Christina Applegate has shared a shocking health update: She doesn't actually have multiple sclerosis.
The "Dead to Me" star, 54, revealed the news on Oct. 20 during the latest episode of her "MeSsY" podcast, a show she hosts with Jamie-Lynn Sigler about living with the autoimmune disease. Applegate previously shared her diagnosis in 2021, and spent several months in the hospital earlier this year, during which she stepped away from the podcast.
She used that time to process the news from her doctor that she had, in fact, been misdiagnosed with multiple sclerosis.
Through tears, Applegate recalled the moment her doctor broke the news: "She came into my room and said, ‘Congratulations, you don’t have MS.' I was, like, not happy at all. Everybody
else was so happy."
For Applegate, the revelation came with some hard truths.
"You don't get misdiagnosed and then all of a sudden I'm better. I haven't gotten better," she explained. "If anything, I've gotten worse in some ways. So I'm back at square one, that I don't know what's going on with me."
She also felt like she had "let everybody down" after becoming the "poster child for MS." Experts say it's not uncommon for misdiagnoses to stir up feelings of grief and heartbreak.
Gina Moffa, a grief and trauma therapist in New York City and author of "Moving On Doesn't Mean Letting Go: A Modern Guide to Navigating Loss," said that on paper, a misdiagnosis is "good news," but "a diagnosis, even a devastating one, gives you something to hold and some sense of direction."
When that diagnosis is taken away, so is your plan for how to move forward, Moffa explained.
"In a lot of ways, you’re somewhere harder, because now you’re still struggling and suffering, and you’ve lost the map," she said.
What is multiple sclerosis? How common misdiagnoses are
Multiple sclerosis, commonly referred to as MS, is an autoimmune disease affecting the central nervous system. Symptoms can include muscle weakness, vision changes, numbness and memory issues, according to Cleveland Clinic. There is no cure for MS, but treatment options like medication and physical therapy can help people manage their symptoms and slow disease progression.
There are no exact numbers on how many patients get misdiagnosed with multiple sclerosis. However, a 2019 study led by Cedars-Sinai found that nearly one in five patients diagnosed with MS are misdiagnosed. A 2024 review published in the peer-reviewed medical journal Current Neurology and Neuroscience Reports found that across multiple studies, the rate of misdiagnosis tends to be between 5% to 18%.
Dr. Marwa Kaisey, associate professor with the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center department of neurology, joined Applegate and Sigler for the second episode of their two-part series.
Kaisey shared that MS misdiagnoses are "fairly common" as there is not a standardized, foolproof test for MS. Diagnoses rely on a list of criteria, and Applegate said she had "every symptom of someone with MS."
The pain of a misdiagnosis
Applegate shared that she has gone through a "great depression" following the news of her misdiagnosis.
"I lost everything... it stopped my life. I still have to use wheelchairs when I go to the doctor’s office. I can’t walk from the car to the room. I’m still in this. Nothing magical happened when she said, 'You don’t have MS,'" she explained.
As a grief therapist, Moffa calls this an "ambiguous loss," because a misdiagnosis does not always come with clarity or closure.
"Our nervous systems are wired to want predictability and a clean and safe ending," Moffa said. "Not knowing what you’re fighting keeps the body on high alert, and that is exhausting on top of being sick."
For others struggling with the grief of a misdiagnosis like Applegate, Moffa recommends starting by stating it out loud.
"Let yourself hold two things at once, that this might be good news and that it’s also devastating. You don’t have to choose, and you don’t have to rush to the silver lining," she said. "Rest, routine and one or two people who can sit with you in the not-knowing all help."
You also don't have to bear the weight alone. Along with your support system of friends and family, a therapist or medical social worker with an understanding of chronic illness and medical trauma can be a "real lifeline," Moffa added.
Contributing: Brendan Morrow
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Christina Applegate, MS and the heartbreak of misdiagnosis
