Mental health is one of the most underrated aspects of our lives today. Before the pandemic, 1 in every 5 Americans was suffering from mental disorders. After the pandemic, this number has only increased, as the Washington Post reports. Â
Every mental disorder comes with a hidden cost. Here, the hidden cost is cognitive dysfunction. Cognitive dysfunction includes reduced attention, deficits in memory, compromised processing speed and executive functions, says a comprehensive study published in Clinical Psychology Review.Â
The study included 97 meta-analyses that covered 29 disorders. Also, the data was taken from more than 200,000 individuals.Â
In the past few decades, mental disorders have become increasingly prevalent not only in the US but all across the globe. The disorder is more visible among the youth and adolescents. Â
The findings of the study are very significant for the diagnosis and treatment of mental health disorders. Amitai Abramovitch, one of the authors of the study, believes that some mental disorders are misdiagnosed based on cognitive dysfunction.Â
Abramovitch says, for instance, that if a person has obsessive-compulsive disorder, he/she may have difficulties in areas such as concentration, time management, organization, and memory. In that case, these challenges are not due to conditions like attention disorder or dyslexia but because of OCD. This confusion may lead to misdiagnosis, says Abramovitch.Â
Thus, a lack of knowledge about cognitive dysfunction leads to misdiagnosis. This misdiagnosis leads to the wrong treatment. So, it is important to identify the reasons for cognitive dysfunctions for better treatment of individuals, says a Washington Post report.Â
Even if the study presents incredible results, there are still a few things that are unanswered. The reason for a mental issue costing cognitive dysfunction is still unknown. The identification of a specific phenomenon that underlines the mechanism is yet to be discovered.Â
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