A case where atypical depression was missed – due to the celebrity or VIP bias:
Dr. Groopman observes that V.I.P. or celebrity patients sometimes short-circuit the physician’s normal diagnostic thinking. For example, these patients may be spared the doctor’s usual tests and procedures. As our “top gun,” Mike was just such a patient to me. Even as I entertained grandiose fantasies about curing him, my unconscious may have steered me away from doing everything I could to help him get better.