead to a delay in appropriate support being provided.
[13] Healthcare providers play a significant role in helping to eliminate the risk of diagnostic overshadowing.