Getting a diagnosis Dr Rob Hicks Watch any TV medical drama and you'll see diagnoses being made within minutes. Unfortunately, in the real world, reaching such conclusions can take a little longer.

In this article

Process of elimination

Treatment options

Decision making

To make a correct diagnosis a GP has to explore all the possible reasons for your symptoms, and that can take time.

Let's say that you're always feeling tired. This could be due to many different reasons: stress, depression, noisy neighbours, a thyroid gland disorder, diabetes or a chronic infection, to name but a few. Through careful questioning, examination and tests, your GP will eventually eliminate the suspects and solve your problem.

A child who's described by her parents as 'hyperactive' or 'difficult' may eventually be diagnosed as having a hyperactivity disorder. But in the meantime, it's important to rule out other possible causes.

It may actually be normal behaviour that just doesn't fit with the parents' expectations or social norms. It may reflect another problem, such as bullying or jealousy of a sibling.

There's also the possibility it's an infection or pain is making the child behave this way.

It's not uncommon for this process of elimination to be slow and require a number of visits to the doctor. And even once a diagnosis has been made, it doesn't mean it will be plain sailing from then on.

When a particular treatment is clearly of benefit, it's usually easy for doctors to make a decision. But this isn't always the case.

There are very few black and white answers in medicine. Sometimes the information available to help make a diagnosis isn't crystal clear. It's full of possibilities, pros and cons, and risks and benefits of doing one thing or another.

Often, it's not possible for doctors to make a clear diagnosis, even after specialist tests and advice

Often, it's not possible for doctors to make a clear diagnosis, even after specialist tests and advice.

This can be hard to accept. You may feel frustrated when all you want is what's best for you and no one, not even your doctor, can tell you what this is.

It's not easy. You may find yourself going round in circles, consciously seeking advice from others while subconsciously wanting someone else to make the decision for you.

Making a decision can be difficult at the best of times. With so much choice available, people often struggle to make up their minds even when the best option seems obvious. But in the end, a decision has to be made. It's important that this is done with all the information that's currently available and the full support of those around you.

Talk any decisions through with your doctor until you feel confident about what you're going to do. Only the future will tell whether you've chosen the right course. If it doesn't work out, you should accept that at the time, you based your decision on what you thought was best for you and your health.

This article was last medically reviewed by Dr Rob Hicks in February 2007.