I worked in longterm psychiatric care for patients too ill for group homes (a nursing home style set-up). One of the ladies had very poor posture, a history of back pain, a history of schizophrenia, and a history of exagerrating symptoms.

At first when she changed we treated it psychiatrically. Her meds were adjusted and I treated her in OT for socialization and leisure skills. She liked coming to see me but didn’t get better; her behaviors were frantic. Then we changed her environment. That also didn’t work. Ultimately she was admitted to psych where she developed pneumonia immediately and the Xrays for that showed pancreatic cancer. By the time she was back home with us it was in her spinal column and the pain was terrible. Everyone involved felt terrible for not guessing, although she’d had no abdominal complaints.

As a psych patient this terrifies me. Until I found a doctor who I like and who works with me and my psychiatrist every time I was sick after my diagnosis was a mess. I was injured and can’t take ibuproferon so I needed something for pain; I was treated like I came in drug seeking daily. To some medical people mental illness removes all suspectibility to human illnesses.