It seems doctors are completely at loss when it comes to detecting Parkinson’s disease in a patient. So much is the misunderstanding on part of doctors that despite a patient’s family history of Parkinson’s, they tend to believe that patients are making up the symptoms. To be told that it’s all in their head, is not just frustrating but also devastating for the patient. It can have serious health consequences.

Because Parkinson’s is highly difficult to diagnose, doctors mistake it for anything as small as frozen shoulder to anxiety to stroke. More than 10 million people around the world, aged between 51 to 60, are misdiagnosed with Parkinson’s because of its incredibly complex condition which manifest through more than 40 symptoms, say doctors. The main obstacle in diagnosing Parkinson’s is that it affects different people differently. Also, there is no conclusive or specific test to detect Parkinson’s.

The wrong diagnosis can put the patient through a hell of physical and mental trauma. In general, doctors initially link the symptoms to something unrelated, and put the patient on medication for a non-existent illness. Many of those who have received treatment and medication for Parkinson’s have also gone under the knife.