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Diagnostic overshadowing is the attribution of a person’s symptoms to a psychiatric problem when such symptoms actually suggest a comorbid condition. Diagnostic overshadowing occurs when a healthcare professional assumes that a patient's complaint is due to their disability or coexisting mental health condition rather than fully exploring the cause of the patient's symptoms. Often, once a patient has a confirmed diagnosis, there is a tendency to attribute all new behaviors or symptoms to the original diagnosis. Diagnostic overshadowing increases the risk of further health complications and delay in accurate treatment. 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.