Living
research library
Stories and case reports where psychiatric labels came before labs — starting with Julian Porter, then curated medical cases that prove the same pattern.
Family story
Julian Porter — eight years treated for schizophrenia while Wilson's disease went unaddressed
Brian Porter shared Julian's story so others might recognize treatable medical causes before psychiatric labels become fixed.
Case studies
20 curated published cases — psychiatry first, treatable medical cause later.
A body in decline In February 2025, a 36-year-old man presented for evaluation of progressive weakness and drooping eyelids. His decline had begun approximately…
A psychiatric onset A 27-year-old woman, who had undergone surgery a year prior for a right ovarian mature cystic teratoma, began to experience a sudden shift i…
A sudden shift In May 2022, a nine-year-old boy was admitted to a psychiatric unit with an abrupt, severe onset of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Less than 48 h…
Ten years of depression A 48-year-old Japanese man had been living under a diagnosis of depression for ten years. He was prescribed 60 mg of duloxetine daily. O…
A body in metabolic strain A 51-year-old man carried a five-year history of hypertension and diabetes mellitus. Despite treatment with multiple medications, inc…
A shadow of anxiety A 56-year-old African American woman had a medical history that included nodular thyroid disease and anxiety. For her anxiety, she was presc…
A two-decade label A 69-year-old man had lived with a diagnosis of schizophrenia since the age of 47. For over twenty years, he had been institutionalized in a…
The first episodes At 10 years old, a girl began having multiple episodes of seizures. The first occurred in February 2021, when she was hospitalized with a fev…
Worsening anxiety and a bite A 38-year-old woman in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, lived with a history of generalized anxiety disorder and hypothyroidism. She managed…
Six months of episodes A 16-year-old boy in Trinidad and Tobago began experiencing a cycle of physical distress. For six months, he suffered from episodic heada…
The initial crisis A 50-year-old woman was found unresponsive in her home for an unknown amount of time. When she was brought to the hospital, she was febrile w…
A recurrence and a change in behavior A 39-year-old Japanese woman was undergoing treatment for recurrent small-cell carcinoma of the cervix (SCCC). After initi…
A sudden decline A 28-year-old previously healthy man presented with a one-week history of worsening diffuse abdominal pain. Along with the physical pain, he wa…
A sudden shift In late November 2025, a previously healthy 20-year-old Hispanic woman experienced a sudden onset of progressive behavioral changes. Within one w…
A sudden decline In March 2024, a 46-year-old man was admitted to a local hospital. One month after a respiratory illness, he had developed progressive hearing…
An unexplained decline A 28-year-old man began suffering from intermittent abdominal pain that occurred two to three times a week. The episodes lasted several h…
A decade of decline A 60-year-old man presented to a neurologist with a 10-month history of worsening hand tremors, particularly in his right fingers, and diffi…
A sudden disorientation A 38-year-old male, recently diagnosed with Graves’ disease and taking carbimazole and propranolol, presented to the emergency departmen…
A sudden shift In June 2025, a 21-year-old woman with an eight-year history of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and hypothyroidism experienced an abrupt chang…
A history of dependence A 35-year-old man with a history of chronic alcohol dependence and epilepsy was brought to the emergency department. He had experienced…