A presenting problem is the initial symptom for which a person seeks help from a therapist, doctor, psychiatrist, or other provider.
What is a Presenting Problem?
Most people can tolerate a certain amount of physical or psychological discomfort before they seek help for a problem, and tolerance levels vary from person to person. The problem that finally motivates someone to seek professional help can provide valuable information about symptoms as well as possible treatments. For example, a person with anxiety who seeks help only when he/she begins having panic attacks conveys to his/her treatment provider that the panic attacks are the most worrisome problem–in this case, panic attacks are the presenting problem.
Presenting Problems and Diagnoses
A presenting problem is not necessarily the most serious problem, or even the one that will lead to the most accurate diagnosis. In many cases, the presenting problem could indicate a host of different conditions and does not provide enough information to get a correct diagnosis. For this reason, doctors, therapists, and other health professionals typically take an inventory of symptoms to determine if they can find any important clues to help diagnose a patient. For example, when a person goes to the doctor complaining of a rapid heart rate, the doctor might ask about his/her stress level to determine if the problem is a cardiac one or related to anxiety. While this can lead to a more accurate diagnosis, health professionals often take into account the presenting problem when choosing treatment plans. If a patient is most stressed about a rapid heart rate, the doctor might deduce that this is the first symptom that should be treated to help the patient feel better.
Sometimes mental health patients first present with physical problems. This is especially likely if a person is embarrassed about mental health issues or under so much stress that he/she starts experiencing physical symptoms.
A
presenting
problem
is the initial
symptom
for which a
person
seeks
help
from a therapist,
doctor
, psychiatrist, or other provider.
What is a
Presenting
Problem?
Most
people
can tolerate a certain amount of physical or psychological discomfort
before
they
seek
help
for a
problem
, and tolerance levels vary from
person
to
person
. The
problem
that
finally
motivates someone to
seek
professional
help
can provide valuable information about
symptoms
as well
as possible treatments.
For example
, a
person
with anxiety who
seeks
help
only
when he/she
begins
having panic attacks conveys to his/her treatment provider that the panic attacks are the most worrisome problem–
in this case
, panic attacks are the
presenting
problem.
Presenting
Problems
and Diagnoses
A
presenting
problem
is not
necessarily
the most serious
problem
, or even the one that will lead to the most accurate diagnosis. In
many
cases, the
presenting
problem
could indicate a host of
different
conditions and does not provide
enough
information to
get
a correct diagnosis.
For this reason
,
doctors
, therapists, and other
health
professionals
typically
take an inventory of
symptoms
to determine if they can find any
important
clues to
help
diagnose a
patient
.
For example
, when a
person
goes to the
doctor
complaining of a rapid heart rate, the
doctor
might ask about his/her
stress
level to determine if the
problem
is a cardiac one or related to anxiety. While this can lead to a more accurate diagnosis,
health
professionals
often
take into account the
presenting
problem
when choosing treatment plans. If a
patient
is most
stressed
about a rapid heart rate, the
doctor
might deduce that this is the
first
symptom
that should
be treated
to
help
the
patient
feel better.
Sometimes
mental
health
patients
first
present with physical
problems
. This is
especially
likely if a
person
is embarrassed
about mental
health
issues or under
so
much
stress
that he/she
starts
experiencing physical
symptoms
.