overdiagnosing
Finding nonexistent illnesses
Overdiagnosing is the act of identifying a condition as a disease or disorder when it would not have caused symptoms or harm during a person's lifetime.
This happens particularly with screening tests that detect abnormalities—such as early-stage cancers—that might never progress or cause problems.
Critics argue that widespread PSA testing leads to overdiagnosing prostate cancer.
The concern is that overdiagnosing subjects patients to unnecessary treatment, anxiety, and medical costs.
Classifying as abnormal
- medicalizationReframing problems as disorders
- overtreatmentExcessive medical intervention
- labelingAssigning identifying markers
- biopoliticsGovernance of living populations
Excessive medical intervention
- polypharmacyUsing numerous drugs concurrently
- overprescriptionExcessive medication ordering
- side-effectsSecondary, unintended outcomes
- stigmatizationMarking as disgraceful
Wrongly recognizing something
- misclassificationErroneous categorical assignment
- misinterpretationIncorrect understanding of meaning
- misattributionCrediting the wrong source
- overinterpretationExcessive meaning extraction
Excessive preventive testing
- mammographyBreast cancer screening X-ray
- asymptomaticDiseased without outward signs
- colonoscopyLarge intestine examination
- biomarkersMeasurable disease indicators
pathologizing
Classifying as abnormal
- medicalizationReframing problems as disorders
- overtreatmentExcessive medical intervention
- labelingAssigning identifying markers
overtreatment
Excessive medical intervention
- polypharmacyUsing numerous drugs concurrently
- overprescriptionExcessive medication ordering
- side-effectsSecondary, unintended outcomes
misidentification
Wrongly recognizing something
- misclassificationErroneous categorical assignment
- misinterpretationIncorrect understanding of meaning
- misattributionCrediting the wrong source
controversy
Prolonged public disagreement
- epidemiologyStudy of disease spread
overscreening
Excessive preventive testing
- mammographyBreast cancer screening X-ray
- asymptomaticDiseased without outward signs
- colonoscopyLarge intestine examination